CHARACTERS. 



571 



Hcessary to remain there long be- 

 bre we learn to consider, as un- 

 natural and excessive, those very 

 truths which had been so often 

 Felt, and so often acknowledged, 

 when they have been meditated at 

 the foot of the cross. The most 

 established duties of life become 

 gradually either doubtful or im- 

 practicable. A thousand occasions 

 will present themselves, in which 

 youwill consider yourself as bound 

 by prudence, and even by benevo- 

 lence, to concede something to the 

 world ; and yet, what a strange 

 state it is for a christian to be 

 in, and still more for a priest, to 

 >ehold himself obliged to enter 

 into a compact with the enemy of 

 his salvation ! Truly, sir, your 

 post is a dangerous one : confess, 

 with sincerity, that it will be a dif- 

 ficult task to remain unweakened, 

 and that it will require a most 

 consummate virtue to resist temp- 

 tation. If ever the study and 

 meditation of the sacred writings 

 have been needful to you, they 

 are now so in an especial manner, 

 i Hitherto you have needed only to 

 1 cultivate virtuous thoughts, and 

 ; to nourish the love of truth ; but 

 henceforth you will have to shield 

 I yourself from evil impressions, 

 and to avoid falsehood. It is cer- 

 I tainly of the greatest consequence 

 I to you, that you forget not the 

 hour of your death ; that hour, 

 when all the glory of the world 

 will disappear as a dream, and 

 when every creature in it, who 

 may have been your support, will 

 sink from beneath you. 



" Your friends, no doubt, will 

 console you, because you have not 

 sought your employment ; and 

 this indeed is a source of just con- 

 solation, and a great mercy of God 



towards you ; but you must not 

 rest too much upon it. We have 

 often more to do with our own 

 elevation than we are aware of. 

 It is very seldom that we see the 

 path which conducts to it, and 

 that we fly from it with sincerity. 

 Few persons have arrived at this 

 degree of self-denial. We do not, 

 indeed, always seek for our pro- 

 motion with our usual eagerness ; 

 but, at the same time, we seldom 

 fail to remove the obstacles which 

 are in our way : we do not, per- 

 haps, solicit very urgently those 

 persons who might be able to 

 serve us ; but we are not sorry 

 when we exhibit ourselves to them 

 under the most favourable aspect; 

 and it is precisely to those minute 

 discoveries of human qualities, 

 that we may attribute the com- 

 mencement of our preferment ; 

 and thus, no person can be quite 

 certain that he has not influenced 

 his own promotion. This way of 

 evincing the talents which we 

 possess is often done without much 

 reflection ; yet it should be avoid- 

 ed, and it is always useful to ob- 

 viate its effects by contrition and 

 humility. 



" Perhaps you will consider this 

 letter as being somewhat too free, 

 and a little too long; or, you may 

 probably regard it as a sermon in- 

 judiciously made, instead of a ju- 

 dicious compliment. I should 

 certainly have been more laconic 

 and more reserved, if I had been 

 less anxious about your salvation. 

 Read it as the language of my 

 heart, which cannot be otherwise 

 than tenderly interested about your 

 real welfare. I entreat you to 

 believe that I shall unceasingly 

 implore God to fill you with an 

 inviolable love of him, in order 



