God reveals Himself to us in as mysterious a manner in the most ordinary circumstances, and as truly and adorably as in the great events of History or of Holy Scripture.
The written word of God is full of mystery; and no less so
His word fulfilled in the events of the world. These are two
sealed books, and of both it can be said "the letter killeth."
God is the centre of faith; all that emanates from this centre
is hidden in the deepest mystery. This word and these events
are, so to say, but feeble rays from a sun obscured by clouds.
It is vain to expect to see with our mortal eyes the rays of this sun; even the eyes of our soul are blind to God and His works.
Darkness takes the place of light, ignorance of knowledge, and
one neither sees nor understands. The sacred Scripture is the
mysterious utterance of a God yet more mysterious and the
events of the world are the obscure language of this same hidden
and unknown God. They are mere drops from an ocean of
midnight darkness, and partake of the nature of their source.
The fall of the angels and of Adam; the impiety and idolatry
of men before and after the Deluge up to the time of the Patriarchs who knew, and related to their children the history of
the Creation, and of the still recent preservation from the universal deluge; these are, indeed, very obscure words of holy
Scripture. That, at the coming of the Messiah, only a handful
of men should be preserved from idolatry in the general ruin
and overthrow of faith throughout the world: that impiety
should prove always dominant, always powerful, and the small
numbers of the upholders of truth should be ever persecuted and
maltreated, seems incredible! Consider the treatment of Jesus
Christ. Think of the plagues of the Apocalypse, yet these are
words of God. They are what He has revealed! He has
dictated them! And the effect of these terrible mysteries
which will continue till the end of time is still the living word,
teaching us His wisdom, power, and goodness. All the events
which form the world's history show forth these divine attributes;
all teach the same adorable word. We cannot doubt it, although
we do not see. What is meant by the existence of Turks,
heretics, and all the other enemies of the Church ? Surely
they all proclaim loudly the divine perfections. Pharaoh and
the impious men who follow his example are allowed to exist
only for that purpose, but assuredly, unless beheld with the
eye of faith, it would all have the exactly contrary appearance.
To behold divine mysteries it is necessary to shut the eyes to
what is external, and to cease to reason. You speak, Lord, to
the generality of men by great public events. Every resolution
is as a wave from the sea of Your providence, raising storms and
tempests in the minds of those who question Your mysterious
action. You speak also to each individual soul by the circumstances occurring at every moment of life. Instead, however,
of hearing Your voice in these events, and receiving with awe
what is obscure and mysterious in these Your words, men see
in their only the outward aspect, or chance, or the caprice of
others, and censure everything. They would like to add, or
diminish, or reform, and to allow themselves absolute liberty to
commit any excess, the least of which would be a criminal and
unheard-of outrage. They respect the holy Scriptures, however,
and will not permit the addition of even a singe comma. "It