nderful service, and take what is the one power of making
outward and inward correspond, of making our words a true index of our
thoughts, our actions a true presentation of our lives; kneel down and
pray that all you love may enter more and more into the meaning of that
service, that they too may flee from self to One who is stronger than
self--to the power which is capable of transforming our actions--to the
power which raised Christ from the dead, and is capable of raising us up
also. Then you will gradually be taught that all life is of the nature
of a sacrament--that all food is to be taken because thereby we have
health and strength to manifest forth the grace of God in a too often
graceless world--you will be taught lessons which I cannot even suggest;
for God knows so much more than any of us what unsearchable riches He has
as an inheritance for us. Let us enter upon that inheritance. God has
called us to be saints, called us, chosen us--chosen us before the world
was made--He has chosen us that in us, through us, He might manifest
Himself. It is not humility that prevents us recognising the fact. It
is our selfishness and stupidity. For the very fact that He has called
and chosen you and me and all His Church before we were born shows that
everything comes from Him. _We_ are utterly worthless and vile, but when
united, as we _are_ united to God, we are transformed into His {82}
image, we partake of His life. Only let us be what we are--sons of God.

In regard to those words, 'I looked behind to find my past, and lo it had
gone before,' I do not know whether you are right or wrong about the
Greek idea. The past _has_ gone before us, we are always coming upon it.
Some day we shall be confronted with it. Every day that we live we are
making something that we shall meet again. The only way to get unity
into our lives--to make it possible to look back without sentimental
repining or an awful sense of dread--is to get God as the centre, God as
the foundation. As we look back then we shall find days 'linked each to
each by natural piety'--we shall see that our life forms a connected
whole a real progress, something worth calling life.

. . . Do you know that the best way to strengthen your best thoughts is
to try and express them? Get them out; you help others, you help
yourself. Don't be careful of the grammatical accuracy and the finish of
your sentences; I don't think St. Paul was. I was thinking to-