e
wrought by each Act!

JESUS Himself is glorified, and He sheds abundant grace upon the earth.

Our Guardian Angel, beholding us, listens, draws nearer, and makes us feel
we have done right.

The Angels above experience a sudden joy, and look upon us tenderly.

Evil spirits feel their power diminished, and there is a moment of rest
from the temptation that surrounds us.

The choir of saints above renew their songs of praise.

Each soul on earth feels the peace Divine.

Ah! which of us each day would not renew these Acts of Love to GOD!

Ah! all who read these lines, pause for one moment, and from the bottom of
your heart exclaim, "My GOD, I love Thee! My GOD, I love Thee!"

XIV.

BE SERIOUS

A statesman retiring from public life occupied himself in his latter days
with serious thoughts.

The friends who came to visit him, reproached him with being melancholy.
"No," he replied; "I am only _serious_. All around me is serious, and I
feel the need that heart and mind should be in unison with my
surroundings."

"For," he added, with such solemnity as to impress all present, "GOD is
_serious_ as He watches us. JESUS is _serious_ when He intercedes for us.
The HOLY SPIRIT is _serious_ when He guides us. Satan is _serious_ when he
tempts us. The wicked in hell are _serious_ now, because they neglected to
be so when on earth; all is _serious_ in that world whither we are
wending."

Oh, my friends! believe me, it is all true; let us at least at times be
_serious_ in our thoughts and in our actions.

XV.

CONSOLATION

You distress yourself sometimes, poor thing! because amongst those who
surround you, there are one or two who worry and annoy you. They do not
like you, find fault with everything you do, they meet you with a severe
countenance and austere manner, you think they do you harm, you look upon
them as obstacles to your doing good.

Your life passes away saddened and faded, and gradually you become
disheartened. Courage! instead of vexing yourself, thank GOD; these very
persons are the means of preserving you from humiliating faults, perhaps
even greater sins.

It is like the blister the doctor applies, to draw out the inflammation
that would kill.

GOD sees that too much joy, too much happiness, procured by those little
attentions for which you are so eager, would make you careless and
slothful in prayer; too much affection would only enervate, and you would
cling too much to earthly thing