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THE LIFE OF FAITH

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Thursday, May 13, 1880

FromAdvent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 20

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THE LIFE OF FAITH.

Francis de Sales, at the end of his Religious Maxims, relates the following conversation, as having taken place between Thauler, a learned and popular preacher of the fourteenth century, and an obscure beggar.
A great divine prayed to God, during the space of eight years, that he would be graciously pleased to direct him to a man who might teach him the true way to Heaven. It was said to him at length,—
“Go to such a church porch, and there thou shalt find a man who will instruct thee in the spiritual life.”
Accordingly he went, and found a poor beggar, very meanly clad. He saluted him in these words,—
“God give you a good day, my friend.”
The poor man answered,—
“Sir, I do not remember that I ever had an evil day.”
The doctor said to him,—
“God give you a good and happy life!”
“Why say you that?” replied the beggar; “I never was unhappy.”
“God bless you, my friend!” said the doctor; “pray tell me what you mean.”
“That I will willingly do,” he replied; “I told you I never had an evil day; for when I have hunger, I praise God; if it rain, hail, snow, or freeze, if it be fair or foul, or if I am despised or ill-used,—I return God thanks; so I never had an evil day; nor have I ever been unhappy, since I have learned always to resign myself to his will, being very certain of this, that all his works are perfectly good; and therefore I never desire anything else but the good pleasure of God.”
Then the doctor said,—
“But what if the good pleasure of God should be to cast you hence into hell?”
“If he would do so,” replied the other, “I have two arms to embrace him with; the one whereof is a profound humility, by which I am united to his holy humanity; the other is love, or charity, which joins me to his divinity. Embraced with these two arms, he would descend with me thither, if thither he ordered me; and there I would infinitely rather be with him, than in paradise without him.”
Hereby the doctor learned that a true resignation to the divine will, accompanied with profound humility of heart, is the shortest way to attain God’s love.
After that, he asked him again from whence he came. The poor man answered that God sent him. The doctor inquired of him where he found God. He replied,—
“I found him where I renounced all his creatures.”
“And where did you leave him?” said the doctor.
He replied, “With the poor in spirit, the pure in heart, and men of charity.”
“But who are you?” said the divine.
“I am a king,” said the beggar.
“Where is your kingdom?” said the former. “In my soul,” replied the latter.
“I have learned to bring into subjection, and to govern my senses, as well outward as inward, with my affections and passions, which kingdom is undoubtedly superior to all the kingdoms of this world.”
The doctor then asked him by what means he had attained to such perfection. He answered,—
“By silence, watchfulness, meditation, prayer, and the union I have with God. I could find no sure repose or comfort in any creature of the world; by means whereof I found out my God, who will comfort me world without end.”—Golden Rule.