Far  better,  surely,  for  each  one  of  us  to  spend
all  his  life  in  so  praying  and  labouring,  than  to
•have  present  joy  of  his  labours,  along  with  such
confidence  as  is  apt  to  be  engendered  by  the  con
sciousness  of  satisfying  and  influencing  others.  And
in  the  end,  depend  on  it,  far  better  for  the  Church
itself,  though  we  may  not  understand  how.
Some  of  the  greatest  advances  in  perfection  have
been  granted  to  God's  family  in  this  manner ;  by
the  after-growth  of  sayings  and  examples  which
seemed  at  first  to  have  been  utterly  thrown  away.
Our  Lord's  saying  to  the  rich  young  man  did  but
send  him  away  sorrowful ;  but  within  a  few  months,
hundreds  in  Jerusalem  remembered  and  obeyed  it,
bringing  their  goods,  and  laying  them  at  the  Apo
stles'  feet.  Some  centuries  afterwards,  the  same
saying  fell  accidentally  (as  men  speak)  on  the  eye
of  another  rich  young  man,  and  he  presently  sold
all  that  he  had,  took  up  the  cross,  and  became  a
prime  pattern  of  the  strictest  way  of  life  in  the
Church :  and  all  generations  honour  him  by  the
name  of  St.  Antony.  Not  long  after,  the  memory

LIBRARY  ST.  MARY'S  COLLEGE


336  THE  DUTY  OF  HOPING  AGAINST  HOPE.
of  his  example  moved  yet  another  young  man  to
do  that  which  ended  in  his  embracing  a  religious
life  in  like  manner ;  and  this  was  no  other  than
the  great  St.  Augustine.
Thus  the  happiest  results  may  ensue  from  per
sons  not  thinking  at  all  of  results,  but  simply  and
unreservedly  trying  to  do  what  will  be  most  ac
ceptable  to  God.
