joy great tranquillity of soul. For order produces peace; it makes known what is to be done, and when; it restrains the flightiness of the thoughts; it advances and finishes every work that is begun; it banishes idleness; while the very recurrence of the time warns thee of thy duty, and every hour calls for its own employment.
Man. Thy counsel, O Lord, is just and acceptable to me, but how can it be practised? Thou knowest, O Lord, how much time is often snatched from us, even against our will, by our employments, our affairs, visits, conversations of friends, and other necessities of this life. Thou seest too, O Jesus, that this corruptible body is a load upon the soul, and that our earthly habitation presses down the mind that muses upon many things.
Christ. This is what displeases me extremely, that there are so few who know the value of the time which I allow to men to do penance, to grow in my grace, and to gain glory in heaveD. Behold the acceptable time passes away, never to be recalled, and none lays it to heart; the days of salvation glide by, and no one mourns that the occasions which he had of doing good are gone, never to return.
But thou, shun, as far as thou canst, those thieves of time, friends, conversations, and profitless engagements; and Decause the days are evil, redeem the time that should be given to thy better friends, to me, and to thy souL Is that which I ask of thee a hard and troublesome thing? Look, how much time is given to the body, to food, sleep, recreation, conversation, entertainments, &c., and wilt thou not give so little to thy God, thy soul, and eternity? Oh, how prodigal are men of their time when it is for the service of vanity! how niggardly when it is to be devoted to piety, to which all of it justly is due!
Moreover, I advise thee, my son, not to have many occupations; for with various distractions, thou wilt not have strength for all. He that is less in action shall receive wisdom.[1] For the bed of thy heart is very narrow, and the short coverlet cannot cover both.[2] More than one of the wise, even of this world, have discovered that no one who is full of business can attain to soundness of judgment. And how wilt thou attain to true holiness, if overwhelmed with so many engagements? Look at men of business. Oh, if thou couldst look into their consciences, thou wouldst see how miserably they are torn, as though they were among thorns and
