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From the Life of the Elder Zossima 157together in it. In the face of earthly truth, the eternal truth isaccomplished. Just as on the first days of creation the Creatorended each day with praise, saying “What I have created is good,”so now he looks upon Job and again praises his creation. AndJob praising the Lord, serves not only him but all his creation forgenerations and generations and for ever and ever, since for thathe was ordained.Good heavens, what a book it is, and what lessons there arein it! What a book the Bible is, what a miracle, what strength isgiven with it to man. It is like a mold cast of the world and manand human nature, everything is there, and a law for everythingfor all the ages. And what mysteries are solved and revealed; Godraises Job again, gives him wealth again. Many years pass by, andhe has other children and loves them. But how could he lovethose new ones when those first children are no more, when hehas lost them? Remembering them, how could he be fully happywith those new ones, however dear the new ones might be? Buthe could, he could. It’s the great mystery of human life that oldgrief passes gradually into quiet, tender joy. The mild serenity ofage takes the place of the riotous blood of youth. I bless the risingsun each day, and as before, my heart sings to meet it, but nowI love even more its setting, its long slanting rays and the soft,tender, gentle memories that come with them, the dear imagesfrom the whole of my long happy life – and over all the divinetruth, softening, reconciling, forgiving! My life is ending, I knowthat well, but every day that is left me I feel how my earthly life isin touch with a new, infinite, unknown, but approaching life, thenearness of which sets my soul quivering with rapture, my mindglowing and my heart weeping with joy.Friends and teachers, I have heard more than once, and oflate one may hear it more often, that the priests, and above all