The daily exercises of a Christian life or the interiour spirit with which we ought to animate our actions throughout the whole day: With an easy instruction for mentall prayer, translated out of French by I.W. of the Soc. of Jesus.

III. POINT.

Should God give us the choice of of the time, the hour, & the man∣ner of our death, could we make a better choice then he? who ordains it by his infinite wisdome, power, & goodness, & who, having created us for himself, & redeemed us with his blood, accordingly, desires nothing more, then to save, & to bring us to the enjoyment of that happy end? And since faith teacheth us this verity, why do not we entirely abandon the care of our lives & deathes to him? what can there be better for us in heaven; or earth; in life, or death; then to accomplish his most just, & most holy will? And because we ought necessarily to submit to its orders, is it not better to do it freely, by an humble submission to, & filiall con∣fidence in his divine goodness, then to do it by constraint, as the Devills do; & by that resistance, render this action, rather worthy of punishment, then recompence? If the fear of our

sins makes us apprehend death, & desire onely to live, to do pennance for them, what better pennance can we perform, that is more agreable to God then perfectly to conform our selves to his will, & undergo the sen∣tence of death, to render him the obedience a creature owes to his crea∣tour; & thereby to shew him, that we preferr the honour of pleasing him, before our own lives? If actions so much the harder they be to perform, so much the more meritorious they be esteemed, what can there be harder then to renonce life; & what greater pennance can we perform, then frankly & freely, to give up our lives to God? because, by giving them to him, we give not onely all we can give, but all that is dearest to us, No one has greater charity, then he who gives up his life; says our Saviour, in the 13 of S. Johns Gospell: And if a God would dye so painfull & igno∣minious a death for us, and give his life upon the cross, for our salvation, can we refuse him ours? Is our life more precious or necessary then his

O my soul, had we never so llittle love for God, or gratitude for this great favour of his, we ought to desire a thousand lives, to lay them all down for his sake. What have we that is not his? O my God, since I am no∣thing, but by you, I will be nothing, but what you would have me, I care not whether I live or dye.