Volume I, Treatise III, Chapter VII

Of the End We Ought to Propose to Ourselves in Our Actions

We have already shewn that our actions ought to be entirely disengaged from all sorts of vanity and human respects, and thereby have pointed out how evil is to be avoided. Now I shall speak of the end and intention we ought to have in all we do, and will shew that God’s greater glory is the only end we ought to propose to ourselves. St. Ambrose quotes from naturalists what is very much to our purpose: these relate, that when the eagle desires to know whether her young ones are legitimate or not, she takes them in her talons, and holding them suspended in the air, exposes them to the brightest beams of the sun; if they look steadily on the sun, she judges them to be legitimate, carries them back to her nest, and feeds them as her own. But if their eyes twinkle, she looks upon them as illegitimate, and lets them fall tothe ground. In the same manner, it may easily be known that we are the true children of God, if we fix our eyes upon the true Sun of justice, who is God—if we refer all our actions to him; and if we have no other object than to please him, and to accomplish his divine will. This truth is confirmed by the words of. our Saviour in the gospel, when he says, “Whosoever does the will of my father that is in heaven, he is my brother, my sister and my mother.” (Matthew 12:50)

We read of an ancient father of the desert, who was used to stop a little at the beginning of each action he performed. And one day being asked why he did so?—_I believe, says he, that all our actions have no merit of themselves, if they be not done for agood end. Wherefore, as he who fires at a target takes his aim for some time in order to cover the object; even so, before I perform what I purpose, I direct my intention to God, who ought to be the only object or end of all our actions; and it is upon this account, that I always pause or stop a little in the beginning of everything I do. We ought to imitate those archers, who, the better to hit the mark, shut the left and open only the right eye, that the sight, by being less spread on other objects, may be more concentrated and strengthened; even so we ought to shut the left eye, that is to say, have no human respect, and open the right; that is, we ought to look to God alone; and by this means we shall not fail to hit the mark, and infallibly touch the heart of God, as he himself acknowledges in the Canticles: “‘ You have wounded my heart, O my sister! my spouse, you have wounded my heart with one of your eyes.” (Canticle of Canticles 4:9)

To speak more clearly, and to descend more to particulars, I say we ought to endeavour to offer and actually to direct all our actions to God, which we may do with more or less perfection. For first, in the morning, we ought, when we rise, to offer to God all our thoughts, words, and actions of that day, and beg of him, that all these may be performed to his honour and glory; to the end, that when vainglory shall present itself to desire a part in them, we may answer it with reason: ‘“‘ You come too late, all is already disposed of.” But we ought not to content ourselves with this; we must also accustom ourselves, as much as we are able, to take care not to begin anything without first referring it actually to God’s greater glory: and as, in a building, we lay no stone without applying the rule and plumb; so in every action we do, we ought to apply the unerring rule of the will and greater glory of God. Moreover, as a good workman contents not himself with making use of his rule and square only once, but often applies them, till the stone is fairly placed; so it is not enough that we have once offered our actions to God, in the beginning of each of them; but at the very time of performing them we ought to act in such manner, as thereby continually to offer them te God; saying to him, “Lord, it is for you I do this—I do it because you have commanded me, and

ecause you desire to have it so.”

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