s;
she then tastes by experience the happiness of that coming of the Lord,
and her enjoyment is in proportion to the degree in which she has
learned to practice that self-abandonment which must bring her at all
moments face to face with this ever adorable will."

The entire philosophy of this is that the events of life are the
language in which God speaks to us. The thought is as simple as it is
impressive, and it is yet so great as to be fairly epoch-making in its
complete realization. And it is more than an open question whether, even
to a large majority of the most prayerful and ardent of Christian
believers, there is not still a new aspect of life revealed in this
simple acceptance of the common details of the day, the events of the
hour, as the divine language which is to be read and followed.

Because there is a more or less widespread conviction that events,
circumstances, conditions are things to be battled with, in case they
are not agreeable, and that there is a signal virtue in overcoming them.
Nor is this conviction without value, too, and a large measure of truth,
for aspiration and achievement must always be among the vital forces in
creating the immediate future; and we must create the future as well as
accept the present.

"Thou speakest, Lord, to all mankind by general events.
Thou speakest to each one in particular by the events of his
every moment."

Pere De Caussade proceeds to say:--

"But instead of respecting the mystery of Thy words and hearing Thy
voice in all the occurrences of life, they only see therein chance,
the acts, the caprice of men; they find fault with everything; they
would add to, diminish, reform. They revere the word of the Lord,
but have they no respect for words which are not conveyed by means
of ink and paper, but by what they have to do and suffer from
moment to moment,--do these words merit nothing?"

This handwriting on the wall in the guise of the daily events is a
message to be read by faith alone. Just here is the parting of the ways.

One fares forth in a certain direction, intent on a given
accomplishment, and unforeseen circumstances arise that hinder, annoy,
delay, or prevent the fulfilment of the intention. From one point of
view, one would say that interruptions and disasters were things to be
overcome as speedily as possible, and that the virtue lay in pressing
on. But the theory of life so wonderfully set forth