which God has given me now to enjoy in thought; for He has taken from me the power to think of it differently, so sure am I to possess it some day. And I hold that our departure from this world is not death, but merely a passage which the soul makes from this earthly life to the heavenly one, immortal and infinitely perfect-a belief which I am sure cannot but be the true one. Hence my thoughts are raised to heights so sublime that they cannot descend to the consideration of such worldly and common occurrences as the death of the body, but, rather, are wholly absorbed in living the heavenly and divine life. In this manner it comes to pass that, as I said before, I incessantly enjoy two lives. And I shall not feel any regret on account of the great happiness I have in this earthly life, when that life shall cease; for then my joy will be boundless, knowing, as I do, that the ending of this life is but the beginning of another, glorious and immortal. Who could ever find weariness in a lot so truly blessed and happy as the one I enjoy! Yet this happiness would be the portion of every man if he would but lead a life similar to the one I have led. And, assuredly, it is in every man's power to lead such a life; for I am nothing but a man and not a saint, only a servant of God, to Whom the orderly life is well-pleasing. There are many men who embrace a holy and beautiful, spiritual and contemplative life, full of prayer. Oh, were they faithful followers also of the orderly and temperate life, how much more pleasing in the sight of God would they render themselves, and how much more beautiful would they make the world! They would be esteemed as highly as were those, who, in ancient times, added the practice of the temperate life to that of the spiritual. Like them, they would live to the age of one hundred and twenty; and, by the power of God, they would perform countless miracles, just as those others did. Furthermore, they would constantly enjoy a healthy, happy, and cheerful life; whereas they are at present, for the greater part, unhealthy, melancholy, and dissatisfied. Since some of them believe that these afflictions are sent them by the great God for their salvation,—that they may, in this life, make reparation for their sins,—I cannot refrain from saying that, according to my judgment, these persons are mistaken; for I cannot believe God deems it good that man, whom He so much loves, should be sickly, melancholy, and discontented. I believe, on the contrary, that He wishes him to be healthy, cheerful, and contented, precisely as those holy men in ancient times were; who, becoming ever better servants of His Majesty, performed the many and beautiful miracles of which we read. Oh, what a lovely and enjoyable place this world would be even more so than it was in the olden times! For there are now many Orders which then did not exist, in which, if the temperate life were followed, we might see so many venerable old men; and a wonderful sight it would be. Nor would they, in the practice of the temperate life, deviate from the regular rules of living enjoined by their Orders; on the contrary, they would improve upon them. For every Order allows its members, in the way of fare, to eat bread and drink wine, and, in addition to that, sometimes to take eggs. Some Orders allow even meat, besides vegetable soups, salads, fruits, and pastries made with eggs-foods which often harm them, and to some are a cause of death. They make use of these because allowed to do so by their Orders, thinking, perhaps, they would be doing wrong were they to abstain from them. But it would not be wrong at all; indeed, they would act more properly, if, after they have passed the age of thirty, they were to give up the use of such foods, and live solely upon bread dipped in wine, bread soup, and eggs with bread-the true diet to preserve the life of a man of poor constitution. It would be, after all, a rule less severe than that of those holy men of old in the deserts; who, subsisting entirely upon wild fruits and roots of herbs, and drinking nothing but pure water, lived, as I have said, many years, and were always healthy, cheerful, and contented. So, also, would these of our own day be, were they to follow the temperate life. And, at the same time, they would more easily find the way to ascend to heaven, which is always open to every faithful Christian; for thus it was our Redeemer left it when He descended thence, coming upon earth that He might shed His precious blood to deliver us from the tyrannical servitude of the devil-all of which He did through His infinite goodness. In conclusion, I wish to say that, since old age is— as, in truth, it is-filled and overflowing with so many graces and blessings, and since I am one of the number who enjoy them, I cannot fail—not wishing to be wanting in charity-to give testimony to the fact, and to fully certify to all men that my enjoyment is much greater than I can now express in writing. I declare that I have no other motive for writing but my hope that the knowledge of so great a blessing as my old age has proved to be, will induce every human being to determine to adopt this praiseworthy orderly and temperate life, in favor of which I ceaselessly keep repeating, Live, live, that you may become better servants of God! O Luxury! thou curst by Heaven's decree, How ill exchang'd are things like these for thee! How do thy potions, with insidious joy, Diffuse their pleasures only to destroy! Kingdoms by thee, to sickly greatness grown, Boast of a florid vigor not their own: At every draught more large and large they grow, A bloated mass of rank unwieldy woe; Till sapp'd their strength, and every part unsound, Down, down they sink, and spread a ruin round. -Oliver Goldsmith. |