IMAGE THE THIRTY-FIRST.

WALK BEFORE GOD, AND BE THOU PERFECT.

Believe thou and firmly apprehend that God (A) is present in every place, and that with His eyes (B) which are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, He beholdeth and searcheth thy reins and thine heart, and watcheth all thy ways. He seeth our perilous straits (C) and our temptations (D), in order that He may assist us. He considereth the festive revellers (E) who here receive their good things; and the penitents (F) who here bewail the evil things which they have committed, in order that He may reward them,— and the wicked (G) in order that, sooner or later, He may punish them. Set Him therefore always before thee, whether thou art engaged in traffic, (H) or art eating and drinking. If thou art playing (I), yet let it be as in His sight. Walk thou with Him (K); and remember above all things that He is present in thine heart (L); manage as with Him all thy affairs; choose thy state of life (M) as according to His will, attending therein also to the inclination of thine own nature, for this also is from God. Remember that from Him is all spiritual authority (N) and all temporal power (O). It is God that worketh all in all, and reacheth from end to end, and strongly and sweetly disposeth all things according to the greatness of His power, His wisdom, and His goodness.

B b

Meditation

UPON GOD'S PRESENCE.

IMAGINE to thyself as it were a light immeasurable, pervading and penetrating this universe as a little point, since indeed it is but as a drop of the morning dew before Goda.

FIRST POINT.

CONSIDER, O my soul, all the parts of the universe, the earth, and whatsoever is in it or upon it, woods, caves, and the like. Secondly, the God filleth Water; thirdly, the air; fourthly, fire; fifthly, the heavens, all things. and whatever is in them all; and that there is nothing which God doth not occupy and fill, and intimately pervade with His presence; -the place where thou standest, and thyself, and all things, yea all possible and all imaginary infinity of space. O Incomprehensible God, my Father, how great is Thy house! If I climb up into Heaven, Thou art there; if I go down into hell, Thou art there also; neither can the heaven of heavens contain Thee. Oh! how blind are we sons of men, who neither fear Thee as Lord, when Thou standest near and art present, neither love Thee as sons love a most pitiful Father; neither as soldiers and wrestlers are animated by Thy presence Who art our King.

SECOND POINT.

CONSIDER with firm faith, that God is every where by His essence, His power, and His presence. By essence, for truly the Holy Trinitythe Father begetting the Son, and the Holy Spirit proceeding from both, is every where present here, so that if the brightness of glory were c 1 Kings viii. 27.

a Wisdom xi. 22.

b Psalm cxxxix. 8.

See therefore How God is

vouchsafed, thou mightest be happy even here. that thou never reckon thyself to be alone, but with great every where. reverence in every place stand as near unto thy God. Secondly, observe that He is every where by His presence, because He knoweth all things, knoweth thy temptations, searcheth thy reins and thy thoughts: Him therefore only desire to please-commit all things unto Him, Who alone reacheth from end unto end, for our foresight and providence is altogether most uncertain; and exercise thyself in resignation. Thirdly, observe that God is every where by His power, that this, and His goodness and wisdom shine out in the creatures in their weight, number, measure, manner, appearance and order, substance, virtue and operation, beginning, decay, and end. For all these things of a truth doth God move and sustain; giving to some existence, to some life, to some vegetation, to some understanding, so that if He did but withdraw His God upholdhand, all things would be reduced to nothing. Consider how He eth allthings. worketh both that which is natural, and that which is above nature, the things of the artificial and of the moral world, so that just as the presence of the soul in the body is known by its operations, so by these things is His presence in all things to be recognised. Lastly, with eyes ever bent upon thee, He beholdeth thee wheresoever thou art, and seeth both the evil and the good, and each one among them as if he were the only one. And who then would dare to offend Thee, O my God, before Whom ten thousand times ten thousand stand? Who but must love Thee? since Thou art every where present, and standest by me, and fillest all things with blessing, in order that I may love Thee, O Infinite Goodness? Who then shall not fear Thee, and Thy judgments, which are like the great deep? who but will work for Thee, Who workest all things in all for us? Lastly, who would not endure, when afflicted and tempted, as seeing Him Who is invisiblef, since all our works are as the sun in Thy sight?

THIRD POINT.

CONSIDER, first, O man, that God and the Holy Trinity are verily within thee, piercing through all things, and joined to thee with a more intimate union than thy very soul is. Secondly, not only are within thee, but communicating unto thee of His own perfections, as also to the rest of His creatures, giving all being, and reason, and the like, and especially faith, and the grace whereby thou art His son; and consider thyself as moving, walking, and doing all things in Him, for in Him we live, and move, and have our beings; and thy several parts and abilities,

d Dan. vii. 10.

f Heb. xi. 27.

• Psalm xxxvi. 6.

Acts xvii. 28.

and all thy members, and senses, from Him receive power to be, and to work; yea, thou art encompassed by Him, as a babe in the womb of its mother, and hast Him for thy wall, thy bed, thy nourishment; thou existest in Him as a bird doth in the air, or a fish doth in the water, or as if in the midst of a great light, or of a fire always burning, yet without consuming thee;-thee, who wouldst presently return to nothing if He were to withdraw Himself, as when a torch is taken away, the light presently faileth. Thirdly, consider how all things are in thy soul, God and the whole world, which entereth into it through the portals of the senses; see next how thy mind possesseth consciousness, habitation of loveth, remembereth, and is God's image and habitation, and make unto thyself a chamber in thy heart, and there adore, and ask counsel of the Lord. Pray often in this secret place; rejoice as over thy present Treasure, Defender, Light, yea, thy every good; loathe whatsoever is displeasing to eyes far brighter than the sun, and sigh often unto God, and say, Put me only beside Thee, O Lord, and let the hand of any other fight against meh: suffer not my heart to be divided, and though I perish, yet let me abide by Thy grace in Thy love; in Thee only do I desire to abide for ever.

The soul the

God.

FOURTH POINT.

CONSIDER the different modes by which God is in some places in an especial manner. First, in Heaven, where He displayeth His glory :— do thou therefore aspire unto it. Secondly, He is in a peculiar manner upon earth, in places where He giveth some sign of His presence; as when He appeared unto Jacob, who therefore affirmed, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it noti. In this way, too, is He in churches and oratories; and ponder it in mind how that in such places various inspirations are vouchsafed by God, and that many different benefits have been in them conferred upon thee, and give thanks with all thy heart. Thirdly, He is in an especial manner in the righteous, for he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him; and desire that He may likewise ever abide in thee. Fourthly, He is and abideth for thee in the blessed Eucharist; consider therefore how thou canst shew thy gratitude for so great a benefit by frequent attendance at the Holy Communion, and that with great reverence and love. Fifthly, contemplate Jesus, according to His human nature, sitting in Heaven and governing all our concerns. Thou seest how God is present unto thee in manifold ways, how near and yet how far from thee, if at any time thou committest grievous sin, and offendest, and forgettest Him. O Lord, what is

h Job xvii. 3. Vulgate.

i Gen. xxviii. 16.

k 1 John iv. 16.