tate, but He makes use
of evils, as said before, to increase the perfection of His chosen souls.
Gradually, step by step, from a natural He leads them to a higher
state--from diffidence to trust, from fear to love, from sorrow and anguish
to peace and joy.

The change in the soul is rarely at once and immediate; it does not come
of a sudden. At first it is difficult and repugnant to nature to find joy
in sorrow and pleasure in pain, to see gladness in tears and rest in
disturbance, to find peace in the midst of our enemies; but God, in His
omnipotent goodness, so disposes and provides for the souls of His elect
that sooner or later they penetrate to the meaning of things, and find
there their hidden treasure. When the fabric of life itself has crumbled
to its native dust, when friends have gone and charms departed, when the
very earth we tread seems trembling beneath our feet, and every dream of
earthly bliss is fled, when enemies sit where loved ones sat, and the
heart has all but ceased to beat, then is the acceptable time and
propitious moment, for the devout and faithful soul, that has washed its
garments in the blood of the Lamb, to look up to Heaven with expectant
joy. The thrilling vision of eternal love so much desired, so long perhaps
delayed, is then, indeed, about to dawn.

The sweetness of God and the peace of His spirit are not to be found in
the market place, nor in the noise and clamor of the busy street. It is
not at the banquets of earthly kings that we taste of the joys of the
Saviour's feast. It is not amid honors and riches and the pleasures of
sense that the calm dews of Heaven refresh the soul. We were made for a
higher friendship, for a more intimate union, for a sweeter companionship
than any that earth can provide. And it is only when the door has been
shut to the outer world, when the vanities of time have ceased to be
sought, that the soul is ready for the wedding garment, and able to
prepare for the marriage feast. It is in the inner sanctuary and alone,
divested of fleshy trammels and freed from the bondage of earthly
attachments, that the soul is able to meet its God and hold intimate
converse with Him.

There are few, comparatively, out of the multitude of souls that are
called to the feast which is spread for them, that ever sit down at the
Master's table. Many are invited, and the servant is sent out at the hour
of supper to say to them that were called, that all things are ready, and