% Division .„„)^^-^^ ^H%„^^ / ^a^-T S E R M 0 N S MORAL DISCOURSES, AND PRINCIPAL FESTIVALS OF THE YEAR, ON THE MOST IMPORTANT TRUTHS AND MAXIMS OF THE GOSPEL. BY THE LATE REV. WILLIAM 'GAIIAN, O. S. A. EX. PROV. Preach the Word, urge in Season, and out of Season ; Reprove, enti'eat, rebuke In all Patience Docti'ine. — 2 Tim. c. iv. v. 2. THE PREFACE BY * THE RIGHT REY. DOCTOR WALSH, BISHOP OF HALIFAX. FIFTH EMTIOX, CAREFULLY REVISED AKD CORRECTF.D. DUBLIN : PRINTED BY RICHARD GRACE AND SONS, CATHOLIC BOOKSELLERS AND PUBLISHERS, 43, CAPEL-STREET. 1846. PREFACE, It has long been a source of regret to every lover of religion, that the numerous duties and unceasing labours of the Irish Catholic Clergy render it impossible for them to devote much of their valuable time to the composition or publication of good books. Though our national church is filled with accomplished scholars, eloquent preachers, and able divines, we behold very few works on religion issuing from the Irish press. This, however, is a state of things which must excite our regret rather than our surprise. For as long as the clergy are so utterly disproportioned in number to the millions whom they have to instruct and attend, it will be in vain to hope, that that precious time which is altogether consumed in the essential duties of the mission, can be directed to other purposes, no matter how laudable. In no religious department are we more deficient than in the amount of published Sermons ; and yet, perhaps, it would be impossible to hear throughout the Catholic world, more beautiful or sublime specimens of Christian eloquence than are weekly delivered in our churches. In other Catholic countries the greatest care has been taken to collect and publish the Sermons and Discourses of their distinguished preachers and moralists, and their religious zeal is thus made known to Christendom, and preserved for the admiration of posterity. In Ireland, though the eloquence of her sons is proverbial, and their zeal as undying as their faith, the rich treasures of their learning and piety descend with them to the grave, and nought is left behind but the remembrance of their virtues, in the grateful hearts of those whom they had edified by their example, and instructed by their doctrine. But, thank God, an improvement in this respect is taking place. Ages of persecution have rolled by, and an era of toleration has at length commenced. The public celebration of Catholic service is not only permitted, but protected by law. Temples in some manner worthy of the Divine Majesty to whom they are consecrated, are seen to lift their heads to Heaven in every direction through the land. The generosity of the faithful keeps pace with the zeal of the clergy, and we every where witness abundant proofs of that piety which loves to decorate the House of God. His ministers are clothed in garments suitable to the dignity of their high office, and the affecting ceremonies of religion are conducted with a pomp and splendour unknown in Ireland, since those glorious days when she earned from admiring Christendom the proud appel- lation of Island of Saints. Our religious literature shares in the general improvement. Works of piety are beginning to be sent forth in great num. bers from the Irish Catholic press ; scarce and valuable books are re-printed, translations from foreign writers of eminence, and original compositions of great merit are ushered into public notice in quick succession, and at moderate prices. The supply and demand are producing a mutual re-action, which must be highly conducive to the religious information of the people, and the glory of our national church. It must not be inferred from the preceding remarks, that there were not in the worst of times splendid exceptions, amid the general decay of religions literature in our island. There is hardly a country of Europe, or a department of Ecclesiastical learning in which Irishmen have not distin- guished themselves and reflected glory on their country. Even at home, the national talent has burst forth in brilliant coruscations amid the dismal gloom of persecution, and the watchmen of Israel, men mighty in word and work, have bravely stood upon her towers, and repelled the powerful and implacable enemies who invested her, by the invincible weapons of truth. The pious and learned author of the following Sermons is entitled to rank high amongst these distinguished cham- pions of the faith. The name Gahan will be long enshrined in the grateful memory of every Irish Catholic. His various works of piety and learing were the instruction and delight of the age in which he lived. He wrote and published a succession of highly useful volumes, which were peculiarly seasonable at the time of their appearance, and which are still held in great and deserved esteem by the pious faithful. His Sermons, of which the following pages are a re-print, contain a vast fund of morality, and are equally suited to the humble and learned Catholic. Gahan preached the doctrine of his heavenly Master, not "in the persuasive words of human wisdom," but, " in the shewing of the spirit and the power" of God.* He spoke and wrote from the fervour of his own heart, and with a penetrating unction, for which all human eloquence might be substituted in vain. It is nnnecessary to inform the Irisli Catholic, that his doctrine was but a transcript of his life. Munj witnesses of his virtues are yet living, so that if he had not bequeathed to his countrymen those legacies of his piety, his name would still live green in their memories. The language of the Holy * 1 Cor. ii. 4. PREFACE . Ghost, concerning Abel, may be also applied to him : " al- though dead, he still speaketh,"* by the force of his example, the recollection of his piety, and the valuable instruction contained in his writings. An edition of his excellent Sermons is here presented to the public. From the entire exhaustion of the last edition, and the increasing demands of the faithful, the publishers feels that they will render an acceptable service to the friends of religion by the printing of this. They also venture to hope, that its type, arrangement and size, will meet with general approbation. * Heb. xi. 4. CONTENTS. First Sunday of Advent On the General Judgment, ... 1 Second Sunday of Advent On the Sin of Scandal, .... 8 Third Sunday of Advent On the Virtue of Humility, ... 15 Fourth Sunday of Advent. — On Preparing- the Way of the Lord, 22 Christmas-Day On the Incarna- tion and Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, ... 29 Sunday within the Octave On the Duties of Parents to their Children, 33 New Year's Day — On the tran- scendent Sanctity of the Name of Jesus, and the high respect that is due to it, . . .44 Twelfth Day — On the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ, . 50 Sunday Avithin the Octave On the Duties of Children to their Parents, 38 Second Sunday after Epiphany On Matrimony, and the principal Duties of Husbands and Wives, 66 January 23th. — On the Conversion of St. Paul, .... 72 Third Sunday after Epiphany — On the reciprocal Duties of Masters and Servants, .... 78 Fourth Sunday after Epiphany On the Necessity of subduing our Passions, and practising Self-de- nial, 85 Fifth Sunday after Epiphany On the rigour and duration of the Pains of Hell,. ... 92 Sixth Sunday after Epiphany On The nature of a true and perfect Repentance, .... 99 Septuagesima Sunday On the good use of Time, . . . 107 Sexagesima Sunday — On the Word of God, 113 Quinquagesima Sunday — On the Nature and Necessity of Divine Faith, and the Rule by which it is known, .... 120 Ash- Wednesday On the Obliga- tion of leading a penitential Life, particularly in the holy Time of Lent, 126 PAGE First Sunday of Lent — On the Forty Days Fast of Lent, . . 133 Second Sunday of Lent.. — On the deplorable State of a Christian, who is cold and insensible with regard to Heaven, . . .140 Third Sunday of Lent On the Necessity and Qualities of Sacra- mental Confession, . . . 146 Fourth Sunday of Lent — On the Signal Advantages and Benefits of a worthy and frequent Com- munion, 133 Seventeenth Day of March — On the Feast of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, . . - .159 Passion Sunday On the Advan- tages of Sufferings and Afflictions, 165 Palm Sunday — On the Disposi- tions required to a worthy Pas- chal Communion, . . .172 Holy Thursday — On the Institu- tion of the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, and the Real Pre- sence, &c 177 Good Friday On the Sacred Pas- sion of our Lord Jesus Christ, 185 Easter Sunday. — On the Feast of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ 197 Easter Monday — On the Resur- rection of our Lord, . . . 203 Low Sunday On the Institution and Nature of the Sacrament of Penance, 209 Second Sunday after Easter On the Dangers and Difficulties of a delayed Conversion, . . .216 Third Sunday after Easter On the Habit of Sin, . . .223 Fourth Sunday after Easter — On shunning the dangerous Occa- sions of Sin, .... 230 Fifth Sunday after Easter — On Prayer, 236 Third day of May — On the Sacred Mystery of the Holy Cross, . 244 Ascension Thursday — On the tri- umphant Ascension of our Lord, 251 Sunday within the Octave of the Ascension. — On the Importance of Salvation, . . . .257 Fourth Day of May — On the Fes- tival of St. Monica, ... 263 CONTENTS. PAGE Pelltecost-Sumla3^ — On the De- scent of the Holy Ghost, . . 270 Trinity- Sunday On the Sacra- ment of Baptism, . . . 277 First Sunday after Pentecost — On the necessity and signal Advan- tages of Alms and Works of mercy, ..... 284 Second Sunday after Pentecost, be- ing the Sunday within the Oc- tave of Corpus-Christi-Day On the transcendent Dignity and Excellency of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, 292 Third Sunday after Pentecost On the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, . 298 Fourth Sunday after Pentecost — On referring all oiir deliberate Actions to the honour and glory of God, 305 Fifth Sunday after Pentecost — On the difference between true and folse Virtue, . . . .311 Sixth Sunday after Pentecost — On Christian Temperance and So- briety, 316 Twenty-fourth Day of June — On the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, 323 Seventh Sunday after Pentecost — On the Necessity of an operative Faith, accompanied with Good Works and the Practice of Chris- tian Virtues 328 Eighth Sunday after Pentecost On corresponding with the Grace of God, 334 Ninth Sunday after Pentecost — Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, . 340 Tenth Sunday after Pentecost On the dangerous Sin of Pride and Vain-glor3% . . . 346 Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost On the Sin of Detraction, . . 351 Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost On tlie love of God and of our Neighbour, . . . .358 Thirteenth Sunday after Pente- cost On the Enormity and dis- mal Effects of Mortal Sin, . 3G6 PAGE Fifteenth Day of Aiigust. — On the Assumption of the B. Virgin, . 373 Fourteenth Sunday after Pente- cost— On the Joys and Glory of Heaven, 381 Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost — On the happy state of Grace, and the unhappy state of Sin, . . 387 Twenty-eiglitli Day of August. -Ou the Festival of St. Augustine. . 393 Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost.— On sanctifying the Sabbath Day, 400 Seventeenth Sunday after Pente- cost On the Love of our Neigh- bour, 408 Tenth day of September — On the Festival of St. Nicholas of Tolen- tine, 413 Eighteenth Sunday after Pente- cost On the nature of Indul- gences and Jubilees, . . .421 Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost. On the small Number of the Elect, 428 Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. On the Respect due to the House of God, 433 Twenty-first Sunday after Pente- cost On loving our Enemies, and pardoning Offences and In- juries, 442 Second Day of November — On the Sufferings of the Souls in Pur- gatory, 448 Twenty-Second Sunday after Pen- tecost On the Sin of Covetous- ness and Injustice, and the Obli- gation of making Restitution, . 453 Twenty-third Sunday after Pente- cost Ou Death, . . .461 Twenty-fourth and last Sunday after Pentecost On the vile Sin of Impurity, .... 468 Sixth Day of December — Ou the Festival of St. Nicholas, Bishop ofMyra, 477 On the scandalous Vice of profane Swearing, Cursing, and Blas- pheming, 483 APPENDIX. Exhortation before and after the first Communion of Children, . 489 Exposition of the Lord's Prayer, . 493 On the Angelical Salutation, . 499 On the Apostles' Creed, . .501 Ou the Ten Commandments, . 513 On the Precepts of the Church, . On a Religious Profession, &c.. On the duties of Religious Persons, On the Sanctity of the Priestly Character, and the important Duties thereunto annexed, 526 530 536 542 SERMONS AND MORAL DISCOURSES, &c. &c. FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT. ON THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. Tuncvidebunt Filium Ilominus venientem in uiibe, cum protestate magna et majestatc — Luc. c. xxi. v. 27. Then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, with great Power and Majesty Luke, c. xxi. v. 27. This being the first Sunday of Advent, tlie Church, in order to inspire her children with that penitential spirit which is suitable to tliis holy time, displays one of the most terrifying truths of the Christian Religion, and proposes on this day to our serious consideration the tre- mendous mystery of the last and general judgment, which is to decide whether we are to be the happiest or most unhappy creatures that God can make us ; whether heaven, with all its infinite joys, or hell, with all its inconceivable torments, is to be our everlasting inheritance ; whether we are for ever to sing joyful Alleluias with the blessed choirs of angels and saints above, or to burn eternally in flames of fire, with legions of merciless devils below. The condemnation of the rich glutton who was buried in hell at the time of his death, as the Gospel informs us, and the happy end of poor Lazarus, who was immediately translated into Abraham's bosom when he departed this life, plainly shew that the soul undergoes a particular judgment, the very instant that death sepai'ates it from the body. But besides this particular judgment, there is a day of general judgment, appointed by God, for all mankind to appear together before the awful tribunal of Jesus Christ. Divines assign various reasons for the necessity of this universal judg- ment ; first, in order to manifest the power of Jesus Christ, and to justify before all men the conduct of God's providence, which often sends riches and prosperity to the wicked in this life, and visits the just with adversity and afflictions ; secondly, to separate the good from the bad, and to re- ward the one and to condemn the other publicly, in the face of all man- kind ; thirdly, to augment the glory of the elect, and the confusion of he reprobate, in proportion to their respective merits or demerits ; A 2 ON THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. fourtlily, a general judgment is necessary, that tlie bodies both of the just and the wicked may receive their sentence, and that every one may be recompensed according to the venj tilings he has done in the flesh, whether good or evil, as the Apostle speaks, 2 Cor.|v. 10 ; for the justice of God requires that the bodies should be judged as Avell as the souls, and that they be made partakers either of eternal glory or eternal punishment, either as they have been instruments of virtue or instruments of vice in this life. . 1 . T 1 The particular time or day allotted for this universal judgment has never been revealed to any creature, and consequently is known to God alone. However, the sacred Scripture assures us, that it shall be pre- ceded by several dreadful preliminaries, such as plagues, wars, famines, earthquakes, strange signs in the sun, in the moon, in the stars, in the elements and seasons, and by a most cruel persecution, which shall be raised by the wicked Antichrist during his tyrannical reign of three years and an half. But all these signs, though sufficient to strike terror into any heart that will but consider them, Avill be only feint shadows of Avhat is to ensue on that woful and bitter day, when the cup of God's wrath shall be poured out on the earth, and the Sovereign Judge shall make his appearance in the clouds of Heaven, with great Power and Majesty, armed with the flaming sword of justice. My design at present is to give you some feint idea of this awful mys- tery, by laying before jou in plain and intelligible language, its principal circumstances, drawn from the sacred Scriptures, and the Avritings of the ancient Fathers. In order to animate the just to perseverance, and to alarm sinners into a speedy repentance, I will endeavour to shew you that the day of judgment will be a day of inexpressible joy and consolation for the former, and a day of unutterable sorrow, shame and confusion for the latter. But as my efforts must be vain indeed, unless aided and supported by thee, O divine Spirit, we most humbly beseech thee to eu- lif^hten our understandings, to give unction and energy to my words, and docility to the hearts of my hearers, that I may expatiate on this import- ant subject to thy honour and glory, and to their edification. Intercede for us, O blessed mother of Jesus, that we may be favoured with these graces'. For this end we salute thee with the words of the Archangel — Ave Maria. . As the world has lieen once destroyed by water, at the time ot the general deluj^e, so it is to be destroyed again by fire. Previous to its destruction, the Gospel shall be preached all over the earth, and the Jews shall be converted, and enter into the pale of the Church. The charity of the generality of Christians shall grow cold, as the Scripture tells us, their faith shall grow languid, iniquity shall abound, and the Prophets Henoch and Elias, shall come clothed in sackcloth, to preach against the impostures of Antichrist, Avhose days shall be cut short, through an efiect of God's mercy, in favour of the elect, lest they should be seduced and perverted. Mankind, in the interim, shall be under the greatest apprehensions and consternation, and as the Gospel expresses it, shall loither aioay loithfear in expectation, on the approaching dissolution of the uni- verse. The Heavens will open the first scene of this amazing tragedy ; there shall he signs in the svn, in the moon, and in the stars. The sun shall change its glittering beams into more than Egyptian darkness, and shall buiy°(he world in horror and obscurity. The moon, that gilds the gloomy shades of niglit, shall be then covered with a bloody veil ; and the ON THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. 3 stars which now delight our eyes with their glorious prospect, shall put on the frightful shapes of blazing comets, and fall from the firmament. The elements shall be dissolved, and the powers of Heaven shall be moved ; the earth shall shake and tremble in a dreadful manner ; the air shall flame with flashes of lightning, and echo with peals of thunder ; tlie sea shall foam with fury, and swell its raging billoAvs above the tops of mountains, the rivers shall forsake their usual channels and natural courses ; valleys shall be filled up, mountains overturned, and hills leveled Avith the ground. In short, all nature shall fall into strange convul- sions, and seem ready to start from its frame, and a raging fire shall arise, to set the whole world in flames, and to reduce all the kingdoms of the earth into a dreadful chaos. Such, O deluded worldlings, is to be the fatal catastrophe of all those transitory enjoyments, perishable riches, fleeting pleasures, empty honours and painted^toys, with the love of which you are at present so blindly infatuated. Alas ! all these things shall vanish and end in smoke. It is then, dear brethren, that the disciples of the cross, who are scorned, reviled, and persecuted for justice sake, shall triumph over the pride of the world. It is then that an unspotted con- science shall be counted a more valuable treasure than all the riches, all the enjoyments of this life. It is then that it shall be deemed more glo- rious to have led a penitential life, and to have served God in humility and retirement, than to have subdued kingdoms and empii-es. No dis- tinction will be made between kings and subjects, masters and servants, rich and poor, great and small, but what shall be grounded upon the merits or demerits of their past lives. Cajsars, Pompeys, Alexanders, and all the celebrated heroes of antiquity, who have formerly waded through streams of blood to crowns and sceptres, shall be treated then with no more respect than the meanest of their slaves. No excuse will be admitted, no apology received, no entreaties regarded. They must appear indiscriminately before the bar of divine justice, as soon as the last trumpet shall sound these words in the four corners of the earth : Ai^ise ye dead : come to judgment. If a loud clap of thunder now affright us, cries out the devout Ephraim, how shall we then be able to withstand the sound of the last trumpet, louder than any thunder ? The great St. Jerome, that prodigy of mortification, who spent several years in the desert in bitter tears and penitential rigours, assures us, that he could neither eat nor drink without imagining that he heard this trumpet sounding constantly in his ears, and summoning the dead to rise. Then in a moment, and in the twinkling of an eije, as St. Paul speaks, aU the chil- dren of Adam shall come to life again, and rise out of the bowels of the earth in the very same body and with the same soul which they had be- fore. The land and sea will in an instant throw up the carcasses which they contain, and Heaven, Purgatory and Hell, will restore the souls which they possess, in order to be reunited to their respective bodies, and never more to be separated for all eternity. O Avith what transports of joy will the souls of the just meet and embrace their glorious bodies ! On the contrary, with what reluctance, horror and aversion, shall the souls of the reprobate be forced to re-enter their hideous carcasses ! The bodies of the former, v/hich in this life have been mortified Avith fasts and self-denials, and made instrumental to works of charity and piety, shall then be endowed with all the beautiful qualities and advantages of a spiritualized substance ; Avhilst, on the contrary, the bodies of the latter, which have been pampered and indulged, surfeited, debauched and defiled 4 ON THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. with filthy and abominable crimes, shall rise up loathsome, obscure, and fit only to be the fuel of everlasting flames ; immortal indeed, but for the purpose of enduring immortal torments. It is in the valley of Josapbat, according to the Prophet Joel, c. iii. that all nations and all the tribes of the earth are to be assembled together, in order to receive their final sentence — either eternal salvation or eternal repi'obation. This place is said to be situated near the city of Jerusalem, in sight of Mount Olivet and Mount Calvary, whereon our Blessed Saviour shed his precious blood for our Eedemption. St. Hilary tells us that his judgment-seat is to stand upon the very spot where his cross Avas foi-merly planted ; that the glory of his Divine Majesty may be made manifest in the very place where his sacred humanity sufiered the greatest ignominy. He ivill there demonstrate his 2'>ower, says St. Augustine, because he there demonstrated his iiatience. The very sight of him there, says this holy Doctor, will be a greater torment to the wicked than the pains of hell. Seeing Mm, says the wise man, they shall he struclc tvith a dreadful fear. Before him shall be carried the victorious trophy and royal standard of the Cross, according to these words of St. Matt. c. xxiv. v. 30 : Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven, and that to the inexpressi- ble comfort of the just, but to the eternal shame and confusion of the re- probate, who being there reminded of the boundless love and iniparalleled charity that brouglit the Son of God from the throne of his glory, and made him obedient unto death, will be ready to sink with shame at the thoughts of the bad return they made liim for all that he did and suftered for their sake. Hence St. Jerome says, that the Cross will loudly re- proach them on the last day with their base ingratitude, and convict them of having frustrated the designs of Divine mercy, through their own ob- stinacy and pei'verseness. Their confusion will be still increased, when they shall behold the Son of Man himself in person, coming in a cloud icith much 2)0wer and majesty, encompassed with legions of Angels and Saints, His second coming on that day will be majestic and terrible, because as St. Augustine remarks, his first coming in the adorable mystery of incar- nation, was mean and contemptible. At his first coming into the world he assumed the quality of a most merciful Redeemer, and came not to call the just, but sinners, to repentance. At his second coming he will as- sume the quality of an inflexible Judge, and descend from the right hand of his heavenly Father, to reward the just with a never-fading crown of glory, and to banish impenitent sinners out of his sight, into hell's un- quenchable flames. At his first coming he appeared in mortal flesh, in the livery and simi- litude of a servant, as the Apostle speaks, and came to be judged, and to save the Avorld by the effusion of his blood. At his second coming he will appear clothed with an immortal and impassible body, that will retain the marks of his five sacred wounds, and outshine the brightness of the sun. Thus shall he then come to condemn the wicked world, and to judge both the living and the dead according to their works. Sinners, of all ranks, states and conditions, will then begin, alas ! too late to lament their past follies, and bewail their unhappy fate. Being singled out as the sad victims of God's justice, and the objects of his wrath and indig- nation, they shall be driven with ignominy to the left hand of the Sove- reign Judge ; for, as the Gospel informs us, the Angels of the Lord shall go forth, and they shall gather out all scandals, and them that icorh iniquity. The tares shall be separated from among the wheat, the chaff from ON THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. 5 among the corn, the wicked from among the just, cliiMren from their parents, friends from their kindred and intimates. At present, the Lord makes his sun shine indiscriminately on the good and the bad ; but then the scene shall be altered, and the dreadfid separ- ation shall take place, that the virtues and merits of the just, which ai-e now overlooked by the world, and often practised in silence and obscu- rity, may be manifested and publicly rewarded. The great book of accounts will be produced, and every one will have as clear a view of all the particulars of his life, as if they were written in the beams of the sun. Tlie imfortunate sinner shall see all his sins ranged before him in exact order, says St. Augustine. The abominations, which are now so indus- triously palliated and committed in the greatest seci-esy, shall be then exposed to the eyes of the whole Avorld. All our thoughts, Avords, and actions ; all our desires, and the most secret intentions of our hearts ; all the subtle insinuations of pride, and contrivances of self-love, shall be examined and weighed in the balance of the Sanctuary. The least venial sin we ai*e guilty of shall not escape the all-discerning eyes of the Omniscient Judge ; for as the least good action, though it were but a cup of cold water given for his sake, will not go unrewarded, so in like manner, the least fault we commit, though it be an idle word, will not be left unpunished. Jesus Christ will search Jerusalem with a lantern, as the Scripture phrase expresses it ; he Avill discover blemishes and imperfections even in the elect. O what shall then become of Babylon ? cries out St. Augustine. What shall then become of a sinful soul, if so strict an enquiry is to be made in the holy city of Jerusalem ? If the just man shall scarcely be saved, ivhere shall the itngodhj, and the sinner appear ? says St. Peter, cap. iv. V. 18. What shall become of habitual cursers, swearers, blas- phemers, letchers, drunkards, detractors and extortioners ? What will become of bad Christians and wicked Catholics, who, instead of con- forming their lives to the maxims of the Gospel, and keeping up to the duties of- their religion, are by their immoralities a disgi'ace to the Church, and a scandal to their profession? Their faith, instead of saving them, will then be the rule of their condemnation, and make them liable to a far greater punishment than Pagans and Infidels, Avho never had the light of faith to direct them, according to the words of St. Matthew, c. x., Sodom and Gomorrha shall be more favourably treated on the day of judgment. The very Ninivites will rise up and accuse them with having been rebels and traitors to their God, enemies of the Cross, transgressors of their baptismal vows, and mui'derers of Jesus Christ, whom they re-crucified by their repeated crimes. The nails that pierced his sacred hands and feet on Mount Calvary will bear witness against them, and upbraid them with their perfidiousness ; the spear that- opened his side will plead strongly against them, and cry out for vengeance ; nay, the whole Court of Heaven will then espouse the cause of their injured Creator, and regard wicked and impenitent Christians with horror and aversion. Whatever side they may happen to turn their eyes, they shall see nothing that will aflTord them any comibrt, but on the contrary, everything that will contribute to increase their anguish, and to cover them with an heavy load of shame and confusion. Beneath their feet they shall see Hell gaping for them, and the earth opening to swallow them lip alive. Above their heads they shall behold the wrathful coun- tenance of an inflexible Judge, and on every side whole legions of b ON THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. infernal furies and merciless devils, waiting only for the signal, and ready to snatcli them away, and bury their souls and bodies in the dismal dungeons and fiery furnaces of hell. The merciful arms of our crucified Redeemer will then be no longer extended, as they now are, to embrace repenting sinners ; nor will his sacred head be boAved down to give them the kiss of peace. Neither mercy, nor even one single ray of mercy, will appear then in the Foun- tain of Mercy, says one of the Holy Fathers ; for the inexhaustible source of God's mercy, which during this life flows incessantly upon those Avho have due recourse to it, shall on that day turn the whole course of its stream aAvay from sinners. It will then be too late to think of doing penance ; acts of contrition Avill then be of no use or service ; prayers and entreaties Avill avail nothing ; justice shall then sit on the bench, and perform its part with the utmost rigour, as mercy does at present with a boundless liberality. No tongue is able to express the joy and consolation that will replenish the hearts of the just, who are to be placed with honour on the right hand, in order to ^udge the twelve IVibes of Isixiel, as the Gospel speaks. The Sovereign Judge will address himself first to them, Avith a sweet and amiable countenance, and invite them to the possession of his hea- venly kingdom, with these Avords of comfort : Venite henedicti, &c. Come, ye blessed of my Father, &.c. The sinner, on seeing them thus honoured, will swell tcitJi indignation, says the Royal Prophet. He will gnash his teeth ii'ith spite, and pine away idth envy, when he beholds those very persons, whom he formerly looked upon as the dregs and outcasts of the Avorld, ranked among the children of God, and the heirs of life everlasting. The sacred Scripture informs us, that the children of Israel were seized with terror Avhen they heard the loud voice of the Angel who published the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, in the midst of thunder and" lightning ; that the brothers of the Patriarch Joseph Avere struck speech- less Avhen he said that he was Joseph Avhom they sold to the Egyj^tians ; that Ananias and Saphira Avere struck dead on hearing the angry voice of St. Peter ; that Saul was struck blind and prostrated on the road to Damascus by the force of these Avords : / am Jesus ichom thou i^ersecutest ; and Ave read in the Gospel, that the multitude that came to appreliend our blessed SaA'iour in the garden, reeled backwards and fell down as if thunder-struck, at the sound of these tAvo Avords Avhi'ch he said to them, Ego sum — / am. This made St. Leo cry out. If the humility of Jesus Christ Avas then so powerful, Avhen he came to be judged, Avhat will his almighty poAver do when he shall come to judge ? How shall the repro- bate be able to Avithstand his thundering voice, when, turning himself tOAvards them, Avith fire in his eyes, and anger in his looks, he will reproach them with their black ingratitude ? He Avill then shew tliem the marks of the wounds in his hands and in his feet, Avhich their sins had inflicted, and convict them in the face of the universe, that their perdition lies at their OAvn door. He Avill convince them that he left nothing undone for their salvation ; but in return for his excessiA-e love, that they despised and betrayed him, persecuted him in his members on earth, sold him for a sordid interest, for a brutal pleasure, for a momen- tary satisfaction ; that tliey croAvned his head Avith thorns, pierced his side with a spear, and crucified him afresh by their horrid sins and abominations. Justice, therefore, at length taking place, the Sovereign ox THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. J Judge shall proceed to prouounee their delinitivc and irrevocable sen- tence. O prepare yourselves, my brethren, to hear this terrifying sentence, the very rehearsal of which is sufficient to make you tremble. Every word it contains is a thunderbolt, that will make the whole vaUey of Josaphat ring with lamentations, woes, and sighs : Dlscedite a me : Begone from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire. Depart from me, your God, your Creator, your most bountiful Benefactor, whom you have so frequently and so grievously oiFended ; depart from me, your Father and your Sovereign Good, whom you have basely despised ; depart from me, your Jesus and your Redeemer, whose blood you have so often trampled upon. Begone, ye accursed, out of my sight. Not able to plead any excuse, or to answer the least word in their own defence, or to deny any one single point laid to their charge, the unhappy wretches must depart, and with a dreadful malediction also : Begone from me, ye accursed ! But to what place must they go ? Into Hell-fire ! For what purpose ? To burn there in the company of the Devil, and of his confederates. How long ? Alas ! for millions and millions of ages, as long as God will be God, without the least interval of repose, or the least hopes of having any abatement in their pains. They are to be deprived of the sight of God for ever and ever. They are to be excluded from the glory of Heaven for a never ending eternity ; they are to suffer all the torments that the rigour of God's justice is able to inflict on them in proportion to the number and quality of their past sins ; they will in vain cry out to the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, and hide them from the ftice of their angry Judge. They will wish for death, but death shall fly away from them. A violent tire shall burn them without end ; bitter regrets shall excruciate them without intermission. They shall be eternally penetrated with flames, eternally torn with remorses, eternally gnawed by a worm that is never to die. Their worm shall never die, says St. Mark, c. ix. and their fire shall never he extinguished. O my dearest bre- thren, let me conjui*e you, by the bowels of Jesus Christ, to reflect seriously on these teri-ifying truths. Let the sound of the last trum- pet echo frequently in your ears. Let the memory of the last and bitter day of wrath possess your souls incessantly, and excite you to a sjjeedy and hearty repentance for your past sins, before the gate of mercy is shut in your face. Let it inspire you with a fixed resolution to prevent the terrors of God's justice, by a virtuous life, and to prepare for a favourable judgment before the time of grace and salvation is at an end. The very thoughts of the last judgment have heretofore wrought wonderful conversions in Christianity ; numberless sinners have been thereby reclaimed from vice, and roused out of the fatal lethargy of sin ; and some of the most illustrious Saints have been excited to redouble their fervour, and work their salvation in a holy fear and trembling. O that I was able to inspire you with the like happy sentiments ! O that I could animate the just to perseverance, and mollify the hearts of sinners into tears of compunction ! But this is the work of thy all- powerful grace, O sweetest Jesus. We prostrate ourselves, therefore, at the feet of thy mercy, and most humbly implore the assistance of thy grace. Vouchsafe to look upon this congregation Avith an eye of pity, and do not suffer thy precious blood to be shed for any of us in vain. Open the eyes of those who are straying away from the path of salvation, that becoming sensible of their errors, they may sincerely renounce, and heartily detest them. Thou hast said, there is joy in Heaven upon a 8 ON THE SIN OF SCANDAL. sinner doing penance. Grant, we beseech tlieCj that Heaven may rejoice at our conversion, and that we may, on the last day, be of the happy number of those who are to be invited to the sacred mansions of bliss with these comfortable Avords : Come, ye blessed of my Father, taJce j^ossessioii of the kingdom prepared for you from all eternity, &c. Which is the blessing I heartily wish you all. In the name of the Father, &c. Amen. SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. ON THE SIN OF SCANDAL. Beatus est, qui non fuerit scandalizatus in me — S- Matt. c. xi. v. 6. Blessed is he that shall not he scandalized in me — St. Matt. c. xi. v. 6. After so many shining miracles, the Saviour of the world might justly expect that mankind would not be scandalized at his Gospel, but rather glory in embracing and following it. So many sick persons instantane- ously cured of dilferent diseases, and the dead risen to life, with a thou- sand other prodigies, which mai'ked out the visible hand and virtue of a God, ought undoubtedly to have induced the whole earth, not only to respect and venerate, but also to adore and worship Jesus Christ. Yet how unspeakable are the ways of the Lord ! Notwithstanding these miracles he became a subject of scandal for the world, insomuch, that he declares them blessed who shall not be affected by it. In elFect, the profane and wicked world was scandalized at his person, at his doctrine, at his sufieriugs, and at his death, so as to make St. Paul, when speaking of the mystery of the Cross, call it the Scandal of the Cross. Such was the language of the Apostle ; but glory be to God, this scandal has in fine ceased. Jesus Christ has triumphed over the world, his doctrine has been everywhere received, his religion has been established upon the ruins of Paganism, and upon the destruction of the Jewish synagogue, and his Cross has been transplanted from the places of execution to the foreheads of Monarchs and Princes of the earth, as St. Augustine speaks. But this scandal, of Avhich Christ was formerly the object, has been unhappily succeeded by another kind of scandal, whereof we ourselves are the authors ; for though we are not scandalized at present at Jesus Christ himself, nor at his suiFerings and death, yet how often do we scandalize him in the person of our neighbour, as the Scripture says, that Saul persecuted him in the members of his mystical body — the Church. Wherefore, instead of declaring those happy who shall not be scandalized in him, we may, by an opposite consequence, conclude, that they are unhappy who scandalize Jesus Christ in scandalizing their neighbour. By Scandal I do not mean the sin of calumny or defamation ; but I understand here, by scandal, all kind of bad example, or aU soi*t of disedifying words and actions, which of their own nature are apt to endanger the virtue and innocence of our neighbour, or Avhich, by reason of his peculiar weakness, do become a stumbling-block in his way, and actually prove the occasion of the spiritual ruin and consequent dam- nation of his soul. The design of the following discourse is to give you a just idea of this destructive vice of scandal, and to deter you from it, by showing you how infectious it is in its own nature, how pernicious in its effects, how fatal in its consequences ; in short, how offensive it ox THE SIX OF SCANDAL. 9 is to God, how injurious to our neighbour, and how detrimental to the scandalous sinner himself. Unhap]^y, therefore, is he who gives scandal. This shall be my first point. But doubly unhappy is he who gives scandal, when, by the office and rank he holds in human society, he is particularly obliged to shew good example. This shall be my second point, and the entire subject of your favourable attention. Let us pre- viously invoke the light of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, greeting her with the Avords of the Angel, and saying, Ave Maria, (J-c. Christ our Lord has forcAvarned us, that scandal should happen unto the end of time. It is even necessary, says he in the Gospel, that scandals come : not indeed that they are absolutely necessary, but because they are in a manner unavoidable, considering the frailty and depravity of human nature, and the many incentives to vice that occur daily in the world. It is only at the end of the world, that the Angels of the Lord shall go forth, and effectually remove all scandals from his kingdom for ever, as we read in ch. xiii. of St. Matthew. Lentil that period the church militant shall always have to bewail the disorderly conduct of some of her members, in spite of all her zealous endeavours to reclaim them from their evil ways. Lentil then there shall always be in her communion vessels of clay and ignominy, as well as vessels of gold and vessels of election. Chatf will be mixed with the wheat, and tares will be suffered to grow up with the good corn, until the harvest-time, or the day of judgment, Avhen the dreadful separation is to take place for ever ! and, as the Scripture phrase expresses it, the Lord shall thoroughly cleanse his floor, and gather his wheat into the barn, but the straw and chaff he will bui'u with fire, never to be extinguished. Matt. iii. 12. The pi-esent time is a time of forbear- ance; but then the ministers of his justice shall gather out all scandals, and them that work iniquity, and cast them into the furnace, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Of all the crying sins that are then to draAV down a torrent of divine vengeance upon their criminal heads, the sin of scandal is one of the most horrid, most detestable, and most diabolical. It is so heinous in its nature, so pernicious in its effects, and so fatal in its consequences, that neither words can sufficiently express, nor thoughts rightly comprehend its malice. Other sins are generally committed in private, and lie as it were buried in the horror of darkness, but scandal openly takes off the mask, and walks abroad at noon-day to spread its infection. In other sins men usually betray some kind of fear, awe, respect and bashfulness ; they are disquieted in the commission of their crimes, and blush when they come to the knowledge of others ; but scandal tramples over all laws with contempt, and seems to stifle all the sentiments that reason, modesty and religion inspire. It is common to all vices to level and strike at the honour and glory of G od : but it is peculiar to the sin of scandal to rise up in a more barefaced and deter- minate manner against the Almighty. It invades his honour and most sacred rights with more eflrontery and audaciousness. It ruins his most noble handy-work. It overturns his best designs, and causes his holy name to be blasphemed, as the Apostle observes, (Rom. ii. 24,) where he says: Through you the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles. All other crimes contribute in some measure to tarnish the splendour and beauty of the Church of God, but scandal disfigures the face of Christi- anity. It covers it with shame and confusion. It degrades it, and ren- ders it contemptible iu the eyes of its enemies. Is it not to the sin of 10 ON THE SIN OF SCANDAL. scandal, and to the seduction of bad example, that we are to ascribe the general corruption of morals, which seems to be gaining grovind very fast in our days, and which may be looked upon as the most dangerous war and persecution that hell ever raised against the Church ? Is it not to scandal that we are to impute the decay of piety and devotion, which, alas ! is but too visible in the present vainly boasted of enlightened age of philosophy and philantrophy ? In short, is it not to the sin of scandal that we ai*e to attribute the deluge of iniquity which overflows society, and appears to be prevailing almost all ranks and conditions ? Men cor- rupt, seduce, and pervert each other by bad example, bad advice, and by circulating wicked books, replete with the pernicious principles and per- verse maxims of the world. They openly convey the poison of corruption by their licentious discourses, irreligious conversation, double entendres, equivocal expressions, indecent fashions and dissolute manners, as if they only lived together mutually to destroy and work each other's eternal ruin by their scandals. O scandal, thou horrid and detestable sin ! how offen- sive must thou be to the living God ? Yes, my brethren, this sin defeats at once the great end that God proposed to himself in the work of our creation, as it pex'verts and ruins the souls which he made to see and enjoy him for ever in the kingdom of heaven. There is no sin, therefore, that the holy scripture gives us a more frightful idea of than of the sin of scandal. St. Paul compares it to an odour of death, which procreates mortality, 2 Cor. c. ii. v. 16. It is also compared to a jJestilential vapour, which spreads infection on every side, and to a contagious blast, which conveys a subtle poison into the bottom of the heart, and to a bad leaven, which sours and corrupts the whole mass of dough that it besprinkles ; and to an envenomed arrou; darted h/j a noon-day devil, in order to cause a dreadful havoc in the world, and to carry destruction into the soul. Scandal is likewise compared to a leprosy, Avhich having infected one member, soon diffuses its malignant qualities into the rest of the mem- bers, and disfigures the whole body. Such is the malignity and contagion, such is the force of bad example, as Tertullian says, that it forms souls to vice more readily than good example forms them to virtue, and plunges them faster into the flames of hell than good example qualifies them for the joys of heaven. Scandal also directly opposes the redemj)tion of our Lord Jesus Chi'ist, as it destroys and damns what he came to seek and save by his sufferings. — It wrests from his hands, and tears from his very bosom those soiils which he purchased Avith the last drop of his precious blood. It robs him of what Avas dearer to him than his very life. It cancels the fruits of his passion and dealh, and renders the effusion of his sacred blood unprofitable. In shoi't, it annihilates the price of his adorable redemption. This makes St. Bernard say, that they Avho by their scandalous example, bad advice, or evil solicitations, importunities and intrigues, inveigle, decoy and seduce others into mortal sin, are in some measure more criminal than the Jews who crucified Jesus Christ on Mount Calvary, because he was then mortal, and willing to suffer for the salvation of the world, and because they were ignorant of Avhat they did, and did not believe him to be the Son of God when they crucified him. Moreover, in shedding his innocent blood, they co-operated in some respect towards the redemption of mankind ; and contributed, contrary to their intention, to the accomplishment of the merciful designs of Heaven : whereas, on the other hand, scandalous sinners, who draw innocent souls from the narrow path of virtue into the broad road of ON THE SIN OF SCANDAL. 11 perdition, openly counteract the great work of human redemption, and frustrate the designs of the divine mercy. As far as in them lies, they persecute and crucify Jesus Christ in his living members on eartli, now that he is glorious and immortal in Heaven. The destroy the efficacy of his sufferings, and render the merits of death fruitless to those whom they scandalize. What can be more outrageously impious ? What can be more injurious to the redemption of our blessed Saviour ? What can be more directly opposite to the grand object of his mission, and the end of all his labours ?. What can be more inconsistent with the great law of charity, and the first precept of Christian morality ? According to the Holy Fathers, it is one of the most divine and most meritorious employments on earth to co-operate with Christ in the salva- tion of souls, and to bring about the conversion of sinners ; and they who zealously apply themselves to this heavenly function, are called in the scripture. Men of God, Angels of God, Apostles, Ambassadors, and Ministers of Jesus Christ. On the contrary, it is one of the most detest- able and hellish employments on earth to effect the spiritual ruin and destruction of souls, and they who co-operate therein, and who propagate vice by word or example, may be justly stiled emissaries of hell, agents and deputies, instruments and co-adjutors of satan, since they second his malicious designs, and avowedly espouse his interest in preference to the honour and gloiy of God. Scandal is of course a diabolical vice, that makes men bear a strong resemblance of the devil ; for as the devil was a murderer and destroyer of souls from the beginning, as the Gospel says, so in like manner the authors and causes of scandal ai'e murderers and destroyers of as many souls as are perverted and lost by their means. It is herein, according to St. Paul, that the grievousness of the sin of scandal consists. Through thy knoioledge shall the loeak brother perish, for ivhom Christ hath died? says the Apostle, 1 Cor. c. viii. v. 11. and on this was founded the pathetic and lively remonstrance he made to the Corin- thians, when he conjured them to renounce certain customs they were attached to, and at Avhich their brethren, less confirmed in faith, were greatly scandalized. In effect, what a horrid crime must it be to destroy and mui'der a soul ransomed Avith the blood of the Son of God, and to be the cause of its forfeiting its innocence, and its right and title to the kingdom of Heaven ? If robbery, that strips men of the worldly and perishable goods of fortune, which they must abandon at the hour of death ; if calumny, which blasts their reputation, and deprives them of the respect and esteem they have required ; if murder, that takes away the natural life of the body, which is but of a short duration, be deemed crimes so enormous and odious in the sight of God and in the eyes of the world, that even the civil laws have justly established rigorous punish- ments against them, how enormous and odious must the sin of- scandal be, since by it, a soul stamped with the image of God, and redeemed with the blood of his beloved Son, is robbed of the inestimable treasures and riches of virtue, deprived of the spiritual and supernatural life of divine grace, and condemned to lose God, and his glory, for a never ending eter- nity ? Is it not just that they, who thus have been the cause of the damnation of others, should likewise be the eternal companions of their misery ? Is it not just that as they Avere instrumental to their perdition, and dug a pit for them to fall into it, as the royal prophet speaks, Ps. xlix. they should also become partakers of their punishment for ever in hell ? Hence, it is that the Gospel thunders out so many dreadful woes against 12 ON THE SIN OF SCANDAL. the man or woman bj whom scandal cometh, and declares that it were better for them that a mill-stone were hanged about their necks, and that they were drowned in the depth of the sea, Mat. xviii. Unhappy, there- fore, is the man or woman who is the cause of scandal ; but doubly unhappy is he who gives scandal, when he is particularly obliged to give good example. This is what I promised to shew you in the second point. It is the duty of every Christian to be zealous for the honour of God, and to contribute, according to his ability, to the welfare and happiness of his neighbour. Our conversation and behaviour in every incident of life ought to be a constant lesson of virtue to all around us, for as the Scripture says, God has given to each of zis a charge of our neighbour, and this charge is executed by pursuing a line of conduct which may be a continual edification to him, and by giving him an example of those vir- tues which may attract him into the paths of truth and justice, and bring eternal salvation to his soul. Blessed and happy are they who make the light of their good example shine thus before men, and who instruct many to justice. They shall shine like stars before the throne of God for perpetual eternities, as the pi'ophet Daniel says, and they shall receive an additional degree of glory in Heaven, in proportion to the good that will be done on earth through their means, and the greater number of souls that will be converted and gained over to the Loi'd by their salutary advice, good counsel, and edifying example. On the contrary, unhappy are they Avho tempt, encourage, corrupt, seduce and incite others to vice by their scandalous example, or impious conversation. They must be accountable to the Divine justice on the last day, not only for their own personal sins, but also for all the crimes of others to which they are accessary. Nay, every sin that will be committed through their means, and every sinner that will be damned through their fault, will bring an additional curse on their criminal heads, and subject them to a more rigorous punishment hereafter. But if scandal, barely considered in itself, be so pernicious, so destructive, and so fatal a crime, what must it be when it is given by those who hold an exalted rank in human society, and who by their office, state and profession, are particularly bound to give good example, and to edify others under their care, such as the pastors of the church with regard to their respective flocks ; ecclesiastics with regard to the faithful in general; christians and catholics with regard to their separated brethren of a different persuasion ; superiors with regard to their subjects ; masters and mistresses with regard to their servants, domestics, and apprentices ; fathers and mothers with regard to their children ? For if the Gospel pronounces a dreadful wo to that man or woman, by whom scandal cometh, (Mat. c. xviii.) surely a double wo, a double malediction, and a double punishment must be resei'ved for those who, by God's appointment, are under a special obligation bound to contribute to the edification and salvation of others, when they are the very first to scandalize them ; because, as St. John Chrysostom remarks, the sin of scandal is then more contagious : it makes a deeper impression on the soul it affects ; it is more difficult for one to defend himself against it, and impiety draAvs from hence a greater advantage. How criminal, then, must those nominal and half Christians be, Avho, by the pagan lives they lead, disgrace the Christian name, dishonour the sacred character they bear, bring vuijust aspersions on the faith they profess, and hinder the conversion of numbers of well disposed souls, by the scandalous example they constantly give both at home and abroad ? How criminal ON THE SIN OF SCANDAL. 13 must those wicked Catliolics be, who, by their immoralities and licenti- ousness, hurt the cause of religion very materially, and draw bitter reproaches on the Church, whereof they are refractory members ? How criminal must those fathers and mothers, masters and mistresses, and heads of families be, whose words and actions from morning till night arc continual lessons of impiety, of religion, of drunkenness, of blasphemy, of execrations and other horrid vices, for their unfortunate children and domestics? — How criminal, in fine, must those scoffers, mockers and jibers be, who seem to glory and take a singular pleasure in running down fasts and abstinences, in turning devotion into ridicule, in lauo-hino- at those who are addicted to it, and making a jest of practices of piety and religion, as if they envied the spiritual good of others, and wished to give them a dislike to the service of God, and alienate their minds from the observance of the common duties of Christianity ? Did such people but seriously reflect what mischief they do, what scandal they give, what a dreadful havoc of souls they cause, and what numbers they have perhaps been the means of already plunging into the flames of hell, it would be almost enough to cast them into despair. Alas ! every soul that is lost by their means, and through their fault, will rise up in judg- ment against them on the last day, and cry out to Heaven for vengeance, with a louder voice than the blood of Abel formerly cried out to Heaven for vengeance against Cain the mui'derer. The Almighty himself solemnly declares, through the mouth of tlie Prophet Ezekiel, c. iii. that he will then demand satisfaction from the authors of their ruin, and require their blood at the hands of their spiritual murderers. / loUl require his Mood at thy hand, says the sacred text. And really, fathers and mothers, and heads of ftimilies, who instead of being guardians and protectors of the innocence and virtue of their children and domestics, do away their good natural dispositions, and transmit their own vices to them, by the force of bad example, are in some respect more criminal than those barbarians who are said to have sacrificed their infants to their idols, or than Herod, who massacred the holy innocents ; it being less cruel to plunge a dagger into a child's heart, and to deprive him of a mortal life, which otherwise would shortly have an end, than to deprive him of a spiritual life of sanctifying grace, and entail eternal ruin and damnation on both his soul and body. For this reason, St. Thomas of Villanova says, that of the two evils, he Avould rather choose to be responsible to God, on the last day, for the murder of a hundred bodies, than for the spiritual mui'der and damnation of one single soul. It is your indispensable duty, O parents, and heads of f\imilies in particular, to give your children no other example but what they may safely follow without offending the Lord their God. You should not sufier them to be witnesses to anything but what may contribute to inspire them Avith an aversion to sin, and a love of virtue. You should be cautious, even to a nicety, what you either say or do in their presence, since the example that is set before them in their youth carries much weight with it, and has the greatest influence imaginable upon their ductile minds. When from their early days, they observe nothing in the conduct of their parents but what is virtuous, they are gradually formed to the same good habits, and the virtues of their parents become for them the seed of everlasting happiness : but if the lives of their parents be vicious and disorderly, debauched and irreligious, their spirit of irreligion and impiety will not rest with themselves, but will descend, like an 14 ON THE SIN OP SCANDAL. inheritance to their cliildren, Avho are naturally inclined to imitate tlieir parents, as they have their example constantly before their eyes. How can it be expected that they will lead a spotless and untainted life in the midst of corruption, in the midst of debauchery, in the midst of drunkenness, of quarrelling, fighting, cursing, swearing and blaspheming ? It is a well known triith that vice is catching, and that evil communica- tion is apt to corrupt even good manners, as the Apostle observes : The best education, the most virtuous dispositions, the strongest resolutions, are hardly sutficient to hold out against it. Such is the force and seduc- tion of bad example, bad company, bad connexions, that the infection is readily taken, the poison is insensibly imbibed, and the very principles of religion are easily stifled in the tender breasts of unthinking and unguarded children, especially when their parents authorise vice and discourage virtue by their words and actions, and lead such disorderly lives, that their houses may be said to resemble so many schools of the devil. Wo, and double wo to such unhappy parents and heads of families, who scandalize their children and domestics in this manner, and diffuse the contagion of their vices from generation to generation ! Wo, in fine, to every man or woman by whom scandal doth come : It were better for him that a mill-stone should he hanged about his nedc, and that he should be droivned in the depth of the sea, than to scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, says Christ, in ch. xviii. of St. Matthew, v. 6. It is the general opinion of divines, that a word or action, which of its own nature is only a venial sin, becomes a grievous mortal sin when it occasions great scandal, and that it is the more grievous as the number of the persons scandalized is greater ; yet how few sinners acknowledge themselves guilty of this crime ? They seldom think of accusing them- selves of it, even at the sacred tribunal of penance, although it can never be pardoned without a true repentance, and without repairing the mis- chief thereby occasioned ; for as they who have unjustly invaded their neighbour's property, or blackened his character by calumny or de- traction, are indispensably bound to repair, to the extent of their power, the injury they have done, if they ever expect pardon from God, so, in like manner, the authors and causes of scandal are indispensably obliged to repair, to the best of their power, the scandal they have occasioned ; they are to remove the occasion of scandal, and make the best satisfaction they are able for the injury they have done to the cause of virtue. They are to put up their fervent prayers and supplications for the conversion of those whom they have unhappily caused to make a shipwreck of their innocence, and to edify them by the example of such virtues as may invite them to return to the paths of justice. But how shall they be able to discharge this obligation, if the souls which they have scandalized and led astray be already departed out of this world in their sins, and doomed to endless misery ? In this case, it is evident, that a perfect reparation of the scandal is impossible, since all the penitential rigours they can practice, and all the tears they are able to shed, would not be sufficient to extinguish the flames of fire, or mitigate the torments that these unhappy souls are to endure for ever in hell. This is another aggravation of the sin of scandal. King David Avas so sensible of this tliat he did public penance all the days of his life, for the public scandal he had given to his people. As he knew that the knowledge of his crimes was to reach to the latest posterity, he was willing that all future ages should hQ. convinced of the reparation he made for the scandal he had qwqw ; ON THE VIRTUE OF HUMILITY. 15 lie therefore did not cease beseeching the Lord to cleanse his soul from his hidden sins, and from the sins of others, to which he had been acces- sary in any shape whatever. Where are such public penitents to be seen now-a-days, thougli the world abounds with public scandalous sinners ? May I not then conclude with Jesus Christ in the Gospel, and say, Wo to the ivoM for its scandals, since though nothing is more common than scandal, nothing is more rare than the reparation of it, and still no obligation is more indispensable ? Let us, therefore, ray brethren, beware of giving scandal to others, and at the same time let us guard against been scandalized by them. Let us make the purity of our faith shine by the purity of our morals, and prove by our exemplary lives, that true piety has not entirely forsaken the earth. Let us testify, by our edifying conduct, that there are still good Cliristians and Catholics to be found, who respect and honour religion, and who are not to be shaken in their principles, nor drawn from the paths of virtue, by the deplorable scandals which of late years have overspread a considerable portion of the Christian world. O divine Jesus, sanctify thy church, v/hich thou hast purchased with thy precious blood ! Eemove from her all scandals, schisms and abuses ! Open the eyes of those who are straying away from the road of salva- tion ! Enlighten them with the bright rays of thy divine grace, that they may see, renounce, and detest their errors ! Inspire us all with a proper sense of our duty ; and grant that we may faithfully comply with it, to thy greater honour and glory, to the edification of our neighbour, and to the eternal salvation of our own souls ; which is the happiness I wish you all. Amen. THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. ON THE VIRTUE OF HUMILITY. Til quis es?— S. Jo. c. i. v. 19. TJmi said to him, Who art thou? — St. John, c. i. v. 19. The Gospel of this day represents St. John the Baptist baptising on the borders of the river Jordan, and edifying all Judea by the sanctity of his life, the splendour of his doctrine, and the lustre of liis shining virtues. The Jews were so much astonished at his unparalleled auste- rities, and conceived so high an esteem and veneration for him, that they concluded he was the promised Messias. Hence tlie Sanhedrim, or Grand Council of Jerusalem, deputed a solemn embassy to him, to know from his own mouth if he really was the Messias foretold by the Prophets, and impatiently longed for by their whole nation. The question which the Priests and Levites, deputed on this occasion, put to him, was, Tu qnis es ? Who art thou ? This is a question which we should frequently put to ourselves in order to acquire a true knowledge of what we really are ; for as the ignorance of ourselves is the source of pride and vanity, so a true knowledge of ourselves is a powerful counterpoise that balances the soul, and brings her down to a just pitch of Christian humility. Tlie very Pagans themselves looked upon the knowledge of one's own .self as the fundamental principle of true philosophy, and regarded these two words, Nosce tcipsnm, Know (hi/sc/f, as a lesson sent doAvn from 16 ON THE VIRTUE OF HUMILITY. Ilecavcn ; for wlucli reason tliey had it inscribed in golden letters on the gates of the temple of Apollo. They were of opinion, that no study Avas more noble or more worthy of man than man himself ; and that the first use he should make of his reason, was to attain a perfect knowledge of his own nature. Without this knowledge of ourselves every other science is but a vain curiosity, that fills men with presumption and self-conceit, and banishes the Holy Ghost with his gifts out of their souls. However, this knowledge of ourselves must be improved and perfected by a know- ledge of God, and an attentive contemplation of his infinite perfections, that we may thereby be penetrated witli a more feeling sense of our own emptiness, and excited to a more grateful acknowledgment of his mercy and goodness ; for the more we contemplate the grandeur and perfection of God's Infinite Majesty, the more shall we sink and drown ourselves in the abyss of our own nothingness, and be convinced that all honour and glory belong to God alone. It was a perfect knowledge of himself that made St. John the Baptist so little and so despicable in his own eyes. His virtue was put to the test by the question proposed to him by the JcAvish Priest and Levites. He might have easily taken an advantage of their mistaken notion, and by one single word induced the Avhole Synagogue to embrace him with open arms. But his humility would not sutfer him to pretend to any merit, or aspire to any dignity that was not due to him. The low and contemptible opinion he had of his own insutRciency made him forget all his high prerogatives, and appear in his own eyes a mere empty nothing, not even worthy to untie the latchet of Christ's shoes, or to render him the least or the lowest service. / am, said he, hut the voice of one crying in the desert. I am no more than an empty sound in the air, that vanishes away like smoke. I am next to nothing, or but one degree from it. Behold here, my brethren, a perfect model of humility for you to copy after, if you aspire to a happy union with your blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ, and wish to engage him to take possession of your souls at this holy time. It is in vain for you to expect that you will attain to this happiness without the virtue of humility, as it is only on the meek and humble that he bestows his gracious favours and blessings. The design of the folloAving discourse, therefore, is, to excite you to the love and practice of this amiable virtue, by briefly laying before you the motives and advantages that should persuade you to be truly humble. Nothing is more just, nothing more reasonable, than that we should be profoundly humble both in sjiirit and in heart. This is the subject of the first point — Nothing is more acceptable to God, or more necessary to our salvation, than that we should be profoundly humble. This is the subject of the second point — Let us humbly implore the aid of Heaven, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, greeting her as usual in the words of the Angel. Ave, ^c. Divines distinguish two kinds of humility : the one of the spirit and understanding, the other of the heart and Avill. Humility of the spirit and understanding makes us know and acknowledge that of ourselves we are nothing, and that we owe all that we have to God's pure bounty. It does not consist, as is generally imagined, in placing ourselves beneath what we are in reality, but in doing ourselves the exactest and strictest justice, and in clearly seeing and knowing our own indigence and miseries. Humility of the heart and will is founded in a feeliug sense, and an ex- perimental knowledge of our own weakness. It makes us sincerely despise ON THE VIRTUE OP HUMILITY. 17 ourselves in our hearts, and willing to be despised by others, from a con- viction that we are deserving of contempt. How few Christians will you find who are habitually in this interior disposition ? How few are there who continually carry in their heart this intimate conviction of their own insufficiency and unworthiness ? There is nothing in which we more frequently deceive ourselves. We all believe, with a speculative faith, that all creatures are nothing of themselves, and that all glory should be given to God alone ; but in practice we do not conform our sentiments with this belief, nor glorify God in reality. Few comprehend rightly what humility is. Mann grasp at the shadow, says St. Jerome, feiv embrace the substance of humility. Many ai-e humble in their words, and in their exterior conduct, but inwardly are the dupes of a subtle refined pride, which they artfully disguise and conceal under the mask of an apparent humility, and the cloak of a feigned affected modesty. The humility of most people goes no farther than their understanding. It does not reach their heart and affection. Yet humility of the understanding will avail them little without humility of the heart and will. The devils them- selves understand and know full well their own baseness, abjection, and indignity, but they want humility of heart and will. True christian humility, says St. Bernard, resides partly in the understanding, and partly in the will. It is a virtue, says this holy Doctor, by which a man, from a true knowledge of himself, is contemptible in his own eyes. It springs from a true knowledge of our own infirmities and imperfections, and makes us undervalue the judgments of men, and disregard the empty praises and applauses of the Avorld. There is an infused humility, which is obtained chiefly through the channel of contemplation, and devout humble prayer ; and there is an acquired humility, which is attained by repeated acts of humiliation. Infused humility enlightens the soul in all her views, and makes her clearly see and feel her own absolute indi- gence. One ray of this heavenly light discovers to us our own nothing- ness much better than all our study and reflections on ourselves can do, as one ray of the sun enlightens the earth much better than all the stars together. St. Bernard, speaking of acquired humility, says in his 87th Epistle, that if ice do not exercise hinniliations, ive cannot attain to humility ; for humiliation is the road to humility, and 2^roduce$ it, as meekness in suffering tribulations and injuries produces j^atience. In effect, we shall find many pi'essing motives and inducements to embrace all kinds of humiliations and abjections, as due to us, if we do but take a close view of ourselves, and attentively consider, with St. Bernard, what we have been, what we are by nature, what we are become by sin, what we should be by co-operating with God's grace, and what kind of beings Ave are to be hereafter, when death shall reduce us to dust and ashes. Everything preaches humility to us on the one hand, and gratitude to our Creator on the other. He alone is the origin, the term and the centre of all that is good, and consequently all honour, praise and glory are due to him alone ; we owe all to him, and have nothing of ourselves, or of our own stock, but ignorance and weakness, misery and sin. Of our own nature we are the very abstract of frailty, and an unfathomed abyss of corruption, capable of nothing when left to ourselves, but of rushing headlong into all kind of disorders. All the good qualities that we may perhaps be supposed to have, whether of nature or grace, are the pure gifts of God, and the immediate effects of lais goodness. They are talents deposited in our hands, to be improved and employed for his gi'eater 18 ox THE VIRTUE OP HUMILITY. honour and glory, and with a pure intention of pleasing him, and doing his lioly will in all things. And since much will he required of those to whom much has been r/iven, as the Gospel assures us, the more favours we have received from Heaven, the more we should tremble at the thoughts of the rigorous account we must give of our stewardship on the last day, and the more we should humble ourselves in the centre of our own nothingness, at the view of our own indigence and unworthiness. Among the many motives which should lead us to humility, let us but attentively consider what kind of being man is : Man born of a ivoman, lives hut a short time, suffers much, and has many miseries entailed on him. This is the picture which holy Job draws of mankind ; and the Apostle, for this reason, justly concludes, and says, that if any man seems to himself to he something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself Alas ! we are indeed nothing of ourselves. Many ages have passed over before we had even an existence, or any thing else ; and we would still remain in our primitive nothingness, had not the Almighty been pleased to extract us from nothing, and to give us a being. And though we now exist by his Almighty power, we would every moment fall into our original nothing- ness, were we not every moment preserved and supported by his power- ful hand. The several advantages of wit, learning, beauty, courage, and the like, are the pure gifts of his liberality, without any merit or right on our part that could entitle us to any of them ; for as we had no right to existence, we had consequently no right to any thing that sup- poses a being. All then that we now possess is a mere gratuity, for which we are indebted to our bountiful Creator ; so that we cannot without the greatest injustice, cast an eye of complacency on ourselves, since we have nothing of our own ; nothing but sin. This indeed, and this alone we can call our own. "Whatever we have beyond sin and nothingness, is a gift of our Maker, who, as St. Augustine speaks, crowns his own gifts when he crowns the good works that his grace enables us to perform. O, what a subject of profound humiliation is this for us ! Of ourselves we are nothing but poor, vile, miserable sinners, subject to many vices, im- perfections, and unruly passions. We have sinned against Heaven and earth ; we have offended the infinite Majesty of God; we have desei-ved the torments of hell-fire ; Ave have deserved the thunderbolts of Heaven ; we have, therefore, deserved to be despised by all creatures, and to be trampled upon by merciless devils for an endless eternity ! What can be more humbling ? What pride can hold out against this re- flection ? We are sure that we have offended the Lord our God, and we are not sure that we have as yet obtained the happy remission of our sins, because we are not sure that our sorrow for them has had all the qualities that are necessary to entitle us to the benefit of divine mercy, or that our penance has been proportioned to the greatness of our oflfeuces, and sufficient to appease and disarm the justice of an offended Deity. We march incessantly towards the grave, uncertain what will l)e our lot iu the other world. Should not this dreadful uncertainty alarm us, and make us profoundly humble ? We know that at the moment of our death an eternity of happiness, or an eternity of misery must inevitably be our fate ; and we can have no certainty in this world Avhich of the two will certainly fall to our lot, as no one liere on earth, without a special reve- lation, can know whether he be worthy of love or of hatred. Nay, though we were even assured that our past sins were all forgiven ; though we were assured of being at present in the state of gi'ace, still we can have ON THE VIETUE OF HUMILITY. 19 110 manner of assurance that we sliall not relapse, and die in a state of reprobation. We can have no assurance that we shall persevere, unto the end of our lives, in the love and friendship of God, amidst the many dangerous occasions of sin that surround us, and the various snai*es of the enemy that are laid on all sides, to surprise and draw us into vice. We are not stronger than Sampson, who fell a victim to his passions, as St. Jerome remarks ; we are not wiser than Solomon, who at length became an idolater ; we are not more holy than King David, who by one unguarded glance of his eyes was led into murder and adultery ; we are not more perfect than Peter the Apostle, who denied his Master three different times. We are not more zealous for the intei-ests of religion than Tertullian and Origen, who in the end fell into different errors, and died separated from the communion of the Holy Catholic Church. The doAvnfall of these great men alarmed the Saints themselves, and made them tremble for their own salvation, though their conscience reproached them with no mortal crime. St. Paul, that gi-eat vessel of election, though he had been carried up to the third Heaven, and had converted many nations to the faith of Jesus Christ, still dreaded, lest whilst he preached to others, and laboured for their salvation, he might be reproved himself, and eternally lost. St. Jerome, in a desert, where he joined to a great purity of life the most rigorous practices of penance and mortiiication, lived under such continual apprehensions for his salvation, that he constantly imagined he heard the last trumpet sounding these words in his ears: Arise, ye dead — come to judgment ! How great, then, must our presumption and blindness be, if we suffer pride to reign in our hearts or in our minds, since there is no ministry so holy, no state of life so perfect, in which a Christian is not exposed to the danger of falling into sin, losing God's grace, and perishing eternally ! There can be no security here on earth, says St. Bernard, after the first Angel has been lost in Heaven, the first man lost in Paradise, and Judas the Apostle lost in the school of Jesus Christ. The predestination of men is a hidden mystery to us, and of which Ave are not to judge by our present disposition. How good soever you may be, you may still change, and alas ! to change no more for all eternity. How good soever you may be, you have still reason to fear both for your inconstancy in the practice of virtue, and for your future obstinacy in sin. Far, then, from despising other sinners, or judging such a man, for example, to be wicked, and yourself to be virtuous, you are to entertain a quite dif- fei-ent opinion, and think that this man, whom you proudly despise, may perhaps be of the number of the elect, and you of the number of the reprobate. It may happen that he falls into sin this day, to rise from them to-moiTow ; and you may happen to fall to-morrow never to rise any more. God, perhaps, has destined him to be a model of penance, and you to be an example of terror to all presumptuous souls. After all these considerations, my brethren, how deplorable must our insensibility be, if we entertain any sentiments of pride or vain-glory, or haughtily prefer ourselves in word or in thought, even to the greatest sinner on earth ? You have now heard the reasons for asserting, that nothing is more reasonable or more just than that we should be profoundly humble. It remains yet to prove, that nothing is more pleasing to God, or more necessary to our salvation, than that we should be humble. It is Avhat I promised to shew you in my second point. Do but open the sacred volumes, and you will be convinced of the 20 ON THE VIRTUE OF HUMILITi'. malice and pernicious effects of pride, and of tlie benefits and salutary effects of humility. You Avill acknowledge that nothing is more pleasing to God, or more essential to the character of a christian, than humility. By it Christianity begun ; by it it has been established ; and on it it is founded. Plumility is the first example that our Blessed Saviour has given us, the first lesson he has taught us, the favourite virtue of his whole life, the most constant maxim of his law ; nay, the whole sub- stance of his doctrine, and of all the morality of the Gospel. His whole life, says St. Augustine, was a chain of virtues, and one continued series of good works ; but from the time of his nativity in the stable of Bethlehem, unto the hour of his death on Mount Calvary, he proposed humility in a special manner for our imitation : he took human flesh for our sake, in the womb of an humble virgin ; he passed his whole life under all the disadvantages and humiliations of poverty and indigence ; and, in the end, he humbled himself unto death, even unto the igno- minious death of the cross. This made the devout St. Bernard say, O humility, humility ! how precious, how amiable, and how dear shouldst thou be to us after such an example, since the eternal Son of the living God was pleased to be incarnated with thee, and to expire in thy arms on a cross ! IS^othing gains so much on the Almighty God, or renders us more acceptable in his sight. It was humility that rendered the blessed Virgin Mary so acceptable in the sight of the most holy Trinity, and raised her to the eminent dignity of the Mother of Jesus Christ; nay, St. Bernard says, that her virginal chastity would have availed lier but little without humility, chastity and charity being commonly the price and recompense of profound humility. Hence it is that she attributes to her humility alone all the signal favours and blessings that were bestowed upon her, preferably to all other creatures, as appears from her own canticle of praise and thanksgiving, wherein she expressly says. Because the Lord has regarded the humility of his handmaid, behold, from henceforth all gener- ations shall call me blessed. It was this virtue that crowned all the other virtues of St. John the Baptist, and rendered him so great a favourite of Heaven. All the high prerogatives by Avhich he was distinguished, sprung from his humility. In it all the perfections and graces he was endowed with were founded. His soul being truly humble, he was in his own eyes a mere nothing. Wherefore, by humbling himself so low, he deserved to be exalted so high, that Christ himself vouchsafed to preach his panegyric, and to honour him with the most noble character that was ever given to any man, having declared in the Gospel, that among the born of ivomen there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist, St. Matt. xi. 11. So true it is that he ii'ho humbles himself shall be exalted, as on the contrary, he that exalts himself shall be humbled. Without humility the other means of salvation become useless and unprofitable. It is from it that prayer, which is the ordinary means to obtain God's grace, derives its virtue and efficacy. Penance, which is the last resource of the sinner, can have no force unless his heart be humbled and touched with a profound sentiment of his own unwor- thmess, and the idea of the Sovereign Majesty of an offended Deity. But if you are profoundly humble, if you are a sincere humble penitent, and earnestly sue for grace and mercy, though your sins Avere as numerous as grains of sand in the sea, they will be all forgiven ; for God can refuse no favour, when true humility petitions for it. He retire* ON THE VIRTUE OF HUMILITY. 21 from the proud, and stooj^s to the humble, as St. Augustine speaks. He resists the one, and gives his grace in abundance to the other. Wc have a remarkable instance hereof in the proud Pharisee and the humble Publican, mentioned in the Gospel. The presuming saint was despised and rejected, with all the glittering shew of his apparent virtues and good works, whilst the humble sinner became acceptable, and was embraced with all his vices. Why so ? because, as St. John Chrysostom observes, the virtues of the one were accompanied with pride, and the vices of the other attended Avith humility. Such, my brethren, is the wonderful force and efficacy of humility, that in one moment it can make a repro- bate a saint, as, on the contrary, pride can in one moment make a just man a reprobate. How odious, then, must pride be in the sight of God, and how amiable, how necessary, must humility be ? Without it no virtue can be acceptable. Without it the whole fabric of a spiritual life must inevitably fall to the ground, for it is the basis and foundation of every virtue, and the conier stone of the spiritual edifice. He that does not build upon it builds upon sand, and whatever may appear to be virtue is no more than a shadow, than a chimera, than a phantom, than a false and imaginary virtue, unless it be preceded, accompanied, and followed by humility ; for the grace of God, from whence every true virtue proceeds, is only given to the humble, and does not descend into a proud soul. St. Cyprian calls humility, therefore, the root of all virtues, and the gate of Religion. St. Jerome calls it the first virtue of a Christian ; and St. John Chrysostom says it is impossible to rise to the higher degrees of perfection witliout passing first through the lower, whicli consists in humility. This made the learned and pious Cassian say, that a Christian's progress in humility is the measure of his progress in every other virtue ; that is, as much as he advances in humility, so much does he advance in real virtue and perfection, and no further. St. Augustine, for the same reason, compai'es Christian perfection to a grand and stately edifice, which rises high in proportion as the found- ation is laid low ; so that virtue always increases in proportion to our humility. Tlie same holy Doctor goes farther in his 56th epistle, where he proposes and answers the following questions : What is the first thing in all religion ? humility. What is the second ? humility. What is the third ? humility. There is no other road to the' kingdom of Heaven ; for as the sin of pride is the road to hell, the contrary vii'tue of humility must necessarily be the road to Heaven. Pride was the first cause of our ruin, and the general source of all our disorders ; therefore, by a wise disposition of Providence, humility became a necessary means of salvation, and an effectual antidote for curing our maladies. It was by pride the first fallen Angel lost the glory of Heaven ; and the first man forfeited his original innocence and sanctity, by vainly desiring to raise and exalt himself so as to be like unto God, or to equal him in point of the knowledge of good and evil. Wherefore, if we wish to ai-rive one day in the kingdom of Heaven, we must necessarily take a road quite different from that by which the apostate Angels and our first parents have been led astray. We must, in a word, renounce and shun pride, and embrace the opposite virtue of humility. This is the first and prin- cipal means which the Redeemer of the World chose for recalling lost mankind to a sense of their duty ; this is the sovereign remedy which he wisely prescribed for healing our spiritual disorders. The indispen- sable necessity of practising it is founded on the very spirit and profes- 22 ON PEEPARIXG THE sion of Christianity, as it is by it Ave begin to be Christians, autl to partake of the fruits of our redemption. In vain do we pretend to be disciples of Jesus Christ, unless we learn from him to be meek and humble of heart : In vain do we expect to be of the number of his elect, and to inherit his heavenly kingdom, unless we bear some resemblance of him, since, as the apostle teaches us, Rom. viii. 29, those who are predestinated to be of the number of God's elect must be made conform- able to the image of his Son. This plainly shews that without humility we cannot hope to be saved and exalted to the kingdom of Heaven. Hence it is, that Avhen a dispute arose among the disciples which of them was the greatest, Christ our Lord, to correct their pride, and to convince them of the indispensable necessity of humility, called a little child to him, as we read in ch. xviii. of St. Matthew, and placing it in the midst of them, he solemnly declared and said. Amen, I say to you, unless you he converied, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Here he excepts no state, rank, or condition, but requires us all to bear a resemblance of little children, in order to be qualified for admittance into Heaven. And that this is a resemblance in point of humility, appears cleai'ly from the following words, which he immediately adds : Whoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven. Should we not therefore conclude, my brethren, that nothing is more reasonable, nothing more j List, nothing more necessary, than that we should be profoundly humble both in spirit and heart, both our duty and our interest require it. Let us then neglect no opportunity of practising this amiable virtue. Let lis frequently and earnestly beg it of God, the giver of all good gifts, crying out to him in the words of the humble Augustine, 0 Lord, teach metohiotv thee, and to hioio myself: To know thee, that 1 may love and glorify thee alone in all things, and to knoiv myself, that I may never secretly confide in, or ascribe anything to myself, or to my own merit. O divine Kedeemer, thou perfect mirror of humility ! grant we may learn from thee to be meek and humble of heart, and that, after humbling ourselves here on earth, we may be one day exalted to the sacred mansions of bliss, which thou hast prepared for those who are truly humble ; and which I sincerely Avish you all, in the name, &c. Amen. FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. ON PREPARING THE WAY OE THE LORD. Parate viam Domini, rectas facite semitas ejus Luc. c. iii. v. 4. Prepare ye the ivay of the Lord, make straight his paths — Luke c. iii. v. 4. The Holy Catholic Church, ever solicitous for the eternal salvation of her children, endeavours through the Avhole time of Advent, to prepare them for a worthy reception of their Divine Redeemer, on the happy day of his Nativity. It was for this end that the holy time of Advent Avas originally instituted, and fasted in former ages, like the forty days of Lent, which custom is still observed by some religious orders. On the first Sunday of Advent, the terrors of the last and general judgment are laid before us in the Gospel, that the fear of God's severe justice may rouse and frighten those sinners to a speedy repentance, who are not to WAY OF THE LORD. 23 be drawn to a proper sense of their duty by the sweet attractive of divine love. On the second, third, and fourth Sundays of Advent, the Gospel reminds us of the sutFerings, the penitential austerities, and preachings of St. John the Baptist, and represents that glorious foi-erunner of the world's Redeemer coming forth from the desert, holding up to our view a perfect mirror of the most profound humility, and zealously preaching on the borders of the river Jordan, the baptism of penance for the remission of sins. The important lesson which he here announced to the Jews of his days, cannot be inculcated too frequently. It regards the Christians of our days no less than it regarded the ancient Jews, and is equally addressed to men of every age and nation ; for as the Son of God descended from the Heavens for the salvation of all men, it is the indispensable duty of all to prepare and dispose themselves for receiving him worthily, that they may reap the signal advantages and fruits of his Advent, or coming into the world. Lest we should forget so essential a duty, the same pathetic exhortation, the same sacred voice which echoed formerly on the banks of the Jordan, and in the deserts of Jericho, is repeatedly sounded in our ears, and proclaimed from the altars and pulpits during this holy time. Prepare ye the ivay of the Lord, and make straight his paths. The scripture distinguishes four different Advents, or comings of Jesus Christ, two of which are visible, and two invisible. His first coming was, when he manifested himself in human flesh, and came to redeem the world. His second coming will be, when he shall descend from Heaven on the last day with great power and majesty, to judge the world. The third coming is, when he comes to visit the soul of a just man, and to inhabit it by his holy spirit and sanctifying grace. It is of this coming he speaks in ch. xiv. of St. John, v. 23, where he says. We ivill come to him, and icill make our abode ivith him. His fourth coming happens at the hour of death, when he comes to take to himself the souls of those who depart this life in the happy state of grace, and to invite them to partake of the joys of the kingdom of Heaven. Of this coming St. John speaks in ch. xxii. of the Apocalypse, whei-e he cries out with fervour, and says : Cume, Lord Jesus, and receive me. It is also of this coming that the words of the Church are to be understood, when in the recommend- ation of a departing soul she prays, that Christ Jesus may come forth to meet the dying Christian ivith a mild and cheerful countenance. These four comings of Jesus Christ are represented by the four Sun- days of Advent ; and it should be the object of our ardent desires, and devout prayers, during this holy time, that these four comings may be accomplished in our favour by the divine mercy, particularly his spiritual coming into our hearts and souls, by his Holy Spirit and sanctifying grace ; because it is hereby that the redemption and deliverance of our souls from the slavery of sin is fully completed, and the happy reign of divine charity is perfectly established in our hearts. This is a matter of the utmost importance and necessity ; for unless Christ comes to visit us in this manner by his Holy Spirit, and to be, as it were, spiritually born in our hearts by his sanctifying grace, it is vain that he was corporally born for vis ; and if we frustrated the designs of his mercy at his first coming in the mystery of the Incarnation, we may expect that he will come, at the hour of death, and at the end of the world, not to reward and crown us, but to condemn and punish us for all eternity. To induce you, then, my brethren, to prepare your hearts for his spiritual birth, 24 034 PREPAKING THE and to dispose your souls for partaking of tlie inestimable blessings of the approaching solemnity of Christmas, is the design of the following discourse ; wherein I will shew you in what the preparation and dispo- sitions required on your part chiefly consist. In short, I will endeavour to point out the best manner in which you ought to prepare the icay of the Lord, and make straight his imths. Let us first, &c. Ave Maria. The Gospel informs us, that when the time appointed by thy divine providence for the redemption of mankind was drawing nigh, the great Plerald of Heaven, St. John the Baptist, appeared in the deserts of Judea, like a Morning Star, to usher in the Sun of Justice, and the Light of the World. He lived there from his childhood, near thirty years, an innocent martyr, and spotless victim of the most austere penance, sequestered from the world, conversing only with God and the Angels, having no other house to shelter him from the inclemency of the weather but a dreary wilderness, nor any other bed to lie on but the bare ground. A few dried locusts, and a little wild honey was the only nourishment he allowed his mortified body, and his garments were no other than rough camel's hair, or a covering of the species of coai'se camlet. Thus clothed with the weeds of penance, and bearing its marks in his body, he at length came forth from his beloved retreat, to enter upon the sacred functions of the high commission on which God had sent him. L^nwilling however, to mix with a depraved world, or entirely to quit his peniten- tial solitude, he began his mission on the confines of his desert, near the banks of the Jordan, preaching with incomparable zeal the baptism of penance for the remission of sins, and crying out with a loud voice, " 0 '^ peojjle of Israel, do penance, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. *' Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Now the axe " is laid to the root of the trees ; therefore, every tree that yields not good " fruit shall be cut down, and cast into the fire. Every valley shall be " filled ; every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the ci'ooked " shall be made straight ; rough ways shall be made plain, and all flesh " shall see the salvation of God." Thus it was that the Baptist prepared the Jews for the coming of the Messiah. Thus he disposed the world to receive its God and Re- deemer, in the wonderful mystery of the incarnation. He was sensible that he covdd not prepare mankind better, for partaking of the grace of their redemption, than by persuading sinners to renounce their evil ways, and do penance for . their sins. He, therefore, announced to them, both by word and example, the necessity of a sincere repentance, and he had the pleasure to see his labours crowned with wonderful success ; for whole shoals of proselytes flocked to him, from all Judea and the neighbouring countries, repenting and confessing their sins, as the Gospel tells us, in order to qualify themselves, by this means, for sharing in the inestimable graces and blessings, which the Saviour of the world brought down with him from Heaven. Hence it appears, my brethren, that the first preparation we are to make at this time, for the reception of Jesus Christ, is to purify our souls by the holy exercise of penance. The indisiiensablc necessity hereof is evident from the words of the Gospel, which expressly calls penance the Baptism of Penance, to give us thereby to understand that as baptism is necessary for the remission of original sin, so penance, or repentance, is necessary for the remission of those actual sins by which the grace of God is forfeited after baptism. Nay, the sins which Christians commit after WAY OF THE LORD. 25 their baptism, imply so much ingratitude, and so barefaced a contempt of the divine goodness, that, as the Council of Trent obsei*ves, the grace of baptism, unhappily forfeited by mortal sin, is not to be recovered without much labour, and many penitential tears. It is for this reason that the Holy Fathers call penance, a laborious Baptism, and the second plank after spiritual shipwreck. Christ himself has declared the necessity of penance in terms so clear, as to preclude every possibility of a doubt, saying. Unless you do penance, ye shall all perish ; and St. Luke plainly indicates its wonderful power and efficacy, when he styles it, the Baptism of Penance. AVhen it is true and sincere, it effiices and does away all kind of sins, let them be ever so grievous, ever so numerous. It levels the highest mountains of human pride. It fills up every valley ; that is, it repairs every loss, every void that sin occasions in the soul. It rectifies what was wrong, makes straight what was crooked, and smooths what seemed before rough and difficult to corrupt nature. It removes every obstacle, renders the yoke of Christ sweet and light, and makes a true Gospel Penitent experience more real comfort, inward content, and solid joy, in his tears, self-denials, and other penitential exercises, than worldlings do in their feastings, diver- sions, and criminal pleasures, as St. Augustine remarks, when he says, that the penitential tears of devotion are sweeter than the joys of tlieatres. In short, a true and sincere repentance is not only a necessary disposition, but likewise a most effiictual means to avert the wrath, and draw down the blessings of Heaven, and to engage the Son of God to take possession of our souls by his Holy Spirit, and to be spiritually born in our hearts by his sanctifying grace, on the approaching festival of his Nativity. To render this truth still more plain and intelligible, it is to be observed, that divines distinguish a three-fold Nativity of the Son of God, and it is in honour hereof that three distinct masses are appointed by the Church to be celebrated on Christmas Day. The first is his eternal nativity, or divine generation, by which he proceeded from the father from all eternity. The second is his temporal nativity, or human generation, by which he Avas conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary, in the plenitude of time. The third is his spiritual nativity, by which he is, as it were, born in a spiritual manner in the hearts and souls of the faith- ful, by the communication of his holy spirit, and the infusion of his sanctifying grace. The first and second nativity are entirely independent of us, but his spiritual nativity depends on our co-operation, and requires certain conditions and dispositions on our part, as it happens within us. The first condition is to cleanse the heart, and purify the soul from the filth of sin, that it miiy become a fit abode for his reception and residence ; for it is not to be supposed that he will accept of a heart defiled with iniquity, enter into a criminal soul, or dwell in a body that is subject to sin. A clean heart is the chief object of his complacency, the most agreeable present we can offisr him, and the dwelling place he seeks and demands of us at this holy time. It is the most powerful attractive of his gracious favours, and the surest way to enjoy his divine presence, and to engage him to come and take a permanent possession of our souls. Hence it is, that he calls on us, in the book of Proverbs, in these affec- tionate terms : My child give vie thy heart ; and again, in c. v. of' St. Matthew, he pronounces the clean of heart blessed and happy, because they shall see and enjoy God. They shall be replenished Avith the treasures of his grace here, and Avith the riches of his glory hereafter. This made 26 ON PREPARING THE the rojal propliet beseech the Lord most fervently to croxite in him a dean heart, and to renew a inght spirit ivithin his bowels. This made him cry- out with confidence, and say, A contrite and humble heart, 0 God, thou tvill not despise. A heart thus disposed is a most acceptable holocaust, a most agreeable sacrifice, that reaches the throne of God, in the odour of sweetness, and is much more pleasing in his sight than any outward victims, or exterior humiliations of the body. If we, therefore, aspire to a happy union with Jesus Christ, and wish to prepare in ourselves a worthy mansion for him at this holy time, we must, before all things purify our hearts and souls, and carefully wash off all the foul stains of sin with the salutary waters of penance. We must purge out the old leaven, and remove all that in us is disgustful and ofiensive to the all-seeing eyes of his Divine Majesty. We must subdue our passions, and renounce those daring vices which we have blindly erected, like so many idols, on the altar of our hearts. We must, as the Gospel says, lay the axe to the root. We must look into all the secret recesses of our conscience, and probe all the sores and wounds of our souls, imtil we have discovered every latent inordinate affection, and dislodged every vicious disorder that may happen to be lurking therein. If we fail in this point, all we do will be to little pui-pose ; for our hearts and souls cannot become the abode and temple of him who is sanctity itself, as long as they are infected with criminal affections, enslaved by unruly passions, or defiled with one single mortal sin. The heart, which is averted from the Creator, and converted to the creature by sin, must be averted from the creature, and converted to the Creator by inward compunction ; for the heart alone is the seat of a true repentance, as it is the seat of love. It must be truly changed, and effectually turned from the irregular love of the Avorld, and of its sinful pleasures, to the love of God, who is the fountain of all goodness. It must prefer him, and value his friendship above Avhatever else is nearest ' and dearest to it on earth. It must hate and detest sin, not only because it is prejudicial to the sinner, and renders him liable to everlasting torments of hell-fire, but because it is displeasing and offensive to God's infinite goodness. Without this conversion or change of the heart there can be no true repentance, for which reason the Holy Ghost exhorts jirevaricators to return to their hearts, to he converted in their ivliole heart, to form to themselves a new heart and a new spirit, to rend their hearts and not their garments, to cast off the %vorhs of darkness, and to become a nciv creature. This is the very essence of a Christian life, though, alas ! but little understood, and still less attended to by the generality of modei-n peni- tents, who are so apt to be deluded and deceived in this point by outward appearances, that they imagine themselves to be very penitent, provided they shed a few tears, vent a few sighs or moans, or run over, superficially, a few devout acts of contrition, although their hearts remaift at the same time unchanged, and still attaclied to sin. Hence it comes, that there is often great reason to suspect the validity of their past confessions, and to look upon their repentance as imperfect and defective, either for want of that inward compunction of heart, which God requires, or for want of a firm purpose of amendment, and a sincere disposition to avoid the immediate occasions of sin, and repair the injuries they have done ; but the Almighty God, who sees the most secret windings of the heart, cannot be deceived or imposed on by lying vows, verbal protestations, or WAY OF THE LORD. 27 exterior appearances of repentance. He requires ns, indeed, to produce fruits icoiihij of penance, and admonishes ns, in the Scripture, to manifest our repentance by outwardly fasting, weeping, and mourning. But then the heart and the interior must be principally attended to ; it must be penetrated with a lively sorrow for having ofiended God, and be firmly determined to oli'end him no more. Every true gospel penitent must, like King David, conceive a perfect hatred for sin ; he must pursue it home to his inclinations, pluck it up by the root, destroy it from its very foundation, and endeavour to expiate it by satisfactory works of penance. Hence St. Ambrose says, him I call a penitent, who both day and night is grieved to the heart for having ofiended the Lord his God, who abhors the evil he has done, who declares war against his passions, and renounces all sinful pleasures. Him I call a penitent, Avho anticipates the judgment of God, by persecuting and jjunishing sin in himself, according to the measure of its malignity, from a conviction that the penance of a repenting sinner should bear some proportion to the number and enormity of the crimes committed. The penitents of the primitive ages of Christianity, were so fully convinced hereof, that they humbly submitted to the most rigorous austerities, and to the most painful exercises of self-denial and mortification, covering their bodies with sackcloth and ashes, lying prostrate before the church gate, weeping and bewailing their sins in the bitterness of their souls, and fasting three days in the week on bread and water, for the space of three, five, seven, nay, fifteen years, successively, for the expiation of a single mortal sin. How far, alas ! have the penitents of our days de- generated from their zeal and ferA^ our ! They have such an aversion to any penitential exercises, which are mortifying in the least degree;, that it is often with difficulty they are persuaded to recite a few times the peni- tential psalms, or observe a few fast days, for the expiation of a multitude of horrid mortal sins, which cry aloud to Heaven for vengeance. Not- withstanding it is certain that the justice of the ofiended Deity must be satisfied, either in this life or in the next ; either by the voluntaiy penance of the sinner, or by the vengeance of an angry God, as St. Augustine says. vSince, therefore, my brethren, penance is the sole plank of safety which you have left, after the spiritual shipwreck of your baptismal innocence ; since it alone can emancipate you from the fetters of sin, and the bondage of Satan ; since Avithout it you cannot expect that the Son of God will be spiritually born in your hearts, by his grace and Holy Spirit, let me entreat you to hearken to the voice of the great Herald of Heaven, and Precursor of Jesus Christ, inviting you at this holy time to do penance for your past offences: Do jyenance, says he, /or theJcingclom of Heaven is at hand ; preiwre the icay of the Lord, make straight his paths. O do not let this time of mercy slip away, like so many Advents which have past, without any benefit or advantage to your souls. This may probably be the last Advent that several of you will ever live to see. Perhaps some of you here present this day are standing on the brink of eternity, and upon the verge of the aAvful night of death, when it will be out of your poAver to repent, or to perform any other good work con- ducive to life everlasting. If you refuse to lay hold of the mercy w'hich is now offered to you, if you slight the precious moments of your visita- tion, and neglect the poAVerful and necessary means of salvation, whilst you are in your health, and capable of having recourse to them, the day, perhaps, may shortly come, Avhen you Avill wish for one hour to do 28 ON FREPABING THE WAY OF THE LORD. penance, and not be able to find it. You may, perhaps, cry out in your last illness, for the holy sacraments of reconciliation, and be suffered to die without them, as St. Gregory of Nyssa tells us, happened to a certain Catechumen, who having postponed his baptism from time to time, was in the end justly deprived of it, in punishment of his negligence and wilful delays, for he was suddenly taken ill in the midst of a lonesome forest, where he expired, crying out in vain with a loud voice to the trees and mountains to come and baptise him. So true it is, my bre- thren, that delays are exti-emely dangerous, particularly when Heaven and eternity are at stake. If any, therefore, amongst you, be conscious to yourselves that you are in the unhappy state of mortal sin, let me con- jure you to repent in time, and to shake off the galling yoke of Satan, by a speedy and sincere conversion. Let me beseech you, with apostolic Avords, to arise without delay, from the lethargic sleep of sin, and Jesus Christ will enlighten you with the rays of his grace. Throw yourselves at the feet of his mercy, with a penitential spirit, and in the sincerity of your hearts, and he Avill stretch forth his all-powerful hand to break asunder the chains of iniquity, with which you are fettered, and to relieve you from the heavy burden with which you are oppressed. The night of sin is gone before, as the Apostle speaks ; the day of salvation is drawing near ; the feast of the Nativity of our Lord is at hand ; he is comino- to make us a visit, and to enrich our souls with his heavenly graces and blessings. He is already striking at the door of our hearts, and suing for a lodging therein. Can we be so ungrateful to him, or so insensible to our eternal welfare, as to refuse him admittance, like unto the people of Bethlehem, who found no room for him in their houses ? Can we be so perverse as to reject him, like unto the obstinate Jews, of whom the Scripture speaks : He came into Ids own, and his oion received 1dm not! Let us rather yield to the tender solicitations of our Divine Re- deemer, and give him our whole heart, cleansed and purified, that we may be of the thrice happy number of those, of whom the Gospel says. To as many as have received him, he has giinen a power to become the children of God. Let us copy after the ancient Patriarchs and Prophets, who longed most ardently for his coming. Let us imitate the pious shepherds of Bethlehem, and seek him till we have the happiness to find him. Let us, in fine, invite him into our hearts and souls, by humble and devout prayer, and make him a tender of our best homages, like unto the three Kings of the East. Such are the sentiments, such are the dispositions, which the Church endeavours to excite in her children at present, raising her voice for this purpose with the great St. John the Baptist, and fre- quently exhorting us all to p/'ej^are the ivayofthe Lord, and to make straight hisj)aths, that he may possess our hearts and souls here by his grace, and that we may possess him in the kingdom of his glory hereafter. Grant, O Divine Jesus, that this may be our happy case. We beseech thee, by that inestimable charity which made thee descend from the highest Heavens for our salvation, to give us the grace of a true and sin- cere repentance, that we may be qualified to partake of the blessed fruits of thy redemption, and to receive thee worthily into the temple of our souls at the approaching festival of thy Nativity. If thou livest thus in us and we live in thee, we may hope, with humble confidence, to be replenished with thy celestial benedictions here, and to be admitted here- after into the kingdom of thy eternal glory, Avhich is the happiness that I sincerely wish you all, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. ON THE INCARNATION, (tc. 29 CHEISTMAS DAY. ON THE INCARNATION AND NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. Verbiim Caro factum est, et habitavitin nobis S. Jo. c. \. v. 14. The Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us St. John, c. 1, v. 14. It is on the present solemnity, if evei*, tliat we have reason to cry out with the Apostle, in his eleventh chap, to the Romans, O the depth of the riches of the ivisdom and of the hnoivledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and hoiv tinsearchahle his icays ! When the Angels fell from the sacred mansions of bliss by their pride, they were irretrievably lost ; no Redeemer was promised to them ; no remedy was provided for their relief ; no means was granted to them, whereby they might have recovered the grace which they had forfeited. But glory, honour and praise be to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the case was quite different with regard to mankind. Immediately after the fall of our first parents, God most mercifully promised to send a Redeemei", Gen. iii. 15. He vouchsafed to renew this promise from time to time, and gradually dis- posed all things for the accomplishment of his boundless mercy. How- ever, upwards of four thousand years had elapsed after the creation and fall of Adam, before the promised Redeemer, and long-expected Messias came ; for had man been restored to grace as soon as he had forfeited it, he would not have been sufficiently sensible of the depth of his wounds, nor have had a just feeling of the spiritual blindness, weakness and wretchedness, in which he lay buried under the weight of his guilt ; neither would the infinite power, wisdom and goodness of God, in pro- viding so effectual a means and so sovereign a remedy for taking away the sins of the world, have appeared so emiuently conspicuous. Mankind, therefore, by a just judgment, was left groveling in the mass of corruption and misery for the space of several ages, and only enjoyed a glimpse of their future redemption, in the promise and expectation of the Messias and Deliverer, who was then to come. It is true, many were saved in the interim by faith and hope in him, God having, from time to time, raised a number of faithful servants, to whom he revealed this mystery ; he was also pleased to choose and reserve to himself a peculiar people, by whom he was known and worshipped ; but almost all the nations of the earth were covered with a deluge of iniquity, and over- run with a multitude of the blackest crimes. The bondage of the chil- dren of Israel in Egypt, and the captivity of the Jews in Babylon, were but faint shadows of the deplorable bondage and captivity in which the infernal Pharao held the generality of the unhappy offspring of Adam. From every corner of the world vice cried aloud to Heaven for venge- ance, and sinful man deserved nothing at the hands of God but eternal damnation and everlasting torments ; nevertheless, then it was that the divine mercy superabounded, when sin had thus abounded ; then it was that the Heavens were opened and began to flow with honey, as the Church beautifully expresses it in the ofSce of this happy day ; then it was that the eternal Son of the eternal God, looking down on us -with an eye of pity, descended from the throne of his glory to save forlorn man ; then it was, in fine, that the Divine Word iva^ incarnated for our 30 ON THE INCARNATION AND scike, and caiM to dwell among us, poor sinful worms of the earth, in order to become our Redeemer, our Mediator, our Advocate, our Model, our Guide, aud the Physician of our souls. This adorable mystery of his Incarnation, above all other mysteries, merits our particular attention, challenges our most profound respect and homage, and should be the principal object of our piety and devotion during the ensuing octave ; it is the source of all the other great myste- ries and graces of our redemption ; in it we behold the incomprehensible power, wisdom, and goodness of our God, displayed to an amazing deo-ree ; in it we discover a prodigy of omnipotence, to excite our asto- nishment, adoration and praise ; and a prodigy of love, to kindle in our souls the affections of an ardent love for the Lord our God. To inspire you, therefore, with the like tender sentiments, I will endeavour to lay briefly before you the principal circumstances of this wonderful mystery, and the manner in which it has been accomplished. Let us first implore the divine assistance, through the intercession of the blessed Mother of Jesus, saying with the Angel, Ave Maria, &c. The mystery of the Incarnation is to be adored in silent raptures of admiration, rather than to be expressed by words ; it is a pi'odigy that angels and men will admire for all eternity, without being able to fathom it. Here he who is wonderful in all his works, has outdone what crea- tures could have known to be possible, even to Omnipotence itself, had they not seen it effected and accomplished ; but it is for this reason more worthy an infinite God. It is incomprehensible to the spirit of man, and nothing but the Spirit of God could give us a just idea of it. — This the inspired Apostle has done, Philip, c. ii. v. 7. when he says, that God annihilated himself in talcing on the form and similitude of a slave ; for wliat is the incarnation of the Son of God but the most astonishing humili- ation of the Deity, but the annihilation of a God, since there is an infinite distance between God, who is an infinite and immense being, and man, who is a mere empty contemptible nothing ? In the other mysteries of human redemption, I see nothing after this that. astonishes me so much : for that a God, made man, has embraced poverty, contempt, sufferings, and death on the cross, was but the consequence, and as it were the en- gagements of the humanity Avith which he vested himself; but that a God of infinite majesty, all God as he is, should make himself man ; that the eternal Son of the eternal Father should strip himself, as it were, of the rays of his glory, clothe his omnipotence with our weakness, shut up his immensity in a little body, and be born in time, under the veil and fio-ure of a child, under the form and similitude of a slave, is something fiir more wonderful than the creation of the world out of nothing, or the moving the heavens and weighing the universe with a finger. The holy Scripture speaking of this mystery, not only says that the Son of God became man, but makes use of an expression, which gives us to understand that he chose in man what was most gross and most tei'- restial. The Word was made flesh, says St. John the Evangelist. That fl&sh, so despicable ; that flesh, subject to so many miseries ; that flesh, which is common to us with the brute creation, he took on, and rendered it common to himself with us. He made himself like imto us. He espoused our nature. He remained for the space of nine months con- fined in the bosom of his mother, like other children. He became an infant like unto them, subject to all the humiliations, all the infirmities, and all the weaknesses of that tender age. O stupendous prodigy ! O NATIVITY OF OUR LOBD. 31 astonishing liumiliatious ! O amazing annihilations of the only begotten Son of God ! how inconceivable are ye ? There is some proportion be- tween man and the smallest insect that crawls on the face of the earth ; but there never was, there never will be, tliere never can be, the least proportion between God and man. Yet the Word incarnate has vouch- safed to humble himself thus for our sake, even to a degree of annihila- tion, and to unite in one and the same person two natures, so different as God and man, the Lord and the servant, the Creator and the creature, the highest and the lowest, all that is great in Heaven with all that is little upon earth. All other favours and benefits, though great in them- selves, appear to be eclipsed by this wonderful condescension of his good- ness ; nay, they seem in a manner to lose their value in comparison of this unparalleled instance, this inestimable pledge of his love, it being such, that from it alone we can truly judge to what an excessive degree he loved us, and to what misery sin had unhappily reduced us. Had he not contrived this wonderful expedient to become our Mediator and Re- deemer, the gates of Heaven would have remained eternally shut against us, and we would have been lost and undone for ever, no pure creature being capable of repairing the injury, or atoning for the offence com- mitted against the infinite majesty of God by sin, as nothing less was required to cancel it, by an equality of justice, than the merits and humi- liations of a person of infinite dignity and value. This made the Prophet Jei'emias cry out and say, chap. i. It is owing to the pure mercy of the Lord that we have not been all destroyed, and ruined for ever. He was pleased, without any title on our part, to set his affections upon us, poor worms of the earth, and to shew us more mercy than he did to the fallen angels. O ye Heavens, be astonished hereat ! He humbled himself to exalt us. He impoverished himself, says St. Paul, 2 Cor. xviii. to enrich our souls with the treasures of his heavenly graces and blessings. He stooped infinitely beneath the dignity of his supreme majesty, in order to raise us from the profound abyss of misery, to the eminent dignity of his adoptive children, and heirs of his kingdom. The bare expectation and foreknowledge of these signal advantages and benefits which were to accrue to mankind from the mystery of his incarnation, filled the holy Patriarchs, Prophets, and other saints of the Old Testament Avith consolation, and made them ardently and incessantly sigh, weep and pray for the completion of this great mercy. At length the time appointed by Providence for human redemption drawing nigh, God's eternal decrees were brought about and executed. An angelical ambassador was dispatched from Heaven to announce the adorable mys- tery to the spotless Virgin who vras chosen, in preference to all other creatures, to be the mother of the world's Redeemer. The glorious St. John the Baptist was sent as a precursor, to prepare the way before him. Accordingly he appeared in the deserts of Judea, like a morning star, to usher in the sun of Divine Justice and the light of the world. The seventy weeks of years, predicted by the prophet Daniel were nearly expired. The royal sceptre was departed from the house of Juda, accord- ing to the renowned prophecy of the patriarch Jacob. Tiie fourth great empire, foretold by Daniel, was exalted to its zenith. The Roman wars were brought to a happy conclusion, and the gates of the temple of Janus, in Rome were shut, according to the usual custom on similar occasions. Ln short, the Avorld enjoyed the sweets of a general peace, under the for- tunate reign of the Emperor Augustus. This Avas the very period that 32 ON THE INCARNATION AND the promised Messiah, and the desired of all nations, who in the scripture is styled the Prince of Peace, chose for visiting the earth, to denote thereby that the end of his coming was to make a general peace between his Heavenly Father and mankind. At this juncture of time an edict was issued by the Emperor, commanding all the subjects of his whole empire, and consequently of Judea and Palestine, then a Roman province, to repair to the respective places of their origin and family, in order to have their names and conditions enrolled there in a public register. This decree was published by the Emperor for political views of state, but the view of the all-ruling providence of God herein was, that by this most authentic act of public registration, it might be manifest to the whole world that our blessed Saviour was descended of the house of David, and the tribe of Juda, and that he was to register the names of his faithful followers and disciples in the book of eternal life. It was in obedience to the aforesaid imperial edict that Mary and Joseph travelled from Nazareth, where they lived about ninety miles from Jerusalem, to Beth- lehem, a small town in the tribe of Juda, called David's-Town, this being the place appointed lor those who Ijelonged to his family to be enrolled, and the very place also where the Saviour of the world was to be born. This leads me to the second point, wherein I promised to expatiate on the circumstances of his Nativity. As our Divine Redeemer was pleased to choose the great city of Jeru- salem for the ignominy of his Passion, so he chose the little town of Bethlehem for the glory of his Nativity. The prophet Micheas, upwards of seven hundred years before, had foretold that Bethlehem, which was about seven miles distant from Jerusalem, should be enobled by the birth of Christ. Hence the blessed Virgin Mary, by a special direction of Providence, undertook a painful journey of at least four days, through a mountainous country to that place, having no other retinue but her chaste and holy spouse Joseph, avIio was appointed by Heaven to be her guardian and protector amidst all the hardships she had to encounter. On their arrival in Bethlehem they found all the inns of that town already full ; in vain did they seek for a lodging elsewhere, every one despising and rejecting their poverty. In this distress they retired into an open cottage, or a cave on the side of a rock, commonly called a stalle, as it was only fit to defend beasts from the nipping frosts in Avinter, and from the scorching heat of the sun in summer. This abject and contemptible hovel, this vile receptacle of beasts was the palace that the King of Heaven, and the Lord and Master of the universe, was pleased to chose for his Nativity ; the throne on which he chose to repose was a manger : a little hay or straw supplied the place of a bed, and the breath of an ox and an ass, which happened to be tied to the manger, served to keep off the cold, and to preserve the Divine Infant from the rigour of the season ; for it was in the depth of winter that he was born, to signify that he came from Heaven to kindle the fire of charity on earth, and to warm the frozen hearts of sinners Avith the flames of divine love. He was born at midnight, to denote that he came to disperse the darkness of infidelity, and to enlighten the world with the light of the Gospel. He chose to be born by miracle, of a most pure and chaste virgin, to shew what a lover he is of the angelical virtue of chastity. He chose to be born in a state of poverty, to set us an example of evangelical poverty, which he preferred to all the grandeur and riches of the world, and to teach us, that they who are really poor in spirit and affection, and submit NATIVITr OF OUR L01ll>. 33 with patience and resignation to the hardshii^s incident to their state, bid fair for everlasting liappiness hereafter, as he afterwards expressly- declared, in his first sermon on the Mount, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. He could have been born in the midst of splendour and opulence, but he would not, because it was not such a Redeemer that the Avorld wanted, or our miseries required, since worldly pomp and grandeur would serve to inflame our passions and nourish our spiritual maladies, rather than cui'e them. The carnal and sensual Jews, who were strongly attached to earthly goods, and bent upon the gratification of their passions, flattered themselves with the idea that the Messias, whom they expected, would reign hei-e on earth as a most powerful temporal Monarch, and sui'pass Solomon in riches, and David in military exploits ; for they erroneously understood, in a literal sense, whatever the Prophets had said in a figurative sense, of the splen- dour and glory of the spiritual kingdom of his Chui'ch in the new laAV. They saw clearly, and could not but acknowledge, that the time foretold and appointed for his coming Avas at length arrived, yet they obstinately refused to believe in him, being offended and scandalized at the abject, poor, and humble condition, in which he made his appearance. This made the Prophet Isaias say, c. i. v. 3, The ox hioioeth its owner, and the ass his master's crib, but Israel hath not known me ; and again, St. John the Evangelist, c. i. v. 10 & 11, The tvorld knew him 7iot, he came into his own, and his own, received him not. Alas ! my brethren, hoAv widely different are the counsels and views of God, and how far above the counsels and views of men? Our Divine Redeemer was willing to begin from his very birth in the stable of Bethlehem, to execute the design he had formed to promote the honour and glory of his eternal Father, and to work the salvation of man, by atoning for the offence offered to the Grodhead by sin, and repairing by his humility and sufferings, what mankind had forfeited by their pride and sensuality. With this view he made choice of a state of humiliation and poverty from the beginning of his mortal life. He exposed his tender delicate body to the inclemency of the severest season of the year, to the hard boards of a manger instead of a cradle, and to a privation of the most ordinary conveniencies and necessaries of human life. Love for us, and his desire for our salvation, Avould not suffer him to postpone this great work to the end of his life. He was willing to enter upon the sacred functions of a Redeemer, a Guide and a Teacher, as soon as he came into the world. He Avas Avilling, by embracing such hardships and rigours in his very infancy, to correct the mistaken notions and confound the folly of sinners, Avho blindly set their hearts and affections on perish- able riches, and place all their happiness on earthly enjoyments. He Avas willing to encourage us, by his OAvn example, to despise the sinful vtinities of the Avorld, to renounce the loA^e of sensual pleasures and delights, and to plant the virtue of humility deeply in our hearts ; for, as all our spiritual disorders spring from three poisonous sources, called by St. John, concupiscence of the flesh, concupiscence of the eyes, and prnde of life, it was expedient that he who came to be our Saviour, Guide, and Physician, should take the earliest opportunity to prescribe suitable remedies against the inordinate inclinations of our corrupt nature, and inculcate the neces- sity of counteracting them, by the practice of the opposite virtues. AVhilst he Avas thus silently teaching and preaching by his example, from the manger of Bethlehem, as from his first pulpit, the air was filled with a 34 ox THi; INCARNATION AND NATIVITY OF OUR LORD. cliarming melody, and began to echo with congratulatory acclamations ; for, as St. Luke informs us, c. ii. the Angels assembled in choir sounded forth the divine praise in the loudest strains, singing, Gloria, ij'C. Glory to God in the Idghest, and on earth peace to men of goodwill ; for such were the happy fruits of Christ's nativity, glory to God in the highest Heavens, and peace, that is, reconciliation, grace, and pardon to men on earth. An heavenly messenger was likewise sent to carry the joyful tidings of his nativity, not to any of the proud and haughty grandees of the world, who lived at their ease, wallowing in riches, sensual pleasures and delights, but to a set of humble shepherds, who were keeping the night watches over their flocks. It was to them in particular that the Angel of the Lord appeared, and brought the first news of their Saviour being born. Why so ? To give us to understand that the meek and humble are the fa- vourites of Heaven, and that it is to them the Lord dispenses his gracious favours and blessings in abundance, while he resists the proud and with- draws himself away from them. The humble shepherds were at first struck with panic, and trembled at the splendid and awful appearance of the Angel ; but being animated by him they soon forgot their fears, and hastened with devotion to Bethlehem. They entered the stable, and found there the new-born Saviour of the world lying in a manger. Far fi'om being scandalized at the poverty and meanness of his appearance, they were filled with admiration at the infant state to which the Creator of the universe had humbled himself for the love of man. They saw and they believed. They paid him the just tribute of their homage, and retui*ned glorifying and praising the Lord, and speaking with raptures of what they had seen. How many instructive and salutary lessons, my brethren, hew many endearing motives of divine love, does this mystery furnish and suggest ? — Does not every circumstance loudly proclaim the power, wisdom and mercy of God, and demonstrate the greatness of his good- ness, charity, and love for man ? Must Ave not be insensible to the last degree, if our hearts be not penetrated with lively sentiments of grati- tude and love for him who has wrought such wonders in our favour ? The more he has humbled himself for our sake, the dearer he should be to us, and the greater ought the fervour of our devotion to be in making him a tender of our homage, by acts of adoration, praise and thanksgiving. O let us, therefore, join our hearts and voices, this day, with the hea- venly choirs of Angels, in glorifying and saluting him with sacred hymns and canticles of spiritual joy ; let us, in imitation of the pious shepherds, humbly approach the manger of Bethlehem, and welcome our blessed Saviour into the world. Let us give him the best reception we are able, and embrace with him the most tender affections of our souls. Let us prostrate ourselves in spirit a thousand times at his feet, and entreat him to come and take full possession of our hearts. Let us be careful in removing every obstacle, and in preparing a worthy mansion for him in the temple of our souls, that he may be spiritually born in us by his sanctifying grace, and dwell in us, and we in him, for time and eternity. Let us give ourselves entirely to him, in return for his having given himself entirely to us. His sweet and amiable countenance, which was afterwards beaten, bruised, and disfigured for our iniquities ; his lovely eyes which shed so many tears for our sins ; his sacred hands and feet, which were nailed to a cross for our sake, and his little delicate veins, already purpled with the precious blood which he poured out so copiously ON THE DUTIES OF PARENTS TO THEIR CHILDREN. 3o Oil Mount Calvary for our redemption, they all cry out to us tliis day with a loud voice, that we ought to engrave the sweet and adorable name of Jesus on our hearts, in the deepest characters of love. O Divine Jesus ! we adoi'e, praise, thank, and glorify thee, for all thou hast done and suifered for our sake. The most acceptable return we are able to make thee is to love thee with our whole heart, and to testify our love and gratitude by the observance of thy commandments, and the practice of good works. We offer our hearts thei-efore, to thee, with- out reserve ; cleanse and purify them, we beseech thee, from all the foul stains of sin, and inflame them with the sacred fire of charity, which thou didst come to kindle on earth. Do not suffer us to frustrate the designs of thy mercy by our perverseness, but give us grace to begin with thee a new life from this happy day of thy Nativity, and to persevere to the end steady and fiithful in thy service, that after having been replenished with tliy graces here, we may be admitted hereafter to partake of thy glory in the sacred mansions of bliss, which is the happiness I Avish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the )Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE NATIVITY OF OUE LORD. ON THE DUTIES OF PAEENTS TO THEIR CHILDREN. Perfecerunt omnia secundum legem Domini S. Luc. c. ii. v. 39. They performed all things according to the Law of the Lord St. Luke, c. ii. v. 39. The Gospel informs us, that the Blessed Virgin Mary, accompanied with her most chaste spouse St. Joseph, repaired to the city of Jerusalem as soon after the Nativity of our Lord as she was allowed by the Mosaic Law to approach the Sanctuary, and enter into the Temple of God. She brought with her the child Jesus, in order to present him there to his Eternal Father with the most perfect acts of adoration, praise and thanks- giving. On this occasion a just and religious man in Jerusalem, named Simeon, who had received a revelation and promise from the Holy Ghost, that before his death he should see Christ the Saviour of the world, came by divine instinct into the Temple, took the child Jesus out of his mother's hands into his arms, and praised the Lord, in raptures of devo- tion for having vouchsafed to grant him the happiness of embracing the object of all his desires, and beholding with his eyes the light of the Gentiles, and the glory of the people of Israel, who came for the redemp- tion and salvation of all men, though as Simeon predicted at the same time, on account of the Avilful blindness and obstinacy of many unbe- lievers, who discharged the arrows and darts of their malice against him, and his doctrine, he became, as it were, a mark of contradiction for their ruin, and for the ruin of others, who like them, refuse to believe in him, and choose to remain in their obstinacy and incredulity. A prophetess called Anne, venerable for her age, and more so for her piety, was likewise present on the same occasion. The sacred text relates, that she Avas then advanced to the age of four score and four years, and that she constantly attended in the Temple at the times of prayer, loith fastings and jjrayers, serving God both day and night. This holy widow was blessed with the 36 ON THE DUTIES OP BARENTS sight of the child Jesus in the Temple, and made a pv;blic profession of her faith in him. She bore testimony that he was the promised Messias, and praised and glorified the Lord for having sent him for the consolation and redemption of Israel. In the interim, Mary and Joseph, struck with admiration at all they had seen and heard concerning him, complied with all the ordinances of the law ; and having presented the child Jesus in the Temple, an offering that infinitely surpassed all the offerings that had ever been made there before, they returned from Jerusalem home to the city of Nazareth, and Jesus, in proportion as he advanced in age, gave every day marks of his divine wisdom, and manifested more and more the heavenly treasures of grace, with which he was replenished from the very first instant of his conception. The care that Mary and Joseph took of him should be the model of all Christian parents, and ouglit to teach them to present their children to God from their very infancy, and to offer them up to the honour of his Divine Majesty as so many pure holocausts ; in short, they should give them an early tincture of piety and religion, instil principles of virtue into their tender minds, and educate them in the fear and love of the Lord, as I purpose, with the divine assistance, to shew you in the following discourse. The importance and necessity of giving children an early virtuous education, shall be the subject of the first point. The manner in which this is to be done, and the particular duties that ai'e comprised under this general head, shall be the subject of the second point, and of your favourable attention. Before we proceed, let us invoke the intercession of the blessed Mother of Jesus, and devoutly recite the angelical salutation. Ave Maria, ^-c. All civilized nations look upon an early and virtuous education of cliil- di-en as an object of the first magnitude, and as one of the most effectual means to stop the progress of impiety, to promote the honour and glory of God, to advance the happiness of every country, to preserve peace and order in society, and to prevent the ruin and destruction of number- less souls. It is for this reason that no establishments ai'e deemed more necessary, more useful, or more worthy of encouragement, tlian such as are wisely instituted, and regularly calculated for the laudable purpose of cultivating the tender minds of youth, and sowing the seeds of virtue in the souls of children at an early period of life ; for as they come into the world with a deplorable ignorance of the great truths that lead to eternal bliss, and with a strong proi^ensity and violent bent to evil, it is evident that if they be neglected and left to themselves without proper culture, and destitute of the advantages of a virtuous education, they will be apt to rush blindly into all kind of irregularities, and to produce nothing but weeds, tares, and noxious fruits, like unto a piece of ground that is not carefully attended, cultivated and improved. Corrupt nature and bad example Avill lead them into a long train of sinful disorders, their uncontrolled passions will daily acquire new strength, and bear them down the rapid torrent of iniquity, and as the Scripture expi'esses it, their hones shall he filled with the vices of their youth, and they shall sleep with them in the dust. — Job. c. xx. v. 1 1 . The measures which they adopt, and the steps which they take at the critical juncture, usually determine their future conduct ever after, and have a very considerable influence upon their happiness or unhappiness, both in this world and the next. When they go astray in the beginning of their career, they generally plunge from one error into another, and die as they lived ; for as a good TO THEIR CHILDREN. 37 beginning makes a good end, so, on the contrary, a bad beginning is generally followed by a vicious life, and terminates in an inihappy death. Holy Writ furnishes us with several remarkable instances hereof : amongst the rest, we read that amongst the nineteen Kings of Israel, there was not one that lived or died well, because there was not one of them that began well ; and of the twenty Kings of Juda, there were but six who concluded a virtuous life with a happy death, because only six of them had been virtuously educated in their youthful days. Hence the Prophet Jeremias says. It is good for a man to carry the yoke of the Lord from his youth, because he will not readily dejmrt in his old age from the path into ichich he enters in his youth. — Frov. xxii. 6. The first impres- sions are the most lasting, says St. Jerome, and are not to he effaced ivithout much difficulty. Whilst children are young, they are susceptible of every impression, and may be moulded, like a piece of soft wax, into* any form and shape ; they may be readily drawn to good or evil, to virtue or to vice, like unto a young tender plant, which is so flexible that it may be easily bent on every side ; but as a plant, when it has once sprung up into a ti-ee, is no longer pliable, but will sooner break than bend after some years growth, so in like manner, when the gi'owth of children's passions is not checked and prevented by seasonable remedies ; when they are not formed and modelled to virtue in due time ; when vice is once sufiered to take deep root in their hearts, they generally become inflexible and incorrigible, and continue to advance in their evil ways as they advance in age ; or if they ever happen to reform their lives, it is not without great difficulty, and the powerful aid of an extra- ordinary grace from God, Avhicli they have no right to expect, after having devoted the first fruits and the bloom of their life to the drudgery of sin, and to the service of Satan. It is, therefore, a matter of the utmost consequence what ideas are first stamped on the ductile minds of children, what sentiments are impressed on their hearts, and to what habits they are formed in their childhood. The happiness of parents themselves, both for time and eternity, no less than that of their children, depends in a great measure hereon. St. Paul tells us, in his first Epistle to Timothy, c. v. v. 8, that parents who do not pay the necessary care and attention to the education of their children, betray their trust, act in opposition to their faith, and are worse than infidels. If any man, says this great Apostle, has not care of his own, and especially those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. What judgment then is to be formed of those unhappy parents who are not only careless and deficient in giving their children a Christian education, but contrive so many infei-nal stratagems to banish and destroy their yovmg infants before they are born and baptised. Are they not more vmnatural than wolves and tigers ? Are they not more cruel than Herod himself, who sacrificed so many holy innocents to his pride and ambition ? The cruelty of that blood-thirsty tyrant is justly detested by every one who has the least sense of humanity ; though, as St. Augustine remarks, his malice and hatred to the innocent infants he murdered was of greater service to them than his love could have been, since he was the occasion of their being baptised in their own blood, and receiving a ci'own of martyrdom in the kingdom of Heaven. He only killed their bodies, which secured the salvation of their souls ; whereas, antichristian parents, who by the most horrid means, prevent the birth of their infants, and murder them 38 ON THE DUTIES OF PARENTS by anticipation before they come into the world, destroy both their sonls and bodies, and deprive them at once of a temporal and everlasting life. Hear what St. Thomas of Villanova says of such unnatural parents : Now, they may seem to escape unpunished, as their crimes are covered with darkness, and committed in the greatest secresy, but the time will come when their impiety shall be manifested in the face of the universe, and when they shall feel the whole weight of God's wrath and indig- nation. The infants they have destroyed, and the souls they have been the means of sending into the other world without baptism, will demand satisfaction at the bar of divine justice ; they will cry out to Heaven for vengeance with as loud a voice as the blood of Abel formerly cried out for vengeance against Cain, the first murderer ; nay, with a louder voice, since the spiritual murder and loss of a soul, stamped with the image of Go*, and ransomed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, is a much more deplorable evil, and one of the most enormous crimes that the malice of Satan can suggest. Remember then, O fathers and mothers, that your care and attention to your infants is, in some respects, to com- mence even before their birth. If you wish to be blessed with good children, you are to supplicate Heaven for them, and in the intei'im to refrain from drunkenness, from intemperance, and all kind of criminal excesses that might prove any way destructive to their souls or bodies, or tend to invert the laws of nature, or frustrate the holy ends of matri- mony. After their birth, you are to take all possible care to have them purified without delay from original sin, in the sacred laver of baptism ; and like Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and Anne, the mother of Samuel, to make an offering of them to the Lord with the most lively sentiments of praise and thanksgiving. If you expect to succeed in their educa- tion, you must begin first with yourselves, reform your own lives, and bridle your passions, as children frequently take after their parents, resemble them in their temper, and inherit their humours and disposi- tions, from, as it were, a kind of secret influence or sympathy that naturally subsists between them. Some of the ancient Pagan philoso- phers observing this natural connexion and resemblance, and not being able to account properly for it, were so weak as to give into the erroneous doctrine of the transmigration of souls, or to teach, as St. Aiigustine relates, that one part of the father and mother's soul was transmitted into the bodies of their children, which ridiculous oj)inion is justly exploded and condemned by the Chui-ch of God, as being opposite to sound reason, and divine revelation. Now, as to the particular obligations which parents contract with regard to the education of their children, they consist chiefly in love, instruction, correction, good example, and prayer. Their first duty is to love their children. Christ our Lord, in the parable of the Prodigal Son, shews parents what ought to be their love for their children. Nature itself dictates this obligation. The serpents, lions, and wolves, as St. Augustine observes, Serm. 185, love their young ones by an impulse of nature, and feed and rear them until they are in a condition to provide for themselves ; the wild bird suffers itself to be made captive, rather than desert its callow offspring, and the timid hen fights and perishes by the hawk, rather than surrender her little brood ; and shall any Christians be so unnatural, and so inferior to the very brute creation in this respect, as to abandon their little infants in the streets and entries, never more to behold them ? Shall they be so unmerciful as to TO THEIR CHILDREN. :i9 expose them to the mercy of the public, without caring what will after- wards become of their souls, or whether they are likely to be brought up in the fear and love of God, and in the principles of the Christian religion? Shall they be so hard-hearted, so unjust, so inhuman, as to leave them famishing with hunger at home, or to encumber strangers with the expense of their maintenance, whilst they themselves are squandering the earnings of a whole week in drinking and gambling abroad ? Alas ! this is but too often the case, though it is the indis- pensable duty of parents to love their children, and of course not only to provide necessary food and raiment for the support of their bodies, but also to provide for the spiritual welfare and eternal salvation of their immortal souls, as God himself, the common Father of mankind, provides for our natural subsistence in this life, and for our spiritual and eternal happiness in the next. He has given parents a property in their children, which no one has a right to rob them of. They are given to the poor as a valuable treasure, in the place of the perishable wealth of the world ; whilst they have them, they console their afflictions, they lighten the load of worldly distress, they cheer them with future hopes, and by their presence convey such transports of joy to their hearts, that none but unfeeling and unnatural parents can endure their little ones to be wrested and torn from their arms for ever. In consequence of the love that is due to them, mothers, regularly speaking, should suckle their own infants themselves, and preserve them from all dangerous accidents, such as are often occasioned by fire and water, and by being overlaid at night and smothered in their sleep, a remarkable instance of which the sacred Scripture relates to have happened in the days of King Solomon. Nature teaches even the wild beast the necessity of suckling their young ones, and the example of Sara the mother of Isaac, of Anne the mother of Samuel, and of Mary the mother of Jesus, should induce Christian mothers to fulfil this office themselves, unless a real necessity, or some Aveighty reason, may exempt them from it ; and in this case, they should be particularly nice in the choice of proper persons to be substituted in their own place, especially as chil- dren are so apt to take after their nurses, and to imbibe with their milk their corporal infii-mities and natural dispositions. Hence it is that spiritual writers, as well as natural philosophers, condemn those mothers who, without any just cause, turn their little innocent infants out of doors in a few days after they are born, and abandon part of their own bowels to the care of strange nurses, as if they were divested of the common feelings of nature. But if such parents be reprehensible, Iiow much so are those who in a manner idolize their children, and suffer themselves to be overruled by a passionate fondness and blind inordinate affection for them ? They should remember that the love required of them should not be a mere natural love, but a discreet Christian love, tempered with reason and religion, and like unto the love of Abraham for his son Isaac, always kept in due subordination to the love which they owe to the Lord their God above all things ; it should not be partial or confined only to one of their children, but should extend itself to them all in general without exception ; for, as St. Ambrose says, nature dictates that as they all have an equal sliai-e of their pai-ents' blood, they should share equally in their love without any remax'kable difterence, especially since a blind predilection of one child above the rest is apt to sow the seeds of discord in families, and to draw the cnyy, jealousy and 40 ON THE DUTIES OF PARENTS hatred of tlie other children on him who is visibly cherished, indulged, and preferred to them, as happened to Joseph, the favourite child of the Patriarch Jacob. The second duty of parents is to instruct their children, according to these Avords of the Holy Scripture : if thou hast children, imtruct them, and how doivn their nechsfrom their childhood. — Eccles. vi. 25. Even before they have arrived at the perfect use of reason, their mouths, hearts and memories are to be filled with pious and heavenly things, and not, as frequently happens, with idle or immodest songs, nonsense, and fooleries, which serve only to poison their minds and corrupt their hearts. They should be carefully instructed in the rudiments of religion, and the primary articles of faith, concerning the mysteries of the Unity of God, the Trinity of the Divine Pei'sons, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Fall and Redemption of Mankind, &c. They are to be informed of the end of their creation, and of the indispensable obligation to serve and worship God by faith, hope, charity, and good works. Their parents should look upon themselves as guardians appointed by Almighty God, to preserve them in the happy state of their baptismal sanctity, free from the corruption of the world, and out of the reach of its dangerous snares, pomps and vanities, which they solemnly announced when they were enrolled amongst the adopted children of Christ ; and therefore, far from instilling the spirit of pride, the love of fine dress, or sentiments of resentment and revenge into their tender minds, they should inspire them with a love of virtue, and a hatred of sin, by laying before them the beauty and loveliness of the one, and the baseness and dreadful consequences of the other. They should make them sensible, that without religion they cannot be truly happy even in this life, nor even become, useful members and ornaments of society. These great truths are to be frequently inculcated, that they may sink deep into their minds, and be their safeguard and protection against every danger and temptation which they may have afterwards to encoimter. Thus it was that the pious mother of St. Lewis, King of France, took care to instruct him in his childhood, and had the comfort to see her instructions crowned with wonderful success. The history of her life informs us, that she was accustomed to preach the following lesson to liim every day. My dear child, though you are the object of my most tender affections, yet I would rather see you stripped of your right to the royal crown and extensive dominions of your illustrious ancestors, and lying dead before my eyes, than see you stripped of the white robe of your baptismal innocence, and defiled with one single mortal sin. In like manner, St, Monica, the devout mother of the great Augustine, made it her constant study and practice to preach the love of God and the duties of religion to him, when yet a child ; and her daily instructions made so deep and so lasting an impression on his mind, that they often recurred afterwards when he had the misfortune to deviate from the paths of virtue, and made liim so many tacit reproaches, that at length they became one of the happy means that God in his great mercy employed for the conver- sion of liis soul. He tells us in the book of his confessions, that he had sucked in the sweet name of Jesus along with his mother's milk, and became so enamoured of it in the very midst of his errors, that he could find no taste or relish in the most florid pieces of Cicero's oratory and eloquence, because he did not meet this holy and adorable name men- tioned therein. Such are the salutary eifects and blessed fruits of early TO THEIR CHILDREN. 41 religious instructions, given by parents to their children. If, therefore, O Christian parents ! you have your own and your children's salvation at heart, you will instruct them betimes in the love and fear of the Lord ; they are sacred pledges and precious deposits which he has entrusted to your care, and for which you must be accountable if they happen to be lost through your fault, or to perish eternally through your neglect. Be not deceived then, cries out St. John Chrysostom, it is your duty to instruct your children, and to kindle the fire of divine love in their hearts ; your mouths and your lips are their books ; you are their teachers and preachers, their masters and apostles : you are to conduct yourselves in your respective families like bishops in their dioceses, for you are, like them, charged with the care and tuition of every soul under your jurisdiction. St. Augustine coincides with the aforesaid holy Doctor, and says, it is incumbent on you, O fathers and mothers ! to act the part of doctors and preachers in your own houses ; for as it is our duty to announce the word of God to you in the church, so, in like manner, it is your duty to announce it at home to your chil- dren and domestics. The third duty of a parent is to correct and chastise his children when they offend God, as God, on his part, denounces a just punishment against them when they offend and dishonour their parents. He that spareth the rod, hateth his son, as the Scripture says, Prov. xiii. 24 ; and again, Eccles. XXX. He that loveth his son frequentlu chastiseth him, that he may rejoice in his latter end. It is also said in the same chapter. Bow doion his neck while he is young, and heat his sides tvhile he is a child, lest he groio stubborn, and regard thee not, and so be a sorroiv of heart to thee. Here is a lesson and warning to those parents who are blind to their children's faults, or who have not resolution enough to give them proper correction when they deserve it. By a just judgment of God, and in punishment of their criminal indulgence, it often happens that those very children whose faults they overlook, and whom they indulge the most, fly afterwards in their face, become their heaviest crosses, and greatest scourges, make them feel the smart and pain of their disordei-ly behaviour, and shorten their days by grief and vexation, scandal, shame and confusion ; for which x'cason the Scripture says, A child ivho is suffered to follow his own will covers his mother with scandal, Prov. xxix. The sad effects of the neglect of due correction, and of that excessive fondness which is so natural to many parents, that it causes them to connive at the faults and misdemeanours of their children, appeared visibly in Heli, an High Priest in the old law ; he had not courage enough to chastise his two wicked sons, Ophni and Phinees, and thereby he drew the vengeance of Heaven upon himself, and upon his posterity. He gave them indeed a gentle rebuke, but he did not make use of the authority which he had in qua- lity of their father, and as High Priest, to correct them and put a stop to their impiety ; wherefore the Lord sent a Prophet to him to denounce the most severe punishments against him, all which were soon literally accomplished, as we read 1 Kings, c. ii. and iii. Correction to be useful and profitable, must be seasonable, suitable, and proportioned to the fault ; it must be given with great prudence and discretion, Avith a composed and settled mind, with charity and with a paternal heart, not to gratify a vindictive spirit or the anger of a parent, but to amend and reform his child. Fathers, says St. Paul, bring iq) your children in the discipline and correction of the Lord, Ephes. c. vi. v. 4. And 42 ON THE DUTIES OF PABENTS again, Coloss. iii. 21, Fathers j)rovole not your children to indirj nation, lest they he discouraged. All extremes should be avoided ; for as too mucli indulgence and lenity are higlily pernicious, so too much asperity and harshness are often productive of fatal consequences. To keep children always in terror, to treat them with severity on all occasions, to beat them without mercy and without reason, has more the appearance of hatred than of love, and instead of being serviceable, or producing any good effect, will rather prove detrimental, as it will naturally sour the temper of children, increase their obstinacy, and lessen their esteem and aftection for their parents. Passionate correction, that is given in the midst of horrid oaths and imprecations, as often happens, may be compared to a violent storm accompanied with flashes of lightning, claps of thunder and heavy showers of rain, which only serve to annoy the fruits of the earth ; but as a seasonable and gentle shower is productive of much good, so a moderate correction cannot fail to produce the most salutary effects, when it is given in a Christian manner, with a proper intention, and upon a just and necessary occasion. Correction is never more necessary then when children approach the years of maturity ; for as their passions grow stronger and increase with their age, and as a thousand temptations and dangerous occasions of seduction present themselves on every side, they never stand more in need of being kept under regular subjection, and of being gradually inured to the practice of self-denial and mortification, both in their will and senses. A zealous parent should, therefore, endeavour to convince them, that pleasures which gi'atify the senses are to be guarded against, and to be used Avith great fear and moderation. He should be particu- lai-ly careful to support his own authority, and enforce due obedience to his orders ; he should redouble his vigilance, and observe every vicious" turn that they may take, in order to root out the growing evil in time, and cui-b their youthful passions as soon as they first begin to make their appearance. In short, he should remove from them, if possible, what- ever may contribute to feed the inclinations of corrupt nature, such as vicious companions, dangerous diversions, amorous novels, and all other bad books, which sully the imaginations and poison the idea of children, and may be justly looked upon as the bane of virtue and the pest of youth. It is to the neglect of such precautions, and to the criminal con- nivance of an indulgent and careless father, that St. Augustine attri- butes a great part of the disorders of his youthful days. The briars and thorns of sinful desires, says he, sprung out of the fertile soil of my cor- rupt nature, and grew higher than my head, and there was no hand to weed them out by due coi-rection. His pious mother, indeed, left nothing undone on her part ; but for want of the father's concurrence her endeavours proved ineffectual for a long time. His father winked at his immoralities, laughed at his loose expressions, and passed them by with impunity, as the sallies of a sprightly genius. He did not mind Avhether his son was chaste or lascivious, so that he was but witty and eloquent. Herein he resembled many unhappy parents of our days, who in open violation of their duty, and to the great prejudice and scandal of their children, overlook their impieties, and laugh at tlieir wanton words, jests and actions. Laugh not at thy son, says the Holy Ghost, Eccles. XXX. 10, lest thou have sorrow, and at the last thy teeth be set on edge. There is still another duty that must crown a parent's care, and bring to perfection the good fruits of a Christian education j that is, to give TO THEIR CHILDHF.N. 43 good example to tlieir children, and to offer up tlieir fervent prayers daily to God, that he may vouchsafe to presei've them by his divine grace from all sin and danger, and give them his blessing. Without the blessing of God all other means will prove ineffectual and unsuccessful. Unless the Lord huild the house, they labour in vain that build it, says the Royal Prophet, Ps. cxxvi. Let a gai'dener be ever so assiduous in cul- tivating and weeding his garden, and in sowing good seed in it, all he does will avail nothing unless it be watered with the dew of Heaven ; Paul may plant, and Apollo may water, but it is God that gives the in- crease, as the Apostle speaks, 1 Coi-. iii. Parents, therefore, instead of cursing and damning their children, as several frequently do upon the least provocation, and even without any real offence, ought both in their morning and evening prayers to beseech the Giver of all good gifts to bless and preserve them, in imitation of holy Job, who, as the Scripture relates, rising up early, offered sacrifices and holocausts to God for every one of his children, lest they should have offended God by sin. Job. c. i. v. 5. To give good example to children, by leading virtuous and edify- ing lives, is the lesson of lessons. This was the important advice that St. Jerome wrote to a Roman lady, who had consulted him upon the education of her daughter : — Be careful, said he, to give her no other example but what she may safely follow without offending the Lord her God ; let her be witness to nothing but what may contribute to inspire her with an aversion to sin and a love of virtue ; for to advise a child to one thing, and practise the conti-ary, is to destroy with one hand what the other hand has taken pains to erect. Hence St. Chrysostom says, in his exposition of the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, Pious parents, who shew their children good example at home, are of more service to them and to their other domestics, than I by all my preaching in the church, because my sermons are either seldom heard or easily forgotten by them ; but the good example of a parent is always before the children's eyes, and cannot but have the greatest influence imaginable upon them. This should make all parents cautious, even to a nicety, what they either say or do in the presence of their children, since it carries so much weight with it. Thrice happy are the parents who edify and educate their children after this manner ; they shall receive a triple crown for their reward : First, a crown of honour in this life, for a virtuous child is the consola- tion, joy, satisfaction, and crown of his father, as the Scripture says, Prov. xvii. 6. Secondly, they shall receive a crown of grace, for a virtuous education of children is the cause of their parents' salvation, as St. Paul teaches, 1 Tim. ii. Thirdly, they shall receive a crown of glory in Heaven, for as the Prophet Daniel assures us, c. xii. v. 3. Those who instil virtue in many, and instruct them in the science of salvation, shall shine like stars before the throne of God for perpetual eternities. Which is the happiness I wish you all, in the name of the Father, &c. Amen. 44 ON THE TRANSCENDENT SANCTITY NEW YEAR'S DAY. ON THE TEANSCENDENT SANCTITY OF THE NAME OF JESUS, AND THE HIGH KESPECT THAT IS DUE TO IT. Postquam consummati suut dies octo, ut circumcideretur Puer, vocatum est Nomen ejus Jesus Luc. c. ii. v. 21. When eight days were accomplished, that the Child should be circumcised, his Name was called Jesus — St. Li:ke, c. ii. v. 21. In the mystery of this clay we behold the Son of God, with the most amazing condescension and profound humility, submitting himself to the rigorous ceremony of circumcision, and purchasing a right to the vener- able name of Jesus, by the effusion of his sacred blood. Circumcision was a seal or sign of the covenant made between God and Abraham in the old law. It was first observed by Abraham, and as St. Augustine says, was regarded as an outward profession of faith, and a remedy for cancelling original sin in the male descendants of Abraham and his poste- rity, who were thereby distinguished from all other nations, as in the new law Christians are distinguished from all other people by the sacra- ment of baptism. Christ our Lord, as the Apostle speaks, being separ- ated from sinners by his innate sanctity and spotless innocence, stood in no need of receiving this mark and character, or of submitting to the severity of a law that was made for sinners ; however, as he came not to violate but to fulfil the law, and as Heaven and earth were to be recour ciled by his suflerings, and the pride and disobedience of our first parents to be expiated by his humiliations and obedience, he vouchsafed to undergo the humiliating and painful operation of the knife of circum- cision on the eight day after he Avas born. The same boundless and inestimable charity which had induced him to clothe himself with the nature of man, and to appear on the day of his nativity in the stable of Bethlehem, under the figure of a poor, forlorn infant, induced him like- wise to put on the livery and appearance of a sinner, and to charge him- self with our guilt, as soon as he came into the world. He would not wait until the time of his passion and death on Mount Calvary, where he was to shed his sacred blood moi'e copiously for our sake, even to the very last drop, but he was willing to commence the great work of our redemjDtion at the very beginning of his mortal life, almost as soon as he came into the world, to shew that he was the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world, and to satisfy the justice of the ofl^ended Deity, by substituting himself a victim of infinite value and dignity in the place of fallen man. No less a price Avas required for man's redemp- tion, and for cancelling the sins of the world, than his precious blood, and this price he designed to pay in full on the altar of the cross ; but he was pleased to advance an earnest on part of this great ransom at an earlier period, by presenting the first fruits and drojDS of his blood to his eternal Father in the mystery of this day. Thus he sanctified the first day of the new year, giving us at the same time a pledge of his love, and pub- licly professing himself to be the Saviour of mankind ; for it was upon tliis occasion that he took the august name of Jesus, which signifies a Saviour, as is evident from the orders which the Angel of the Lord, sent Of THE NAME OF -JESUS. 45 down from Heaven, communicated to St. Joseph : Joseph, Son of David, said he, fear not to take Mai-t/ thj spouse, for thai ivhich is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. She shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Such an overflowing and wonderful excess of his infinite mercy, calls upon us this day for the most grateful acknowledgment, and should engage us to engrave on our hearts the sweet name of Jesus in the deepest characters of love ; it should animate us at the beginning of this new year to imitate his corporal circumcision, by a spiritual circumcision of our hearts, whereof the legal circumcision was but a type and figure, according to the Apostle, Rom. ii. 28. In short, whenever we hear the sacred name of Jesus pronounced, the very sound of it should inspire us with respect, love and gratitude, as it calls to our remembrance all the benefits he has conferred upon us, and expresses the wliole work of our redemption in two syllables. To excite you, therefore, to the like tender feelings and pious sentiments, and to impress your minds with a salutary abhorrence and aversion to the impious practice of profaning and abus- ing this blessed name by the most dreadful oaths, imprecations and blasphemies, is the design of the following discourse. The transcendent sanctity, virtue and excellence of the name of Jesus, shall be the subject of the first point ; the high respect and veneration that is due to the name of Jesus, shall be the subject of the second point. Let us, as usual invoke the intercession of the blessed mother of Jesus, greeting her with the Angel, Ave Maria. The holy Scripture relating to the noble exploits of the valiant Eleazer, in the sixth chapter of the first book of Machabees, says, that he deli- vered himself up as a victim, in order to raise his people, and acquire an immortal name. These words are ascribed to our Saviour by the Church in her Divine Ofiice, and justly, for, as St. Paul speaks in his epistle to the Philippians, c. ii. He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death ; for ichich cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name 'li'hich is above all names, that in the name of Jesus everij Icnee should low, of those that are in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth. It was in recompence of his profound humiliations that the eternal Father, Avho alone knew what title was the most suitable to the sacred character and dignity of his beloved Son, gave him the excellent name of Jesus, a name of majesty, triumph and glory; a name of sanctity and salvation; a name of mercy and love ; a name of sweetness and heavenly comfort ; a name of power and strength ; a name that the Angels in Heaven inces- santly praise and glorify ; a name that the . Church here on earth holds in the highest esteem and veneration ; a name that strikes fear and terror into the infernal spirits, who i*eside in the very lowest regions of hell. It is no wonder, then, that the spouse in the Canticles compares the name of her beloved to oil, because, as oil swims above all other liquids, so the name of Jesiis, the beloved bridegroom of our souls, is above all other names. It is also the property of oil to heal, to nourish, and to give light. It serves for a medicine, for food, and for light, says 3t. Bernard. In like manner, the name of Jesus is a medicine that heals the wound of the soul. It is a food that nourishes pious and chaste affections in the heart. It is a light that illumines the understanding, and inflames the win. At the light of this name, all clouds are scattered, gloomy thoughts vanish away, peace and joy appear, and serenity is restored to the mind. By this food our weakness is strengthened, and our wearied spirits are 46 ON THE TRANSCENDENT SANCTITY recruited. All food of the soul seems insipid, unless it be seasoned with this salt. It is dry, says St. Bernard, unless this oil be poured on it. The holy martyrs and champions of religion were anointed with this oil, says St. Ambrose, and were thereby rendered invincible and victorious in spite of all the attempts of cruelty and malice. It was by the virtue of the holy name of Jesus that the Apostles over- threw the Empire of Satan, destroyed paganism, abolished superstition, converted nations, and established Christianity upon the ruins of the Jewish synagogue. ]t was in this name that they defeated the princes of darkness, cast out devils, and wrought numberless prodigies. It was in this name, as Christ foretold them, that they healed the sick, cured the dumb, the deaf and the blind, and raised the dead to life. Not to produce a great variety of instances of this truth recorded in holy writ, the third chapter of the Acts of the Apostles furnish us with a very illustrious example, for we read there that as St. Peter and St. John were going upon a certain day to the temple of Jerusalem to prayers, a poor cripple, who had been lame from his mother's womb, being carried to the gate of the temple, according to his usual custom, in order to beg the charitable assistance of those who came to offer up their prayers and sacrifices there to the Lord, and seeing the two Apostles passing by, he humbly craved an alms from them : whereupon St. Peter, fixing his eyes on him, immediately replied, Silver and gold I have none, but what I have this I give thee : In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And accordingly St. Peter had no sooner expressed these words, but the poor cripple stood up in an instant, and followed him into the temple, leaping with joy, and praising God in the presence of a mul- titude of people, Avho were amazed to see so conspicuous a miracle; wrought before their eyes, by virtue of the name of Jesus. The stiff- necked Jews indeed were confounded hei*eat, and threatened the Apostles severely, charging them most sti'ictly not to preach or teach any more in that name. But this only served to fire their zeal, and animate them to preach with greater confidence. Nay, the very name of Jesus inspired them with such courage and intrepidity, that, as the Scripture informs us, after they had been publicly scourged, by order of the Jewish Council, they departed rejoicing to find that they were thought worthy to suffer contumely for the name of Jesus. This is the name that prostrated Saul on the road to Damascus, and changed him from a Jew into a Christian, from a persecutor into a preacher, from a sinner into a saint, from an enemy of the ci'oss into a zealous dis- ciple, and an indefatigable apostle. This is the name that he was ordered to carry before the Gentiles, the kings of the earth, and the children of Isi'ael. This is the name wherein he gloried so much, and which he seems to have taken a particular pleasure and delight in repeating fre- quently in his Epistles, even where it might appear to be superfluous. It was the wonderful virtue of this name that sweetened all his sufferings and apostolic labours, and inspired him with undaunted courage, when lie appeared before the tribunals of the most barbarous tyi-ants. It was it also that rendered the stones so welcome to St. Stephen, the cross so precious to St. Andrew, the gridiron so pleasant to St. Laurence, and the wheel so acceptable to St. Catherine. It is related in the lives of several other saints, that the very sound of the holy name of Jesiis replenished their hearts with divine love, spiritual joy and consolation ; which made St. Bernard say, that Jesus is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, and OF THE NAME OF JESU?. 47 jubilation in tlie licart of a pious Christian. We read of St. Francis of Assisiiim, tliat his heart was filled with an inexpressible sweetness when- ever he invoked it, or heard it pronounced Avith due respect ; and St. Augustine tells us in his confessions, that the florid eloquence of Tully, with which he had been much delighted before his conversion, began immediately after to appear dry and insipid to him, because he did not meet with the sweet name of Jesiis in his writings. St. Francis of Sales says, in a letter which he wrote to a devout person, " I have not time to " write any thing but the great name of salvation, Jesus. O Avhat sweet- " ness Avould this name diffuse in our souls, did we but pronounce it " devoutly from our hearts. But I cannot express what I mean by " pronouncing this holy name. To speak of it, or to express it Avorthily, " a person should have a tongue of fire." Another great servant of God cries out with exstacy, " O Divine Jesus, on thee depends my happiness, " my life and my death. Whatever I do shall be done in thy name. If " I watch, Jesus shall be before my eyes. If I sleep, I will close my eyes, " breathing the pure love of Jesus. If I walk, it shall be in the sweet " company of Jesus. If I pray, Jesu.s shall animate my prayers. If I " am sick, Jesus shall be my physician, and my comforter. If I die, it is " in the bosom of Jesus, who is my life, that I hope to die. Jesus shall " be my tomb, and his name and cross shall be my epitaph." As for the devout St. Bernard, he seems to be ahvays in raptures, when he speaks of the sacred name of Jesus. If any one be overwhelmed with sadness, says this holy Doctoi', if he be oppressed with the heavy load of sin, or finds himself on the brink of perdition, and in danger of being dashed against the rock of despair, let him call Jesus to his mind, and he shall be relieved and fortified. Let Jesus not depart from his mouth ; let Jesus not depart from his heart ; let him raise up his eyes to Heaven with confidence, and devoutly cry out to Jesus to save him, as Peter did when he Avas sinking under the waves of the sea, and he shall be saved, accord- ing to these Avords of the Scripture, Whosoeve}- shall call upon the name of the Lord shall he saved, llom. x, 13. St. Peter assures us, in c. iv. of the Acts of the Apostles, v. 12, that there is no other name under Heaven given to men, tvherehy ive must be saved, but the name of Jesus. It is for this reason that it is so frequently invoked in the administration of the holy sacraments, and in the exorcisms and divine office of the Church. Our prayers and supplications to Heaven, are also generally concluded Avith this sacred name, in hopes that they Avill become the more acceptable, and the more efficacious, according to the promise of Christ himself, in c. xiv. V. 13, of St. John, Avhere he says, Whatsoever you shall xislc the Father in my name, he will grant it to you. His blessed name is the weapon with Avhich the Church arms her children in the article of death, that they may come off victorious in the day of battle, and be able to bid defiance to Satan, as David formerly did to Goliah, saying. You come armed with a SAVord, a speai', and a shield, to encounter me, but I come to you in the name of the Lord. The name of Jesus is frequently sounded in their enrs on their death bed, and their departing souls are sent forth out of this Avorld in his name, in order to strengthen their faith, animate their hope, and inflame their charity, at that aAvful moment Avhen they are to be presented before the divine tribunal. Must Ave not then, my brethren, be void of all piety and religion, if we do not pay due respect to this most holy name, which Ave can never sufficiently honour ? With Avhat confidence shall those sinners invoke it 48 ON THE TRANSCENDENT SANCTITY at tlieir dying hour, Vflio during the course of their life make it their daily pi-actice to dishonour and abuse it by the most scandalous oaths and blasphemies ? Have they not reason to apprehend that, instead of feeling any comfort, or reaping any benefit in this last agony by crying out, Lord, Lord ! and invoking that blessed name, which they now most im- piously profane, tliey Avill perhaps be suffered to expire with some cus- tomary oath or blasphemy in their mouths, like unto the blaspheming thief on Mount Calvary, who, by a just judgment of God, was permitted to die in his sins, and descencl from the temporal punishment of the cross into the eternal flames of hell ? For can any thing be more inso- lent, more audacious, or more provoking to the supreme Majesty of God, than to be thus insulted and abused by the sacrilegious tongues of his own creatures, for whom he has nothing but sentiments of love and ten- derness ? Can any thing be more ungrateful than to fly thus in the face of their most bountiful benefactor at the very time that he is showering doAvn his favours and blessings on them ? Do they not justly deserve to be abandoned by him at the hour of death, who abandon him in their lifetime, and to be then refused that mercy which they now abuse as an encouragement to sin ? Though our hearts were supposed to be constantly employed in loving our Lord Jesus Christ, and our tongues incessantly occupied in praising and glorifying his name, yet we would still fall infi- nitely short of the love, respect, and veneration we owe him. The Scrip- ture teaches us, that in his name every knee should bend, and every tongue should proclaim his glory. At the sound of it the Angels adore, and the very devils themselves tremble ; and shall the most noble part of the creation on earth be so perverse as to treat it with irreverence and con- tempt ? Alas ! this is so often the case, that the Lord himself complains hereof, through the mouth of the Prophet Isaias, c. lii. v. 5, where he says. My name is continually blasphemed from morning till night, from the rising to the setting of the sun. The contagion has at length become so general, that the very public streets fi'equently resound with the lovid thunder of the most tremendous oaths and blasphemies, proceeding from the mouths not only of professed libertines, but also of the people of fashion, of the heads of families, and even the very sex which modesty should characterize. They are neither afraid nor ashamed to bring down the sacred name of Jesus upon every frivolous occasion, and to make it the subject of every senseless exclamation, so that it he was formerly scourged with the rods of the Jews, he is now-a-days, according to the remark of St. Augustine, daily and hourly scourged with the blaspheming tongues of many, who undeservedly bear the name and character of Christians. But unless they avert the wrath of Heaven by a timely and sincere conversion, the day will come when they shall wish they had been born dumb, and that their lips had been closed for ever, rather than to have opened them to their eternal perdition, like unto the beast men- tioned in c. xiii. of the Apocalypse, which was cast into a pool of fire and sulphur, because it had opened its mouth in blasphemies against God and his saints. It is the duty of every Christian, who has any regard for the honour and glory of God, to discountenance this odious vice, as far as lies in his power, and to pay a religious respect and veneration to the holy name of Jesus, as often as he hears it profaned. It is to inculcate this duty, to kindle the devotion of the faithful to his name, to banish the wicked practice of swearing and blaspheming from all Christian families, that the OP THE NAME OF JESUS. 49 church celebrates a particvilar festival and office every year in honour of the venerable name of Jesus, and grants so many indulgences to those who bow their head respectfully on hearing it pronounced, or who recite with devotion the Litany of that sacred name, or who repeat the words. Praised he Jesus Christ for evermore. Amen. The Church, in tine, zealously exhorts all her children, at this time, in the words of St Paul, saying, Coloss. c. iii. v. 17. Whatsoever you do in irord and in loorh, all things do ye in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. In displaying the mystery of this day, she calls upon them to renounce all impiety and worldly desires ; to cast off the works of darkness, and to live soberly, justly, and piously ; to mortify their unruly passions, and to circumcise the inordinate desires and affections of their hearts. Without this inward circumcision, and spiritual mor- tification of the heart and the passions, the external circumcision, or mortification of the body, will avail but little. Before all things God is to be adored in spirit and truth. Our interior must be reformed, and our inordinate affections must be retrenched and cut off by self-denial. This is the distinguishing character of the disciples of Christ in the new law, as the legal circumcision was a distinctive mark in the old law of the true Israelites and children of Abraham, which made St. Paul say, Galat. V. 24. that they that are Christ's have crucified their flesh ivith the vices and concupiscences. We cannot, therefore, my brethren, begin the new year better than by joining the internal Avorship and homage of our hearts Avith the external worship, and divesting ourselves of the old man, with all his deeds, in order to put on Jesus Christ, and begin the year in his name, referring all that we do in the course of it to God's honour and glory. The old year is nov/ expired, and we are entering into a new one. Thus it is that our years pass over without interruption, and the fleeting moments continually fly from us never more to return. Each instant we approach our last end. Every step we take brings us nearer to the grave, and we are hastening as fast as the wings of time can carry us towards the immense gulph of eternity. This present year will be per- haps the last year of our life, and I sincerely wish it may prove a happy year to you all, in the most christian sense of tlie word ; but to render it such as I wish it, depends on yourselves, and on the measures which you now take to redeem the past time that you have mispent, and to ex- piate the sins that you have heretofore committed. The foregoing year has put a period to the lives of thousands, who are now lying in their graves, though at the commencement of it they Avere as likely to live as those they have left behind them, and as the very youngest and most healthfid person in this congregation. What has haj)pened them may happen us, since their is no fence or security against death. Many of them might be now happy souls in Heaven had they but reformed their lives, and began to pursue a Christian line of conduct a year ago. They were exhorted to it, as I noAv exhort you. They Avere forewarned of the danger of putting off their conversion, as I uoav forcAvarn you ; but pre- suming that they had the prospect of many happy years before them, they neglected the means of salvation, and continued in their sinful dis- orders until they were suddenly cut off the face of the earth, and hur- ried in a state of impenitence to the aAvful tribunal of Divine Justice. Their misfortune should be a warning to us all to begin this year well, and to make good use of our time, before the night of death over- takes us — In imitation of the Royal Prophet, Ps. Ixxvi. v. 6. we 50 ON THE EPIPHANY should never lose sight of the years of eternitij, but begin in time to store up a provision of good works against tlie last and tremendous hour, which is to decide whether ayc are to be happy or unhappy for ever and ever. O Father of mercies, and God of all consolation, we return thee thanks for all thy favours and blessings which thou hast conferred on us, and particularly for having hitherto spared us, and brought us safe to the beginning of this new year. May thy holy name be blessed and praised for ever. We resolve, with thy assistance, to begin from this hour to love and serve thee Avith new fervour and zeal, and to endeavour to sa- tisfy thee for the long arrears of love and service which we owe thy in- finite goodness. Hear not, we beseech thee, the voice of our past ini- quities, which cry aloud to Heaven for vengeance ; but hear the voice of thy beloved Son's blood, which cries still louder to Heaven for mercy, and demands forgiveness for all repenting sinners. O may the tears which trickle down from his sacred eyes plead our pardon and efface our sins. May his infinite merits sanctify all our undertakings the ensuing yeai", and render them acceptable in thy sight. And thou, O Divine Je^us, be unto us a Jesus. Put thy name as a signet upon our hearts, and fill us with that revei'ential awe, respect, and love, which are due to thy Sovereign Majesty, that after honouring and serving thee faithfully here on earth, and following thee as our model and our guide, we may enjoy thee hereafter, as the author, the source, and the object of our everlast- ing happiness. Amen. ON THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. Vidimus Stellara ejus iu Oriente, et venimus adorare cum St. Matt. c. ii. v. 2. We have seen his Star in the East, and are come to adore him St. Matt. c. ii. v. 2. In the mystery of this day, Avhicli is called the Epiphany, or Manifesta- tion of our Lord Jesus Christ, we behold two of the principal attributes of God clearly displayed ; I mean his boundless mercy and his strict justice ; his mercy in regard of the Gentiles, whom he was graciously pleased to call to the light of faith, in the person of the three Magi, or wise men of the East; and his justice Avith regard to the Jews, whom he rejected in the person of Herod, and the rulers of that incredulous nation. The Messiah, the hope and expectation of Israel, came at length at the time, and in the place foretold by the Prophets, and behold three sages or wise men, commonly stiled kings, conducted by a new and mira- culous star, seek him, find him, recognize him, prostrate themselves before him, adore him, and having opened their treasures, offered him presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, whilst the king and people of the holy city of Jerusalem were disturbed at the news of his birth, and stood astonished and confounded. Such is the grand and profound secret of divine mercy and justice, hidden from all eternity in the bosom of God, and manifested on this occasion in the vocation of the Gentiles, and in the reprobation of the Jews. But what instruction shall Ave draAV fi'om a truth so consoling on the one hand, and terrifying on the other ? The same that St. Paul does, when, after treating divinely of this im- portant subject in his Epistle to the Eomans, he concludes Avith these OF OUR LORD JESUS OURIST. 5l memorable words, See, therefore, the goodness and severitfj of God ; liis goodness towards the Gentiles, which he has extended to us, Avho are their descendants, and successors, and his severity towards the Jews, which he will extend also to us if we imitate them ; we should, therefore, gratefully acknowledge the goodness of God, and awfully dread his se- verity. His mercy which shines so bright in the mystery of this day in favour of the Gentiles, who were graciously called after having been abandoned so long, should penetrate us with the deepest sense of gratitude; and his justice, which exerts itself with such rigour against the Jews, who were abandoned, after having been sought and cherished so long, should inspire us with a salutary fear. Behold, my dear brethren, two reflections, that form the division of the following discourse, and appear most suitable to the great mystery that the Gospel of this day relates. Let us, before we proceed to develope it, prostrate oiu-selves, like the wise men of the East, before our new-born Redeemer, and devoutly implore the divine aid, through the intercession of the ever blessed Virgin, greeting her with the words of the Angel, Ave Ilaria. The Gospel informs us, that Jesus being born in Bethlehem in Judea in the days of King Herod, certain sages or wise men came from the East of Jerusalem, inquiring where the King of the Jews was born. They are generally understood to have been men in high dignity, nurtured in idolatry, and confirmed in superstition, by instruction, by example, and by habit. The first effect of God's mercy to them was, the apparition of an extraordinary constellation, which illuminated their hemisphere, and served them for a guide, as the luminous cloud had served the children of Israel for a guide in the desert. The second favour conferred on them was at Jerusalem, where they leai-ned the sense of the sacred Scripture, by the ministry of the lawful doctors of the Jewish synagogue, and were informed by them of the particular place where the promised Messiah was to be born ; and the third grace they were favoui*ed with was at Bethlehem, where the Saviour of the World, whom they came to adore in his infancy, revealed himself to them as a light destined to enlighten the Gentiles, of whom they were the first fruits, and as I may say, the pro- genitors of Christianity, since it was by them, and in them, that our voca- tion and salvation began, as we were called, through them, to the light of the Gospel and of the true saving faith. The star of Jacob, the sign of the promised Messiah, appeared to them, and they obeyed its dictates without demur, and set out in search of him, though separated by an immense tract of country. We have seen his star in the East, said they, and we are come to adore him. Persuaded by the inward light of faith, which began then by its rays to illumine the eyes of their souls, and to disperse the dark ness of infidelity, wherein they had been immersed, that the star which appeared over their heads, and directed its course towards Judea, was something supernatural and divine, sent from above to instruct them where they should seek the King of the Jews, who was already the ob- ject of their most ardent desires, and who was shortly to become the object of their most pi'ofound adorations, they bid defiance to every obstacle, and answered the call of Heaven in spite of every opposition. Their faith was so hei'oic, so prompt, so sincere, and so persevering, that it deter- mined them to quit their native country, to renounce the superstitious errors in which they had been brought up, and to pay their homage to a God made man, and promised for so many elapsed ages by the oracles of Heaven. Far from being swayed by motives of worldly prudence, 52 ON THE EMPHANY or deterred by the apparent difficiilties and dangers of a long and tedious journey, through deserts and mountains almost impassible, they set out in the midst of a rigorous season, in the very depth of winter, from their brilliant courts, and magnificent palaces, attracted by the inward grace that spoke to their hearts, and folloAving the blazing meteor that spoke to their eyes, and guided them, until they at length ari-ived in Jerusalem, the capital of Judea. On arriving there they might have reasonably supposed tliat they were come to their journey's end, but they found themselves disappointed, and seemingly forsaken by Heaven, the star which had served them as a gviide to that royal city having suddenly dis- appeared from their eyes ; however, this trial was not sufficient to induce them to abandon their design, or to lay aside their determined resolution to seek the Redeemer of their souls until they had the happiness to find him ; cost what it would, they were resolved to spare no pains, and to leave nothing untried, until they Avere blessed with the sight of Jesus Christ, and paid him a tribute of their homage ; and since the Lord Avas pleased to try their perseverance, by depriving them of the sight of the heavenly messenger, and of the extraordinary means of information, they thought it incumbent on them to have recourse to the common and or- dinary means, that is to say, to the advice and direction of the Jewish Priests, who Avere appointed by God to be the spiritual guides of his people, and avIio, though unAvorthy of their ministry, did not cease to sit in the chair of Moses, and to be the time depositories of religion and the laAvful interpreters of the holy Scriptures. The great Council of the JeAA'ish nation, and the Priests and Doctors of the LaAv, being therefore convened and consulted on this occasion, they replied that Bethlehem was the place which, according to the Prophets, Avas to be honoured Avitli the birth of the Messiah. The three wise men acquiesce and submit to their doctrine Avith the same docility as if God himself had spoken to them. The bad example of the JcAvish Priests did not hinder them from believing the great truths which they announced to the people from the chair of truth, because the truths and maxims of i-eligion do not depend on the morals of those Avho teach and preach them, but spring from an higher source, that is, from the Avisdom and veracity of God himself, Avho knoAvs how to teach and instruct his people, even by the mouth of im- pious Ministers and unworthy Ecclesiastics. Jerusalem Avas throAvn into confusion by the neAvs of the arrival of the wise men, yet Jerusalem Avas not inclined to follow their example : it saAV stranp-ers come from the confines of the East to make a tender of their allegiance to the King of the Jews, yet it did not think of paying homage to its OAvn Sovereign, although so near its gates. These foreigners made all Jerusalem resound Avith this important question. Where is the King of the Jeii's ? They even entered the very court of Herod himself with imdaunted courage and intrepidity ; fearless of all danger, and disregard- ing the indignation of a jealous tyrant, and the censures, contempt and derisions of his subjects, they zealously cried out and said. We have seen his star in the East, and are come to adore him. This made one of the holy Fathers address them by the folloAving apostrophe : O wise Pliilosophers ! O skilful Astronomers ! Avho, laying aside all human respect in the pre- sence of a most cruel King, already infamous for bloodshed, have gener- ously exposed yourselves, and publicly confessed and given glory to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, Avithout the least disguise or dissimu- lation ! Having departed from Jerusalem on their way to Bethlehem, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRISl?. 53 the Lord, to encourage their faith and zeal, and to direct their travels, was pleased to shew them again the very star which they had seen in the East, and made it march before them till it conducted them to the place where Jesus was, and then it ceased to advance, giving them thereby to understand, that this was the happy term of their voyage, and that they had only to enter in order to find the precious treasure, which they thirsted after with so much ardour, and had sought with so much care and diligence. The holy men, therefore, entered the poor cottage in transports of spiritual joy, and having found the Divine Babe, with his mother, they cast their royal crowns and sceptres at his feet ; they fell on their knees and prostrated themselves in his presence ; they adored him as their Lord, their God, and their King, and in acknow- ledgment of his divinity, humanity and royalty, they offered him their mystical presents of incense, myrrh and gold. We read in the third book of Kings, c. x. that when the Queen of Saba, on hearing the fame of Solomon's great wisdom, came from the East to Jerusalem in order to see him, she admired the royal magnifi- cence of his palace, and was astonished at the pomp and grandeur that surrounded his majesty on every side ; but the three sages, or Kings of the East, found the King of Kings in a situation very diflerent from that of Solomon ; his palace was a low despicable stable ; his throne was a manger ; his bed was a little hay or sti*aw ; his whole retinue consisted of Mary and Joseph ; his guards were an ox and an ass. In this hum- ble condition they beheld him, divested of every visible mai'k of grandeur, ensign of royalty, and appearance of divinity. Far, however, from being shocked or scandalized hereat ; far from staggering in their faith, or judging by such outward appearances, they believed and confessed him under this humble disguise to be the God of all glory. For this reason, besides the outward presents they made him, they poured forth tlieir souls in his presence in the deepest sense of praise, thanksgiving, charity, devotion, and a total sacrifice of themselves, which he undoubtedly repaid by favours of a much greater excellency, as he presented them with the special gifts of grace. How many instructive lessons does the conduct of these three eastern wise men afford us, my brethren ? Should we not, like them, draw near in spirit to the infant Jesus, and make him a tender of our hearts, particularly on this great solemnity? Should we not, like them, offer him the acceptable presents, first of charitj^, which is the most excellent of all virtues, as gold is the most precious of all metals ; secondly, of devotion, which like a sweet incense rises and ascends to his throne : and thirdly, of mortification, which preserves the soul from the corruption of sin, as myrrh preserves the bodies of the dead which are embalmed with it ? Not content with an exterior and superficial ador- ation, we ought to adore Jesus Christ in spirit and truth, and return thanks to his infinite mercy, for having graciously called us in the pei'sons of the three wise men, to the light of faith, and the worship of the true God. Our ancestors, like unto their ancestors, were heretofore immersed in ignorance, and involved in the darkness of infidelity. Our country, like unto the East, Avhere they lived, was once overspread with Paganism, and inhabited by a people, bewildered and blinded with the gross errors of idolatry, until God in his great mercy vouchsafed to look down upon them, and upon us with compassion, and to bring us over to the wonder- ful light of divine faith, by the splendour of his bright luminary and glorious apostle, St. Patrick. If, therefore, Ave are not Turks, Maho- 54 ON THE EPIPHANy metans, Pagans, or Jews ; if we are Christians and Catholics, it is because the Lord has been graciously pleased to manifest and reveal himself to us, and to invite us to the inheritance of his heavenly kingdom ; it is because Jesus Christ made his star shine over us, and conferred on us graces similar to those which he conferred on the wise men of the East. To his pure mercy we ai'e indebted for the signal blessing and inestimable benefit of our vocation. He has vouchsafed to incorporate us in the communion of saints, and to raise us to the dignity of his adoptive chil- dren at our spiritual birth by baptism, even before we opened the eyes of our souls to the first dawn of reason. He has jDlaced us within the pale, and in the bosom of his holy Catholic Church, in preference to thousands of others, who perhaps woidd serve him with more fidelity. In this Church there is a pei-petual and uninterrupted succession of lawful Pastors, whose duty it is to guide the Israel of God, or to govern and instruct his people, as it is our duty to hear and obey them in all matters concerning faith and morals. When any difiiculties arise about the sense and meaning of the sacred Scriptures, we are to observe what was practised by the wise men in Jerusalem, and to submit without opposition to the authority and decisions of the Pastors and Bishops of the Church. This is an invariable rule that preserves unity in faith, and prevents us, as the Apostle speaks, from being tossed to and fro like children, by every blast of human opinions and new-fangled religions. In this Church also, Jesus Christ imparts his graces through the channel of the holy sacraments, which he instituted for the sanctification of our souls. Here, as in a mystical Bethlehem, he is spiritually born, found and adored. Here he forms himself in our hearts, according to the expression of the Apostle, and he is adored on our altars. Here he absolves the repenting sinners, who are conducted by the star of his grace to the sacred tribunal of penance. Here he nourishes the souls of the faithful in the holy communion with the bread of Angels, and the heavenly manna of his own precious body and blood, not in a type or figure, but in substance and reality, veiled under the sacramental forms in the venerable Eucharist : so that by receiving it with the proper dis- positions, our souls become a kind of happy Bethlehem here on eai'th, wherein Jesus Christ himself, the source and author of all grace, is as it were newly born, and communicates his heavenly favours and blessings in abundance. Such an etfusion of divine mercy, such an excess of cha- rity, calls loudly upon us for the most grateful acknowledgment, and for the most faithful correspondence with the graces bestowed on us by the Lord our God. If in imitation of the three wise men, or Kin^s of the East, we follow the guidance of the star of grace, and continue to march forward in the straight paths of virtue to the end of our mortal pilgrim- age, we may confidently hope to be at length conducted with safety into the charming mansions of eternal bliss, where the Son of God is seated on a throne of glory, in all the splendour of majesty, encompassed with millions of Angels, and adored by all the Saints of the Church trium- phant. Bvit if, instead of copying after the noble example that the wise men of the East have set us, we unfortunately resemble Herod and the stiff-necked Jews, Ave may expect to share in their misfortunes, and to be convinced by Avoeful experience of the dire effects of God's severe justice. This reflection leads me to the second point of this discourse, and the remaining part of the mystery of this day. As a star was the divine messenger that announced the Nativity of or OUR LORD JKSUS CIIRTST. 55 Jesus Christ to the Gentiles of the East, so an Angel with a choir of heavenly spirits, was the ambassador that announced it first to the shep- herds and people of Judea. Herod, and all Jerusalem with him, Avas alai'med and disturbed at his birth, instead of rejoicing at the happy- tidings, and singing canticles of praise to the Lord, for causing the Hea- vens to rain down the just man, as the Scripture expresses it, and the earth to produce the Saviour of mankind ; the ambitious King erroneously imagining that the Messiah, who was then expected by the generality of that carnal people, under the notion of a temporal Prince, was come to deprive him of his earthly kingdom, considered him as a rival, who was to dispute with him the throne he had usurped. Being, therefore, much agitated and perplexed in his mind, he had recourse to his usual arts of craft and dissimulation, and formed the cruel design of taking away the life of the Divine Infant, and sacrificing him to his restless ambition. This made St. Augustine cry out and say, What will the tribunal of Jesus Christ not do when he shall come with great power and majesty to judge both the living and the dead, if his very crib in the stable of Bethlehem, when he came to be judged, struck such a terror into the proud and haughty King Herod ? The tyrant concealed his malicious design under the specious pretext of going himself in person to pay homage to the new born King of the Jews ; for this reason, when he dismissed the wise men from Jerusalem, he gave them a strict charge to return to him after they had found out the child Jesus, and inform him where he was, that he might also go and adore him ; but God, who saw his hypocrisy, baffled his wicked projects, by admonishing the wise men not to return any more to him, but to take another road into their own country. It is true, in- deed, what Herod projected then the Jews executed afterwards, and thereby sealed their own reprobation. They despised the oracles of Hea- ven, and rejected the Messiah who had been especially promised to their forefathers ; they were unwilling he should reign over them, and blindly preferred the tyrannical dominion of Herod to the sweet yoke of his Gospel. It is no wonder, then, that they ceased to be the chosen people of God ; no wonder that, after thus frustrating the designs of his mercy, they felt the severe effects of his justice, and in their turn w^ere rejected and cast olF like abortives, in punishment of their obstinacy and per- verseness, and on account of their infidelity in not corresponding with the graces which were offered to them. The very priests and doctors in their synagogue, who had instructed the three wise men of the East, and dii'ected them to Jesus Christ, did not profit by their own instructions, nor avail themselves of that favourable opportunity to seek him in-person, and march at the head of the citizens of Jerusalem, as they should have done, to the place of his birth, which they had pointed out to strangers and foreigners. They shut their eyes against the light which they held out to others, and were such slaves to their passions, and so devoted to the woidd, and its corrupt maxims, and sinful pleasures, that they would give no admittance in their hearts to the humility of the Messiah, who came not to bestow worldly honours, riches or pleasures on his followers, but to subdue their pride, and enrich their souls with heavenly gifts and graces. The synagogue was therefore repudiated ; the kingdom of God was taken from the Jews, and given to another nation inhabited by Gen- tiles, according to these words of Scripture, Matt. c. viii. v. 11. Miunj shall comefroui the East and the West, and shall sit down loitli Abraham, and 56 ON THE EPIPHANY Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of Heaven, hut the children of the kingdom shall be cast otit into the exterior darkness. It was in the mystery of this great festival this prediction first began to be verified, to the eternal confusion of Herod and the Jewish nation, whose misfortune should serve as a warning to all sinners not to imitate their example, by rejecting the calls of Heaven, and slighting the I'avour- able opportunities that the Father of Mercies offers them to work their salvation. Yet, alas ! how many followers have they now-a-days, in the very midst of Christianity, who choose rather to remain in the darkness of infidelity, error and vice, than yield to the impressions of grace, and follow the guidance of the star that would bring them to the true light ? In their hearts they are enemies to the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ, blush at the humility of his cross, and by their actions, if not their words, cry out like the people mentioned in ch. xixth of St. Luke v. 14. We iiill not have this man to reign over us ; worse in some measure than Herod himself, who under the pretext of adoring the Son of God, sought an opportunity to take away his life ; they crucify him afresh by their horrid impieties and reiterated crimes, and are guilty of abusing his body and blood in the blessed sacrament, whenever they receive it unworthily, under the mask of piety and the outward appearance of devotion. If Herod sacrificed thousands of holy innocents to his ambition, they sacri- fice thousands of innocent victims to their brutal lusts and insatiable j)assions. Herod only killed the bodies of the infants that were slaught- ered by his orders, and deprived them of a short transitory life; his malice far from hurting their immortal souls, was rather of service to them, as it served, even contrary to the tyrant's intention, to accelerate their real and eternal happiness, and to entitle them to the immediate possession of the laurel of martyrdom and life everlasting ; but on the other hand, impious Christians, wicked fathers and mothers, profligate and scandalous sinners, murder and destroy the souls of all those whom they scandalize, and are the means of leading astray by their bad example and advice, and may be justly stiled the imhappy instruments of their spiritual ruin and eternal damnation. Behold, my bi-ethren, the subject of the tears and lamentations of our holy mother the Church ; this is what renders her inconsolable, like another Rachael, bewailing the loss and reprobation of so many of her refractory children, who are so unfortunate as to shut their ears and harden their hearts against her salutary admonitions. It is the general opinion of spiritual v.riters, that of all the inhabitants of the East, the three Kings, or wise men, were the only three that were chosen to be the first predestined of the Gentiles, because they were the only three that we find to have followed the guidance of the star. It undoubtedly called them all to the light of faith, and was seen by many other nations of the East : but the generality of the people contented tliemselves with gazing upon it, and admiring its uncommon brightness, Avithout taking any pains to seek him whom that star announced and preached to them ; hence they died in their infidelity, whilst a small number that answered the divine call was ranked amongst the elect ; so true it is, that many are called, but few are chosen, because few are faithful in corresponding with the graces of God ; few are as attentive as they ought to be, to those gi-acious lights and divine inspirations, which invite and call upon them to enter into the narrow road, that leads to the pos- session of Jesus Christ, and the enjoyment of life everlasting. In short; OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 57 few imitate the promptitude, the active and undaunted zeal and steadi- ness of the three wise men. Sinners in general abuse the goodness of God, despise the riches of his mercy, and put off their conversion from day to day, thus exposing themselves to the danger of being deprived of the favours of Heaven in just punishment of their indolence, sloth, and perverseness. We should not be dismayed, my brethren, in the pursuit of virtue, nor disconcerted at the trials and obstacles we may happen to meet, but courageously surmount all the difficulties that seem to obstruct our pious enterprize. If we have the misfortune to lose Jesus and his grace, by falling into sin, we are to seek him without delay ; we are to fly to the mystical Bethlehem of the Church, and search for him with diligence and perseverance in the asylum of mercy, in the sacred tribunal of penance. One star was sufficient to instruct, l^ersuade, and convert the wise men of the East ; and shoidd not the many stai's of grace that we ai'e favoured with, suffice to persuade us to a proper sense of our duty ? The good examples of piety and religion which, notwithstanding the deplorable depravity of the age, Ave have continually before our eyes ; the edifying sermons and exhortations that are frequently preached to vxs from the chair of truth ; the books of piety that we read ; the Avholesome counsels and advices that are cha- ritably given to ns ; the good thoughts, inwai'd remorses of conscience, and secret inspirations that Ave perceive in our souls, are so many lights and stars of vocation that invite and solicit us to renounce our evil Avays, to quit our vicious habits, to depart from the broad road of per- dition, and to re-enter the paths of virtue. When, like the three Avise men of the East, Ave have the comfort and happiness to find Jesus the liedeemer of our souls, we are to follow the advice that the Lord AA^as pleased to give them, not to return aruj more to Herod, but march forward towards their native country hy a different road from that which they had come. We are not to hold any farther correspondence with the enemies of Jesus Christ ; Ave are to take care not to relapse into our former disorders, not to return any more to our past sins, but to begin a ncAv course of life, and make the best of our Avay to our native home and heavenly country. We are to march on foru^ard toAvards that happy land of promise, by a quite diffi?rent road from that by Avhich Ave have luihappily strayed away from it, and have been blindly led into a long train of errors. Such, my dear brethren, are the important instructions that the great mystery of this day affiirds us ; let us not, therefore, receive the grace of God in vain. Let us render a thousand thanks to his infinite ,mercy for the signal benefit of our vocation to the Christian religion. Let us glorify the ever-blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for having vouchsafed to distinguish us from pagans and idolators by the light of the Gospel ; from unbelievers, by a submission to his Church ; from abandoned sinners, by the efficacy of his holy sacraments. Let us devoutly prostrate ourselves before our Divine Kedeemer, AA'ho humbled himself so Ioav as to descend from the highest Heavens, and to be borji in the stable of Bethlehem for our sake. If Ave have not the gold of perfect charity, nor the frankincense of an inflamed and fervent devotion to offer, let us at least present him with the myrrh of a bitter sorroAv and compunction for our past offences. Let us make him a tender of our hearts, and of the three faculties of our souls, our memory, under- standing, and will. Praise, honour, and glory be to thee for ever, 0 58 ON THE DUTIES OF CHILDREN adorable Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ! Accept our hearts as a thankso-ivin2;-ofFering for the numberless favours and blessings we have receivedlfromthy bounty. Thou knowest our poverty, and that we have nothing worthy of thy acceptance ; nothing but what, on a thousand titles, already belongs to thee. Thou askest nothing but our heart, and this we most willingly offer to thee without reserve, and consecrate entirely to thy servic'e. We offer thee our memory, that it may be ever recollected in thee ; our understanding, that it may always be enlightened or directed by thy truth ; and our will, that it may be ever conformable to thy divine will. Vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to guide our steps, that we may henceforward walk in the paths of virtue and the way of thy precepts, during the course of our mortal pilgrimage here on earth, as by so doing we may hope, through thy mercy, to be admitted here- after to the possession of the kingdom of thy eternal glory. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. A7nen. SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EPIPHANY. ON THE DUTIES OF CHILDREN TO THEIR PARENTS. Venit Nazareth et erat subditus illis — Luc. c. ii. v. 5\. The child Jesus came to Nazareth, and was subject to them — Luke c. ii. v. 3L The Gospel of this day furnishes us with several instructive lessons of piety, zeal, charity, humility and obedience. In the first place, the piety and devotion of the people of God, in observing all the festivals ordained by the Mosaic Law is worthy of our imitation, and ought to confound the sloth and indolence of many Christians, who are but to profane the Sundays and Holidays, which in the New Law are particularly conse- crated to the divine Avorship. The Jews had but one Temple, or common place of public worship in Jerusalem, to denote the Unity of God ; and they were accustomed to repair every year to that Temple from all parts of the holy land, in order to eat their paschal lamb, and to solemnize the great festival of the Passover, which was instituted in memory of, and In thanksgiving for their deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. The blessed Virgin Mary, and her most chaste spouse St. Joseph, were too religious and exemplary to neglect submitting themselves to this pious institution. They went every year to Jerusalem at the solemn day of the Passover, and brought with them the divine infant Jesus, in order to present him to the Lord. The first oblation they made of him in the Temple, happened on the thirty-third day after the day of his circumcision, inclusively, when the days of the immaculate Virgin's purification were expired ; for though she stood in no need of being purified, as she Avas full of grace and blessed among women, yet through a surprising efli3Ct of her profound humility, she submitted herself to the Mosaic Law, and offered for her dearly beloved son a pair of turtles, or two young pigeons, in the Temple, this being the sacrifice that was then required from the poorer sort. The Scripture gives no farther account of the infancy of our blessed Saviour from this time until he was twelve years old, except that he grew up and was strengthened full of wisdom, and the grace of God was in him. When he was twelve TO THEIR PARENTS. 59 years old, having gone to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and having tarried there for the space of seven days, until the ceremony was over, he absconded himself, for the glory of his heavenly Father, from Joseph and Mary, who imagined him to be in the company of their relations and friends, that were returning from the solemnity to their respective abodes. But after one day's journey, having perceived their mistake, and having made a close enquiry among their acquaintances, they could get no intelligence of him, wherefore they returned to Jerusalem without delay, full of grief and anxiety, searching for the child Jesus, whom they found the third day, to their inexpressible joy, sitting among the Doctors in the Temple, pi'oposing and answering questions concerning the law of God, to the great astonishment of all that were present, par- ticularly of his blessed Mother, who said unto him. Son, u-hy didst thou so nnto m ? Behold, thy father and I icith grief were seeJdng thee. The love and regard he had for them made him desist from the sacred employ- ment wherein he was engaged, and return at their request to Nazareth, where he led a retired and humble life in a poor cottage, until he was thirty years old, unknown to all in the meanwhile, but obedient and submissive to Joseph and Mary, under Avhose care he advanced in wisdom, and age, and in grace, both before God and man. These are the contents of this day's Gospel, in which we are to observe that the grief which the Blessed Vii'gin conceived when, without any fault of her's, she lost her beloved Son, and the solicitude with which she imme- diately sought him until she found him in the Temple, teaches us, that if we have the misfortune to lose Jesus, and forfeit his grace by mortal sin, we are not to put off oxir conversion from day to day, but are bound to have recourse to his mercy by a speedy repentance, and to seek him in the Temple among the Ministers of the Lord, by approaching the Sacrament of Penance with a sorrowful heart, and not suffering, if possible, a moment to intervene betwixt our rise and our fall, as delays are always dangerous, and every moment may be our last. Joseph and Maiy are also a noble pattern for all parents to copy after ; as, on the other hand, the conduct of the child Jesus is a model for all children, and points out to them the love, respect, obedience, and submission which they owe to their parents. It is on the duties of children to their parents that I purpose to expatiate in the following discourse, after we shall have invoked the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, saying with the Angel, Ave Maria. Although the pastors of our souls, and all lawful superiors, both spiritual and temporal, are comprehended under the name of Parents, according to the Scripture stile, yet our natui'al parents are principally understood by the words Father and Mother ; it is to them we are indebted, next under God, for our lives and being, our support and education ; for which reason the duties of children to their parents are ranked in the Scripture next after our duty to God, and placed at the head of the commandments of the second table of the Divine Law whi(5h relate to our neighbour. Honour thy father and thy mother, says the Lord, that thou mayest he long lived upon the land u-hich the Lord thy God tcill give thee. — Exod. c. xx. v. 12. Nature, as well as religion inculcates this obligation, and teaches us that nothing is more reasonable or more just, than that children should honour those Avho brought them into the world with much labour and pain, and reared them with great trouble, 6U ON THE DUTIES OF CHILDREN anxiety, and solicitude. This honour includes several particular duties, the chief of which are love and respect, submission, and obedience, help and assistance. The fii'st duty is to love their parents, for a child that does not love his parents, as St. Peter Chrysologus says, is rather a monster of nature than a child, since nature inspires the very irrational animals themselves with the like instinct of love. The love children are to have for their parents must not be a mere natural affection, but a rational and christian love, according to God ; that is, they are to love them in God, and for God : we are commanded to love our neighbour in this manner, much more so our parents ; we are to pray for their spiritual good, and beg of God to grant them a long, happy, and peaceable life, that his grace may support them in their difficulties, direct their ways, and crown their labours Avith eternal bliss. How unnatural then, and how inhuman must those children be who bear a hatred in their hearts to their pai-ents, who curse them and wish them evil, who shorten their days by grief and vexation, and bring their grey hairs to the grave before their time ? How ungrateful, how perverse and barbarous are they who long to get rid of their parents, and Avish for their death, in order to become their own masters and inherit what they possess ? Is it not the height of impiety to rejoice at the death of those whom God was pleased to make the authors and instruments of the very life we enjoy? If the Scripture says, 1 John iii. 15, that ivliosoever hateth his brother is a murderer in his heart, with how much reason may such unnatural children be called parricides ? He that curseth his father or mother dying, let him die, says the Lord, Levit. c. xx. v. 9 ; and again, in c. xx. v. 20, of the Book of Proverbs, He that curses his father and mother, his lamp shall be put out in the midst of darkness, and the inheritance gotten hastili/ in the beginning, in the end shall be ivithout a blessing ; for such evil wishes and monstrous behaviour draw down the anger of God upon wicked children, and often provoke the Almighty, not only to prevent the temporal enjoy- ment they thirst after, but also to extinguish their lamp in the midst of darkness ; that is, to cut them off the face of the earth in the midst of their sins. The second duty of children to their parents is to bear a great respect to them, not only inwardly in their hearts, but also outwardly in their words and carriage ; they are to respect them as God's vicegerents, and their superiors in wisdom, age, and authority ; they are to respect not only their persons, but likewise their instructions, admonitions, and reprehensions. My son, (says the wise man, Prov. i.) liear the instructions of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother, that grace may be added to thy head, and a chcdn of gold to thy neck. This respect must be testified by a cheerful and ready compliance with their directions ; it must be both interior and exterior ; it must be rendered not out of habit or custom, or a mere servile fear, but upon a princijde of conscience, Avith an intent of honouring and respecting God in the person of our parents, Avho govern us in God's place. Children are to pay a great deference to their judgments, submit to their corrections, and acquiesce to their orders without contradiction ; they are to receive their instruc- tions with humility, hearken to their advice with attention, and never betray the least contempt of them by their words, looks, gestures, or actions. AVhen their parents are advanced in years, or grown infirm, feeble, and peevish, children are to take particular care not to spurn, TO THEIR PARENTS. 61 mock, or deride them, not to reproach them with their failings in a con- iejnptuous manner, not to expose their ill-humours and weaknesses, nor to abandon nor disown them, because they are in poverty and subject to some imperfections ; on the contrary, it is then that children ought to treat their parents with an extraordinary tenderness, bear their infirmities with christian patience, and most carefully avoid whatever may give them any occasion of trouble or affliction. Tobias's wife had not the reputation of sanctity, nor Solomon's mother an untainted character, yet Tobias commanded his son to honour his mother all the days of her life, and Solomon never failed in his respect to Bethsheba. We read in the third Book of Kings, c. ii., that when his mother came to him, he rose from his throne, went to meet her, and placed her on a royal throne at his right hand. In like manner we read. Gen. c. xlvi., that Joseph, though raised to the dignity of Viceroy of all Egypt, was so far from being ashamed to own his poor old father, Jacob, before the King and the whole court, that he had no sooner understood that he was coming to Egypt, but he mounted his chariot and went to meet him, and having seen him he cast himself upon his knees, and mixed his embraces with tears. His high dignity did not raise him above his duty, nor did the mean- ness of his father's condition lessen his respect in the least as long as he lived. At, and after his decease, Joseph paid him the last tribute of filial piety in the most respectful manner ; for, as the Scripture informs us, he rushed towards his bed to embrace him when he was dying, he fell on his face Avith sorrow, he kissed him with the most tender affec- tion, he wept in the bitterness of his soul, and took particular care to have his body embalmed according to the custom of the country, and to see it carried with pomp and royal magnificence into the land of Canaan, and interred with honour in the tomb of his ancestors. Behold here a noble lesson for childi-en never to abandon their parents in the hour of distress, or neglect them when they stand in need of comfort and relief. Whenever they hajipen to do anything, even inadvertently, that displeases or offends their parents, it is their duty to be really troubled hereat, to ask pardon without delay, and to be afterwards more circumspect in avoiding whatever they know will contristrate them. It is a mark of a child's respect to beg the blessing of his father and mother upon his bended knees. The blessing of a parent was thought so much of in the Old Testament, that it was sought for with tears, and the most fervent entreaties. Esau, though a married man, was not ashamd to be seen begging his father Isaac's bles&'ing with streams of tears. Jacob begged and obtained his father's blessing, by which means the blessings of Heaven and earth was bestowed upon him and his posterity in great abundance. Hence the Holy Ghost, says Ecclesiasticus, c. iii., The father's blessing establisheth the houses (or family) of the children ; but the mother's curse rooted up the foundation. It is another mark of children's respect to ask their parent's advice, and consult with them in all diffi- culties and matters of importance, particularly when they deliberate about choosing a state of life; After consulting God, and imploring the light of Heaven to direct their ways, they are, according to divines, strictly bound in conscience to consult their parents, and to ask their consent and blessing, before they engage in the married state ; and their parents are bound, on their parts, not to be unreasonable in refusing their con- currence and approbation ; they are not to force the inclinations of their children, nor to compel them to marry against their will, or become 62 ON THE BUTIES OP CHILDREN ecclesiastics, without a vocation from God, or hinder them if they liave a true vocation. The Council of Trent, Sess. xxv. c. 1 8. excommunicates those who, directly or indirectly, force others to enter a religious order, or hinder them from it when they are willing and well disposed. We read in ch. xxiv. and xxviii. of Genesis, that the great patriarchs, Isaac and Jacob, took wives of their parents' choosing ; and again in the same book we find, that Esau sinned in marrying one of the daughters of Canaan, because without any just cause he had done a thing which he knew would give much grief and affliction to his father Isaac. As love and respect are the two first duties, so the third duty of children to their parents is obedience, of which St. Paul says, Eph. vi. Children oheij ijour parents in the Lord, for this is just ; and again, Coloss. iii. Obey your parents in all things, for this is ivell j^ieasing to the Lord. Obedience is a just and natural consequence of the power which God and nature have given to pai-ents with regard to their children ; their power is a power to command, Avhich is acknowledged by obedience. The Scrip- ture says, 1 Kings, c. xv. that obedience is better than sacrifice, on which text St. Gregory writes thus : With reason obedience is joreferred to sa- crifice, because by sacrifice the fiesh of some animal, or some other exterior thing, is immolated, but by obedience our own ivill is offered and sacrificed to God. Children are bound to obey in all things that their parents command in the Lord, or according to the Lord, that is, in all things that are not sinful, or that are consistent with the law of God ; for as he is our chief or principal fathei", all commands that contradict his, are void and of no force : Then cdone, says St. Augustine, Serm. Ixx. in Ps. 70, n. 2. must children not obey their father ichen he commands anything agaiiist the Lord their God ; in this case they are obliged to obey God rather than man, as St. Paul speaks. Acts, c. xxviii. v. 25. They ought indeed with all possible respect to make a submissive remonstrance to their parents, and beg to be excused, declaring their readiness to obey, if they could do it without offending the Lord, or saying with the Apostles, Acts iv. when they were forbid to do what God ordered, Judge yourselves if it be just, to obey your orders rather than the orders of God. Hence it follows, that it was not lawful for Jonathan to obey his father vSaul, when he commanded him to deliver up David to be put to death, 1 Kings, xx. nor was it lawful for Herod's daughter to obey her wicked mother Herodias, when she com- manded her to petition for the head of St. John the Baptist, Mark, c. vi. V. 24. By the same rule children are not obliged, in obedience to their parents, to sacrifice their eternal happiness to a worldly interest, or to hazard their salvation by marrying persons of a different religious per- suasion, and exposing their posterity to the danger of being brought up in errors contrary to divine faith. In like manner, the obedience children owe their parents does not oblige them to keep fi'om embi-acing a religious state when God calls them to it, and their parents unjustly oppose their vocation, as St. Augustine observes in liis writings against Adimantus, who was so impious as to censure the Gospel for that reason, and to say that it was contrary to tlie law of God in that point : wherefore the holy doctor I'eplied, that the Gospel does not forbid children to render to parents the honour and obedience that are due to them, but only forbids them to be honoured or obeyed more than God ; for he that says, Honour thy father and thy mother, says also. Matt. x. 37. H.e that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me. It is in this sense that the fol- lowing words of our Saviour, Luke, c. xiv. v. 26, are to be understood, TO THEIR PARENTS. 63 He that hateth not Ms father and mother, cannot he my disciple ; for to hate them is to be deaf to them, inasmuch as they go between us and God, and are for withdrawing us from tlie divine service, though at the same time we are to love and honour them always as our parents ; hence we read, Luke, c. ii. v. 48, 49, of Christ himself, that though he Avas submissive and obedient to Joseph and Mary, yet when his blessed Mother had found him in the Temple among the Doctors, and had said, Son, whj hast thou done so to lis f He replied. Did ye not hioiv that I must he ahout my fatlier's husiness f teaching us hereby, that those who are called to labour in the Lord's vineyard are not to be over-ruled by flesh and blood in the discharge of their spiritual duties, and the sacred functions of their state. Children are therefore to regard in their' parents the authority of their heavenly Father, and to put no other bounds to their obedience than what the law of God does. They ought to obey cheerfully, without grumbling or muttering. To render their obedience an act of virtue, they ought to obey, not merely through a natural inclination, or out of a servile fear of punishment, or hope of some temporal reward, but upon a Chris- tian motive, and with a view of pleasing God, because it is just and agreeable to him, because it is God that commands them to obey, and because in obeying their parents they obey God's orders, and in dis- obeying them they disobey God, who commands and speaks to them through the mouths of their parents. The example of Jesus Christ should induce them the more readily to comply with this important duty, not only in their childhood, but even when they are advanced in years. All that the Gospel tells us of his life, from the age of twelve years, when he was found in the Temple, till the age of thirty years, when he appeared in public is, that he tvent down to Nazareth, and ivas suhject and ohedient to Joseph and Mary. In obedience to his mother's desire, he wrought his first miracle at the marriage of Cana, though otherwise his hour ivas not come, John ii. 4. and with his dying words he recommended her to the care of his beloved disciple. O, how will his example confound undutiful children at the last day ! How will it condemn them who are refractory to their parents' ordei'S — who, by their stubbornness and disobedience, makes their parents' hearts ache, and are the means of cutting their days short ! vSt. Paul, Rom. ii. and Tim. ii. 3. ranks such children in the list of the greatest sinners, and classes their disobedience amongst the abominations of the Gentiles, which exclude from the kingdom of heaven. The fourth duty of children is, to assist their parents in their neces- sities, both spiritual and temporal, as far as they are able : this is so strict an obligation, that it would be a grievous sin to apply, even to pious uses, or give to the church what is wanting for the support of parents. For this reason our blessed Saviour blames the Jews, Matt. c. xv. for leaving their parents in want, under the pretext of making offerings for them, and giving gifts to the Temple. The angelical Doctor, St. Thomas of Aquin, speaking of this obligation, says, that in case of extreme ne- cessity, a son is bound to help his parents even before his own children ; he also teaches, that though the obedience he owes them does not oblige him to omit embracing a religious state, in condescension to their orders, yet their wants may oblige him thereto ; so that it is unlawful for a son who has poor parents, that cannot be supported without his assistance, to retire from the world into a monastery, and leave them to the care of 64 ON THE DUTIES OF CHILDREN Providence, because tliis would be tempting God, as it would be wilfully neglecting the human means whereby they might be relieved, and en- dangering the life of his parents upon the hopes of divine assistance. Charity and mercy are more acceptable to God in this case than sacri- fice, for which reason the Lord declares, Eccl. iii. 15. that the mercy ivhich is shewn to a poor j^arent shall never be forgotten. We have a remarkable example of this filial piety in young Tobias, who by the labour of his hands, and the sweat of his brow, maintained his father, and served him with care and indefatigable love in his old age, after he had lost his sight by an accident, which God's providence permitted, in order to exercise the patience of the ftither, and the piety of the son. We have a far more noble example in the person of our blessed Saviour, who, ready to expire on the cross, forgot not this filial duty, but recommended his virginal mother to his beloved disciple St. John, interrupting, as I may say, for a moment, that great sacrifice, in order to provide for her ; for in saying to St. John, Behold thy mother, he charged him to take as much care of her as if she was his real mother ; he considered her then, not as his creature to whom he had given life, but as his parent who had given him birth ; and therefore, as lie was then leaving the world, he put her, as it were, under the care of another son, recommending by his example, to all pious children, the continual care of their parents, as St. Augustine observes, Tract, cxv. in Job. Hence St. Paul, 1 Tim, v. 8, says. That if any one has not care of his own, and especially those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel ; nay, he is worse than the beasts, who, as St. Ambrose remarks, are taught by nature to perform this duty, and to feed and cherish the old ones when they are unable to provide for themselves, Hex. 1. v. c. 16. and really if it be a grievous sin to neglect assisting and relieving strangers in their distress, how much more grievous a sin must it be to neglect succouring our parents under the pressures of want and poverty ? At our birth we are helpless, and even more miserable than any other living creature ; we cannot do the smallest thing in our infancy to serve and assist ourselves. As our parents provide, then, all necessaries for our relief and preservation when we are unable to help ourselves. Divine Providence has ordered that in return we should assist, relieve, and comfort our parents in their old age, when they are visited Avith infirmity, and labour under the various inconveniencies, wants, and grievances, which usually attend old age. Their spiritual necessities are no less to be attended to, and every proper means is to be made use of for procuring the eternal salvation of their souls ; their last will is to be faithfully fulfilled after their death, and their just and lawful debts are to be paid, as tar as the eflects they have left will allow ; and if they unjustly detained the property of others, restitution is to be made of it by the children who inherit their worldly substance. These are the principal duties of children to their parents ; and to enforce a faithful compliance with them the more effectually, the Lord has been pleased to annex a promise to the fourth commandment, which he has not annexed to any of the other nine. Honour thy father and thy mother, he says, that thy days may he long in the land which the Lord thy God will give to thee. The Scripture scarce ever mentions this commandment, without promising a long and prosperous life to such as duly observe it. This was the reward God promised the Jews, who being a carnal people, were TO TIIEIll PARENTS. 65 to be draAvn to tlieir duty by a worldly and temporal recompence, such as might work on their senses, and gratify their present inclinations : but to Christians he promises a noble reward, that is, length of days in the true land of the living, or in the kingdom of Heaven ; for the temporal bless- ing that was promised to children in the Old Law, was only a figure of the blessings of the New Law, wherein the Lord adds an eternal to a temporal reward, and promises to recompense filial piety both in this life and in the life to come. It is true, pious and dutiful children do not always live to see old age, but often die in their youthful days ; and, on the contrary, it happens sometimes that disobedient and undutiful children are permitted to live long, that they may have the more time to be con- verted ; but we are not therefore to imagine that God is worse than his word, or that he breaks his promise, when he takes pious and dutiful children to himself. This is an effect of his love and mercy to them ; this is giving them a greater blessing instead of a lesser ; this is only changing a mortal life into an immortal ; this is only conferring on them a more signal favour, and a more precious reward, it being much better to enjoy a short life in this world, and to die in the flower of youth and innocence, than to grow grey in wickedness. The Lord, who has a foreknowledge of all things that are to happen, foresees that if some pious and dutiful children were to live longer in this sinful world, they would make a ship- wreck of their virtues, and be corrupted by ill example. To prevent this misfortune, and to preserve them from the danger of eternal ruin and destruction, he takes them often to himself in their innocence, befoi'e they leave the path of virtue, according to these words of Scripture, Sap. iv. 11. where the Holy Ghost, speaking of the death of a virtuous youth, says. He ivas taken aivatj, lest malice should change his tmderstanding, and lest deceit should beguile his soul. Moreover, virtuous children are sometimes called out of this life in a tender age, that they may not be involved in the public calamities and miseries of the times, according to that saying of Isaias, c. Ivii. 1. From the face of malice the just man is taken away from before the face of evil. As to disobedient and undutiful children, they are often punished with a short and sinful life, and a bad and untimely death. In the Old Law God expressly ordered them to be stoned to death by all the people, as we read in Deuteronomy, c. xxi. This law, indeed, is no longer in force, nor executed as formerly, yet as the sin is still the same, and equally offensive to God, there is no doubt but it deserves the same punishment, and that several undutiful and stubborn children, by a just judgment of God, are still carried off by an untimely and unprovided death, though this may escape our notice, as being ignorant of the cause. We have frightful instances hereof in the sons of Heli, and in unhappy Absalom, avIio, after the murder of his brother Amon, rebelled against King David his father, raised an army to dethrone him, and banished him out of Jerusalem ; but the justice of God pursuing him, his army was defeated, and he himself was hung by the hair of his head on an oak tree, and suddenly cut off the face of the earth in the bloom of life, and in the height of his sins, leaving a teri'ifying example to future ages of God's justice and anger against all disobedient and rebellious children. Hence we read so many dreadful curses pronounced against them in the sacred Scriptures : Cursed be he, (says the Lord, Deut. c. xxvii.) that honoureth not his father and mother : and again, Eccl. c. iii. 18. He is cursed of God that angereth his mother ; and Prov. c. xxx. 17. The eye that mocMh at his father, and that despiseth E {^S ON MATRIMONY, AND THE PRINCIPAL the labour of his mother in bearing him, let the ravens of the brooks pick it out, and the young eagles eat it. The Book of Genesis, c. ix. v. 25. relates, that Cham, the son of Noah, for hxughing at his father, brought a most dreadful curse upon a great part of his posterity. Should we not then conclude, my brethren, that it is not only the indispensable duty, but also the great interest of all children, to honour and respect their parents in the manner already described, and that it is highly incumbent on those who have been heretofore deficient herein, to repent in time, before they fall into the hands of God's avenging justice. O God of mercy, and Father of all consolation, who dost not desii-e the death of a sinner, but that he may be converted and live, pardon our past misdemeanours, and give us all grace to begin a new life with the beginning of this new year. Grant that we may divest ourselves of the corruption of the old man, and cast off the Avorks of darkness. Inspire us with a lively sense of our respective duties, that we may fulfil them to thy greater honour and glory, to the edification of our neighbour, and to the eternal salvation of our souls. Vv'liich is the happiness I wish you all, in the name of the Father, &c. Amen. SECOND SUNDAY AFTEE EPIPHANY. ON MATRIMONY, AND THE PRINCIPAL DUTIES OF HUSBANDS AND WIVES. Nuptse factae sunt in Cana Galilee — Jo. c. n. v. \. There was a Marriage in Cana of Galilee — John, c. ii. v. 1. Matrimony is one of the states which compose the Church ; it is in the order of Providence and nature, the general and most ordinary state of those who live in the world ; it was originally instituted by Almighty God as a natural contract between our first parents in the earthly Para- dise, Gen. ii. This institution was confirmed by Christ our Lord in the New Testament, Matt. xix. 4, 5, 6, and he was pleased to honour it with his own presence, and with his first miracle, wrought at the marriage of Cana, to shew that the state of matrimony is holy in itself, honourable in all respects, and has God himself for its author ; nay, our Lord not only ratified and honoured matrimony in this manner, but also elevated it to the dignity of one of the seven sacraments of the new law, and as such it has always been acknowledged in the Catholic Church, St. Paul, Eph. c. V. V. 32, expressly calls it a great sacrament and mystery, with regard to Christ and his Church ; for as it is a conjunction made and sanctified by God himself, and not to be dissolved by any power of man, according to th?it saying of our Lord, Matt. xix. v. 6. Vihat, therefoj-e, God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. It is a sacred sign, or mysterious representation of the indissoluble union of Christ and his Church, and of the spiritual nuptials and conjunction of his divinity with the humanity in the adorable mystery of the incarnation. Hence it follows that Christians, who are inclined to receive this great sacrament worthily, and to engage in the holy state of matrimony, which is not to be dissolved but by death, shoidd proceed with the most mature deliberation, and approach it with proper dispositions ; they should, in imitation of the married pair mentioned in this day's gospel, take care DUTIKS OF HUSBAM>S AKD WIVES. 67 to invite Jesus and Mary to their wedding ; tliat is, they ought to put up their fervent prayers to Heaven, and beseech God, the giver of all good counsel, to guide and direct their steps, and make known to them the way Vvdierein they are to walk, as the Royal Prophet speaks, Ps. cxlii. In short, they ought to form to themselves a good intention, and be free from mortal sin, lest, by a sacrilegious abuse and profanation of a di- vine institution, tliey might receive, instead of a blessing, their own condemnation, with evident danger of entailing on themselves an endless ti'ain of unspeakable miseries. Their eternal happiness, as well as their temporal felicity, depends on the measures they adopt in the beginning of their career, and on a foithful compliance with the obligations which they contract, for whicli reason it is a matter of great importance for them to be well instructed in the rules that religion prescribes to be ob- served, both before and after contracting matrimony. This is the plan and design of the following discourse. The duties of those who are unmarried, but wish to marry in the Lord, shall be the subject of the first point. The duties of those who are already married, shall be the subject of the second point. Let us, as usual, invoke the intercession of the blessed Virgin, greeting her with the Archangel Gabriel, Ave Maria. When Christians are about entering into a particular state of life, it is incumbent on them, before they make their choice, to consult God the Father of Lights, and take a serious view of the diiferent states that are established in the world, and marked out by Divine Providence as so many different roads for conducting mankind to the happy end for which they have been created. Salvation, it is true, is attainable in all lawful states, but as every person is not qualified for every particular state, it is no less true that the very same state which would be a means to sanc- tify one, might prove the ruin and destruction of another, who would rashly and inconsiderately rush into it, without sufficient strength and abilities to bear the heavy burdens, and discharge the weighty obligations thereto annexed. The state of perpetual celibacy and virginity is un- doubtedly a more sublime, a more holy, and a more perfect state than that of matrimony ; Christ our Lord, when on earth, shewed a particular love for virginity, and for those who embraced it ; he would have none but the purest of virgins for his mother ; he ever manifested a special love to his virgin disciple St. John, who, on that account, Avas called the beloved disciple ; and at his death he recommended his virgin mother to none but his virgin disciple. In c. xix. of St. Matthew, he also recom- mended virginity in the strongest terms, and in c. xx. v. 30, compared virgins to the Angels themselves, saying, that at the resurrection they shall neither marry nor he married, hut he like the Angels of God in Heaven. In like manner the inspired Apostle St. Paul, both by his word and ex- ample, strongly recommends virginity, and represents it in the most amiable light in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, c. vii. v. 38, con- cluding thus : He that giveth his virgin in marriage doth ivell, and he that giveth her not, doth better; however, all things are not fit or expedient for all persons, as all the members of Christ's mystical body, the Church,' have not the same vocation nor the same function, according to the re- mark of the Apostle, Every one has his particular gift from God, one after this manner, another after that ; wherefore, every one that is free and dis- engaged should embrace that rank and state which, after a prudent in- vestigation, he has just reason to believe is assigned for him by Divine Providence as the fittest and most likely for him to work his salvation 68 ON MATKIMONY, AND THE PRINCIPAL in. Every state is attended with its own peculiar duties and obligations, which require the succour of pecviliar graces to enable a Chi'istian to fulfil them well ; and as God, in the ordinary course of his Providence, does not grant those succours to such as reject the vocation he inspires them with, and withdraw themselves from his gracious designs, so on the contrary, he bestows his heavenly favours and blessings on those who answer his divine call, and submit to his holy will and disposal, in order to enable them to live up to their vocation and surmount every difficulty tliat occurs in their way. The intention and motives for engaging in the holy state of matrimony, are to be agi'eeable to the great designs for which matrimony has been instituted and ordained, both as a natural contract and as a sacrament. The chief and principal end of Christian marriages is to supply the Church on earth with good members, and to people the kingdom of Hea- ven hereafter with Saints, Avhich made St. Augustine say, that the in- tention of the faithful in marrying should be to give children to the Church and servants to God, who may love and serve him in this world, and complete the number of his elect in Heaven. Such were the pious sentiments of the young Tobias when he said. You know, 0 Lord, that I marrjj not for self- gratification, or any such sinister views, hut only for the saJce of posterity, that they may Hess and praise thy name for all eternity. Woe be to those who exclude God from their minds, and are actuated by no other motive than sensuality and the gratification of their passions ; for as the Archangel Raphael said to Tobias, the devil has power over them, which was the unhappy case of the seven successive husbands of the virtuous Sara, who, as the Scripture relates, were killed on this very account, by the permission of God, the first night of their respective maiTiages. Those who are under the care and jurisdiction of their parents, be- fore they embark on this perilous voyage for life, should obtain their consent and blessing. Eegularly speaking, they are bound, under pain of incurring a grievous sin, to consult them on their choice, and not to dispose of themselves in mari'iage without their previous knowledge. My son, says Eccles. c. xxxii. v. 24. do thou nothing icithout counsel, and thou shah not repent ivhen thou hast done. Esau is justly blamed in the Scripture for not having paid this respect to his parents. It is a duty that religion, prudence, gratitude, and even nature itself demands of children ; and parents on their part are bound not to force their children's inclinations, and not to be unreasonable in withholding or refusing their consent. Marriages within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity or kindred, are not to be readily agreed to. It is not the Spirit of God, but avarice, that usually makes up such marriages between relations, for which reason we seldom see them blessed by God, but almost always punished with sterility, or with some other temporal adversities and tri- bulation. The surest way to draw down the blessing of Heaven upon the contracting parties, is to be obedient to the laws of God and his Church, and to be free from all impediments Avhich either annul the marriage or render it vinlawful. They should be averse to all private and clandestine contracts, as being productive of very great evils, and frequently the fatal source of horrid perjuries, endless disputes, confusion and scandal. Marriages with persons of a different religion are strictly prohibited by the civil laws, and are apt to occasion disquiet and dis- sensions in families ; they are often attended with great danger of per- DUTIES OP HUSBANDS AND WIVES. 69 version, or of not being allowed the free exercise of religion ; hence God forbid his people in the old law to contract such alliances with the Cananeans ; and the Scripture informs us, that Solomon, Avith all his Avisdom, was led into the abominations of idolatry by maiTying infidels. In short, the Chui'ch directs her children to approach the Sacrament of Penance and the Holy Communion devoutly, two or three days be- fore the day appointed for celebrating their nuptials, and to beware of every thing that is inconsistent with that decency, modesty and sanctity, which become Christians at all times, but especially on so sacred and so solemn an occasion. Did they but follow the directions, and observe the rules of piety that religion prescribes, previous to their marriage, Ave would not afterwards hear of the many broils, scandals, jealousies, ani- mosities, and implacable hatreds, which but too frequently render the married state a kind of hell upon earth, and the high road to the hell of the damned hereafter. But, alas ! the generality of mankind launch into the turbulent ocean of the world without the necessary precautions and proper dispositions ; they take a false step in the beginning, and the farther they go, the farther they stray away from their journey's end. They consult no other guides but their blind passions, and seem to look upon matrimony, not as a state of sanctity, but as a mere temporal af- fair, a simple ceremony, a pui'e negociation and a mercenary traffic For the other sacraments they prepare themselves with some sentiments of religion, but this sacrament they receive, not upon a motive of virtue, but for human considerations, for avarice and worldly interest, nay, often in the actual state and affection of mortal sin. How then can they ex- pect a blessing from God, when they begin thus, not in his name, but rather in the name of Satan ? How can they hope to partake of the special auxiliary graces that the Sacrament of Matrimony confers on the Avorthy receivers, in order to alleviate the burdens of their state, and make them happy both in this Avorld and in the next, when they render themselves totally unworthy of such heavenly favours by a sacrilegious abuse of a divine institution ? May I not justly say, my brethren, that such irreligious conduct is one of the fatal sources of several unhappy marriages in our days ? But let vis now investigate Avhat are the prin- cipal obligations and duties, subsequent to the contract of matrimony. The duties of those who are joined in the bonds of holy wedlock are many and great, but their rcAvard Avill also be great and glorious in Heaven, if they continue faithfully to fulfil them to end of their life. The principal vicAV Avhich they ought to have Avith regard to one another, is to contribute all in their power to render each other happy both in this life, and in the life to come. Whilst Christians lead a single life they are free from the many cares, solicitudes, avocations and distractions that attend the married state ; they have only to think of acquiring happiness for themselves, except Avhat the common duties of charity and the parti- cular rights of society require of them tOAvards all men in general ; but when two are joined together in marriage, they are no longer to be con- sidered as separate persons, having separate vicAvs and interests, but as two joined together for mutual help and mutual good, in the strictest bond of union that can possibly exist between tAvo persons in this Avorld, and consequently, they are bound by every tie to wish and promote each other's felicity as their own. A man shall leave father and mother, (says the Almighty God, Gen. ii. 24.) and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall le two in one flesh. St. Paul also says, 1 Cor. vii. 39. A ivoman is hound hj 70 ox MATRIMONY, AND THE PRINCIPAL the laiv a.i long as her hmlancl liveth. If two single persons disagree witli each other they have a remedy, as they may separate and seek their happi- ness in the society of a more agreeable friend : but the union of a married couple is so strong, that nothing but the death of one of the contracting parties can dissolve the bond of their marriage ; it is the work of God, and no power of man can break it. They should therefore, make it their constant study to live united together in mutual love, peace and har- mony, dui-ing life, and to have but one heart and one mind in the Lord, as if they were but one and the same person : this is what is signified by the ceremony of joining their hands together at the time of their contract, and by putting a ring, which has no end, on the finger of the bride, that she may have her duty, as it wei-e, always before her eyes, and be con- stantly reminded of the endless love, and perpetual fidelity which the married pair owe to each other. Without a sincere love it is impossible for them to continue long in peace and concord, and without peace and concord, they cannot expect to enjoy any true Christian happiness. Hence, St. Paul, Eph. v. 25. says, Husbands, love your ivives, as Christ also loved the Church ; that is, with a sincere love of charity, or a love according to God, which of its own nature is a mutual duty. Where such a holy love as this reigns, there peace and harmony must dwell ; for the characteristics of this love are, according to the Apostle, to condescend to the weaknesses and imperfections of others, to bear their infirmities ■with mildness and patience, to put up with the inequality and uneven- ness of temper and humoui*, and never designedly to give them any occasion of offence or displeasure ; on the contrary, where this holy love of charity is wanting, there disputes, quarrels and dissensions will natu- • rally prevail whenever occasion ofl:ers. Nothing is more destructive of the mutual love that ought to subsist between mai*ried persons and nuptial infidelity ; nothing more pernicious, nothing ruins the peace of families more, nothing sows the seeds of greater discords, jealousies, and altercations ; it is one of the greatest of crimes, a most grievous profanation of the Sacrament of Marriage, and a crying injustice committed against the innocent party. Let mar- riage he honourable in all, (says St. Paul) and the bed undefiled, for fornica- tors and adulterers God ivill judge, Heb. xiii. 4. and again, in his Epistle to the Galatians, c. v. the Apostle positively declai'es, that neither adidterers V or fornicators, nor those tvho are guiltg of the ivorks of the flesh, shall not obtain the kingdom of God. The dreadful punishment inflicted on Her and Onan for having violated the laws of nature, and made an improper use of matrimony, as the Book of Genesis informs us, c. xxxviii. should be a warning to all married people to preserve inviolably the sanctity of the marriage bed, and ought to deter them from ever falling into the like abominations. The love which they are ordered to bear each other must be ke])t witliin proper bounds ; it is not a sensual love, or a selfish aflection, that has nothing in vieAV but the gratification of their passions. No, my brethren, it is a Christian love, that must not be carried beyond the limits which the law of God prescribes ; it must be always subordi- nate and inferior to the love whicli you owe to the Lord your God, and not like that of Achab, king of Israel, who had a greater love for his wife Je/X'bel, than he had for the living C»od, since to please her he abandoned God, forsook the true religion, and turned idolater, 3 Kings, 0. xxi. Some of the ancient Fathers and Doctors of the Church, speaking of DUTIES OF HUSBANDS AND WIVES. 71 the duties of married persons, and particularly of tlie first married eouple, Adam and Eve, have remarked, that Eve was not formed out of Adams' head, lest she should take from hence an occasion to exalt herself, and claim a superiority over him ; neither was she made of the slime of the earth, like Adam, nor formed out of his feet, lest he should proudly look down upon her with scorn and contempt, or treat her with harshness and severity as a slave ; but she was formed of a rib, taken out of Adam's side, and from the part that was nearest to his heart, to teach him to love, regard, and cherish her as his equal, his companion, his helper, and his very self. Hence St. Paul says. Husbands love t/oiir loives, and be not bitter toioards them, Coloss. iii. 19, and again, Women be subject to your husbands, as it behoveth in the Lord ; and Eph. v. 22. Let ivomen be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord ; and v. 24. As the Church is subject to Christ, so also let the u'ives he to their husbands in all things, because the hus- band is the head of the ivife, as Christ is the head of the Church, v. 23. The authority, then, which God has given husbands over their wives for their common good, is not like that of a master over his slaves, nor even like that of a father over his children, but it resembles the authority which the head has over the members of the body, or rather that of Christ over his mystical body, the Church ; so that the way he governs the Church, Avith great meekness, sweetness, and love, is the best model for husbands to follow in exercising their authority over their wives ; as on the other hand, the way that the Church obeys, loves and respects her heavenly spouse, is the best way for wives to conduct themselves towards their husbands. The husband has no right to maltreat, abuse, or tyrannize over his wife ; nor is the wife to domineer over the husband, either by words or actions, but to behave with all due respect, obedience and defer- ence, and to comply with all his lawful commands. If a husband should unfortunately happen to be unreasonable, ill-humoured, or of a morose turbulent temper, a wife is not therefore to give vent to her passions, and break out into bitter invectives, or abusive provoking language, but to arm herself with patience, and make use of every gentle and prudent means in her power to bring him gradually to a proper sense of his duty, which she may confidently hope to bring about with the blessing of God, provided she can but command her own temper, and, as the Scripture says, has a tongue that can cure and mitigate. Such was the line of con- duct that St. Monica and other great servants of God always followed, and they learned by experience, that a mild, submissive and endearing behaviour is the most effectual means to reclaim a bad husband, and gain his affections. There is still another duty essential to the married state : when G od has been pleased to bless the pai'ties with children, it is their indispensable obligation to give them a Christian and virtuous education, and to use their best endeavours to preserve them in the state of their baptismal sanctity. Nothing, whether in a civil or religious point of view, is more conducive to the happiness' of society than a good and proper education of children, as nothing is productive of greater evils than a bad educa- tion, it being one of the chief sources of the numberless crimes and dis- ordei'S, which like a deluge overspread the face of the earth. "\\''oe to those fathers and mothers, whose words and actions are continual lessons of impiety to their unhappy children, and who, instead of being guardians of their innocence, transmit their own vices to them by their scandalous example. St. Paul tells us, that such parents are worse than infidels j 72 ON THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. and St. John Chrysostom calls them murderers of their children's souls, whose ruin and destruction will be laid at their doors, and whose blood will be demanded at their hands, as the Scripture phrase expresses it, Ezechiel, iii. 18. when they shall be summoned on the last day to give a strict account of their stewardship. Nay, though parents should happen to be blameless in every other respect, and not conscious to themselves of any personal sins of their own, yet if they fail in this one point, and are careless in discharging their duties in quality of parents, and of heads of families, the sins of others, which they might and ought to have pre- vented, will be imputed to them, and the loss of as many souls as perish through their neglect will be laid to their charge. This made the Royal Prophet ciy out to the Lord, Ps. xviii. 13. and beseech him 7iot only to cleanse him from his hnoivn jyersonal sins, but also to j^ardon him his hidden sins, and the sins of others, to which he had been any icay accessary. O Almighty and Eternal God, we humbly prostrate ourselves in thy divine presence, and make the same request. Give us grace to be truly sensible of the duties of our respective states, and to fulfil them faith- fully to thy honour and glory. Enliven our faith, animate our hope, inflame our charity, and grant that after loving and serving thee here on earth, we may have the happiness to see and enjoy thee hereafter in Heaven. Which I sincerely wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. JANUARY TWENTY-FIFTH. ON THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. Gratia Dei sum quod sum, et gratia ejus in me vacua non fuit 1 Cor. c. xv. v. 10. By the grace of God, I am what J am, and his grace hath not been in vain. 1 Cor. c. XV. V. 10. On this day the Church celebrates a particular festival, in memory of, and in thanksgiving for the wonderful Conversion of the great St. Paul, from which the Avorld has derived so many signal advantages, and which will serve as a perfect model to converts and penitents of all succeeding ages. In him we plainly see that man, however weak and insufficient of himself, is capable of the most noble exploits, and equal to the greatest difficulties with the assistance of God's grace. It is to this heavenly source that our Saint gratefully attributes all his perfections, and the merit of all the eminent virtues which adorned his life, and which justly rendered him the admiration of the imiverse : By the grace of God, says he, / am what I am, and his grace has not been in vain. Behold, in a few words, what wonders the grace of God wrought in favour of St. Paul, and what St. Paul did in favour and in defence of God's grace. He was a conquest and victim of grace on the one hand, and a Champion and Doctor of Grace on the other. The grace of God subdued his heart, and gained a complete victory over his proud spirit. Fortified by the same grace he subdued the powers of darkness, and gained a complete victory over the enemies of God's grace ; so that we may call him, with- out the least exaggeration, a most stupendous prodigy of divine grace, wliether we consider the wonderful change that the grace of God wrought in him, the great liberality and profusion with which it was bestowed ou ON THE CONVEBSION OF ST. PAUL. 73 him, or tlie exact fidelity whereby he constantly corresponded with it from the time of his conversion to the latest period of his life : In fine, the grace of God triumphing over St. Paul, and rendering him most con- spicuous for the lustre of his virtues, and the multiplicity of his apostolic labours, and St. Paul triumphing Avith the grace of God over the pride of the world and the rulers of darkness. This is the whole plan and subject of the following discourse. O wonderful grace of my God ! It is thy panegyric I undertake when I undertake that of St. Paul. Enable me, therefore, to display thy virtue and ethcacy this day, to the honour and glory of the giver of all good gifts and graces, and to the edification of this Christian assembly. Obtain for us this favour, O blessed Mother of our Divine Redeemer, through thy intercession, which we humbly request, gi-eeting thee with the Angel, Ave Maria, &c. Never did the mercy of the Lord display itself with more magnificence in favour of any individual, nor did the victorious grace of Jesus Christ ever shine with greater lustre and splendour in the conversion of any particular person, as St. Bernard remarks, than it did in the miraculous conversion of Saul, once a sworn enemy of Christianity. To be con- vinced hereof we need but consider the obstacles that were to be removed, the difficulties that were to be surmounted, and the victories that were to be gained before his conversion could be efiected, and then we shall be obliged to acknowledge with the Royal Prophet, that such a change loas nothing less than the ivo7'k of the right hand of the Most High ; that it has been wrought hy the Lord himself, and that it is wonderful in our eyes. Represent to yourselves, therefore, a resolute, positive, self-suffi- cient and enterprising man, over-ruled by his own private judgment, big with the opinion he has of his own wit and knowledge, a rigid observer of the ceremonies of the Jewish Law, wedded to the doctrine of the Pharisees, strongly attached to the traditions of his ancestors, blinded by prejudice of education, and so fond of maintaining the errors which he imbibed in his early days, that, without any further examination, he rashly and inconsiderately condemns and opposes whatever does not agree with his weak reason, or suit with his own way of thinking. Represent to yourselves, I say, such a man, who desirous to outshine all his equals, and to distinguish himself by some extraordinary exploits, abandons himself to the ardour of his natural dispositions, to the heat of his passions, to the vivacity of his temper, and to the impetuosity of an indiscreet zeal ; who deceives himself for fear of being deceived ; who, through a motive of religion, attacks religion itself, and under the pre- text of piety endeavours to extirpate all those who make a profession of it. Such a person was Saul, before he was converted into Paul ! The death of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the new law, to which he had been accessary, by guarding the garments of those who stoned him, that by this means he might have the pleasure of stoning him by the hands of all his cruel executioners, as St. Augustine remarks ; the death, I say, of this Christian hero, and illustrious champion of Jesus Christ, was not sufficient to appease the wrath of Saul, or satiate the thirst he had after Christian blood, but he resolved to make open war against all the disciples, and if possible, extirpate the very name of Christianity. Jerusalem, nay, all Palestine, or the Holy Land, shortly before that time bedewed with the blood of the innocent Lamb of God, appeared to him to be too small a theatre for executing his furious designs and cruel projects ; for, not content with having purpled the streets of Jeru- 74 0>i THE CONVEHSION OF ST. PAUL. snlem with Christian blood, not satisfied with having searclied the houses of that city and dragged the faithful with open violence into prisons, and from thence before "the tribunals of judges, he is still pushed on by a oreater madness, and is determined to persecute the followers and ad- herents of Christ, even into foreign countries, that were not under the iurisdiction of the Jews. He had not patience to wait until he was employed, but of his own accord he goes to the High Priest, and demands sanguinary letters to the synagogue of Damascus, which w^as fifty leagues from Jerusalem ; he obtains a commission, whereby he is authorized and empowered to seize, without any distinction of sex or age, all the Christians he could find, and to bring them bound with chains, and laden with irons to Jerusalem, in order to be there imprisoned, con- demned, and executed without mercy or compassion. Alas ! to what extremes are the enemies of the Church often hurried by a blind zeal for a false religion ? Saul was then entering into the thirty-third year, and the fervour of his age, which meeting with his blind zeal for the Jewish religion, made him undertake with alacrity a journey to the city of Damascus, armed with no less fury than King Antiochus formerly was, when he marched in full haste towards Jerusalem, with a full intent to lay that city in ashes, to massacre all its inhabitants, and bury them under its ruins ; for as St. Luke tells us, Saul breathed nothing but threats and slaughter, but fire and desolation against the disciples of the Lord. You may judge what a difficult task it was to convert a man of these dis- positions. Who would have imagined, then, that this very person was to be one day the most strenuous defender of the Christian religion ? "Who would have believed that a wolf, who ravaged the Lord's sheepfold so furiously, was to become in a short time after one of the best of Pas- tors, one of the Pillars of the Church, one of the Princes of the apostolic College ? And yet, glory, honour and praise be to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, this was the case ; for the very time he was exercising the aforesaid barbarous cruelties, was the happy time which Heaven had destined for his conversion. When he was drawing near the city of Damascus, with weapons in his hand, rage in his heart, and fury in his eyes, the Father of Mercies was pleased to look down propitiously upon him, and draw him out of the abyss of iniquity after a singidar manner, that the triumph of his grace might be thereby rendered the more illus- trious. To humble the pride of Pharaoh, God was pleased to send Moses ; he destined the Prophet Jonas for the conversion of the Ninivites, Natlian for the conversion of King David, and the twelve Apostles for the con- version of the whole v/orld ; but when Saul was to be converted and gained over to the true faith, neither Prophets, nor Apostles, nor Angels were employed ; a work attended with such difficulty was reserved for Jesus Christ himself in person, who was pleased to become Saul's Preacher and Apostle, and to employ both his power and mercy to sub- due his stubborn and rebellious heart, and gain a complete victory over his proud spirit ; hence he prostrated him, in order to raise him to the dignity of an Apostle ; he blinded him in ox'der to enlighten him ; he humbled him in order to exalt him, and make him a 13octor of the Church ; for a great light from Heaven, brighter than the sun, having on a sudden surrounded Saul as he was on the road to Damascus, he was thrown from his horse, cast on the ground, and struck blind ; at the same time a voice, like a terrible clap of tliunder, was heard in the air, saying to him : Said, ON THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. 75 Smd, li'liy dost thou jjersecufe me ? I am Jesus, tvhom thou dost pei^'tecute : It is hard for thee to lick against the goad. No sooner did he hear this voice from Heaven, but he was struck with terror and amazement, and cried out immediately, Lord, what tvill thou have me to do ? No sooner was he deprived of the sight of liis corporal eyes, but the eyes of his soul were opened, and the clouds of ignorance that darkened his understanding were dispelled. No sooner was he called by the Father of Mercies, but he ' obeys his oixlers, and goes into the city of Damascus, where he is baptized by Ananias, recovers his sight, and is filled with the Holy Ghost. He is now no longer the same person he was ; he is converted in an instant ; Saul is changed into Paul ; the old man, and all other earthly sentiments are crucified in his heart ; he tramples on all the suggestions of flesh and blood ; he renounces Satan with all his works ; he counts all things in the icorld as dirt, to gain Jesus Christ ; he is inspired with a firm resolution to devote himself entirely to God, and aspire to the very summit of Christian perfection ; he is ready to undertake every thing, to execute every thing, to suffer every thing, in order to repair the past, and promote the honour and glory of his Divine Master. He combats against himself, he fights against his passions, he encounters the depraved inclinations of nature, he subdues his own will, and submits it to the will of God, he chastises his body, and brings it under subjection to the sjnrit, by severe fastings, watchings, and other great mortifications. In a word, he takes up his cross and follows Jesus Christ, aiming at nothing more than to become a living picture and image of that Divine Original. Far from persecuting the Church, he is now resolved to establish it in every part of the known world : far from making war against the Christians, he is now determined to defend them, to insti'uct them, to comfort them, and to relieve them ; from a ravenous wolf he is trans- formed into a meek lamb ; from an implacable enemy and cruel perse- cutor, he is changed into a faitliful disciple of Christ, and a most zealous Pastor of his flock ; from a vessel of wrath he becomes a vessel of election, a mirror of sanctity, and a darling of Heaven. Scarce was he converted to the true faith, when he began in public to ])reach Jesus Christ cnicified, to the great confusion of the Jews, but to the inexpressible joy and consolation of the faithful, who magnified the Lord for having raised so able a champion to support their cause. No distance of nations could confine the ardour of his indefatigable zeal ; he flew like lightning from city to city, from province to province, from country to country, from one kingdom to another, sowing the seed of his heavenly doctrine, and beating down the pride of Cassar's by the humility of the cross : wherever he goes, he preaches both by his word and example, the gospel of austerity and self-denial ; and 0 miracle of God's grace ! the arrogance of phi- losophers is humbled, the eloquence of orators is confounded, his doctrine is received by a people until then drowned in sensuality, and is adopted by nations where idolatry reigned, and where superstition had placecl her throne. He carries the sioeet name of Jesus before the Gentiles with great simplicity, and no sooner announces the mysteries of salvation to them, but he persuades them to adore a crucified God instead of a thundering Jupiter, a Mars and a Venus. At his arrival the enemies of Jesus Christ are struck blind, the devils quit the bodies of those they possessed, the oracles are silenced, the altai'S of the false gods are demolished, their sacrifices are abolished, their idols are destroyed, the empire of Satan is overthrown, the sick are healed, the dead are raised to life, the deaf, the 75 ON THK CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. dumb and tlie blind are restored to their perfect senses; the Jews acknowledged their obstinacy, the Gentiles renounce their superstition, the learned^ are convinced of their errors, the unlearned are instructed in the science of salvation, the magicians burn their books, the temples of the devils are pulled down. Christian churches are founded, numberless sinners are rescued from the jaws of hell, multitudes cry out for baptism, the kingdom of Jesus Christ is enlarged, the true religion is established upon the ruins of paganism, and the destruction of the Jewish synagogue. Such were the signal advantages that this great Apostle reaped from his labours : such were the worthy fruits of his repentance ; such were the trophies he gained wherever he travelled, aided only by the grace of God, and armed by the two-edged sword of his divine word. So true it is that the grace of God tvas not in vain in him, but wrought the most stupendous prodigies in him, and by him, in order to enable him to subdue the united legions of hell, with the combined powers of the earth, and subject the world to the sweet yoke of the Evangelical law. Behold here, my brethren, a finished model of a true and sincere con- version, and at the same time a most illustrious example, that is sufficient to afford consolation even to the greatest sinners on earth, and to inspire them with hope and confidence in the divine mercy, as it shews plainly that the Lord, as it were, delights in making the riches of his mercy shine in the conversion of great sinners, according to the words of the Apostle, Where sin has abounded, there has grace siqmxibounded. The wonderful change that the grace of God wrought in St. Paul, is a convincing proof that there is no wound so incurable to the hand of an omnipotent physi- cian, as St. Augustine speaks, and therefore we should never despair, let our case be ever so desperate, since we are yet capable of eternal life, and may still become vessels of election, if like St. Paul we be sincerely converted to the Lord our God, and practise the virtues that are within the sphere of our duty ; but if we harden our hearts, if we resist the Holy Ghost, if we reject the graces that are offered to us by the Father of Mercies, if we put off our conversion from day to day, if we shut our ears against the voice of God, if we obstinately refuse to hear and obey him, when he knocks at the door of our heart, and mercifully calls us to repentance, by the interior motions of his grace, alas ! we run the risk of being eternally excluded from the kingdom of Heaven ; and this per- haps would have been the very case of Saul the persecutor, if he had not seized on the favourable opportunity that was offered to him on the road to Damascus. Instead of being one of the greatest saints in Heaven, he would now, perhaps, be the fuel of eternal flames, if he had neglected the precious moments of his visitation. But he obeyed at the first call and voice of our Saviour, to denote his entire submission ; he cried out immediately. Lord, iohat unit thou have vie to do ? making an entii-e sa- crifice and oblation of himself, to execute the divine will in every thing, the corporal blindness with which he was struck, exciting him to bewail the spiritual blindness in which he had lived. He was led by the hand into Damascus, where he sought a spiritual guide, a skilful director, an holy bishop, by name Ananias, who received liim into the pale of the Church, and pointed out to him the way of salvation ; for though he was called to the ministry by God himself, yet he could not exercise the functions of an Apostle, till he was received by the Chui'ch, till he had his credentials signed, till Ananias imposed hands on Mm. Jesus Christ would not finish his instructions by himself, as St. Augustine observes, ON THE CONVERSION Ol" ST. PAUL. 77 but sent liim to be approved, guided, and directed by the Ministers whom he appointed in the Church for that purpose, and whom he commands to hear in his name. So true it is, that a hiwful mission is required to preach the Word of God, for how shall the]) iireach unless tlwj he sent, says St. Paul, Eom. X. 15. He fox*etold. Acts c. xx. that in after-times several persons ivould rise up, speaking pervei'se things, to draw aioay the faithful after them ; wherefore he desires us to u-atch andjiersevere in the ancient faith, and though an Angel from Heaven should preach another Gospel, to look upon him as anathema, Galat. i. 8. This shews what little credit we are to give to those self-created and self-opinionated teachers of our days, who, without any ordination, without any mission, usurp a power that does not belong to them, and come of their own accord, in opposition to the Pastors of the Church of Chi'ist, to preach up new-fangled doctrines, and to point out a new road to Heaven, as if they had more sense than the rest of mankind, and understood the Scriptures better than all their pre- decessors in all the foregoing ages. St. Paul, after his conversion, was far from giving into a presumption and self-confidence of this kind, it being the source of error and illusion ; he was so far from making his own private judgment the rule and standard of his faith, as our modern free- thinkers do, that he submitted himself to the guidance of the Pastors and Prelates of the Church ; he captivated his understanding in obedience to divine faith, and was willing to be instructed in the way of salvation by the Ministers of Jesus Christ, and to learn his will from their mouth. O my brethren, how different is this from the conduct of several unhappy sinners of these days, who, deaf to the salutary instructions and advice of their Pastors, and spiritual Guides, continue whole years together on the road of Damascus, on the broad road of eternal perdition, running headlong to their own destruction ? The Lord, who desires not the death of a sinner, but rather that he be converted and live, ceases not to invite them to repentance by his saci-ed inspirations ; he is ready to embrace them with open arms, provided they return in the sincerity of their hearts ; he offers them the kiss of peace ; he speaks to them by the mouth of his Preachers and Teachers, he cries out to them, / am Jesus ivhom you persecute, and crucify over again, by every mortal sin you commit; but they are unfortunately so hardened and stiff-necked, that neither the loud thunder of God's menaces, nor the clamours and stings of a giiilty conscience, nor the advice of the Clergy, nor the most feeling discourses that are delivered from the chair of truth, are able to awaken them from the profound lethargy of their sins. Alas, unhappy mortals ! what excuse shall they plead, or what account shall they give of themselves on the day of judgment, when the Son of God shall reproach them with the insensibility of their hearts ? If Saul could not hear those few words from his mouth without falling to the gx-ound, I am Jesus whom thou dost persecute, how shall they be able to withstand the same thundering voice, and to hear the same bitter reproaches on the last day ? How shall they be able to appear before their angry Judge, and hear him pronounce this terrible sentence of their eternal reprobation. Depart from me ye accursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. I heartily wish, my dear brethren, that the Lord may preserve every one in this congregation from the misfortune of falling under this terrible sentence, and therefore I conjure you all, in the name of the living God, to copy after the noble pattern I have hitherto laid before you. The same grace that sanctified the great Apostle is able to sanctify you, if 78 ON THK DUTIES OF you co-opei-ate faithfully with it, and be sincerely converted to the Lord your God ; and the same recompense is also reserved for you by the just Jud2;e, provided you labour seriously for it, according to your respective station's of life, edifying your neighbour by your good example, and endeavouring by your wholesome advice to convert and reclaim such as you know to be unhappily straying aAvay from the path of salvation. O sweetest Jesus ! grant the grace of a true conversion to all sinners ; liave compassion on all those who through error and infidelity are out of the pale of thy Church. Open their eyes, and remove, by thy heavenly light, their obstinacy and prejudice, whichprevent them from embracing thy revealed truths. Remember, O merciful Redeemer, that thou didst come down from Heaven to seek one strayed sheep on the road to Da- mascus. By the same charity we beseech thee, to bring back to thy flock all those who are straying from thee, the good Shepherd of our souls. Lead them into the ways of truth and virtue, that being united to thee by faith and charity, we may all become onefold under one Shepherd, until we meet together in the charming mansions of the heavenly Jerusalem. Which is the happiness I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. ON THE DUTIES OF MASTERS AND SERVANTS. AccGssit ad eum Centurio, rogans eum, et dicens, Domine puer meus jacet in domo paralyticus, et male torquetur — St. Matt. c. viii. v. 5Q. There came to him a Centurion, beseeching him, and saying. Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, and is grievously tormented — St. Matt. c. viii. v. 5Q. Two great miracles are related in the Gospel of this day ; first the instantaneous cure of a man covered all over with a leprosy, who no sooner acknowledged the divine power of our Blessed Saviour, but he immediately stretched forth his merciful hand, and with a single touch of it healed him in a moment. Tlie second is the wonderful cure of the servant of a Centurion or Roman Captain, who came to our Divine Redeemer, saying. Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the jmky. He presented his petition with such humility, faith, and confidence, that Jesus Christ said to those who followed him, / have not found so great faith in Israel. The Centurion's tenderness and compassion for his poor servant made him overlook every trouble that was necessary to be taken for the purpose of having him speedily restored to his perfect health ; his charity induced him to go himself in person to Jesus, in hopes that he would vouchsafe to look upon him with an eye of pity, and effect his recovery ; but thinking himself unworthy of the honour to receive the Son of God under the roof of his house, and believing that his divine power was able to operate at a distance, and that one single word from liim Avould be no less efficacious than his actual presence, he cried out, Lord, I am not worlhij that thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only say the ivord and my servant shall be healed ; whereupon our merciful Redeemer was moved to grant his request, and replied with his usual meekness, Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee ; and, as the Gospel tells us, the servant ivas healed at the same hour. Behold here, my brethren, an MASTEllS AND SERVANTS. 79 excellent lesson for us all to be humble always in our own eyes, since nothing moves God more effectually to bestow his blessings, and grant his gracious favours to us than a profound humility. He stoops, says St. Augustine, to the humble, and withdraws himself from the proud. The charitable conduct of the Centurion towards his servant is also an instruc- tive lesson to all masters and mistresses, with regard to their servants, and affords me a favourable opportunity to expatiate on the respective duties and obligations, both of the one and the other, in the following discourse. The duties of masters and mistresses to their servants shall be the subject of the first point ; the duties of servants to their masters and mistresses shall be the subject of the second point. Let us pre- viously implore the assistance of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, whom the Angel saluted, full of grace. Ave Maria. The providence of God reacheth strongly from end to end, and sweetly disposeth all things, as the Scripture expresses it: It exalts some persons to a higher station in life, and places others in a lower and more humble degree, for the mutual benefit and greater advantage of both, that by a faithful compliance with the different duties and functions of their respective states they may be useful to each other, and may all attain to the happy end for which they have been created. Civil society, and the union of its members, could not subsist if there was a perfect equality in the states and conditions of life, or if all men were upon the same footing, and independent of each other ; whereas, in consequence of the wise arrangement of Providence, and the establishment of different states and conditions in the world, they are closely linked together by ties of subordination and mutual dependence, which engages them to serve and assist one another as members of the same body and children of the same great family, whereof God is the common Father and the Sovereign Lord and Master. All authority that earthly masters and mis- tresses have over their servants, is derived from God ; they are but iipper servants and stewards themselves, and shall be called one day to a strict account of their stewardship, if they abuse their authority, or do not exercise it for the good end for Avhich it is given them. Hence St. Paul, speaking of the duties of masters and mistresses to their ser- vants, says to them, Ephes. vi. 9-, Soth you and they have a Master in Heaven, and there is no respect of persons ivith him; and again, Coloss. iv. 1., Masters, do to your servants that ivhich is just and equal, Inowing that you also have a Master in Heaven. The justice that masters and mistresses owe their servants, consists first, in exactly paying them their wages according to agreement. God has strictly enjoined this duty, and to be Vv^anting herein is a most sinful oppression and enormous crime, that is said to cry aloud to Heaven for vengeance, St. James, v. 4. Secondly, they are bound to see that their servants' provision and diet be sufficient and wholesome ; for as their whole livelihood depends on their labour, and their labour on their health, it is cruelty not to provide for them such food as may be consistent v»ith health. If sickness disables them for a time, justice and charity dictate that proper cai'e ought to be taken for their recovery. The solicitude of the good centurion, v/ho had recourse to Christ with such fervour and concern for his sick servant, is a model for all heads of families, and shews them that they are not to abandon their servants in the hour of 80 ON THE iJUTIES OF distress, but to afford them every necessaiy assistance, both spiritual and temporal, and to consider them as a part of their family, as their own brethren as their own selves, according to these Avords of the Scripture, If thou have a faithful servant, let him he to thee as thy oivn soul, treat him as a brother, Eccles. xxxiii. 31. And really a good and faithfvd servant, who fears God, is a valuable ti-easure, and often brings a blessing to the family where he lives. We have a remarkable instance hereof in Genesis, xxxix. 5, Avherein Ave read, that Avhen Joseph Avas servant to Pharaoh's officer in Egypt, the Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian for Joseph's sake, and multiplied all his substance, both at home and in the fields. What shall Ave then say of those mastei's and mistresses who look doAvn upon their servants Avitli scorn and contempt, as creatures made merely for drudgery, and treat them Avith as much cruelty as Pharaoh formerly treated the children of Israel, overloading them Avith insupportable burdens, and Avorking them like slaves and beasts ? People of this description should remember, that the master and the servant, the lady and her maid, are formed out of the same piece of clay, and therefore cannot pretend to any natural superiority over one another. All the advantage comes from money or title, and perhaps from fraud and circumvention, in Avhich case an innocent slave is more noble and more valuable in the judgment of God than a Avicked monarch. He that has received fewer talents of the goods of this life, Avill have a less account to give on the last day, than he to Avhom much Avas given. He may, of course, expect that the divine justice Avill deal Avitli him more mildly, and punish him less severely, than those Avho are exalted to a higher station of life, according to these Avords of the Scripture, To him that is little mercy is granted, hut the mighty shall be mightily tormented, Wisd. vi, 7. Moreover, the Gospel teaches us that Ave are all brethren in Jesus Christ ; he gave as many drops of his precious blood for poor Lazarus, as he did for the rich man, Avho Avas clothed in purple and silk, and feasted sumptuously every day ; and he purchased as good a title to Heaven for the lowest servant on earth as for the most exalted lord. Servants, therefore, ai'e not to be despised, maltreated, or ojipressed Avith over-hard labour on account of their poor, humble situation, but to be used Avith kindness and brotherly love, especially Avhen they con- duct themselves Avith propriety. At the approach of old age, Avhen they are past their labour, and after spending their blood and exhausting their sweat, their strength, and spirits in servitude, they are not to be turned out of doors, and unmercifully exposed to Avant and misery in the streets, because they are incapable of earning their bread. This Avould be to imitate the barbai'ity of those savages in India, who are said to expose old, dccrcpid, and disabled people to the danger of imme- diate death, by falling victims to the ferocity of lions and tigers. Masters and mistresses should rather copy after the charitable Samaritan and Centurion in this day's Gospel, by succouring their faithful servants in the time of infirmity and old age, and making them a grateful recom- pense for their past services, Avhen they stand most in need of help. Hence the Scripture says. Hurt not the servant that ivorketh faithfully, nor the hired man that giveth thee his life ; defraud him not of liberty, nor leave him needy. Eccles. vii. 22, 23. Besides the attention that masters and mistresses are bound to pay to their servants' bodily health and temporal Avelfare, it is incumbent on MASTERS AND SERVANTS. 81 them to be mindful of the spiritual welfare and eternal salvation of their souls. If any man, says St. Paul, have not 'care of his own, he hath denied the faith, and is ivorse than an infidel, 1 Tim. v. 8. Nay, it is not only the duty, but likewise the interest of masters and mistresses, to see tlaat their servants lead a Christian life ; the better Cliristians they are, the better servants they will also be. They should be allowed a convenient time for attending their devotions, frequenting the holy Sacraments, hearing the Word of God, and complying with the general duties of Christianity, the practice of which masters and mistresses are obliged to enforce, if requisite, by making use of the authority which God has given them. It is highly commendable, if circumstances will allow it, to assemble their whole family every night for the purpose of paying a common homage of prayer to God, especially as our Blessed Saviour assures us in the Gospel, that where two or three are assembled together in his name, he is in the midst of them. Servants should not be compelled to unnecessary labour on the Lord's Day, but be left at liberty to devote the better part of it to the spiritual exercises of piety and devotion ; for God has expressly ordered in the Third Commandment, that neither man nor maid servant should be employed in doing any servile Avork on the Sabbath Day, because they are all the week engaged in a continual slavery ; and if they be hindered from sanctifying the day of rest which God has given them, and ordered to be kept holy in a particular manner, they will have but little opportunity to serve their Master in Heaven, and take proper care of their souls. Admonition is another duty of masters and mistresses ; they not only have the charge, but also the command of their domestics, under Gocl, and therefore they arc accountable for all the sinful disorders which are the effect of their connivance or neglect. Charitable means and repeated advice are to be tried first, then reproof and tlireats ; for, to be silent where faults deserve reproof or correction, is a vicious mildness ; and to be always finding fault about trifles, and scolding for every little mistake, is another extreme to be equally avoided. Masters and mistresses ai-e to make some allowance for the weakness of human nature, and instead of venting their passions in haughty, imperious, abusive, and scurrilous language, or in horrid oaths or imprecations, they should treat their servants with gentleness and humanity, as their fellow Christians, and give their orders and directions in an easy cool manner. A treatment of this kind is apter to gain the affections, and to attach the hearts of servants to the welfare of their masters and mistresses ; for which reason the Scripture says, Be not as a lion in thj house, terrifying them of thy household, and op^oressing them that are under thee, Eccles. iv. 35. "When anger is necessary, it ought to be managed with charity, moderation and discretion. If after using the like endeavours for the amendments of faults and neglects, servants continue obstinate, incorrigible, subject to drunkenness, cursing, swearing, or any kind of obscene or scandalous words and actions, they are to be discharged for the good of the fam,ily, when after three or four admonitions and reproofs they do not mend. This is the doctrine which St. Charles Borroma3us, in his Pastoral Instructions, where he says, " The heads of families, who do not oblige " their domestics to learn the necessary duties of Christianity, or who do " not mind whether they observe the commandments of God and the " precepts of the Church, or who do not reprove them when they sin, " or do not dismiss them when they arc incorrigible, and continue to F 82 ON THE DUTIES OF " o-ive scandal to tlieir cliiklren, are by no means to be absolved unless " they discharge their duty, and promise to be more vigilant in removing " what may be an infection to their whole family." Good example is another duty of masters and mistresses, and the surest way to keep order and regularity in a family. The want of this is the ruin of many servants, who considering those that are over them as their head, naturally receive impressions from whatever they see or hear them do or say, and are thereby encouraged, to follow, without scruple, the tracks of those who should guide them ; nay, servants of evil inclinations are often glad to find shelter under the bad example of their masters and mistresses. As to the duties of servants they may be briefly reduced to these three heads : Respect, Obedience, and Fidelity. First, they are obliged both in words and actions, to honour and respect their masters and mistresses, who, by God's appointment, have authority over them. Far from joining in any discourses or complaints, either with their companions or strangers ; far from revealing their private faults, or divulging their secrets, which may lessen their reputation, they are bound to espouse their interest iu things that are lawful, and to defend their character as far as truth and justice will allow, whenever calumny or detraction attempts to blacken it. When. they are reproved, they are to behave with submission and patience, governing their tongues, refraining from surly looks, and from answers unbecoming their condition, according to the advice given by St. Paul, of not answering again, or contending for the last word. If the reproof be for some real fault, then, as it is justly deserved, it ought to be considered as an act of justice, and should be borne in silence without murmuring, or sliewing ill-humour. When they give no occasion, and are notwithstanding chid and reproved, they are still to humble them- selves, in hopes of partaking hei-eafter of the reward promised to those who suffer for j ustice sake, 1 Peter, ii. 18, 19. They may, indeed, de- clare the truth, and shew their innocence with calmness, and in a few respectful words, when they are allovfed to speak in their own defence ; yet, if they are not believed, but blamed, as faulty, silence is a better expedient than an unreasonable ill-timed defence. Lies of excuse, though very common on similar occasions, are not to be recurred to for the pur- pose of avoiding anger, because this is defending themselves with the weapons of Satan, and offending God to escape tlie anger of men. It is much more advisable to own their fault candidly whenever they are guilty, to promise amendment, and to be more careful in not giving any further occasion for anger. The next duty of servants, is obedience iu all lawful com.mands. Ser- vants, (says St. Paul, Ephes. vi. 5.) he obedient to them that are your lords, according to the flesh, with fear and trembling ; do what you are ordered ivith a good ivill, that is, willingly and cheerfully; and again, Coloss. iii. 22. Servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not serv- ing to the eye, as pleasing men, but in simplicity of heart, fearing God. What- soever you do, do it from the heart, as to the Lord, and not to men, Icnowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance. Hence it is evi- dent, that servants are to consider God commanding them in the persons of their masters and misti-esses, and are to obey their commands as if it was God himself they obeyed, or as if it was God that enjoined this work, or that labour, thi'ough the mouth of their master or mistress. A ready compliance, in contrudiction to all the interior motions of their MASTERS AND SEBVANTS. 83 own will, and a prompt obedience, without unnecessary delays or putting off to another time the business that is better done at present, is un- doubtedly a very meritorious self-denial, and a most acceptable Christian virtue, that cannot fail entitling servants to a great recompence in Hea- ven, provided they refer it to God with an intention of pleasing him, and are obedient, not through a servile or mercenary motive, as to men only, says the Apostle, hut as to God, by whose power men command, and for whose sake they are to be obeyed, in all their lawful commands only ; for the obedience due by servants, does not oblige them to concur in any thing that is sinful, or to comply with any orders which are contrary to the Law of God. In such a case, God is to be obeyed before men ; for which reason the servants of Absolom, spoken of 2 Kings, c. xiii, are justly condemned for having obeyed the wicked orders of their master, who had commanded them to murder Ammon. Fidelity is the third duty of servants, according to these words of St. Paul, Tit. c. ii. v. 9. Exhort servants to he obedient to their masters, in all things pleasing, not gainsaying, not defrauding, but in all things shewing good fidelity. This fidelity obliges them to employ their time well through a motive of justice, and for our conscience sake, and of course to be careful in the performance of whatever business they undertake, not only when they have the master's or the mistress's eye to overlook them, but also when they are not seen, and have no other witness but God. They are bound to manage whatever is entrusted to them, and is under their charge, as if it were their own, and not let their master or mistress suffer any prejudice or loss through their connivance, neglect, or prodigality. If money be entrusted to them, they must be faithful in disposing of it to the best advantage, and in giving a fair account of what is expended, without overcharging or keeping any part of it to themselves. All that they save, all the profit they make in buying or selling at a better rate than others, belongs to their master and mistress, who employs them for that purpose, and if they make bad bargains for them, on account of some presents offered to them by those with whom they deal, they are guilty of a breach of fidelity, and of a violation of justice. To waste and embezzle their master's substance, to take up articles clandestinely on his score, to convert what belongs to him to their own or any other person's use, without his knowledge and leave ; to entertain their ac- quaintance and companions at his cost ; to retain the money they find in the sweepings of the house, to receive considerable presents from children, who have no right to alienate the property of their parents, Avithout per- mission ; and to have recourse to private compensation, upon the specious pretext that their wages are not proportioned to their hard labour, are likewise unjust practices, and manifest breaches of fidelity, contrary to the Law of God, and condemned by the Church. The holy Scripture holds out to all servants a very edifying example of fidelity, in the person of the virtuous Joseph, Avho was entrusted by his master with the management of all his affairs, and another in the pa- tient and laborious Jacob, who served his uncle Laban so faithfully, that he never embezzled any part of his substance, never neglected his business, never alienated his property, nor suffered his goods to be damaged for want of due care. Gen. xxx. and xxxi. But no example can be more edifying, more instructive, or more powerful to encourage and animate all Christian servants to a faithful and cheerful compliance Avith the duties of their state, than the example of our Lord and Savioiu- Jesus Christ, 84 ON THE DUTIES OF MASTERS AND SEKVANTS. Who heing in the form of God, as the Apostle speaks, Phil. 7, dkl not dis- dain to humble himself, talcing the form of a servant. Though he was the Son of the living God, and the King of Heaven and earth, yet he vouch- safed to go before all Christian servants by his example, says St. Augus- tine, in liis exposition of the cxxivth Psalm, having washed his disciples' feet Avith the most profound humility, and declared in the xxth ch. of St. MatthcAV, v. 28, that he came not to he served, hut to serve ; the very consideration hereof is sufficient to hinder servants from murmuring, fretting, and repining at the low situation in which Providence has been pleased to place them. Instead of complaining, and thinking themselves wretched and unhappy, because they are obliged to earn their bread with the sweat of their brow and the labour of their hands, they ought rather to rejoice and console themselves with the pleasing reflection, that they have it in their power to become more perfect followers of Jesus Christ, and to imitate him the better, as their state bears a strong resem- blance to him in the humble state which he was pleased to choose for himself here on earth. It preserves them from a variety of tribulations, anxieties and dangers, to which other states are generally exposed. It is the state designed and appointed for them by the will of God, who knows what is most proper for them, and most conducive to their eternal salva- tion. It puts them under the happy necessity of practising the truly Christian virtues of humility, obedience, and penance, and affords them the fairest opportunity of laying up spiritual treasures for their souls, and gaining a never-fading crown of glory in heaven, whilst they are work- ing every day for the siibsistence of their bodies, and earning an honest livelihood for themselves on earth. O, how happy, then, would servants be, if they took proper care to discharge faithfully, and with due submis- sion to the divine will, all the obligations to which their condition en- gages them ? By this means they would bid fair to go before their mas- ters and mistresses in the next life, and become more acceptable to their common Lord and Master than those who, in this world, seem to have much the advantage of them. The surest way for them to find comfort and satisfaction, Avhere all other earthly comforts are wanting, is to carry their cross willingly after Jesus Christ, and to preserve ahvays the testi- mony of a good conscience, which according to the Scripture, is a conti- nual feast. No worldly advantage or salary should induce them to accept of, or to remain in any place, where they see nothing but scandalous ex- ample, are denied the free exercise of their religion, or are exposed to the immediate danger of being ruined and drawn into vice. They are not to be deterred by human respect or servile fear, from showing their absolute dislike and utter aversion to whatever is disorderly and criminal. God is to be feared more than man, for which reason they are to be ready to lose their corporal life in defence of virtue, rather than sacrifice their souls to Satan, by consenting to one single mortal sin. Let them, above all things, love and serve the Lord their God, and lead a Christian life, by keeping all his commandments, and observing the precepts of his Church. Since they have not the command of their own time, whilst their hands are employed at their daily labour, let them raise their hearts and thoughts frequently to Heaven, and breathe forth some short ejacu- latory prayer ; let them bear the hardships they have to endure with patience and resignation, and offer them up in the spirit of penance, and in union Avith the toils and laborious life of Jesus Christ on earth. By these means all their sufferings will be sanctified and improved into ON THE NECESSITY OF SUBDUIN*G OUR PASSIONS. 85 occasions of virtue ; and wliat makes their life here below so painful and SO uneasy will become lighter, and be rendered a most acceptable sacri- fice in the sight of Heaven. O Divine Jesus, we prostrate ourselves at the sacred feet of thy mercy, like the poor leper mentioned in the Gospel, and most humbly beseech thee to pardon our past errors and neglects. We acknowledge that our souls are covered with the leprosy of sin, but we know that if thou wilt thou canst heal us. We own, with the Cen- turion, that we are unworthy of thy gracious favours, and do not deserve to be ranked in the number of thy children, or to be called thy servants ; but we also know that thy mercies are above all thy works. Vouchsafe then, O blessed Redeemer, to stretch forth thy hand, and touch our souls with the healing balsam of thy grace, that like unto the lepei*, we may be cleansed and purified from all the foul stains of sin, and found fit on the last day to be admitted into the happy mansions of the heavenly Jerusalem. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. A7ne?i. FOUKTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. ON THE NECESSITY OF SUBDUING OUR PASSIONS, AND PRACTISING SELF-DENIAL. Iraperavit ventis et mari, et facta est tranquilitas magna — Matt. c. viii. v. 26. Jesus commanded the winds andthe sea, and there came a great calm Matt. c. viii. v. 26. We read in the Gospel of this day, that our blessed Saviour having embarked along with his disciples on board a small ship, in order to cross over the sea of Galilee, a violent stoi'm arose, and. the sea began to rage so furiously, that the ship wherein they sailed, was covered Avith waves, and seemed to be in imminent danger of sinking. The Evangelist tells us, that our Saviour was in the mean time asleep at the stern. Where- fore the disciples, intimidated at their situation, and apprehending that they would shortly be swallowed up in the deep, awakened him, and cried out for relief, saying, 0 Lord save its, we jyerish. The Saviour of the World, moved by their cries, and attentive to their petition, rose up in an instant, and after rebuking them for their little faith, he commanded the winds to be silent, and the sea to be still, and immediately the storm abated, and there ensued a perfect calm. The ship wherein Christ and his disciples sailed, was an emblem of the Holy Catholic Church, which, by the permission of Heaven, has been oftentimes tossed to and fi-o by the stormy winds of violent persecutions, and so furiously beaten by the merciless waves of several formidable he- resies and schisms, that for a while she appeared to be, as it were, in a manner abandoned by Divine Providence, and in manifest danger of being wrecked and dashed to pieces. But glory be to God, the Chui-ch of Christ never was, and never will be abandoned by Heaven. She has already withstood every shock, and weathered out every storm that the powers of hell have raised against her these eighteen hundred years past, and undoubtedly she will continue to the end of time, to rise tri- umphantly like Noah's ark, above the raging billows of persecution, and the swelling waves of pernicious errors, since Christ himself has promised to abide constantly with her unto the consummation of ages, and since the 86 ON THE NECESSITY OF Holy Ghost presides continually at the helm, in order to steer and guide her in all truth, unto tlie very end of the world. The members indeed of the church militant must expect to meet with various adversities and tribulations, conflicts and storms, whilst they are sailing through the boisterous ocean of this mortal life. It is in vain for them to hope to be entirely exempted from such trials, until they have the happiness to arrive in the haven of a blessed eternity. In the interim Christ our Lord appears sometimes as it were, to sleep and to neglect them, in order to try their fidelity, to exercise their patience, to encrease their merit, to make them more sensible of their manifold neces- sities, and more fervent in imploring the succour of his divine grace. However, he never fails, in his own good time, to bring seasonable aid and relief to those who place their trust and confidence in him, and have recourse to his mercy in the hour of distress. This should animate us to encounter every difficulty that occurs in the service of God, with courage and resolution, and like the disciples in the gospel of this day, to call devoutly on Jesus, our blessed Redeemer, to be our safeguard and pro- tector amidst the various dangers which surround us on every side, particularly those most dangerous stoi'ms, and frequent conflicts that arise from the violence of our passions, and from the depravity of the human heart ; for as the Prophet Isaias says, the heart of man is like unto a tempestuous sea, disturbed and agitated by so many disorderly passions, that the ship of his soul is continually exposed to the danger of splitting on the rocks of eternal perdition, if he does not take care, with the assistance of God's grace, to regulate the motions of his heart, to check the violence of his passions, and to restrain their excesses by the practices of self-denial. It is on the necessity and advantages of this Christian virtue, that I purpose to expatiate in the following discourse. The indispensable obligation and necessity of restraining the depraved inclinations of nature, and subduing our disorderly passions, shall be the subject of the first point. The most efiectual means to succeed herein shall be the subject of the second point. Let us previously implore the light of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the immaculate Virgin, greeting her with the words of the Angel Gabriel, Ave 3Ia7-ia, c^c. Our blessed Saviour says, c. x. of St. Matt, that a man's enemies are liis ov/n domestics ; that is, his own self, his own corrupt nature, his own concupiscence, his own depraved inclinations, and disorderly passions. These are the most dangerous enemies which we have to encounter. They deceive us under a thousand disguises, and are apt to render our very devotions liable to a thousand illusions. "We have it in our power to keep out of the way of the other enemies of our souls. We can fly from the devil. Vf e can shun the tempting allurements of the world. We can avoid the outward and immediate occasions and incentives of sin, but we cannot fly from these domestic enemies, since we always carry them about us wherever we go. It is necessary then to be prepared to wage a continual war against them, and to be armed with christian vigilance, against every irregular symptom of an approaching temptation, that we may come off victorious in the day of battle, and preserve the inestimable treasure of virtue and innocence pure and untainted in the midst of corruption. To deny the necessity of self-denial and mortification, both inward and outward, both spiritual and corporal, would be to destroy the Avliole SUBDUING OUR ^ASS10^^S. 87 system of christian morality, \\'liicli teaclies iis that the founclation of all solid virtue, and of trvie sanctity is to be laid by dying to ourselves, by mortifying our lusts, and by denying our own will, whatever it craves contrary to the will of God. This is the preliminary article, and the first condition that Christ lays down as necessary to enter into his service, and to become his disciples. This is the great design of all his commands, of all his counsels, of all his maxims and rules. And it is to this purpose that he declares in the gospel, that he who hates his soul in this world, preserves it unto eternal life, and that no one can be his dis- ciple who does not hate himself, who does not deny himself, who does not die to himself. This doctrine he illustrates by the similitude of a grain of wheat, which must die in the ground before it can bring forth fruit, giving us thereby to understand that self-love, with all its irregular lusts, corrupt inclinations, and depraved appetites, must be crucified, and must die by mortification and self-denial, before we can become truly spii-itual, and bring forth the fruits of chi'istian virtues. Nothing can be more decisive in this point than the sacred scripture. One time it assures us, that if tve live according to the flesh, we shall die ; but if by the spirit toe mortify the deeds of the flesh, ice shall live. Another time it declares, that the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, that it is to be carried by an holy violence to our nature, that we must contend to enter into it by the narrow gate, in fine, that we miist take tip onr cross and follow Christ, that is, accoixling to the exposition of St. Augustine, that we must lead a mortified and penitential life. Such was the doctrine that St. Paul preached to the primitive Christians, when he announced the Gospel of his Divine Master, and exhorted them both by his word and example, to chastise their bodies, and to bear always in themselves a resemblance of the mortification of Jesus Christ. And indeed it appears from their uniform conduct, that they knew no other road to Heaven but self-denial. The lives of the saints and great servants of God in the succeeding ages of the Church, also shew that they were fully convinced of the necessity of self-denial ; they considered it as an indispensable duty, a great preservative against vice, a safe guardian of innocence, a powerful means to facilitate the subjection of the passions, and a sovereign antidote and remedy to heal the spiritual maladies and deep wounds which human nature has received from original sin. On the other hand, they looked upon a sensual, voluptuous, and epicurean life, as a manifest contradiction to the rules of the Gospel, and a barefaced violation of the sacred engagements and vows of our baptism. This made Tertullian say, that a Christian who lives up to the rules of the Gospel, and to the vows of his baptism, is a man dead to the deeds of the flesh, and to the pomps and vanities of the world ; he is a man who is spiritually crucified, and who may truly say, like St. Paul, With Christ I am fastened to the cross : and again, the toorld is crucified to me, and I to the ivorld. A Christian is one who has cast off the old man, with all the works of darkness, to clothe himself with the heavenly spirit of humility and meekness of Christ, and to live conformably to the image and likeness of that Divine Original. This doctrine, I must own, though perfectly sound and orthodox, is not very palatable to those who hearken only to the voice of flesh and blood, especially in the present age, when luxury is carried to the highest pitch, and the generality of mankind can scarce abide to hear talk of fasting, of abstinence, of self-denials, mortifications, penitential rigours, gg ON THE NECESSITY OF and austerities, much less to practise tliem. They seem to live as if they had no otlier end, no other object in view, but self-gratification ; no other rule for their conduct but their passions and corrupt inclinations. They consider self-denial as a matter which no way concerns people eno-a^ed in the world, and pretend it belongs only to the Clergy, or to such as are consecrated to religion, and shut up in a cloister, as if people in the midst of the temptations of the world were less exposed to danger, or stood in less need of works of penance, than those who, to preserve their innocence, retire from the world. Upon this erroneous ground they form a plan of life, fit, as they call it, for civilized persons. They imagine that they are at liberty to pursue pleasure, to live at their ease, to glut themselves with all the comforts of the world, to spend their days agreeably in softness, in merriment, and in a continual circle of idle amusements, diversions, and dissipations, provided they give no public scandal, refrain from the gross crimes which brand a person with infamy, keep up to the polite maxims of the age, and practise the social virtues which create esteem. But, my brethren, though such an unmortified life as this may, perhaps, make a moral Heathen, it certainly is not sufficient to constitute a good Christian, nor AviU it be able to stand the test of the Gospel at the last day ; for the very quality of a Christian, and the rule of the Gospel, which he solemnly professes, oblige a man to die to himself, to renounce all ungodliness and worldly desires, to live soberly, justly, and piously, and to combat and beat down the depraved inclinations of nature, by the practice of self-denial and mortification. This obligation extends itself indiscriminately to Christians of all ranks, states and con- ditions ; the law of God makes no exception ; the Prince on the throne can no more plead an exemption than the hermit in the desert, or the religious in his cell. In spite, therefore, of all the refined persuasions of a deluded conscience, in spite of all the specious arguments that are drawn from the artifices and suggestions of self-love, it is most certain that it is. the indispensable duty of every Christian to crucify the flesh ivith its vices and concuinscences, as the Apostle says. It is evident to every one who is acquainted with human natui^e, that the passions stand in need of a severe curb, and require to be bridled and checked by freqvient self- denials : they have taken a wrong bent, and must be thwarted ^and directed to their proper objects, in order to recover their due rectitude. Unless they arc restrained, and kept under proper subjection to the spirit, they will surely rebel, and grow every day more headstrong, more stubborn and ungovernable, insomuch that a man who lets loose the reigns of his passions, or takes no pains to counteract and controul them, become at length like unto a downright slave, who is at his master's beck, always ready to obey his orders, let them be ever so extravagant ; he is hurried on blindly from one criminal excess to another, and scarce knows wliere .to stop, or how to resist the cravings of corrupt nature. His judgment is strangely biassed, his understanding is clouded, his reason is darkened, his will is perverted, and his affections are misplaced. He sees every tiling that regards himself througlx a fallacious medium, or a kind of perspective, that either magnifies or diminishes the object. He is a stranger to all true peace, content, and tranquillity ; his mind is disquieted both day and night, and agitated like unto a tempestuous sea. In fine, his heart is incessantly galled and tortured by as many cruel tyrants as he is a slave to difl"ei-ent passions. On the contrary, a Christian who conquers himself, and governs his passions, is always quiet, settled SUBDUING OUR PASSIONS. 89 and composed : he experiences an inward peace and content of mind, with a calm serenity and sweet evenness of soul, that surpasses all the pleasures of sense, all the satisfactions of the world. Every victory he gains over corrupt nature, every vice he subdues, every passion he masters, is, as St. Augustine observes, a step that raises him to a higher degree of perfection, and brings him nearer to the kingdom of Heaven ; it entitles him to an encrease of God's grace in this life, and to an eternal reward in the next. This made Thomas of Kempis say, that it is more noble and more glorious for a Christian to conquer himself, and to subdue his passions, than to subdue kingdoms and empires. This also made Origen formerly say, that a Christian Avho rules and commands his passions is a King ; his kingdom is within himself, and there he enjoys every thing he wishes and desires. All this plainly shews the utility as well as the necessity of restraining the depraved inclinations of nature, and subduing our disorderly passions. But what are the most effectual means to succeed herein ? It is what I promised to lay before you in the second point. The great author of nature has given us several different feelings and natural dispositions, for wise and salutary purposes ; he intended that we should form these feelings to virtue, and render them insti-umental to our eternal salvation, by directing them to their proper objects ; but, alas ! in the present state of corrupted nature they are generally tuimed into vices, degenerate into disorderly passions, and are made subservient to numberless sins. Amongst the various passions that men are subject to, there is one passion in particular that commands the rest, and sets them all in motion ; this passion is called the pi-edominant or prevailing passion, because it is more strong and more lively, more violent, and more imperious than the rest ; it is it that usually forms a man's character, disposition, and the complexion of his temper. It is apt to exercise a kind of tyrannical dominion over the sinner, and like a weight, draws his heart away from the love of God to the love of some created object, unless he takes cai-e to correct it, and to subject it to the spirit. It must be acknowledged that this is a work attended with no small difficulty, especially in the beginning ; howevei% let the passions be ever so inve- terate, ever so obstinate, ever so perverse in their nature, we have it in our power to . deliver ourselves from their captivity, and bring them under proper subjection, with the assistance of God's grace ; for, as St. Paul says, Philip iv. I can do all things in him ivho strengthens me ; not I, hut the grace of God ivith me. That our endeavours may be crowned with success, we are to begin with taking a close view of the state of our souls, the first step towards a virtuous life being a true knowledge of ourselves. We are to examine carefully what particular vice influences our actions most, what sinful habit has the gx-eatest empire and ascendancy over us ; for tlie predominant passion, or prevailing vice is different in different persons, according to the difference of their humours and natural dispo- sitions. In some the predominant passion is an overbearing pride, 'and an insolent haughtiness ; in others it is an insatiable avarice : in some it is a restless ambition ; in others a brutal lasciviousness ; in some a criminal excess and intemperance in eating and drinking ; in others an implacable hatred, anger, and desire of revenge, or some other disorderly passion. When a person has once discovered the particular nature of his predominant passion and favourite vice, he ought to lay the axe to the root of it, and labour in good earnest to destroy sin from its very foun- 90 ON THE NFX'ESSITY OF elation • lie ou^ht to cut off the source tliat feeds ami iiourlslies liis passions : for it is vain for him to pretend to stop and purify the current, ■whilst the source is let to run, and continues foul and corrupted ; in short, he ouo-ht above all things to rectify his interior, and purify his heart, by eradiclitiu"- inordinate self-love to the utmost of his power, and by laying a deep foundation of humility. Take away self-love and self-will, says St. Bernard, and you will shut up all the avenues of hell. No evil is more pernicious or more to be dreaded, than self-love, on account of its strong attachment to sensual objects ; it is the greatest enemy of our souls, and the poisonous source of all our vices ; it is the root from whence all evil thoughts, all evil desires, and all the passions do spring. Concupis- cence of the flesh, concupiscence of the eyes, and pride of life, as St. John calls it nay, all the seven capital sins, are but so many different branches of self-love ; it is planted in the heart of man, and ingrafted, as it were, on human nature since the fall of oiir first parents ; it is there, of course, that self-denial and mortification should strike the first blow. The passions may be combated, then, with some prospect of success, not altoo-ether, but separately, one after the other, it being much easier to conquer and defeat an enemy when his forces are divided than when they are united, according to the old axiom. Divide and conquer. The predominant passion is the first that should be encountered, for if it once gives way there is reason to hope, with the blessing of God, that the whole superstructure and fabric of iniquity will soon fall to the ground ; it is as it were, the champion and commander of all the other passions ; consequently, when it is once overthrown and brought under subjection, _ the rest of the passions may be easily vanquished and subdued, as the Philistines were readily conquered and put to flight when Goliah their champion was slain ; or as all the other cities and inferior towns of a kino-dom are readily compelled to surrender, when the capital and strongest city is captured and reduced to obedience ; but if the predomi- nant passion be spared and indulged in the heart, little or no success will attend our endeavours to subdue the other subordinate passions, which are supported by it ; any attempt we may happen to make for this purpose will, according to the comparison of St. Augustine, only re- semble the feeble efforts of a man who would pretend to dry up a torrent of water, without stopping the source that constantly supplies it ; or who would take upon him to clear a piece of ground by lopping off the branches of a tree, and leaving the trunk and root in the ground to shoot up again. This accounts for the constant falls and manifest inconsistencies of so many Christians, who continue always the same fickle and relapsing sinners, ever promising and resolving, but never performing or execut- in"-. Like unhappy Saul, who slew the subjects and spared Agag their King, they spare their predominant passion, which replunge them into their former extravagancies ; they refuse to sacrifice that disguised pride, that vain glory, that avarice, that ambition, that letchery, that envy, that vicious self-love, which reigns and domineers in their hearts. They make, indeed, at times, a few weak efforts to subdue some of their pas- sions, but they do not begin at the source ; they do not purify the spring ; they do not remove the principal cause of their spiritual disorders ; they unfortunately indulge their favourite vice, and cherisli their pre- dominant and darling passion. They will readily perform what belongs to the exterior of religion, but they will not be prevailed on to pardon an injury, to bear an offence, or to put up with an affront. They have SUBDUING OUR PASSIONS. 91 courage enougli to fast, to abstain, and to multiply tlie outward exercises of piety and devotion, but at the same time they overlook and neglect their interior. They pay little or no attention to the spiritual mortifica- tion of their own Avill and criminal alfections. It is true, the exterior mortification of the body, and the outward practices of religion, are powerful helps and necessary means to expiate sin, to subdue the pas- sions, and to attain to the inward mortification of the spirit, and there- fore they should not be neglected ; but the spiritual mortification of the interior should be chiefiy attended to, as it is more meritorious, more essential, and more indispensably necessary. God requires to be worshipped in spirit and truth, interiorly as well as exteriorly. The heart and interior is what he principally regards ; if it be vicious, unmortified, and infected with the poison of pride and self-love, we may fast, we may pray, we may mortify the flesh as much as the ancient hermits and recluses have done in the desert ; our fasts, our abstinences, our long prayers and corporal mortifications, will turn to no account ; they will remain without merit, without reward, unless they are accompanied with the inward mortification of the spirit, and rectified by a pure intention ; they will find no acceptance with God, but will be despised and rejected by him, as the Prophet Isaias tells us, c. Iviii., the outward offerings and sacrifices of the Jews were formerly despised and rejected, on account of their unmortified spirit. Hence St. Jei-ome says, Ep. ad Cel. It will avail you nothing to emaciate your body with fasting, if your mind be puffed up with pride ; it will profit you nothing to be pale with abstinence, if~ under this fair outside and ap- pearance of virtue, your heart be black and blue with envy and malice. Those very actions which the world admires most, and which appear most brilliant in the eyes of men, will be deemed in the eyes of God no better than false and pharisaical virtues, if the intention and motive with which they are performed be nothing but vain-glory, ostentation and human respect. Unless, therefore, my brethren, we have a mind to run the risk of finding our hands empty at the last day, and of losing the fruits of all our labours for ever, we must above all things take care to cultivate our interior, to regulate all the motions of our hearts, and to beware of be- ing influenced and actuated in our proceedings by any sinister views or improper motives. The passions and vices which we wish to conquer and subdue, are to be counteracted and controlled by frequent acts of the different virtues, which are directly opposite and contrary to them ; for example, we are to oppose acts of humility to pride, acts of liberality to covetousness, acts of patience to anger, acts of fraternal charity to envy. Every thing that is apt to inflame the passions and to excite them to revolt, ought to be shunned, though it should happen to be as dear to a person as the very apple of his eye. The outward senses require also to be watched and guarded. It was by the lust of the senses that , sin first entered into the world ; they are the organs and instruments whereby the passions are frequently awakened and roused, when other- wise they would lie dormant like fire under the ashes ; they are the inlets, avenues and windows of the soul, by which sin usually breaks in and makes its way to the sovd, when they are not carefully guarded and pro- tected. Besides these precautions, it is necessary to direct the passions to their proper objects ; for example, that love which is blindly bestowed on the creature should be directed to the Creator ; that hatred which is 92 ON THE RIGOUR AND conceived against an enemy, should be levelled against our sins, which are our greatest enemies ; they should be made the object of our grief, of our sorrow, and of our tears. Instead of being afflicted for the loss of temporal goods, we should change the object and bewail the loss of God's grace. Instead of fearing the frowns, menaces and unmerited censures of men, we should above all things dread the terrible judgments of God. Instead of coveting the perishable riches of this transitory life, we should thirst after the spii-itual riches of eternal glory. An habitual sense of the divine presence, devout meditation on the sacred passion of our Divine Redeemer, frequent recourse to the holy saci-aments and fountains of grace, a daily examination of conscience, not only in general, but in particular, with regard to the predominant passion and customary vices that are to be conquered ; in fine, humble and fervent prayers are likewise recommended by spiritual writers, as so many powerful means to succeed in the conquest of the passions, and gain a complete victory over all the enemies of the soul. Excite in us, O Lord, a spirit of Christian mortification, and enable us to crucify the flesh with its vices and concupiscences. Thou formerly didst deliver the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt, deliver us, we beseech thee, from the tyra- nical empire of self-love, and from the slavery of those predominant passions, Avhich lead so many souls astray, and draw them from the pur- suit of virtue. Give us grace to resist all the solicitations of this sinful Babylon, and to restrain all the impetuosities of flesh and blood. 0 may the fii'e of thy divine love inflame our hearts, and inspire us with courage and zeal to combat successfully for that never-fading crown of glory, which is pi'epared in the kingdom of Heaven for those who conquer.' And which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY ON THE RIGOUK AND DURATION OF THE PAINS OF HELL Colligite zizania et alligate ea in fascicules ad comburendum — S. Mat. c. xiii. v. 30 Gather the tares together, and hind them into bundles to hum — S. Mat. c. xiii. v. 30, Our Divine Redeemer, in the Gospel of this day, compares the king- dom of Heaven, or his Church here on earth, to a fleld sowed with good seed and producing good wheat, but intermixed with pernicious tares and weeds until the harvest time, when the good grain is separated from the bad, and lodged in the husbandman's barn, and the tares and weeds are bound up into bundles, and cast into the fire to burn. St. Augustine brings down this parable to prove against the Novatians and Donatists, that in the Church of Jesus Christ there will be always good and bad, just and unjust, vessels of election and children of perdition, intermixed together, until the end of the world and the day of judgment, when the dreadful separation is to take place, and the just and faithful servants of God, like unto a rich crop, are to be carried by the angels into the man- sions of eternal bliss ; and on the contrary the wicked, like unto noxious weeds and tares bound up into bundles at the harvest-time, shall be ga- thered together and thrown into the fire of hell, to burn for ever. Such, alas ! is to be the sad fate of sinners, who, being graciously called to the DURATION OF THE PAINS OF HELL. 93 inheritance of the kingdom of Heaven, render themselves unworthy of so great a blessing by the immorality of their lives. Such is the unhappy lot of those wicked Christians who abandon themselves to vice, and who neglect the practice of virtue ; who lead a life openly criminal and irre- gular, and who lead a life altogether unprofitable and barren in good works. They shall be cast into exterior darkness, and for ever deprived of the light of glory and the sight of God. They shall be plunged into an abyss of perpetual night, where there shall be weeping and gnashin"- of teeth ; where they shall suffer the most excruciating torments for millions of years, and Avhen these are past, for as many millions more. Their misery will always begin, but never end ; it Avill be as lasting as an eternity. May the Lord of his infinite goodness, preserve every one here present from an experimental knowledge of these terrifying truths, and from being condemned to such insupportable torments. Alas ! my brethren, would not the greatest part of us all be involved in this mis- fortune, if God had not hitherto spared us ? Would we not be confined now in the burning prisons of hell, had he immediately inflicted on us the just punishment due to our sins, the very instant Ave presumed to offend him ? Thanks to his boundless mercy, the arrest of our condem- nation is still suspended for some time, and we have it yet in our power to escape so rigorous a sentence by means of a sincere conversion. Let us profit of so great a favour, and for this end let us enter in spirit into those fiery furnaces, and consider attentively what the reprobate suffer there. The rigorous torments which the damned endure in hell, and the dur- ation of these torments, shall be the two points of this discourse. The rigorous torments of hell shall be the first point ; the duration of these torments shall be the second point, and the whole subject of your favour- able attention. Let us previously implore the assistance of Heaven, through the intercession of the blessed Mother of Jesus, gi-eeting her with the Angel, Ave Maria. The Royal Prophet, in his words of the forty-fourth Psalm, exhorts us to descend in thought into hell, whilst we live ; and St. Bernard, in his exposition of this Psalm, gives the following reason for it, that a fre- quent meditation on this frightful mansion of the reprobate, may prevent us falling into it after our death. Holy Job practised this lesson, when he said, c. vii. Hell is my place of abode, and I have made for myself a bed in this abyss of darkness. Let us then, my brethren, approach this mansion of horror and misery ; let us enter into it, if possible, with the same sentiments which the damned now have of its insupportable tor- ments. But, alas ! who can comprehend, says St. Augustine, what a damned soul comprehends ? Who can form, by the most profound meditation, the same idea which it has of its present unhappy state in the midst of hell's devouring flames ? Let us at least endeavour to form to ourselves such an idea as will convince us how horrible it is to fall into the hands of the living God, as St. Paul speaks in his epistle to the He- brews, c. x. O how unhappy and deplorable is the condition of a soul' in this state of reprobation ? It sees it has lost God, and is condemned as an unhappy victim to unquenchable fire. It has lost God ! O shockino- and irreparable loss ? — AYho can comprehend it ? To give you a just notion of it, it would be necessary to represent to you what an happiness it is to possess God, and to make you understand what he is in himself, that you might conceive how great are the pleasures, raptures and ecsta- sies, which attend the enjoyment of him. But if the great St. Paul, 94 ON THE RIGOUR AND DURATION tliougli rapt up to the third Heaven, tells us that the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, to conceive the unspeakable joys which God has prepared in Heaven for his chosen servants, you are not to expect that I can give you an adequate idea of this supreme felicity. To be sensible, however, of the unspeakable misery which is the result of being deprived of the inexpressible happi- ness of possessing God, we need but consider that God is a being infinite in every perfection ; in him is concentered all that is amiable, all that is estimable ; he is an immense ocean of all delights, of all pleasure, of all joy, of all content. Judge then, how unhappy and how deplorable the condition of the reprobate souls must be, Avhen they see themselves deprived of this supreme good, of this unspeakable happiness, through their own fault. If they still exist, existence is to them but an addi- tional torment, as they only retain it to make them eternally sensible that they have lost their God, and in losing him they have lost all the goods of nature, all the goods of grace, and all the goods of glory. To be reduced to their primitive nothing would be to them far more pleas- ing than to live only to be thus overwhelmed with a deluge of misery, and to be made eternally sensible ©f the inexpressible loss they have suf- fered, in having lost their God and sovereign good. But this is not the only punishment of the damned souls. Sensible torments, the most violent, the most intense, and the most acute, increase their pains beyond expression. We have a frightful idea given us of those torments in the sentence which Jesus Christ will pronounce on the day of the general judgment against the reprobate ; Begone from me ye accursed into eternal jive. Is there any torture so dreadful in itself as to, be burnt alive with a raging fire ? We have often heard of a fire raging with such violence as to reduce great buildings in a few hours to a heap of ashes. What are the endeavours of a distressed family in such cir- cumstances to escape the fury of the flames ? What sighs, what clamours, what piteous lamentations ? What violent efforts, what trouble, what despair ? If any one happens by a melancholy accident to be surprised on a sudden, and to be burnt alive, does not the bare recital hereof make us tremble ? When we read of some of the holy martyrs being cast into caldrons of boiling oil, or extended on glowing gridii'ons and burning coals, do we not shudder at the very thoughts hereof? If the picture be so frightful and terrifying, what must the real torment be ? Fire is the most rigorous punishment that human justice can inflict for the most atrocious crimes, and when the Almighty resolved to extirpate the infa- mous inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha, he caused showers of fire to descend from Heaven on these i;nfortunate cities. But this fire was only a slight prelude of the eternal flames of hell, every other fire being no more than a painted fire in comparison of it, as St. Augustine speaks. AVo read in the lives of the ancient recluses, of a certain holy religious man, that, whenever he was tempted to sin, he was accustomed to touch fire with his finger, and finding himself obliged to withdraw it iustantly, he said to himself, if for a moment I cannot bear this transi- tory pain in my finger, how could I endure for all eternity the flames of hell fire, penetrating my very soul, and tortui-ing every part of my whole body ? This thought touched him. It excited his zeal and animated his fervour. He had it constantly present in his mind, and it was enough to sweeten all the rigours of solitude, all the austerities of the cloister, and to Diake him resist every temptation of the devil, the world, and the OF THE TAINS OF IIELJL. 95 flesh. Abstinence, fasting, maceration of tlie body, retreat, silence, long prayers, painful and fatiguing exercises of penance and devotion seemed no longer difficult to him. Are ye not, my brethren, threatened with the same fire ? Have you not more reason to fear it than this faithful servant of God ? You who are so much alarmed at the misfortunes and sufferings of this life, that you constantly endeavour to prevent them, and still you labour so little to escape the sufferings of the next life ? You, who are slaves to your passions, who pamper a body that must soon return to dust and ashes, and who indulge yourselves in all that is pleasing to sense, and agreeable to your inclinations ? You who are deluded by the world, and its fawn- ing pleasui'es and deceitful charms, who pass your days unprofitably in a round of frivolous amusements, without bestowing a serious reflection on the important affair of your salvation ? The present time wholly engages your attention, and you think not of the dreadful time to come. O what excuse will you plead when the fatal moment of death arrives, and when you are summoned to appear before the bar of divine justice ? When God will pronounce sentence of condemnation against impenitent sinners, and coniine them within the deep dungeons and burning prisons of hell, which of you will be able to dwell in such a painful habitation ? Who among you, cries out the Prophet Isaias, c. xxxiii. will be able to endure everlasting burning ? Will it be those men of pleasure, who allow themselves every liberty that a sensual appetite can desire ? Will it be those women of fashion, who are of so delicate a constitution that they cannot at present undergo the least mortification ? A light fit of sickness seems now to them insupportable. To speak to them of the observance of the fast days commanded by the Church, is, if you believe themselves, to demand a thing impossible. To impose on them a neces- sary penance for the expiation of their sins and the subduing of their passions, is to load them with too heavy a burden. To deprive them of some idle amusements, to lay them under some little restraint on certain occasions, is to make life quite disagreeable to them. They are not made to such practices. They are above their strength. Their delicacy, their weakness is such, that they say they are not able to bear so heavy a load But, my brethren, this delicacy, this weakness, to which you listen so much when it is necessary to give sanction to your indolence and sloth, or to apologise for your neglect of duty, and your impatience in suffer- ings ; this same delicacy, why do you not consult it when you expose yourselves to the danger of falling into the flames of hell ? Those fur- naces, those lakes, those pools, those gulphs of liquid fire, have they nothing dreadful, nothing frightful to deter you from falling into them ? Descend, I beseech you, in thought, into those abysses, which perhaps God will soon open under your feet, to plunge you into them, unless you repent speedily. Descend, then, beforehand, and examine, what will you find there ? You will find monsters of impiety and irreligion. You will find crowds of cursers, swearers and blasphemers. You will find letcliers, adulterers and fornicators, drunkards, detractors, extortioners, and a multitude of other impenitent sinners like unto you. You are now per- haps what they have been, whilst they were here on earth, and unless 3'ou reform your lives, you will be one day what they now are in that frightful prison, into v.Iiich their final impenitence has unhappily led them. Descend again in thought into those abysses, and what will you find 96 ON THE RIGOUR AND DURATION there ? An unquenchable fire, which, as the Prophet Isaias speaks, c. XXX. the breath of God has liinclled to punish the reprobate. You will find there a fire, which though terrible in its own nature, is far ^ more dreadful, as it is in the hand of God the instrument of his formidable ven^, to wallow in filthy pleasures, nay, even to gain the ON Tlli; XATirUE UF A TilUJ:: AND rElll'KCT UEi'ENTANCi;. 99 whole universe, if at your dying hour the gates of Heaven be shut in your face, and your souls be plunged into hell fire ? If there be any sinners in this congregation whose conscience flies in their face, and tells them that they ai'e involved in the dismal state or habit of mortal sin, let me conjure them by the bowels of Jesus Christ, to sleep no longer in the arms of perdition, to remain no longer on the brink of hell, to expose themselves no longer to the imminent danger of eternal dam- nation. Let me entreat them to arise speedily out of the mire of iniquity, and throw themselves with confidence at the feet of God's mercy. Let me beseech them to repent of their sins in time, that they may not have reason to repent in vain for a never-ending eternity. Let me entreat them to renounce those odious vices and detestable habits which render them a disgrace to religion, and a reproach to Christianity. O sweetest Jesus, inspire us all with a feeling sense of these important truths ; be thou a Jesus to us, and save our miserable souls. Let not the fruits and merits of thy sacred Passion be lost on us, but bring us to the happy end for which we have been created and I'ansomed with thy precious blood. Thou art the Lamb of God who takest away the- sins of the world ; take from us whatever is displeasing to thee, and give us what is conducive to our eternal happiness. Grant that we may treasure up a provision of good works for a blessed eternity, and that we may be found worthy on the last day to be admitted into those sacred mansions of bliss, which thou hast purchased for us at the expense of thy life. And which I heartily wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. ON THE NATURE OF A TEUE AND PERFECT REPENTANCE. Simile est Regnum Coslorum grano Sinapis— S<. Matt. c. xiii. v. 31. The Kingdum of Heaven is like to a grain of Mustard Seed St. Matt, c xiii. v. 31. By the Kingdom of Heaven, mentioned in the Gospel of this day, is generally understood the Spiritual Kingdom, or Church of Jesus Christ and his heavenly doctrine, of which a grain of mustard seed is said to bear some resemblance ; for as the mustard seed, though one of the smallest grains before it is sowed, yet when it is sowed and takes root in the earth grows to a considerable height, especially in hot climates, such as Syria and Palestine, and becomes a large tree with such extensive branches, that they serve as a retreat for the birds of the air, as the Gospel expresses it ; so, in like manner, the Church of Christ, though small and inconsiderable in its origin, and confined to a corner of Judea in the beginning, made so stupendous a progress in a short time, and grew into so lofty and large a tree, that it extended its branches all oyer the known world, and that the birds of the air, that is, the Sovereigns and Potentates of the earth, took shelter under it, and subjected them- selves to its direction. It spread itself with amazing success from East to West, and in a feV years comprehended within its pale those very nations, tribes, and people, who at first opposed it with all their power. Thus was verified the prediction of the Knyal Prophet in his second Psalm, V. 8., where he introduces the Eternal Father, speaking of Christ 100 ON THE NATURE OF A and his Church, and saying, / ivill give thee the nations for thy inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Christ himself is the supreme Head of the Church, and all the faithful are his members, and form one mystical body, linked together and animated by one and the same spirit. He governs and protects his Church with the most endearing attention, meekness, and sweetness, and abundantly supplies it with all necessaries for its welfare. He loves his Church, says St. Paul, Ephes. v. 25, 26, and delivered himself up for it, that he might sanctify it, cleansing it ly laver of water, in the tvord of life. It is by his merits that our souls are cleansed from original sin in the .Sacrament of Baptism, and from the actual sins that are afterwards committed, provided Ave sincerely repent of them, and have recourse to his mercy with the necessary dis- positions. This is what the Apostle zealously exhorts all sinners to, Acts iii. 19, Avhere he says, Be penitent, and he converted, that your sins may be blotted out. But the great misfortune of the sinner is, as St. John Chrysostom observes, that he can never be absolutely assured in this life of the validity of his repentance, although he is well assured of the reality of his sins, and that repentance is absolutely necessary to blot them out. What renders his condition truly deplorable is, that often his very repentance itself should be no less a subject of anxiety to him than his sins, because it is only a true and sincere repentance that can save the sinner ; and on the other hand, there are a thousand other repent- ances either false or vain, imperfect, or insincere, and insufficient lor salvation. If then the sinner happens to be deceived ; if, for want of proper discernment, he mistakes a false repentance for a true one ; if he counts on that as sufficient, which is really defective, from that moment he may be ranked amongst the most unfortunate of sinners, because his very repentance, which should be the means of his justifi- cation, becomes, by a sacrilegious abuse of a sacrament, one of the causes of his ruin and perdition. This, my brethren, is what our holy I'eligion teaches, and what should make every sinner tremble. My present design, therefore, is to instruct you in this essential duty, and to lay before you the nature of a true and perfect repentance. It is a true sorrow of the heart which hates, detests, and destroys sin, and moves the sinner to satisfy the justice of the offiinded Deity. To be truly penitent you must then have a true sorrow of heart, and you must endeavour to satisfy God's justice by Avorks of penance and mortification ; in short, the necessity of a true sorroAV of heart, and the necessity of penitential Avorks. These are the tAVO points of this discourse, and the entire subject of your favourable attention. Let us previously invoke the light of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary, &c. Ave Maria. The heart, says St. John Chrysostom, is the first source of virtue, and of vice; it is in it all sins is formed, and have their birth and subsistence. From it come forth evil thoughts, thefts, murders, and adulteries, as our blessed Saviour speaks, Matt. c. xa'. It is the heart that makes the eyes subservient to impurity, the ears to detraction, the tongue to slander and blasphemy, and the hands to dishonesty, injustice, and cruelty. All the senses, all the faculties of the body are but servile instruments, that only act as influenced, directed, %nd governed by the heart, according to its OAvn perverse inclinations. This being supposed, since the heart is the first and principal criminal, and the first that feels the sordid pleasure of sin, it is most just, as Tertullian says, that it TRUE AND PERFECT REPENTANCE. 101 should be first punished, and the first to feel a bitter sorrow and sincere regret for liaving consented to sin, with a firm resolution to sin no more. It must hate and detest sin above all things, not precisely because it is odious and detestable in itself, but because it is an ofience of God, and a violation of his sacred law. This detestation, this grief, this regret, must necessarily be lodged in the heart of the penitent sinner ; without it every other kind of repentance is vain, unprofitable, and insufiicient to root up and destroy sin ; for sin being a voluntary preference of the creature before the Creator, or a free choice, and an inordinate love formed in the heart of the sinner, by which he loves some fleeting good, some perishable object, preferably to his last end and supreme happiness, it is only by an opposite hatred, formed in the heart, that sin can be totally vanquished and destroyed. Hence the Almighty demands of us, by the Prophet Joel, an heart torn with grief and sorrow, as the only sacrifice capable to appease his wrath and indignation. Be converted to vie, (says the Lord, Joel ii. 12.) in fasting, and in iveejnng, and in mourning, and rend your hearts and not your garments. And again, Be converted to me ivith all your heart. Although you should then, my bretlu*en, strike your breasts a thou- sand times, though you should raise your hands to Heaven, and deliver yourselves in the most moving, most pathetic terms, to implore the divine mercy, though the air should echo with your sighs, though rivulets of tears should flow from your eyes, if the body only be in a state of humi- liation, if the mouth only speaks, if the eyes only weep, and the heart still remains silent, still unmoved, still obdurate, your repentance is vain and unjirofitable, and it will never move God to look down on you with a favourable eye of mercy. The first victim he demands of you is the heart, an heart truly penitent and contrite, piei'ced with a bitter sorrow for having ofiended him. It is true, sighs, tears, exterior acts of con- trition, humiliations of the body, and the like outward performances, are sometimes the efiects and marks of a true inward sorrow of the heart, but not always ; for it is certain, that they are consistent with an heart wholly unchanged, and often subsist with a secret and criminal attach- ment to sin, since they frequently have nothing but mere self-love, servile fear, and motives purely human and natural for their foundation. A lively apprehension, a violent fear, a tenderness of complexion, may naturally force tears and sighs from a person, Avithout working any conversion in the heart, as apj)ears in the unfortunate Antiochus, who, as we read in the second book of Machabees, implored the divine mercy with many tears, and gave all the outward marks of sincei-e repentance, though at the same time the Lord, who is the searcher of hearts, saw no real conversion or change in his heart ; for had his heart been truly changed and converted, he would undoubtedly have obtained the mercy he prayed for, and which, as the Scripture assures us, he never obtained. Who could seem more penitent than Achab, the wicked King of Israel ? He tore his royal garments asunder in sign of repentance ; he mortified his flesh, he fasted, he slept on ashes and sackcloth, he was not asliamed to appear before his subjects in this state of debasement, he was willing his penance should be as public as wei-e his crimes ; notwithstand- ing, because the unfortunate Prince, in all his outward mortifications, had more at heart his own private interest than the interest of his God, whom he had so grievously offended, his repentance was rejected by ]()2 ox THE KATunr: of a Heaven, tliougli the execution of tlie sentence pronounced against liim was suspended until the time of his death, on account of his having assumed the exterior of a penitent. Be no longer deceived, then, mj brethren, in a matter of such importance ; a mere outward lip repent- ance is not sufficient to blot out your sins ; as long as you cherish a real affection for them in your heart you will not, you cannot be forgiven. You, therefore, who have the misfortune to be grievous sinners like Achab,' and but counterfeit penitents, have every reason to fear the just but formidable judgments of Heaven. If your God is silent at present, if he seems to overlook your heinous crimes, and to suspend the execu- tion of the dreadful sentence he has already pronounced against blas- phemers, detractors, fornicators and drunkards, it is perhaps to punish you with greater rigour at your dying hour. Do not imagine then, that a superficial repentance, or an historical detail of your sins at the sacred tribunal of confession, or a few exterior practices of piety and exercises of religion, will screen you from sharing in the eternal punishment of the reprobate hereafter. If you sincerely wish to appease the indignation of Heaven, and to cancel and efface your crimes in the sight of God, you must be penetrated with a true penitential sorrow, which is incom- patible with an attachment to vice ; you must have a supernatural sorrow that will banish the love of sin ; you must have a sincere interior sorrow in your heart for having offended God, with a fixed and determined resolution to offend him no more. In effect, my brethren, what should you grieve for if you grieve not for having offended so good a God, by transgressing his commandments ? The loss of your innocence, the death of your soul, the enmity of your Creator, the precious blood of your Divine Redeemer profaned, the glory of Heaven forfeited, an hell prepared for all your crimes ; all these mov- ing and affecting objects assembled in your mind, shall they be incapable to make an impi'ession on your hearts ? Did you but meditate atten- tively on these tAvo words, Peccavi Domino, which King David formerly said to the Prophet Nathan, and which since have often pierced the hearts of many other true penitents, / have sinned against the Lord, your hearts would also be touched with compunction, and you would be excited to weep night and day for your sins as they did. What ! my brethren, Peccavi Domino, I have sinned against the Lord, I have rebelled against my God, I have offended my most bountiful Benefactor, I have trampled on his sacred laws, I have repaid all his favours with the blackest ingi-a- titude, I have broken through all the ties by which I was united to him ; he is my Creator, and I have unhappily forgotten that I am his crea- ture : I was his chiM, and I have disowned him for a father ; he has been my Saviour, he has died for me on a cross, and I have without remorse i-e-crucified him. Prevented by his graces, loaded with his favours, I have only made use of all his blessings to offend him, I have only made them serve to the ruin and damnation of my soul. Were these reflections duly present to your mind, you Avould cry out with heartfelt grief, O what evil deserves our tears, but sin ? O what should make us weep and lament, if it be not sin ? Sin, base and detestable sin, that disfigures the soul, and changes its beauty into loathsome deformity ; sin, that degrades man, Avho was but little inferior to the Angels, as the Scriptuie sa}-s, and reduces him to the condition of the devils, who are only devils because infected with sin ; sin, that renders us the horror of Heaven, the disgrace of tin' earth, and tlic prey of li(;ll. If we call to mind every TRUE AND PERFECf REPENT AN CF- 10.1 misfortune in this life that can afflict a human soul, we shall finLl in sin misfortunes of the same kind, or still far greater. You grieve if you have lost the fruits of jour past services, labours and fatigues ; you lose by sin all the fruits of your former good works. You grieve if you are exiled and forced to quit your native country ; by sin you are banished from your happy home and native country, the kingdom of Heaven. You grieve if you have lost your i*eputation, and are bi'anded with infamy ; by sin you become vile despicable objects in the sight of Grod and his Angels. You grieve if you are enslaved and deprived of your liberty ; by sin you become slaves of the devil, and are liable to be im- prisoned for ever in the fiery dungeons of hell. You grieve if confined to your bed by a malignant infirmity ; by sin you are mortally wounded, and may perhaps be soon condemned to burn with merciless devils in unquenchable flames. You grieve for the loss of a spouse, a parent, a friend : by sin you lose your God, who is both a spouse, a most alfec- tionate father, and the best of friends. You have then in sin all that is capable to afflict the human heart, and yet, alas ! numberless heinous sins, blasphemies, perjuries, curses, injustices, and criminal excesses, make less impression on the hearts of many, than some trivial temporal misfor- tune, which scarce deserves their attention. O God offended, O justice of Heaven irritated, what will become of those unhappy sinners whose grief is but imaginary, and whose resolutions to destroy sin and to remove the causes of it, are ineffectual, and pass no farther than the lips ? How many ai-e there whose grief is but tlie working of pride and self-love, oi* a natural trouble and anxiety, proceeding merely from the fear of punish- ment ? How many will you find who see nothing hateful in sin itself, and only relinquish it because it opens hell before them, and menaces them with eternal miseries ? How many are there who only renounce sin exteriorly, and at the same time harbour and retain an affection for it in their hearts, like unto a valetudinarian, who with reluctance abstains from certain meats and liquors he is fond of, merely because they ai'e judged to be hurtful to his health ? If they are soriy for their sins, their sorrow amounts to no more than a wish they could sin with impunity ; like mercenary slaves they regard nothing but threats and the torments of an liereafter ; and were there no hell they would live like atheists, without faith, without religion or conscience. Like the wife of Lot, they hate not the city of Sodom nor the crimes committed therein ; but they dread the fire and sulphur that rained down upon it from Heaven. They are ready to commit any sin which they think is not mortal, because they believe it will not damn them ; but, alas ! the oftence and insult offered to God is a matter they totally disregard. The fear of hell, I must own, is in itself good and useful ; according to the comparison of St. Augustine, it serves in the beginning to introduce charity or the love of God into the heart, as a needle serves to introduce thread into a cloth that is sown ; it is a preparation for repentance, but it is by no means the essence or substance of it. It must be tempered with love, like the fear of a favourite child ; for as it was love that made you sinners, it is love only that can make you true penitents. It was love that carried your hearts away from God, and bestowed them on the creature ; it is love, therefore, that must return your hearts again to God ; for as St. Augustine says, nothing renders a repentance true and ceriain hut the hatred of sin, and the love of God. Such, my brethren, are the essential ingredi- 104 ON THE NATURE OF A ents of that repentance which is necessary for the blotting out of sin. These happy dispositions are obtained by humble prayer, and by atten- tively considering the baseness and deformity of sin, the hatred which God bears it, the eternal flames prepared for it in the world to come, and all that Jesus Christ has suffered for the expiation of it. When, there- fore, you have reflected seriously on these affecting truths, and duly con- sidered the excess of your ingratitude to your compassionate Redeemer, who has poured out for your sake all the blood of his veins, and who still invite you to return to the arms of his mercy ; when, in fine, your heart is gradually softened by these pious considerations, and melted into sorrow for having offended so good a God, and renewed the passion of his beloved Son Jesus, you may confidently hope that he Avill not despise your contrite and humbled heai't. But you must also practise penitential works to expiate your past crimes, as I promised to shew you in the second point. There is a difference between the remission of sins which we obtain by the baptism of water, and that Avhich Ave obtain by the baptism of penance ; the first is acquired easily and at a small expense, whereas the second costs us great labours and many tears, and is to be purchased by the practise of penitential works. There is still another difference ; in the sacrament of baptism our crimes are forgiven, both as to the guilt and the punishment, but in the sacrament of penance God treats us not with the same liberality and indulgence : he separates the pardon of sin from the pardon of the punishment ; he remits the guilt and the eternal tor- ments of hell, which we deserve to suffer for transgressing his sacred laws, but he still reserves to himself a right to inflict on us a temporal punishment, if Ave ourselves are not solicitous to prevent the rigour of his justice, by a penance proportioned to the number and heinousness of our crimes. This difference is grounded on God's justice, Avhich, as the Council of Trent observes, Sess. 14, requires a difference in the manner of receiving those into mercy Avho, out of ignorance sinned before bap- tism, and those Avho, after having been redeemed out of the bondage of sin by baptism, relapse knoAvingly into sin, because by thus replunging into actual sin, after being Avashed and purified in the blood of Jesus Christ, by defiling the Avhite robe of their baptismal innocence, by strip- ping themselves Avilfully of sanctifying grace, and throAving off the SAveet yoke of their blessed Redeemer, they are guilty of a blacker ingratitude, their crimes are considerably greater, their guilt is remarkably aggravated, and consequently they deserve a far greater punishment by Avay of some atonement to the justice of God. Hence it folloAvs, my brethren, that though you may have a true and sincere sorrow of heart for the crimes you have committed since your baptism, and though you may have ob- tained the ])ardpn and remission of them, through the merits of Jesus Christ, applied to you in the sacrament of penance, you still lie under a strict obligation to satisfy the divine justice by the laborious exercises of penance and mortification. If Ave turn over the books of the Old and New Testament, we shall find almost in every page some important truth relative to this obligation.— The first Avord Avhich the Almighty spoke to Adam was, to impose on him a heavy penance, should he be so unfortunate as to violate the orders of Heaven ; and Adam no sooner transgressed than he was condemned to rigorous hardsliips, Avhich lasted the Avhole course of his life. If the TRUE AND PERFECT REPENTANCE. 105 Pi'opliets of the old Law opened their mouths, it was but to engage a sinful people to return to God by the austerities of a penitential life. John the Baptist, that divine Precursor destined to prepare the way for him who came to take away the sins of the world, begun his mission with these -words, Do the loorthy fruits ofjienance ; and Jesus Christ him- self spoke in the same language, when he first laid himself out for the conversion of sinners ; 7mless you do i^enance yoii tvill all perish. No truth is established on a more solid foundation, no truth more frequently incul- cated in the writings of the holy Fathers. The faithful of the primitive ages were so fully convinced hereof, that one single mortal sin after baptism was then punishable with a rigorous penance, and a weekly fast of three days on bread and water, and that for the space of three, seven, ten, and sometimes fifteen years. This spirit of penance continued for a long time in the Church, as appears from the penitential canons which were in force for several centuries after the establishment of the Christian religion ; and from the rigorous austerities of the Pauls, the Antonies, the Hilarious, the Pachomius's, and numberless other holy anchorets, who deprived themselves of all the pleasures and comforts of this world, and pined away their days in penitential tears and regrets, in solitude and retirement, in the midst of deserts and amidst rocks, serpents, and wild beasts. O happy days of Christianity, too soon expired, will you never more revisit the earth ? Shall we never again behold this spirit of pe- nance revived, which to the end of time will reflect honour on religion, and confound the delicate penitents and half converts of this degenerate age, who seem to be startled at the very name of penance and mortifica- tion ? 0 what an alFecting scene was it to behold then persons of each sex, from the highest to the lowest rank and station, place themselves in the classes of penitents, covered with sackcloth, their hair dishevelled, their heads covered with ashes, prostrate with humility without the gates of the Church, in imitation of the lepers in the Old Law, who remained withoutside the camp of Israel till the time of their purification was ex- pired. In this humble posture, their eyes fixed on the earth, and all bathed in tears, they struck their breasts, like the publican in the Gospel, and ceased not to send up their sighs to Heaven, and cry out for mercy and pardon of tlieir sins, by which they had the misfortune to sully the white robe of their baptismal sanctity. O how will their example con- found us at the last day, my brethren, if we neglect the practice of penitential works ? Can we pretend that our lives are more regular than the lives of the primitive Christians were ? Is not the justice of God still unchangeably the same ? Are works of penance and mortification less necessary in this depraved age than in the purest ages of the Church ? Alas ! we are persuaded that we have many ways ott'ended our God, and that if our sins are not remitted we shall be lost for all eternity. In the interim, we know not if our Sovereign Judge be yet appeased or recon- ciled to us or not ; we know not whether we be worthy of love or hatred, as the Apostle says ; we are uncertain of the efficacy of our past repent- ance, and consequently we are uncertain whether we be in the state of grace or in the state of damnation. Should not these reflections frequently alarm us ? Should they not excite us to bewail our past sins in the bit- terness of our souls, and do penance for them all the days of our life ? Nay, though even an Angel from Heaven should assure us of our having obtained the happy remission of our sins, this should not hinder us from 106 ON THE NATURE OF A TRUE AND PEUrECT nEPENTANCE. doing penance as long as we live. King David was assured by the Pro- pliet'^Nathan, on the part of C4od, that he was forgiven ; nevertheless he did not cease to mingle his bi'ead with ashes, and to water his couch with tears. Nio'ht and day the thought of his past sins drew streams from his eyes sighs from his heart, and made him cry out to the Lord, to wash him still more from his iniquity, and to cleanse him from his former sins. In like manner, Mary Magdalen never ceased bewailing her former irregu- larities, though she had the comfort to hear the sentence of her absolu- tion pronounced by Christ himself in person. Not content with having lamented her sins at the feet of her Jesus, she past almost the rest of her days in sighing and weeping in a desert ; she condemned her eyes to perpetual tears ; she made of her body a victim of mortification, and her penance only ceased and ended with her last breath. The same was the disposition of Peter the Apostle. After having denied his Lord and Master he never discontinued his repentance, but wept so often, and so constantly, that his eyes seemed to be two continual fountains of tears. Those examples, my brethren, should inspire you with a firm resolution to bring forth the fruits that are worthy of penance, how bitter soever and disagreeable they may appear to corrupt nature. Penance is the sole plank of safety you have left, after the shipwreck of your baptismal innocence ; it is the only means to effect a reconciliation with the oflTended Deity ; it is the only gate by which you can expect to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Remember, that if you depart this life, even in the state of penance, but without having discharged the full amount of the debt you owe the Divine Justice, or without having made sufficient reparation for the injury you have committed against the Sovereign Majesty of God, you must expect to be sentenced to a prison, from which you will not be released until you, as the Gospel speaks, shall have paid the last farthing, that is, according to the explanation of St. Jerome, until you shall have fully satisfied and atoned for the least venial sin you have been guilty of. You must either do penance here, says St. Augustine, or bui-n in flames hereafter, in proportion to the punishment due to your sins. Aiit -pcenitenduni aid ardendum. O let me, then, entreat you to prevent the rigour of divine justice in the next life, by embracing voluntary exercises of penance in this life. Let me exhort you to redeem your sins with alms-deeds to the poor, as Daniel said to Nabuchodonosor, and to make up by the interior spirit of penance and mortification what your bodily infirmities, perhaps, may not allow you outwardly to perform. Bear the hardships, sufferings and. afflictions of life, with which you are visited with patience, humility and resignation, as coming from the hand of God, and designed for the be- nefit of your souls. In fine, endeavour to expiate your past offences by frequent and fervent acts of contrition, and do all the good works in your power whilst the light of grace and mercy shines, and before the fatal night of death overtakes you. 0 Almighty and Eternal God, grant u? all tlie grace of true compunction, that we may bewail our sins in the bitterness of our souls, and make such atonement for them to thy justice as our weakness is capable of. We acknoAvledge the tenderness of thy mercy in having spared us hitherto, and given us time to repent, whilst thousands less criminal have suddenly died in their sins, and now lie burning in the flames of hell. O may thy goodness be for ever blessed and praised I By tlie same mei-cy we beseech thee to ^rant us the great ON tut: Goor) use or time. 107 gift of final pel-severance, that we may be of the happy number of those blessed souls who, in concert with the angelic choirs, are to sing thy im- mortal praises in the kingdom of Heaven for a never-ending eternity. This is the happiness which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Ainen. SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. ON THE GOOD USE OF TIME. Quid statis hie tota die otiesi ? — St. Matt. c. xx. v. 6. Whi/ stand you here all the day idle ? — St. Matt. c. xx. v. C. On this day the Church lays aside the Alleluias and Canticles of Joy, which she made use of in the Divine Service since the Feast of our Sa- viour's Nativity, and puts on the Penitential Dress, in order to remind her children that the season of public penance and humiliation is now approaching, and that we ought to prepare for it in a religious manner, if we expect to be reconciled to the Lord, and to be delivered from the captivity of our sins ; hence this Svniday is called Septtiagesima, that is, the Seventieth, not only because it is about the seventieth day before Easter, but also because the captivity of sin, from which Christ came to deliver us about this holy time, wavS prefigured by the captivity of Babylon, that lasted seventy years. The Gospel appointed by the Church for this Sunday contains, in the opinion of Origen, one of the principal parables in the Scripture, that is, the parable of the Father of a Family, who, having hired Avorkmen at the first, third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hours, to labour in his vineyard, reproved such as he found idling their time, and when the evening was come, requited all the labourers with the same salary, yet in proportion to the work they had done, according to the rules of distributive justice. Thus it is that every one is to be rewarded according to his works, at the night of death and on the day of judg- ment ; those who shall be then found to have served God for a short time with great fervour and devotion, will receive an equal recompense with those who have laboured indeed a longer time, but not with an equal fervency and ardour. Those who have been called at the last hour, or in an advanced age, and have done as much work as those who have been called at the first hour, or in their youth, shall be entitled ta the same reward ; the last shall be first, and the first shall be last, as the Gospel says, for many are called but few are chosen. The Jews, Avho were called first to the light of faith, and who have borne the burden of the Old Law, shall be postponed to the Gentiles, Avho were called at the eleventh hour. In short, every one sliall then reap what he has sown. Gal. vi. He trho sotceth sparing?//, shall also reap sparing!?/, and he who soiceth in blessings, shall also reap of blessings, 2 Cor. ix. Many will then, to'their great confusion, find themselves poor and void of merits, who have it now in their power to manage their time to the advantage of their souls, and to enrich themselves by making daily advances in virtue. On the great day of reckoning, when time shall be for them no more, and whenthey pliall be called to a strict account for every hour they have mispent, or thrown away in idleness, in frivolous amusements, empty projects, and delusive pleasures, they shall learn, to their unutterable sorrow, how 108 ON THE GOOD USE OF TIME. offensive to God an idle, indolent life is, and what immense treasures are lost by it. To convince you, hereof, my brethren, and to excite you to make good use of your time, I Avill endeavour to shew you, that as nothing is more pernicious, or more productive of great evils than idleness, so, on the contrary, nothing is more precious or more valuable than time well employed and filled up. In short, the necessity and utility of sanc- tifying our time, and employing it in a manner worthy of the divine acceptance, shall be the entire subject of the following discourse. Let us first implore the aid of Heaven, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Ave Maria. It is a false notion of the luxurious and wealthy to imagine, that labour and toil were destined only for the poor and miserable, since the punish- ment incurred by the disobedience of our first parents is general and he- reditary to all their posterity. The Almighty God has enjoined labour on mankind as a common penance due to sin, and we are all liable to the same sentence of gaining our bread with the sweat of our brow ; no one is exempted from this general law ; the rich as well as the poor are indis- pensably bound to shun idleness, and to employ with fidelity the time that God bestows them to work their salvation, by opposing vigilance to sloth, and virtue to vice ; they are to apply themselves to some labour either of body or of spirit, or some serious occupation conformable to the respective states and conditions to which Divine Providence has called them. It is said to have been a rule among the Jews, that all their chil- dren were to learn some trade with their studies, were it but to avoid idleness, and to exercise the body as well as the mind in something serious, which made one of their Rabbles say, that a parent who neglects this duty is as criminal as if he taught his son to steal. St. Thomas of Aquin says, we are all commanded to labour according to our various functions and engagements in life, and in every thing we do we are to have always in view the honour and glory of our Creator, and the sanc- tification of our souls ; for it is beyond all dispute, that God has created us for no other end but to love and serve him in this world, in order to see and enjoy him in the next ; consequently, our time must be employed in serving him, and in promoting his honour and glory. He has a strict right to all our thoughts, words, and actions, and as it is in him we live, move and subsist, we ought to make him the constant object of all our desires, the centre of all our affections, the beginning of all our enter- prizes, and the end of all our pursuits. This is our duty in quality of sinners, and in quality of Christians and sei'vants of God. It is not enough for us to refrain from evil, but we must likewise devote our time to the practice of good works, and lead an active and laborious life ac- cording to our different conditions. We must shun idleness, which is the root and spring of numberless ci'imes, and the cause of much mischief, as the Holy Ghost speaks, Eccles. xxxiii. It is a stream that undermines the foundation of every virtue ; it is a rust of the mind, that gives a tincture of its nature to every action of a man's life, and a distaste for every thing that is good and praiseworthy. It is an inlet and an incen- tive to every vice, and, as St. Augustine remarks, it opens a gap for Satan to enter into the purest souls, and insinuate the vilest temptations and allurements to sin. The Scriptux-e affords us a striking instance liereof in the holy King David, who, as long as he exercised himself in military affairs, was free from the assaults of lust, but as soon as he gave himself up to idleness at home, he Ijecame a victim to his passions, and ON THE GOOD USE OF TIME. 109 fell into the abominable sins of adultery and murder. In like manner, whilst Solomon was occupied in building the temple, he was not over- come by lechery, but when he Avas idle he lay open to all the attacks of the devil, and fell into the most shameful disorders. Idleness also led the Sodomites into all their detestable excesses, as the Prophet Ezechiel informs us, xvi. and no wonder, for as land that is not cultivated pro- duces weeds and briars in abundance, and as stagnating water, which has no course or motion, putrifies, and engenders a number of nauseous insects, so, in like manner, according to St. Bernard, an idle, inactive, indolent life, is productive of nothing but sin and corruption. It is for this reason that St. Jerome gives the following advice to all Chi'istians : Be always occupied at some work or other, that the devil may find you always busy ; for he is not easily overcome by the devil who is always employed. The anchorets of Egypt, and the solitaries in the deserts of Thebais, were so sensible hereof that all the leisure hours they had to spare from prayer and contemplation, they employed in doing some manual works, as the aforesaid holy Doctor informs us, with the sole view of shunning idleness, and of being preserved from the evil suggestions of the enemy, by the exterior labour of their hands. They knew that time is too pre- cious to waste a single hour of it in idleness, and that corporal labour, and regular employment are capable of being sanctified and made sub- servient to the soul's eternal salvation. They considered an active and laborious life as both medicinal and satisfactory ; medicinal, because it is a preservative against vice, and sati'^factory, because it is a powerful means to expiate sin, when it is embraced in the spirit of humility and penance, and performed in compliance with the will of God. O that the Christians of our days were deeply penetrated with the like sentiments, and took equal care to apply to honest industry and useful labour! Were it not for the destructive vice of idleness, to which vast numbers of people of all descriptions are unhappily addicted, we should not behold so many fatal examples of justice going to the common place of execution, nor so many mobs and riots upon all occasions, nor so many drunkards and libertines rambling from street to street, destroying trade, impoverishing their families, and blaspheming the saci'ed name of their Creator ; the poor would be better supported than the play-house, the Church of God would be more frequented than balls, assemblies, and public shews, and charity and industry would take place of wantonness and prodigality ; so many precious hours would not be lavished in sinful conversation, in gambling, drinking, detraction, cursing, swearing, and reading pernicious books. The Gospel gives us to understand that we are to be accountable on the day of judgment for every idle word we speak, and consequently for every idle hour we mispend, and prodigally throw away ; O Avhat a rigorous account then will be demanded of those who not only spend their time in idleness, but abuse it to a still more criminal purpose, devoting so many hours, days and nights, to the perpetration of the most shameful excesses, and the most scandalous works of darkness ? Have they not every reason to apprehend that the Sovereign Judge will pronounce a most dreadful sentence against them, since the workmen mentioned in this day's Gospel were condemned, merely for standing idle, and loitering away their time in doing nothing ? We read in chap. XXV. of St. Matthew, that the slothful and unprofitable servant was 110 ON THE GOOD USE OF TIME. sentenced to be cast into exterior darkness, amidst weeping and gnashing of teeth ; yet the Scripture does not charge him with being either a drunkard, a debauchee, or a libertine ; neither is he accused of having embezzled his master's substance ; all the fault laid to his charge is, that he was indolent and slothful, and that he buried his talent in the ground instead of improving and turning it to some advantage. This plainly shews how oiFensive to God an idle, careless, and unactive life is, and how necessary it is to improve the time which God is pleased to lend us during our sojourn here on earth, to his greater honour and glory, and to the" benefit' of our souls. We are not to imagine that it is enough for us to shun evil ; we must comply with the whole precept, by also doing good, decline from evil, and do good, says the Eoyal Prophet, Ps. xxxvi. 27. And really, my brethren, if to make proper use of our time, no more was i-equired than merely to shun evil, and be guilty of no flagrant or palpable crimes, there are thousands of Pagans who might be considered to acquit themselves of this duty, as there are thousands among them from similar gross vices, but equally strangers to the shining virtues that are prescribed by the Christian religion. The Lord, in his great mercy, has vouchsafed to call us to a more exalted degree of perfection ; he has made us his children, and promised us an eternal reward, not for passing our days in ease and indolence, but for serving him with fervour and zeal ; every hour of our life is a talent that he entinists to us for negotiating the important aifair of our salvation, and for gaining au happy eternity hereafter. If Avorldlings, therefore, deem it an unpar- donable fault in a man of business to lose his time, make no use of his talents, and neglect wilfully a favourable opportunity of gaining a very considerable temporal advantage, how blameable must a Christian be, Avho having it in his power to lay up treasures for eternity every hour, neglects so many favourable opportunities of enriching his soul, and trifles away his precious time in sloth and idleness, as if it were of no value ? The great lesson of Christianity is to consecrate every moment of our time to God, by employing it in a manner worthy of his divine acceptance ; and to excite us to the performance of this duty, the Scrip- ture exposes to our view the most pressing motives, by teaching us that time only appertains to God, that it is short and uncertain, that the time that is once lost never returns, never can be recalled, is lost for eternity ; that it is granted to us by the mercy of God, to be so disposed and sanctified, as to conduct us one day to everlasting glory ; that time is not so much to be computed by the number of years of which it is composed, as by the benefit and good use that is made of it ; that we ought to endeavour to redeem the mispent time by applying ourselves Avith gi'eater fervour and assiduity to the practice of good works, before the dark and fatal night of death overtakes us ; in fine, that all the time which is not Avell employed is idle time, time thrown away, and as the loss is irreparable, so it can never be sufficiently regretted. All our labours, toils, and fatigues are vain and useless, if they were not referred to the end of our creation, and directed to God's lionour and glory ; they resemble the toils of a spider, which exhausts its substance in Avaving a cobAveb for catching flies and gathering dust, telas aranece texuerunt, Isaias lix. 5. Unless avc labour for Heaven, all the actions of our life are but a Avork founded on sand, Avhich Avill turn to no lasting account ; we shall be deemed at the last day no better than useless and unprofitable ON THE GOOD I'SK OF TIME. Ill sei'vants, wlio have neglected their master's business, and loitered away their time at trifles. It is not the number of years Ave have lived, but the number of good works we shall have done that will be then regarded. This is the rule by which our days are measured, and our age is reckoned in the book of life ; this is the way to arrive at an honourable and respectable old age in a short time, for as tlie Holy Ghost teaches us in the Book of Wisdom, iv. 4, venerable old age is not to be computed by the number of years that a man lives here on earth, but by the number of merits he amasses, and the number of good w^orks he performs in his life-time. For this reason a spotless and virtuous life, though of no long duration, is called in the Scripture a long life, and the just man, who in a short time attains to a state of perfection, is said to fill up much age in a short space of time. It is for this reason nlso that Saul, King of Juda, is called a boy, though he was a man of an hundred years old, because as he had led a disorderly life for so munj j^ears, he was deemed to have nothing of old age bylt the w^-inkles and inhrmities ; all tlie time he mispent in vice is passed over in Holy Writ, and looked upon as lost, forgotten, and eifaced, as if it never had existed. A pro- fane historian would say that this unhappy king had reigned forty years over Juda, because in reckoning the years by the course of the sun, he is found to have sat so long on the throne of Juda ; but the Holy Ghost goes by another rule, which is that of virtue, and only reckons the reign of Saul to have lasted two years, because he only reigned two years as he ought to have reigned. If, my brethren, vre proceed according to this rule, what a consider- able part of our natui-al life shall we find retrenched and lopped off as being productive of no good fruits conducive to life everlasting ? Se- veral among us are come to the eleventh hour of the day, that is to an advanced age ; they are drawing very near to the end of their career, and yet what a small portion of their time have they consecrated to God's sei*vice, and to their own sanctification ? Two thirds of their life should be employed in doing penance for their sins, and yet the greater part of their time has been spent in committing new faults, and in treasuring up more anger for themselves against the bitter day of wrath. On looking back, and taking a serious view of their past conduct, they will discover, perhaps to their great humiliation and confusion, that they have sacri- ficed the best of their days and the flower of their life to pride and vanity, to idle visits, trifling amusements, profane diversions, and the pursuits of such unlawful pleasures as are the source of never ending miseries, without having the consolation of ever having served the Lord their God with fidelity one single day, they wall find that they have, since the first use of reason, squandered away many hundreds, nay, many thousands of days in gratifying their passions ; they will discover, that they have frequently abused and profaned the most solemn festivals, and converted holy days of salvation into days of rioting and gambling, luxury and debaucheiy. In fine, they will see that they have laboured much for the world, gained nothing for Heaven, made no provision for eternity, and that, though they have lost some millions of hours at trifles, they have not bestowed as many days or hours on the main chance as they have lived years ; nay, that one hour well filled up and employed, would be worth more than a whole year, or an entire ago, spent in the manner they have spent their time. O what an afilicting reflection will this be to a Christian at his dying hour, when, standing upon the verge of 112 ON THE GOOB USE OF TIME. eternity lie looks back ami considers the ill use he has made of his time ? Few accuse themselves now of this neglect, or are truly sensible of the greatness of their loss ; but then we shall be convinced hoAV valuable time is, and Avhat treasures are lost by idleness. We shall then wish to recall one of those hours that are now so little regarded, but time will then be no more, says St. John. AYe shall then acknowledge, that all the goods, honours and riches of the world, are not worth one single hour, and of course, that a Christian suffers a greater loss by every hour he mispends, than if he had lost all the kingdoms and treasures of the earth ; for every hour he loses is a talent misapplied, it is an opportunity of merit neglected, it is an eternity lost, it is a grace slighted whereby everlasting riches might be amassed, and immense treasures stored up for an happy eternity. This made St. Bernard say, that though nothing seems to be less valued or esteemed by the generality of mankind than time, yet nothing is more precious or more estimable, since there is not a day or an hour of our life but we might purchase an infinite treasure, and entitle ourselves to an increase of God's grace liere, and an immortal crown of glory hereafter. There is not one of our actions but might become an act of virtue, by being duly referred to the honour and glory of our Creator ; not one thought, word or deed, but might be made an agreeable sacrifice ; not a sigh of our hearts, but might be rendered an act of charity meritorious of life eveidasting. AVhat the damned souls never will be able to do for all eternity by their weeping, regrets and torments, we may do every moment by a devout act of contrition ; nay, we can do every day by a fervent act of faith, hope and charity, what the blessed souls in Heaven cannot do in the space of a thousand years, by the purest acts of the love of God ; for as long as we are here on earth, and whilst the sun of grace and mercy shines, we have it in our power to merit every hour a new degree of God's grace, and Avith the aid of divine grace, we may not only appease God's anger and obtain the par- don of our sins, but also grow rich in virtue, and merit a new degree of glory. By managing our time well, and sanctifying it by the practice of good works, we may merit the kingdom of Heaven, and the possession of God himself for ever and ever ; but the time of merit is over for the blessed souls in Heaven, as Avell as for the damned in hell ; neither the one nor the other are any longer in the way of meriting ; the night of death, after which no one can work, has overtaken them both, and put it out of the poAver of the former to merit any ncAV degree of grace and glory, and out of the power of the latter to merit the least abatement in their pains. It is too late for them to think of Avorking now. The reprobate, to their inexpressible grief, would not Avork Avhilst they had the daylight before them, and Avhilst they had a favourable op- portunity ; Avere they noAV masters of ten thousand worlds, there is not a reprobate in hell but Avould joyfully sacrifice them all for one hour to repent, in case they Avere once more under a possibility of being saved thereby. Let me conjure you then, my brethren, to gi'ow wise at their expense, and to be better economists of your time for the future. Hoav precious Avill a life Avell employed and sanctified be in the sight of God, and Avhat a consolation Avill it be to yourselves at your dying moments ? Let me entreat you Avith the Apostolic Avords to do good while you have time, Gal. iv. 10. There is not an hour but is liberally bestowed on you to be im- proved to your advantage ; loalk, therelbre, ivhild mu have the light, says ON THE WORD OF GOD. 113 Jesus Christ, John, xiii. 35. Advance in virtue, and make a daily pro- gress in the way of periection, that you may redeem and recover, in the best manner you are able, the time you have lost, and of which you have hitherto been so lavish and have made so little account. Imitate those travellers who, after tarrying a while on the road, hasten with greater speed when they find it growing late, and endeavour to make good their journey before the darkness of the night overtakes them. O merciful and compassionate Jesus ! who didst vouchsafe to weep over Jerusalem because it neglected the time of its visitation and the day of salvation that was oifered to it, preserve us for the future from the like insensibi- lity. Pardon, we beseech thee, our past neglects, and grant that we may henceforth make the proper use of our time whilst we are in the way of merit. If hitherto we have had the misfortune to spend the floAver of our life and the best of our days in the service of the world, and in the pursuit of its deceitful allurements, we are at length become sensible of our folly, and repent that we have begun so late to know and love thee, 0 Beauty, ever ancient and ever new. Give us grace to serve thee the short remainder of our life, with a new zeal and fervour, and to satisfy for the long arrears of so many years of love and service as are already due to thee. Make us sensible that a short satisfaction in vice is punished with the eternal torments of hell, and that a short labour in the practice of virtue is rewarded with the never-ending joys and glory of Heaven. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. ON THE WOED OF GOD. Semen est Verbum Dei — St. Luc. c. viiL v. \\. The Seed is the Word of God St. Luke, c. viii. v. 11. The Gospel distinguishes four different classes of people who hear the Word of God. One class consists of relapsing sinners, from whose hearts the devil immediately snatches this good seed, lest by giving it time to take deep root, it might produce in them the worthy fruits of re- pentance. Another class consists of obdurate and hardened sinners, on whose hearts the Word of God makes no lasting impression, but like unto a good seed that falls upon a rock, it decays and withers aAvay for want of moisture. A third class consists of those who hear the Word of God with pleasui-e, but instead of reaping any considerable benefit from it, suffer it to be stifled and choaked by the thorns and briai'S of their sinful affections, before it has time to grow up to its full maturity. A fourth class consists of those who hear the Word of God with the proper dispositions, and carefully remove every obstacle that might prevent it from fructifying in their souls ; in them the Word of God yields fruit in abundance, like vuito a good seed that is sown in a good soil, and that is copiously watered with the dew of Heaven and kindly nourished in the bowels of the earth. To be convinced hereof, we need but consider the wonderful effects, and the amazing change that the Word of God wrought in a short time over the known world, at the very first dawn of Chris- tianity. No sooner was it announced by a few illiterate fishermen but it H 114 ON THE WORD OF GOD. wrouglit numberless conversions, and produced thousands of glorious Mart3'rs ami illustrious Saints, of all states and conditions ; it triumphed over the wisdom of philosophers, confounded the eloquence of orators, and subdued kingdoms and empires to the sweet yoke of the Gospel. It manifested the blind errors of Paganism, opened the eyes of the Gen- tiles, and persuaded them to demolish the temples of their idols, to pull down their altars, to abolish their impious sacrifices, to renounce their favourite supei'stitions, and to adore a crucified Jesus instead of a thun- dering Jupiter, a Mars, or a Venus. Is it not surprising, cries out St. John Chrysostom, that the Word of God does not continue to work the same conversions m our days, and to produce the same happy fruits which it formerly produced in the very bosom of idolatry ? It never was preached more frequently than it is at present, and yet in appearance it never met with less success, never was more barren, never brought in a smaller harvest of souls to the Lord ! To investigate the unhappy causes of this deploi-able sterility of the Word of God, and to point out proper reme- dies for removing and preventing so dreadful an evil, is the design of the following discourse. In the first place I will shew you, that the present barrenness of the Word of God is not owing to the Word itself, but to certain defects and indispositions on our part which hinder it from fruc- tifying. The dispositions necessarily required on our part to render the Word of God productive of the most salutary effects, shall be the sub- ject of the second point. Come first, we beseech thee, O Divine Spirit, descend into our souls, and preach to the hearts of my hearers what I am going to sound in their ears. That we may the more readily obtain this gracious favour from the Giver of all good gifts, let us devoutly im-- plore the intercession of the ever-blessed Virgin, greeting her with the Angel, and saying, Ave Maria. Our blessed Saviour, in the Gospel of this day, compares the Word of God to a good seed, and gives us to understand, that three parts out of four of this good seed decay, perish, and are lost. One part only of it yields any fruit, although of its own nature it always has a most won- derful virtue and efficacy, and is now as powerful and incentive to virtue, and as effectual a preservative against the corruption of sin, as it was in the days of the Apostles ; it is still as fruitful and productive in itself, as it was at the first establishment of the Christian religion, when it humbled the pride of Ccesars, conquered the impiety of tyrants, and re- formed the face of the universe with a success that struck the whole world with wonder and amaze. It is the self-same gospel we preach to you, in the present age, that St. Peter preached to the Jews upwards of eighteen hundred years ago, when, at his two first sermons he con- verted eight thousand souls to the Lord. It is the self-same one, true saving faith we teach you, and the very same heavenly doctrine we an- nounce to you, that St. Paul and the other disciples of our Loi'd Jesus Christ preached and announced, when, as the Scripture informs us, that the Holy Ghost descended visibly on the faithful who were assembled to- gether to hear the Word of God ; they preached no other word, they announced no other doctrine, when they planted the Standard of the Cross in the very capital of the Roman Empire, and extended their spiritual conquests beyond its remotest boundaries, than what we now-a- days preach and announce to you from our altars and pulpits ; for the Holy Catholic Church, guided always by the spirit of truth, has, in all ages since her infancy, taken particular cai'e to preserve the Word of ON THE WORD Oi' GOD. 115 God in its primitive purity, and to hand it down from generation to ge- neration, undefiled and nncorrupted, as she received it originally from Christ and his Apostles, without ever allowing the least deviation or the least change, even in a single iota, in her doctrine of faith and morals. Whence comes it, then, that the apostolic preachers of former ages con- verted so many thousands by their sermons, and that the modern preach- ers make so few converts, gain over so small a number of souls, and see their labours crowned with so little success ? The Word of God has under- gone no change or alteration in itself, as I have obsei'ved ; why then does it not yield the same good fruits in our days that it heretofore did ? It is plain that this sterility, so much to be lamented, cannot be attributed to the Word of God itself, so that it must be owing to some other cause ; it must be owing to the preachers, or to the hearei's, or, perhaps, to both the one and the other. The learned Bellarmin complains loudly of those preachers, who preach themselves, and not Jesus Christ ; they are not ac- tuated, says he, with that fervour, that unction, that zeal, which ani- mated the preachers of former ages, who had no other aim, no other in- tention, but to advance the divine honour, and the salvation of souls. Their sermons, in general, are not doctrinal, instructive, pathetic, nor addressed to the heart, like those of the primitive preachers, but seem rather to be discourses of parade, embellished with the flowers of rhetoric, dressed out with aU the ornaments of human wisdom, and calculated more for pleasing the ears and exciting the admiration of the hearers by a pompous display of extraordinary talents, than for gaining their souls, converting their heai'ts, and exciting them to compunction for their sins. But if this be a shameful abuse and profanation of the sacred mi- nistry, and one of the causes of the present sterility of the divine word, it cannot be doubted but the evil dispositions of the hearers are another principal cause, that renders the heavenly seed unproductive and barren, and obstructs its inherent virtue and efficacy, much after the same man- ner that the operation of the very best remedies is frequently prevented by the indisposition of the patient, and the wonderful efficacy and salu- taiy effects of the holy sacraments themselves are often obstructed by the evil dispositions with which they are received. As therefore the object of preachers, and the end of sermons, should be to instruct tlie people in the tenets of-faith, and in sound morals, and to excite and move them to goodness, the people, on their part, if they wish to be favoured with the unction of the divine Spirit, and to reap any solid advantage from the Word of God, should hear it with a pure intention and a sincere desire of being enlightened and edified, excited and moved to the practice of virtue, and to a faithful compliance with the moral and religious duties of their respective states. The great St. Augustine, in his book of confessions, blames himself for having been deficient iir this respect before his conversion. Instead of being actuated by this Clj|-istian motive and good intention, he tells us, that he resorted to the sermons of St. Ambrose, on account of the eloquence of that holy Doctor, and not for the sake of his own spiritual improvement and edifi- cation, as he should have done ; puffi3d up Avith pride, and big in his own conceit, he despised the humble style of the Scriptures, and prefen-ed the elegant, flowery expression of Cicero to the noble and majestic simplicity of the Word of God. This is an error not uncommon in our days ; although it must be acknowledged that truth never shines brighter, nor makes a deeper impression than in its own plain, native dress ; yet it is llfj OS THE WORD OF GOD. not relished by numbers, who imagine themselves to be competent judges of a fine piece of oratory, unless it be decked out with all the pomp and glare of rhetorical floAvers ; they attend more to the arrangement of the periods, and to the beauty of the language, than to the substance, the sense, and the doctrine. They come to a sermon, not for their spiritual improve- ment, but out of an idle curiosity, to criticise and pass a judgment on the b)-illiancy of the preacher's talents ; they come, as they express it, to kill time, by being agreeably entertained with the gi-aceful delivery and beautiful style of an elegant composition ; they come, in short, not so much with a desii-e of having the Word of God impressed on their hearts and minds, as with a desire of hearing the word of man, nicely spinning out one or two speculative propositions with logical precision and great ingenuity. If the preacher inculcates the great practical duties of reli- gion, or unfolds the terrifying truths of the Gospel, they are apt to hear him with a kind of indifference ; if he speaks to them of the incompre- hensible joys of Heaven, they hover, in tlie interim, with their thoughts on the world, to which their hearts and affections are strongly attached ; if he expatiates on the horrid enormity of every mortal sin, on the indispensable obligation of doing penance, on the sad alternative of burning in flames of fire Avith merciless devils for an endless eternity in hell, they pay little attention or regard to Avhat is said on the occasion ; they imagine that matters are exaggerated, they do not bring the subject home to themselves ; they think it more applicable to others, nay, they sometimes make a jest of it, like unto the luihappy people of Sodom and Gomorrha, who laughed at the salutary advice and charitable remon- strance of Lot, and continued in their criminal practices, imtil they Avere consumed by the avenging flames that descended visibly upon them from the Heavens. To reject the Word of God, to slight and neglect hearing it through contempt, or to refuse paying any attention to it, is to slight and reject with ingratitude one of the most poAverful means that God in his great mercy has been pleased to provide for the conversion and sanc- tification of souls, and, consequently, it is an evil of so dangerous a ten- dency, that it is sufficient to provoke the Almighty, in his wrath, to withdraAv from sinners the dew of Heaven, to take from them" the dis- pensers of his divine Word, and to abandon them to their own reprobate sense, like those luihappy nations Avhich are involved in a deplorable ignorance of the mysteries of faith, or, as the scripture phrase expresses it, are seated in darkness, and in the shadotv of death. Christ our Lord ordered his disciples to quit such places and such people as would not pay attention to the doctrine they preached, and going out into the street to shake off the dust which had stuck to their feet, to denote thereby that they justly deserved to be rejected by God who rejected his Word ; he likewise pronounced a dreadful Avoe against the people of Corosaim and Bethsaida, Avho took little notice of the words of eternal life, which he had so often preached to them : Woe to ye, inhabitants of Gj^^osaim and Bethsaida, said he, iftlie same signs, lohicli have been icronglit among ye, had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have done penance in sackcloth and ashes. He also foretold the Jcavs, that the kingdom of God would be taken from them on the same account, and given to a people that would bring fortli better fruit, and correspond more faithfully with the gracious favours of Heaven. In effect, my brethren, what stronger l)roof can there be of a depraved and corrupted heart than to slight, reject, and despise the Word of God? — It is a dangerous symptom, and ON THE WORD OF GOD. 117 a plain indication of a disordered stomach, to reject good corporal food, and a sign of soi-e eyes to hate and shun the light ; the same light that revives and enlightens the sound eye, is oiFensive to a sore eye, says St. Augustine, and the same food which a healthy man relishes and deems sweet and savoury, appears insipid and unpalatable to a sickly man. In like manner the Word of God, which in itself is a lovely and reviving light to the children of God, and a delicious bread that nourishes the faith, whereby the j ust man lives, appears unsavoury, loathsome and dis- agreeable to the children of darkness ; they hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest their ivorhs may not be reproved, says St. John, iii. 20. St. Paul also remarks, that carnal and sensual man have no taste or relish for the spiritual things that are of God ; they do not receive the xoords of prudence, unless you speak to them concerning those things that their hearts are full of , says the wise man, in the Book of Ecclesiasticus. Politics, theatrical performances, plays, comedies, novels and stories of gallantry, are their favourite pursuits and darling entertainments. They think nothing of throwing away three or four hours of their time at a party of pleasure, at a card table, in a tavern or in a play-house ; but it is with difficulty they are prevailed on sometimes to spend a single hour or half an hour in the whole week, at a sermon or exhortation on the Lord's day. No sooner do they forsake the paths of virtue, and suffer themselves to be blinded and enslaved by their tyrannical passions, but they lose all taste and relish for the heavenly manna of the Woi'd of God, and even con- ceive a dislike and aversion to it, in imitation of the children of Israel in the desert. The Scripture relates, that as long as they remained faithful to the Lord their God, and walked in the way of his command- ments, the manna continued to be to them a heavenly food, that con- tained every kind of delicious taste that could gratify their palates ; but no sooner did they relent in their fervour, and forgot their duty to God, than the manna lost its delicious taste and relish, and they began to cry out that their soul did loathe this very light food, until at length they pro- voked the wrath of the Almighty to that degree, that Vast numbers of them were destroyed by fiery serpents in the desert. Numb. xxi. 1. Their misfortune should be a warning to all Christians to beware of following their example, and drawing down on themselves the indigna- tion of Heaven. But let us now proceed to the dispositions with which the "Word of God is to be heard. As it is a proof of a corrupted heart, and a mark of reprobation, to disregard, undervalue, and reject the Word of God, according to tliis terrifying sentence pronounced by our blessed Saviour against the Jews, John viii. 4, Ye hear not the ivords of God, because you are not of God ; so on the contrary, to be fond of hearing the Word, and to cherish it care- fully in the heart, is considered to be a mark of predestination, according to these words of Christ : He that is of God, heareth the ivords of God, John viii. 47, and again, John x. 27, My sheep hear my voice. If we look back towards the infancy of the Churcli, we shall find that the primitive Christians were so fond of hearing tlie Word of God, that they frequently suspended their worldly occupations, and hastened in great multitudes from all parts of .Judea and Jerusalem, in order to nourish their souls with this heavenly manna ; their spiritual hunger and thirst after it was so pressing, that it made them forget their corporal wants and necessities, and flock with alacrity in thousands together, to mountains and deserts for the same pious purpose ; tlicy even assemijled 118 ON THE WORB OP GOD. in prisons and subterraneous caverns, in order to hear the Word of God from the mouth of their Pastors and Spii'itual Guides, which made St. Paul say, I am loaded with chains like a malefactor, but in the midst of my sufferings and afflictions I have the comfort to see that the Word of God is not bound or fettered ; for my little flock, which I regard as my crown and my joy, takes care to assemble about me in the prison where I am confined, to hear the Word of God from my mouth. As long as this ardent desire to hear the Word of God continued, the spiritual kingdom of Christ was daily extended, the empire of Satan was gradually weakened, vice was detested, virtue was cherished, sinners were reclaimed, infidels were converted, religion flourished, and the faithful in general were inspired with an holy emulation to tend to the very summit of sanctity and perfection. O, my brethren, if you were inflamed with the like ardent desire to hear the Word of God, there is no doubt but it would produce the like blessed fruits in our days. Did you hut Tcnow the gift of God, as Christ formerly said to the Samaritan woman, to whom he vouchsafed to preach at the Well of Jacob, John iv. Did you but seriously consider what a signal blessing and gi'acious favour the Lord bestows on you, in sending you a number of preachers to announce his Word, to point out to you the sure road of salvation, and to preserve you from the darkness of infidelity which overspreads three parts of the world, you would be more thankful to him for his mercies, more faithful in corresponding with his grace, more assiduous in freqvienting sermons and exhortations. Several amongst us remember the time, when we would have gone with alacrity far and near to hear the Word of God, and would have been overjoyed to meet Avith one-tenth part of the many favourable opportunities we have at present to hear it ; we remember the time, when the following words of the Prophet Jeremias might have been jiistly applied to, and really verified in us. The little ones cried out for the bread of life, and there iras no one to break it for than. Glory be to God on high, the case is altered. The religion of our ancestors, planted in this island by St. Patrick upwards of thirteen hundred years ago, is no longer deemed incompatible with the allegiance of good subjects ; the sunshine of toler- ation has at length succeeded the gloomy season of penal laws, and Divine Providence has supplied the Vineyard of Christ with numbers of active Labourers, who study both day and night to cultivate it, and to feed the flock with the food of sound doctrine. These are blessings which you now enjoy in preference to thousands in other parts of the globe, and which will serve to render you the more accountable on the last day, unless you turn them to the advantage of your souls. Far, then, from suffering your zeal to slacken or your fervour to diminish, you should rather redouble it, and cheei'fully embrace every favourable opportunity of hearing the Word of God as often as the duties of your respective states will permit. The pastors and preachers of the Church are bound, in conscience, to announce it to you ; and on your part you are bound, in conscience, to hear it with docility and humility, as a voice from Heaven directed to each of you in particular. You are to hear it witli a good intention of reducing it to practice, and regulating your conduct by it, since, as the Apostle says, N'ot the hearers, but the doers and observers of God! s Word are justified in his sight. It is a spiritual bread, says St. Augustine, that must be chewed and digested, that is, you must ruminate and meditate upon it at your leisure, and carry it into ON THE WORD OF GOD. 119 execution. It is a seed that will not fructify, unless it be sown in a fit and suitable soil ; every obstacle that would prevent its growth must be carefully removed ; the briars and thorns of every inordinate affection must be weeded out, lest the good seed be choked and suffocated before it comes to its full maturity. In short, the ground must be well pre- pared, the heart must be well disposed and purged for receiving it ; it must be laid up in the mind, and deeply lodged and preserved in the bottom of the heart, lest the enemy should pick it up and snatch it away before it has time to take root. And since, as the Apostle speaks, 1 Cor. iii., Neither he toho plants, nor he who waters, is anijthing, but God, who gives the increase, his sacred unction and heavenly benediction ouo-ht to be devoutly implored ; without it the Pi-eacher is only a soundino" trumpet, though he should speak the language of men and of angels ; his words will have no considerable effect, but will speedily vanish away from the mind ; they will strike the ears, but not mollify the stony heart of the sinner, nor work the conversion of his soul. This made St. Augustine say, that the principal Preacher has his pulpit in Heaven. Those who ai-e ordained, authorised, and deputed by the Church, are his organs, his Ministers and the Dispensers of his mysteries ; they are the Ambassadors of Christ, as St. Paul stiles them, 2 Cor. xx. In the dis- charge of the sacred functions of their ministry they act not from them- selves, but by his avithority ; they speak to us in his name and on his part. He that hears them, hears him ; he that despises them despises him ; and he that despises him, despises his heavenly Father who sent him, as he expressly assures us, St. Luke x. They are the lawful heirs and successors of the Apostles, vested with the same authority and com- mission that Christ gave them to preach the Gospel, and teach all nations ; for as he commissioned the Apostles to go and teach all nations to observe all things tvhatsoever he had commanded them. Matt, xxviii., and as he promised at the same time to be with them all days, even to the con- summation of the ivorld, in order to assist them continually in their func- tions of teaching and instructing, it is manifest that this commission was not confined to the persons of the Apostles, since they neither did, nor could, continue to teach all nations in their own persons, nor were they to continue upon earth to the end of the world ; consequently this com- mission was given by Christ to their office, that is, to them and to their successors in office, who shall continue to the end of the world, and complete the work of teaching all nations, which the Apostles beo-an. These only are the Teachers and Preachers who have a right to announce the Word of God to you, and whose faith the Scripture orders you to hear and follow, Heb. xiii. 7, 9., and Matt, xviii. 17, lest you be led astray by the various and strange doctrines of those new Gospellers and self-commis- sioned Preachers, who, like the false Prophets of the Old Law, adul- terate the Word of God, and presume to preach and dogmatize without any mission, authority, or title, whatever. How shall they preach, (says St. Paul, Rom. x.) unless they be sent ? Give us Grace, O Divine Jesus, to hear thy Word with every proper disposition. Take from us, we beseech thee, that stony heart which has hitherto resisted thy grace, and frustrated the designs of thy mercy. Give us an heart of flesh, susceptible of the impressions of thy heavenly Spirit. Cultivate our barren souls, which are so apt to bring forth briars thorns, and noxious weeds, ingratitudes without end, and sins without number. Water them with thy inspirations, and bedew them with thy 120 ON THE NATURE AND NECESSITY graces, that tliy sacred Word may produce in us an hundred-fold fruit, and may dispose us for partaking one day of that happiness which thou hast promised through tlie mouth of thy Evangelist, saying, Blessed are they who hear the Word of God, and keep it, St. Luke, xi. 28. And this, my brethren, is the blessing which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. ON THE NATUKE AND NECESSITY OF DIVINE FAITH, &c. Kespice, Fides tua te salvum fecit — St. Luc. c. xviii. v. 42. Receive thy sight ; thy Faith hath made thee whole — St. Luke, c. xviii. v. 42. These words of comfort were spoken by the Saviour of the World to a poor blind man, who, sitting by the way-side on the road of Jericho, and learning from the crowd that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, cried out with a loud voice, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. So great was his confidence in Jesus, and so ardent his desire of being restored to his eye-sight, that he was not to be discouraged by the opposition he met with from the ci'owd ; the more they checked him for his importunity, and the more they endeavoured to impose silence on him, the more he raised his voice, and redoubled the fervoUr of his prayer to Jesus, to have mei'cy on him, until at length his perseverance was crowned with success, and the bowels of infinite mercy were moved to compassion ; for as this ' day's Gospel informs us, Jesus stopped for a while on the road, and having ordered the poor blind man to be brought near, he said to him. What wilt thou that I do for thee ? Whereupon he replied, Lo7xl, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said to him, Receive thy sight ; thy faith hath made thee tvhole. And accordingly he immediately received his sight, and began to follow his bountiful Benefactor, glorifying and praising God in conjunction Avith the multitude of people, who were eye-witnesses to this illustrious miracle. Behold here, my brethren, a remarkable instance of the wonderful power and efficacy of a sti'ong and lively faith. It is to it that our blessed Redeemer attributes the miraculous cure of the aforesaid poor blind man ; and the Gospel assures us that every thing becomes possible to it, every thing is granted to it ; it is the foundation on which all Christian perfection is built, and the root from which every Christian virtue springs. By faith the just man lives, and without it it is impossible to please God, as the Apostle says, Heb. xi. 6. It is the first step to our salvation ; for, as the first step by which man fell from the happy state of his oi'iginal innocence, Avas a proud aifection of a more extensive knowledge than his all-wise Creator was pleased to allow him ; so, in like manner, the first step Ave are to take in order to rise from sin and turn to God, is to pull doAvn the idol of human pride and self-conceit, to subject our reason and senses to the Word of God, and to captivate our understanding in obedience to Christ, as the Apostle speaks, 2 Cor. We must humbly acknoAvledge our own Aveakness and insufficiency, make a sacrifice of Avhat is most dear to self-love, and correct the liberty of thinking and acting as Ave please, in order to pay due homage to God's infinite Avisdom and veracity, by believing firmly all the sacred truths he has revealed, though OP DIVINE FAITH, &e. 121 we neither see them nor comprehend them. It is in humbling the pride of man in this manner, and in preferring the divine authority to any thing our own weak reason and senses can oppose to the contrary, tlaat the merit of our faith consists. This is what renders it so acceptable to God ; this is what preserves it free from all illusion, and sets it above all exception, in spite of all the specious arguments that human wit and learning are able to suggest. The sacred Scriptures point out to us only one true faith, as there is only one true God, one Spouse of Christ, one Sheep- fold, one House of God, one true Church, to lohich the Lord daily adds all that are to be saved. And since the many contradictory sects and religious societies, into which Christianity is at present unhappily divided and sub-divided, cannot be all in possession of this one true saving faith, it is highly incumbent on us all to be well instructed in the nature of so necessary a means of salvation, and to know with certainty in what communion the true faith is preserved and professed in its primitive purity. This is the important subject which I will endeavour to elucidate in the following discourse, for your edification, and that, according to the advice of 1 St. Peter, iii. 15. Tou man ^^ alivaijs ready to give satisfaction to every one that asketh you a reason of that hope ivhich is in you. In the first point I will lay before you the nature and necessity of the virtue of divine faith ; and in the second I will shew you, that the Holy Catholic Church is in actual possession of this one true saving faith. Let us pre- viously implore the light and assistance of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, whom the Angel of the Lord greeted with the following words, Ave Maria. Faith is a gift of God, according to these words of St. Paul, Ephes. ii. 8. By grace you are saved through faith, and that 7wt of yourselves, for it is the gift of God ; and since it is the imll of God that all vien he saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth, as St. Paid also says, 1 Tim. ii. 4. God does not refuse to bestow this gift on those who seek it in the sincerity of their hearts, and use their best endeavours to obtain it. If he does not grant it to many, it is either because they do not seek it with a sincere and upright heart, or because natural obstinacy, prejudice of education, worldly interest, human respect, temporal views, the fear of what the world will say and friends will think, or some considerations of this sort, blind their understandings that they may not see the truth, and avert their wills from embracing it. Our blessed Saviour assures us, Matt. xi. 25. that his Heavenly Father hides the secrets of his divine Avisdom from the wise and prudent, and reveals them to little ones. Hence the Apostle, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, xi. 1. calls divine faith the substance of things to he hoped for, and the evidence of things that ajipear not. The sacred truths it proposes to be believed do not appear to us clear and evident in themselves, but rather obscure and impenetrable ; they are sublime mysteries that surpass the force of human understand- ing, and are so far above our comprehension, that if God had not been pleased to reveal them to mankind, it would be impossible for us by all our reseai'ches, to come to the knowledge of them ; neither reason nor experience, nor study, could ever give us any just idea of them; for if the most subtle philosophers, by the light of their natural reason, the foi'ce of their close study, and the strength of their genius, never have been yet able to account for several things that are common and obvious in nature, how could we expect to fathom the profound secrets of Heaven with the short line of human reason, or be able, by our natural strength, 122 ON THE NATURE AND NECESSITY to discover the abstruse and supernatural mysteries wliicli belong to an- other world, and are so far from falling under our reason or senses, so as to be investi"-ated by them, that they appear sometimes to be contrary to our natural reason, and to contradict our senses? But when we are aided by divine revelation, and strengthened by the gift of divine faith, our understanding is elevated, and our mind is enabled to perceive light throuo'h clouds of darkness, and we acquire a stronger conviction, and a fuller^persuasion of the truth of the sacred revealed mysteries, than if we actually saw them with ovxr eyes, because we do not depend for the truth of them upon any natural knowledge, nor upon the fallible evidence of our own senses, which often lead us astray, nor upon the testimony of men, who of themselves are liable to various errors and mistakes in the most ordinary things ; but we rely upon the Word of God himself, who cannot deceive us, as he is infinitely good, and who cannot be deceived, as he is infinitely wise. His divine revelation joins to the obscurity of the mysteries which it proposes to be believed, an evidence that renders them credible beyond all doubt. God himself is our guarantee ; our faith is built upon his sovereign truth, grounded immediately upon his infallible authority, and has his infinite wisdom for its support. This is what gives a certain conviction, a solid peace and comfort to all believers. Men of the meanest capacity are capable of believing, with the help of divine grace, as Avell as the most learned divine ; they have equally the same motive for their belief, and may silence the most acute philosopher Avho would attempt to shake them in their faith, by the reasonings of human wisdom, or by the dint of sophistical arguments. It must be acknowledged that nothing can be more just, nothing can be more agree- ■ able to the dictates of right reason, than that we should believe what God has said, and proposed to be believed ; it is enough that he has re- vealed it ; it is our duty to acquiesce, and to submit our understanding and judgment, without holding any argument with him, or presuming to canvas the truth of his Avords. We are allowed, indeed, to make use of our reason and judgment to inform ourselves about the matter, whether it be revealed or not, but we are no longer to argue the case, when we once know that God has spoken ; then instead of searching and enquiring how far his heavenly truths are conformable to the principles of human reason, it is our business to follow the footsteps of Abraham, the father" of the faithful, wlio against hope believed in hope, Rom. iv. 1 8. and as St. Peter exhorts us, 1 Ep. ii. to become by faith like rational babes, without guile or deceit, keeping our understanding in proper subjection to God's authority ; for as our wills must be submissive and obedient in all things to his holy law, and as we must do even what is hard to be done, because he has commanded it, so in like manner our understandings are to submit humbly to all that God has revealed, and we are to believe even what is hard to be believed, because he has taught it. Moreover as we ought to resist our inclinations whenever they solicit us to transgress the Law of God, so we ought likewise to resist all the distrustful suggestions of an incredulous temper, and to cast down all human reasonings, with every imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, as the Apostle speaks, 2 Cor. x. A full, firm, and absolute assent must be given to all things revealed by God, whether we understand them or not, whether they be written or uuAvritten, since all the truths of divine faith stand upon the same testimony, and are equally grounded upon the authority of God, who is as infallible in the revelation of one mystery as OF DIVINE FAITH, (tc. 123 he is in tlie revelation of another. To suppose his testimony and authority to be false in any one point, is to ruin it in all points, and to destroy the very foundation of all faith ; it is to reduce divine faith to a mere human faith, belief, fancy and opinion, as St. Augustine formerly remarked to the unbelievers of his days, who made their own private judgment the rule of their belief. Ye, said this holy Doctor, who believe what ye please, and reject what ye do not comprehend, who admit some articles of faith, and disbelieve other articles, ye believe yourselves, and not the Gospel ; ye who divide the faith have no divine faith at all, for divine faith is entire and invisible. It comprehends the whole doctrine of Jesus Christ without exception, and requires us not only to believe in the divinity of his person, but likewise to believe, without hesitation, all his words and all that he has taught. Whoever discredits his authority in any one single article, or refuses to believe what he says in the Gospel, dishonours him in a most irreligious manner, and cannot truly be said to believe him to be God; because, by questioning his veracity, and dis- crediting his Word, he impiously supposes him to be either ignorant of the truth, or to be guilty of telling a lie, tchich it is impossible for God to do. He that believeth not the Son, maketh him a liar, says St. John, because he believeth not in the testimonij which God has testified of his Son, 1 John, v. 10. and again, 2 John, v. 9. He that continiieth not in the docti'ine of Christ, hath not God ; and St. Paul tells us, 2 Thess. c. i. That they icho obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, shall be piunished ivith everlasting destruction. There is no salvation in any other, says St. Peter, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved, Acts, iv. 12. His Gospel has been preached, and his faith has been propag'ated through the remotest parts of tbe known world by his Apostles, whom he commissioned to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Fa- ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, with a solemn promise, that he that shall believe, and be baptized, shall be saved, but he that shall not believe shall be condemned, Mark, xvi. 1 6. The Apostles having obeyed his or- ders, and announced his doctrines to all people, whole nations were in- structed in the principles of the true saving faith and baptized ; and the Church, being thus established, has ever since stood its ground in spite of all the revolutions of nature, the policy of empires, and the deceitful projects of Satan. Yes, my brethren, thanks be to God, you have shared in these advantages which the world derived from the zeal and labour of the Apostles. Yovi have been baptized and made members of the Church of Jesus Christ ; you have embraced that divine faith which the primi- tive Christians embraced, and of which they were so tenacious, that they suffei'ed the most excruciating torments, and sacrificed their lives, rather than renounce or deny any one point of their religious creed. A glo- rious and happy succession of upwards of eighteen hundred years has transmitted the same faith which they profess to us, pure and unaltered ; and an untainted and uninterrupted tradition will undoubtedly hand it also down to the end of time, because it is the doctrine of a God, ichose words shall never pass away, though Heaven and earth should piass away. But let us now examine by what means this faith, which Avas first re- vealed by Jesus Christ, and planted by the Apostles, has been preserved and conveyed down to us entire and uninterrupted, and by what rule and standard we may know to a certainty that we are in actual posses- sion of it. 124 ON THE NATURE AND NECESSITY As the Divine Author and Founder of our Faith requires of us a belief of mysteries above our comprehension, he was not willing to leave us trustin"- to the weakness of our own reason, exposed to the uncertainty of our own private judgment, and to the manifest danger of being misled by our own fallible opinion in the most important matters of our religious belief but in his great mercy and goodness he has taken care to provide for our salvation after a more certain, a more easy and a more simple manner, and to give us a certain, universal, and plain rule of faith, adapted to all capacities. This rule of faith, which his divine wisdom has been pleased to appoint for us, is the testimony and authority of the Holy Catholic Church, which we profess in the Creed, and Avhicli is under the special protection of Heaven, and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. From this Church, founded by Christ for the instruction of all, spread for that purpose thx'ough all nations, and continued through all ages, every one may easily learn what he is to believe and do in order to be saved. It is this rule that cements union in faith, and that prevents the dissensions and innovations that are observable among those who have no bond of union or fixed standard for their belief, and are therefore con- stantly divided among themselves, and splitting into a strange variety of new sects. By adhering to this rule all the members of the Catholic Church, though widely diifering in language, in manners, in customs, in humours, in climate, in government, and in temporal interests, every where believe the same religious truths, profess the same faith, teach the same doctrine, preach the same gospel, hold the same principles, receive the same sacraments, and concur in one and the same worship. The relio-ion of their Church has never varied in points of divine faith, but has always been, is at present, and ever will be, uniformly the same in every ao-e. The Avritings of Christians, in all preceding ages, and in all the dif- ferent nations of the world, plainly shew that the faithful of this eighteenth century believe precisely what was believed in the seventeenth century, and that those of the seventeenth century believed what was believed in the sixteenth century, and those of the sixteenth century believed what was believed in the fifteenth century, and so up to the days of Christ and his Apostles. No new articles of faith were ever framed by the pastors of the Church ; what they have taught in declaring any obscure or con- troverted point, was not their own private opinion, but precisely the self-same doctrine which they received from their pi-edecessors in every preceding generation ; for it is, and always has been an invariable prin- ciple, inculcated first by the Apostles in their writings, and ever since strictly observed as a fence and barrier against all innovations, never to deviate one single iota from the faith, but to adhere firmly to the docti-ine received from the preceding generation, and to deliver it carefully to the succeeding generation without addition or dimunition. Hence we read in the New Testament so many dreadful menaces of perdition and de- struction against unbelievers, who presume to divide the faith of Jesus Christ, or attempt to change, adulterate, or corrupt any part of his doc- trine, or to broach any novelty in matters appertaining to religion. St. Paul says, that though an Angel should descend from Heaven for such a purpose, he ought to be looked upon as anathema, or accursed. It was upon this principle that the Arians, Macedonians, Nestorians, Pelagians, and other ancient sectaries, who attempted to make innovations in the doctrine of faith, were immediately opposed, detected, prescribed, and cut oiF as rotten members from the great body of the faithfxd. OF DIVINE FAITH, vtc. 125 In all ages the pastors of the Church, who are the guardians and de- positories of the truths of faith, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God, as the Apostle speaks, 1 Cor. iv. have contended earnestly for the an- cient faith which teas first delivered to the Saints, St. Jude, v. 3, and have been ever watchful to pluck up and root out the pernicious tares of error, whenever the enemy attempted to sow them over the good seed ; and, as they took particular care to hand down from generation to generation the revealed truths, precisely as they had received them from their predeces- sors, it was imposible that any alteration or corruption should ever take place in the purity of a doctrine thus conveyed, and consequently it must have always continued uniformly the same ; for if, for example, the pas- tors and their flocks of the second age received and believed nothing as revealed truths but what they had received as such from their predeces- sors of the apostolic age, it is manifest that the faith of the first and second age was perfectly the same ; and again, if those of the second age delivered the same truths entire and uncorrupted to those of the third age, then the faith of the third age must infallibly have been the same with that of the two preceding ages, and this must necessarily be the case with every succeeding age to the present, and will be so to the end of the world. Millions of Christians of this present age, living in the ditferent king- doms and nations of the earth, have seen, heard, and conversed wuth mil- lions of their predecessors, and cannot be ignorant of the faith that every generation of them, from the cradle to the most advanced old age, held and professed. They bear witness of what the great body of pastors taught by common consent, and what all the faithful spread all over the world, and including always about sixty or eighty generations at once, unanimously believed before them in the last age. The same last pre- ceding age gave the like testimony of the age immediately preceding it, for the same reason ; so that, though the faithful of this present age have not seen Jesus Christ or his Apostles, yet they are unexceptionable wit- nesses of what was taught and believed in their days, because they are unexceptionable witnesses of what was taught and believed by the gener- ation that immediately preceded them ; and this generation Avas in like manner an unexceptionable witness of the doctrine and practice which it learned from the generation before it, and so upwards to the very beginning of Christianity. This perpetual mixture and concatenation of so many ages and so many generations, interwoven the one with the other and twisted together, forms but one great body, or Chureh, spread all over the known world, yet still united in religion, and composed of all true believers, who bear one testimony for upwards of eighteen hun- dred years, that the faith we profess in the eighteenth century is the self -same that was professed by the primitive Christians. This plainly shews the Jinger of God, and his all-ruling providence to be visibly here, and is a convincing proof that his Church can never alter the faith. The icords ivhich God once put into her mouth, shall not depart from her month, as the Prophet Isaias speaks, lix. We cannot then go astray in following so sure a guide ; in hearing her we hear and obey Jesus Christ, who commands us to obey his Church, under pain of being deemed as heathens and publicans, Matt, xviii. 17, However, whilst we glory in the profession of the ancient faith of all pre- ceding ages, and return thanks to the infinite goodness of God for the grace of our vocation to the true Church of Christ, in preference to so 126 ON THE OBLIGATION OF LEADING many others who are unhappily involed in the darkness of infidelity, we should bev\-are of" flattering ourselves into a false security, or imagining that a mere speculative and abstractive faith will be sufhcient to save us. No, my brethren, though our faith should be supposed strong enough to remove mountains, as St. Paul speaks, yet it will avail us but little to life everlastin"-, unless it be animated with charity, and accompanied with the practice of good works. Faith ivithout ivorks is dead, as the body without the spirit is dead, says St. James, ii. 26. A dead barren faith of this nature will rather serve on the last day as the rule of our condemna- tion, than contribute to save us, or to entitle us to the blessing which our Saviour insured to the poor blind man in this day's gospel, in the following words. Fides tua te salvum fecit. Thj faith has saved thee — The advantages and benefits of divine faith are indeed very signal and valuable in themselves ; but to reap them, it is not only necessary to believe what Christ has revealed, but also to do what he has commanded. Our actions must agree with our belief, and our lives must cox-respond with our doctrine ; Ave must live up to the dictates of our profession, practise its precepts, and honour it by the purity of our morals, this being the way to adore the Lord our God in spirit and truth. O mer- ciful Jesus, grant us a lively and active faith, Avhich worketh by charity, that we may partake of the happy fruits of thy redemption. Direct our steps by thy heavenly grace, that we may Avalk with circumspection and edification in the way of truth, and in the paths of virtue, during the course of our mortal life, and that we may one day arrive safely in those sacred mansions of bliss which thou hast prepared for thy faithful ser- vants. And which I heartily Avish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. ASH-WEDNESDAY. ON THE OBLIGATION OF LEADING A PENITENTIAL LIFE, PARTICULAKLY IN THE HOLY TIME OF LENT. Ecce nunc tempus acceptabile, ecce nunc dies salutis — 2 Cor. c. vi. v. 2. Behold now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation — 2 Cor. c. vi. T. 2. The Church, always solicitous for the salvation of her children, inces- santly invites sinners to repentance, and admonishes them to return to the Lord their God in the sincerity of their hearts, that they may find mercy and grace through Jesus Christ. In her Divine Office, Avhich she recites during the ensuing holy time of Lent, she redoubles her zeal and solicitude for the conversion of all sinners, and exhorts them repeatedly in the folloAving words of the Prophet Isaias, c. Iv. v. 7. Let the wicked forsake his icay, and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he ivill have mercy on him. In the sacred ceremonies of this day she reminds vis of our mortality, in the memorable words which the Almighty made use of Avhen he pronounced sentence of death against our first parents, after their fall from the happy state of innocence. Our heads are also*marked with ashes at the same time, to give us to under- stand what is inevitably to be the end of us all, and to excite us to dis- engage our hearts from the love of the Avorld, and to be always guarded against the irreparable consequences of an unprovided death. The A PENITENTIAL LIFE, &C. 127 example of our blessed Saviour fasting forty days and forty nights in the desert, is likewise laid before our eyes at the very beginning of this holy time, as an encouragement for us to imitate this divine model according to our ability, and in a manner that is suitable to our weak- ness. Let us then, my brethren, enter into the spirit of the Church, and spend the forty days of Lent in a course of spiritual exercises and peni- tential Avorks ; let us endeavour to expiate the sins we have committed in the course of the year, and offer some slender reparation to the Divine Majesty, for our manifold oftences. Let us seek the Lord while he may he found, (says the Prophet Isaias, Iv. 6.) and call upon him while he is near. Let us be converted to him in fasting, iveeping, and moimiing, says the Prophet Joel. To induce you the more effectually thereto, I will endea- vour to shew you that it is the indispensable duty of a Christian to lead a penitential life at all times, but particulai'ly during the holy time and penitential season of Lent, because this is the most acceptable time in the whole year for doing penance. Behold the entire plan and subject of the following discourse. Let us first implore the assistance of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin. Ave Maria. Nothing can be more clearly established, or more forcibly inculcated in the divine Scriptures, than the necessity of Penance, whether we con- sider it as a sacrament or only as a virtue. The necessity of the sacra- ment of penance commenced in the Ncav Law with the promulgation of the Gospel after our Saviour's resurrection, when he gave the keys of the kingdom of Heaven to his Apostles, and commissioned them and their lawful successors in the ministry, who were to govern the Church after their death, to absolve and forgive repentant sinners in his name, and by his authority, saying, in express terms. Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosoever sins ye shall forgive, they are forgiven : whosoever sins ye shall retain, they are retained. And again. Whatsoever you shall hind on earth, shall be hound in Heaven ; tvhatsoever you shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in Heaven. But the virtue of penance, with its principal act, which is contrition, has at all times been necessary for sinners, even under the Old Law, in order to obtain the forgiveness of their sins, as the Council of Trent observes in its 14th session and 4th chapter. In all ages since the creation. Do Penance was the great theme of the ser- vants of God, and of the holy prophets of the Old Testament, who were sent from time to time, to reclaim sinners from their evil ways. Even before the deluge, when all flesh had corrupted its ways, Noah took care to exhort mankind to do penance. Moses inculcated the same im- portant duty to the children of Israel in the book of Leviticus. St. John the Baptist made the banks of the Jordan, and the deserts of Judea, fre- quently resound with the precept of doing penance. It was with it that our Divine Redeemer opened the career of his preaching, and the same command passed from his mouth into the mouths of the Apostles, who, as soon as they received their evangelic mission, went everywhere preaching to the Jews and Gentiles the necessity of being converted to God, and of doing penance for their sins. The great subject of St. Peter and St. Paul's preaching was, that sinners should return to the Lord in the sincerity of their hearts, and be baptised for the remission of their sins, doing works worthy of penance. Jesus Christ himself spoke in the same language, when he first laid himself out publicly for the conversion of sinners. Unless ye do penance, said he in the thirteenth 128 ON THE OBL,IGATION OF JLEADIACl chap, of St. Luke, you ivill all perish ; and in the tenth chap, of St. Luke he condemns the people of Corosaim and Bethsaicla for not doing penance in sackcloth and ashes. And again, in the twelfth chap, of St. Mattliew he declares, that the men of Ninive, icho, at the jireaching of the Prophet Jonas, did penance in sackcloth, with fasting and humble prayer, shall rise up in judgment against those sinners who do not renounce their sins and endeavour, in like manner, to expiate them by works of penance. It was a full conviction of the indispensable necessity of penance that formerly peopled the deserts with crowds of austere recluses and religious hermits : it was it that persuaded thousands of both sexes, in the primi- tive ages of Christianity, to retire from the distracting cares and tumults of a bustling world, and pass the remainder of their days in one unin- terrupted series of self-denial and mortitication ; they were sensible that, as the Council of Trent remarks, God's grace once unhappily forfeited, is not to be recovered tuithout great labours, and many penitential tears ; they looked upon the sins that are committed after baptism to be of so heinous a nature, and so black a dye, that they believed one single mortal sin sufficient to make a Christian do penance for the whole length of an eternity. Hence, it is, that penitents then voluntarily embraced the most laborious exercises of penance, and resolved not to spare themselves in this life, in hopes that God in his great mercy would spare them in the next life. This spirit of penance reigned for a long time in the Church of God, as appears from the rigorous austerities of the Pauls, the Anto- nies, the Macariuses, and from the lives of the disciples of Pachomius, and of all the renowned penitents mentioned by St. John Climacus, Avho treated themselves as so many criminals mercifully rescued like firebrands from the flames of hell, and suflered only to live on earth, that they might have time to make some atonement for their past offences, thereby to appease the wrath of Heaven, and prevent the rigour of God's justice hereafter. It is likewise evident, from the Penitential Canons, that this spirit of penance continued in the Church for several centuries after the establishment of the Christian religion. According to these Canons penitents were divided into four different classes, and in proportion to the nature and quality of their crimes, they were subjected to severe weekly fasts on bread and water, in sack-cloth and ashes, for the space of five, seven, ten, fourteen or fifteen years successively, and that some- times for the expiation of a single mortal sin. It is true, indeed, the severity of this ancient discipline has been gradually relaxed in succeed- ing ages ; for when charity began to grow cold among Christians, and the fervour of the faithful was considerably abated, the Church found it expedient to mitigate the rigour of her ancient canons and rules ; how- ever, this condescension of the Church to the weakness of her children, should by no means authorize our sloth and indolence, or induce sinners to neglect the essential duties of penance ; on the contrary, it should make them redouble their devotion, and render them more solicitous to punish their sins of their own accord by embracing such voluntary Avorks of penance as are proportioned, in some measure, to the number, quality, and grievousness of their sins. Tliey should remember that sin is still as heinous in the sight of God, and as injurious to his infinite Majesty as ever it was. They should consider attentively, that the Divine Justice is still unchangeably the same, and must be satisfied and paid the laai farthing. They should reflect that every sin, great and A r£>ilTE>;TIAL LIFE, &Q. 129 small, must be punished either in tliis life or in the next, either by the voluntary penance of man, or by the vengeance of an angry God, as St. Augustine speaks. We must either do penance here, or burn in flames hereafter, says this holy Doctor, Ant pmnitendum aut ardcndum ; penance being the sole plank of safety we have left to escape by, after suffering a spiritual shipwreck of our baptismal sanctity. It is the only means to eflect a reconciliation with the offended Deity ; it is the only gate by which a sinner can expect to enter into the kingdom of Heaven, when he has once unhappily shut the gate of innocence against himself by mortal sin. Let no one, therefore, flatter himself into a false secu- rity, or imagine that he has paid off the full amount of the debt he owes to the justice of God, or that he is exempted from the obligation of doing any further penance, when he has discharged the few prayers and other light penitential exercises which are enjoined in the sacred tri- bunal of Confession, according to the modern discipline of the Church. No, my brethren, a great deal more still remains to be done by our- selves for the expiation of our sins, and this is usually left to our own pri- vate devotion, that we may make up the deficiency, and supply what is wanting, by laying such voluntary penances on ourselves as are most conducive to the destruction of sin, and most suitable to our respective stations and conditions of life. Though we were even assured, as King David was by the Prophet Nathan, that our sins were forgiven, both as to the guilt and eternal punishment, yet we should not rest satisfied, but should still continue the practice of works of penance all the days of our life, with a sincere Avill and desire to satisfy the justice of God in the best manner we are able, this will and desire being an essential part of true repentance, and springing from the veiy substance of contrition. Hence .St. Augustine says, there is no Christian but stands in need of penance, though he should be supposed to be conscious to himself of no guilt. Our baptismal vows, the many dangerous temptations to which we ai-e constantly exposed, the unruly passions we have to subdue, are so many arguments that prove the indispensable obligation of doing penance as long as we live in this world. AVliat is more, the uncer- tainty of our justification and of our final perseverance, is sufficient to make us work our salvation constantly in holy fear and trembling ; we are persuaded that we have many ways ofi'ended our God, and that if our sins are not remitted we shall be lost for all eternity. In the interim we are uncertain of the efficacy of our past repentance, and conse- quently we are uncertain whether we be in the state of grace, or in a state of damnation. It is true, indeed, the Apostle says, The S^nrit giveth testimony to our spirit that ice are the children of God; but this inward testimony of a good conscience can never amount to an absolute cer- tainty ; it is no more than a moral conviction of the mind of being in favour with God, grounded on the love we feel for his Divine Majesty, which love produces an abhorrence to everything that is displeasing to him, and a constant fidelity to all his commands ; nevertheless, Ave know not whether we be worthy of love or of hatred, as the Apostle says. This should frequently alarm us ; this .should excite us to bewail our past sins in the bitterness of our souls, and do penance for them all the days of our life ; this should make us often cry out v.'ith the Royal Prophet in his first Psalm, and beseech the Lord to wash us still more from our iniquity, and to cleanse us from our former transgressions. This, in fine, plainly shews, that the Council of Trent had reason to I 130 ON THE 0Bl.IGAT10?f OF LEADING say, in its 14tli Session, the whole life of a Christian ought to he a continual 2)enance, The indispensable necessity of penance being tlius established on the most solid foundation, it follows, of course, that if we are bound to do penance all the days of our life, it is both our duty and interest to employ the present holy quarantine of Lent in a particular manner in doing penance, since it is a time of general penance throughout the whole Church of God in all parts of the Christian world. It is a time of expi- ation, prefigured in the Old Law by the yearly feast of expiation, when the children of Israel were commanded, under pain of death, to give outward marks of inward sorrow and affliction for their sins. It is a time of purification, destined for purging away the disorders both of soul and body, and for punishing all the excesses and intemperances that are committed in the whole course of the year. It is a time of mercy and propitiation, offered to sinners to avert the wrath of Heaven, and to disarm God's justice, as forty days were formerly granted to the people of Ninive, to appease God's anger, and to rescue themselves from the approaching destruction with which they were menaced by the Prophet Jonas. It is, in fine, an acceptable and a favourable time to sue for, and to obtain mercy, grace and salvation, because the Lord showers down his blessings more abundantly, and pours forth the riches of his mercy in gi-eater profusion at this juncture than he usually does at other sea- sons ; for, as a great river overflows at certain times, and imparts an extraordinary fertility to the neighbouring plains, by discharging its waters in greater quantity than usual, though in the interim it never ceases to spread its rolling waves with much pomp and majesty, so in like maimer, the mercy of God displays itself in the holy time of Lent with greater magnificence, and dispenses its gracious favours more plen- tifully than at other seasons of the year, though in the interim the gifts of his infinite bounty are neither limited to any time, nor confined to any place. Now it is that his heavenly treasures are unlocked for the general benefit of mankind ; now it is that the gate of mercy is thrown open to all true gospel penitents ; now it is that the Royal Standard of the Cross is erected, and the dolorous mysteries of Christ's passion are commemorated ; now it is that the arms of our crucified Redeemer are extended to embrace those who return to him with contrite and humble hearts ; now it is that his precious blood cries aloud to Heaven in their behalf, and his sacred head is bowed down to give them the kiss of peace. Moreover, thousands of pious and devout Christians all over the world are at present fasting, praying, and pouring out floods of penitential tears ; they ai'e besieging the throne of God with united hearts and voices, and endeavouring to carry the kingdom of Heaven with an holy violence, like imto a numerous army that storms a city and carries all before it ; they are unanimously imploring mercy, grace, and salvation for the whole body of the faithful, diffused through every nation and kingdom of the earth. The ministers of the altar also, are now daily raising up their hands to Heaven, like unto Moses, and crying out to the Lord in these words of the Prophet Joel, ii. 17, iSpai^e, 0 Lord, spare thy people. What may we not then expect and hope for, my brethren, if we unite ourselves to them with a penitential spirit ? Will not their fervent prayers, their alms-deeds, their fasts and penitential austerities, add considerable weight to our poor endeavours ? Will not their vir- A PENITENTIAL LIFE, (tc. 131 tuous and good works communicate a certain force and efficacy to the humble petition of the repenting sinner that is joined with them ? Will they not serve to make it mount up to the throne of Heaven, much after the same manner that a river serves to carry a drop of water to the sea, which by itself would never be able to reach so far ? The unanimous prayer of two or three assembled together in God's name, is so powerful and so acceptable, that our blessed Saviour assures us in the Gospel, he will be in the midst of them to receive their petitions, and grant their requests ; nay, the Scripture says, that the prayer of one just man avails much. How prevalent, how powerful, and how acceptable, then, must the imited supplications of thousands of just men be ? AVill they not be able to disarm the justice of God, and melt the bowels of his tender mercy into compassion ? Will they not move the Almighty to look Avith an eye of pity on the poor sinner, who prays, fasts, and repents, in conjunction with them ? We read in the Book of Genesis, that the Lord formerly promised Abraham that he would spare all the unfortunate inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha, if even ten just men could be found amongst them all. May we not then hope with some foundation, that he will spare the sinner who repents at this holy time, on account of the numberless multitudes of just and pious souls all over the Christian world, with whom he joins his heart and voice, and who at present are sending up every hour in the day the sweet incense of their devout prayers to the throne of God, in order to avert his wrath and move his compassionate heart to mercy ? Hence it is, that the Church justly applies the following words of the Apostle to this penitential season, Now is the acceptable time — noiv is the day of salvation ; now is the favour- able time for sinners to repent and expiate their sins ; now is the proper time for them to be reconciled to the Lord their God. It is not an Esther, nor a Judith, nor a David, nor a Jeremiah that is doing penance at present, but it is the Holy Catholic Church, the beloved daughter of the Eternal Father, and the sacred spouse of Jesus Christ ; nay, it is Jesus Christ himself who is now doing penance in his living members here on earth ; it is he who pleads our cause in Heaven, and demands pardon for all repenting sinners, in quality of our Mediator and Advo- cate with the Father, as the Apostle says. In him we have a most copious redemption, a most perfect satisfaction for all our offences, and an inexhaustible treasure to supply our wants, and make up for all our deficiencies. But he requires us to repent and contribute the small mite of our own poor endeavours ; he requires the co-operation of our free will with the graces which he hath abundantly merited for us, and which he mercifully dispenses. He created us without our own assistance, says St. Augustine, but he will not save us without our own concurrence. He will not feed us when hungry, unless we help to feed ourselves ; nor raise us up when we lie down, unless we co-operate ourselves ; nor preserve us from the effects of danger, unless we keep out of danger's way. Let me therefore conjure you, my brethren, to correspond with the graces offered to you at this holy time, and not to neglect this favour- able opportunity of cancelling your sins, and of being reinstated in the friendship of your Creator. Let me entreat you, in the words of the prophet Isaias, Iv. 6, Seek the Lord ivhile he may be found, call on him ivhile he is near. Let me beseech you, by all that is dear to you, to hasten to the throne of divine grace, and to cast yourselves in spirit with tlie peni- 132 ON THE OBLIGATION OF LEADING A TENITENXIAL LIFE, &C. tent Magdalen at the feet of your merciful Redeemer, that the precious blood streaming from his sacred wounds, may wash away all your iniquities. Remember, that delays are extremely dangerous, where Heaven and eternity are at stake, and in manifest danger of being irre- parably lost. Every moment may be your last, and the gate of Heaven may liappen to be eternally shut in your face if you procrastinate your conversion, and suffer the present acceptable time of mercy and grace to slip away without endeavouring to reap any spiritual advantage from it. Perliaps you will never have so favourable an opportunity again to effect the great work of your reconciliation with God ; and if, in the interim you be unfortunately lost, the fault Avill be your's, and the evil Avill lie at your own door. God is just, and he will tell you, as he told the Jews of old, Thy perdition, 0 Israel, is entirehj oiving to thjself. O let me, then, exhort you once more, to sleep no longer in the ai'ms of perdition, to remain no longer in the deplorable state and affection of mortal sin, but to renounce, without further delay, those criminal habits of cursing, swearing, and blaspheming, filching and stealing, of detrac- tion, impurity, and the like detestable vices, which render so many inihappy sinners of our days the enemies of God, the objects of his hatred, slaves of the devil, a scandal to religion, a disgrace to the Church, and a reproach to Christianity. How many are there Avithin the precincts of this very city who have not twenty-four hours to live ? How many among them will be sum- moned this very night, perhaps in five or six hours hence, to appear before the bar of divine justice, and to give a strict account of twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years of their past life, employed in every other' affair but that of their eternal salvation ? Should not the misfortune of thousands, who are thus surprised and hurried away suddenly to the other Avorld in the midst of their sins, be a warning to you all, my brethren, to shake off the galling yoke of Satan without delay, and to return speedily like the prodigal son, to the loving embraces of the Fa- ther of Slercies, whilst the sun of grace and mercy shines. Jesus Christ waits for you, and stretches out his hand to assist and draw you out of the precipice into which your sins have plunged you. He calls you, he invites you, he solicits you to come and partake of the blessings of this holy time ; he cries out to you in the Gospel, Come to me all ye that are heavy laden and ojipressed, and I u'ill refresh ye. His sacred blood is of infinite value ; it is able to heal the deepest wovinds of your souls, and sufficient to cancel the sins of ten thousand worlds. Arise then, O sinners whoever you be, arise from your lethargic sleep, and throw yourselves Avith confidence into the fatherly arms of his tender mercy. Your conversion may be now eftected more easily than at other seasons, and it Avill not only edify the Church militant on earth, but likewise cause joy among the Angels in the Church triumphant in Pleaven. O Divine Jesus, who didst vouchsafe to come down from Heaven to call sinners to repentance, we have no hopes but in thee. Thou art our only refuge, resource and protection. Look down upon us, we beseech thee, with an eye of pity, and mollify our hearts into compunction. Pierce them with those nails which fastened thy hands and feet to the cross, that i)cnitential tears may fiow from us in abundance, to drown ^ill our iniquities, to wash away all the foul stains of our sins, and to ON THE FORTY D.WS FAST OP LENT. 1 33 dispose our souls for the possession of that endless bliss which thou hast purchased for us at the expense of thy precious blood. And which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT. ON THE FORTY DAYS FAST OF LENT. Cum Jejunasset quaclraginta diebus et quadraginta noctibus, postea esuriit. Matt. c. iv. V. 2. When Jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry. Matt. c. iv. V. 2. The first, and most ancient positive laAv that was given to man, was, that of fasting and abstinence. Scarce had our first parents been created, when God commanded them to abstain from eating the fruit of a certain tree that grew in the middle of the earthly Paradise. He put them into the hands of fasting, says St. John Chrysostom, as into the guardianship and care of a pious mother, and as long as they were observant of her orders, they continued in full possession of the happy state in which they had been created ; they did not incur that dreadful sentence. Thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return, until they yielded to intemperance, and transgressed the precept enjoined them ; it was then only that they for- feited their original innocence, and shut the gates of Heaven against themselves and their posterity. Eating the forbidden fruit was the fatal source of their downfal, and the first cause of our ruin, says St. August- ine ; wherefore by a wise disposition of Providence, fasting became afterwards the happy source of our I'estoration, and a means of our re- demption ; for as Adam lost the glory of immortality, and involved his unhappy oftspring in a long train of miseries and calamities, by indulg- ing and gratifying his appetite, so Jesus Christ our Blessed Redeemer came to repair those evils by the virtue of abstinence, and to rescue man- kind from the bondage of sin, by the penitential exei'cises of fiisting, self- denial, and mortification. He vouchsafed to give us his life for a model, as well as his blood for a ransom, and to leave us an example of every virtue we stood in need of. Hence, as the Gospel of this day informs us, he retired into a frightful desert near the river Jordan, where he spent forty days and forty nights successively, without any earthly com- fort, and macerated his virginal body with a continual fast, miraculously supporting its life, vigour and strength, that it might be able to endure, for our sake, the extremity of hunger, and the full austerity of so long an abstinence. It was in imitation hereof that the solemn fast of the forty days of Lent^has been instituted in the very infancy of the Church, and religiously observed ever since by the faithful in all ages throughout tlie known world. It is as ancient as Christianity, and as St. Jerome says, Ep. 54. ad Marcel, has been received by tradition from the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. To induce you to a due and regular observance of so venerable an in- stitution, I will lay before you the necessity and advantages of fasting, together with the manner in vrhich we ought to fast. The necessity of fasting will teach us why we are command<.'d to fast ; the advantages of 134 ON THE FORTY DAYS FAST OF LENT. fasting will inspire iis with courage and resolution to fast ; and the man- ner of fasting will instruct us how we are to comply with this religious duty. The necessity and adwmtages of fasting shall be the subject of the first point. The manner of fasting shall be the subject of the second. Let us previously implore the aid of Heaven, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Ave Maria. To be convinced of the necessity of fasting, we need only consider the number and enormity of our sins, the violence of our passions, and the many dangerous temptations to Avhich we are constantly exposed. In the fii'st place our crimes have assaulted the very throne of divine jus- tice, and cry aloud to Heaven for vengeance. What penance have we hitherto done ? What degree of atonement and satisfaction have we made for them ? If we compare our lives with the lives of those illus- trious penitents, who looked iipon a single mortal sin as sufficient to make a sinner weep and do penance for an eternity ; if we measure our past penitential works by the maxims of the Gospel, or by the penitential canons of the primitive Church, which occasionally prescribed a rigorous fast of five, seven, ten, nay, sometimes fifteen years, on bread and water, and sackcloth and ashes, for the expiation of a single mortal sin, alas ! we shall find ourselves very deficient in this point. We shall acknow- ledge ourselves greatly in arrears, and still much indebted to the Divine Justice for the numberless sins whereby we have violated the solemn vows of our baptism, transgressed the sacred laws of our Creator, and defiled every organ of our senses, every faculty and power of our souls. Should we not then have recourse to fasting, to abstinence, and the like works of penance and mortification, in order to cancel these sins, to melt' the tender bowels of God's mercy to compassion, and to satisfy his divine justice, the infinite weight of which we must otherwise fall under one day, since, as St. Augustine says, every sin, great and small, must be punished, either in this life or in the next, either by the voluntary penance of man, or by the vengeance of an angry God. That fasting is a necessary ingredient of penance, and a most powerful means to dis- arm the justice of God, and to avert his indignation, appears clearly from several parts of the sacred Scriptures. The Old Testament informs us that God himself enjoined fasting on sinnei's, expressly exhorting them by his Prophets, to be converted with their whole heart in fasting, in tveeping, and in mourning. The memorable fast of the people of ISfinive, the fast of King Achab, and of King David, the weekly, monthly, and yearly fasts, prescribed by the Jewish law, proves beyond a doubt, that fasting is a necessary and powerful means to appease the wrath of Heaven. As for the new law of grace, it is evident from the Gospel, that our blessed Redeemer has recommended fasting both by his word and ex- ample, and laid down rules and prescribed the conditions by Avhich our fasting is to be sanctified, and rendered the acceptable fast which God requires, Matt. vi. 16, and xii. 20. He likewise foretold the Jews, that after his visible departure from the world, and glorious ascension into Heaven, his disciples and followers should observe regular fasts, no less than the disciples of St. John the Baptist, who were remarkable for the rigour and austerity of their fasts. Far, then, from imagining ourselves freed and dispensed with, in the New Testament from the necessity of fasting, as the freethinkers and libertines of our days erroneously pre- tend ; far from flattering ourselves that we are exempted from the general law of doing penance, or dischai'ged from the obligation of punishing ON THE FORTY DAYS FAST OF LENT. 135 and destroying sin in ourselves, Ave must acknowledge the necessity of executing upon ourselves something of that punishment which our ma- nifold sins deserve. Hence Christ expressly declares in the Gospel, that unless we do pe- nance we shall all perish. He requires us to contribute the small mite of our own poor endeavours, in conjunction with his infinite satisfactions. It is not enough that he has paid the price of our i-edemption, and super- abundantly satisfied for our sins, we must also co-operate on our part, and, as St. Paul speaks, fulfil in ourselves what is wanting to the ap- plication of the fruits of his passion. We must bear in our bodies some resemblance of his mortification. We must, in fine, comply on our side with the conditions which he requires, in order to obtain the remission of our sins, and to be made partakers of the infinite merits of his death. Though we were even assured by an angel from Heaven, of our hav^ ing obtained the happy remission of our sins by virtue of the holy sa- craments, yet this should not encoui-age us to lead a slothful, indolent life, or neglect the duties of fasting, abstinence, and such like peniten- tial and satisfactory works, because though our sins should be supposed to be remitted, both as to the guilt and the eternal punishment due to them in hell, there might still remain, and usually does remain, some debt of temporal punishment to be atoned for, either in this life or in the next, until we shall have paid the very last farthing to the Divine Jus- tice, as the Gospel phrase expresses it. King David had the comfort to hear the sentence of his pardon pronounced by the Prophet Nathan sent to him by God, and Mary Magdalen was assured by Christ himself, that her sins were remitted, yet this did not hinder either the one or the other from spending the remainder of their days in the practice of the most austere fasts, self-denials, and mortifications. This shews, my brethren, how incumbent it is on you to fast, to abstain, and lead a penitential life, especially as you are so far from having the like assurance of your past sins being pardoned, that on the contrary you have but too much reason to tremble for yourselves, and to suspect the validity of your re- pentance, on account of your many broken promises, and your constant relapses, after so many reiterated confessions. But let us suppose that you have approached the sacraments of recon- ciliation with the proper dispositions, and that your former sins have been fully expiated, both as to the guilt and the entire punishment due to them, which no one can have a certainty of during the course of this mortal life, Avithout a special revelation from God ; let us even suppose that you have hitherto preserved your baptismal innocence pure and un- defiled, which few, very few can promise themselves, it would even in this supposition, be still necessary for you to fast and practise works of self-denial and mortification, in order to subdue your passions, to con- quer the various temptations that suiTound you, and to preserve your- selves from the danger of falling into new sins. You are to fast, -says St. Basil, because you have sinned ; and you are to fast, likewise, in order to prevent the danger of falling again into sin ; fasting being not ■ only a powerful means to obtain pardon of the sins already coumntted, but also a sovereign antidote against future sins, and a most effectual remedy to overcome temptations, to vanquish the devil, and defeat all his malicious designs. , Fasting bridles concupiscence, quenches tlie fiamcs of lust, restrains 136 ON The forty days fast of lent. the violence of the passions, tames the rebellious flesh, and heals the dis- orders of the body as well as of the soul. Fasting is the best physic to prevent and to remove many corporal distempers, and the surest means to re-establish a broken constitution ; for it has been often proved by ex- perience, that diseases have been cured by abstinence and fasting, which obstinately defied all the power of the strongest medicines. The wonder- ful eftects of fiisting appeared visibly in Moses, Elias, Judith, and Samp- son, Daniel, and the Hebrew children in the captivity of Babylon. It was by fasting that the holy martyrs rendered themselves terrible to the devil, and impenetrable to all his fiery darts. It was by fasting that the Antonies, the Pauls, the Macariuses, the Jeromes, the Hilarians, and numberless other recluses and solitaries in the desert prolonged their lives to an amasing length. It was by fasting that they triumphed over their pas- sions, defeated the spiritual enemies of their souls, raised the lofty tower of evangelic perfection, and arrived at the summit of virtue. It was, in fine, by fasting that Jesus Christ prepared himself for combating against Satan in the desert. He was incapable of being overcome by any temptation, as his divinity placed him in a region above sin. He had neither faults to ex- piate, nor passions to suppress, nor evil inclinations to destroy, nor even virtue to acquire, as he was holiness itself; but he was willing to teach us by his example with what weapons we are to arm and defend ourselves against all the assaults and suggestions of the devil, the woidd, and the flesh. He fasted forty days and forty nights in the desert. He stood in no need of fasting for himself. He lasted for our sake and for our sins. Can vv^e then refuse to copy after the example he has set us, and to join our fasts with his; Ave, alas! who have so many sins to atone for, so' many vicious aftections to combat, so many unruly passions to subdue, so many evil habits to master, so many dangerous temptations to encounter, both within and v/ithout ? Can we any longer doubt of the necessity and the signal advantages of fixsting ? Should not the example of our Divine Redeemer animate us above all things to the practice of this no- ble virtue, and make us blush at the thoughts of our past negligence and tepidity ? Should it not inspire us with courage to begin the present so- lemn fast of Lent with cheerfulness for his sake, and to go through it in the spirit of compunction, and in tlie manner we are directed by the Church ? When sanctity of life and purity of morals were the distinguishing cha- iMCter of Christians, it is almost incredible to what lengths they pushed the virtue of fasting. The accounts that ecclesiastical history gives of their austerities are really amazing, and more than suflicient to confound our remissness and sloth. They shew plainly how ill-grounded the mur- murs and complaints of many of our modern Christians are, and what our nature is capable of bearing, notwithstanding our pretended delicacy, had we but a little more piety, courage and resolution. But, alas ! a carnal, sensual and epicurean life is now-a-days become so fashionable in this na- tion, heretofore so renowned for fasting, that several Catholics, resem- l^ling the children of Israel in the captivity of Babylon, are but too ready to swallov/ the luisanctiiied notions, and imitate the example of unprinci- pled and irreligious men with whom they convei'se. Nay, some of them are mntlier afraid nor ashamed to exclaim against the precept of fasting, and to cry do^vn the days of abstinence as boldly as the most strenuous advocates of self-love, ivhose God is their belli/, and ivhose end is perdition, as the Apostle speaks. They even quote Scripture in support of their irreligious pi-oceedings, as Satan himself quoted Scripture against the Son ON THE FORTY DAYS FAST OF LF.NT. 137 of Gocl, when he htid fasted forty days and forty nights in the desert. As for the woi'ds of St. Paul, Avhich they erroneously recur to, it is to be observed that they only condemn a scrupulous enquiry and abstinence from certain eatables, from a superstitious notion of their being unclean in their own nature, or created by some evil principle ; for the Apostle is so far from disapproving the fasts of the Church, or the abstaining, at certain times, from certain nourishing and agreeable meats through a motive of religion, and by way of self-denial and mortification, that he expressly says, Ep. ad Eom. and 2 Cor. vi. that it is good to abstain from flesh and wine for the spiritual advantage of the soul ; but they reply. What goes into the mouth, does not defile the soul. It is true that there is no uncleanness in the food going into the mouth that will defile the soul of him who does not, like the Pharisees, first wash his hands, as our Sa- viour told them ; but if what goes into the mouth be a transgression of the precept of God, or a fast commanded by the Church, the disobedience thereby incurred will defile the soul of the offender ; and thus Adam was defiled by eating the forbidden fruit ; a Jew would have been defiled by eating swine's flesh, and a drunkard is defiled by swallowing a consider- able quantity of intoxicating liquors. In the primitive ages of Christianity, the faithful fasted every day in Lent till aften sun-set, and what they eat then was plain wholesome food, so common and so cheap as to occasion a great saving in the expenses of their tables ; all that was thus saved been distributed in charity amongst the poor, which made St. Augustine say, that one of their reasons for fasting on* one meal was, that the poor might receive what would be other- wise spent on account of a second meal. One meal, or refection, in the four-and-twenty hours, was all that was thought of on a fasting day, and that same was confined to such narrow circumstances, that the fasts of our days, compared to them, scarce have the appearance of fasts. Nice and delicate dishes, which are calculated rather for luxury than for mortifica- tion, rather for feasting than for fasting, were carefully banished from their tables. To drink on fasting days, except at the meal hour, was no less forbid than to eat. The use of Avine, and of other strong liquors, was not even allowed at the meal, as St. Augustine informs us, 1. 3, contra Faustum, c. 4. for it was the opinion of our pious ancestors, that a true fast required an abstinence from drink as well as from meat, which made St. Gregory of Nysse say. We endure both hunger and tliirst, in hopes of being admitted one day to drink of the fountains of living waters ; and St. Basil adds. We abstain from flesh andioine, and live on indse, and drink only ivater, as Adam did in Paradise, in the state of innocence. So far were the primitive Christians from resembling those Catholics of our days, who take the liberty of drinking a considerable quantity of wine, drams, and strong malt liquors between meals, with little or no remorse, and who pretend to j ustify themselves herein by quoting that common and ill- grounded saying. Liquid breaks no fast, with as much confidence as if it was to be found among the Proverbs of Solomon, or the sacred Canons of the Council of Trent. But this is a new maxim that the ancients were unacquainted with ; they knew nothing of such unwarrantable liberties, nor of suppers and collations on fast days, except the spiritual collations and pious conferences that were in former ages usually held in the evening on fast days, for the refreshment of the soul. These spiritual collations, in process of time, have degenerated into corporal collations, 138 ON THE FORTY BAYS FAST OF LENT. wliicli, besides the one meal of fasting-fare that is allowed in the after- noon on fasting days, the modern discipline of the Church also tolerates at night, provided we keep within the regular bounds, both as to the quality and quantity, which should not exceed a quarter, or one-fourth of an ordinary supper, or thereabouts. Some divines restrain the quantity of a collation to two ounces, others to four ounces at most. As for a breakfast on a fast day, the very word hrealfast itself gives us a hint of our duty, and tells us that it is a formal breach of the fast, unless there subsists a just cause, or some weighty reason for taking a morsel of bread, a cup of chocolate, or some small matter in the morning, by way of pre- servative, to prevent cholics or other dangerous complaints. Those who have a mind to fast in a Christian manner, ought to remember, that it is not sufficient to comply Avith the bai'e letter of the law, but they must keep up to the spirit of the Church as near as possible, and take care not to defeat or counteract the end for which the fast was ordained. The outward ceremony will not avail if we neglect the essence and substance ; a bare abstinence from meat is nothing more than the shell or the external bark of our obligation ; the main design of the fast is to mortify our l^assions and amend our lives ; we must fast with a deep sense of repent- ance for having offended God, and a hearty desire and resolution of a new life. As for the sick and infirm, who are unable to fast on one meal, or even to abstain, and Avhose poverty and hard labour are incompatible with fasting, and render their whole life, as I may say, one continual Lent, as is the case of a great number of the laborious poor, they must bear their disorders, sufferings, hardships, crosses, and afflictions with greater pa- tience and resignation, in order to make up, by the interior spirit of pe- , nance, what their bodily infirmities will not allow them to perform. They are not to take the liberty of living without rule or restraint at this holy time, but must endeavour to take what part they are able in the general penance of the Church ; they must make up the deficiency, and supply Avhat is wanting to the outward fast and mortification of the body, by inward spiritual mortifications, by fervent prayers, by bountiful alms, if they are able, and by other good works ; for though they may be dispensed with in the rigorous observance of the Lent, yet they are not, they cannot be dispensed with in the obligation of doing penance for their sins, this being a divine and indispensable precept that must be complied with by- some means or other in our power. The great and general fast of every Christian is to fast from sin, from drunkenness, from thieving, from cursing, swearing, and blaspheming. This fast admits of no dispensa- tion, but is absolutely necessary at all times, in all places, and for all persons, both young and old, sick and healtliy, rich and poor, during the whole course of their life ; therefore, St. Augustine says, Let us above all things fast from sin, that our fasts may not be rejected, like the fasts of the Jews, mentioned in ch, Iviii. of Isaias. Let us fast from pride, from covetousness, from letchery, from anger, from gluttony, envy and sloth. Let us fast from every other vice, that whilst our bodies abstain from food, our souls may be nourished with divine grace. Our eyes, which have often led us into the snares of Satan, should fast in their way from curiously beholding vain and criminal objects ; they should fast from theatrical shews, stage entertainments, play-books, novels and romances. Our ears should be henceforth shut to all poisonous discourses, and only open to edifying instruction, and Christian conversation. Our tongues ON THE FORTY DAYS FAST OF LENT. 139 should abstain from slander and detraction, and be employed in glorifying the name of God, in proclaiming his mercies, and craving pardon of our sins. In short, our hands should fast from immoral actions, our hearts from irregular desires, and all our senses and faculties from the dangerous occasions of sin. This is the true fast, says St. John Chrysostom ; for what does it avail to abstain from certain meats, and to Avallow in sin ? What does it avail to refrain from drinking wine, and to be drunk with iniquity ? says St. Ambrose. What does it avail to emaciate our faces, and to grow pale with fasting, if our souls be full of pride, and black with envy and malice ? The first condition that must accompany our fasts, is to renounce sin, and so fast with a penitential spirit, with a con- trite and humbled heart. The second condition is, to fast with a pure intention of pleasing God, through a motive of religion, of penance, of mortification, of obedience to the Church, and not like the Pharisees, through a motive of vain glory and hypocrisy ; not like misers, through a motive of avarice ; not like epicures, through a motive of gluttony ; nor like Mahometans, through a motive of superstition ; but, like good Christians, through religious and proper motives. The third condition is, to join fervent prayers and abundant alms with our fasts, according to the advice that the Archangel Raphael gave to Tobias, when he said. Prayer is good ivith fasting and alms-deeds, more than to lay np treasures oj gold ; at least prayer and fasting should always go hand in hand together, as inseparable companions ; they are the two wings of a repenting soul, by the help of which she ascends to Heaven, and effects her peace with God. Such fasts as these, accompanied with devout prayers and bountiful alms, cannot fail of being acceptable to God, at this holy time, when the universal Church all over tlie world, joined in one great body, is unanimously suing to Heaven for mercy and pardon by a general pe- nance. Let me then entreat you all, with the words of the Prophet Joel, c. ii. to' sanctify in this manner this solemn fast of Lent. Let me beseech those who are in the unhappy state of mortal sin, to approach without delay the sacred Tribunal of Penance with the necessary dispositions, that their fasts, their alms-deeds and prayers may become more pleasing and more meritorious in the sight of God, by being performed in the state of grace. Perhaps this will be the last Lent that many of you will ever live to see. Let me then exhort you to live soberly, justly and piously during it, and not to convert these days of mercy, grace and sal- vation, into days of gambling, rioting, drunkenness and perdition. Do not turn the remedy into poison ; do not make this holy, this acceptable time, so proper to appease the anger of God, serve only to provoke him more. Unite your fasts with the Ibrty days fast of your blessed Saviour, and lament all the sins and offences of your life in the bitterness of your souls ; for it is just that your sins should draw bitter tears from your eyes, since they drew streams of blood from the veins of your loving Jesus. O amiable Redeemer ! blessed for ever and praised be thy holy name ; how great is thy mercy, O Lord, in having spared us so long, and in giving us still time to repent. By the same mercy we beseech thee, to give us grace to go through this penitential season ; and perform this holy quarantine with fervour and zeal, with piety and devotion, that being freed from the galling yoke of Satan, and purified from the foul stains of sin, we may be duly qualified to approach the venerable Sacra- ment of thy blessed Body and Blood at the solemnity of Easter, and that 140 ON THE DErLOilAELE STATE after celebrating worthily the anniversary of thy sacred passion and death, we may rise Avith thee to a new life, and partake of the happy fruits of thy glorious resurrection. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. A7nen. SECOND SUNDA.Y OF LENT. ON THE DEPLORABLE STATE OF A CHRISTIAN, WHO IS COLD AND INSENSIBLE WITH REGARD TO HEAVEN. Domini bonum est nos hie esse — St. Matt. c. xvii. v. 4. Lord, it is good for us to be here St. Matt. c. xvii. v. 4. The Church, in order to strengthen the faith, nourish the hope, inflame the charity, and animate the zeal of her children in this holy time of penance and mortification, proposes for the subject of this day's Gospel the mystery of the glorious transfiguration of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, which happened on Mount Thabor, in the presence of three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John his brother ; for as these were afterwards to be the sad eye witnesses of his bloody agony in the garden of Gethsemani, and of his crucifixion on Mount Calvary, it was expedient that they should likewise be spectators of the glorious transfiguration of his sacred humanity, and behold a transient ray of the splendour and majesty of his divinity displayed on Mount Thabor, Moses, the legis- lator of the Jews, and Elias, the most zealous of the Prophets of the Old Law, appeared at the same time on the Mount, standing by Jesus Christ,' overshaded by a bright cloud, and, as it were, bearing testimony that he was the Messias, promised both by the Law and the ancient Pro- phets, whom they represented. The three disciples Avere in transports and raptures of joy, when they beheld the face of their dear Lord and Master shining like the sun, and his garments becoming on a sudden as white as the driven snow. They imagined themselves already happy, and were satisfied to establish their mansion on the Mount ; nay, Peter could not forbear crying out in the name of the rest. Lord, it is good for ■as to he here ; let us not qviit this charming place, but, if thou art pleased, let us make three tabernacles here, one for thee, one for Moses, and another for Elias. One bright ray, that appeared for a short time on the countenance of Jesus, had such an effect on the disciples, that they despised all earthly pleasures, and looked upon the world with scorn and disdain ; they Avere ready to part Avith every thing in it, and remain on tlie Mount Avith their Lord, Avhom they beheld thus transformed. Yet, my brethren, his transfiguration was but an antepast, figure and glimpse of that endless glory and permanent happiness which awaits the servants of God in the kingdom of Heaven, after the toils and labours of this mortal life. It is there that the blessed may truly say. Lord, it is good for us to be here. It is there that they find themselves incessantly in ecstasies of love, and raptures of joy, because they incessantly see God face to face, and contemplate his infinite beauty and perfection for a never-ending eternity. O what a blessed sight is this ? Hoav glorious, hoAV charming, hoAV Avorthy of the most ardent desires, and the most zealous pursuits of a Christian soul? Yet, alas ! to seek this happiness, and to labour for the fruition and possession of God, and of his heavenly OF A CUKISTIAN, &C. 141 kingdom, is, of all pursuits and occupations, that which seems least to engage the attention and care of the generality of Christians, Avho are so "strongly attached to the imaginary happiness of this transitory life, that they are insensible to the real advantages of future happiness. To dissuade you from, and guard you against this shameful indolence and culpable neglect of your sovereign luippiness, and at the same time to excite you to seek the kingdom of God witli fervour, is the design of the present discoui-se. In the first point, I will shew you, that the state of a Christian, who is cold and insensible in regard of Heaven, is truly deplorable. The means to overcome this coldness and insensibility shall be the subject of the second point. Let us previously invoke the assist- ance of the Divine Spirit, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, Avhom the Angel saluted with the following words, Ave Maria. To convince you that the state of a Christian, who is cold, and insensi- ble in regard to Heaven, is truly deplorable, it may be sufficient to shew you that he lives without faith, Avithout hope, and without charity, or the love of God : and what is a Christian without faith, hope, and the love of God, but one in a state of reprobation, and consequently exposed every moment to the evident danger of falling a sad victim to the rigours of divine justice. In the first place such a Christian may be said to live without faith ; for how can he be supposed to believe that there is an Heaven, and still be so cold and insensible as not to labour for it ? I do not consider Heaven at present, in as much as it is the palace of God, and the abode of the Angels and Saints ; but what I consider is, what is proposed to us in this most charming mansion of bliss, as the principal recompence of Christian virtues and good works. And this is nothing less t]ian God himself, in the sight, love and enjoyment of whom, con- sists the essential beatitude of the soul. It is this ravishing object that the blessed behold for ever face to face, and by the contemplation of his infinite beauty they are set on fire with a seraphic flame of love : This love transforms them into the beloved object, and by a wonderful union puts them in possession of God himself, and consequently in possession of all his perfections. O thrice happy souls ! what can be wanting to complete their joy, when they have within and without them a vast ocean of felicity, v/ith an absolute certainty that this felicity will be as lasting as an endless eternity ? It is this lasting, this unspeakable happiness, that I propose to your consideration, when I speak to you now of Hea- ven. This is the object of your faith. This is what you are to believe. In reality do you believe it ? Ci^edis hoc ? as Christ our Lord said to Martlia, when he spoke to her of the eternal life that follows the resur- rection. And why may I not say in like manner to so many cold and insensible Christians of our days, who scarce ever raise up their thoughts to Heaven. Do you in reality believe that there is an Heaven ? Do you believe that all your happiness is centered in Heaven, and that nothing less than God himself is to be your happiness, and the only delightful object that is to satiate all your desires ? But how can you be supposed to believe it, when you do nothing to acquire it ? How can you be sup- posed to believe it, whilst you do every thing to lose it ? From these two reflections, it may be judged Avhat your faith is. First you do nothing for Heaven ; you do nothing for it, in comparison of what sinners do to gratify their criminal passions. At least you do nothing for Heaven in comparison of what you yourselves do to preserve your corporal health, to recover out of a dangerous malady, to protract life for a few years, to 142 ON THK DEPLORABLE STATE establish a fortune for yourselves and your children, or to gain the affec- tion and esteem of those who can be serviceable to you in promoting your temporal interest. In etfect, does the business of your salvation take up much of your time? Would you not judge a man certainly ruined in his temporal affairs, who would be as careless and as indolent about them as you are in the affair of eternity ? And by applying so little to it, on what grounds can you promise to yourselves that the issue of it will be favour- able to you ? Have you the courage to take the same pains, to undergo tlie same fatigues for Heaven, that you take and undergo to please and shine in the world, to indulge your sensuality, to live at your ease, and enjoy your pleasures ? Do you devote as much time, as much applica- tion to Heaven, as you do to dress, to visiting, to gambling and other amusements, which you look on as necessary to your station of life ? A shameful comparison indeed, which is sutRcient to cover the cold and insensible Christian with confusion ; and yet it is this, that Solomon endeavours to imprint on our mind, when he exhorts us to seek true wisdom with the same ardour that we seek gold and silver, and with the same labour, that it costs Avorldings to acquire perishable treasures, and to extract metals out of the bowels of the earth, Prov. ii. 4. It is to this same emulation we are invited, when the Son of God exhorts us in the Gospel to manage the affair of salvation like unto mer- chants, who are embarked in trade and traffic, Luke, xiv. 13. and when he places before our eyes the example of those workmen who labour in the vineyard at all hours of the day ; and the example of the wise virgins, who are awake the whole night, expecting the arrival of their spouse,. Matt. XXV. and when St. Paul exhorts to watch the enemies of our souls like soldiers, always on guard, that so we may be constantly prepared to fight the battles of salvation with the arms of faith, Tim. vi. 1 1 . All this clearly teaches us, that the desire of Heaven should have at least the same effect on us that the desire of gain, of pleasure, of honour, of fortune, of life, of health, has ; and that the thoughts of Heaven alone should lead us to combat for it with so much the more fervour and alacrity, as the supi'eme, the sovereign good, is infinitely above all the goods and perish- able treasures of this world. Notwithstanding what power have these thoughts over us, what effect do they produce in us ? Alas ! almost nothing to lead us to the practice of virtue, and next to nothing to sweeten the crosses and afflictions of this life. vSpeak of Heaven to a Christian in sorrow and affliction ; tell him these are crowns of glory prepared for those who suffer here with patience and resignation ; tell him that it is God who distributes all the crosses and afflictions in this world, as so many powerful means of our sanctification and salvation- This is a dry insipid language, incapable to touch his heart. But has he incui-red the displeasure of a powerful pro- tector, assure him of a speedy reconciliation ; has he met with temporal losses, announce to him a considerable fortune, unexpectedly fallen to him ; does he weep for the death of a friend or relation, propose to him parties of pleasure and amusement, his grief and concern will soon abate, his usual calmness and serenity will speedily return. Thus he consoles himself in his misery and aftliction by the prospect of those .very things which may be to him the cause of new misery and misfortune, and he will not console himself with the hope of Heaven, and the prospect of a state exempt from every sort of misery, abounding with every kind of or A CHRISTIAN, ttc. 143 good, and which is nothing less than to see and enjoy his God for an endless eternity. You will say, perhaps, that you do not think of this. May I not reply that it is because you do not believe it ? for how can you have a true belief of Heaven, and this belief not move you to do and to suffer what is necessary to acquire Heaven ? How can you have a true belief of Heaven, and this belief suffer you to do every thing to lose Heaven, and by this loss to render yourselves irretrievably miserable for ever and ever ? In effect, how opposite is the life that most Christians lead to the faith whicli they pretend to profess ? Had the Saviour of the World come down here on earth to announce a law favourable to the corrupt inclina- tions of tlesh and blood ; had he promised Heaven to cursers, swearers, drunkards, and blasphemers, and to such as would surpass the very Pa- gans in criminal excesses, and in all the shameful vices of their fabulous deities ; in order to conform to such inj unctions, and obtain the benefit of such promises, would it be necessary, in such a supposition, to lead any other life than what we see the generality of those lead who bear the name of Christians ? And yet it is on the contrary, only to an absolute retrenchment of all these vices and criminal excesses, that our blessed Saviour has attached a crown of immortal glory. How then can you be said to believe this, when you retrench nothing, when you abstain from nothing, but rather do every thing, and perpetuate every kind of sin, that can strip the unhappy offender of this crown of glory, and exclude him eternally from the kingdom of Heaven ? What answer can you give to St. Paul, who proposed to the Corin- thians the example of those who formerly contended in the Isthmian games for the honour of victory ? Did they not, says the Apostle, re- frain themselves from all things ? Instead of overcharging nature with supei-fluities, did they not refuse it almost the necessaries of life ? Did they not sacrifice every sense of delight to the expectation of conquest ? Did they not triumph over themselves, that they might triumph over their rivals ? What then should we do, concludes the Apostle ; we who are engaged in a more noble contest, we who run a race, not for the vain re- compence of a fading garland of floAvers, or the empty praises of biassed mortals, but for an incoiTuptible crown of glory in Heaven ? If Pagans were able to force nature to discipline and regularity, and to subdue its most impetuous sallies upon the feeble prospect of receiving a crown of vine branches, amidst the huzzas and applauses of an insignificant multi- tude, with what force can Christians remain indolent and inactive, when they have the grace of God for their assistant, and nothing less than Heaven itself for the prize of their victory ? Can they have a true faith, a true belief for the important truths which the reasoning of St. Paul conveys, and still be cold and insensible for Heaven ? Nay, what is more, can a. true Christian hope be compatible with such coldness and insensi- bility ? When we hope for, when we desii'e any considerable good, we shew how impatient we are to enjoy it. We speak of it frequently,' we entertain ourselves with pleasure on so agreeable a topic, we anticipate with a thousand wishes the real possession of it, and for this reason our Saviour says in the Gospel, that ivhere our treasure is, there is our heart, that is to say, there our affections and desires centre. To be convinced of this truth, you need but consult yourselves, and examine the emotions of your own hearts. Consider with what ardour, with what passion you seek the goods of this world. The privation of them, a delay which de- 144 oy THE DEPLORABLE STATE bars j^ou of the possession of tliem, seems to you painful and afflicting. But we may say with St. Cyprian, that in regard to Heaven, cold and insensible Christians are prevaricators of their hope as Avell as of their faith. When you daily say in the Lord's Prayer, thij kuigdcnn come, you ask of God that you may be so happy as to arrive at his eternal kingdom, and still you doat on the earth, the place of your exile. You conjure the Lord by your prayers, to hasten the day of your liberty, and still there is nothing you fear more than to quit this life, where you are but miserable captives. You look upon Heaven as your native home, as the place of your future abode, and eternal residence, and yet the generality of man- kind would willingly remain here always on earth, was there not an in- evitable necessity for departing from it. Is not this to be prevaricators of your hope, because surely we do not fear what we hope for, we do not shun wliat Ave desire, we do not endeavour to escape what we passionately wish for? In vain, then, do you say that Heaven is the object of your hopes, Avhilst you are cold and insensible in regard of it ; in vain do you pretend that Heaven is the object of your Avishes, whilst there is nothing so afflicting to you as the apprehension of quitting this world, and Avhilst there is nothing you tremble at so much as the thoughts of death, Avitliout Avhich you cannot expect to be put in possession of etertal happiness. Your coldness and insensibility for HeaA'cn plainly shews, that you are void of true hope as Avell as of true faith ; nay, not only void of true faith and true hope, but also void of the true love of God. This is Avhat should alarm you, my brethren, since Avhoever is A'oid of the love of God is in a state of reprobation. Without the love of God all other Christian virtues, humility, probit}^, mortification, devotion, nay, mailyrdom itself,' would be unprofitable. This love does not consist in Avords, nor in a certain regular routine of vocal pi'ayers, as some imagine ; but it consists in an actual and absolute preference of God to every thing that is not God, and consequently, to your goods, to your pleasures, to the Avorld, to life, and even to yourselves. This being supposed, do you think that negligence, coldness, and insensibility for Heaven, are compatible with the love of God ? Can you believe that a Christian loves God, Avhcn he is not touched with concern in seeing himself separated from God, or Avlien he does not desire to be re-united to God, or Avhen he fears tliat moment Avhich is to put him in possession of God ? Can this be called love, in the practice and language of the Avorld ? What, my brethren, to love God ! shall this be to liaA'e no other emotions in the lieart than those Avliich you feel for objects about Avhich you are quite indifferent ? Shall Christians flatter themselves that they love you, O my God, Avhen they feel no desire to enjoy you, nor any regret for not enjoying you ? By no means. In this situation, far from being able to say Avith truth, I love my God, they have not begun to love him, as St. Augustine remarks, inPs. Ixxxix. 11. because God has not in their hearts an absolute and entire preference above all the pleasures, goods, and comforts of this life. This appears evidently from their conduct. Tliey are slaves of this Avorld, eager in the pursuit of the conveniencies and advantages of this life, but entirely negligent of Avhatevcr concerns the life to come ; they are passionately fond of things which are either hurtful or unprofitable to them, and they interest them- selves but little for Avhat is of infinite consequence to them, and for Avhich they should be perpetually in action, perpetually in motion, perpetually in alarms ; nay, to consider their coldness and insensibility for Heaven, one might iufer that their God, of all things, has the least share in their OJF A CHRISTIAN, &C. 145 esteem and affection, and that a happy eternity is to them, of all objects, the most indifferent. May I not then conclude, that such Christians live without faith, without hope, and without charity, or the love of God ? O deplorable coldness and insensibility, that hurries on thousands to everlasting misery ! But what are the means to overcome this coldness and insensibility ? This is the subject of the second point, which I will reduce briefly to a fcAV words. To overcome your coldness and insensibility for Heaven, you are to meditate on this blessed mansion of glory, and on the happiness of seeing and enjoying God there for all eternity. To this meditation you are to add the consideration of what all the saints have done and suffered, in order to purchase for themselves this unspeakable bliss. These consi- derations, sinking deeply in your mind, with the blessing of God, will animate you to labour fervently and constantly for the same end. This is what employed the thoughts of the saints whilst here on earth, and in- spired them with so much contempt and indifference for the painted toys, empty bubbles, alluring pleasures, delusive charms, and perishable goods of this world ; this is what made them labour so much, do so much, and suffer so much in this life, to insure for themselves the incomprehensible joys and permanent happiness of the kingdom of Heaven. They kept all the commandments ; they observed the counsels and maxims of the Gospel ; they fulfilled every duty towards God, towards themselves, and towards their neighbour. In the midst of riches they preserved a spirit of evangelical povei'ty ; in the midst of grandeur they preserved a spirit of humility ; in the midst of the world they preserved a spirit of retreat ; and in the midst of all the advantages and conveniencies of life, a spirit of penance and mortification. They canned their zeal still farther, or if you will, their zeal carried far greater lengths. If we pass over to the de- serts of Egypt, and consider the lives of the famous solitaries of Thebais, we shall behold them shut up in the inclosures of rocks, of grottos, and caverns, always watching, always fasting, always praying, always medi- tating, and resembling angels rather than mortal men ; nay, after fifty or sixty years of solitude, spent thus in the service of God, and in the con- stant practice of self-denial and mortification, they looked upon them- selves as unprofitable servants to whom no reward Avas due. After all they had done they were humbled in their own eyes, and so far from being elated with any presumption or self-complacency, that they judged them- selves unworthy to be admitted into the mansions of eternal bliss, or to obtain even the lowest place amongst the elect, because they counted only on the great mercy of God, who, in crowning the merits of his servants, crowns the favours and gifts which he himself liberally heaps on them, as St. Augustine speaks. What shall I say of the holy martyrs and glorious combatants of the militant Church, who gave their blood, and suffered death in testimony of their faith, a:nd in the cause of virtue ? What excruciating tortures did not the barbarity of tyrants invent to torment them ? Yet the hope of reigning eternally with Jesus Christ in the glory of Heaven, sweetened the bitter chalice of all their sufferings, and made death, even in its most tei'rifying shape, appear acceptable to them. Expecting the blessed hope, and the coming of the great God, as the Scripture says, they contended to enter in at the narrow gate, and to carry the kingdom of Heaven by an holy violence to nature. Their ex- ample should excite you to labour with assiduity, fervour, and persever- ance, for the acquisition of the same happiness which they now enjoy, K 146 ON THE NECESSITY AND QUALITIES and. for wliicli you Lave been created. It is your interest as well as your duty to exert yourselves with uncommon zeal in a business of sucli im- portance. You sliould have it more at heart than any thing in this world, and be ready to sacrifice whatever is dearest to you on earth, rather than sacrifice your souls, and lose Heaven for a never-ending eternity. Many of you, my brethren, are now perhaps, at the eve of your death, and shortly to be summoned before the tribunal of the living God, there to give an account of twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years of your life, employed in every other affair but that of your salvation. What good works have you done ? What provision have you made to insure Heaven for your souls ? What penance have you done to expiate the sins whereby you have de- filed the white robe of your baptismal innocence ? What restitution have you made to your neighbour for his property, which you have unjustly acquired, and which you as unjustly possess ? What reparation have you made of the characters which you have blackened and injured ? What steps have you taken to remove the scandal which you have given by your bad example ? Be not deceived, my dear brethren, these duties must uecessarily be complied with, and you are not only to avoid evil, but also to do good, in order to be entitled to admission into the kingdom of Hea- ven, into which, according to the sacred Scripture, nothing tlictt is defiled can ente}\ Look upon us, O Lord, we beseech thee, with the eyes of pity, and excite in us a penitential abhorrence of our past errors and ne- glects ; grant that we may henceforth seek, fu-st, the kingdom of Heaven, and make it the princiiDal object of our desix-es, the centre of our wishes, and the grand subject of our labours and pursuits. Give us grace to love thee sincerely, to serve thee faithfully, and to look upon it as our only happiness to be for ever united to thee, in the sacred mansions of the heavenly Jerusalem, which thou hast prepared for thy faithfid servants, and which I heartily wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Ariien. THIED SUNDAY OF LENT. ON THE NECESSITY AND QUALITIES OF SACRAlVrENTAL CONl^ESSION. Erat Jesus ejiciens dsemonium, et illuderat mutum — St. Luc. c. xi. v. 14. Jesus was casting out a devil, and it was dumb — St. Luke, c. xi. v. 14. The person possessed of a dumb devil, mentioned in this day's Gospel, was an emblem of those unhappy sinners who are silent when the honour and glory of God, the edification of their neighbour, and the Avelfare of their own souls call on them to speak out, and to make a Christian use of the gift of speech. He was a figure of those who choose to continue dumb miserable slaves under the tyrannical yoke of Satan, rather than open their mouths to sue for the divine mercy by a true repentance, and to give ease to their own conscience, by an humble and candid confession of their sins. They may with propriety be trvdy accounted dumb in a moral sense, who neglect and refuse to employ their tongues for this salutary pui'pose, or who dissemble, hide, and conceal, through a fiilse modesty, at the sacred tribunal, what they were neither afraid nor ashamed to commit in the presence of the all-seeing God. In such cases sinners may be said to be spiritually possessed of a dumb devil, who ties up their tongues, that OF SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION. 147 the hands of God's mercy may be for ever shut against them, and who persuades them either to abandon the Sacrament of Penance entirely, or to profane it sacrilegiously by imperfect and defective confessions, that he may have a moi'e favourable opportunity to fortify himself strongly in their souls, and establish a kind of dominion over them. Convinced of the manifold advantages of a true and sincere confession, he is ever in- dustrious to withdraw sinners from it, and to render them more averse to the remedy than to the disease ; he fills them with confidence to sin and shame to confess. Thus it is, says John Chxysostom, that the devil in- verts the order established by Almighty God, which is, that we should be ashamed to commit sin, and that we should gloiy in confessing our sins ; but the sworn enemy of our souls usually robs sinners of all shame, and makes them throw of all fear when he tempts them to sin. On the contrary, Avhen the sin is once accomplished, he returns upon them with a new snare, and makes them restitution of their shame, in oi'der to en- gage them in the desperate resolution, either of neglecting sacramental confession, the only sanctuary they have left to secure their salvation, or of playing the hypocrite, in pretending to be religiously devout, at the very time they are sacrilegiously wicked. To caution you against such dreadful evils, and to dispose you the better for complying with your Easter duty in a Cliristian religious manner, is the design of the follow- ing discourse. In the first part I will shew you the indispensable neces- sity of sacramental confession, and the manner in which you are to pre- pare yourselves for it ; in the second part I will point out to you the dis- positions wliich must necessarily accompany sacramental confession, in order to render it acceptable to God and available to the repenting sinner. In short, the nature and conditions of a good sacramental confession shall be the entire subject of the following discourse, and of your favour- able attention ; no subject being more suitable to this penitential season, or more deserving of your particular notice, as your happy reconciliation with your offended Creator depends on a religious compliance Avith this important obligation at this holy time. Let us previously invoke the aid of Heaven, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Ave Ifaria. To be convinced of the necessity of sacramental confession for such as have violated the laws of the Gospel, forfeited their baptismal inno- cence, and relapsed into the bondage of Satan, after having been washed and purified by the precious blood of the Lamb of God, we need but consider attentively the commission which our Divine Kedeemer gave his Apostles and their lawful successors in the ministry. It is evident from the six- teenth and eighteenth chapters of St. Matthew, and from the twentieth chapter of St. John, that he fulfilled his promise of giving them the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and that he imparted to them an unlimited power to bind and loose, to forgive and retain sins, with a solemn declar- ation that whatsoever they would bind or loose on earth, should be bound or loosed in Heaven, and that whosoever sins they would forgive or retain on earth, should likewise be forgiven or retained in Heaven. ^Q therefore laid an indispensable obligation on the faithful to confess their sins, in order to have them remitted or retained ; and, of course, sacra- mental confession in the Tribunal of Penance is a divine institution, and a positive injunction of Jesus Christ ; for unless the faithful were posi- tively enjoined in the performance of this humiliating and painful duty, the pastors of the Church could not possibly execute the commission entrusted to them, nor exercise the power with which they are invested ; 148 0-\ THE NECESSITY AM> QUALITIES tliey could not come to tlie knowledge of the cause on Avhicli tliey are to decide nor be able to judge Avhat sins are to be forgiven, what sins are to be retained ; they would not be able to distinguish between leprosy and leprosy, nor to pronounce just sentence, nor to prescribe suitable remedies and preservatives against sin, nor to give the necessary and proper advice to sinners, unless they were to be acquainted previously with the true state of their conscience by their confession. In short, the keys of the kingdom of Heaven would be useless, and the commission they received would be nugatory, as St. Augustine justly observes in his 49th Homily, where he says, To pretend that it is sufficient to confess to God alone, is to destroy the commission of Christ, to contradict the Gospel, and to make void the power of the keys which were given to the Church ; wherefore the holy doctor concludes, Lib. de Visit. Infirm, with these remarkable words, If thou wilt have Heaven ojmi to thee, open thy mouth in confession to the x>riest. It is manifest from the concurring testi- monies of the other ancient fathers and Avriters, both of the Latin and Greek Church, that sacramental confession has been practised by the faithful in all ages of the known world, and in every age since the first establishment of Christianity, which is a clear proof that they were tho- roughly convinced of its being a divine institution ; for otherwise man- kind would never have submitted to a law that is so mortifying to human pride. The same law that obliges a Christian to confess his sins, obliges him also to examine his conscience, to take a serious view of the state of his soul, and to use a moral diligence in discovering or finding out what sins he has been guilty of, in thought, word, deed and omission ; because otherwise he cannot make an exact and faithful confession of them. In an affair of such consequence it is necessary to proceed with cool and deliberate attention, and with as much circumspection and composure of mind as reason and prudence require that a person should proceed Avitli in other matters of great importance. It is not sufficient to take a superficial and cursory view of the outward, gross and palpable crimes which stare the sinner in the face, and which are observable to every eye ; but the inward spiritual sins, Avhicli pride and self-love, human respect and Avorldly interest are most solicitous to hide and keep undis- covered, should be narrowly inspected, because they are often more dangerous, and inflict a deeper wound on the soul, as the Council of Trent remarks, Sess. 14. c. 5. than the notorious and scandalous sins which are openly committed. The secret recesses and folds of the heart must be looked into and closely searched, and the wounds of the soul must be probed to the bottom, in order to dislodge the corruption and venom that lurk within. The axe is to be laid to the root, and the spring and source of every sinful disorder is to be investigated. The principles and motives upon which a person has acted must be carefully weighed, and an impar- tial inquiry is to be made into our thoughts and desires, intentions and corrupt inclinations, evil habits and customary failings, darling passions, and favourite vices. Unless a diligent self-examination of this sort be made, we will be apt to be always a mystery to ourselves, and strangers to the real state of our souls ; for to be blind to our own faults, and to be misled, seduced and deceived in the judgment we form of ourselves and of our actions, is one of the pernicious consequences and deepest wounds of original sin. We are, indeed, quick sighted enough to observe the failings of others, and as the Scripture expresses it, to discern a mote in the eye of our neighbour, at the tame time that we do not perceive OF SACHAMKNTAL CONFESSION'. 1 4y the beam in our own eve. We overlook our own follies, and behold every thing that regai'ds ourselves through a fallacious medium, or a kind of perspective, which eitlier magnifies or diminishes the object. Self- love flatters us, presumption deludes us, and our passions raise a mist be- fore the eye of reason, that often clouds and darkens the understanding. These clouds must be dispelled, this interior blindness must be removed and remedied by diligent self-examination, and by humbly and fervently beseeching the Holy Ghost to enlighten our darkness, to open our eyes, and to remove the veil that hides us from ourselves. A constant watchfulness over all the motions of our hearts, and over our thoughts, Avords and actions, as far as is compatible with human frailty, and a daily examination of conscience in the evening, when the hurry of business is over, are the most effectual means to make us know and become familiar wath ourselves ; they also contribute in a great mea- sure to focilitate the scrutiny which is necessary to be made before sacramental confession. The ten commandments of God, the maxims of the Gospel, the precepts of the Church, the virtues and duties of a Christian life in general, and the particular obligations of our respective states and departments in social life, are the rule and standard we are to be guided by in our examination, and not by the false maxims, or pi'e- vailing customs and fashions of the world. We should allow ourselves sufficient time and leisui'e to dive into the secrets of our conscience, and to consider what places, what persons, what companies we have frequented; in what conversations, actions, and occupations we have passed the time ; in what particulars we have deviated from rectitude ; in what manner we have discharged or violated the duties which we owe to God, to our neighbour, and to ourselves, that we may be able to lay all our sins at the feet of Jesus Christ, Avith the number, as near as can be recollected, and the circumstances, which alter the nature of the sin, or notably aggravate the guilt ; for it is an illusion to imagine that after several months, or perhaps years spent in the circle of pleasures and divei'sions, dissipation and distraction, irregularity and disorder, a person can in a short time become well acquainted with the true state of his interior, or be duly prepared to render a proper account of all his offences. In effect, there is reason to apprehend that the confessions of many Christians of this de- scription are defective and imperfect, if not null and void, for want of premising a diligent self-examination, and making a regular preparation. How frequently do they run over the transactions of several months, nay, of several years, in the space of time that would not suffice for confessino- the sins of a single day ? How often do they seem at a loss even for sufficient matter for the sacramental absolution, at the very time that they Avould discover themselves to be in a very alarming situation, did they but take the trouble of making a close inquiry into the true state of their souls ? To pass over in silence many other defects and abuses, Avhich should be carefully avoided in the sacred tribunal, some, instead of accusing them- selves Avith candour, sincerity and humility, endeavour to extenuate their crimes with studied excuses and artful palliations. Others confess tlieir sins like Adam and Eve, by accusing their neighbour, and throwing the fault on others, saying one time, that it was owing to the peevish humour and temper of a cross, passionate wife, the debauchery and dnuikenness of a wicked turbulent husband, the disobedience of an headstrong, in- corrigible child, the roguery of a thieving servant, the injustice of a cruel master, the unreasonableness and severity of a bad mistress. Another 150 ON THE NECESSITY AND QUALITIES time the allege some other cause, such as anger, passion, company, dis- tress, fear, shame, necessity, or the like. Others, in fine, are only solicitous about the integrity of their confession, and rest satisfied when they confess what occurs to their memory, and receive absolution ; but they should remember, that there are other conditions required on the part of a true gospel penitent, besides the integrity of confession ; he should neither be hurried on by a talkative spirit, nor tongue-tied by a dumb spirit, like the poor man mentioned in this day's Gospel ; he should not accuse others but himself ; he should not act with disguise or dissimulation, but with candour and sincerity, since, as the Holy Ghost says. Proverbs, xxviii. 13. He that hidetli his sitis shall not 2^'>'0sper, hut he that shall confess, and forsake them, shall obtain mercy. In short his con- fession must be simple, humble, plain, true, faithful, full, entire, and accompanied with an inward grief of the heart, an hati-ed of sin, and a firm purpose of amendment, this being the very soul and essence of re- pentance, as I will shew you in the second point. The compunction or sorrow of the heart, which constitutes a true conversion, is usually called contrition, which word originally signifies a bruising, or breaking of a thing in pieces, and it is metaphorically used to denote the grief with which the heart of a sincere penitent is pierced, and, as it were, broken and rent asunder on account of his sins and offences against the Lord his God. This inward sorrow is so essential an ingredient of a sincere repentance, that the most complete confession will not purify the soul of a sinner, if his heart be not concerned, and grieved, and does not detest sin. It is the heart that is the seat of repentance, as it is the seat of love. It must weep over its own wretchedness, perfidy, and ingratitude. It must hate and detest sin, because it is offensive and displeasing to God's infinite goodness. It must love God, and value his friendship in prefer- ence to every thing in the world ; for as there are two great evils included in every mortal sin, repentance, which is the opposite, and the destroyer of sin, must also have two opposite conditions. The two great evils in- cluded in mortal sin, are described thus by the Almighty, ii. 13. of the Prophet Jeremias : My people, says the Lord, have done two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have dug to them- selves broken cisterns, that can hold no Avater. The first of these evils is, the averting, or turning away the heart from the Creator, and the veiy fountain of all goodness. The second evil is, the conversion of the heart to the creature, and embracing the foul monster, mortal sin, which is justly compared to a broken cistern, that can hold no water, and is a receptacle only of filth and mud. As the heart, therefore, of the sinner is, by sin, carried away from God, and bestowed on created objects, thi'ough a misplaced affection, it is necessary that the heart be truly changed by repentance, and effectually averted from sin, and from the irregular love of the creature. Secondly, it must be converted to the Creator, and embrace him as the fountain of justice. And as it is a blind inordinate love that carries away the heart of the sinner from God, it is an holy regular love that must bring back the heart, and return it again to God, which made St. Augustine say, Serm. 7, de temp, that nothing renders a repentance certain hut the love of God, and an hatred of sin. The fear of hell is, indeed, a useful curb to the impetuosity of the passions, and in the beginning a necessary spur to urge sinners on to their duty. It is a preparation for repentance, but of itself alone it is OF SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION. 151 insufficient to banish the love of sin from the heart, because it implies no hatred of sin precisely for its own account, and as it is an offence of God, but merely in regard of the punishment that attends it. It alarms and frightens a sinner to relinquish his sinful disorders, much after the same manner that the imminent danger and apprehension of a shipwreck makes a merchant cast his merchandize into the sea, though at the same time he retains his former affection to it, and is resolved to fish it up again when the storm is over. Hence St. Augustine says, that the sin- ner who leaves off sinning for the fear of hell fire only, is not afraid to sin, but afraid to burn ; and if he hates sin, it is not for the sake of God whom it offends, but it is for his own sake, or through some selfish con- sideration, because he apprehends it to be ruinous to his own interest, and prejudicial to his own happiness, or because it opens a horrid scene of misery before his eyes, and menaces him with unquenchable flames. Far from acting like an affectionate child upon a principle of love and gratitude, he only acts like a mercenary slave, upon a principle of sordid fear, which may indeed withhold his hands from doing a criminal action, but does not change his will or affection. Hence it is that his sorrow for sin often amounts to no more than a wish that he could sin with im- punity, and for this reason he is ready to consent to any sin that is thovight to be only venial, because he believes it will not make him liable to eternal punishment, whilst the offence given to God is a matter he totally disregards. It is to be dreaded that many sinners deceive themselves in this point, and approach the sacred tribunal without being actuated with that true sorrow of heart, that holy indignation against themselves, and that pe- nitential abhorrence of sin, which is the very soul of repentance. This is what thfey should chiefly aim at, and take most pains to acquire, when they are disposing themselves for receiving the sacraments of reconcili- ation ; but unhappily several neglect what is most essential, and come only half prepared. They persuade themselves that they are penitent, provided they perform certain exterior exercises of penance, recite some devoiit forms of prayer, and vent a few sighs, moans and tears, which a lively apprehension, a violent fear, a sensible tenderness of complexion, may naturally force from them, without working any real conversion or change in their hearts. How often, alas ! are the feelings of nature, the workings of pride and self-love, the agitations of a false shame and con- fusion, the anxiety and trouble, that proceed merely from human re- spect and servile fear, mistaken for the substance and essence of a true repentance. The contrition that qualifies the repentant sinner for the happy remis- sion of his sins, is an emotion excited by grace, and proceeding from the operation of the spirit of God. It is interior and supernatural. It is grounded on motives of faith and religion. It springs from the love of God, which alone is able to banish the love of sin from the heart ; for which reason St. John says, He that loveth not, abideth in death, 1 Ep. iii. 14. It is universal, that is, it extends itself without exception to every mortal sin a person is guilty of. It is also the snprerne and sovereiijn sorrow of the heart and will, that is to say, it is in reality greater than, and above all sorrows ; for as sin is the greatest of all evils, it must be hated and abhorred more than any other evil, and we are to be pene- trated with a greater grief, and to have more real concern, at least in spirit, and in the superior and rational part of our souls, for the offence 152 ON THE NECESSITY AND QUALITIES, &C. given to God, and for the loss of his grace and friendship by sin, than by any other evil or misfortune, or for the loss of whatever else is dearest and nearest to us in the whole world. It is another property of true con- trition, to include essentially a firm purpose of amendment, with a will and desire to satisfy God's justice, by leading a new life, and bringing forth the worthy fruits of repentance, this being the grand criterion by which a true judgment may be formed of its sincerity. By the firm purpose of amendment, that springs from conti'ition, I mean a fixed re- solution, and a full determination of the will never more to ofiend God by mortal sin, but to atone for the past ofl^ences, to repair the injuries done others in their property or character, and to shun the places, the companies, and the objects, which were the cause of a person's spiri- tual ruin and downfall, with all other dangerous and immediate oc- casions of sin, though they should be as dear to him as the very apple of his eye. Behold, my brethren, the nature and qualities of that contrition with which your confession ought to be accompanied, and which you should use your utmost endeavours to procure, by putting up for this end, your humble and fervent prayers, to him who holds in his hands the hearts of men, and who alone is able to change their dispositions, and make them hate what they pursued before with the most ard^ftt affections. And since the Gospel assures us, that whatever we ask the Eternal Father in the name of his beloved Son Jesus, shall be given to us, we should ear- nestly beseech him to grant us the great gift of an hearty contrition, in the name and through the infinite merits of Jesus Christ. We may be gradually led on and helped to the attainment of it by warming our hearts with fervent acts of faith, hope and charity, and by meditating attentively on the most powerful motives for exciting contrition ; such as the fright- ful enormity, base ingratitude and crying malice of mortal sin, the dreadful torments which are due to it, the infinite goodness of God whom it offends, the passion of Jesus Christ, which it renews, the incompre- hensible joys of Heaven, from which it excludes the unhappy sinner for a never-ending eternity, &c. These great truths, well digested and ru- minated with leisure and attention, and the pious affections which they are apt to inspire, will help to melt the heart into compunction, and to kindle in it a pure love of God. When you are thus prepared and pencr trated with these sentiments, you are to approach the sacred tribunal as if you Avere going to the foot of the cross, with an humble confidence in the boundless mercy of God, that the precious blood which streamed doAvn from the feet of Jesus on Mount Calvary will wash away all your iniquities. No childish fear or false shame should prevail on you to tell a sacrilegious lie to the Holy Ghost, like Ananias and Saphira, who were therefore struck dead at the feet of St. Peter, Acts, v. 3, 7. Rather copy after the humble publican, or the prodigal child returning to the embraces of his afflsctionate ftither, or the penitent Magdalen prostrate at the feet of her Divine Redeemer, and bathing them with her tears. A momentary confusion, a short humiliation before the Minister of God, who holds the place of Jesus Christ in the sacred ti-ibunal, will deliver you from the stings and remorses which, like so many thonis, torture your souls, and will be succeeded by interior peace, joy and consolation. The greater your crimes are, the greater will be the joy of the whole court of Heaven to see your conversion to God, testified by a good con- fession, since, as the Gosi^el assures us, there is more joy among the ON THE SIGNAL ADVANTAGES, &.C. 153 Angels of Heaveu, for one sinner that does penance, than for ninety-nine just who do not stand in need of it. How much, therefore, my brethren, are we indebted to the goodness of the Lord for having previded us with so powerful a remedy for healing all our spiritual disorders, and so ef- fectual a means of recovering his love and friendship ? Let us not receive his divine grace in vain, but let us cheerfully submit to all the humili- ations of penance, and return thanks to our merciful Lord for putting it in our power to purchase our pardon upon such easy terms. O sweetest Jesus, give us grace, we beseech thee to approach thy sacred tribunal with the necessary dispositions, and to partake of the wonderful effects of thy infinite bounty. We bless and praise thy Iioly name for having spared us so long, and for giving us still time to repent, instead of cast- ing us off in the midst of our sins, as we deserved. By the same mercy we pray thee to grant us a true and sincere contrition, that we may lament our past sins in the bitterness of our souls. Mollify our rocky hearts, and strike them as Moses struck the rock in the desert, that waters of penance and tears of compunction may flow from us in abund- ance, and wash away all our iniquities. In thee we place all our con- fidence, and through thy merits we hope to be ranked on the last day in the happy number of those who are to be invited by thee to take posses- sion of the kingdom of thy glory for all eternity. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. FOUETH SUNDAY OF LENT. ON THE SIGNAL ADVANTAGES AND BENEFITS OF A FREQUENT AND WORTHY COMMUNION. Accepit Jesus panes, et cmn gratias egisset, distribuit discumbentibus. St. Jo. c. vi. y. 11. Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks he distributed them. St. John, c. vi. y. 11. The subject of this Sunday's Gospel is an illustrious miracle wrought by our Divine Redeemer in favour of a vast multitude of people, which had followed him into the desert, with an ardent desire of hearing his hea- venly doctrine, and seeing the prodigies he was constantly working for the sick and infirm, who had recourse to him for relief, and stood in need of his assistance. Their piety and zeal for the glory of God, and for the eternal welfare of their souls, made them forget their corporal necessities and neglect to carry provisions with them ; but their neglect was amply supplied by the paternal providence of the Loxxl, who seldom fails to manage our temporal interest, and to provide abundantly for the subsist- ence of our bodies, when we take proper care of our souls and apply ourselves seriously to the grand affair of our eternal salvation. He' has engaged his sacred word, and solemnly promised that he will not only reward us with supernatural happiness hereafter, but also crown our undertakings with tempoi'al blessings in this life, if we seek first his honour and glory, and make the eternal salvation of our souls our chief business and principal study. Be not solicitous, therefore, (says he. Matt, vi. 31, 33.) saying, what shall we eat, or ivhat shall ive drink, or wherewith 154 ON THE SIGNAL ADVANTAGES shall ice he clothed ? Seek ye therefore first the Jcmgdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you. The crowds of people which, according to this day's Gospel, flocked from all sides to hear the Word of God, and exposed themselves to the danger of starving in a desert, in order to nourish their souls with the spiritual food of eternal life, furnish us with a remarkable instance of this truth ; for no sooner did our Blessed Saviour lift up his eyes and behold them from the top of a mountain, whereon he stood with his disciples, but his affectionate heart was touched with compassion, and moved to work a great miracle in their behalf. He took into his sacred hands five small loaves which happened to be brought to him, and he blessed and multiplied them by his all-powerful words in so wonderful a manner, that twelve baskets were filled with the fragments which remained, after the whole multitude, that amounted to about five thousand persons, as the Evangelist tells us, had been satiated, and had eaten plentifully thereof. This famous miracle was a type and figure of the miracle of miracles, as St. Thomas of Aquin calls it, which our Divine Redeemer wrought afterwards at his last supper, when by his Almighty Power he changed the substance of bread and wine into the heavenly banquet of his own precious body and blood, and bequeathed this ines- timable legacy to his Church, for the refection and nourishment of the souls of the faithful unto the end of the world. We all eat of this banquet, and still it is not diminished ; we all partake of it, and still it remains whole and entire ; one eats of it, and a thousand eat of it, and still this one receives Christ whole and entire, and the thousand do no more. Behold the stupendous prodigy that is wrought in your favour, and at the same time admire with gratitude the wonderful difference between the food granted to you, and the food that was granted to the pious multitude mentioned in the Gospel. Jesus provided with a bound- less liberality for their corporal wants ; he fed them with an earthly, material food ; he feeds you Avith a celestial divine food. Not content with sacrificing his flesh and spilling his blood for your sake on Mount Calvary, he vouchsafes to nourish your souls, like the affectionate pelican, with his own sacred body and blood in the venerable sacrament of the Euchai-ist. To encourage the devout and fervent Christian to have frequent recourse to this sacrament, and to awake and rouse the luke- warm and slothful, I intend, with the divine assistance, to lay before you the signal advantages and happy effects of a worthy and frequent commvinion, and then to point out the gi-eat prejudice they do to their own souls, and the dreadful evils they expose themselves to, who for any considerable length of time neglect this Christian duty. Let us first implore the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Ave Maria. As this discourse is merely calculated for the edification of those who glory in adhering strictly to the ancient faith of the primitive Church, which has been carefully handed down from the days of the Apostles to our days, by an vaninterrupted succession of upwards of eighteen hun- dred years, and which has been uniformly professed by the Cyrils, the Basils, the Chrysostoms, the Ambroses, the Augustines, the Gregories, and all the great luminaries of venerable antiquity, it appears unne- cessary at present to take up your time, and engage your attention, with a long enumeration of the various arguments by which the Catholic doctrine concerning the mystery of the blessed Eucharist is invincibly proved against all unbelievers. You believe, mj brethren, upon the or A FREQUENT COMMUNION. 155 infallible authority of the "Word of God, that the body of Jesus Christ, which was immolated ou the altar of the cross for our sake, and the blood which was shed for the remission of our sins, are really present in this adorable sacrament, and inseparably united to his soul and divinity. This you believe as Christians and Catholics, but it is the misfortune of several amongst you to believe this mystery, as they do other mysteries of our holy religion, with a speculative and superficial faith only, which has but little influence on their conduct, so that the gracious condescension of our Divine Redeemer in accommodating him- self to our weakness, and giving himself to us to be the food of our souls, instead of inflaming our love for him, and encreasing our devo- tion, is but too frequently repaid with inattention and indifierence, if not with a total neglect of this great sacrament of his love ; yet it must be acknowledged, that the more he has humbled himself here for our sake, by divesting himself in a manner, of the splendour of his majesty, and veiling the dazzling rays of his glory under the poor elements or appearances of bread and wine, the more we are indebted to him, the dearer he should be to us, the more fervent we should be in his service, and the more assiduous in testifying our gratitude, respect, and vener- ation for him. Our belief of his real presence in this sacrament ought to enkindle in our hearts the most ardent desires of frequently uniting ourselves to him in it by a devout communion. He instituted it in the form of a ban- quet, under two distinct species, to give us thereby to understand, as St. Augustine remarks, that he intended it should be frequented by the faithful, and should serve as a continual banquet in the Church, to nourish and support the spiritual life of our souls, as corporal food serves to nourish and support the life of the body. Hence he invites us all to partake of this banquet, and assures us in c. vi. of St. John, vi. 54, that unless we have recourse to it we shall have no life in us. Except you eat the jlesh of the Son of Ilayi, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. On the contrary, he expressly says, in the same sixth chapter of St. John, He that eateth my flesh, and drinheth my blood, hath everlasting life, and I icill raise him vp in the last day, and he shall live for ever. Must we not then be regardless of our own spiritual welfare if we slight this most valuable gift of Heaven ? Or can we be supposed to have any great love or esteem for Jesus Christ, if instead of corresponding with his love, we refuse to accept of his affectionate invitation, and neglect to approach his sacred table with suitable piety and devotion ? What greater comfort, what greater felicity can we enjoy in this vale of tears and place of exile, than to partake from time to time of this divine food, this heavenly manna, this spiritual bread of eternal life. Of all the spiritual exercises that religion commands, this is the most comfortable and the most salutary ; it is in the sacred communion that spiritual sweetness is tasted in its very source, as St. Thomas of Aquin speaks ; here the afilicted and sorrowful find a comforter ready at all hours to console them, and to alleviate their grievances ; here the dis- tressed find a compassionate Father always ready to succour and relieve them ; here the sick and infirm find an omnipotent physician, ready and willing to heal and strengthen them ; here the needy and indigent meet a most bountiful benefactor and a tender-hearted friend, ready to receive their petitions, and to grant their requests ; here, in short, the faithful in general find a resource in all their necessities, a sanctuary in all their 156 ON THE SIGNAL ADVANTAGES dangers, a remedy in all their infirmities, a consolation and protection in all their wants and tribulations. If the children of Israel were pro- tected and secured against the exterminating Angel, by sprinkling the blood of the Paschal Lamb on the doors of their houses ; and if Obede- dom and his family obtained so many signal blessings and favours fi-om Heaven for lodging the Ark of the Covenant in his house, what may we not expect, by receiving and lodging Christ himself in person in the temple of our souls, by a worthy and devout communion ? We read in the Gospel, that Zacha3us, the publican, was promised salvation for lodging our blessed Saviour vmder the roof of his house ; a woman afilicted with a tedious disorder, was cured by only touching the hem of his garment ; and the disciples, on their way to the castle of Emmaus, were so sensibly affected by his company and conversation, that they felt their hearts inflamed and burning within them with the fire of divine love. Judge then what signal graces, favours, and blessings, must flow from the very source of sanctity and the fovintain of all grace, into the soul of a devout Christian, Avhich by a good communion is occupied, possessed, and intimately united to the Son of God, and in which he dwells with his whole divinity and humanity. The bread which the Angel of the Lord oi'dered the Prophet Elias to eat in the desert, enabled him to pursue his journey till he arrived with safety at the mountain of Horeb. In like manner the spiritual bread and divine ban- quet which the Lord himself invites us to partake of in the holy com- munion, nourishes and supports the supernatural life of grace in the soul ; it cherishes and invigorates its virtue, enlivens its piety, and enables it to advance daily in the paths of holiness, until it arrives at length at the very summit of Christian pei'fection. Nothing, says St. John Chrysostom, renders Christians more formidable to the powers of hell, than a worthy and frequent communion of the body and blood of Jesus Christ ; nothing contributes moi-e effectually to put the devil to flight, to weaken concupiscence, to extinguish the fire of lust in the heart, and to imprint a character of purity in the soul. It is a sovereign preservative against mortal sin, and a powerful antidote against venial sins and daily imperfections, as the Council of Trent teaches ; it is a shield that repels all the fiery darts of Satan, and an armour that enables a Christian to withstand his most violent assaults and tempta- . tions. The happy fruits and blessed effects of frequent and devout communion, appeared visibly in the conduct of the primitive Christians ; purity of morals, and sanctity of life reigned among them. Coming daily from the communion table, they were courageous, like lions, as St. John Chrysostom speaks ; they breathed flames of charity, and ran to martyrdom with as much alacrity as if they were hastening to a tri- umph. There was no necessity then, as there is now, for a precept to urge and oblige the faithful to approach the holy communion ; they wanted a curb to keep in their devotion, rather than a spur to enliven it. Nothing could give them greater concern than to be deprived of tliis divine food, as St. John Chrysostom says. Hence we read in Church History, that when any of them happened to be separated and kept at a distance from the table of the Lord, until they were better prepared, or, till they perfoi-med the penance prescribed by the rigorous discipline of the times, they regretted nothing more bitterly, and deemed no punishment more severe, no misfortiine more deplorable. For this rea- son they were accustomed to implore the mediation of the holy martyrs OF A rKE(^U£K'r COMMUNION. 157 and confessors, that tlie time of their penance might be shortened, and to prostrate themselves often at the feet of the pastors of the Church with tears in their eyes, like Esan, when he sued for the blessino- of his father Isaac, humbly praying to be admitted to the sacrament of recon- ciliation, and to the blessed communion of the body and blood of the Lord, without further delay. Such was the fervour and devotion of the faithful in the primitive ages of Christianity ; but alas ! in process of time, piety beginning to decrease, and charity growing cold, the use of the blessed sacrament became less frequent amongst the generality of their successors. Whilst some religious souls continued still to live up to the zeal of their pious ancestors, and made it their rule to communicate every day, the greater number degenerated from it, and was content at first with weekly com- munion on every Sunday, and afterwards with quarterly communion on the principal solemnities of the year. One would be apt to imagine that the Church should never have an occasion to exert her authority, and denounce her censures, unless to prevent and deter the Avicked from approaching this heavenly banquet vmworthily ; but the faithful, for the most i^art, became gradually so lukewai'm and so careless in frequentino- it, that the general Council of Lateran at length found it necessary to issue a formal precept, in order to fix and determine some particular time for them to obey the divine command, lest if they were left to themselves they should entirely neglect so important a duty. The holy time of Easter was assigned and appointed in particular, as the fittest in the whole year for this purpose, the anniversary of the primitive institution of the blessed Eucharist recurring about that time. However, the inten- tion of the Church in thus commanding yearly communion, at or about the solemnity of Easter, is not to authorise the sloth and indolence, or to approve the conduct of such of her children as content themselves with communicating once in the year, but only to hinder them from deferring it any longer. It cannot then be inferred from hence, that annual communion is sufficient to satisfy the duty of a Christian, or to correspond with the views and intention of our Divine Redeemer, in leaving us this heavenly banquet. No, my brethren, the ecclesiastical precept indeed is thereby complied with, provided the communicant receives once a year, with the proper dispositions, at the time and place appointed, but to live up to the spirit of the Christian religion, and to comply with the advice and wishes of the Church, it is necessary to communicate more frequently. Hence it is that the holy Council of Trent, in its 22d Session, expresses an ardent desire that all the faithful were in a state to receive the blessed Euchai-ist, not only spiritu- ally but sacramentally, every time that they assist at the august saci-ifice of the mass. Hence it is also that so many indulgences are granted in the course of the year for their greater encouragement, and that spiritual writers so warmly recommend fi-equent communion, particularly on all the great solemnities, and on every Sunday, especially on the Sundays of Lent and Advent, and even oftener, according to the fruits it produces and the improvement that is made in virtue, by such as are free from all affection to sin. St. Francis of Sales lays it down as a general rule, for people living in the commerce of the world, they ought to communicate regularly, at least once a month, and on the principal festivals of the year, if they intend to lead a Christian life. As for these Christians who, in open violation of the law of God and his Church, absent themselves wil- 158 ON THE SIGNAL AB VANTAGES, &C. lingly, whole years together from communion, they must acknowledge, if they have not lost their faith along with their piety and devotion, that by turning their backs in this manner to the principal means of grace, and by treating the most holy of the seven sacraments with such inat- tention, indifference and disrespect, they not only rob their own souls of many special graces, favours and blessings, which otherwise they would receive, but they also make a most ungrateful and irreligious return to Jesus Chi-ist for his inestimable charity, which induced him to contrive this wonderful expedient, and supernatural means of becoming the spiri- tual food of our souls, and abiding always ivith us unto end of the world, Matt, xxviii. May I not justly say, that this criminal and shameful neglect of the blessed Sacrament proves to several Christians the first step to their spiritual ruin, and the unhappy occasion of being excluded from the eternal banquet of glory, prepared for the elect in the kingdom of Heaven ? Like unto the guests that were invited to a great feast, as we read in the Gospel of St. Luke, xiv. they put off the invitation of their loving Redeemer from month to month, from year to year. They are not at leisure to wait on him. They cannot spare time to correspond with the designs of his mercy. Temporal affairs, trifling amusements, and the fear of interrupting their pleasures and diversions, are counted sufficient obstacles and excuses to exculpate them in their own eyes. Such are the vain frivolous apologies which they allege in their own defence ; but the truth is that they are attentive to every thing but their salvation and their improvement in virtue, and that in efiect they set a greater esteem on the goods of earth than on the gifts of grace. They absent themselves, therefore, from the divine banquet, which the Lord, , through an effect of his infinite goodness, has vouchsafed to provide for their sanctification. The health of the soul is gradually impaired by being thus deprived of its enlivening nourishment. Its strength is wasted. Its virtue is in a manner starved. Tenderness of conscience is removed. The fear of God is laid aside. Charity grows languid and inactive. The spirit of piety is extinguished. Concupiscence gets the upper hand, and thus the soul at length dies away, and becomes an easy prey to Satan, for want of its spiritual comfort and support. It is not uncommon to hear some people apologize for their neglect of communion, by saying they are not worthy to approach it, and have not the perfec- tion that is requisite. But if they wait until they are worthy, when shall they communicate ? Is not a deep sense of our own unworthiness one of the dispositions that are always necessary to a good communion ? Is a person to make no approaches to the fire, because he is cold ? Is a man to have no recourse to the physician, because he is sick ? Two classes of Christians ought to communicate often, as St. Francis of Sales teaches us, in his Introduction to a Devout Life : The perfect and the imperfect, the strong and the feeble, the healthy and the sick. The former, because being well disposed, they wrong and prejudice their souls by keeping from the source of all perfection, and by depriving themselves of the signal blessings and manifold graces which are derived from it. The latter ought also to communicate often in order to acquire perfection, to obtain spiritual strength, to improve in the love of God, and to learn to communicate well. Come then, my bi-ethren, and partake often of this delicious banquet of your Saviour's love. Come to this great supper, and heavenly feast of the spotless Lamb. He calls on you, he invites you, he solicits you, ON THE FEAST OP ST. PATRICK, &C. 159 in these affectionate words : Come to me all you that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. Come with an ardent desire of being united to him. Come with a spiritual hunger and thirst, like the tcearied hart that panteth after the fountains of ivaters. Come with great purity of con- science, clothed with the wedding garment of charity, and the white robe of innocence, free from all the foul stains of mortal sin. Give your hearts entirely to him Avho gives himself entirely to you in this adorable sacrament. O amiable Jesus, may thy holy name be eternally praised for this Avonderful effect of thy love and mercy. Give us, grace, we beseech thee, to approach thy sacred table Avith a devotion suitable to the greatness of thy love. Grant us pardon of our past offences, which we detest from the bottom of our hearts, because they displease thee. Have compassion on our weakness, forgive us our past neglects, and preserve us from future relapses. Enliven our faith, strengthen our hope, inflame our charity, and unite us so closely to thee, that nothing either in life or death may be able to divide or separate us from thee ; but that after persevering unto the end in thy love and service, we may have the happiness to enjoy thee hereafter, in the clear vision of eternal bliss, which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. ON THE FEAST OF ST. PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND. Mementote prspositorum Vestrorum, qui vobis locuti sunt Verbum Dei — imitamini fidem — doctrinis variis et peregriiiis uolite abduci Heb. c. xiU. v. 7 et 9. Rememher your Prelates, who have spoken the Word of God to you — whose faith follow — and be not led away with various and strange doctrines — Heb. c. xiii. v. 1, 9. When the Almighty singles out men to be the extraordinary messen- gers of his councils, oracles of his wisdom, instruments of his gi'ace, and channels of his boundless mercies, he confers on them those wonderful gifts, talents, and virtues, that are requisite to qualify them for the execu- tion of his orders, and for the accomplishment of the grand designs of his all-ruling providence. Thus he qualified Moses, Aaron, and the Prophets in the Old Law, and the TAvelve Apostles in the New Law, for the solemn embassy, and the heavenly commission on which he was pleased to send them. He invested them with every power they stood in need of, in order to discharge the duties of their ministry Avith success ; he communicated to them all the eminent gifts and talents that were necessary, to enable them to encounter the difficulties, and surmount all the obstacles Avhich stood in their Avay, and Avhich attended the due execution of the high commission they were charged Avith. Among many other renoAvned characters and remarkable instances of this truth, we may justly rank St. Patrick, the glorious Apostle and Patron of Ireland, whose feast the Church solemnizes this day, and honours Avith the privilege of a plenary indulgence, extended to the faithful of the whole kingdom on every day of the ensuing octave. When the Lord in his great goodness singled him out, for the grand Avork of the conversion of this remote corner of the then known world to the Christian and Catholic religion, Avhen he sent him as an instrument of his divine mercy, to announce the mystery of the cross to our ancestors, and to 160 ON THE FEAi^T OF ST. PATRICK, enli"-hten a people, who, as the scripture phrase expresses it, were sitting in darkness and in the gloomy shades of death, he qualified him in every respect for the arduous enterprise, and made him at once a most zealous Apostle, and an illustrious Saint, that he might diffuse the light of the Gospel all over tliis island by his indefatigable zeal, and establish the spirit of the Gospel by his eminent sanctity. It is under these tAvo con- siderations that I intend to represent St. Patrick to you at present, as a precious vessel of election and model of Christian perfection. He rooted up infidelity, and planted catholicity in this country ; he banished vice and immorality, and promoted the practice of true piety and solid virtue, both by his word and example. Behold the plan of the following dis- course, and the subject of your favourable attention. Let us previously invoke the aid of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, greeting her with the words of the Angel, &c. Ave Maria. The Scripture informs us, that the Saviour of the World retired into a desert, and prepared himself by prayer, and by a rigorous fast of forty days and forty nights, before he entered upon his mission of preaching the Gospel, and reclaiming sinners from their evil ways. In like manner, the most authentic histories of St. Patrick's life informs us, that this faithful disciple and follower of Jesus Christ our Lord, spent several years in preparing himself by fasting and praying, before he entered upon the sacred functions of the apostolic ministry. That he might preach the Gospel with fruit to others, and draw their souls more effectu- ally to the love and service of God, he first began to preach to himself, to reo-ulate his interior, to cultivate the vineyard of his own soul, and to treasure up lessons of solid piety and true virtue in his mind. Such was the delicacy and tenderness of his conscience, that he accuses him- self in his own writings, which are called his Confession, that he was rather tardy and remiss in not having begun at an earlier period to love the Lord his God above all things, and Avith his whole heart, from the very first instant that the use of reason rendered him capable of paying his Creator this tribute, which is so justly due to his Sovereign Majesty on a thousand titles. Hence he tells us, that he could not refrain from weeping for his past neglect, whenever he recollected that his heart had been, even for a single moment, insensible and void of divine love. Herein our Saint imitated the piety of the penitent Augustine, who" thought that he could never sufficiently bewail and regret every day, every hour, every minute of his past life, which had not been filled lip with acts of divine love, and who, in order to clear oft' the long arrears of love, which on account of his former neglect appeared to be still due by him, made it his constant study, ever after, to redouble his love for God all the days of his life, and laboured Avith indefatigable zeal to kindle flames of divine love in the heart of every Christian, crying out for this reason in the fervour of his soul, O Beauty, ever ancient, and ever new ! O Sovereign Good ! O inexhaustible Source of all Sweetness and Perfection ! Too late, too late, alas ! have I begun to love thee. O that I could begin my course over again, that every moment of my life might be filled Avith tokens and proofs of my love for thee, my God and my All ! Behold here an excellent lesson of edifica- tion for all, both young and old. Learn, my brethren, from your glori • ous patron, St. Patrick, that the great precept of charity begins to bind you all at an earlier period than perhaps you imagine. BcAvare of mis- placing your affections on the empty bubbles and painted toys of this APOSTLE OF IRELAND. l6l transitory life. Look up to Heaven, your native country and happy inheritance, which your dear Eedeemer has purchased for you with his precious blood ; let your hearts be where God your treasure is, and whei-e he shews his glorious and beautiful Majesty to the Angels and Saints. Begin from this instant, if you have not already begun, to love him above all things, not by word of mouth only, but in reality and truth from the very bottom of your hearts and souls, and endeavour to increase every day in this divine virtue, which is to be the crown, the joy and the happiness of the blessed for a never-ending eternity. But to re- turn to St. Patrick. Whilst he was, on a certain day, in the sixteenth year of his age, putting up his fervent prayers to Heaven in a retired place, situated near the borders of the sea, he was surprised by a set of barbarian pirates, who then infested the British coasts, and was suddenly carried off from his family and native country, and brought captive into Ireland, the very land which he was afterwards to deliver from the dark- ness of infidelity, and from the dismal captivity of Satan. Admii'e here, my brethren, the wonderful ways of Divine Providence ! We read in the book of Genesis, that the Patriarch Joseph, by a disposition of Provi- dence, was carried off in his youthful days from his native country, and sold as a slave in Egypt, that he might be the means of relieving the Egyptians afterwards in the hour of disti'css, and supj)lying both them and his own father's household with the necessaries of life, during the continuance of a dreadful famine that raged over that land for the space of seven years. By a similar disposition of the same divine Providence, about the decline of the fourth century, the virtuous and pious youth Patrick, was stolen away from his parents, carried off and sold as a com- mon slave to a petty prince in the county of Antrim, that by being inured to hardships, and by being well acquainted with the language and manners of the natives of Ireland, he might be better qualified to undertake the great work of their conversion at a future period, and become the happy means of supplying both them and the Churches of his own native coun- try Avith a sufficient number of zealous clergymen and able missionaries, Avho would break the heavenly bread of the word of God to the little ones, and nourish their souls with the food of eternal life in the day of their spiritual famine and distress. Thus it happened that Patrick, whom Heaven had destined to become one day a great pastor of souls in this island, was previously employed in the low and painful servitude of feeding cattle on mountains, and in forests, Avhere he was for a considerable time constantly exposed to the inclemency of the weather, and to all the rigours of poverty, hunger, and nakedness. Far, however, from repining at his despicable situation, far from murmuring, or complaining of the dispensations of Providence, far from flying in the face of God, as numbers of the distressed and suffering poor of our times unhappily do, whereby they not only lose the merit and reward of their trials and afflictions, but likewise expose themselves to the manifest danger of becoming slaves to Satan hereafter in hell, after having been drudges and slaves to sin in this world ; Patrick, I say, 'far from pursuing so criminal a line of conduct, made a virtue of necessity, and carried his cross, and bore his severe trials with patience and resig- nation, for the love of his blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ. His suffer- ings of course were to him a source of heavenly benedictions, and served only to furnish him Avith daily opportunities of practising the virtues of luimility, meekness, obedience and submission to the holy will of God. 162 ON Tins FEAST OF ST. PATRICK, "Whilst he thus discharged every exterior duty belonging to Ws state with cheerfubiess, and attended tlie cattle of his earthly master with the vigil- ance, assiduity and activity of a faithful servant, his conversation was, mostly in Heaven, for he united contemplation with action, and in the midst of his daily emyloyments he took care to elevate his heart fre- quently to God by pious aspirations, and short, but devout and fervent pi-ayers. It is related in his life, that he was accustomed to adore God on his bended knees no less than an hundred times in the day and in the night, by which means the love of God continually inflamed his tender heart more and more, and acquired every day new strength in his affec- tionate soul. It were to be wished, my brethren, that this pious method of attending constantly to the divine presence in the course of the day, and raising up the heart often to God, by some ejaculatory prayer, whilst the hands are employed at daily labour, Avere more generally adopted by all laborious and industrious Christians, in the midst of their ordinary occupations and temporal actions. It is highly recommended by the saints, and Avas one of the principal exercises Avhereby they gradually arrived at the height of perfection. St. Francis of Sales advises us to cast ourselves in spirit, at the feet of Jesus, like Mary Magdalen, and to give our souls to God a thousand times in the day. To breathe forth some pious ejaculations now and then costs no great trouble, nor does it require much time, or interrupt our external duties ; it is short and easy, and does not distract or fatigue the mind ; a little practice would render it familiar and habitual, and it has this pecv;liar advantage, that it can be practised at all times, and on all occasions, without being exposed to the danger of vain-glory, as it may be secretly performed in the closet of the heart. We have already heard what signal advantages St. Patrick derived from fervent and frequent ejaculations of this kind. No sooner was he released from his bondage, but the designs of Providence began to be brought about ; for he I'elt the strongest impressions from Heaven to set about the glorious woi'k of converting the Irish Nation without any further delay. Any other motive than the greater honour and glory of God, could never have induced him to undertake so arduous an enterprise, and so difficult a work, as the general conversion of an entire nation, where vice was authorized by practice, and impiety strengthened by custom. Palladius, indeed, had preceded him, and was the first who fornaed the plan of con- verting this nation to Christianity ; but having met with violent opposi- tion, he converted but few, and departed in a short time. The general conversion of Ireland was reserved for St. Patrick, who, having travelled into Gaul and Italy, for the purpose of acquiring a competent stock of sacred learning, chiefly under the tuition of his uncle, St, Martin, the renowned Bishop of Tours, was promoted to holy orders, and received his episcopal consecration, and lawful mission from the successor of St. Peter the Apostle, Pope Celestine, in the year of our Lord 431. He did not intrude himself into the ministry Avithout a true vocation. He did not presume to exercise the sacred functions of the priesthood with- out being regularly ordained. He did not attempt of his own accord, to dogmatise or turn preacher and teacher, without a proper mission, like unto the false prophets in the Old Law, Avho, as the Scripture complains, came without being sent, or like unto the new gospellers, and fanatics of these latter ages, who are called by our Saviour, tvolves in the clothing of sheep, and who force themselves into the sheepfold without any mission, APOSTLE OF IRELAND. 163 either extraordincmj from God, like that of the Apostles mentioned in St. Mark, xvi. 15, or ordinarij from the pastors of the Church, by the imposition of hands, like that spoken of in tlie Acts, xvi. and 1 Tim. V. 22. and 2 Tim. i. 6. No, my brethren, St. Patrick came to this part of the world duly called, sent and authorized to preach the ancient faith, originally tauglit by the Apostles, to plant the Catholic religion, and to open the fountains of salvation, grace, and mercy to sinners. No sooner did he land at Wieklow, with about twenty fellow-labourers, and zealous assistants, but he began to weed, to plant, to water, and cultivate the new vineyard of Christ. But how did he complete his design ? He placed his confidence in Grod, and as he was a man of piety, recollection and prayer, he possessed the art of converting sinners, of softening their hearts, of subduing all the powers of their souls, and of infusing moi-e virtue into them than a more learned man, with all his empty science, and pompous oratory Avould be able to do ; for though a man of extensive knowledge may argue, convince, and charm others with his eloquence, yet if the spirit of piety be extinguished in his heart, he is no better than a sounding trumpet, though, as St. Paul expresses it, he should speak the language of men and angels. These maxims were the plan of St. Patrick's conduct, and by these means he had the happiness to gain over innumerable proselytes. He appeared with undaunted courage at the genei-al assembly of the kings and states of Ireland, which was held every year at Tara, the residence of the chief King, who was stiled the Monarch of the whole nation. Here our saint met a great number of the Druids, or Heathen Priests, and converted many of them. The shining virtues of his exemplary life were more powerful and more persuasive arguments, than the most elegant discourses. It would be an endless task to enumerate all the labours and fatigues he underwent, in the course of sixty-one years, for the glory of God, and the salvation of souls. He travelled through all the provinces of Ireland, rooting up vice, and planting virtue wherever he went. Like another Elias, he burnt with zeal for the Lord God of Hosts, 3 Kings, xix. 1 0. so that he might truly say Avith the Royal Prophet, Ps. Ixviii. The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up, and has made me 2nne away. Nothing gave him more pain than to see the great God offended ; nothing gave him more pleasure than to see him loved, praised, and adored. He bewailed the gross errors of idolatry and superstition, in which he found thousands of the inhabitants of this country enveloped at the time of his arrival ; but glory be to God, his sorrow was soon changed into inexpressible joy. The most obdurate hearts were mollified by his instructions ; the greatest sinners cast them- selves at his feet, and began to deplore their past crimes with tears of bitterness, and numberless multitudes cried out for Baptism, and em- braced the Roman Catholic and Apostolic faith. In short, he dispersed the darkness of infidelity by the brilliant rays of his sanctity, and by the ardour of zeal and piety he made truth and virtue triumph over error and immorality. It is recoi'ded of him, that he founded above three hundred churches, ordained near three thousand priests, consecrated a great nilm- bsr of bishops, and established seven hundred religious houses, wherein thousands of the faithful devoted themselves entirely to the divine service, and aspired to the summit of Christian perfection by a regular observance of the three evangelical counsels, insomuch that this island was deservedly stiled the Island of Saints, Avhen St. Patrick finished his glorious career in the hundred and twentieth year of his age, and in the four hundi-ed 164 ON THE FEAST OF ST. I'ATRICK, &C. and ninety-tlilrd year of our Lord. Nay, during the tliree succeeding centuries, whilst the greater part of Europe was overspread with inun- dations of pagan Goths and Vandals, this island was deemed a nursery of piety, a school of virtue, a seminary of learning, and abounded with a lonf train of illustrious saints, who derived the streams of their sanctity from their great Apostle, St. Patrick, and illumined several parts of the Continent with the light of the Gospel, and the splendour of their virtues. It is true, indeed, that in the ninth century Ireland was in its turn infested by successive swarms of heathen barbarians, who made it feel the grievances that followed the invasion of the sanctuary, and the demo- lition of the Roman empire in other countries ; but notwithstanding all the various revolutions of nature, the self- same holy Catholic religion, which was planted here by St. Patrick above thirteen hundred years ago, and which was uniformly professed by our pious ancestors ever since, has been carefully transmitted down to us, whole and entire, unchanged and uncorrupted, and is still professed here to this very day in its primitive purity. Are we not then, my brethren, highly indebted to the goodness of God, for having, in his great mercy, called our ancestors from the dark- ness of infidelity to the Avonderful light of faith, by the ministry of St. Patrick, and for having extended the same heavenly gift to us by the ministry of his successors and descendants, in preference to so many thousands in other countries, from whom the true faith of Christ has been withdrawn by a just judgment, and transplanted elsewhere. Have we not reason to thank, praise, and glorify the holy name of the Lord for this particidar blessing, this singular favour, this special protection, and visible interference of his Divine Providence ? Should we not, as the' Apostle recommends in the words of my text, gratefully remember our 2-)rehitcs, u'ho have spoken the ivord of God to vs ? Should we not be stead- fast \n foUoiving their faith, and taking care not to be led aicay ivith various and strange doctrines ? Should Ave not be armed against all novelty in religion, and guard against the baneful influence of those dangerous principles, Avhich the new philosophers and unbelievers of this age are spreading in these and other neighbouring countries ? Fass not beyond the ancient bounds, which thy fathers have set, says the Holy Ghost, Prov. xxii. 28. Stand ye on the ways, and see, and ask for the old j^aths, ivhich is the good loay, and ivalk ye in it, and you shall find refreshnent for your souls, Jerem. vi. 16. Ask thy father, and he will declare to thee, thy elders, and they ivill tell thee, Deut. xxxii. 7. for tlwe is a way that seemethjust to a man, but the ends thereof lead to death, Prov. xiv. 12. and again, Christ cautions us in the Gospel, to beivare of false prophets, who make their appearance in the clothing of sheep, but imvardly are ixcvenous tvolves, that come not to feed, but only to fleece and destroy the flock ; nay, St. Paul does not hesitate to say, Galat. i. 8. that although an Angel should descend from Heaven, to preach up any ncAv doctrine contrary to the ancient faith, once delivered to the saints, we ought to look upon him as an anathema. Away then with those irreligious discourses, pernicious maxims, un- christian ideas, unsanctified notions and noxious tares, which the enemy is endeavouring to sow over the good seed. Let us live up to the dictates and duties of our holy religion, and shew the purity of our faith l)y the purity of our morals, and by a strict observance of the coumiaiidments of God and his Church. Let us not forget the example of oiu- holy Patron, ON THE ADVANTAGES OF SUFFEEINGS, &C. 1 G5 but endeavour to render ourselves wortliy of his patronage and interces- sion, by an imitation of his humility, charity, piety, and zeal. Let us enter into the spirit of this holy quarantine, and go througli it in a man- ner becoming good Christians and Catholics. Let us not pervert those days of grace and salvation into days of wrath and perdition. Let us not resemble pagans and bacchanalians in the celebration of our festivals, by criminal excesses and intemperance in drinking. Nothing is more opposite to the spirit of the Gospel, and to the sanctity of this present season and time of mei'cy, than the odious and destructive vice of drunk- enness, by which this day in particular, above all days in the year, is most shamefully profaned. There is no vice that debases or degrades man more from the honour of human nature, or that reduces him nearer to the low rank, condition, and similitude of the beasts of the field. It robs him of his reason, which is the greatest prerogative of man, and the most excellent of the gifts of nature. It besots his spirits, clouds his understanding, confuses his judgment, and stupifies his mind in such a manner, as not to be able to make one serious reflection, or to distin- guish a plain from a precipice, or a friend from an enemy. It renders him a reproach to religion, a disgrace to Christianity, unfit for every spiritual duty, and fit for nothing but for the drudgeiy of Satan. It should, tlierefore, be carefully avoided at all times as a brutish vice, but more particulai'ly at present, when the Gospel is crying out loudly to us to ivatch and prai/, to live soberly, justly and quietly, to crucify the flesh ivith its lusts, to exhibit ow' bodies, an immaculate and pleasing host to the Lord, and to look ivell to ourselves, lest perhaps our hearts be overcharged ivith sur- feiting and dnmhenness. Luke xxi. O merciful Jesus, grant us all the grace of a true conversion. Open the eyes of those who are blindly straying away from the path of salvation, and conduct them into the right way that leads to life everlasting. Grant to the just the great gift of final perseverance, that being rescued from the dangers of this sinful Babylon, they may see and enjoy thee for an never-ending eteniity, in the sacred mansions of heavenly Jerusalem. Which is the felicity that I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. PASSION SUNDAY. ON THE ADVANTAGES OF SUFFERINGS AND AFFLICTIONS. Tulerunt ergo lapides ut jacerent in eum — St. Jo. c. viii. v. 59. They took up stones to cast at him St. John, c. viii. v. 39. We enter this day into the time consecrated to the SufFerJfigs and Passion of Jesus Christ, and therefore behold him in the Gospel which the Church proposes to us, exposed to the contradiction, calumnies and opposition of the Jews, his mortal enemies. They openly contradicted the divine truths which he taught them ; irreprehensible as he vf as, they dishonoured him by tlie grossest injuries, in attributing to him the impiety of Sama- ritans, and the wickedness of the devil ; nay, tliey attempted his life, and if his love for us and the justice of liis Eternal Father liad not re- served him for greater trials, he would then have consummated his sa- crifice by sinking under a shower of stones that they took up to throw at liim ; but he absconded himself from them, until the hour decreed for 166 ON THE ADVANTAGES OF his passion and death Avas come. Hence it is, that the pictures and images of the crucifixes in oiir chapels are veiled, and the bloody standard of the Cross is erected on this day, which is called Passion Sunday, the remainder of the Lent heing ordained for commemorating the dolorous mystery of Christ's passion, and for mourning for his death, or rather for our sins, which were the cause of it, and which like a veil interpose betwixt God and us. What subject more suitable to the time can I then propose to you than that of the Cross, to persuade you to suifer with Christian patience and resignation, the disgraces, the trials, crosses and afflictions that are incident to your respective states, in order to resemble and conform yourselves to Jesus, your Model and Kedeemer. But, alas ! the generality of Christians, though disciples of a man of sorrows, and children of a crucified God, have an aversion and contempt for the cross ; it appears to them an object of folly as to the Pagans, or a subject of scandal as to the Jews. Some, in time of adversity, regard themselves as abandoned by Providence, and give themselves up to sadness and despair ; others murmur and repine at their condition, curse their fate, and wish themselves dead, and thus lose the merit of their sufferings by their impatience, not considering the manifold advantages and blessings they might otherwise draw^ from them, both with regard to this and the next liie. For the instruction, and consolation, and encouragement both of the one and the other, I shall endeavour to give you a just notion of the sufferings and afflictions of this life, and encourage you at the same time to make proper use of them. I am far, however, from pretending that you are to divest yourself of the feelings of human nature, or, like the Stoic philosophers, to afl'ect a stupid insensibility to every thing that is painful to flesh and blood. What I wish to convince you of is, that the sufferings and afflictions of this transitory life are intended as a bless- ing, and in reality a most valuable blessing in themselves, as coming from the hands of God. In the first place I will lay before you the ad- vantages of them, and the motives that induce the Almighty to send you such trials. In the second place, I will point out the motive that should induce you to submit to the sufferings and afflictions with which the Al- mighty is pleased to visit you, and the spirit Avith which you ought to receive them. Let us previously implore the light of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Ave Maria. Those who form their judgment of things according to human appear- ances, and more from the suggestions of self-love than from the rules of the Gospel, look upon sufferings and afflictions in a most unfavourable light. Being accustomed to measure happiness by the maxims of the world, they conclude that all is well when success has crowned their de- sires, and Avhen they peaceably enjoy all that they love and Avish for; on the contrary, they unjustly impeach Heaven, and arraign God's wisdom, when they are visited Avitli trials and adversities, Avhich they look upon as real evils to themselves, and as marks only of God's wrath and indig- nation ; they can scarce believe it to be the Avork of an all-Avise Provi- dence, that some should Avallow in opulence and enjoy all kind of Avorldly com.forts, and that others should languish under the severest pressures of indigence, and only feed on the bread of affliction. A Job sitting on a dunghill, and an Achab adored in his place ; a Saint Paul on the scafJbld, and a Nero on the throne ; innocence oppressed and trodden under foot, Avhilst vice domineers and iniquity is triumphant, are to them mysteries Avhich they cannot reconcile. But if they took religion for their guide, SUFFERINGS AND AFFLICTIONS. 167 and viewed the afflictions and sufferings of this life with the eyes of faith, they woukl be convinced of the justice and advantages of them; they would find that they are often the effects of God's infinite goodness, marks of his favour and clemency, pledges of his love, and seeds of everlasting happiness ; they would learn that the trials, adversities and disappoint- ments we meet with here on earth, are a merciful dispensation of the divine bounty, designed by the wisdom and providence of God as means of salvation, either to punish and correct the sinner, or to purify and perfect the just man. Many, indeed, and great are the miseries and calamities that sinners bring on themselves by their criminal conduct and profligate life ; nay, most of the afl^lictions and misfortunes that attend us in this vale of tears, are the fatal consequences of sin and the just punishment of our own personal iniquities. If some be atflicted like Jeroboam, either by the loss of substance or by the death of a darling child, it is, perhaps, because they gave him a profane education, or placed in him that love which is only due to the Creator ; it is, perhaps, because in their prosperity they Avere insensible to the wants and deaf to the cries of the poor; it is, perhaps, because they converted the temporal blessings they enjoyed into seeds of everlasting misery, or squandered their superfluities in the pursuit of such worldly pleasures as served only to gratify their ambition. Others are struck with sickness and lingering disorders, perhaps, because when in health they were slaves to volup- tuousness, and sacrificed all their desires to the violence of their passions. How many draw doAvn the vengeance of Heaven upon their own crimi- nal heads by their horrible oaths, imprecations and blasphemies ? How many bring themselves to public shame, scandal and disgrace, by the irregularity of their lives and the corruption of their morals? How many bring a long series of misfortunes upon themselves and others, by their unjust conspiracies and wicked combinations ? How many beggar their families, ruin their constitutions, and riot away their health by drunkenness, and the like criminal excesses ? Is it any wonder, then, that all the diseases which follow debauchery, should pour in upon them like a torrent ? Is it any wonder that the seasons and elements, naj, the whole creation should rise up against them, conspire their ruin, and sink them to the lowest ebb of misery and indigence ? for where such enormous crimes as these prevail without controul, the righteous judg- ments of the Lord will come upon the land, until it is made a subject of scorn and desolation, as the Scripture says. It is not therefore the treachery of men, the cruelty of enemies, the badness of the limes, or the providence of God, that we are to accuse for the miseries and afflic- tions that surround us. Let us seek no other cause but the corruption of our hearts, and the irregularity of our lives. This is the source of our misfortunes, as the Lord declares by the mouth of the Prophet Ezechiel ; so that we may truly say, what the children of Jacob formerly said of themselves in their atiiiction and distress, It is icith justice ive suffer these calamities ; ive have deserved them, became xce have sinned against the Lord. You will tell me perhaps, that it is a long time since you have re- nounced your sinful disorders, and entered on the road of salvation, and notAvithstanding that you are still afllicted and unhappy. But let me ask you, have you expiated all your past sins, by a sincere and perfect repentance ? Have you fully satisfied the divine justice for all the follies and ignorances of your youthful days ? Do you know that every sin 168 ON THE ADVANTAGES OF ,. must be punlsliecl here or hereafter, as St. Augustine says, either by the voluntary penance of man, or by the vengeance of an angry God? Are you not then indebted to his infinite goodness for furnisliing you with a means to redeem tlie most exquisite pains and sufferings, that are due to your sins in the next life, by the light and momentary suf- ferino-s of this life ? Are you not indebted to him for chastising you here in his mercy, and putting you under the happy necessity of dis- charging the penance, which otherwise you would neglect, and of can- celling, at a small expense, the immense debt you owe his divine justice ? If now, whilst the sun of grace and mercy shines, he is pleased to visit you with poverty and sickness, with crosses and afflictions, it is for your correction, amendment, or improvement ; it is to give you a favourable opportunity of purifying your soul, of advancing in virtue, of increasing your merit, of pi'actising humility, patience, fortitude and temperance. It is to recal you from your errors, to prevent relapses, to exercise your patience, and to fit you for the possession of life everlasting. If he scourges your body, it is to heal the Avounds and disorders of your soul, for as Solomon says, the rod and reproof give ivisdom. If he treats you with a seeming rigour, it is to draw you from the brink of per- dition, and to rescue you from the eternal evils and intolerable torments of the next life. If he deprives you of the sweets and comforts of the flattering and deceitful world, it is to keep those things out of your way which he foresees would be the cause of your destruction and ever- lasting ruin. You are sensible, my brethren, that riches are generally abused, and made the instrument and suppoi't of iniquity. There is nothing more ■ common in the world than for a person to forget God, amidst the tempt- ing allui-ements, the false joys, and dazzling charms of prosperity. As long as the world smiles on him, every thing that gratifies flesh and blood is easily purchased, and the force of religion is very often overthrown by the violence of passion, which made Christ pronounce a dreadful ivoe to the rich, and declare in the Gospel, that it is easier for a camel to j^ass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven. The Lord, who desires not the death of a sinner, but that he be converted and live, takes from this prosperous man the fatal arms the world lent him for his destruction. Through an effect of his mercy he removes the" obstacles of his salvation, he lowers his fortune, in order to make him reflect on his duty. He permits that he should be publicly disgraced and affronted, that he should he overturned by a law-suit, that fire should destroy his concerns, or some unexpected accident should intei'- rupt his tranquillity, and put a stop to his avaricious projects, thereby to give him a hearty distaste for the world, to place him in the road of Heaven, to oblige him to forsake the company of those who had so often led him astray, and to sanctify his soul by an humble retreat. This is what God assures us of by the Prophet Amos, saying, I have conswnedhy a burning loind your lands and gardens, I have imdermined all your strata- gems and designs, in order to force you to return to the tvays of salvation. It was by the like means that the pride of Pharaoh was humbled, and the intolerable arrogance of Nabuchodonosor was pulled down. It was in the horror of a tempest that Jonas confessed his disobedience. Manasses, who had insulted God on his throne, never thought of doing penance until he found himself in the prison of Babylon, humbled under the weight of his chains ; nor did the Israelites invoke the protection of SUFFERINGS AND AFFLICTIONS. 169 Heaven until they felt the galling yoke and fury of the Philistines. It was adversity likewise that brought the brethren of Joseph to an humble confession of their guilt, and that opened the eyes of the prodigal son, and was the happy occasion of reclaiming him from his sinful course- But what need I produce so many examples out of the Scriptures to strengthen this argument, when several among yourselves can testify the same truth by experience? I appeal to your own consciences, how many are there who would never have thought of returning to their duty to God, or of forsaking their darling vices, had not a lingering sickness, the sudden downfal and ruin of their family, or some other intervening accident misealed their eyes, and discovered to them the folly, vanity and emptiness of all earthly joys, and made them seek the solid happiness above, which this world is not able to afford. Did you, my brethren, but seriously consider these important truths ; did you but reflect with attention on the designs of Heaven in sending you crosses, sufferings and afflictions, you would discover such solid motives of comfort as would be sufficient to silence your murmurs ; to put a stop to your discontent, and induce you to embrace your trials, not only with patience, but even with pleasure and joy, let them be ever so painful or disagreeable to your weak nature. You would bless the merciful hand that wounds you in order to heal you, and thank that bounteous Father, who chastises you because he loves you ; you would bow down to his holy will, and say with the royal Prophet, Ps. xviii. It is good for me that thou hast humbled me, 0 Lord. Instead of arraigning Providence ; instead of flying in the face of God, and exclaiming against Heaven ; instead of being dejected, and giving way to melancholy and sadness ; instead of complaining that you are severely dealt with ; instead of breaking out into murmurs and blasphemies, which cannot assuage your pains, redress your grievances, or restrain God's vengeance, but rather redouble your misfortunes, and make your misery become more sensible, you would look upon your afflictions as blessings of Hea- ven, and embrace them as a grace, a benevolence, and overflowing of divine mercy. You would regard them as the j ust punishment of your sins, a sovereign remedy for your disorders, and a powerful means of salvation. You would receive them with a due submission from God's holy hand, as tokens of his clemency. You would thank his goodness, for vouchsafing to accept of them as a penance for your manifold offences, and as a retaliation for the terrible chastisements you would be obliged to undergo in the next world. You would endeavour to make a virtue of necessity, and bear with Christian patience, the accidents and disgraces of the world, the reverses of fortune, the sickness and disorders with which you ai-e visited, and offer them with great humility to the Lord, in sanctification for your transgressions, and in conjunction with the sufierings of Jesus Christ. If your reputation should happen to be tarnished by atrocious detractions and black calumnies, you would imi- tate King David, who patiently bore the maledictions of Semei, that they might prove to him a source of benedictions and graces. If you should happen to be distressed by unjust law-suits, or to be otherwise injured, abused, reviled or persecuted, you would acknowledge with holy Job, that it is the hand of the Lord that strikes you, and that your ene- mies are only the instruments of his divine justice. However bitter the chalice of your sufferings may appear, you would say with your blessed Redeemer, shall I not dr'mlc the chalice ivhich iwj lieavealy Father has fjiven 170 ON THE ADVANTAGES OF me ? This, my brethren, is the use we should make of our sufferings and afflictions. This is our duty as Christians, and disciples of a Master, who has recommended nothing more earnestly to us than tlie obligation of carrying our cross, and vrho has given us in his own person a most perfect model of patience. But, alas ! how diffei'ent from this is your conduct ? Instead of respecting the rod in the hands of a charitable Father, do you not break it like a rebellious child, or rather do you not, like a senseless and furious animal, as St. Augustine speaks, bite and bark at the stone that strikes you, without considering who it is that throws it ? Instead of submitting to the low condition in which Divine Providence has thought proper and expedient to place you, instead of acquiescing to the decrees of Heaven, and bearing the difficulties of your state in the spirit of humility and penance, do you not envy the prospe- rity of others ? are you not jealous of their imaginary happiness ? do you not frequently break out into murmurs and complaints ? do you not burst into bitter invectives upon the least insult that is offered to you ? do you not retaliate injuries, and discharge a dreadful volley of oaths and curses against your neighbour upon the least contradiction you meet with? Thus, by your impatience, you become martyrs w^ithout merit or reward, and besides losing the benefit and fruits of your sufferings, you run the risk of being miserable in both worlds, and of becoming slaves to Satan, in flames for a never-ending eternity. Thus, in a woi'd, you frustrate the designs of God's mercy, who has marked out no other road for con- ducting his servants to everlasting happiness but the royal way of the cross, and who tries the hearts of men in the furnace of adversity, as silver is tried by the fire, and gold in the furnace. If we consult the Scriptures, almost every page will declare that crosses are the portion and inheritance of God's faithful servants, and that the just have been tried by sufferings and afilictions in all ages since the beginning of the world, adversity being the touchstone on which true virtue is tried and distinguished from what is only counterfeit. Abel was sacrificed by the fury of his brother. Jacob was in slavery with Laban. Joseph was sold by his brethren. The Hebrews were for a long time in the bondage of Pharaoh. Holy Job, from being the most opulent Prince in the East, was reduced to the lowest ebb of misery, stripped of all his possessions, covered all over with sores and ulcers, insulted and abandoned by his friends, and at length turned out of doors, and like an abortive thrown upon a dunghill. Tobias, that model of charity, and great servant of God, was deprived of the sight of both his eyes, and persecuted by his own Avife and family. Because he was acceptable to God, as the Angel Raphael told him, it teas necessary that afflictions should try him. St. John the Baptist was undoubtedly a child of Providence, a darling of Heaven, and a particular favourite of our blessed Eedeemer, and yet he was cast into prison and loaded with irons, his sacred head w^as cut off and brought upon a dish to Herod's table, whilst that monster of impiety wallowed in pleasures, feasted sumptuously in the midst of a brilliant court, and wantoned in all the luxurious afliuence of wealth. In like manner, poor Lazarus was covered with ulcers, and pining away with hunger, whilst the rich epicure enjoyed all the comforts of life. But when Lazarus died, his soul was carried by Angels into Abraham's • bosom, whilst on the contrary, the rich man was buried in hell. The one was comforted, the other tormented, because one had received good things in his lifetime, and the other evil things, Luke, xvi. So true it is, my SUFFERINGS AND AFFLICTIONS. 171 brethren, that sufferings and afllictions are the usual marks whereby the Lord distinguishes his best i'riends and greatest favourites in this world. These are the most luidoubted pledges of his love, and it is hereby he shews that he has not utterly cast us off as our sins have deserved. Other fathers spare and indulge their children, but as St. Paul assures us, Heb. xii. ichom the Lord lovetli he chastiseth, and he scoiirgeth every son xchom he receireth. Jesus Christ himself was not exempted. It was necessary he shoidd first suffer, and so enter into glory. He svffered, says St. Peter, 1 Ep. ii. 21. leaving iis an examjde that ice may follow his foot- steps. Like a tender hearted physician, he vouchsafed to drink first himself of the chalice of afflictions, and to sweeten it with a touch of his sacred lips, as St. Augustine speaks, that sick mortals, animated by his example, should not refuse the medicine which he prescribed as a powerful expedient for healing their spiritual disorders, and purifying their souls. Hence, when the mother of the two disciples, James and John, requested that they might be placed one at his right hand, the other at his left hand in his kingdom, he asked them if they were able to drink of his chalice, giving them thereby to understand that patience and resignation were the essential qualifications of his disciples, and that preferments in his kingdom were only attainable by trials and sufferings. This was the road by which his blessed Apostles entered into the glory of Heaven ; they drank large draughts of the bitter cup of affliction, and rejoiced and ivere exceedingly glad in their suflerings and tribulations, ac- cording to the instructions they had received from their Divine Master, Luke vi. 33. They carried their cross cheerfully after him, and gloried in bearing some resemblance of his sufferings and mortifications, and in being made conformable to his image, as St. Paul sj^eaks, Eom. viii. 29. for they knew that this was the character of the elect, and the only way to eternal happiness, which made the Apostle sayj that hy many tribula- tions we must enter into the kingdom of God, Acts xiv. 21. This holy spirit of suffering with pleasure and joy, was not confined to the Apostles, but extended itself to thousands of the faithful in the primitive ages of Christianity. They embraced all kinds of trials, sufferings, and tor- ments, not only with patience and resignation to the will of God, but also with transports of joy, because they were convinced that what they suffered bore no proportion with the incomprehensible joys that are re- served in Heaven for the faithful servants of God, after the afflictions and sufferings of this mortal life, according to these words of the Apostle : The si/Jerings of this present time are not tcorthy to he compared u-ith the glory that is to he revealed hereafter, for a moment of light trihvlaiion ivorketh for vs ahove measure exceedingly cm eferncd iveight of glory, 2 Cor. iv. 17. The hope of receiving so ample a recompence sweetened all the sufferings and afflictions of the holy martyrs, and bathed their souls in a torrent of de- lights, whilst their bodies streamed Avith blood, and smarted under the stripes that Avere inflicted by their cruel tormentors. It was the same blessed hope also that encouraged holy Job to bear his afflictions with wonderful patience, and to return thanks to the Lord for the great trials he had to encounter, saying. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord, Job. i. 21. It was it that made Tobias cry out to Heaven, and say, / bless thee, 0 Lord God of Israel, because thou hast chastised me. It was it that replenished the Machabees with spiritual joy and consolation in the midst of their most excruciating torments. It was 172 OlSr THE DISPOSITIONS REQUIRED it, in fine, that animated the three Hebrew children to walk through the flames of the fiery furnace of Babylon, singing a canticle of joy and thanksgiving, and inviting heaven and earth, the angels, the elements, and all creatures in the imiverse, to join them in blessing, praising, and magnifying the Lord for ever and ever. How happy would you be, my brethren, who lead a painful and laborious life, and who undergo so many hardships and distresses in the state wherein Providence has been pleased to place you, if you took care to follow those examples as far as human weakness will permit, and to sanctify the sufferings and afflictions you daily meet with by patience, resignation, and a pei-fect submission to the will of God ? what treasures of merit would you not thereby amass for your souls ? what an increase of glory would you not be entitled to ? every cross would become tolerably light and easy to you here, and Heaven would be your everlasting inheritance hereafter. Learn then to be contented and satisfied in your state, and acknowledge with gratitude the mercy of God, who has rescued you from the many dangers to which prosperity, and a life of ease and pleasure would expose you. Bow down with submission to the appointments of Divine Providence, receive sick- ness, adversity, and every other trial you are Adsited with, as coming from the holy hand of God, and designed for your good. O merciful Jesus, thou perfect model of all suffering and afflicted Christians, enable us to bear up against the feelings and reluctance of our corrupt nature, and to cai-ry our cross cheerfully after thee. Have compassion on our frailty, and support our weakness, that we may not sink under the weight of those sufferings which thou art pleased to send us, or frustrate the designs of thy mercy by our impatience and want of resignation. Pardon our past feelings, and grant that in future we may look upon the trials and afflictions of this life as a merciful dispensation of thy divine bounty, and that we may willingly accept of them in the spirit of humility and penance. Give us grace to say from the bottom of our hearts, Thy tcill be done on earth as it is in Heaven, for it is by doing thy Avill, and not our own, that we may confidently hope to attain the happy end of our creation, and to be admitted hereafter, through thy infinite merits, into the kingdom of eternal glory, which thou hast purchased for us by the effusion of thy precious blood, and which I, my brethren, wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. PALM SUNDAY. ON THE DISPOSITIONS REQUIEED TO A WOKTIIY PASCHAL COMMUNION. Ecce Eex tmis Venit tibi mansuetus St. Matt. c. xxi. v. 5. Behold thy King cometh to thee with meekness St. Matt. c. xxi. v. 5. The Gospel of this day relates the triumphant entry of our blessed Saviour into the city of Jerusalem, amidst the loud acclamations of a vast confluence of people that accompanied him, carrying branches of palms and boughs of olive in their hands, and singing with raptui'cs of joy, pious hosannas to the son of David. It is in honour and in imitation hereof that a solemn procession is held on this day in Catholic countries, the faithful assisting thereat, and carrying branches of blessed palm in their TO A AVORTHY PASCHAL COMMUNION. 173 hands, as emblems of that glorious victory which our heavenly King gained over sin and death, and by which he threw open the gates of Heaven to the banished children of Eve. Iti all probability the multitude that accompanied him at the time of his entry into Jerusalem was com- posed chieHy of poor country people, from the neighbouring villages and cottages ; for we scarce find that any person of note or distinction applied to him for instruction, except Nicodemus, who came to him in private, and the rich young man, who soon foi-sook him when he was ordered to sell all his Avorldly possessions, and distribute the produce of them to the poor. The poor seem to have been the usual attendants, and the favourite companions of our Divine Redeemer. A few poor shepherds were the first that welcomed him into the Avorld, and adored him. A poor carpen- ter was his guardian, and entertained him in his house. Poor fishermen attended him in his mission, and a crowd of poor Avomen followed him to Mount Calvary, to the foot of the cross. Hence it appears, that the poor are more attached to the service of God, and bid fairer for the kingdom of Heaven than the rich, and therefore, that their state is not so tho- roughly miserable as the world imagines, nor is the state of the rich so truly happy, or so much to be envied. The poor meet Avith so many fa- vourable opportunities to sanctify their souls, and to merit a happy eter- nity, by submitting Avith patience and resignation to the trials and sufix3r- ings of this transitory life, that the Gospel expressly says, Blessed are the jwor in spirit, for theirs is the Idngdoiii of Heaven. On the contrary, the rich are surrounded Avith so many snares, and exposed to so many dan- gerous temptations, that the Gospel pronounces a dreadful ivo to the rich, and declares it is harder for them to enter the kingdom of Heaven, than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. It may appear somcAvhat surprising, that our Blessed Saviour would admit of so much outAvard pomp and solemnity, upon making his entry into Jerusalem, especially if Ave consider that he ahvays declined temporal honours, and shcAved so great a contempt for Avorldly grandeur, that he declared his kingdom ivas not of this ivorld, and that he fled to a mountain to hide himself Avhen the multitude, Avhich he had fed in the desert Avitli five barley loaA^es and tAvo small fishes, intended to proclaim him their king. But his reason for admitting the innocent triumph of Palm Sunday Avas, that he might fulfil the prophecies, and let us see at the same time, Avith Avhat pleasure and alacrity he Avas going to Jerusalem, to lay doAvn his life for the redemp- tion of mankind. Jerusalem Avas to be the bloody theatre of his passion in a fcAv days after ; he therefore entered it in triumph, to denote the pressing desire he was actuated with, to undertake and accomplish that great Avork of his boundless charity. The honour and respect Avhich his faithful disciples and friends paid him at his entry into Jerusalem, point out to us the dispositions Avith Avhich we ought to receive him in the blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, at the approaching solemnity of Easter, and afford me a favourable opportunity to lay before you the necessary conditions of a Avorthy Paschal Communion, and the crying malice and enormity of an uuAvorthy or sacrilegious Communion. Let us first humbly implore the light of the Holy Ghost, through the inter- cession of the blessed Virgin. Ave Maria. Two great disorders reign at present in Christianity, Avith regard to the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is shamefully neglected by some, and presumptuously received by others, by Avhich means it unhappily happens that this most precious treasure, and most excellent 174 ON THE DISPOSITIONS REQUIRED gift of Heaven, becomes useless to the one, and proves fatal to the other. The former, by slighting it, deprive their own souls of the manifold graces and blessings which they would derive from a worthy communion. The latter defile their souls where they should purify them, and incur death in eating the food of life, because they do not discern it from common food, but rashly approach the table of the Lord, without having previously tried themselves, according to the directions of the Apostle. Thus both the one and the other I'eap no benefit from this august mys- tery, but defeat the views and merciful designs of the Saviour of the World, and obstruct, by their evil dispositions, the virtue and wonderful effects that the spiritual food of the soul would otherwise operate in it, much after the same manner that the virtue of corporal food is often obstructed by the indisposition of those who partake of it. In order to remedy these evils, the Catholic Church assembled in the general Council of Lateran, has commanded the faithful, under pain of incurring the guilt of mortal sin, and of being liable to an excommu- nication, to receive the blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist with the necessary dispositions, at least once a year. This precept of annual communion is grounded upon a divine precept of Christ himself, and the particular time that the Church has determined and fixed for complying with it, is the holy time of Easter, or thereabouts, as being the fittest and most pi'oper time in the whole year ; because it was then, on the very eve of his passion and death, that our Divine Redeemer first estab- lished this precious monument of his boundless charity, and bequeathed to his Church this inestimable legacy of his own sacred body and blood, in the form of a banquet, under the two different species or outward appearances of bread and wine, for bread and wine being most nourishing to the body, were the most proper to represent the grace of this sacra- ment, and to denote that it was instituted in order to serve as a continual banquet for the spiritual comfort and nourishment of the souls of the faithful, unto the very end of the world. To participate worthily of this heavenly banquet should be the grand object and wish of every Christian. There is no i-eligious duty of greater consequence, or more conducive to our happiness, both here and hereafter, as on the contrary there can be no greater misfortune than to partake of it unworthily, or in a state of mortal sin. It is evident that neither the divine nor the • ecclesiastical precept can be fulfilled by an unworthy or sacrilegious communion. To prevent so dreadful an evil, we are to search our con- science diligently, and make the best preparation Ave can before we venture to approach the sacred table of Jesus Christ. All the fruit and benefit we can hope to receive, depend on the preparation we make, and on the dispositions with which we communicate. The more diligently and devoutly we prepare and dispose our souls, the more graces and the greater blessings we have a right to expect. The conduct of the pious multitude, mentioned in this day's Gospel, is a model and pattern worthy of our attention and imitation. The innocent triumph which they pre- pared for the entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, is to be considered as a figure and representation of his entrance into the soul of a Christian by a worthy Easter communion. The honour and respect they paid him, and the welcome reception which they gave him on this occasion, shew us also in what manner, and with what dispositions we ought to receive him at this holy time in the blessed Sacrament. In the first place they were his faithful disciples and real friends who received TO A WORTHY PASCHAL COMMUNION. 1*75 him triumphantly into the aforesaid city, and treated him with due respect ; hereby we are taught, that it is necessary to be of the number of his true friends and disciples, in order to be qualified to i-eceive him worthily in the holy communion. AYhosoever, therefore, has had the misfortune to lose the grace of God, and to become his enemy by mortal sin, must previously recover his love and friendship by a sincere repent- ance, before he ventures to approach the blessed Sacrament. Like unto the Hebrew children mentioned in the Gospel, he must go out of Jeru- salem ; he must quit the dangerous places, wicked company, and other occasions whereby he forfeited his innocence. He must meet the King of Meekness with a clean heart, with an ardent desire and a pure inten- tion of being united to him. He must, like the pious multitude, present him with branches of palm and boughs of olive, that is to say, he must gain a victory over his favourite vices and darling passions. He must use his best endeavours to conquer inordinate pride and self-love, and to be reinstated in that happy peace which the Holy Ghost produces in the soul that he inhabits. The boughs of olive and branches of palm are emblems and symbols of this peace, and trophies of the victory that is to be obtained before he is admitted to partake of the heavenly ban- quet of Jesus Christ. The pious multitude also stripped off their garments, and spread them on the way that our Lord was to pass over. They covered it with green boughs, and ornamented it as decently as they could, singing at the same time canticles of joy, praise, and thanksgiving in honour of the King of Israel, who came with sweetness and meekness to visit them. Their conduct instructs us, that in order to render ourselves worthy to receive a visit from Christ our Lord, and to be qualified for partaking of the signal blessings and graces with which he comes to enrich our souls in the holy communion, we must be prepared to receive him with profound respect, veneration, and humility. We must throw off the old man, and clothe ourselves in the new. We must cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. We must divest ourselves of our evil habits, and trample upon the tempting allurements and sinful vanities of the world. "We must embellish and adorn our souls Avith the christian virtues of faith, hope, and charity, and from the bottom of our hearts breathe forth fervent and devout acts of adoration, pi-aise, and thanksgiving. We must, as St. Augustine says, bring innocence with us to the altar of God, and be clothed with the nuptial robe and wedding garment of charity and sanctifying grace, that we may not deserve to be treated like the unhappy guest mentioned in St. Matthew, xxii., who was tied hands and feet and ca^jt into exterior darkness, because he thrust himself into the wedding supper without the wedding garment. Our blessed Saviour himself, by washing the feet of his disciples at his last supper, before he administered to them the adorable sacrament of his body and blood, has given us sufficiently to understand what gx'eat purity both of soul and body he requires in those who are to sit at Jiis table, and to partake of his divine banquet. Let no one, therefore, Avho is in the habit or affection of mortal sin attempt to present himself. Let no Judas, no scandalous sinner approach. Pearls are not to be cast before swine, nor is the bread of children and the food of Angels to be shared with dogs, as the vScripture phrase expresses it. Matt, xv., that is to say, with those who are wallowing in the mire of iniquity, and constantly relapsing and returning like dogs to their vomit. He that. 176 ON THE DISPOSITIONS REQUIRED, &C. eateth and drinheth nmwrfJtili/, says St. Paul, cateth and drinJceth judgment to himself. He is guilty of a sacrilege of the blackest dye, that deserves the thunderbolts of divine vengeance. St. Augustine compares the luiworthy communicant to Judas the traitor, who with a kiss delivered Jesus Christ to his enemies. St. John Chrysostom says, that he resem- bles the executioners on Mount Calvary, who nailed him to the Cross, and really put him to death. Wo be to that man by whom the Son of God is thus betrayed and re-crucified ! If sacrilege of any kind what- ever, even the lowest degree, be so offensive and so hateful in the sight of God, that he has been often provoked to punish it most severely even in this life, as appears from the many visible judgments, which, accord- ing to the Scriptures, have been inflicted on the profaners of the Ark of the Covenant, the victims, sacrifices, and sacred vessels of the Temple of Jerusalem, Avhat an odious and enormous crime must it be, and how outrageously provoking and injurious to God, to profane the most ador- able sacrament of the Eucharist, and abuse Avhat is most holy in religion by a sacrilegious communion ? Nothing hardens the heart of a sinner more, or paves the way sooner to apostacy and irreligion, as is evident in unhappy Judas, who should be the terror, as he was the fu'st example of an unworthy communicant. They who, under the mask of piety, and the outward appearance of devotion, presume to communicate unwor- thily, copy after this apostate, and betray their Lord and Master with the signal of a kiss. Good Christians, says St. John Chrysostom, are conducted to the blessed Saci^ament by the light of Heaven, as the three Avise men of the East were conducted to the stable of Bethlehem by a star. But they who receive unworthily are led on by the evil spirit, as the wicked and treacherous king Herod Avas, when under the specious pretence of paying homage to our newly born Redeemer, he only sought an opportunity to take away his life. Beware, my dear bretlu-en, of ever defiling your souls with a sacrilege of so horrid a nature, and so black a dye. Beware of receiving the God of sanctity, the God of charity, the God of purity, into a soul polluted with iniquity ; a breast heaving with hatred and malice against your neighbour, or an heart full of pride, black with envy, or burning with criminal desires and impure love. Beware, I say, of such impiety, but at the same time beware also of falling into the opposite extreme, and absenting yourselves from the spring of life, and the fountain of grace. Remember that the sacrament of Christ's body and blood is necessary for the preservation of the spiritual life of your souls, as corporal food is necessary for the preservation of the life of your bodies. Christ him- self declares, St. John, vi., unless you eat his flesh and drink his hlood, you shall not have life in you. A soul that is dead by mortal sin, can receive no benefit from this spiritual food, as a dead body can receive no nou- rishment from corporal food ; moreover, as the very same corporal food, Avhich nourishes a healthy man, may overwhelm and hasten the death of a sick man, so in like manner, this heavenly and divine food, which gives life to the good, brings death to the wicked, Avho are pushed on by a criminal temerity to receive it whilst they are unhappily involved in the state and affection of grievous sins. O let me then exhort you, my brethren, to hasten to the throne of mercy without further delay, and like the prodigal son, to return to the loving embraces of your heavenly Father. Enter into the spirit of the Church, and of this penitential season, and prepare a tit habitation in ON THE INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, &C. 177 your souls for the reception of Jesus Christ ; cleanse and purify your hearts, and wash away all the foul stains of your sins in the salutary waters of penance, that you may share in the blessings of this holy time, and experience the manifold advantages and happy fruits of a Avorthy communion. O amiable Redeemer, since in thy great mercy thou hast vouchsafed to provide this delicious banquet for our spiritual nourishment, give us grace to have frequent recourse to it with the necessary dispositions. Imprint in our souls a just abhorrence of an unworthy and sacrilegious communion, and make us truly sensible of the salutary effects of a devout and worthy communion. Enliven our faith, and excite in us an ardent desire to receive this great sacrament of thy love frequently, during the course of our mortal pilgrimage, but particularly at the hour of our death, that it may fortify us against the assaults of the enemy, and serve us as a viatic to a blessed eternity ; which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Aiiien, HOLY THURSDAY. ON THE INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED SACKAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST, AND THE EEAL FEESENCE, &c. Cum dilexisset sitos, qui erant in muiido, in finem dilexit eos. — St. Jo. c. xiii. v. I. W hen Jesus had loved his own, who ivere in the world, he loved them unto the end. St. John, c. xiii. v. 1. It was not enough for our divine Redeemer to make us his adopted chil- dren in the sacrament of Baptism, and to replenish us with the gifts of the Holy Ghost in the sacrament of Confirmation, but he was likewise most graciously pleased to provide an heavenly banquet in the sacrament of the Euchai'ist, for the spiritual comfort and nourishment of our souls. His love for mankind knew no bounds, but carried him beyond the very farthest limits of love. He loved us as a God, multiplying his benefits, and giving us still stronger proofs, and more signal tests of his love, as he drew nearer to the end of his mortal life. Hence, the beloved dis- ciple St. John, soaring above the other Evangelists, and penetrating into the divine sanctuary of our Lord's breast in order to discover the infinite charity with which he was inflamed, tells us, in a short intro- duction to his account of the Last Supper, that Jesus knowing, that his how ivas come lohen he ivas to pass out of the world to his Eternal Father, out of that love which he always bore, and which he continued to bear us, to the end, bequeathed unto us this truly divine and inestimable legacy of his love. When lie loved his oivn, icho icere in the tvorld, says the Evangelist, he loved them to the encL not merely to the end of his mortal life, but even beyond his life, to flie end of the world, to the end and consummation of ages, and beyond the farthest bounds of love. His love for us called him to Heaven, that he might prepare a place for us there, and perfect the work of our sanctification, by sending down the Holy Ghost ; and the same boundless love engaged him to institute the blessed Eucharist, that it might serve unto the end of the world as a continual banquet in his church, a perpetual memorial of his sacred passion, and an eai'uest of our future happiness. In this adorable mys- M 178 ON THE INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED teiy his charity exerted itself in such a wonderful manner as to seem to cast forth all its flames. To redeem mankind he humbled himself to the 'death of the cross, (a mode of redemption which the most sublime created intelligence could never have devised,) and he would still farther astonish the world by the institution of this Sacrament. Herein, says the Council of Trent, Sess. 12, he has in a manner poured out the riches of his love, and displayed the most signal effects of his mercy in our favour. Herein, says St. Thomas of Aquin, we have an abridgment of all his wonders, and a standing monument of all his prodigies. Herein his goodness seems to have outdone itself, and to have, as it were, exhausted the treasures of his wisdom and power ; for everything that is good and precious is here concentrated. In short, he has given us, in the blessed Eucharist, the most valuable treasure that Heaven was able to bestow, and that the earth was able to receive ; since, as St. Augustine observes, God's wisdom could not contrive, nor could his j)Ower produce, nor could his liberality bestow us anything greater or more valuable than his own self. St. Paul, speaking of this most holy Sacrament, calls it the LoixVs Supper, because it Avas instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ on the very eve of his passion and death, when he eat the Paschal Lamb for the last time with his disciples in the city of Jerusalem. Then it was that he made his last will and testament, and vouchsafed to realize in the New Law the gifts that were only figurative in the Old Law, that he might thus unite himself most intimately with us, abide in us by the strongest alliance, animate us by his divine spirit, and furnish us with a most powerful means of grace and spiritual strength during the time of our mortal pilgrimage here on earth. As the anniversary of the primitive institution and first establishment of this inestimable pledge and monument of his love occurs this day, I intend to lay before you the principal circumstances of this ever memor- able transaction, in order to strengthen your faith, enliven your piety, and inflame your devotion. And as it is expedient that you should be acquainted with the grounds of your religion, and know on what a solid foundation your belief rests, I will, with the divine assistance, produce some of the many proofs, which plainly shew that as our most merciful Lord assumed at his incarnation a real flesh and real blood, and not a figurative flesh and blood, so, in like manner, he gives i^s really, and not figuratively, this same flesh and blood in the blessed Eucharist. Before we proceed, let us implore the intercession of his most holy Mother, greeting her in the words of the Angel Gabriel, Ave Maria. Christ our Lord having reserved for the end of his life the greatest effects of his love, had so pressing a desire to institute the blessed Eucharist before his visible departure out of this world, that he unbosomed him- self to his disciples at his Last Supper in these affectionate words : tt-ith longing, said he, have I desired to eat this Passover, or Paschal Lamb, ifith you ; not that he had any longing or craving desire for the flesh of the Lamb, which he had eaten with them several times before, but because it was a figure and type of the heavenly banquet which he intended to sub- stitute then in its place, and in which he designed to present them with the substance and truth instead of the shadow, and to feed their souls with his own sacred flesh, as being the immaculate Lamb of God that came to take away the sins of the Avorld. This great design he put in execution in a manner Avorthy of himself ; for as the ancient Jews did not SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST, SlC, 179 in spirit only nnite themselves to the victims which were offered for them in the Old Law, but in reality eat of the sacrificed flesh, that the real eating of it might serve them as a mark and testimony of their partaking of the oblation that was made for them ; so in like manner Jesus Christ, becoming himself the victim of our redemption, would have Christians in the New Law also really eat of the flesh of his sacrifice, to the end that the actual communication of his sacred flesh might be a perpetual remem- brance and testimony to every one of us in particular, that it was for our sake he took it, and for us it was immolated on the cross. However, to exercise our faith in this mystery, and to free us at the sdme time from the natural horror of eating his flesh and drinking his blood in their own proper species and natural form, his infinite wisdom was pleased to con- trive a wonderful means, whei'cby he gives us his real flesh and blood, to be received whole and entire, united inseparably with his Soul and Divinity, and veiled under another species and form. Had he given his flesh and blood to be received visibly in the blessed Eucharist, according to his natural Avay of existence, or in the manner that his body existed Avhilst he lived here on earth, it would not be a Sacrament, a veil, or a mystery, and we should no longer have faith, but rather would be filled with terror and horror, he therefore chose to give himself to us in a supernatural manner, and in a way more agreeable to our senses, hidden and veiled in a sacrament in form of a banquet, under the visible signs and outward appeai'ances of bread and wine ; for as bread and wine are most nourishing to the body, they were the most proper elements and symbols to represent a spiritual banquet, and to signify the effects and the grace of this sacrament, which serves to nourish the soul, and to strengthen the spiritual life that we receive in baptism. Hence it is that our blessed Redeemer, who is stiled in the Scripture, our High Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech, was pleased to choose bread and wine for the remote matter of the Eucharist. We behold here the outward appearances of bread and wine after the consecration the same as before, for the exercise of our faith, but the inward substance of bread and wine subsists no moKe, it being changed by the consecration into the substance of Christ's blessed body and blood, which is here truly, really, and entirely contained under each of the sacramental species ; and that this most precious pledge of his love might remain with us, and be trans- mitted to the latest posterity, he ordained his Apostles Priests of the Ncav Law, and empowered them, and their lawful successors in the ministry, to do in his name, and by his authority, what he himself did at his Last Sup- per ; that is, to consecrate bread and Avine into the sacrament of his real body and blood. This power is exercised in the Sacrifice of the Mass, Christ himself concurring with the consecrating priest, to produce his sacred body and blood in the sacrament of the Eucharist, as he concurs with the ofliciating priest, to produce effects of grace, and to give the Holy Ghost in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. The real presence of his body and blood in the Eucharist may be demonstrated from the plain and unequivocal terms of his last will and testament, wherein he bequeathed this precious legacy to his children, and actually fulfilled the promise he had made in c. vi. of St. John. Nothing can be more clear or expressive than his words ; they are recorded by St. Mat- thew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. Paul. Li all these places Christ him- self, who is incapable of an untruth, assures us ' in as strong terms as words could possibly express, that what he. gives us in the blessed 180 ON THE INSTITUTION OF Tllil BLESSED Eucharist is the very self-same body that was given and delivered for tis, and the very self-same blood that was shed for the remission of our sins, and consequently his real body and blood. For having celebrated the Pass- over, and washed the feet of his Apostles Avith his own hands, in token of that purity with Avhich they should receive the sacrament he was then going to institute, the Evangelist inform us, that he took bread, and raising his eyes to Heaven, gave thanks to his Father. Tlien he blessed it, broke it, gave it to his Disciples, and in the simple language of Omnipotence, v/ith which he called forth the world from nothing, and commanded the Heavens to be, and the light to shine, he said, This is my lady ; and in like manner taking the chalice, he said, This is my blood. He did not say. In this, or ivith this is my body and blood ; nor did he say, This is afgure of my body ; this is a figure of my blood ; but he said. This is my body, which is given for you, and This my blood, u-hich shall be shed for many unto the remission of sins ; which words cannot be verified but by a true and substantial presence of his real body and blood ; for it would be false and grossly absurd to declare that it was a figure of his body that was given and sacrificed for us, or a figure of his blood that was shed for the remission of sins, or that bread was his body, and wine his blood, without making any change in them. Had Christ said, This is not my body, Tins is not my blood, every one would conclude that neither his body nor his blood was present in the sacrament, because these words, taken in the natural obvious sense Avould convey no other idea. And shall not the words, This is my body, This is my blood, which he actually made use of, have equal force to prove that his body and blood are truly and really present in the blessed sacrament ? If we consider all the circumstances in Avhich he then spoke, we shall find that he had every reason to speak in a clear, intelligible manner, and that his words are not to be wrested with violence from their plain and literal meaning, to unparalleled metaphors, or obscure, ambiguous and equivocal tropes and figures, contrary to all the rules of speech. He was then alone with his twelve Apostles and bosom friends, to Avhom he was accustomed to expound in clear terms whatever was allegorical or obscure in his parables and other discourses to the multitude, as we read Mark, iv. 34. He was taking his last farewell of them, and speaking not in parables and similitudes, but in the most affectionate and familiar manner ; he was instituting the greatest of all his sacraments ; he was making a covenant, which was to last to the end of the world ; he was enacting a law to be observed for ever in his Church ; he was, in fine, making his last will and testament. It cannot, therefore, be supposed, that on such important occasions, and in such circumstances, he would act contrary to the practice of all wise testators, break through all the usual laws of speech, and deliver himself in ambiguous expressions, that might lead his children into a pernicious error concerning the legacy which he left to them. He undoubtedly foresaw that his Church would understand his words in their plain, obvious, and literal sense, which he would have wisely prevented, in a matter of such importance, had he not really meant what he so expressly said, or had he intended that his Avords should be interpreted in a figurative sense. Hence we read, that the blessed Eucharist has been, since the infancy of the Church, the comfort, and the continual object of the devotion of the primitive Christians. Tlicy iccre ■persevering in the doctrine of the Apostles, Wid in the communication of the breaking if bread, Acts, ij. 42, that is, in SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST, &C. l81 the participation of the holy mysteries of the Eucharist. Is not, says St. Paul, the chalice ivhich we bless, the communion of the blood of Christ ? And is not the bread which we break, the 2)articipation of his body ? This truth may be likewise demonstrated from the sixth chapter of St. John, Avhere our blessed Saviour, after feeding a multitude of about five thousand persons with five small loaves, which he had miraculously mul- tiplied, passes from the figure to the substance, and speaks of the Sacra- ment of the Eucharist, before its institution, in such strong and clear terms, that he could not possibly exclude a figure more expressly than he did ; for he promised them in the most solemn manner, that the bread which he would give us in the Eucharist, is the very same flesh which he would give for the life of the world, and consequently his real flesh, and not a figure of it, as it was his real flesh, and not a bare figure of it, that he gave and delivered for the life and salvation of the world. The bread that I ivill give is my flesh, for the life of the world, v. 52 : and again, v. 56, he says, my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed ; which would not be true, if his flesh was not really eaten, and if his blood was not really drank in the Sacrament, since nothing can be really meat, nor really drink, that is not, or that cannot be really eaten, nor really drank. It cannot be supposed, that our blessed Saviour broke his word, or that he was unfaithful to his promise ; for, as his power is indisputable, so his veracity is unquestionable ; he, therefore, gives us in the Eucharist his real flesh and blood, truly and substantially, and not a simple sign or remembrance of it ; for if he gave us nothing but a figure or sign instead of the substance and reality, his words would not be verified, and he could no more be said to have fulfilled his promise, than a person who promised another a real estate, could be said to fulfil his promise, by presenting him only with a figure or map of it upon paper. The Jews of Capharnaum undei'stood the aforesaid words and promise of Christ in their obvious and literal sense, as to the giving his real flesh and blood, and so far they were right ; had they not understood his words in this sense, his discourse would not have appeared so harsh and offensive to them as it did, nor would there be any occasion for their debates, mur- murs and contentions, if they apprehended that his flesh and blood were to be received in figure or spirit only, or that he only intended to give them material bread to eat, as they might have easily conceived this Avithout asking each other. How can this be ? How can he give us his flesh to eat ? They were, indeed, mistaken as to the manner of receiving it, and had no idea of his giving his flesh and blood to be received; whole and entire, in an unbloody and invisible manner, veiled in a sacrament under other forms. They erroneously understood this mystery in a gross carnal sense, and imagined that Christ meant to give them his dead flesh to eat in its own natural state and form, and to make them drink his blood in its own proper species, according to the usual manner of taking- common meat and drink by way of corporal nourishment. It was this that shocked and scandalized them, and for this reason Christ our Ldrd took care to correct this mistaken notion and gross apprehension ; but he found no fault with them for having understood his words in their obvious and literal sense, nor did he ofler to undeceive them herein, as in other matters of less consequence it was his usual custom to do, and as he would have vmdoubtedly done on this occasion, had he not meant the reality of his presence, as they understood him. He was so far from expounding his words in a figurative sense, and' so far from revoking what 182 ON THE INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED he had said of giving his real flesh and blood in the blessed Eucharist, that after reprehending their incredulity for not believing his words in the simplicity of faith, he asserted the same truth in more positive terms, and confirmed them in the idea they had formed of his intention to give his real flesh and blood, and not a bare figure of it, saying, Amen, amen, I say unto you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drinJc his blood, you shall not have life in you, v. 54. On this occasion many of our Saviour's disciples murmured, and re- fused to believe him ; but the ways of Omnipotence were not limited to their gross and carnal notions ; he who was to raise himself from the dead, and ascend glorious into Heaven, could not be at a loss to effect this in a real manner, though different from what they had conceived. His ascension into Heaven in an immortal, impassable and glorious body, was surely as great a prodigy as his sacramental presence in the Eucharist ; he that could perform the one might well get credit for the other. Hence he said to them, Doth this scandalize you ? If then you shall see the Son of Man ascend up lohere he ivas before f v. 62, 63, as if he had said, If what I have told you concerning the eating of my flesh and drinking my blood ofiends you so much ; if you make such a difficulty of believing this great truth whilst I am visible amongst you, how much more difficulty will 3^ou make of believing it after I am gone from you by my ascension ? This is a farther proof that the words of Christ are to be understood of a real receiving of his flesh and blood, since his ascension could not give the Jews of Capharnaum greater occasion of scandal, or rendered the belief of this mystery more difficult, if his body and blood were only to be received in figure or in spirit. The Evangelist tells us, that Christ perceiving, then, that many of his disciples withdrew and separated them- selves from him, in consequence of what he had said in such positive terms, he turned about to the twelve whom he had chosen for his Apostles, and asked them. Would they also go away ? Whereupon Peter answered, and said in the name of the rest. Lord to ivhom shall lue go ? Thou hast the ivords of eternal life ; and zve have believed, and have knoivn that thou art the Christ the Son of God, v. 69, 70. As if he had said, O Lord, to whom shall we apply for instruction but to thee ? Who can teach us the truths of salvation and of eternal life, but thou? Though we do not compre- hend what thou revealest, we firmly believe all that thou sayest to be true, because thou art the Son of the living God, who cannot deceive us, or be deceived. There are no less than thirteen difiPerent texts in the New Testament on this subject, and every one of them affirms the Catholic doctrine of the real presence ; and there is not one single text in the whole Scripture that affirms the contraiy. Luther himself acknowledges, in his writings, that the words of the Gospel are too clear to deny the real ptresence. The Church of England openly professed it for the space of nine hundred years, as all historians allow, and the Common Prayer Book seems still to profess it, as it says, in express terms, that the body and blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken, and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper ; verily and indeed signifying the same as truly and really. We cannot be deceived herein, since it is impossible that the Gospel, and that God himself, who is the infallible author of it, should have deceived us. Yv^e know that he is able to do infinitely more than our limited understanding is able to comprehend ; and we know from his own clear and positive testimony, that he was willing, and that he actually does SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHAEIST, &C, 183 give us, in the blessed Eucliarist, the very same flesh that he gave for the life of the world, and the very same blood that he shed for the remission of our sins. In effect, why should it not be as easy for him to be really and truly present under the appearance of bread and wine, as it was for him to be really present under the appearance of a dying criminal on tbe cross, and under the figure of a gardener, when he appeared to Mary Magdalen on the road to the sepulchre, or as it was for the Holy Ghost to be really present under the appeai'ance of a dove at our Saviour's bap- tism, and under the form of fiery tongues on the day of Pentecost? Are not the laws of nature perfectly subject to the divine Avill ? And as God made all things out of nothing, is he not master to suspend, change and dispose them at pleasure for the greater manifestation of his power, wisdom, mercy and love ? Did he not create the universe with a single word ? Did he not turn the slime of the earth into the flesh and blood of Adam ? Did he not convert the rivers of Egypt into blood ? Did he not transform the rod of Moses into a serpent ? Is he not able to make a camel pass through the eye of a needle ? Befoi-e we presume to fathom his Almighty power, we should, as St. Basil formerly said to Eunomius, first be able to account for the structure of a little fly, and for other mar- vellous things in nature, which are impervious to human understanding. Transubstantiation was the very first miracle that our Lord wrought before his disciples at the wedding of Cana, for he there made a tots,! change of one substance into another, that is, of water into wine ; nay, bread and wine are daily transubstantiated or changed into human fleslj and blood, by the ordinary course of digestion. The wonderful convert sion or change of the inward substance of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, that is wrought by his Almighty power in the blessed Eucharist, is properly and aptly called Transubstantiation ; for as, when the divinity of Christ began first to be attacked by the Arians, the Church made use of the word Con-suhstantial, to express more distinctly that the Son of God is of the same substance with the Father ; so in like manner, Avhen the mystery of the Eucharist began to be openly attacked by Berengarius, about the close of the eleventh century, the Church thought fit to express it by a word which leaves no room for unbelievers to play in, and which only signifies what has been the con- stant belief of the Christian world, and the unanimous doctrine and tradition of all the great luminaries of venerable antiquity, in all nations and ages since the days of Christ and his Apostles, as the authors of the learned work, called the Perpetuity of the Faith, have invincibly proved. To avoid prolixity, I shall only quote a few striking passages out of the writings of the Fathers, who must be allowed to have been acquainted with the faith of the Church in the earliest ages, and to be unexception- able witnesses of what the Christians unanimously believed in their times. St. Justin Martyr, who wrote in the middle of the second cen- tury, speaking of the blessed Eucharist, says, that the Christians did not look on it as mere bread and wine, but took it as the flesh and blood of Jesus incarnate. St. Irena^us, who wrote in the same century, calls the Euclia- rist the body of the Lord. Tertullian also calls it the body of the Lord. Origen likewise says, ivhen you receive this heavenly food, you eat and drink the body and blood of the Lord ; he then enters under your roof, and, you are humbly to say ivith the centurion, Lord, I am not ivorthy, &c. St. Cyprian, who lived in the third century, says. The bread ivhich our Lord gave to his disciples being changed, not in shape, hut in substance, by the omnipotence of 184 ON THE INSTITUTION OF THE SACRAMENT, &C. the ivord is made flesh. St. Gregory of Nyssa, who lived in the fourth century, says. We believe that the sanctified bread is transmuted or changed hy the Word of God, into the body of the Son of God. Here, my brethren, we plainly see, that these illustrious doctors assert the substantial change of the bread and wine, which the Churcli expresses by the word Tran- snhstantiation, or Transmutation. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who also lived in the fourth century, writes thus : Since Christ hiinseJf jJronounced it, and said, This is my Body, who after that shall dare to doubt of it ? Ajid since, he says, This is my Blood, luho ivoidd dare to say it is not his blood ? He once changed imter into ivine, and does he not deserve to be believed, ivhen he has transmuted or changed ivine into his blood ? With a certainty exclud- ing all manner ofdouht, we take the body and blood of Christ ; for under the appearance of bread his body is given, and his blood under the aiypear^ance of wine, &c. A little after he says, Do not judge of it by the taste, but let faith make you certain that you are honoured tvith the flesh and blood of Christ, &c. St. Hilary says, that there can be no doubt of thereat body and blood of Christ being in the sacrament, lib. viii. n. 12, 14. St. Ambrose, who flourished in the same century, says, Which is more excellent, the bread of Angels, viz. the manna, or the flesh of Christ ? Light is superior to the shadoiv, the reality to the figure ; the body of the Author of Heaven, to the manna from Heaven. You may j^erhaps say, I see another thing, hoiv can this be the body of Christ ? Because, by the benediction nature itself is changed. Then alleging different examples of such changes, as of the rod into a serpent, of water into blood, he proceeds thus : If a human benediction ivas so powe7ful as to change nature, what shall ive say of the divine consecration itself, ivhere God's own ivords operate f Is not the ivord of Christ, which could make out of no-' thing that luhich ivas not, j^owerful enough to change the things that are into tchat they ivere not. And again, Before the consecration, it is bread that is ripon the altar ; after the consecration, it is thefiesh of Jesus Christ, Lib. iv. de sacra, c. 5. The words of St. John Chrysostom, who was born about the year 334, are very remarkable : Let us believe God always, nor contra- dict him, though ivhat he says appear above our reason; for his icord cannot deceive us, but our senses may be easily deceived. As, therefore, he said. This is my body, let us believe ivithout any hesitation. We are nourished with that flesh which the Angels see, and tremble. What shepherd ever fed his flock with his flesh ? He nourishes us loithhis own body, he cements and incorporates us with himself ; he makes us his oion body, not merely hy faith, hut in fact and in reality. What then should he so spotless as he ivho partakes of this sacra- fice ? Should not the hand which divides this sacred flesh, and the tongue ivhich is purpled with this miraculous blood, exceed in purity the very rays of the sun? The testimonies of the aforesaid holy doctors, who wrote so many hundred years ago, without quoting numberless others who lived in the succeeding ages, are abundantly sufficient to shew that the faith which the Catholic Church now hold and professes in the eighteenth century, Avith regard to the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, is the self-same that was held and professed by the primitive Church in the purest ages of Christianity, as they are called, and that it has been uniformly handed down from generation to generation, even to the present time. We are, therefore, as fully persuaded and as positively certain of the truth of this mystery, as we are of the truth of any other mystery of the Christian religion. The brightest luminaries that the world has produced, could not discover any contradiction in this mystery, nor do thousands of the ON THE PASSION OP OUR LORD XESUS CHRIST. 185 most learned philosophers and divines see any in it, more than in the mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation, which Christians of every denomination believe, though they are no less sublime, no less elevated above the reach of our understanding, and no less obscure in themselves. Human reason, unaided by faith, is no less bewildered in endeavouring to account for them, and they may be as well denied as this mystery, by those who are resolved to shut their eyes against the light of revelation, and believe nothing but what they are able to comprehend and perceive with their senses ; but divine faith does not stand on the fallible testi- mony of the senses, nor on the weak I'easoning of man, but on the wisdom and veracity of God. Even reason itself, when properly directed, tells us that nothing is more just, nothing more reasonable, than to captivate and submit our understanding to his infinite wisdom. The more we consider this divine mystery, and the signat benefits and blessings that the faithful derive from it, the more endearing motives shall we discover to love the Lord our God, and to admire the wonderful ways of his providence, and the incomprehensible riches of his bounty and goodness, in having left us so valuable a present, so precious a legacy. O what returns of gratitude and acknowledgment ought we then to make him for having contrived this expedient to abide with us to the end of time, according to the promise he made to his Apostles in chap, xxviii. of St. Matthew, saying. Behold, lam ivith ijou all ckajs, even to the consummation of the ivorlcL Should not, my brethren, our belief of his real presence in the Eucharist enkindle in us the most ardent desires to approach him frequently, with the most profound humility, respect, and veneration ? Should it not excite us to testify our love and esteem for him, Avith all the affections of our souls, and to invite Heaven and Earth to join with us in proclaiming his mercy? O amiable Jesus! praise, honour, and glory be for ever to thy holy name ! What honour dost thou confer on us, poor worms of the earth ! How great a con- descension to give thy sacred body to be our food ! O grant, we beseech thee, that we may duly correspond with the designs of thy mercy, and partake of this banquet of thy love with such dispositions as are pleasing to thee, and necessary to qualify us for receiving thy divine grace in this life, and inheriting thy eternal glory in the next. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. GOOD FRIDAY. ON THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. Predicamus Christum Crucifixuni 1 Cor. c. i. v. 23. We preach Christ crucified.. — 1 Cor. c. i. v. 23. Nature, indeed, may teach us to expatiate on the loss of a tender parent, to bewail the death of a faithful fi-iend, to sprinkle the tombs of our ancestors with our tears, and to raise our sorrow in proportion to their merit ; but when we contemplate the death of a God made man, whose sufferings, equal to his goodness, infinitely surpass the fbi'ce of nature, and the reach of imagination, we must alloAv that teai's are feeble emblems of the grief we owe him, and Avords but empty succours to dis- tress. Yet such is the dolorous mystery which the Chui'ch commemo- 186 ON THE PASSION OF rates on this ever memorable day, a mystery that heretofore split the ■very rocks themselves asunder, that astonished the Heavens, confounded hell, called the admiring dead from the grave, frightened day into night, plunged the universe into convulsions, and drew compassion from every spring of life-. There is nothing in religion more worthy of our serious consideration, or more capable of inflaming our hearts with the love of God, and inspiring us with a hatred and detestation of our sins, which were the unhappy cause of all the sufferings of the Son of God. Here the Holy of Holies is presented to our view, not in a state of grandeur, power and majesty, but in the midst of humiliations, ignominies, and torments, charged with the crimes of the world, abandoned by his friends, forsaken and betrayed by his disciples, given up to the rage of his executioners, and sacrificed for the redemption of mankind. Here we see his innocent body torn with deep gashes, streaming with blood, fastened to a disgraceful cross, hanging between Heaven and earth, his head crowned with thorns, his mouth drenched with vinegar and gall, his eyes grown dim and drowned in tears, his hands and feet bored with nails, and his side transfixed with a spear. Behold, my dear bi-ethren, the mournful mystery that calls us all this morning to the foot of the cross. If any theme or subject can challenge or command our hearts and tears, surely this ought, and as it is the strangest event that ever happened, it requires the most profound meditation. Eveiy day should be a Good Friday to a Christian who desires, with St. Paul, to know nothing except Jesus Christ crucified ; but as St. John Chrysostom says, this day in particular ought to be employed in pi-ayers, sighs, and lament tations ; in pouring out tears of compunction from our eyes, and making suitable returns of love and gratitude from our hearts ; for must not that soul be insensible, that mind inflexible, that heart impenetrable, and harder than brass, that will not relent and be affected at the thoughts of the bloody tragedy that was acted on this day. How shall I be able to describe it, and to form any design, or establish any order, in a subject where disorder, confusion, and horror reign in every part, and whei-e every thing was carried on to an unspeakable height of excess ? Excess of charity, excess of justice, excess of cruelty. Never was there seen more love on the one hand, never more rage on the other. The one was infinite, the other extreme, and both without example. He that " gives life and being to the universe, was crucified by the hands of those who live by his power. The Ci'eator was put to death, and his creatures were the executioners. They exerted their malice to destroy him, and he made use of their very crimes to save them. To open this tragic scene, and to describe without art what we ought to deplore without deceit, permit me, my brethren, to conduct you in spirit to the thi'ee different stages of our Lord's Passion, in order to give you some idea of what he endured in the Garden of Olives, in the city of Jerusalem, and on the mountain of Calvary, the dismal place of execu- tion, where he consuinmated his sacrifice, and laid down his life for his flock. Shall we, according to the usual custom, previously invoke the intercession of his most holy Mother, and greet her with the words of the Angel, full of grace, and blessed amongst loomen ? Alas ! the cruelty of the Jews rendered Mary, on this mournful occasion, /m/Z of grief , and the most afflicted amongst toomen. The cross supplied her place on Good Fi'iday, and carried between its extended arms the blessed fruit of her womb, Jesus. It became then the tree of life, the thx'one of mex'cy, the OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 187 iiistrunient of our redemption, and the bed of our dying Father. It is, tlierefore, to the foot of the cross that the Church sends us at present, to recite devoutly Avith her in the pious ceremonies of this day, the sacred hymn, 0 Crux Ave, S,-c. Our first parents having forfeited their original innocence, and shut the gates of Hea-s en against themselves and their whole posterity by their disobedience, it became necessary, that a victim of infinite dignity should be substituted in our place, in order to appease the wrath of God, and to atone, in the rigour of justice, for the ofi'euce and injury ofiered to his infinite Majesty by sin. The whole creation was not able to furnish such a victim. lYherefore, when four thousand years had elapsed after the fall of Adam, the Heavens sent down a Redeemer of infinite dignity, the Eternal Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, both God and Man, man to be capable of suiFering, and God to give an infinite value to his sulFer- ings. He was jjleased to choose the small town of Bethlehem for the glory of his nativity, and the great city of Jerusalem for the ignominy of his passion and death. The time which he chose for accomplishing the great work of human redemption, was the time that Avas appointed for the immolation of the Paschal Lamb of the Jews, and the anniversary of the very same day on which the children of Israel had been released, from the bondage of Egypt, to denote thereby that he was the true Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world, and to release man- kind from the bondage of the infernal Pharaoh, by substituting himself in the place of the figurative lamb, and ofiering up to his Eternal Father his sacred body upon the altar of the cross, as a bleeding victim and sacrifice of propitiation. One single drop of his precious blood was sufficient to atone for the sins of a thousand worlds, by reason of the infinite dignity of his divine person ; but as the devout St. Bernard x'emarks, what was sufficient for our redemption, was not sufficient for his boundless charity. Cum gnttd jjosset imcld redemit. He was willing to work a copious re- demption, and to wash away the foul stains of our sins with a deluge of blood. O how truly did the Evangelist say, that ivheu Jesus loved his oivii, who were in the world, he loved them unto the end, and gave them still stronger proofs, and more signal pledges of his love, as he drew nearer to his death. O with what astonishment must the Angels have beheld him pros- trate at the feet of his disciples at his last supper, washing and wiping them with the most profound humility, and afterwards bequeathing to his Church, by his last will and testament, the inestimable legacy of his own sacred body and blood, in the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist ? Having retired the same evening from Jerusalem with three of the dis- ciples, Peter, James and John, to a neighbouring village called Gethse- mani, he entered into a garden, situated at the foot of Mount Olivet. Here it was that the conflict began, which ended only on Mount Calvary ; for as the downfal and ruin of mankind had commenced in a gai'den, it was expedient that the reparation and redemption of mankind slwuld likewise commence in a garden, as St. Peter Chrysologus says. The garden of Eden had been the first theatre of sin ; therefore, by a wise disposition of Providence, the garden of Olives became the first stage of our Redeemer's passion. There his blessed soul underwent an interior martyrdom, and vv^as drowned in an ocean of sorrows. There his affiic- tionate heart was seized with strange convulsions of grief, and almost torn asunder with fits of sadness. There the joy of Angels, and the sweet 188 ON THE PASSION OF comforter of all afflicted and distressed souls, was overwhelmed with so heavy a load of affliction, that he breathed forth this doleful complaint : My soul is sorrowful even unto death ; as if he had said that the anguish of his mind alone was sufficient to put a period to his life, had not the Al- mio-hty power of his divinity supported the weakness of his humanity, and reserved him for undergoing still greater trials. Fainting away under a double conflict, both of mind and body, he prostrated himself with his face on the ground, and fell into a most painful agony, which caused streams of his blood to gush forth in abundance, and run down in large drops on the earth where he lay ; this made St. Ambrose say, that Jesus shed tears of blood for our sake in the gai-den of Olives, and wept for our sins with as many eyes as he had pores in his sacred body. What chiefly caused this bloody sweat, and preyed most on his loving heart, was the foresight he had of our base ingratitude, and the loss of numberless soids, which he knew would reap no benefit from the remedy that his charity had prepared for all, but frustrate the designs of his mercy, and perish eternally through their own obstinacy and perverse- ness, in spite of all he Avas to suffer for their salvation. He likewise set before his eyes in the most lively colours, the treachery of his dis- ciples, the malice of his enemies, the rage of his executioners, and the violence of the excruciating torments they were preparing for him ; there was not one thorn of the painful crown which did not already pierce his heart, not one lash of the whips with which he was to be scourged, that did not make him shudder, not one butfet or stroke which they were to give him that did not cover him with confusion ; all these melancholy reflections assailed his affectionate soul at once, made the deepest impressions on his mind, and raised his sori-ow to the very highest degree. In this dismal situation he betook himself to prayer, to teach us that prayer is our best and surest resource in time of distress, and a most poAverful means to overcome all sorts of temptations ; he prayed Avith humility, fervency, resignation, and perseverance, to set us an example how we are to pray ; he addressed his petition to his Heavenly Father, three different times, before an Angel was sent from Heaven to comfort him in his agony, instructing us thereby that the grace which is seem- ingly refused in the beginning, is often granted in the end, and there- fore, that we are not to despond when we do not immediately obtain our requests, but we are to redouble our fervour, and to continue with an unwearied perseverance to strike at the gate of mercy until it be opened to us. In the interim the three disciples, who had been eye witnesses of his glorious transfiguration on Mount Thabor, and were now become sad spectators of the infirmities of his human nature in the garden of Olives, unmindful of his orders, and of their own danger, fell fast asleep, instead of watching and praying, as they had been warned, lest they should yield to temptation. Their sleep, says Eusebius, was a figure of the spiritual lethargy, sloth, and indolence of many Christians of our days, who are so drowsy in their devotions, so tepid and lukewarm in the sei'- vice of God, and so cai'eless in watching and praying with Jesus, that they j iistly deserve the same reproach he made to Simon Peter, when he found him asleep Avith his companions, Could'st thou not have watched one single hour with me ? Alas ! how far more diligent and attentive are the children of darkness in serving their master, than the children of light are in serving the living God ? Whilst Peter and his companions were OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 189 sleeping, Judas, the unhappy Apostate, was vigilant and active in plan- ning the death of Clirist, in concert with the Jewish Priests, Scribes, and Pharisees. Avarice, which was his predominant passion, induced him to sell his Lord and Master sacrilegiously for thirty pieces of silver, then the ordinary price of a common slave ; he came to the garden of Olives in an hostile manner, at the head of an armed multitude, for the wicked purpose of betraying him with a kiss, which was the signal agreed upon, and which the Saviour of the A\^orld received from him Avith the meekness of a lamb, though, as St. Leo observes, it pierced his heart more cruelly than the spear which opened his side on Mount Calvary. Suetonius the historian relates, that Julius Caesar, seeing a troop of armed men come to assassinate him in the Senate House of Rome, and remarking amongst them a particular favourite of his own, by name Brutus, on whom he had conferred many signal favours, accosted him thus, Et tu, fill mi Brute ? And thou my son Brutus, Avhat, hast thou turned traitor ? Art thou come to take away the life of tliy father, thy friend, and benefactor ? Is it thus that thou requitest my kindness to thee ? It was much after the same manner that Jesus accosted Judas : My friend, said he, tohat art thou come to do ? Dost thou intend to betray the Son of Man with a kiss ? Is it thus that thou repayest my love with the blackest ingratitude, and the basest perfidiousness ? but all his affec- tionate and endearing expressions made no impression on the hardened heart of the traitor, which Satan had already taken possession of. No sooner was the fatal signal given, than the impious multitude rushed in upon the innocent Jesus, and began to exercise their barbarity upon his sacred person with open violence ; but to manifest his divine power, and to let them see that no human force was able to prevail against him, without his own free will and consent, our blessed Saviour first prostrated them with these two words, Ego sum ; I am ; and made them reel backwards, as if they had been thunderstruck. If his humility was then so powerful, when he came to be judged, cries out St. Leo, what will his Majesty not do when he shall come to judge ? How shall the reprobate be able to withstand his thundering voice on the last day, if he then cast his enemies down with two woi'ds, before he gave them power to seize on him ? Behold your loving Redeemer now in the hands of a furious rabble, armed with swords and clubs. He is dragged inhumanly about midnio-ht from the garden of sorrow and tears, to Jerusalem, the second stage of his passion. He enters that ungrateful city, not in triumph, nor in the midst of pious hosannas, as on Palm Sunday, but in the midst of horrid blasphemies and cruel crucifiges, bound with cords like a malefactor, sur- rounded with guards, forsaken by his friends, abandoned by his disciples, and left to the mercy of his merciless enemies. O strange vicissitude of human affairs ! How fickle, inconstant and capricious are the praises and applauses of the world ? They who are our friends, and who load us with blessings this day, will perhaps become our enemies to-morrow, and load us with calumnies and maledictions. What a lively representation have we here in the Jews, who in the course of a few days changed their hosannas into crucifiges, of the shameful conduct of those Christians, who one day receive Jesus Christ in the blessed sacrament with the outward appearance of piety and devotion, and five or six days after banish him out of the tcmi)le of their souls, relapsing into sin, and blaspheming him with the same lips which were employed shortly before in praising his 190 ON THE PASSION OP holy name ? The Son of God ivas led like a lamh to the slaughter house, without opening his mouth ; he was presented before no less than four different judges, Annas, Caiphas, Pilate and Herod ; the two former were Jews, and the two latter were Pagans. False witnesses were suborned, groundless and contradictory charges were brought forward against the Judge of the living and the dead ; he was questioned by Annas, con- demned by Caiphas, tortured by Pilate, and mocked by Herod. Caiphas, the High Priest, more desirous to convict him of blasphemy than to learn the truth, conjured him in the name of the living God to tell if he was the Son of God. Jesus Christ, to remove all pretext of ignorance, and to teach his followers that they must rather expose their lives to the fury of tyrants than dissemble, conceal, or deny their faith when they ai-e judicially questioned, openly declared the truth, though he foresaw that this declaration would be counted blasphemy and cost him his life. Sen- tence of death being then most unjustly pronounced against him by the Sanhedrim, or Grand Council of the Jewish nation, he was left the re- mainder of the night in the custody of the High Priest's servants, who breaking through all the barriers of decency and moderation, seemed to vie with each other which of them would give him the grossest abuse, and the basest treatment. St Jerome tells us that one-half of what our divine Redeemer endured that night, shall not be made known until the day of judgment. They muffled up his eyes with a rag, bantered him as a mock prophet, spit upon him with the utmost contempt, and disfigured his divine features with repeated blows. One vile slave among the rest, had the effrontery to raise his polluted hands, and strike the Son of God across the face with great force and vehemence. O ye angels of God, how could you bear such an insult and injury offered to your Creator ? An angel from Heaven stopped the Patriarch Abraham's arm, when it Avas reached out to saci-ifice his son Isaac. Oza, a Prince of Juda, was instantly struck dead upon the spot, for having stretched out his hand to prevent the Ark of the Covenant from falling to the ground. Jei'oboam, King of Israel, having raised his hand to strike a Prophet of the Lord, his hand immediately became motionless, and dried up. And, O ye Heavens be astonished ! the hand, not of a Patriarch, a Prince, or a King, but of a mean despicable slave, is audaciously lifted up to strike the Son of God on the face, and there is no one to ward off* the blov/ ! He could, indeed, have ordered fire from Heaven, like Elias to consume the inhuman wretch to ashes ; or like Moses, he could have commanded the earth to open and swallow him up alive. He could have ordered le- gions of Angels to fly to his assistance and destroy all his enemies ; but he chose rather to leave us a shining example of patience and humility. O Christians, let your suffering Jesus be your model and your consola- tion, whenever you happen to be insulted and abused ; cast your eyes upon this divine pattern of forbearance, and learn from him to be meek and humble of heart ; learn from him that true courage does not consist in duelling, revenging affi'onts, and retaliating injuries, but in bearing them with fortitude for the love of God ; learn, in short, to look upon your enemies as the instruments of God's justice, and to receive adver- sity, afflictions, and disgraces, as coming from his holy hands, and de- signed for the good of your souls. All the aforesaid indignities did not give the good Shepherd so much concern ; nor affect his compassionate heart so sensibly as the loss of one strayed sheep, the spiritual and eternal death of one soul, the final impe- OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 191 nitence of unhappy Judas, wlio filled up the measure of his iniquities, and sealed his reprobation Avith despair and self murder. O good God! what is man when left to himself ? what is he not capable of, Avhen he is not supported by thy grace ? into what a dreadful precipice does he not blindly rush, when he hardens his heart against thy inspirations, rejects thy calls, and shuts his eyes and ears against the divine light, and the words of eternal life ? Another subject of deep concern for our Divine Redeemer, was the fall of Simon Peter, who denied him three different times ; but his sin was not the result of a corrupt heart ; it sprung from cowardice and not from malice ; when he should have watched and prayed, he betook himself to sleep, and when he should have shunned the dangerous occasions of sin, he rashly ran into bad company, and began to converse with the wicked servants of Caiphas. The causes of his fall wei'e the same that plunge thousands in our days into criminal disorders, presumption on the one hand, and negligence on the other ; they unhap- pily imitate Peter in sinning, and deny the Lord their God, at least by their actions, if not by their words, and that a thousand times more grievously than Peter ; yet how seldom do they imitate him in repent- ing ? though they have no other way to avert the wrath of Heaven, and to escape this dreadful sentence of the Gospel, He that shall deny me he- fore men, I ivill also deny him before my Father, ivho is in Heaven, Mat. s. 33. Whilst Peter was lamenting his infidelity with floods of tears, Jesus was hurried away in the morning from the Tribunal of Caiphas to the Civil Court of Judicature, that the unjust sentence already pronounced by the High Priest might be ratified and put into execution, by the authority of Pontius Pilate, the Roman President, and Governor of Judea. Pilate was conscious of Christ's innocence, and knowing that the Jewish Priests, Scribes, and Pharisees were much prejudiced and embittered against him, because he had discovered their hypocrisy, in- veighed against their vices, and eclipsed all their glory by the splendour of his miracles, the purity of his doctrine, and the sanctity of his life ; he therefore made some weak efibrts to I'escue him out of their hands, and set him at liberty. He transmitted him first, out of policy to King- Herod, who being offended because Christ made him no answer, and was unwilling to gratify his curiosity by working a miracle in his presence, treated him with contempt and derision, and sent him back in a fool's dress, through the public streets, to the Court of Pilate. Pilate and Herod had been at variance until that juncture, but on this occasion they became reconciled, for men who differ from each other in many other respects, will often agree and coincide in opinion when there is a question of rejecting truth, and oppressing innocence. Pilate then set Christ in competition Avith a notorious criminal, called Barabbas, who Avas in confinement for a murder he had committed ; for as it was cus- tomary every year to discharge a prisoner on that day, at the option and request of the people, in memory of the deliverance of their forefathers from the bondage of Egypt, he supposed their choice Avould fall upon Jesus, their most bountiful benefactor, and that they would undoubtedly give him the preference before a public malefactor and murderer. Which of the two, said he, shall I discharge, Barabbas or Jesus ? But the ungrate- ful populace, spurred on by the Priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, who had rcsoh^ed at all events to have Jesus put to death, unanimously petitioned in favour of Barabbas the murderer, crying out to Pilate, Release Barab- bas, and crucify Jesus, See Avhat malice is capable of when it has taken 192 ON THE TASSION OF possession of the soul ! Never did envy appear more virulent, never was injustice more barefaced, never was any choice more preposterous or more unreasonable. You seem to be fired with indignation hereat, and yet, alas! such is the monstrous choice you make, O sinner, whenever you prefer the gratification of your passions, and the pleasures of sense to the grace and friendship of the Lord your God. By every mortal sin you commit, you cry out as loud as the Jews, release Barabbas and cru- cify Jems ; nay, as TertuUian says, you give the devil himself the pre- ference before Jesus Christ. Pilate at length, being unwilling to gratify the Jews in some measure, set Barabbas at liberty, and wishing at the same time to preserve Jesus from being crucified, ordered him to be scourged, but unfortunately left the direction of it to a set of men from whom no more mercy was to be expected than from wolves and tigers. No sooner was the order given but it was executed. The innocent Lamb of God was immediately sur- rounded by a band of blood thii'sty soldiers, armed with the dire instru- ments of the cruel operation, fury in their eyes, malice in their hearts, and scourges in their hands. He who decks the lilies of the valley, and clothes the universe, was stripped of his garments, and his virgin body was exposed to the view of an insolent rabble ; the hands of him who created Heaven and earth were fastened to a stone pillar, which only came up to his waist, that the scourges might reach his body on every side without the least obstruction ; but if Sampson broke all the cords and bandages of the Philistines with ease, where could the Jews find cords and ropes strong enough to bind the hands of the Son of God ? The Royal Prophet replies, and tells us. Psalm cxviii., that it was with the ropes and cords of our sins that our dear Redeemer was tied ; it was ' the bond of his strong love and charity for us that fastened him to the pillar, says St. Augustine ; without it, all the fetters and bandages of the Jews would have been insuificient. To break the chains of our sins he suffered his hands to be tied, and permitted the executioners to dis- charge a volley of lashes upon his back, upon his breast, upon his arms, and upon his shoulders ; every stroke they gave him made a wound, every wound a stream of blood. It was forbidden by the law of Moses, Deut. XXV., to inflict more than forty lashes on any malefactor ; but with regard to the innocent Jesvis, the cruel executioners consulted no other rule but their own rage; they struck him without measure, they scourged him without pity, they tore him without mercy initil they mangled his sacred body, cut his veins and arteries across, and laid open his flesh to the very bones, so as to see and reckon them, as the Royal Prophet speaks, Ps. xxi. Fury could do no more ; envy could desire no more ; yet all this Avas not enough to glut the malice of his enemies ; they pro- ceeded to a new scene of barbarity, never heard of in the world before ; to add infiimy to his sufferings they untied him from the pillar, now purpled with his gore, and arrayed him in the formal state of a mock King, as if he was a false pretender to royalty ; they covered his shoul- ders with an old cloak instead of a royal robe ; they pvit a reed in his hand instead of a royal sceptre, and instead of a royal diadem they l^laced on his head a most painful crown of sharp thorns twisted toge- ther, which they pressed and beat down forcibly, in order to make them penetrate the deeper, and drive them, if possible, into his very brains. O, my brethren, what tongue is able to express, what understanding able to comprehend the racking torture which our Redeemer endured OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 193 from this mock coronation ? I leave yourselves to judge how the points of the thorns, entering in at his forehead, his temples, his eyes, the crown and back of his head, must have caused a shower of blood to gush forth in abundance, and trickle down his neck and his face on every side. Well might he then say with the Prophet, 0, ye all that pass hj the loay, attend and see if there he any sorrow comparable to mine ? Yet he bore all his sorrows and all these most excruciating pains with pati- ence, and even with pleasure, in order to purchase for you, and for me, a never fading Crown of Glory in the kingdom of Heaven. O be thou a thousand times blessed, O amiable Jesus ! What hast thou not done for our sake ? How dearly hast thou paid for our sins ? O do not suiFer us to die impenitent like Judas, and to be eternally lost after all thou hast done for our salvation. AYe prostrate ourselves again at the foot of thy cross, and beseech thee to cast one glance of thy merciful eyes on us this day, as thou didst on Simon Peter, that like him we may sin- cerely repent and be truly converted. Mollify our hearts, and melt them into tears of compunction, for it is but just that our sins should draw bitter tears from our eyes, and penitential sighs from our hearts, as they have drawn so many sti-eams of blood from thy veins. Our Divine Redeemer being reduced to a state capable of melting the heart of a stone, Pilate imagined that the sight of so piteous an object would allay the fury and disarm the hatred of his most inveterate ene- mies, so far, at least, as to induce them to desist from demanding his crucifixion ; he therefore produced him to the people, and cried out with a loud voice, Ecce homo, Behold the man ; see how he is all rent and mangled, so as scarce to retain the figure of a man ; for you are to observe, that the deluded hypocrites scrupled entering Pilate's Hall, because he was a Pagan, lest they might thereby be defiled ; like unto many sinners of our days, who stumble at straws and leap over blocks, they were afraid of contracting a legal uncleanness that could only reach the body, and they were not afraid of polluting their souls with the most heinous of all crimes. They were men, forsooth, of so nice and delicate a conscience, as St. Augustine says ironically of them, that they strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel ; they were exact, even to a nicety, in some observances of little or no consequence, whilst they openly violated the most essential duties of justice and charity without remorse, and made no account of murdering the innocent Lamb of God with the two-edged sword of their envenomed tongues. So far were they from relenting, or being excited to compassion by a vieAV of the piteous object which Pilate exhibited to them, that on the contrary the sight of his blood and gaping Avounds served only to animate them, like so many tigers, to redouble their tumults and clamours, their shouts and crucifiges. In vain did Pilate expostulate with them on the injustice of shedding innocent blood ; in vain also did he attempt to exculpate him- self, by washing his hands in their presence, and declaring he would not concur in so horrid a crime. His hands were too deeply imbrued in the innocent blood of Christ, for all the water of the ocean to clear him of tlie guilt he incurred, by acting in direct opposition to the dic- tates of his conscience, and yielding to the importunities of the Jews, out of human respect, and tlirough a servile fear of incurring the dis- pleasure of the Roman Emperor, with which they threatened him. Like several unhappy Christians of this age, who sacrifice their immortal souls for a worldly perishable interest, and give up their pretensions to N 194 ON THE PASSION Oi' Heaven for a Kving here on earth, the nnjust and mercenary Judge consented at length to the crucifixion and death of the Son of God, in order to secure the hicrative employment which he held under C^sar. Methinks I now see the city of Jerusalem in an uproar, the streets lined with an insulting mob, and echoing Avith curses and blasphemies, the mournful procession proceeding from Pilate's Court towards the place of execution, and escorted by a guard of soldiers, and an herald proclaim- ing the sentence. An immense multitude of people were assembled there at that time from all parts, to celebrate the feast of the Passover, yet few or none of them were touched Avith compassion, except some pious women, who were bathed in tears on beholding the innocent Lamb of God, like another Isaac, loaded with the wood that was to consume his sacrifice, and marking the Avay to Mount Calvary with drops of his blood. He carried the cross upon his mangled and bleeding shoulders, as the head and model of the elect, teaching us by his example, as well as by his word, that if we have a mind to be happy with him hereafter, we must take up our cross in this life, and follow him through the narrow road of penance and mortification. The cross was a light weight for his charity, says St. Augustine, but it must have been a very heavy and insupportable weight for his body, which was then almost exhausted by the great loss of blood he had sustained in the Garden of Olives, and at the Court of Pilate. It pressed so hard upon his wounds that he began to sink under the load, and was scarce able to creep along, which his enemies perceiving, and fearing he would expire on the way, before they could enjoy the satisfaction of crucifying him alive, they drove him forward and hauled him along, till at length he arrived, with much difficulty, at the end of his painful journey. Contemplate your loving Redeemer now, not as a God, shining with flames of glory, as on Mount Thabor, but as a man of sorrows, covered with wounds, and grabbling up the mountain of Calvary. The execu- tioners did not even allow him time to breathe, but hastily dragged off his garments, which being pressed into his wounds by the weight of the cross, and glued to the small remains of flesh that stuck to his bones, must have suddenly dragged the flesh away with them, so that all his former wounds were renewed in an instant and made to bleed afresh ; his body was then thrown down on the ground, pulled to and fro. and stretched upon the hard bed of the cross, without any other pillow to support his head but the thorns with which he was crowned ; his hands which ayv&j the sceptre of Heaven, and his feet, which trample upon the powers of hell, were dug and bored with large nails, which being driven into the tender flesh by repeated strokes of the hammer, foi'ced their way through the centre of the nerves and sinews, the veins and arteries, and caused four copious streams of blood to flow from the four great wounds of his hands and feet. Being thus fastened to the cross by the hands and feet, the head of the gibbet was raised with ropes into the air, amidst the loud acclamations and shouts of the populace, and the foot of it was suddenly dropt into a deep pit prepared for the pur- pose. We may, therefore, naturally conclude, that as the whole weight of his body was then supported by, and continually pressed upon his perforated hands and feet, all these violent pressures, sudden motions and shakings, must have widened his wounds, redoubled his pains, and occasioned an universal toi-ment all over his entire frame, from the sole of his foot to the croum of his head, as the Prophet says. There was no part OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 195 of him now without its peculiar torment, says St. Bernard, except his tongue and his heart, and therefore, tlie one was drenched witli vinegar and gall, and the other was pierced with a spear by one of the soldiers, named Longinus. This made the devout St. Bonaventure cry out and say, 0 Longinus, iclii/ dost thou rvouncl a heart alreadi/ ivounded ivith the arrows of divine love ? Joab was formerly deemed cruel, for having wounded the heart of Absalom with three spears ; but Longinus, still more cruel, wounded three hearts with one spear, the heart of Jesus, the heart of Mary his blessed Mother, and the heart of St. John, his beloved disciple, who were then standing at the foot of the cross, melted into tears, and drowned in an ocean of sorrow. It is easy to conceive, that it must have been a most afflicting sight for the dearest of all mothers, to behold the dearest of all sons, hanging in the most excru- ciating posture before her eyes, without being able to afford him the least comfort or relief. The sight of Mary increased the pains of Jesus, and the nails that fastened Jesus to the cross, tore the compassionate bowels, and transfixed the loving heart of Mary. However, the pre-- sence of Mary became a copious soi;rce of blessings for the faithful in general, as our Divine Redeemer, on that occasion, placed them under the special care and protection of his blessed Mother, having by hiij dying words expressly appointed her their spiritual mother, and them her adopted children, when he said to St. John, and in the person of St. John, to all the members of his Church, who were then represented by St. John, Behold thy mother ; and again to her. Behold thy son. In this dismal situation Jesus hung alive for the space of three long hours between two robbers, one on his right hand, the other on his left. Be- hold here a striking representation of what is to happen on the day of j udgment, when, as the Gospel tells us, the elect are to be placed on the right hand, and the reprobate on the left hand of the Sovereign Judge ; the former to be invited to the possession of his heavenly king- dom, the latter to be sentenced to unquenchable flames. One of the robbers prayed, repented, and was assured of his salvation with these comfortable words. This day thou shalt be ivith me in Paradise. The other blasphemed, and as a dreadful warning to all unhappy cursers, swearers, and blasphemers, was suffered to die impenitent in his sins. In one of these two robbers we have a consoling instance of God's boundless mercy, that no sinner should despair, let his crimes be ever so grievous; in the other we have a terrifying instance of G od's rigorous j ustice, that no sinner should presume to defer his repentance to the last hour, or rely on the great uncertainty of a death-bed conversion. But let us return to our agonizing Redeemer. Whilst he was thus elevated between Heaven and earth, as a mediator between God and man, he preached charity and patience to us from the pulpit of the cross, as St. Augustine speaks, and oftered himself to the justice of his Eternal Father, as a victim of reconciliation for the whole world, imploring mercy and pai*- don for you and for me, and for all sinners, even for his most implacable enemies ; Father, forgive them, he said, for they know not what they do. The blasphemous reproaches and railleries which they darted at him, in order to stab his reputation, when they were nonplussed in torturing his body, deserved a thunderbolt ; but his prayer disarmed the Divine Justice, it penetrated the Heavens swifter than their malice, and pleaded stronger for pardon than their crimes cried out for vengeance. The divine nature beginning at length to withdraw all sensible consolation 196 ON TJIE PASSION OF OUR LOKB JESUS CHRIST. from his human nature, his senses became like so many windows to let in sorrow, his eyes began to close, his lips turned pale, his breast Avas contracted, his breath grew short, and he cried out tliat he thirsted ; but as St. Augustine says, his thirst Avas rather a spiritual thirst of our sal- vation ; Sitis tua sahis mea. He thirsted after your conversion, 0 sinners. Woe be to you, if, like the Jews, you present him with the vinegar and gall of sin, instead of the salutary Avaters of repentance, and the accept- able tears of compunction. The last lesson he preached from the cross was, an instruction to all dying Christians, to recommend their dej)art- ing souls into the hands of their Creator, and to accept of death with an entire conformity and resignation to the divine Avill ; for having ful- filled the laAV and the prophecies, and consummated all the ancient types and figures, he recommended his blessed soul into the hands of his Hea- venly Father, and boAving his head Avith the most perfect submission and obedience, he laid down his life for our sake. No sooner did Jesus expire, but all nature sunk into an agony, and its entire frame seemed ready to start from its centre ; a dreadful earth- quake ensued, Avhicli caused one of the philosophers of Athens to cry out and say, that either the God of Nature was suffering, or that the machine of the world Avas going to be dissolved. The veil of the temple of Jerusalem, Avhich hung before the sanctuary, Avas rent from top to bottom, to denote that the figures of the Old Law Avere accomplished, and that the sanctuary of Heaven Avas now laid open to mankind. The sun was eclipsed, and the face of the earth Avas overspread Avith dark- ness ; the rocks burst asunder, and the monuments ficAV open ; the cap- tain of the guards, Avho assisted at the execution, astonished at such . wonders, loudly proclaimed that Jesus Avas the Son of the living God, and several of the spectators returned home, giving glory to God, and striking their breasts Avith grief and compassion. And will you, my brethren, be the only part of the creation that Avill remain insensible ? "Will you not pay your dear Redeemer some small tribute of piety and gratitude this day ? Will you refuse to bathe his bleeding AA'Ounds Avith a fcAv penitential tears ? If you do not drop a tear of compassion for your best and dearest friend, Avill you not weep, at least, for your OAvn crying sins, Avhich were his most cruel executioners, and Avhich made him bleed in the garden, bleed at the pillar, and bleed on the cross ?• The Patriarch Jacob could not forbear bursting out into tears, Avlien he beheld the garment of his son Joseph sprinkled Avith blood ; the people of Rome could not refrain from sighs and lamentations, Avhen the blood- dyed robes of Julius Caesar Avere exhibited to their vicAv from the ros- trum. O Christians, O children of grace and redemiition, lift up your eyes and behold, not the robes of a Caesar, nor the garment of a Jo- seph, but a striking figure and lively representation of the sacred humanity of your blessed Saviour Jesus Christ. VicAV this crucifix, this image and memorial of him, Avitli true piety. Read this book of the cross, this compendious history of his passion and death Avith proper attention. Fix the eyes of your soul devoutly on it, and you Avill see here in miniature all that I have hitherto endeavoured to delineate. Ecce homo ; behold the man of sorrows ; behold how dear your salvation has been to him ! Rouse all your feelings, and contemplate in spirit the purple streams floAving from his head, from his hands, from his feet, and from his side, to Avash aAvay your iniquities. O sinners, see Avhat your sins have done ! See hoAv the King of all Glory has been humbled, to ON THE FEAST OF THE RESURRECTION, &C. 197 cure your pride and vanity ! O wliat return will you make him this day, lor his inestimable and unparalleled charity ! Can you be such mon- sters of ingratitude, as to continue any longer his enemies after such demonstrations of love ? Can you find in your heart to renew his pas- sion, and crucify him over again, by relapsing into i'resh mortal sins ? Forbid it nature ! Forbid it Heaven ! O base, O detestable sin ! What an odious and foul monster must thou be, since thou hast brouo'ht my lovely Jesus to the death of the cross ? O Eternal Fathei", look on the fiice of thy beloved Son, and for his sake forgive us our sins. Receive his sufferings in satisfaction for our past transgressions, and preserve us from oifending thee hereafter. We bow down to the ground with the most profound reverence, O amiable Jesus, and adore, thank, and magnify thee, for all thou hast done and suifered for our sake. Vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to give us all thy blessing on this day of mercy, grace, and salvation ; and grant, that after partaking here of the merits of thy passion and death, we may hereafter partake of the glory of thy resurrection. Which is the hap- piness I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. EASTER SUNDAY. ON THE FEAST OF THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. Et cum transisset Sabbatum, Maria Magdalena et Maria Jacobi et Salome emerunt aromata, lit venientes ungerent Jesum — St. Mark, c. xvi. v. 1. ^VIien the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought sweet spices, that coming they might anoint Jesus St. Mark, c. xvi. V. 1. As all nature was seized with confusion, and touched with compassion on the sorrowful day of our Saviour's bitter passion and death, so in like manner, all nature was replenished with joy and consolation on the happy day of his glorious resurrection. The sun, which on Good Friday had withdrawn its glittering beams, lest it should behold the Creator of its beauty expiring on an ignominious ci'oss, hastened early in the morn- ing to usher in the day of his resurrection with an extraordinary splen- dour ; Heaven opened its lofty gates, and sent forth an angelical Ambas- sador, whose robes wei'e as white as the driven snow, to proclaim the signal victory and triumph of the Son of God ; the universe was struck with admiration ; the sepulchres flew open, and inau// dead bodies of the saints u'ho had departed this life, arose out of their graves and appeared to several of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as St. Matthew informs us, c. xxvii. The souls of the holy Patriarchs and Prophets of the Old Testament were in raptures of joy to find themselves freed from their tedious cap- tivity. No tongue can describe the comfort that this glorious event gave Mary the blessed Mother of Jesus, who, two days before that, had been a most afflicted eye-witness of the bloody tragedy that was acted on Mount Calvary ; for if, as the Scripture relates, tlie Patriot Jacob exulted with joy when he understood that his favourite son Joseph, whom he supposed to be dead, was alive in the kingdom of Egypt, what transports and ecstacies must the affectionate heart of Mary have 198 ON THE FEAST OF THE RESURRECTION felt, when she supposed that her dearly beloved Son Jesus was risen out of the bowels of the earth, clothed with an immortal, impassiljle, and glorified body ? The disciples also, Avho shortly before had been sorely afflicted and plunged into excessive sorrow for the loss of their dear Lord and Master, were most sensibly affected, and filled with consolation at the joyful tidings that were announced to them by the devout women who had visited the sepulchre. In a word, the resurrection of Jesus Chi-ist diffused an universal joy through all nature, and caused the Hea- vens and the earth to resound with sweet alleluias and sacred canticles of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving. His enemies alone were con- founded and covered with shame. Satan, who in the Scripture language is denominated the Prince of this darkness, lamented to behold himself cast out, and to find his empire overthrown, hell disarmed, sin destroyed, and the world subdued, not tcith the sivord, hut tvith the wood of the cross, as St. Augustine speaks. What a noble, what a happy victory, my brethren, which thus threw open the gates of Heaven to mankind ? What a grand subject of joy and exilltation for all the faithful ? My design, however, at present, on this great feast of the triumph of our Loi'd and Master is, not to engage your attention with a mere specula- tive display and contemplation of this sublime mystery, but to propose Mary Magdalen, at the tomb of Jesus Christ, as a model of the most exemplary piety, and to entertain you, not so much with the glory of his resurrection, as with the spirit and religious practices with which you are to honour this sacred mystery. Many of you have already approached the venerable sacrament of the Altar, and I trust in the mercy of God, that, like Magdalen, you have had the happiness to find Jesus Christ. If all have not been so fortunate, it is because they did not seek for him with the same ardour and spirit that she did. Learn, then, by the example I shall lay before you, the qualities and conditions of a real and sincere conversion, that if you have been deficient herein, you may, without further delay, rectify your mistakes, coi'rect your defects, and repair the faults of an illusive and pretended conversion. Let us first implore the divine assistance, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, addressing her this day with the anthem of the Church, Hegina Cceli Icetera, Alleluia, ^-c. To point out the qualities and conditions of a true conversion, and to animate you thereto, I cannot lay before you a more consoling instance of the mercy of God, or a more edifying model of piety, than that of the renowned convert Mary Magdalen. Having expiated her sins by the fervour of her charity, and by a torrent of tears at the feet of her divine Redeemer, she attended him in his sacred passion, even when he was for- saken by his disciples. She stood under the cross on Mount Calvary, with weeping eyes, at the time of his crucifixion, was present at his in- terment, and had the comfort to be the first that saw him after his glo- rious resurrection. Three characters discover to us her vehement desire to find him. Fii-st, her promptitude and haste, whereby she anticipated the rising of the sun. Secondly, the anxiety and disquiet wherewitli she was actuated. Thirdly, her courage and intrepidity, whereby she re- solved to surmount every obstacle that might hinder her approach to her best beloved master. By these dispositions, which obtained for her the happiness of seeing Jesus Christ, after his resurrection, before all others, you may form a proper judgment of the conversions of this holy time. As to the first, a plain and simple exposition of this day's gospel is the OF OUR LORD JF.SUS CHRIST. 199 most sensible proof of that holy impatience with which she sought for Jesus Christ. When the Sabbath ivas passed, sajs the sacred text, Mary Magdalen bought sweet spices to embalm thebody of Jesus. In what anxieties and impetuous desires did she pass the Sabbath-day, which, by an indis- pensable duty, Avas consecrated to repose ? All the authority of the law- was requisite to moderate her ardour, and to stay her zeal ; nor could she desist, according to St. Luke, xxiii. dui-ing the repose of her retreat, from preparing the perfumes, with which she intended to embalm the body of Jesus, according to the custom of Jews. Scarce is the Sabbath expired, when she takes the road of the sepulchre ; she does not expect the rising of the sun, or the iirst dawn of the morning; her zeal guides her through the darkness of the night, and without listening to the bash- ful delicacy, or to the fear so natural to her sex, she arrives at the tomb of Jesus Christ before even any of his Apostles. Is it possible to remark a greater promptitude, or a more lively vivacity, to acquit herself of this holy and religious duty ? This, my brethren, is what divine grace requires from you ; it de- mands hearts ready to follow the inspirations and divine attractives with which the Holy Ghost prevents, visits, excites and draws you. Far from this happy disposition are those fluctuating, those uncertain, those irreso- lute Christians, who continually waver, and balance whether they shall forsake their evil ways and convert themselves to the Lord their God, or not ; for as he is an infidel who freely and deliberately doubts of an article of faith, so he that hesitates and deliberates only on penance, is as yet impenitent, and the enemy of God. I own, indeed, that time, and even years are sometimes reqviired to arrive at the summit and perfection of Christian virtue ; but the conversion of the heart is the work of the happy moment, wherein the Holy Ghost suddenly enlightens the soul, and pierces it with a dart that wounds and softens it in the twinkling of an eye. If you, therefore, neglect this favourable time of your visitation ; if you slight this precious moment, and reject this gracious call and invitation to repentance, instead of becoming penitents, you will remain hardened sinners, particularly you who live in the midst of the coi-ruption and vanity of the world ; for by neglecting to correspond with the favours of Heaven, you render yourselves unworthy of them, and you run the risk of being punished with a subtraction of those graces which you ungrate- fully slight and reject. In effect, at what other time will God's grace find access to your hearts ? Is it whilst they are full of unlawful plea- sures, possessed with ambition, governed by passion and interest, and in- toxicated Avith the love of the corrupted world ? No, my brethren. If, Avhilst the divine light of the Holy Ghost dawns upon your hearts, you balance, you hesitate, instead of acquiescing to its sweet, its lovely dic- tates ; if, content with some faint, some imperfect desires of conversion, which only lull you in the sleep of sin, you flatter yourselves that you seek the Loi'd your God sincerely, be undeceived this day ; it is only illusion, and a deplorable blindness ; for the first mark of a sincere con- version is a promptitude or readiness to follow the dictates of divine grace. The second mark is an holy anxiety, or an impetuous desire, which animates the soul to return to her Lord and to her God v/ithout delay. The Gospel points out to us, in the most lively colours, the anxiety, and the longing desire of Magdalen to find the body of her Saviour. Scarce is the Sabbath finished when her first thought is, who will roll away 200 ON THE FEAST OF THE RESURRECTIOX for her the liuge stone that shut the sepulchre ? for she had exactly ob- served every thing about it, with a design of coming to pay Jesus her last duties ; not out of any human respect, vainly to acknowledge the person, who of all the world she was most obliged to ; but out of most holy impatience to review the only object that her soul loved ; for as soon as she perceived the monument open, and the body gone, her tears tes- tified the sorrows of her soul. She does not sit down, or place herself in any quiet posture, but she is pushed backward and forward by the agi- tation of her soul. She does not search for the silent alleys or lonely retreats of the adjacent Garden of Olives, to indulge and think upon her grief ; her love fixes her immoveable to that now empty sepulchre where all her joys were laid the third day before. Her eyes perpetually search to see if she can perceive the least remains of the lovely object which she regrets. The Apostles, who were now, likewise, come to search for their Lord and Master, not finding his body, returned back from whence they came. It was enough for tliem, says St. Augustine, to see he was not there ; but it was not enough for the soul of Mary, languishing with divine love : she stays there alone, and becomes obstinate in searching for her Jesus ; she will absolutely find him where he is not ; she has already looked several times into the monument, but she still makes her- self believe that her eyes have deceived her. She stoops again and again, and devours the obscure mansion with her eyes. Nothing can escape her diligence. At length two angels appear to her, clothed with light. Every other person would be charmed, would be dazzled at the glorious sight, and forget all other cares ; but nothing can compensate Mary for the loss of her Jesus, whom she cannot find. The Angels say to her, Woman, ivhy dost thou weep ? But she answers, O ! when you shall be acquainted with the cause of my tears, you will acknow- ledge that I am the most miserable of women. I weep, because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not hioiv ivhere they have j^^d him. I la- ment, because they have taken away my master, and with him my joy, my life, my repose, my treasure, and 1 do not know where to seek for him. It is just after this manner that a sincere penitent speaks, when truly touched with a desire of finding God whom he lost by sin. Pie that be- . fore accounted as nothing the losing of the grace of God, begins now to be sensible of the miserable state of his conscience. He is now asto- nished how it is possible for a Christian to live without the favour and friendship of the Lord. He now perceives that the commerce of the world, a life of dissipation and pleasures, an enchainment of temporal occupations, a constant circle of vain amusements, an unhappy criminal passion, an unwearied ardour to gain the tinselled prosperity and perish- able riches of this life, a set of evil companions and associates, have made him forget his God, and thrown him into a mortal lethargy with regard to Heaven and his salvation. He then bursts out into the most lively and pungent regrets ; he cries out with Magdalen, They have taken away my Lord, and I do not knoio ivhere they have placed him. Alas ! I have hitherto lived as if there was no God for me. Is it not possible for me to return, once more, to that happy state wherein God was my father, my fi'iend, and my delight. He exclaims with the Prophet Isaias, xxii. Becedite ame, amarejlebo ; Retire from me, O you vain amusements, you frivolous pleasures, you idle afi'airs ; disappear and give way to the great, to the only important affair of my salvation. O worldly vanities, you OP OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 201 have but too long consumed my time and captivated my heart. Leave me now, that I may at leisure regret a loss which my tears only are able to repair. Such is the language, such are the sentiments of a true con- vert. He does not seek for an easy, for an indulgent director to smooth over his crimes and doze his conscience. The most circumspect, the most vigilant, and the most charitable, scarce appears to him capable of rolling away the huge stone, and removing the mountain of sin, whose insupportable weight lies so heavy upon his conscience. He cries out, like Magdalen, Quis revolvet, (J-c. Who will roll away the huge stone that shuts the sepulchre ? O where shall I find the man of God who will soften the hardness of my heart ? He is not satisfied, as heretofore, with a slight, superficial examination of his conscience ; he looks narrowly into the most secret folds and hidden recesses of his heart ; he probes the wounds of his soul to the very bottom. Like Mary Magdalen, he stoops and carefully views the dark abode, that nothing may escape unnoticed, or go unpunished. Hence it is, that we have sometimes the consolation to find those persons, whose consciences were heretofore seai-ed and hardened, acquire, in process of time, delicacies of conscience which we do not usually find even in the just. They enter into an holy disquiet for the present state of their souls ; they are never satisfied Avith them- selves ; they imagine that they can never explain themselves as fully as they ought ; that they can never sufiiciently regret the disoixlers of their past life, nor take sufficient precautions to guard against sin for the future. This is generally the case of those who are sincerely converted to God, especially after being entangled in great disorders, and involved in criminal habits. The beginning of their conversions are usually ac- companied by the like agitations and troubles ; for, as St. Augustine re- marks, a sinner does not disengage himself but with difficulty from what he loved with ardency, and this is the very foundation of many heroic acts of contrition, by which the character of a true Gospel penitent is so easily discovered. But let us return to our model. Whilst Mary Mag- dalen remained, all bathed in tears, at the tomb of Jesus Christ, the Son of God presented himself to her under the form of a gardener. Her grief inspires her with a respect uncommon for persons in this line of life, per- haps to engage him to discover to her the body of her Lord, which she seeks for. She says to him. Sir, ifthoxijmst taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him ? John, xx. But Magdalen, who do you speak of? Him ? AYhat is the name of the person you seek for ? Alas ! your love makes you imagine that every heart is as full of your Divine Master as your own, and that every one should know whom you inquire for. But, 0 great misfortune ! there are few, and very few, comparatively speaking, who think seriously of the Lord their God, or have his love thus fixed in their hearts. But Magdalen, what will it avail you to know where he is ? What is your design ? 0 / I irill take him from thence, said she ; 1 will put him in a place of safety, and hereafter not hazard the losing of my Jesus any more. I will again wash with my tears those sacred feet, where I first fomid the remission of my sins. 1 will contemplate, at leisure, that divine mouth from whence so many heavenly oracles have proceeded, and which gave me life in pronouncing the sentence of my absolution. But, Mary, do you reflect upon what you say ? You are alone, a weak woman, without help and assistance, and yet you pretend to take away from the bosom of the tomb, and from the centre of death, the body which a strong guard of soldiers is Avatching. Yes, yes, / will 202 ON THE FEAST OF THE RESURRECTION, &C. take him away, said she ; conduct me but where it is ; leave the rest to myself. I do not fear either the guards, or the darkness of the night, or the weakness of my sex. I do not matter my life, after having lost my Saviour ; and I think nothing difficult, nothing impossible, so I can find him once more. Behold, my brethren, the natural image of a true penitent, moved and touched by the grace of the -Almighty God. Nothing can obstruct the vivacity of his pious designs. The devil, the world, and the flesh, ap- pear weak and impotent enemies to him. He that heretofore dreaded every thing, now becomes intrepid and undaunted. He renounces with pleasure th6 dangerous company of those persons, without whom life seemed before bitter and tasteless. He perceives the faint sparkles of profane love expiring in his breast, and feels the ardours of a pure and holy love inflaming his heart. He begins to love the only object that deserves to be loved, and tramples under foot the unhappy object which before he blindly preferred to it. He submits cheerfully to the sweet yoke of the Gospel, which before seemed so difficult ; and he is willing to observe the fasts of the church, which heretofore appeared insupport- able to the pretended delicacy of his constitution. He is ready to prac- tise all the duties of a Christian ; to make restitution of the wealth he unjustly acquired, to repair the scandal he has given, to recall the de- tractions and calumnies he has spread, and to lay aside the enmity and resentment he harboured in his breast. Nothing appears superior to the love he feels for his God ; but every thing seems light, easy, and sweet, provided he does not regain his friendship. The world is now nothing to him ; he is convinced of its delusive vanity ; he despises its applauses, its censures and railleries, and resolves not to sacrifice his salvation any longer to a phantom of human respect. In fine, whatever it costs him, he is determined to seek the Lord his God without delay, and to serve him only. It is thus that INIagdalen instructs you, my brethren, this day, to seek and to search for the Lord your God, when you have unhappily lost him by sin ; and if you search for him Avith the same spirit and ardour that she did, you will surely find the arms of his tender mercy open to embrace you. When she could no longer enjoy the visible pre- sence of her Divine Redeemer, who possessed her whole heart, she se- questered herself from the dangerous society of the world, lest any thing should divert her thoughts from the only object that could give her any comfort or satisfaction. And though she had the happiness to hear the sentence of her absolution pronounced by Jesus Christ himself in person, yet this did not hinder her from bewailing her past irregularities, in the bitterness of her soul, as long as she lived, because her love told her that she could never sufficiently bewail and lament her former disorders, nor guard too carefully against sin for the future. For this reason she de- voted the remainder of her life to sighs, tears, to prayer, and to every exercise of divine love and charity, whereby she became a great favourite of Heaven, and a perfect model of penance to all succeeding ages. Learn, then. Christian penitents, by her example, what steps you are to take, in order to recover the grace of God, and what precautions are necessary to preserve this grace when you have once happily recovered it. Like unto Magdalen, retain always a grateful sense of God's good- ness to you, and beware of ever relapsing into any of your past dis- orders. Shun all the dangerous occasions of sin, and embrace voluntary practices of penance, in order to satisfy the justice of an ofiended Deity. ON THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD. 203 Bewail your ingratitudes as long as you live, and continue both day and night to beseech the God of Mercy, with the Royal Prophet, Psalm 1. To wash ijou still more from your iniquity, and to cleanse you from your former sins. Inspire us, O loving Jesus, with the like penitential sentiments. Let us no longer be deceived with the shadow of repentance ; but grant us all the gift of a sincere conversion, and the acceptable dispositions of a contrite and humble heart, that, like the happy Magdalen, we may be entitled to hear these words of comfort pronounced in our favour, Thy sins are forgiven thee ; thy faith hath made thee safe; go in peace, St. Luke, vii. This is the blessing which I heartily wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. EASTER MONDAY. ON THE EESUKEECTION OF OUE LORD. Jesum quasritisNazarenum Crucifixum. Surrexit non est hie — St. Marc. c. xvi. v. 6. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who ivas crucified. He is risen, he is not here. St. Mark, c. xvi. y. 6. As Angels proclaimed to the world the Nativity of Jesus Christ, so they announced to the devout women of the sepulchre, the joyful news of hia glorious resurrection. You seek, said an heavenly messenger^ Jesus oj Nazareth, zvho ivas crucified. He is risen, he is not here. His glory wa3 veiled by his humility, and concealed in the obscurity of his birth in the manger, and of his sufferings and ignominious death on the cross ; but it is displayed in the mystery of his resurrection. The ignominies of his death are repaired, his labours are crowned, his divinity is manifested, his humility exalted, his wisdom unfolded, his religion established, his doctrine confirmed, and built upon an imshaken foundation. The Heavens and the earth were filled with an imspeakable joy and triumph at this glorious event, and justly resounded with canticles of adoration, praise and thanksgiving, since Jesus Christ, by forsaking the mansions of the dead, and rising glorious from his tomb, has demon- strated his divinity, fulfilled the prophecies, verified his own predictions, disarmed hell, overthrown the empire of Satan, triumphed over sin and death, opened for mankind the gates of life everlasting, and plainly indi- cated that his members shall also rise from their graves at the end of the world, to follow him, and to be united to him as their head, and the first- born and first fruits of the dead. From being slaves, under a worse than an Egyptian bondage, he has restored us to the liberty of the children of God ; he has merited for us a right to partake of his immortality, and a title to the full possession of the true Land of Promise, the Kingdom of Heaven. As he died for our sins, so he rose again for our justification, as the Apostle says, Rom. iv. 25. His resurrection, therefore, is the confirmation of our faith, the accom- plishment of our redemption, and the foundation of our hope, that we shall one day rise from death to a life of immortal glory. However, to partake of the benefits and advantages he has procured us by this great mystery, our spiritual resvu'rection must be conformable to his resurrec- tion ; for as his resurrection is the pledge of future resurrection, so it must likewise be the model of our resurrection from the grave of sin to a 204 ON THE KESURKKCTION OF OUR LORD. new life of grace and vii-tue. Two faults ai-e generally to be found in our spiritual resurrection ; first, that it is not always true and sincere ; the second, that it is not constant and permament. Jesus Christ teaches us by his resurrection to guard against these two illusions, for he rose truly from the dead to die no more ; his resui-rection was real. This discovers the falsehood of our spiritual resurrection, and shall be the subject of the first point. His resurrection was constant and permanent ; this should make us tremble for the inconstancy of our spiritual resur- rection, and shall be the subject of the second point, and the entire plan of the following discourse. Let us previously invoke the light of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Mother of Jesus, congratulating her on the resurrection of her beloved Son, with the anthem of the Church, Regina Cceii Icetare, Alleluia, ^c. St. Paul, being sensible that mankind would never receive the austere morals of the Gospel, nor embrace the incompi-ehensible mysteries of the Christian faith, unless they were persuaded that they should obtain in the world to come a grand recompence for their obedience in this, took care to prove our Saviour's resurrection, with arguments capable of con- vincing the most incredulous. He appeared, says that great Apostle, to Peter, then to eleven of the disciples, then to James, and to all the rest of the Apostles, afterwards to more than five hundred of the faithful assembled together. Now, if Christ be truly risen from the dead, as he evidently pi'oved, it follows by a necessary consequence that he is truly the Son of God ; his doctrine, therefore, is from Heaven ; the promises and menaces he makes us are certain ; the punishments and recompences he assures us of, are infallible, and of course we are to believe that we shall rise again with the same body and soul, to receive the sentence of eternal justice or mercy. It is, then, a matter of great importance for us to examine carefully if we have truly forsaken the grave of our ini- quities, as Christ did forsake the grave of death, because the truth of his resurrection must serve as a mirror and model for us to discover the truth of our spiritual resurrection, and to prove the sincerity of our repentance at this holy time. First, then, Jesus Christ arose from the tomb where the Jews had buried him. Secondly, he appeared several times to his disciples, and in a palpable manner. Thirdly, he confirmed by sensible actions the appearance he made. It is from these circum- stances you are to judge of the truth of your spiritual resurrection, and to learn whether your conversion be true or false. Three days were partly spent whilst Christ remained shut iip in the sepulchre ; his disci- ples had almost lost all hopes of seeing him again ; the Jewish synagogue rejoiced to be delivered from one whom they looked upon as their most dangerous enemy, and in placing sentinels about his tomb, they thought themselves secui-e ; when, on a sudden, there happened a dreadful earth- quake, and an Angel in flames of glory descended from the Heavens, opened the monument, astonished those that were present, and prostrated the guards on the ground. Behold here a clear proof that Jesus Christ rose from the bowels of the earth, and came to life by his own power and virtue. His divinity, until then eclipsed, was displayed and manifested by the re-union of his soul and body ; his power, Avhich until then he restrained, was signalized by his victory over death ; and the guards themselves who had been ordered to watch him, became spectators of his glorious triumph. Behold, now, the instruction we are to draw from this mystery. Jesus Christ rose truly and in reality ; his resurrection ON THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD. 205 was not merely apparent or fantastical, like that of Samuel, but a real re-vmion of his soul and boclj. In like manner, Ave must rise truly from the death of sin to the life of grace, by a real and sincere repentance, if we expect to rise hereafter to an immortal life of glory ; we must imitate the corporal resurrection of Jesus, and, as Tcrtullian speaks, become as it were, the genuine copies and images of it. It is not sufficient to rise only in outward appearance, or to apj^roach the sacraments of reconcili- ation at this holy time with a seeming devotion, or an outward show of religion. Such exterior marks of repentance may indeed blindfold the world, and make us imagine ourselves reconciled to God, at the same time that we are, perhaps, his most declared enemies. But all this glit- tering outside will not justify vis in the sight of him, who is the searcher of hearts, nor entitle vis to the blessing that Christ has merited for us by his resvirrection, unless we rise by a real, solid, and inward conversion of our hearts, according to that saying of St. Paul, Awake thou that sleepest^ arise from the dead, and Christ uill enlighten thee. We are not to be startled at the imaginary difficulties, nor daunted at the hardships that may seem to stand in our way ; we are not to cry out with anxiety like the pious women mentioned in the Gospel, who ran indeed, with spices early in the morning to our Saviour's tomb ; but remembering that a large stone was fixed against the door of it, said to each other. Who loill roll back for us the stone ? Let us rather, my brethren, go on Avith courage like them, and we shall find all obstacles speedily removed ; we shall find that virtvie has its sweets and comforts, and that the name of Penance is more shocking and ungrateful to the ear of nature than the thing is really in itself. The grace of God Avill lend us an helping hand, and enable us to surmount all difficulties, not only with- out pain, but even with pleasure, provided we do but faithfully co-oper- ate with it, and labour in earnest to execute our pious resolutions, Avithovit dallying or delaying our conversion from day to day. When our Divine Redeemer rose from the dead, he rose very early in the morning, as the Gospel informs us ; he rose speedily, one only day intervening between the day of his death and the day of his resurrection. Hereby we are taught, that we are not to put off" our spiritual resurrec- tion, but to open the grave of our conscience by a timely confession, and to rise early and speedily out of the melancholy state of mortal sin by a true and hearty contrition. Moreover, when Christ rose from the dead, he left behind him in the monument the linen clothes Avherein his body had been wrapt up, and the napkin that Avas tied about his sacred head. Hereby we are taught, that if Ave have a mind to rise truly, and to resem- ble him in his resurrection, Ave must break loose from the chains of sin, and the fetters of iniquity, which have hitherto held us captive. We must throAV off our vicious habits, cast aAvay the Avorks of darkness, and divest ourselves of those darling passions which have so long deprived us of the liberty of the children of God. We must lay aside those vain and immodest dresses which render us slaves to ourselves, snares to others, victims to pride, and preys to Satan. We must quit those dis- orderly places, fly those pestilential houses, drop those private conversa- tions, shun those dangerous assemblies, and forsake those bad companies, Avhere our morals have been corrupted, our virtue has been tarnished, our innocence has been lost, and Avhich have proved the first fatal cause of our spiritual shipAvreck and ruin. We must, in fine, die to sin, and to a sensual life, burying the old man Avith all his Avorks, and putting on the 206 ON THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD. new man, in order to begin a new life, and live hereafter as the children of light, sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ, so as to be able to say with truth, of ourselves, what St, Paul said of himself after his conver- sion, Vivo ego, jam non ego ; I lead a new life ; I am no longer what I have been ; I am no more the same person I was ; the old things are passed away, behold all things are made ncAV ; I was once darkness, but now light in the Lord ; by the power and efficacy of his grace I have passed over from darkness to light, from iniquity to jnstice, from the death of sin to a life of grace ; / lice, now ?iot I, hut Christ liveth in me, and has his dwelling-place within my soul. O, thrice happy Christians ! who rise from the grave of sin, and are thus converted at this holy time, and whose words and actions, whose edifying piety and exemplary con- duct, stand as witnesses of the sincerity of their spiritual resurrection, and proclaim Jesus Christ truly risen in their souls. This is the first lesson we learn from his resurrection. He appeared several times to his disciples to confirm their faith, and convince them of the truth of his appearance by his actions, giving us thereby to under- stand, that our resurrection must be proved and I'endered authentic by actions, and by works of sanctity and justice. Magdalen, who, over- whelmed with grief, came to the monument early in the morning to seek her beloved, was the first he favoured with an appearance, because she was the most diligent in seeking him. Next came Peter, bathed in tears, with the well-beloved disciple, St. John. He afterwards mani- fested himself to the rest of the disciples. One of them more in- credulous than the rest, refused to believe the resurrection of his Divine Master, unless he put his hand in his side, and his fingers into his wounds. This was no sooner granted, but he loudly confessed him to be God and man. He was likewise pleased to give them several other proofs of his resurrection, and to explain to them the difficult passages of the Scripture, in terms so sweet and heavenly, that their hearts were filled with all the ardour of divine love, and a zeal intrepid enough to convert all the known nations of the world. Thus it is, my brethren, that we are to prove the truth of our spiritual resurrection, and the sin- cerity of our conversion, by the practice of good works. We must also prove it by our constancy, and perseverance. This is the second lesson- we are to learn from the resurrection of our Saviour, tvho rose to die no more, but to live an immortal and unalterable life, as I will shew you in the second point. Jesus Christ died by man's cruelty, and he rose from death by his own power. The one was an argument of his infinite love, the other of his omnipotence ; the one a proof of his humanity, the other a work of his divinity, and both together the cause of a perfect and plentiful redemption ; for as he was willing to die for our sins, so he rose again for our justification, to apply to our souls the fruits of his passion, to strengthen our faith, to animate our hope, to inflame our charity, and to teach us how we are to rise to a new life of grace here, and to an immortal life of glory hereafter. He died once for the salva- tion of man, says St. Paul, and he will live eternally for the glory of his Heavenly Father ; for having conquered death, he is no more to be its victim ; first, because he contains in himself the principle of life ; and secondly, because he Avas Avilling to deprive the Jews of all power to make any further attempt against his person. By expiring on the cross his divinity appeared, as it were, eclipsed ; but by his resurrection it shined in all its lustre, not unlike the sun, when it darts its bi'iliiant ON THE hesurrection oe our lord. 207 rays through a thick cloud, and diffuses its splendour on every side ■with great magnificence. It effaced the obscurity and ignominy of his death in such a manner, that the Apostle says, every thing was renewed in this mystery ; and if Jesus Christ was before believed to be man by his death, he is at present known to be God by his immortality. HoAvever, though he possesses in himself a glorious immortality, he is still willing to enjoy another immortality in our hearts. Can we, then, be so vmgrateful to him, or so blind to our own eternal welfare, as to defeat the designs of his mercy, and refuse him a permanent possession of our hearts ? Can we be so impious, or so cruel to our own souls, as to renew the ignominy of his passion, and ci*ucify him over again by re- lapsing into sin, at the very time we pretend to celebrate the solemnity of his resurrection ? Death has no longer any dominion over him ; it can never touch the splendour he has re-assumed, unless you make him die in your hearts by mortal sin. Ought we not, my brethren, to redouble our vigilance at this holy time in guarding against future relapses, and preserving the possession of a God, who alone can support and strengthen us against our natui'al Aveakness and inconstancy ? Such are the sentiments, such are the dispositions that the present solemnity de- mands of every one of us, it being the Pasch, or the, Passover of Chris- tians, prefigured by the ancient Passover of the Jews, and designed by God's mercy, for all sinners to pass over, by a true repentance, from the bondage of sin to the liberty of the children of God, and to purge out the old leaven, in oizder to become a new mass, or begin a new life with Jesus Christ, now risen from the dead. This is Avhat St. Paul so ear- nestly recommends. Cor. i. 5. Noiv our Pasch is immolated ; noAv our Paschal Lamb, Jesus Christ, is sacrificed ; now he has delivered us from the bondage of the infernal Pharaoh ; now he has opened a passage for us to the true Land of Promise, through the Red Sea of his precious blood ; wherefore, let us feast, not in the old leaven of dissimulation, nor in the leaven of malice and wickedness, but in the unleavened things of sincerity and truth. Let us renounce all impiety and Avorldly desires, and live soberly, justly and piously ; not in rioting or drunkenness, not in chambering or impurities, not in contention or emulation, but put on Jesus Christ. ' Let this holy solemnity be for us a real Passover from vice to virtue ; from the galling yoke and servitude of Satan, to the sweet liberty of the children of God ; and from the dismal deatli of sin, to a permanent life of grace. This was the end of Christ's suffei'ings and of his resurrection, and ought to be our greatest concern at this holy time ; for to relapse and to go on still in sin, if it be not a reproach to his passion and resurrection, it is an argument at least, of our having no part in it. And what state can be more miserable than for Christians to be found still captives and slaves of sin, after Christ has given his blood for their ransom, and rose from the dead for their justification,? — As the Angel, therefore, said to Mary Magdalen, when she Avas Aveeping at the tomb, and looking for Christ among the dead. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, ulio icas crucified : He is risen, he is not here ; so the state of every Christian ought to be such at Easter, that it may be likcAvise said of him Avith truth, He is r-isen, he is not here. He is no more to be met Avith in those dangerous assemblies, and disorderly houses, Avhere he lost his innocence ; he is no longer engaged in scandalous intrigues ; he is no longer a slave to his unruly passions ; he is divested of his vicious habits ; 208 ON THE RESURRECTION ON OUR LORD. he lies no lono-cr buried in the state or affection of mortal sin ; he is risen by a true repentance, he is become a new man, he leads a new life, he is wonderfully changed for the better, and reclaimed from his evil ways. it was on the like happy change that St. Paul formerly congratulated the Corinthians, when he said. You have been sinners, hut now you are ivashed in the blood of the immaculate Lamb ; now you are sanctified, now you are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ; you have been in darkness, but noio you are light in the Lord ; walk therefore as children of the light. Would to God I could congratulate you all, this day, on the like happy conversion ! Such a change and amendment of life is the most con- vincing proof that repenting sinners can give of the reality of their spiritual resurrection, and the sincerity of their conversion at this holy time. On the contrary, those who take no pains to reform their lives, but continue after Easter, the san;e fickle, inconstant sinners that they were before Easter, replunging into their former disorders, and return- ing like dogs to their vomit ; such relapsing sinners, I say, have but too much reason to suspect the reality of their spiritual resurrection and the sincerity of their conversion ; for, as St. Augustine says, where there is no amendment or change of life, the repentance is vain and imaginary ; wherefore he exhorts all Easter communicants in these words, O peni- tents, if you have a mind to be true Gospel penitents, and not dissemblers and mockers of your God, mend your lives ; renounce those detestable vices which render you a scandal to your family, a reproach to religion and a disgrace to Christianity. It is hereby that it must appear whether . you are truly risen out of the grave of sin, and have complied with your Easter duty or not ; for as a good tree is known by the fruits it pro- duces, so it is by the fruits of your conversion that a true judgment may be formed of its sincerity. If you bring forth the Avorthy fruits of re- pentance ; if you reform your lives, curb your passions, shun the dan- gerous occasions of sin, and be punctual in the discharge of the duties of your state, there is reason to believe that you are spiritually risen Avith Jesus Christ, and to hope that you Avill hereafter partake of the glorious resurrection of the just ; but if you run immediately in the same dangerous occasions of sin, and yield to the same temptations as often- after Easter as before ; if you imitate those brutish animals which rise only for a short time out of the mire, and after shaking themselves, lie down again to wallow and roll in their favourite filth and nastiness, it is an evident sign that your resvirrection Avas only a phantom, and that your souls lie still buried in the sepulchre of sin, and are dead in the sight of God, though, perhaps, you have approached the Easter Communion with the outAvard appearance of a true penitent. We may say of such penitents, Avhat the Patriarch Isaac said to his son Jacob Avlien he came to ask his blessing, clothed Avith the fragrant garments of his brother Esau, The voice, indeed, seems to be the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau ; for, to consider the fair promises and verbal pro- testations that relapsing sinners make at the tribunal of Penance, they appear to be children of benediction like Jacob ; but their hands, that is, their Avorks and actions, prove them to be children of malediction, like Esau, lying in the grave of sin, and likely to be buried in it for ever. Preserve all my hearers from the like misfortune, O SAveetest Jesus, Ave prostrate ourselves before the throne of thy mercy ; we adore thee on ON THE IKSTITUTION AND NATURE, etc. 209 this day of tliy glorious triumph, and gratefully celebrate thy resur- rection with sweet alleluias and sacred canticles of joy and thanksgiving. Fill our hearts we beseech thee with that spiritual joy which is one of the happy fruits of thy Divine Spirit. Give us grace to rise with thee truly and sincerely, to rise with thee everlastingly, that after imitating thy resurrection, and being influenced with the sacred fire of thy divine love here, we may enjoy the splendour of thy glory hereafter. Inspii-e us with the tender sentiments and dispositions of the two disciples, who meeting thee on the way to the Castle of Emmaus, pressed thee to stay with them, as the day was almost spent and the night was approaching. Stay with us, likewise, we beseech thee, O Divine Redeemer. The number of our days will be shortly completed, and the night of death is approaching fast. What shall become of us if thou art not with us at that tremendous hour ? O do not forsake or abandon us then, but stand by us and protect us, that being sheltered under the wings of thy mercy our souls may be wafted to the charming mansions of bliss, there to sing thy immortal praises for tiie whole length of a never-ending eternity. Which is the blessing that I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Gilhost. Amen. LOW SUNDAY, ON THE INSTITUTION AND NATURE OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. Accipite Spiritum Sanctum quorum remiseritis peccata remittuntur eii?, et quorum retinueritis, retenta sunt St. Jo. c. xx. v. 22, 23. Receive ye the Holy Ghost: V/hose sins you. shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sinsyou shall retain, they are retained — St. John, c. ix. v. 22, 23. As the paternal providence of God has provided remedies for healing the distempers of our bodies, so, in like manner, his boundless mercy has provided remedies for healing the spiritual disorders of our sinful souls. For the remission of original sin, M^hich we inherit from our first parents, our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of Baptism, whereby we are delivered from the bondage of Satan, and made the adoptive children of God and heirs of life everlasting. For the remission of the actual and personal sins, which we ourselves commit after baptism, he instituted the Sacrament of Penance, whereby repenting sinners, who have unhappily forfeited their innocence after having been cleansed and sanctified in the laver of baptism, may be reconciled again and reinstated in the grace of God, provided they sue for it with proper dispositions. Penance is there- fore called the second plank after shipwrech, inasmuch as those who have had the misfortune to make a shipwreck of their baptismal sanctity, and to split upon the rock of mortal sin, may still escape, by seizing on the plank of penance, and may be safely conducted, by the help of it through the stormy sea of this world, into the desired harbour of eternal bliss. Thus the Lord our God, who is rich in mercy, and who knows the frailty of our nature and our proneness to evil from our very infancy, has vouchsafed to provide suitable remedies for all our spiriiiual necessities, and has left nothing undone that Avas necessary for our eternal salvation. Had our Di-\ ine Kedeeraer not left a sacrament in his Church, for the remission of the sins that are committed after baptism, as well as he did o 210 ON THE INSTITUTION AND NATURE for the remission of sins committed before it, wliat would become of the generality of Christians ? For how few are there of the adult who in- violably preserve their baptismal innocence, without falling into some sin ? If there was no other remedy, no other sacrament for the remis- sion of sin but baptism, how could the sins which they fall into after baptism be foi-given ? And if they lived and died under the guilt of such sins, how could they expect to be saved and admitted into the holy city of the heavenly Jesusalem ? since, as the Scripture assures us, there shall not enter into it any thin// defiled, Apocalypse, xxi. 27. Thanks be to Heaven, my brethren, we have been bx'ought up in a religious persuasion that does not exclude us from the benefit of a sacra- ment, which is necessary, at least in desire, when it cannot be actually received, for the remission of actual mortal sins, as baptism is for the re- mission of original sin. The very Apostles' Creed teaches us, that Christ our Lord has left a power in the Holy Catholic Church to forgive sins in his name, and by his authority ; and the Gospel informs us that he him- self exercised this power on several occasions ; nay, we read in chap. ix. of St. Matthew, that he wi-ought an illustrious miracle in favour of a man who was ill of a palsy, in order to convince the incredulous Jews that he had a power to forgive sins on earth, whereupon the multitude that was present glorified- God for having given such power to men. That Christ, who, as man, first I'eceived this power from his heavenly Father, im- parted it afterwards to his Apostles, and to the Pastors of his Church as their lawful successors and his representatives and substitutes on earth, Avill appear in the sequel of the following discourse, wherein I purpose, with the assistance of God, to treat of the institution and nature of the ■ Sacrament of Penance. In the first point I will shew you, that penance is a sacrament of divine institution, established by Jesus Christ in the New Law, as a necessary means to obtain pardon of the sins committed after baptism. In the second point, I will lay before you the nature of this sacrament, and the dispositions which must necessarily accompany it. Let us previously implore the light of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Mother of Jesus, greeting her in the words of the Angel Gabriel, Ave Maria. Penance may be considered either as a virtue, or as a sacrament. The virtue of penance consists in an inward grief and sorrow of heart for having offended God, with an hatred and detestation of the sins com- mitted, because they are displeasing to God's infinite goodness ; it essen- tially includes a firm purpose of amendment, and a desire or will to satisfy the Divine Justice. Penance in this consideration, or as a virtue only, and its principal act which is contrition of heart, has been always necessaiy, even in the Old Law, to obtain the forgiveness of sin, as the Council of Trent says, Sess. 14. c. 4. but the necessity of the Sacrament of Penance only commenced with the promulgation of the Gospel after our Saviour's resurrection, when he raised the virtue of Penance to the dignity of one of the seven Sacraments of the New Law, and made, as it were, a spiritual bath of the blood he shed on the cross, together with the penitential tears of repenting sinners, for the purpose of Avashing away the blackest stains of their sins. It is from the merits of his pas- sion and death that it derives this wonderful virtue and efficacy ; no sin- ner is excluded from the benefit of it, let his crimes be ever so enormous, or ever so numerous, provided he has recourse to it with the necessary dispositions ; for as, according to the Gospel of St. John, v. the pond of OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 211 Jerusalem, called in Latin the Probatica, in Hebrew Bethsaida, and in Greek Bethchesda, that i.s, the House of Mercy, healed the blind, the lame, sick and infirm, of all sorts of distempers whatsoever, when the Angel of the Lord descended into it to put the water in motion ; so in like manner the Sacrament of Penance, which the pond of Jerusalem pre- figured, heals all the distempers of a sinful soul, and effaces the j)enitent's sins, though they should happen to be as red as scarlet, as black as ink, and as numerous as the sands of the sea, when it is duly received and properly applied by the ministers of the Lord, and the Pastors of the Church. It is true, the power of forgiving sins properly belongs to God alone, as the power of working miracles belongs only to him. No one upon earth can therefore forgive sins by his own power or private authority, either in the Sacrament of Baptism or of Penance, as no one upon earth can, by his own power raise the dead to life ; but as God has been often pleased to communicate the power of raising the dead to life, to men, as his instruments, so he has been pleased to communicate to men, as his instruments, the power of forgiving sins in his name, and by his autho- rity. He made Moses, Aaron, Elias, and Elisa3us in the Old Law, and the Apostles in the New Law, the instruments of his power to raise the dead to life, and work a great number of stupendous miracles, which surpassed all human power. In like manner he has empowered the pas- tors of his Church, as his instruments, though they are men and sinners themselves, to absolve and forgive such sinners as truly repent, and have recourse to the tribunal of his mercy with the necessary dispositions. That Christ our Lord solemnly promised to communicate this power to men, is evident from St. Matt, xviii. 18. where he said to his Apostles, and of course to their descendants who were to succeed them in the ministry to the end of time. Amen, I saij to you. Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound also in Heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose ujJoii earth, shall be loosed also in Heaven. The same promise he made at another time to St. Peter, the Apostle, in St. Matt. xvi. 19, saying. To thee Iivill give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven ; and ivhatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven; and ivhatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed also in Heaven. This promise of giving the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and communicating the power of binding and loosing, was fulfilled by our blessed Saviour after his resurrection ; for, as we read in the Gospel of this day, he appeared to his disciples, and standing in the midst of them, he imparted to them a double blessing of peace, and said. As my Father has sent me, even so I send you ; that is, I invest you with the same power and authority with which I am invested, and consequently with the power of absolving and forgiving penitent sinners, which Christ undoubtedly had. Then lie breathed upon them, and said. Receive ye the Holy Ghost ; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them ; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. It was then, chiefly, that he instituted Penance as a Sacrament of peace and recon- ciliation, to convey into the heart of a Christian penitent that true, solid and happy peace, which is the result of a sincei'e conversion, and one of the fruits of the Holy Ghost. It was then, in short, that the Son of God, committed the power of forgiving sins, not to the persons of the Apostles only, but to their office, that is to them and their successors in office, the Bishops and Priests, who would be duly authorised to exercise the sacred functions of the ministry after the death of the Apostles ; for as they were not to continue very long upon earth, and as the Church was 212 ON THE INSTITUTION AND NATUKE not to die witli tlicm, but to stand unto the very end of tlic world in defiance of the "-ates of hell, it is manifest that the commission given to the Apostles was not confined to their persons, but was to descend to their lawful successors, and remain with them until the very end of the world. In virtue of the commission thus given by Jesus Christ to the pastors of the Church, they remit or retain the sins of those, who, after submit- ting themselves to the authority of the Cliurch by baptism, humbly subniit themselves again to her spiritual jurisdiction, in order to obtain forgiveness of tlie sins whereby they have defiled the white robe of th(nr innocence, violated the sanctity of their baptism, and transgressed the laws of the Gospel. The sentence of absolution, which is pronounced on this occasion, is to be looked upon as pronounced by God himself, since every thing that is transacted in this sacred tribunal is performed in his name, and by his divine authority. Whilst the priest outwardly exercises the function, and gives the absolution, it is Christ, the invisible Hio-h Priest and principal cause of our justification, that interiorly absolves the penitent, forgives him his sins, and grants the inward sanc- tifying graces that justify him ; for as it is Christ that purifies the soul in baptism by the ministry of the priest, so it is he that purifies the soul in the Sacrament of Penance, by the absolution of the priest. It is he that signs and seals our pardon, and ratifies the sentence in Heaven, Avhich is imparted to us by his representatives on earth. The power com- mitted to them is therefore, so far from being derogatory or injurious to the honour of God, that it redounds very much to his honour and glory,, and serves to excite us to a most grateful acknowledgment of his bound- less mercy, in having provided us with so effectual a means to make our peace with him ; it is also so far from promoting sin, or being an encou- ragement to a sinner to persevere in his iniquity, upon the confidence of being absolved whenever he pleases, that on the contrary, the Catholic doctrine of absolution, rightly understood, is the greatest curb to sin, puts the severest restraints on coi-rupt nature, and contributes wonder- fully to prevent future relapses, and to promote the practice of virtue ; for though the pastors of the Church have a power to absolve all true penitents, yet they have no power to absolve any sinner, though an em- peror or crowned head, unless he sincerely repents of his sins, and has a firm purpose of a new life. They are commanded under pain of incur- rino- God's indignation, not to cast tlie pearls befoi-e the swine ; not to administer the holy things to such as continually return, like dogs to their vomit ; not to impart the benefit of absolution to sinners who bi'ino- no si"ns of true repentance, who refuse to make restitution of ill- gotten goods, to repair the injuries they have done to their neighbour, to retract the calumnies they have spread, to shun the dangerous occa- sions of sin, to forsake their evil habits, or to comply with any part of their duty that binds under pain of mortal sin. Confession itself is a great and salutary act of self-humiliation, wliich conduces very much to the reclaiming of sinners, as daily experience teaches, by the great number of conversions which are OAving to it. The necessity for confession appears evident, from the commission that Christ gave to the pastors of the Church ; for as he invested them Avith power to bind and loose, to forgive and retain sins, according to the merits of the cause and the dispositions ol" the penitents, it follows, by a necessary consequence, that he also laid an obligation upon the faith- OF THE SACRAMEXT OF PENANCE. 213 fill to declare their sins, in order to have them remitted or retained ; for, otiierwise, how should the pastors of the Church be able to execute this commission, or exercise the power given them ? How should they know wliat sins are to be forgiven, and what sins are to be retained, unless the sinner be under an obligation of laying open the true state of his soul by a candid confession ? How could they be able to distinguish between leprosy and leprosy ? How could they know what advice is to be given, or what remedy is to be applied, unless tliey be first informed of the cause, and duly acquainted with the nature of the distemper ? Surely, a judge must have a full knowledge of the cause, and a physician must know the disorder; the one to pronounce a just sentence, the other to prescribe suitable remedies. Hence St. Augustine says, Homil. 49, that to pretend that it is sufficient to confess to God alone, is to destroy the commission of Christ, who established a penitential court for hearing the sinners' cause, and who constituted the pastors of his Church the judges of mens' consciences, and the spiritual physicians of their souls. Jt is, continues the holy doctor, to contradict the Gospel, and to make void the pov/er of the keys ; because the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, which wei-e given to the Cliurch, would be useless, and the power of re- taining sins would be void, if such sins as exclude from the kingdom of Heaven could be readily remitted, independently of the keys given to the Church. IMay I not then conclude, that penance is justly ranked in the number of the Seven Saciximents of the New Law ? especially, as it appears clearly from what has been hitherto said, that it has all the requisites to a sacrament, it being a,i outward visible, or sensible sign of an inward visible grace, instituted by Jesus Christ for the sanctification of our souls, which is the very definition of a sacrament. The outward visible, or sensible sign, is found in the penitents confession, and in the form of absolution, on the part of the priest. The imoard invisible grace, thereby signified, is the forgiveness of sins ; and the institution of Jesus Christ is manifest from the Gospel of this day. Let us now briefly consider the nature of this sacrament, and the dispositions that must necessarily ac- company it. Besides the absolution on the part of the minister of Christ, there are three other parts that constitute and complete the sacrament of penance on the penitents side, namely, contrition of the heart, confession of the mouth, and satisfaction in good works, such as fasting, alms-deeds, and prayer ; for as there are three ways of otfending God and committino- sin, first, by thoughts ; secondly, ]>y ivords ; and, thirdly, by deeds and actions, it is both expedient and just that God sliould be appeased, and that the sins committed against his Divine Majesty should be cancelled by tliree other means ; first, by contrition, which chiefly consists in thoughts, and resides in the heart ; secondly, by confession, Avhich is made by v/ord of mouth ; and, thirdly, by satisfaction, which consists in penitential works and deeds. As to sacramental confession, on whicl> I have ali-eady touched, there is no state, no character, no dignity or pre- eminence, that exempts the faithful from this duty. We are all sinners, and in consequence of our sins we are all subject to the same law ; the priest as well as the layman, the prince as well as the slave. We do not find in all history, an instance of any dispensation ever having been granted in this law, or even having been applied for by the greatest So- vereigns or Emperors of the earth, which is a further proof that confes- sion is not a human invention, but has been looked upon in all nations, 214 ON THE INSTITUTION AND NATURE and in all ages, since the clays of the Apostles, as a divine institution and precept, wherein the Church has no power to dispense. The writ- ings of the primitive Fathers plainly shew, that it is as ancient as Chris- tianity itself ; nay, even in the Law of Moses, which prefigured the New Law of Christ, a special confession of sins was expressly prescribed, as we read in the fifth chapter of the Book of Numbers, although it was not then sacramental. We read also in Leviticus, xiii. that those who Avere infected with the leprosy, which was a figure of sin, were obliged to shew themselves to the priests, and to submit to their judgment, which, according to the remark of the ancient Fathers, was an emblem of the confession of sins in the Sacrament of Penance. For this reason our Blessed Saviour commanded the ten lepers, who came to him to be cured of their leprosy, Luke, xvii. to go first and shew themselves to the priests, giving us thereby to understand that sinners, who are lepers in a mystical sense, must first approach the priests, and lay open the true state of their conscience before their souls can be cleansed and purified from the dangerous leprosy of mortal sin. Hence St. John says, 1 Epistle, i. 9. If we, confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity. St. James also, in his Epistle, V. 16. says, Confess therefore your sins one to another, and iway one for another, that you may be saved. St. Matthew iii. and St. Mark i. informs lis, that shoals of proselytes flocked from different parts of Judea to St. John the Baptist, doing penance and confessing their sins. It is likewise related in Acts, xix. that the first Christians cast themselves at the feet of the Apostles, and confessed the sins they had committed. Many that helieved came and confessed their deeds, that is, their sins, as St. John Chrysostom expounds it. St. Augustine, Lib. de Visit. Infirm, there- fore concludes, and says. If thou ivilt have Heaven open to thee, oi^en thy mouth in confession to the piriest. St. Cyprian also exhorts all sinners to a timely repentance, and to make an humble confession of their sins whilst their confession can be admitted, and their satisfaction and the pardon given them by the priests are available with God ; adding, moreover, that a delusive absolution, given at random, is dangerous to the givers and useless to the re- ceivers. St. Ambrose, who made the administration of the Sacrament of Penance a chief part of his pastoral care, wrote two books on this subject, wherein he explains all the parts and duties of penance ; and speaking particularly of the obligation of confessing sins, he says. Lib. 2. c. 6. If thou ivilt be justified, confess thy crime ; for an humble con- fession loosens the bonds of sin. It is recorded of this holy doctor, that whenever any person confessed their sins to him, he shed such an abund- ance of tears as to make the penitents also weep and give marks of their inward contrition, without which neither absolution nor confession can have any effect. The word Contrition comes from a Latin word that signifies to bruise or break a thing to pieces, and it is metaphorically applied to the heart of a true penitent, because it ought to be, as it Avere, bruised and broken asunder with grief and affliction for having sinned against the Lord. Contrition is generally denned an imvard sorroiv of the heart for having offended so good a God, with an hatred and detestation of sin, and a firm reso- lution to sin no more. There are tAvo sorts of contrition, perfect and imper- fect. Though Ave are to aim at perfect contrition, yet it is not essentially necessary with the sacramental absolution ; it is a singular grace of God, which few attain to. Such was the contrition of King David, of Mary OF THE SACRAMEXT OF rENANCE, 215 IMagJalen, of 8t. Peter, and some other Scripture penitents;. The Roman Catechism says, tliat it is very rare and dijficult to find the like contrition now-a-days, amidst the many vicissitudes of this life, and incentives of vice that daily occur, part, 2, c. 5. Tlie necessary qualities and con- dition of that contrition, which is to accompany confession, ai*e these four : First, it must be interior, or conceived and formed in the heart, which must hate and detest sin because it offends God. Second, it must be supernatural, and proceed from the grace of God, moving the peni- tent's soul by some motives of religion. Third, it must be sovereign, that is, above every other sorrow of the heart, as sin is above, or greater than any other evil. Fourth, it must be universal, or general, and ex- tend itself to every mortal sin, Avithout exception, that the penitent is guilty of, since he cannot be truly sorry for one, and hate it as being in- jurious and offensive to God, without being sorry for the other, and hating it for the same reason. It is not sufficient to be sorry for sin, be- cause it exposes the sinner to some worldly shame, scandal and disgrace, or because it has brought on him temporal misfortunes, losses, and dis- orders. Such a sorrow is merely natural, and no way relative to God, like the sorrow of a malefactor, who by his misdemeanors has brought himself to a shameful and untimely end. A person who never heard a word of the Christian religion, may repent upon the same motive ; nay, the damned souls in hell repent, and are very sorry for their past sins on this account. A true Gospel penitent must have a penitential abhorrence and detestation of sin, because it is displeasing to God's infinite good- ness. He must love God as the fountain of justice, and detest sin for his sake, because it is offensive to his Divine Majesty ; for, as St. Augustine says, Serm. 7. de Temp. Nothing renders a repentance certahi hut a love of God, and a hatred of sin. From contrition there springs a firm purpose of amendment ; for as a learned writer observes, contrition has two faces ; with the one it looks back at the sins already committed, and laments them with an aching heart ; with the other it looks forward, and regai'ds the time to come with a sincere resolution and fixed determin- ation of the will to sin no more, and of course to shun all the dangerous and immediate occasions that dispose unto mortal sin, either of their own nature, or by reason of a peculiar weakness of temper that is easily wrought upon. Hence St. Augustine says. If thou art j^enitent, be sorry for what thou hast done; if thou art sorry for it, do it no more, because if thou continuest to do it, thou art no penitent. A sincere penitent considers him- self to be much in the same condition of a person newly recovered out of a very heavy fit of sickness, who is therefore obliged to continue a re- gular diet and exercise for fear of a relapse ; he regards his own infirm will, like a torch that is newly blown out, and that may easily take fire and flame again with every blast of wind. This determines him to fly from whatever he foresees will be the cause of his spiritual ruin, with the same apprehension and care that a child dreads the fire that once burned him, and that a prudent mariner shuns the rocks, shelves, and quick- sands on which he was once shipwrecked. Satisfaction, in fine, which is the thii-d part of the Sacrament of Penance, springs also from the very substance and nature of contrition. By it is meant the faithful performance of the penitential works which are enjoined by the priest in the sacred tribunal, in order to repair the effects of sin, to prevent its return, to satisfy the divine justice, and atone for the temporal punishment due to sin, even after it is remitted, 216 ON THE DANGERS AND DIFFICULTIES both as to the guilt and eternal punishment. The actual performance of these good works belongs only to the integrity of the Sacrament of Penance, and is necessary to render it complete ; but the intention, will, or desire of performing them, is essentially included in a true repentance, which, like unto a good tree, is known by the fruits it produces. O Father of mercies, and God of all consolation, grant us the gift of such a repentance, that we may reap the benefit of thy divine institution, and partake of the manifold graces which thou hast annexed to it. O may we never be so ungrateful to thee, or so blind to our own spiritual welfare, as to slight and neglect this powerful means of salvation, or continue wallowing in the mire of iniquity, when we have so favourable an opportunity to effect the great work of our reconciliation with thee. "We throw ourselves this day at the feet of thy mercy, like the penitent Magdalen, and most humbly beseech thee to pardon our past irregulari- ties, and preserve us from future relapses, that persevering unto the end of our life in thy love and service, we may have the happiness to see and enjoy thee hereafter in the kingdom of Heaven for a never-ending eternity. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. ON THE DANGERS AND DIFFICULTIES OF A DELAYED CONVERSION. Ego sum pastor bonus St. Jo. c. x. v. II. I am the good shepherd St. John, c. x. v. IL The Redeemer of the "Woidd makes use of the most endearing expres- sions to mollify the stony hearts of sinners, and to reclaim them from their evil ways. One time he compares himself to an aifectionate father, embracing the prodigal child with open arms ; another time to a tender- hearted mother ; another time to a hen gathering her chickens together, and clierishing them under her Avings. In the Gospel of this day he. compares himself to a good shepherd that gives his life for his flock, and he lays before us the properties of a good shepherd, to convince us that he is as solicitous to procure our salvation, and to preserve us from des- truction, as the most vigilant shepherd is to protect his flock from the incursions of the wolves. Nothing can be more consoling, nothing more engaging than his affectionate language, which the Lord our Ged has been pleased to make use of in Holy Writ, in order to invite sinners to repentance. Though he is all-sutticient in himself, and flnds the com- pletest happiness in the contemplation of his own excellency and infinite perfections, yet he exjDresses for us the same concern as if his felicity Avas connected Avith, and dependant on our services. The dignity of Sovereign Lord and Master disappears, to make room for the tender solicitude of a loving fatlier and a good pastor ; his only care seems to be the securing of our eternal welfare, even to the prejudice of his OAvn interest ; but Avhat is most astonishing, is the little regard that is gener- ally paid to his merciful invitations. His threats and promises are treated alike. Sinners run on blindly in the broad road of everlasting perdition, and entangle themselves in a labyrinth of criminal disorders, OF A DELAYED COK VERSION. 217 without the least appi-eliension of that dreadful punishment which is reserved for them in the next v^'orld, during the whole length of a never- ending eternity. The Almighty calls upon them to repent ; he presses and solicits them to renounce their evil ways ; he invites them to have recoui-se to the throne of mercy without delay, and yet, alas ! as if they were determined to tire his patience and wear out his mercy, they are deaf to his calls, and procrastinate their repentance from day to day. They slight his sweet invitations to conversion, and refuse to forsake their sins upon a presumptuous confidence and reliance on his unbounded mercy. In short, they remit their conversion to old age, when the ardour of their youthfid passions will be abated ; and they flatter themselves Avith the notion, that they will have time enough to think of doing penance in their last sickness, or on their death-bed, when they are glutted with the alluring pleasures of sense, weary of walking in the paths of iniquity, and no longer able to commit sin. Hence arise their disorders and misfor- tunes. But to destroy these most pernicious illusions by two simple and natural propositions, I will endeavour to show you that nothing is more dangerous than to defer repentance from day to day, and live in disgrace with God upon a project of repenting in the end ; first, because it is the way to render the sinner's conversion always more difiicalt ; and secondly, because it is the way to render it sometimes in a manner impossible. Behold the entire plan of the following discourse, and the subject of your favourable attention. Let us previously implore the assistance of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed mother of Jesus, &c. Ave Maria. There is not, there cannot be a more dangerous illusion, than to per- sist Avilfully in the unhappy state of sin, and put off your conversion from day to day, upon a project of repenting in the end of your life. First, because a sudden and unforeseen accident may prevent the very possibility of your repenting at that critical period, and cast your souls in the twinkling of an eye into hell's unquenchable flames. Human nature, which, in other respects, is so fond of itself, would appear almost inca- pable of a stupidity so unreasonable, and of an insensibility so deplorable, if sad experience did not prove that even in the very midst of Christianity there a:-e many, too many to be found, who upon the confidence of a futui-e conversion, continue whole years together in the dismal state of, perhaps, as many mortal sins in thought, word and deed, as they have hairs on their head, though it is an article of their faith, that if they have the misfortune to be surprised by a sudden and unprovided death, whilst they are under the guilt of one single mortal sin unrepented, it alone is sufficient to render them liable to etei'nal damnation, and to strike their names for ever out of the book of life. One would imagine that this consideration alone should deter a Christian from living one hour in a bad state, Avhere Heaven and eternity are at stake, and in manifest danger of being irreparably lost. "We came into the vforld when it pleased the Almighty, and we must leave it when he thinks proper. We know'not the day, nor the hour, nor the minute, for he has confined the knowledge of it to himself; every moment may be our last, and wc have but a mere perhaps, that the ensuing instant may not be for us the beginning of our eternity. Is it not then, my brethren, a monstrous presumption, to pro- mise ourselves that we Avill live to do penance in old age, as if Ave were masters of the time to come, and really acquainted Avith the secrets of futurity? Is it not an insupportable insolence, a glaring injustice, and 218 ON THE DANGERS AND DIFFICULTIES the most barefaced ingratitude, tlius to appoint and reserve the last, the least, and the worst part of our life for the service of our most bountiful Creator, after so many signal benefits received, and so many solemn promises of giving us the kingdom of Heaven as a recompence for our fidelity ? Is it not, in fine, the very height of insensibility, and of cruelty, to our own souls, thus to expose them to the imminent danger of losing God and his glory, and of being condemned to burn in flames of fire with merciless devils for all eternity ? Alas ! how many thousands of unhappy souls are now burning in hell, who in their life-time had as little notion of damning themselves and dying in their sins, as any sinner in this con- gregation has ? They presumptuously delayed their conversion from day to day, from week to week, from month to month, from year to year, as I fear some of you unfortunately do, until at length by a just judg- ment of Crod, they were suddenly cut off the face of the earth when they least expected it, and hurried away to the bar of Divine Justice, without having time to make a single act of contrition, or implore forgiveness of their sins. How many terrifying examples do we read in Holy Writ, and in Church History, of such sinners, who in an instant were thus snatched aAvay in the very bloom of life, by lightning, earthquakes, paralytic strokes, apoplexies, suffocations, or the like unexpected acci- detits ; whilst they relied on the appearance of a flourishing constitution, and flattei'ed themselves with a long series of prosperous years. Whilst they were pursuing their worldly projects, and forming to themselves imaginary schemes of a future repentance, death having suddenly over- taken them in their full career-, blasted all their presumptuous expecta- tions, and in just punishment of their final impenitence, they were sentenced to that bottomless pit of endless woe, where, as the Scripture says, thew loorm ivill never die, and their fire loill never be extinguished. Thus it is, that the Lord threatens to serve those who shut their ears to his sweet calls, slight his graces, abuse his mercy, and provoke his justice, by putting off their conversion. They are surprised in the evil day, says Ecclesiasticus, and caught vinawares, like unto a fish that is caught with the fisherman's hook, and swallows the bait instead of nourishment, at the very time that it is basking in the water ; or like unto a bird which is suddenly entangled in the fowler's net, the very moment that it is • singing and diverting itself and others with its melodious notes, without the least apprehension of danger. Hence the wise man exhorts all sin- ners in the following words : Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day, for his lorath shall come on a sudden, and in the time of vengeance he loill destroy thee, Eccles. v. 8. Unless, therefore, my bre- thren, the loss of your God, the loss of his heavenly kingdom, and the eternal ruin of your immoi'tal souls, be objects below your concern, you will conclude with me that nothing is more dangerous than to put off" your conversion, and of course you will seek the Lord yoiu* God by a speedy and sincere repentance, Avhenever you unhappily lose him and his sanctifying grace by any mortal sin. It is a most dreadful thing to be an enemy of God, though it were only for one day, or a single night ; for which I'eason you should never suffer any considerable time to intervene between your fall and your rise, lest, perhaps, when you close your eyes to sleep, you may never unclose them again, or awake and return to your senses, but to view the infernal regions of the damned, and to feel unspeakable torments. AVhat has happened to thousands of sinners may equally happen to you, and it is both your interest and duty to grow wise OF A DELAYED CONVERSION. 219 at their expense, rather than by jour own woful experience. If you have your eternal salvation at heart, you will follow the counsel of the Holy Ghost, who advises you to be mindful of your Creator in the days of your youth, and to fly immediatehj from sin, as from the face of a venemous serjyent ; you will not neglect the means of salvation in time of health, or persevere in sin upon a project of repenting in old age, when the heat of your youthful passions is over. To defer your conversion to old age, is the way to render it always more difficult, and to multiply obstacles ; for such is the fatal prerogative of sin, as St. Gregory remarks, that when it is not washed off by a speedy repentance, one sin naturally procreates and draws on another, which makes the sinner's case grow worse and worse every day, and removes him at a greater distance from God, and from the way of salvation, insomuch that he that is not fit to repent to- day, will be less fit to-morrow. Every new sin adds a new link to the chain that holds him in bondage, and affords the devil a fresh opportunity to fortify himself more strongly in his soul. By a continuance in sin he gradually contracts an evil habit, which takes deeper root every day, until at length, in process of time, it grows into second nature, and like old diseases, it becomes almost incvirable. This made holy Job say, that the very hones of an old inveterate sinner shall he rejjlenished with the crimes of his youth, and that they shcdl sleep with him in the grave. This made St. Augustine compare such sinners to so many Lazaruses, who are not to be raised to the life of grace, without great difficulties, and many tears. What folly is it then, my brethren, to defer your conversion to old age, when so many obstacles and impediments will be multiplied, and so many criminal habits and engagements will be contracted, that even though you should have a sincere desire of repenting then, they will be capable of deterring you from undertaking so arduous an enterprise ? If at present, in your perfect health, it seems difficult to do penance, to fast, to pray, to mortify yourselves, and practise those good works which the Church enjoins repenting sinners, how will you do it in old age, when the body recpiires to be cherished rather than chastised ? If you find it unpleasant after three or four years disobedience to the laws of God and his Church, to resist your passions, and root out from your hearts the love of those favourite sins and darling vices which have defiled your souls, what will it be when twenty years more are added to the account ? How will you be able to discharge the weighty obligations which the guilt of so many years requires ? Who can assure you that the time to come Avill be as favourable for your conversion as the present time ? Many sinners have attained to old age, and died then like stupid logs, or dumb and senseless beasts, according to the expression of St. Gregory ; for as they forgot God in their life-time, so by a just judgment they are suffered to forget themselves at the hour of death, and to die as they lived, without any serious thought of doing penance and making a pro- vision for a happy eternity. Being daunted at the sight of so many obstacles and difiiculties which they have to surmount, they are some- times tempted to give themselves up to despair, and like unhappy Cain, to think their crimes too grievous to be ever forgiven. Moreover, it frequently happens that they are then deprived of the use of their reason by a malignant fever, or some other violent distemper. Under these cir- cumstances repentance is rendered in a manner impossible ; they are not in a condition to partake of the favourable supports of religion, and 220 ON THE DANGERS AND DIFFICULTIES of course the holy Sacraments of reconciliation, which are so beneficial to others, become useless and unprofitable to them. Thus it is that the justice of God often punishes, by a subtraction of his gracious favours, those who in their health abuse his mercy as an encouragement to sin, and reserve for him only the ruins and dregs of old age, after spending the flower of their life, and the best of their days, in the pursuit of vice and in the service of the devil. But let us suppose that they retain the use of their reason, and cry out in their perfect senses for the assistance of a Clergyman in their last illness, I still contend for it, that a late repentance, or a death-bed conversion, is so dangerous, so deceitful, so uncertain, and attended with so many ditficulties, that nothing but a groundless and insupportable presumption can induce sinners to flatter themselves with the notion of it. The very situation renders them in- capable of making any regular preparation, or disposing their souls for receiving the last sacraments worthily ; for how is it possible that a poor unfortunate sinner, who for a long series of years has been a stranger to every Christian virtue, and a slave to every fashionable vice, and who has deferred his repentance to the last hour, should be able to accomplish so great a work properly, when he is struggling between life and death? How .will he be able to examine his conscience, and to recount the crimes of a life entirely spent in the neglect of every duty, and in a total obli- vion of God and of his salvation ? Penance, according to the holy Fathers, is a laborious baptism, that requires great violence and rude mor- tifications ; it is a bread of sorrow and tears, with which a true penitent must be nourished ; and, as the Council of Trent observes, God's gi^ace, forfeited after baptism, is not to be recovered without great labours and many penitential tears ; it usually costs those who are in perfect health much time and labour to woi'k themselves into the necessary dispositions of a Gospel penitent, and to disengage their hearts from sinful aftections of a long growth. We may judge, then, how unequal a sinner must be for so arduous a task, Avhen he is seized all over with a mortal anguish, and besieged on all sides with the pangs and agonies of an approaching dissolution. When he comes to that extremity, he is not, commonly, so sensible of his guilt, nor so efllcaciously touched with the remorse of a sincere sorrow for his past crimes, as he is distracted Vv'ith the terrors of death, and the dark visionary apprehensions of the awful judgment which is immediately to ensue. The pains and agonies, both of mind and body, together with the heaviness and stupidity caused by his sickness, are enough to disqualify him, in a great measure from applying seriously to the important affair of his soul's eternal salvation ; his thoughts will, at that time, run to the place where the force of his pain and the violence of his disorder lies. Many other obstacles and impediments will occur then, such as the sight of a disconsolate wife, of weeping childi-en and friends, the flattery of the world, the hopes of recovery vv^ith which he is deceived, the desire of life, and the temptations of the devil, who at that critical period is most active to procure his eternal perdition. May I not then justly say, that no time is more unfit or more improper for sinners to begin their conversion ? In that extremity, generally speaking, they only part Avith their sins as sailors in the midst of a violent tempest part with the cargo of a ship, to fish it up again Avhen the storm is over. Every thing is done in a hurry, and Avith precipitation. The rites of the Church are hastily administered by the attending clergyman, because they Avere deferred to the last extremity, and the case is pressing and Avill OF A DELAYED CONVEKSlOxV. 221 admit of no further delay. In fine, some outward signs of repentance are, perhaps, giving by the dying sinner, and thus he launches into eter- nity, to appear before the tremendous Tribunal of his Sovereign Judge. But all these exterior performances and appearances, however favourable they may seem in the eyes of the world, will avail him no more in the sight of the all-seeing God, unless they be accompanied Avith the interior sorrow and conversion of the heart, than the like outward appearances of repentance formerly availed the unfortunate King Antiochus, who, as Ave read in the second book of Machabees, obtained no mercy, but died in his sins, and Avas eternally lost, because his heart Avas not truly changed and converted, though he implored forgiveness Avith siglis and tears in his last extremity. HoAvever, the greatest profligate on earth should never despair, but should employ his last moments in preparing for a happy death. If he be so unfortunate as to have his repentance to begin at the end of his life, he ought to do all that is then in his poAver, and endeavour to beAvail his past sins in the bitterness of his soul, with an entire confidence in the merits of his blessed Redeemer and the unbounded mercies of God Avho never rejects a contrite and humbled heart. But as no one is to despair, so no one is to presume, or to defer his repentance, and continue in sin to the end of his life, because God is gracious and merciful ; for as St. Gregory says, he who has promised mercy and pardon to those that truhj repent^ has never promised the grace of a true repentance to those xuho defer it. On the contrary, the Divine Mercy, when slighted, abused and despised, turns, at length, into indignation, and defeats the wicked policy and insolence of those presumptuous sinners Avho reject its gracious offers and think only of leaving sin Avhen sin leaves them. Hearken to what the Lord says. Proverbs, i. 24. Because I called, and you refused ; I stretched out my hand, and there teas none that regarded ; you have despised all my counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions ; I also ivill laugh in your destruction, and nill moch ivhen that shall come to you ivhich you feared ; and again, in St. John, vii. You shall seek me, and shall not find me, and you shall die in your sins. After such a dreadful sentence, Avill you say, my brethren, that it is never too late to repent ? Will you continue to offend God as lono- as you are able, and resolve only to make your peace Avith him when*you are tired of the world, and no longer able to gratify jouv passions ? Do not those sinners justly deserve to be abandoned by God at the hour of death, Avho abandoned him in their life-time, and only intend to return to him when their souls are defiled all over with sin, and their bodies worn out Avith drunkenness, intemperance, and debauchery ? Do they not deserve to be disappointed Avho expect to go to Heaven by walking on boldly in the direct road that leads to hell and everlasting perdition ? Is it to be supposed that a sinful life, thus wilfully conti* nued, will terminate in a happy death ? No, says the great Augustine, for men generally die as they live,- and he seldom dies tcell who lived z/^/'and again, in his Exposition of Psalm liv., the penance that is done by a sick man is sick; and that ivhich is done hy a dying man, I fear, is also dead ; for though a true repentance never comes too late, yet a late repentance', or a death-bed couAersion, is seldom or ever true and sincere. In the Avhole Sci-ipture Ave haA^e but one instance in f\n-ourof a late repentance, iiymely, that of the good thief on (he cross, an example so singular in all its circumstances, that it sliould by no means encourage sinner.s to 222 ON THE DANGERS AND DIFFICULTIES OF A DELAYED CONVERSION. trust to a late repentance, or venture tlieir eternal salvation upon so desperate an issue as a cleatli-bed conversion, especially, since to coun- terbalance this extraordinary instance of God's mercy, they have a most terrifying instance of Divine Justice in the other thief, who at the same time was suffered to die in his sins, and to descend from the temporal punishment of the cross, and from the very side of Jesus Christ, into the eternal torments of hell. May God of his infinite mercy preserve every one here from the like misfortune ; and it is with this view I come this day to apprise you, in the name of the living God, that the only time you can depend on for accomplishing the gi^eat work of your reconciliation, is the present time, when you are in health, and capable of applying the proper means, and whilst the sun of grace and mercy shines, and the arms of your crucified Redeemer are open, to embrace those who return to him in the sincerity of their hearts. If, therefore, thex-e should happen to be any sinners in this congre- gation whose consciences fly in their faces, and tell them that they have been straying away these several years past from the narrow path of salvation, and turning their backs upon God and his Church, neglecting the holy sacraments, and involving themselves deeper and deeper in the mire of iniquity, and in the criminal habits of cursing, swearing, blas- liheming, drunkenness, injustice, debauchery, or the like detestable vices, O let me entreat them to sleep no longer unconcerned on the brink of hell, and in the arms of perdition, but to repent in time, that they may not have reason hereafter to repent in vain for all eternity in the flames of hell. Let me beseech them, without any further loss of time, to shake off the galling yoke of the devil, and to banish from the temple of their souls those favourite vices and foul monsters of sin, which they have hitherto cherished in their breasts, to the great con- tempt and injury of the Lord their God. Let me remind them, that the more time they lose, and the longer they put off their conversion, the worse their case will grow every day, the greater difficulties will arise, the more their evil habits will be strengthened, the more unworthy they will render themselves of the gracious favours of Heaven, and the greater risk thay will run of having the gate of mercy eternally shut in their face. Let me, in fine, exhort them with apostolic words, to hasten- with confidence to the throne of divine grace, to throw themselves with humi- lity at the feet of God's mercy without further delay, to acknowledge their past ingratitude with sorrow, and to implore forgiveness with a firm purpose of sinning no more. Grant us all this grace, O Father of mercies and giver of all good gifts. Thou hast declared, that thou desirest not the death of a sinner, but that he be converted and live. Convert us then, O Lord, and we shall be converted. Prostrate at thy feet, we resolve from this moment to arise from the profound lethargy of sin. Vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to assist us herein. Deliver us from the tyranny of our passions, and break asunder the chains of our evil habits, which have enslaved us so long. Mollify our hardened hearts, and melt them into tears of compunction, that our souls being purified in the Avaters of penance from the foul stains of sin, we may be admitted one day into the eternal mansions of bliss, which thou, O loving Jesus hast purchased for us by the effusion of thy precious blood, and which, my dear brethren, I Avish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. A7nen. ON THE HABIT OF SIN. , 223 THIKD SUNDAY AFTEE EASTER. ON THE HABIT OF SIN. Qui facit peccatum servus est peccati — St. Jo. c. viii. v. 34. He whp committeth Sin is the servant of Sin — St. John, c. viii. t. 34. To be a slave to sin is a dreadful servitude, a deplorable bondage and captivity. It is to be a slave to a cruel tyrant and to the most danger- ous enemy of our salvation, an enemy that is intent on nothing less than our utter ruin, and the loss of our souls. It is to be a slave to an enemy that robs us of God, and his grace ; that divests us of all right to Hea- ven, and exposes us to the evident danger of perishing for all eternity. Such is the formidable enemy that sinners ai'e enslaved by, especially when they have contracted a habit of sin by frequently relapsing into it. Of such unfortunate sinners we may affirm, in the language of the Scripture, that they are tied ivith the cords of sin, bound with the fetters of iniquity, and pass their days in a miserable bondage. Vice gains an absolute ascendant and dominion over them ; it becomes through custom a second nature, and reduces them to a kind of necessity of servilely obeying all its commands, and submitting to its tyrannical laws. How many sad examples do we daily see of this fatal necessity in drunkards, cursers, swearers, blasphemers, letchers, and other habitual sinners, who miserably groan whole years together under the chains of their favourite vices ? They are frequently galled with the dreadful weight, and even resolve to shake off the burden, but they have not courage or strength even when they seem to have a mind. They fail in the attempt, and scarce advance one step towards a reformation of life when they are overpowered by a vicious habit, and relapse into the same heinous crimes. To make you thoroughly sensible, my brethren, of the dangerous state and deplorable servitude of such relapsing and habitual sinners ; to caution you against the fatal consequences and misfortunes that are incurred by a long habit of relapsing, and to prescribe suitable remedies against such dreadful evils, is the design of the following dis- course. The dangers and difficulties that a habit of sin involves a sinner in, shall be the subject of my first point. The means to overcome these difficulties shall be the subject of the second. Let us previously implore the divine assistance, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Ave Maria, Although mankind has a strong propensity to evil, yet few plunge themselves headlong into the gulph of vice at once, or become completely wicked on a sudden ; for, as virtue has its degrees, by which men ascend gradually to the height of perfection, vice, in like manner, has certain degrees, by which they descend into the abyss of iniquity. One crime not speedily washed off by a sincere repentance, as St. Gregory observes, naturally leads the sinner on to another, till a vicious habit is gradually formed by sinful acts several times repeated. When a habit of sin is thus contracted, it begets a kind of second nature, which, as St. Au- gustine says, in Ps. xxx., is only to be overcome by painful and tedious conflicts ; for every one knows how deeply our natural inclinations are rooted in the soul, how strongly the weight of concupiscence influences the heart of a sinner and bends it to vice, and what a wonderful force it gives to e\eyy habit that seconds the vicious inclinations of nature. To 224 ON Tlli: HABIT Oh' SIN. surmount a habit of this sort is a work of time that requires much hibour and hardship. It is, indeed, easy to dislodge sin and to stop its progress in the beginning, Avlien first it gains admittance into the soul, as it is easy to bend a tender twig, or to pull up a young tree lately planted ; but as a strong grown tree, that has cast deep roots into the earth, is not to. be cut down with one stroke of an axe, or to be removed without much labour and diiiiculty, so, in like manner, sin, that is strengthened by time, and becomes habitual by repeated relapses, is not to be rooted up and overthrown but by the most vigorous efforts. It is difiicult to cure a leg or an arm that has been often fractured, or to cleanse and sweeten a vesL^el that has been infected for a long time with some putrid matter. Judge, then, what pains and labour it must cost to heal and purify the soul of a sinner habituated in vice, and infected Avith a long train of sinful disorders. If relapses into bodily distempers be more dangerous, more fatal, and harder to be cured than the former disorder, it is easy to conceive how frequent relapses into sin render the case of an habitual sinner continually worse and more desperate, accord- ing to these v»^ords of the Gospel, Luke xi., The Imt state of that man becomes worse than the first. His wounds, by being neglected, gradually fester and mortify, and his spiritual maladies, by a long continuance, become at length almost incurable, and usually terminate in the eternal death of his soul. What renders the state of relapsing sinners so dangerous, and their conversion so extremely difficult, is, because the ordinary means whereby God recalls sinners to repentance become useless to them, through their own negligence, obstinacy, and perverseness ; they either totally neglect the holy sacraments, or approach them without the necessary dispositions. The habit of sin gives them a distaste for exercises of piety and spiri- tual duties ; it stifles all the remorseness of conscience, and renders them insensible to the most enormous crimes, and, as the Scripture phrase expresses it, it makes them swallow down iniquitij as xvater, without reluctance. Every relapse removes them at a greater distance from God, and renders them more unworthy of his grace, as it implies a more barefaced contempt of his Divine Majesty, a greater abuse of his mercy, a blacker ingratitude, a baser treachery and perfidiousness. Every fresh crime they commit adds a new link to the chain that holds them in bond- age, and consequently puts a fresh obstacle to their conversion. The devil, ever jealous of his prey, is, in the interim, continually gaining ground and acquiring an addition of power over them, until at length, by a long habit of relapsing, they establish his tyrannical dominion over them in such a mannei', and strengtlien their own fetters to that degree, that they will not have the courage or resolution to shake off his galling yoke without the help of an extraordinary grace, which they have no reason to expect. Hence tlie Gospel compares the relapsing and habi- tual sinner to a man, Avho, after having been dispossessed of one devil, opens his heart for him again, and becomes the dwelling-place of seven other devils more wicked than the former. The force of a vicious habit appeared visibly in the great Augustine. O what struggles, what interior conflicts, what violent combat, what sio-hs and tears did it not cost him, 1>efore he was able to dissolve his criminal en"-ao'ements, and extricate himself from that sad captivity to which he had been reduced by a habit of sin ? Hear himself bewailing the disorders of his past life, Conf. 1. 8, c. 5. Alas ! says he, I was tied, ON THE HABIT OF SIN. 225 but by whom ? by my own Avill, which grew as hard as iron. The devil became absohite master of it, and led it as he pleased ; he made of a criminal passion a heavy chain, with which he held me fast, and from which I could not disengage myself. O sad captivity ! continues the holy penitent. O strange servitude ! I complained of it, and yet I loved it ; I was willing to be released from it, and I was, notwithstanding, still desirous to remain in it ; I made some efforts to abandon vice, but the efforts I made Avere like unto the feeble efforts of a man in a slumber, who is willing to get out of bed, and for this purpose now and then raises his head, but instantly falls back, overpowered by sleep, and benumbed with drowsiness, even when he has a mind to arise, and when reason tells him it is high time. In this perplexity of mind, says the renowned penitent, my heart broke out into sighs, and my eyes were bathed with tears ; I retired alone to weep, and then my tears flowed in abundance : I addi'essed myself to Heaven, and cried out, How long, O Lord, how long shall I be governed by a cruel passion, and when will that happy moment come in which I shall see myself delivered fi'om it ? To-morrow — to-morrow. Why not this day ? Why not this hour ? Why do I not put an end to my criminal excesses this very instant ? Such was the painful and tedious conflict of the great Augustine with the habit of sin ! It is true, he triumphed over it at length ; but how ? By a miracle in the order of grace. His conversion was the effect of the all-powerful voice of God, which the veiy dead obey, and without which he never would have gained over himself so complete a victory. Hence the illustrious penitent, perceiving a happy and unexpected change in himself, and filled with sentiments of gratitude, joy and admiration, repeatedly cried out, 0 God of mercy, my chains are broken, may thou be blessed for ever. 0 my God, let my heart burn incessantly tvith the love of thee, and let my tongue still titter thy jjraises, as a grateful acknow- ledgment for thy inexpressible favours. So true it is, my brethren, that the conversion of an habitual sinner is a most difficult task, that costs much labour and pains, and requires sin- gular and extraordinary efforts. St. John Chrysostom did not hesitate to say, that it is a greater work than the raising of a dead man to life. Hence our blessed Saviour, who disposed all things according to the views of his adorable wisdom, not only intended to give tlie Jews a proof of his divinity, Avhen he raised the dead to life, but also was willing that the visible miracles, which he wrought in their favour, should serve to represent the invisible miracle that is wrought by his divine grace^ in the ^■ spiritual resurrection of a sinner from the death of mortal sin. The Gospel only makes mention of three persons whom he visibly raised from the dead, and these three, according to St. Augustine, were figures of three different classes of sinners. The first he raised was tlie daughter of a Prince or Euler of the Jewish synagogue, Matt. ix. The second was the son of the widow of Nairn, St. Luke, vii. The third was Laza- rus, the brother of Martha and Mary, John, xi. When he raised the Prince's daughter, he no sooner took hold of her hand, and said, Girl, arise, but she came immediately to life again. When he raised the widow's son he did something more ; he stopped the multitude ; he went over and touched the bier on which the corpse was carried ; lie spoke three or four words, and commanded the d(;ad man to rise u[) in the pre- sence of his mother and friends, who were escorting him to the grave ; but when he raised Lazarus, he not only spoke, but raised his voice r 226 ON THE HABIT OF SIN. aloud, and cried out, Lazarus, come forth ; he lifted up his eyes to Heaven, he prayed, he wept, he sighed, he was troubled more than usual, and gave all the marks of an action that required a singvilar effort, and an extraordinary power. It may appear somewhat strange that Christ our Lord should act so differently in raising these three dead persons to life ; but St, Augustine unravels the mystery, by teaching us that the dif- ference of their resurrection marks out to us the different operations of divine grace in the conversion of different sorts of sinners, whose spiritual resurrection was prefigured by their corporal resurrection, as their cor- poral death represented the deplorable effects of sin, and the dismal state of a sinner. The daughter of the prince of the synagogue had but just expired that instant. To raise her again to life cost our Saviour no great trouble or pains ; no extraordinary miracle was necessary. The widow's son was farther gone ; he was not only dead, but also laid upon a bier, and carried out in order to be buried. To restore him to life was a work of more absolute powei*, for which reason our blessed Saviour made use of his authority, and commanded him to rise up ; but Lazarus was already four days dead, interred and corrupted ; his hands and feet wei'e tied with bandages, his head Avas bound witli a napkin, and his monument was covered with a stone of great magnitude. To bring him to life Avas a more difficult task. Nothing less than an extraordinary miracle was necessary ; nothing less than a vigorous effort and exertion of the Almighty power of the Son of Cxod was required. The first of these three represents such souls as have but just fallen into sin. It is a more easy matter to restore them to the life of grace. The second represents such as are not only spiritually dead by sin, but are also laid,' as it were, upon a bier, and carried away by their criminal passions tovv'ards the grave of a sinful habit ; stronger graces are required for the raising of them. But Lazarus represents the dismal state of the relaps- ing and habitual sinner, whose conversion is attended with uncommon difficulties. Lazarus was a figure of those inveterate sinners, those notorious cursers, swearers, letchers, &c. who lie dead and buried in the habit of mortal sin as in a grave, and that not for four days only, but perhaps four years, nay, ten, twenty or thirty years, communicating the con.- tagion of their vices to others, and infecting them by their scandalous example. The bandages with which the hands and feet of Lazarus were tied, represent the chains and fetters of sin with wdiich they are bound ; the stone tliat covered his grave represents the weight of a long sinful habit under which they labour, and which presses them down to the earth with such force, that St. Augustine cries out, 0 how difficult is it for him to rise, who is pressed doivn hij the iveight of an evil habit ? In fine, all the different circumstances wherein the Gospel represents Lazarus to have been before his resuri-ection, denote the dismal state and deplorable bondage of habitual sinners, and the difficulties that obstruct their spiri- tual resurrection ; they ai-e, as St. Augustine speaks, so many Lazaruses, not to be raised to the life of grace without many tears, and a prodigious miracle of the grace of Jesus Christ. It was for them that Christ Avas troubled at the sight of Lazarus's tomb ; it was for them he then sighed and wept; for AAdiat was more deserA^ng of the tears of the Son of God, bays St. Augustine, than a soul created after the image of God, but become a slave of the devil by mortal sin ? What subject more capable of drawing tears from the eyes of Jesus Christ, than to behold what he ON THE HABIT OP SIN. 227 ransomed at the expence of his precious blood, enveloped in criminal engagements, and buried in the habit of sin, in the very centre of perdition ? The habitual sinner, reduced to this situation, falls by degrees into a kind of insensibility, that paves the way to final impenitence. When he first fell into sin, he blushed and was ashamed of his weakness ; his con- science was alarmed at his misfortune ; but when he has often relapsed into the same crime, and suffered a liabit to be formed, he no longer feels any pain, trouble, or inquietude. Oninepeccatum constietudine vilescit, says St. Augustine ; he is a profound tranquillity, though he is an enemy to God, and a slave to the devil, liable every instant to become a. victim to the scorching flames of hell. The fire of charity being extinguished in his soul, his heart grows as hard as a rock, says St. Grregory. It is har- dened, says St. Augustine, like water which is changed into ice in the winter, when the sun Avitlidraws its brilliant rays from it. The best advices have no more effect on him than drops of water have on a stone ; they may, indeed, by falling frequently, make some little cavities, or some superficial impression, but will not effect his conversion. A zealous preacher may, perhaps, strike out of the flinty heart of such a sinner, a sigh, a tear, a feeble desire of repentance ; he may extort some fair pro- mises of amendment : he may work him into some pious resolutions ; but, alas ! instead of executing them, he will fly back again at the first temptation, and gratify the vice to which he is a slave. He may, per- haps, sometimes say within himself, as Sampson did when he found him- self in captivity among the Philistines, I will disengage and extricate myself from this bondage ; but if he attempts, he sinks like that unfortu- nate Prince of Israel, under the weight of his chains. He finds himself so entangled and involved in such a deplorable servitude, that he has neither courage, resolution, or strength to break the fetters into which he has thrown himself by a constant custom of relapsing. I have now laid before you the dangerous state, and the deplorable servitude of an habitual and relapsing sinner, in order to deter you against the like mis- fortune. You have heard what difficulties a vicious habit opposes to his conversion. Let us briefly consider the means to overcome these difficul- ties. This is the subject of the second point which I shall reduce to a few words. The force of inflnite power is not less visible, says the Apostle, in the conversion of sinners, than in the resurrection of the dead ; for it is the same wonderful power of God that restores the dead to life, and that raises the sinner from the death of sin to the life of grace. I find only this diflference, that the all-powerful voice of God, Avhich penetrates to the bottom of the deepest abyss, and which calls the dead from the grave, meets with no resistance in a dead body, into which it diffuses life and motion ; whereas the sinner, whose soul is dead by sin, seems to retain some remains of his former strength and vigour only to resist and oppose this voice, which can call and raise him from the gulph of vice, and from that abyss of iniquity, in which he lies plunged. Notwithstanding, how difficult soever the conversion of such a sinner may be, it is still possible, and he may yet become a vessel of election. He is, therefore, never to despair, like unhappy Judas or wicked Cain, but rather to confide, like the penitent Magdalen, and have immediate recourse to the means that are proper to effect the important work of his reconciliation with God. 228 ON THE HABIT OF SIN. The first of these means is prayer ; I mean humble, devout, and fervent prayer, accompanied with fasting and alms-deeds. If then, my brethren, any one amongst you has the misfortune to be enslaved by a vicious habit, ask earnestly of God to be delivered from so dreadful a bondage ; ask in the name of Jesus, who has solemnly promised that whatsoever you ask the Father in his name shall be granted to you. Speak to him in the moving language in which Martha and Magdalen did when they petitioned for the health of their brother Lazarus, Lord, behold he ivho/a thou lovest is sick ; Lord, he whom thou hast created and formed to thy own image ; Lord, he whom thou hast redeemed Avith thy precious blood, and could 1 presume to say it, he whom thou still lovest is sick ; wilt thou suffer him to die and perish for all eteiniity ? Wilt thou suffer that soul to be lost, which thou hast so dearly purchased ? ]\Iake this prayer in the morning ; make it in the evening ; make it at the foot of the altar ; make it in your own house. If the sisters of Lazarus had not prayed, Lazarus would not have been restored to life. The more you are im- mersed in criminal habits, the more yovi are to redouble the fervour of your prayer ; the louder you are to cry to Heaven for mercy and pardon, in imitation of the Royal Prophet, who, Ps. cxxix. cried out from the deep abyss, De profundis, &c. From the depths have I cried to thee, 0 Lord ; O Lord hear my voice. The second means to overcome a habit of vice is retirement, solitude and meditation. Disengage yourselves for a few days fi'om the embarrassments of worldly concerns, which hinder you to think of your salvation ; withdraw for a while from the noise of the world ; retire from the hurry of business, and reflect seriously on the misery and danger of your present unhappy state : reflect on the multi-' tude and enormity of your crying sins ; reflect on the patience of God, who has borne with you so long, and on his bounty, which makes him ready to receive you with open ai-ms, provided you return to him in the sincerity of your hearts. If you allow yourselves a little time of cool reflection on these great truths, you will be convinced that Heaven should be purchased let what Avill be the price, and sin should be dreaded more than death itself. These reflections, deeply imprinted in your minds, will rouse you from the profound lethargy of sin, will make you triumph over vice, and have recourse to the holy Sacraments of reconciliation with a sincere repentance, which is the only balsam that can rescue you from the jaws of hell, and fit you for Heaven, by being duly applied to the deep and mortal wounds which sin has inflicted on your souls. The third and last means to overcome a habit of vice is to shun the occasions of sin, according to that rule prescribed in the Gospel, St. Matt, xviii. 8. If thy hand, or thy foot, scandalize thee, cut it of, and cast it from thee ; and if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee ; that is, you must renoiTnce what is most dear to you in the world, sooner than remain in the occasion of offending God and losing your soul. In vain do you flatter yourselves that you will subdue your inordinate pas- sions, and triumph over your vicious habits, without taking these neces- sary precautions. In vain do you expect that your heart will be truly changed, while you live in the midst of those dangers and tliose engage- ments, which have a thousand times baffled your very best resolutions. In vain do you think that you Avill be chaste and sober; whilst you frequent those places Avhcre intemperance is indulged, and -whilst you will not be prevailed on to shun those familiarities, those private visits, ON THE HABIT OF SIN. 229 those pestilential houses, those amorous novels and lascivious companions, that have so often debauched and corrupted your morals. Notwithstand- ing Ave frequently meet sinners, who tired of their criminal disorders, and wearied in the ways of iniquity, would be Avilling to reform their lives, and return to God, but still are not determined to withdraw from those objects and those snares which have so often proved fatal to their innocence. They indeed make some advances, some Iteble efforts towards a conversion ; they address themselves to a spiritual director, and do not hesitate to make many fair promises and good resolutions ; they are en- gaged to consent to a salutary delay of the sacramental absolution, that they may in the interim, give some satisfactory proof of the sincerity of their repentance, and take some measures that seem expedient to effect a true change of life. The time and the day on which they are to return to the sacred tribunal is marked out. This time, this day being come, instead of returning to give an account of their perseverance, they ai'e seen no more ; some unlucky adventure comes across them, and thi'ows them again into the occasion of sin, or perhaps they seek it of their own accord. This is sufficient to deter them from approaching the fountains of grace ; they complain Avithout reason, of the just severity with Avhich they are treated, in being refused the absolution luitil they are qualified to receive it with advantage to their souls. They pass their days in vainly detest- ing their chains, without being delivered from their bondage. Penitents in appearance, but always sinners in reality, because they are unwilling to retrench the dangerous occasions of sin. In effect, my brethren, your evil habits are not to be conquei'cd, your passions are not to be weakened but by separating from those objects that first infiamed them. Begin then the work of your salvation, by separating from those occasions. Remove the obstacles which hinder the grace of God from entering into your souls. The enterprise, I own, seems disagreeable and painful to flesh and blood, but it is an enterpi'ise you must compass, or eternal damnation will be the consequence of your indolence and neglect. Re- solve then, my brethren, from this present time to surmount every diffi- culty that stands in your way, and opposes your conversion. Let your case be ever so desperate you are not to despond ; you have still a remedy left. There is no sin unpardonable, no wound incurable, to the hand of an all-powerful physician, says St. Augustine. There is no habit, be it ever so inveterate, ever so obstinate, stubborn or perverse, but you may absolutely depose and overcome with the help of God, if you labour in good earnest and faithfully co-operate with his divine grace, which is able to change the most corrupt heart in an instant. Jesus Christ, who raised Lazarus from the dead, is both willing and able to work a similar miracle in your favour, provided you have recourse to him in the sin- cerity of your hearts. If there be any Lazaruses in this congregation, if there be any old habitual sinners here, involved in the dismal state and servitude of mortal sin, 0 let me entreat them to sleep no longer in the arms of perdition, but to arise from their lethargy Avithout delay, and throAV themselves at the feet of God's mercy Avith a contrite and humbled heart, Avliich he never Avill reject. O good and merciful Lord, look doAvn upon us with an eye of pity, and as thou didst heretofore deliver the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt, so vouchsafe to deliver us all from the bondage of sin. Break the chains of iniquity Avith Avhich Ave are bound, and restore us to the SAveet liberty of thy children, that Ave may sacrifice to thee an host of thanksgiving, and proclaim thy immortal 230 ON SHUNNING THE DANGEROUS praises for all eternity in the society of tliy Angels and Saints in the kingdom of Heaven. Which I heartily wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. ON SHUNNING THE DANGEROUS OCCASIONS OF SIN. Qui aniat Pericxihim i)eribit in illo — Eccles. c. Hi. v. 27. He that loveth danger shall perish in it — Eccles. c. iii. v. 27. The life of a Christian ought to be the proof of his religion, and a public declaration of the sanctity of his profession ; for what is a Christian but a disciple of Jesus Christ, enlightened with the light of his faith, edu- cated in the great truths of his religion, formed upon the bright prin- ciples of his Gospel, and openly professing to follow Jesus Christ himself as his leader and pattern ? To follow Christ is to frame our lives by the model of his life, to resemble him as far as human frailty will permit, to observe the precepts and rules of the Gospel, to declare war against the pomps and vanities of the woi'ld, to abhor and detest sin, to r^iounce all alliance with the devil, and all truce with our inordinate passions and vicious inclinations. These are the duties to which we obliged ourselves at the baptismal font ; this is what we vowed when we entered into the Church of Christ, and upon this condition only we were received into . the number of the faithful. You will say, perhaps, this punctuality, this exact observance of the maxims of the Gospel, is scarce compatible with the different states and professions of men, who live in a world where they are constantly exposed to so many dangers and temptations. If anchorets in the desert, and recluses in their beloved retreats, find a difficulty in preserving themselves from the contagion of vice, how can we in the midst of worldly engagements, with a frail nature and a strong propensity to evil, be firm and constant in the practice of virtue ? I agree with you, my brethren, it is no easy matter ; nature is frail, and the danger is every where present. However, exposed to danger, and" frail as you are, you have still a specific remedy and an efiiicacious means to save yourselves from the danger ; this remedy is to shun the occasions of sin. If you are just, be always on your guard, lest you diminish your strength by seeking the occasion and loving the danger; if you are sinners, be likewise on your guard, lest you augment your weakness by engaging yourselves in the occasion, and throwing yourselves in the way of temptation. If you are in the state of grace, and seek the dangerous occasion of sin, it will make you fall. This I will shew you in my first point. If you are in the state of sin, the occasion will hinder you from rising out of it. This shall be the second point, and the whole subject of your favourable attention. Let us previovisly invoke the divine aid, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary, saluting her with the Angel, and saying, Ave Maria. We are to distinguish two diffei'ent sorts of dangerous occasions that lead and incite a person to sin. Some occasions are evidently dangerous of their own nature, and with regard to all men in general, such as bad company, associating with professed libertines, forming connections with people of depraved morals and bad principles, frerj[uenting seminaries of OCCASIONS OF SIN. 231 vice and houses of ill fame, reading bad books, viewing immodest pic- tures, hearkening to obscene songs and lewd discourses ; the natural ten- dency and immediate effect of such dangerous occasions being to inflame the passions, and to draw people into mortal sin. There is another kind of occasion, which of its own intrinsic nature is not bad or apt to lead men in general into sin, but is respectively dangerous, that is to say, in regard of and with respect to a particular individual, on account of his peculiar disposition and frailty ; for example, a certain house, a certain company, a certain occupation and employment, which accidentally becomes the immediate and dangerous occasion of mortal sin to a man, who knows by experience that he is so weak as to be thereby often led astray, and to make a shipwreck of his virtue, though other men in general resort the same place, frequent the same company, and follow the same occupation, without being exposed to the like danger. There are, in fine, other occasions, which are only remote and distant occasions of sin, or which, though they may possibly occasion a person to fall, yet seldom or rarely do it. Were we under an obligation of shunning all occasions of this description, we should be under the necessity of quitting the world entirely, as the Apostle remarks, since there is scarcely any thing but what may happen one time or other, to prove the remote and distant occasion of sin. As to the immediate occasions, which of their own nature have a dangerous tendency in general, or which, by reason of a person's owr^ peculiar weakness are respectively dangerous, and apt to draw him fre- quently into sin, they must be indispensably shunned and relinquished. No temporal profit or loss can render it lawful to continue wilfully in such occasions, when a person has it in his power to avoid and quit them ; for the same divine precept that forbids sin, forbids us also to remain in the immediate danger of sinning, and obliges us to separate ourselves effectually from whatever is morally inseparable from sin, though it should happen to be as dear to us as the very apple of our eye. This is manifest from the doctrine of our Blessed Saviour, St. Matthew, xviii. 8. where he charges us to cut off the hand and the foot, and to pluck out the eje that scandalizes us ; that is to say, to break off from all the dangerous occasions of sin, how dear soever they may be to us ; to remove those favourite objects which are fatal to virtue and innocence ; to abandon those darling companions who lead us into criminal practices ; to renounce those dangerous freedoms and liberties which pave the way to the spiritual ruin of so many souls ; to forsake those places where the enticing nets of sensual pleasures are spread on every side for the destruc- tion of giddy and thoughtless youth, and to shun those houses where the passions are roused, where drunkenness prevails, and whei-e de- bauchery is counted an accomplishment. These are so many hands and feet that must be cut off; these are so many eyes, as it were, that must be plucked out and cast away, when they ai-e a constant source of scandal to us, that is, when they frequently prove the occasion of sin to us ; for, in the Scripture language, every thing is scandal tliat violently inclines and leads us into sin. Fatal experience teaches us how great our own weakness is, and that he who loves and seeks the danger may justly ex- pect to perish therein. In spite of our strongest resolutions and pur- poses, if we expose ourselves to the occasion, the occasion will over- throw us and make us fall, since the occasion ■ always jsresents the same alkmng objects, and the same objects seldom fiul of making the same 232 ON SHUNNING THE DANGEROUS impressions on the heart, and the same impressions usually bring on the same fatal consequences, as man carries about him the same fund of natural weakness and misery. He is a combustible matter, says St. Chrysostom, and should therefore fear to throw himself into the midst of burning coals. Even the most just man, and the most attached to the service of God, who of his own accord runs with temerity into the occasion, cannot promise himself that he will escape the danger without falling into sin, and that for two reasons ; first, because nothing pi-ovokes God more to withdraw his graces from him ; secondly, because nothing gives the enemy of his soul a greater power over him. In the first place, I say, nothing provokes God more to Avithdraw his graces ; I mean those powerful, those efiicacious, those victorious graces with which we easily overcome all the eiForts of hell, and without which we can never resist the temptation ; graces, which are oftener bestowed on the just ; who know how to have a due esteem for them, than on sinners, who despise, undervalue, and regard them not ; but graces, Avhich both the just and sinners renders themselves unworthy of when they boldly look temptation in the face, and rashly throw themselves into the dangex'ous occasion of sin ; for the Almighty, who is sovereignly righteous and in- finitely Avise, does not dispense these supernatural favours according to our humour or caprice, but according to that order which his infinite wisdom has established, as St. Cyprian speaks. There is no danger, no temptation, indeed, but Ave may conquer Avith his divine assistance. His grace preserved Abraham amidst the errors of idolatry, Lot in the centre of vSodom, Daniel at the court of Nabuchodonosor. It preserved the^ principles of Job amidst the contagion of infidelity; the chastity of Joseph from the solicitations of his master's Avife, and the virtue of Su- sanna against the assaults of tAVO old letchers, Avho Avere intent on her destruction. But these Avere occasions to Avhich they had not exposed themselves of their OAvn accord ; they Avere placed in those critical situ- ations by the ordinance of Divine Providence, and by the hand of God himself, Avho therefore supported them Avitli his grace, and preserved them from falling on these occasions. If it is God who calls and sends you under similar circumstances ; if it be the order of Heaven and the Avill of Providence, that you should enter the lists with the enemies of your salvation, and that your fidelity should be put to the proof by severe trials and combats, you may Avalk on Avith an humble confidence, that God will be your protector and safeguard in the midst of the greatest dangers ; his grace will support you in the day of battle, and insure you the victory ; it Avill make you rise superior to all hostile attacks, and to all the evil solicitations that may assail you, provided you arm yourselves Avith the spiritual weapons of fervent prayer and Christian vigilance. It Avill enable you to conquer those dreadful sallies of passion that you are frequently exposed to by the profligacy of a Avicked, turbulent, drunken husband ; by the peevish temper of a cross, ill-humoured, scold- ing Avife, or by the like dangerous occasions Avhich are unavoidable, and which, consistent with your indispensable duty, you have it not in your poAver to quit. On the contrary, if, of your oAvn accord, you A-olunta- rily and deliberately expose yourselves to the evident danger of sin, and run into the occasion, from Avhich you may easily be disengaged, you have no reason to hope that God Avill Avork a miracle in order to autho- rise your presumption. How can you expect, amidst the occasions of sin into Avhich you I'ashly venture, to command whenever you please, that OCCASIONS OF SIN. 233 grace which the Antonies, the Ililarions, the Pauls, and so many other devout recluses -were not sure to find in the most retired solitude, and in the practice of the most austere penance ? Is not your presumption a just reason for God to forsake and leave you to your own weakness, and permit you to fall into surprising frailties, which will cover you with confusion before him and before the world. The Lord sometimes suffers the brightest stars to be eclipsed, and lets the just be perverted and become criminal, when relying on their own strength and self-sufficiency they fear not to seek the dangerous occa- sions of sin ; whilst on the other hand he succours and assists those who, diffident of themselves, place all their trust and strength in his all-power- ful arm. Two memorable examples will elucidate tliis truth ; one is of St. Peter, the other of St. Paul. They Avere both in the city of Jerusa- lem, both in the same occasion, and both seemingly of the same dispo- sition. They were to appear in the presence of a judge, to support the interest of their Divine Master, and either publicly to renounce Jesus Christ, or to declare for him aloud. Peter said to the Saviour of the World on the eve of his passion, and though it should cost him his life he never would deny him. The language of St. Paul was the same ; though, said he, I should be bound, imprisoned and condemned to death, I am ready to endure all, rather than forsake Jesus Christ, Acts, xxi. Here are words and sentiments seemingly the same, on one side and the otlier ; but, alas ! the event is quite diffi^rent. Peter falls, and shame- fully denies his Loixl and Master. Paul is unshaken in his resolution, and publicly espouses the cause of his Redeemer. Whence comes this difference ? It is because Peter, too confident of himself, and contrary to the advice of the Son of God, sought the occasion, went of his own accord in the way of temptation, entered the house of Caiphas, mixed Avith bad company, and conversed with the enemies of Jesus Christ. But this was not the case of St. Paul. If he appears in the palace of the governor, it was the Holy Ghost who conducted him there. Acts, xx. Had he exposed himself to the occasion, of his own accord, the grace of God might have been justly withdrawn from him, and he might have been permitted to fall like Peter, who, for want of perfect docility to the orders of Heaven, and a continual watchfulness over himself, was suffered to fall at the voice of a servant maid, in a place to which he was not called by the Almighty, though afterwards, when he was cited before the tribunals of tyrants by the divine command, he was immoveable and indefatigable in bearing testimony to the saci'ed. name of Jesus. We read also in the Old Testament, tliat when Sampson, of his own accord, ventured to face the greatest danger, from the over-great con- fidence he had in his own strength, the Lord departed from liim at that very time, and left him to his own weakness, to fall a victim to his te- merity, Judg. xvi. 20. What happened to David, that Prince accord- ing to God's own heart ? Walking one day in the hall of his palace', he perceived Bethsabee, the wife of Urias, at a distance ; but though she was afar off, alas ! his passion was but too near him, as St. Augustine speaks : MuUer longe, libido pr ope. His ruin was at hand, though he was a Prophet, because he did not take the necessary precaution to retire from the place, and turn off his eyes from the dangerous object and im- mediate occasion of sin. One too curious a glance of his eye made him become at once a murderer and an adulterer. Hence St. John Chrys- 234 ON SHUNNING THE DANGEROUS ostom cries out and says, O, liow do I feai* for tlie man who does not fear for himself! He is then the most weak when he thinks himself the strongest ; he is then most liable to fall, av hen he flatters himself tliat he is proof against all danger, as it is then that God is most provoked to punish his presumption, by withdrawing his all-powerful hand, and not granting him those special graces Avhich he renders himself unworthy of, by wilfully meeting and remaining in the occasion of sin ; nay, it is then that the enemy of mankind acquires a greater power over him, and is furnished with arms to oppose him with more force, and to accomplish his entire ruin. In effect, my brethren, what are the most powerful weapons Satan makes use of to destroy youi' souls ? Your passions. And what is it that influences and inflames your passions ? Those sensible objects which present themselves to you, with all the attractives that are most seduc- ing and engaging. And what draws you within the reach of those dan- gerous objects ? The occasions, that is, those assemblies where the world displays its vanities with pomp and ostentation ; those places, those noc- turnal meetings, where intemperance is indulged, and the flesh is pam- pered ; those comedies, amorous novels, and other pernicious books, which are read with attention, and which spread irreligion and corruption throughout the soul ; those private visits and interviews : those unbe- coming liberties and dangerous familiarities ; those licentious discourses, double entendres and immodest songs, that fill the mind with filthy ideas, and make deep and mortal wounds in the heart. These are the occasions where concupiscence is roused, where the passions are inflamed, where fuel is added to fire, and, in a word, where sin and hell make their dreadful ravages, to the eternal ruin of thousands of souls. If you run into these dangers, and entangle yourselves in these snares, how can you flatter yourselves with the hopes of victory ? Will you not diminish your strength, augment your weakness, second your inclinations to evil, and become an easier prey to the malice of the devil ? He requires but a small beginning on our side, but one only overture on our part, to gain an ascendant over us. What then must it be, if we open to him all the doors of our heart, all the avenues and windows of our soul ? We are all vessels of clay ; a light shock, a small stroke, is suflftcient to shatter us to pieces. What must it be if we let loose the reins to all our senses, expose our souls to every temptation, and give ourselves the liberty to see all, to hear all, to be one in every party of pleasure, to be in the midst of danger, to be present in all those companies and places, where modesty is ridiculed, where religion is laughed at, where piety is run down, where innocence is put to the blush, w^here vice triumphs, and the world is decked out in all its most tempting allurements ? You know how contagious the air of the world is, and therefore you should not ex- pose yourselves to the danger of catching the infection. You should fly its insidious pleasui-es, profane joys, vain intrigvies, luxuries and follies, which are so apt to effeminate the soul and nourish the depravity of the human heart. If the strongest pillars have been shaken, should not weak and frail reeds tremble for themselves ? Should we not all beware of running into the dangerous occasions of sin, since, he ivho loves the danger shall perish in it. If he be in the state of grace, the occasion will make him fall, as I have already shewn you ; and if he be in the state of sin, the occasion will hinder him from rising out of it, as I will now briefly shew you in a few words. OCCASIONS OF SIN. 235 As God withdraws his special graces from the just, when, of their own accord, they engage themselves in the occasion of sin, it is not to be supposed he will grant these graces to sinners whilst they are unwill- ing to quit the occasion. It is then a consequence naturally inferred from what I have hitherto advanced, that the sinner will never rise from the state of sin, whilst he is unwilling to separate from the dangerous occasion of it, and that he will not be able to obtain a complete victory in those circumstances, in which the just are overcome, and meet with difficulties almost insurmountable, especially as the sinner has more obstacles to surmount in the occasion, in order to rise from the actual state of sin, than the just man has to keep himself in the state of grace and innocence ; for when the sinner's heart is once engaged, and vicious habits have taken deep root in it ; when a criminal passion has, by a long prescription, gained a tyrannical ascendant over it, and plunged the unhappy sinner into an abyss of iniquity, and into the thickest shades of infernal darkness, nothing less than a miracle in the order of grace, is requisite to break the chains with which he is fettered, and emancipate him from the galling yoke under which he groans. Whilst he remains in the occasion, he will constantly fall into crimes still more and more heinous, and his case will grow continually worse and worse ; for, as whilst the cause of a corporal infirmity is not removed from the body, the disorder still increases every day, and the strength of the patient is gradually diminished, till nature becomes quite exhausted; thus the sinner falls from one sin into another, and sin being an abyss without bottom, into which he daily descends, the more he descends, the more difficult it is for him to rise out of it. It was thus the occasion destroyed Solomon, the wisest and most enlightened of men, but a sad monument of the weakness of man, and of the dreadful consequence of remaining in the occasion of sin. Had he separated himself from the unhappy women who seduced him, he would not have fallen into the frightful precipice of so many crimes, nor have been led into excesses so shameful and so unbecoming his rank and character, at least he would have returned soon to his God ; but because he did not turn them off, as he should have done, but persisted obstinately in conversing with them, after forgetting himself, he forgot the God of his forefathers, passed from adultery into idolatry, and blindly adored as many idols as were presented to him, 3 Kings, xi. In vain, therefore, my brethren, do you flatter yourselves with the hopes of recovering the grace of God, whilst you are unwilling to remove that object which is the cause of your criminal disorders, or to shun the company, and quit that house where you are exposed to the evident danger of eternal damnation. Make as many fair promises as you please at the sacred tribunal of penance, form as many fine projects of conversion as you will, they are not to be relied on whilst you continue wilfully in the dangerous occasions of sin, and, like those insects tjiat play about the flames that scorch them, adhere to those objects that have so frequently proved your ruin. By refusing to renounce and shun the cause of your relapses, you plainly shew that you retain interiorly in your heart a secret affection for sin, and you cannot be deemed a true and sincere penitent, or capable of being admitted to a participation of the holy sacraments ; for the criterion by which a true and sincere con- version may be distinguished from a false one, is to fly from sin, and 236 ON PRAYER. from the occasions of it, as from the face of a venemous serpent, accord- in o- to the important advice of the Holy Ghost, Eccles. xxi. Let me, therefore, entreat you to keep at the gi-eatest distance from the rock on which you have so often split. Let me beseech you to walk no longer on the brink of a precipice, where you are continually exposed to the danger of perishing. Break otf, without further delay, those criminal engagements by which you are enslaved, and separate yourselves from all the dangerous occasions of sin, which, according to St. Peter Chrysologus, are so many smoking firebrands that are apt to be rekindled by the slightest breath. Assist us, O Lord, that we may escape the dangers which environ us on every side in the tempestuous ocean of this world, where so many rocks are hid, so many storms arise, and the cur- rent naturally carries us on, unless we are guided and supported by thy all-powerful grace. The saints themselves have trembled at the very thoughts hereof. Penetrate us, we beseech thee, with the same salu- taiy fear, that it may excite our vigilance, and make us live with more circumspection, till we arrive, with the aid of thy divine gi-ace, at the fortunate term of a happy eternity. Which I sincerely wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. ON PKAYER. Si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine meo, dabit vobis St. Jo. c. xvi. v. 23. If you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it you St. John, c. xvi. v. 23. There is nothing more necessary or advantageous to man than prayer ; by it we discover our wants, and display our miseries before the throne of the Most High, and by an holy violence, as it were, compel the divine mercy to be propitious to our cries ; it is the ordinary channel through which all blessings flow from above ; it is the shield and armour of a Christian, and the strongest fence against the devil ; it is, as St. Augustine calls it, the key of Heaven, that unlocks the treasures of God, and gives men free access to the riches of his divine bounty. It Avas by prayer that'Elias opened and shut the sluices of Heaven when he pleased, and caused fire to descend from above to consume his sacrifice. It was by prayer that Josue made the sun stand in the midst of its course. The prayer of Moses contributed more to the signal victory which Josue gained over the army of the Amalekites, than all the weapons of Israel; for, as long as his hands were raised up to Heaven, his prayers drew down a blessing on the army of Israel ; and he no sooner ceased from prayer, and let down his hands, (being unable to keep them in that painful posture as many hours as the battle lasted,) but the Amalekites began to prevail. It was by pi-ayer that the Prophet Daniel was pre- served unhurt in the lion's den, and the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace of Babylon. It was by prayer that the chains of St. Peter, when in prison, Avere broken asunder, and that St. Paul was protected and helped amidst the many dangers and difficulties which he had to encounter, 2 Cor. i. 11 . Rom. xv. 30. Thei-e is no favour but maybe obtained by the means of pi-ayer. Ash, ON rUAYER. 237 and it shall he given yon, says our Lord in the Gosi:)el ; seek, and you shall Jind ; knock, and it shall he opened to you, Matt. vii. 7. Such is the bounty and liberality of our God, and so wonderful is his condescension, good- ness and compassion for us, that he allows us free access to the throne of his mercy and grace at any hour of the day or of the night, with a positive assurance of meeting always with a favourable audience when- ever we please. He oiFers us an infallible remedy to redress all our grievances, and promises to give us everything we want, provided we only ask for it. May not our perdition, then, be justly laid at om- own door, if we neglect having recourse to him in all our necessities, both spiritual and temporal ? Can we shew a greater contempt of his bless- ings, or undei'value his gracious favours more, than by neglecting to ask for them, or by asking for them with inditference, as if they were not worth asking for ? It is true, indeed, he does not stand in need of us, or of our prayers ; he knows our wants before we open our mouths to implore his assistance, and he is inclined to help us, but he is willing that we should be sensible of our own indigence and misery, and that we should fly to him for relief ; nay, he presses and solicits us to ap- proach with confidence, and for our greater encouragement our Divine Redeemer has solemnly engaged his word in the Gospel of this day, that his heavenly Father Avill grant us all things ivhatsoever lue shall ask in his name. We must, therefore, either question the veracity of his words, or conclude that our prayers will certainly be crowned with success, if there be no fault or defect on our side that justly deserves a refusal. To guard you against those defects, and to instruct you properly in the nature of a duty so closely connected with your salvation, is the design of the following discourse. In the first point, I intend to lay before you the nature and necessity of prayer ; and in the second point to shew you the qualities and conditions with which our prayers must be accom- panied, in order to render them effectual and acceptable in the sight of God. Let us implore the light of the Holy Ghost, through the inter- cession of the blessed Mother of Jesus, greeting her with the words of the Angel, Ave Maria. Our manifold necessities, both spiritual and corporal, the depravity and infirmities of our nature, the various dangers to which we are con- stantly exposed, our inability to do the least good of ourselves, the fre- quent temptations of the devil, the woidd, and the flesh, Avhich we have to combat and overcome, are convincing proofs of the indispensable obli"-a- tion and absolute necessity of prayer. Watch ye, and pray, says our Lord, that ye enter not into temptation, Matt. xxvi. 41. St. Paul, 1 Thess. v. 17., will have us to pray without ceasing, and to seek the face of the Lord evermore, as we are always in need of his help ; not that the Apos- tle means that we should be incessantly on our knees, or evermore actually thinking of God, as this would be incompatible with our weakness and the difterent obligations of our respective states ; but that we are to walk evermore in the presence of God, to raise our hearts frequently to h'im from time to time, to have a constant intention and desire of pleasing him, and to offer up all our actions to his honour and glory. St. John Chrysostom says, that they are unworthy of the name of Christians who neglect morning and evening prayer, whereby the windows of the soul are opened to the light of grace, and shut against the darkness of sin and the illusions of the devil. Morning and evening prayer is a tribute we owe to our great Creator, as our first beginning and last end ; it is an 238 ON PRAYER. homage due to liis Sovereign Majesty, in testimony of liis supreme dominion over us, and our total dependance on him in all things ; it is an humble attestation of our own indigence and insufficiency, and a grate- ful acknoAvledgment of God's infinite goodness, and of our entire confi- dence in him ; it is a submission in which the Almighty will have us live, that thereby having a continual recourse to him in all our necessities, we may be inviolably devoted to his service all the days of our life. Hereby we pay him a religious worship as our Lord, we adore him as our Creator, we honour him as our Father ; hereby we praise and thank him as our benefiictor, we invoke him as our protector, our preserver, our comfort, our refuge, and our help in all our Avants ; hereby Ave oavu him to be the author of all good, the source of all holiness, and the giver of all gifts. These are duties that religion prescribes and commands ; they are fre- quently inculcated in the Sci'ipture, and have been always regularly practised by all the saints and servants of God, both in the Old and New Testament, who thought it incumbent on them to offer up their prayers to the Lord, not only every morning and evening, but several other times in the day. To pass over numberless instances hereof, it is recorded of the Prophet Daniel, that he chose rather to be thrown into a den of lions than to neglect this important duty three stated times every day, Dan. vi. King David also rose at midnight to pray, though he performed the same duty seven times a day at stated hours, as he informs us in Ps. cxviii. Avhere he says, Seven times a day I have given praise to thee, 0 Lord. What is more, he says in Ps. xxxiii. / rvill bless the Lord at all times ; his praise shall he always in my mouth. "We read iix the Acts, vi. 4. that the Apostles gave themselves up contiimally to prayer. When they were preparing themselves for the coming of the Holy Ghost, they all continued unanimously in2yrayer,\. 14. When they were about choosing vSt. Matthias to fill up the place of Judas, and the seven deacons to manage the temporalities of the Church ; and Avhen they were about sending Saul and Barnabas on their mission to pi-each the Gospel, they had recourse to prayer and. fasting, i. 6, 12. Nay, Christ himself, though he had no need of praying on his OAvn account, or for himself, frequently passed Avhole hours, and sometimes whole nights in prayer, to convince us by his oAvn example of the necessity of prayer, and to excite us to the frequent exercise of this religious duty. Hence the primitive Christians were so addicted to prayer, that their hearts and conversation might be truly said to be in Heaven, tvhere their treasure ivas. Besides beginning and end- ing every day Avith God, by morning and evening prayer, they Avere accustomed to raise their thoughts to him often in the course of the day, Avhilst their hands Avere employed at work, and undertook nothing Avith- out first offering it to his greater honour and glory. They looked upon themselves here on earth as in a place of exile, and in a foreign country far from their native home, like unto the children of Israel in the capti- vity of Babylon ; and therefore they constantly longed for the end of their mortal pilgrimage, and daily aspired towards heavenly Jerusalem, by fervent and devout prayer. All this plainly vshews that prayer is one of the most necessary duties of a Christian. It is the ordinary means appointed by God, and required as a condition on our part, for obtaining the helps and graces that are necessary to salvation ; it differs from the other means of salvation herein, that the Avant of it cannot be supplied by any thing else. The want of actual baptism may be supplied by martyrdom, as Avas the case of the ON PKAYER. 239 holy innocents ; the want of the sacrament of penance may be supplied by perfect contrition ; those Avho are unable to fast, or practise the rigor- ous austerities of self-denial and mortification, may supply the want of them by alms-deeds ; and the j)oor have it in their power to supply their want of alms-deeds by bearing their crosses and afflictions with patience and resignation to the divine will ; but the Avant of prayer can be sup- plied by nothing else ; so that if it be neglected, the graces annexed and promised to it will not be bestowed, for this reason, because they are not asked, as St. James observes, You have not, because you ask not. The gi-aCe of prayer itself is never wanting to us ; it is a gift of God ; for, as St. Paul says, of ourselves ice are not s^ifficient to think even a good thought ; ive knoiv not even ichat loe should i:>ray for ; nor can we say Lord Jesus, hut hy the Holy Spirit. But God, out of his infinite mercy, bestows the grace of prayer upon all men as the first step towards their salvation, moving them to have recourse to him, and giving them the ability to pray. He commands them to pray, which presupposes that they have grace to do so, since as the Council of Trent observes, Sess. 6. c. 1 1. " God does not " command impossibilities ; but by commanding us, he admonishes us to " do what we can, to pray for whatever help we stand in need of, and " then he helps and enables us to do the good he commands ;" so that if we be so devoid of religion, and so careless about our salvation as to neglect prayer, the principal means to secure it, we may j ustly blame ourselves for all the fatal consequences of so cidpable a neglect. Prayer is founded upon faith and hope, and implies the most perfect acts of religion. The idea of it is not to be confined to petition only, as those people seem to imagine who appear only in the divine presence with hands lifted up to receive the favours of Heaven. They call upon God to represent to him their wants, and have a heart but to wish, and a tongue but to ask ; they are fervent and eloquent in petitioning, but cool, languid, and deficient in blessing, praising, and thanking the Lord for the benefits received. It is therefore to be remarked, that by prayer is understood an elevation of the mind and of the heart to Heaven, or a conversation, addi-ess, and discourse of the soul with God ; and as this may be done five different Avays, there are for this reason five diflferent kinds of prayer ; meditation, oblation, thanksgiving, petition, and ador- ation. These again may be performed either internally or externally, either in private or in public ; for which reason prayer is also distinguished by the appellations of mental and vocal, public and private prayer. Mental or internal prayer, otherwise called meditation, is performed in the heart, without being expressed in words. Vocal prayer is performed with the tongue, or by word of mouth. A daily meditation, at least for half an hour, is strongly recommended as one of the most effectual means to im- prove in the love of God, and to advance in virtue. It is to the neglect of it that the Scripture attributes all the disorders of mankind. With de- solation is all the land made desolate, says the Prophet Jeremias, xii. \\. because there is none that considereth in the heart. Public or common praj^er is that which the faithful, united together in a body, offer up in the public worsliip of the Church, or which a Avhole family, or a number of devout Christians assembled at home, or in an oratory, offers up toge- ther. Our blessed Saviour teaches us, in the Lord's Prayer, to pray as if many were assembled together ; and he assures us. Matt, xviii. that where two or three are assembled thus in his name, he is in the midst of them. Hence St. John Chrysostom says, Homil. 3, You do not pray so well, nor do you 240 ox PRAYER. obtain so much, whm you pray alone to the Lord, as lohen you pray unanimously tvith your brethren. But what are qualities and conditions of prayer ? This is what I promised to lay before you in the second point. If Ave are Avilling that God should hear us in our prayers, says St. Gregory, we must hear him in his commandments, since it is not every one that says, Lord, Lord, that shall be saved, but he tvho does the ivill of my Father in Heaven, as our blessed Saviour speaks in the Gospel. To par- take of all the advantages annexed to prayer, it should be performed in the state of grace ; for it is the iirayer of the just man availeth much, as St. James tell us, v. 16, and as the Royal Prophet, says, Ps. xxxiii. 16. The eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears are open to their prayers ; hut his countenance is against them that do evil things, and wilfully persist in mortal sin. When they stretch forth their hands, he turns aivay his eyes from them, as the Prophet Isaias speaks, i. 15, and ivhen they multiply their prayers, he ivill not hear. However, if a Christian be so unhappy as to be involved in the guilt of mortal sin, he is not therefore to neglect prayer, since the more criminal he is, the more he stands in need of it, and the more diligent he should be in praying for the grace of a true con- version, and imploring the mercy of God. Prayer, accompanied Avith a sincere purpose of amendment, is his only resource ; and the examples of the humble publican and the jirodigal son, should be an encourage- ment to him, as they shcAV hoAv ready the Lord is to hear the pi*ayers of the greatest sinners, Avhen they return to him in the sincerity of their hearts, and cry to him lor mercy and pardon. The publican was justi- fied by this short prayer, God he merciful to me a sinner ; the penitent thief on the cross found mercy by crying out. Lord, remember me when thou comest to thy Icingdom ; which is a proof that God requires the desires of the heart more than a multitude of Avords ; nay, it is an abuse reproved by Jesus Chi-ist, to multiply many vain idle Avords in prayer, without the spirit of devotion. When you pray, says he. Matt. vi. 7, speak not much, as the heathens do, for they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. It Avere better to say a few prayers from the heart, than to turn over so many leaves in our loooks of devotion through mere custom, and run through a confused jumble and rotation of vocal prayers in an irreverent and disorderly manner ; for Avhen the mind is not raised to God, and the heart does not perform its part as Avell as the tongue, aa^c can no more be said to pray, than a person who Avould repeat with his mouth the same number of vocal prayers in his sleep, or out of his senses. In a Avord, attention is the spirit and soul of prayer, and if it be wanting, prayer is defective in its very substance, it being essentially a raising up of the mind and heart to God, or in other terms, the desires of the heart and soul expressed in words. Let the lips and tongue, therefore, be ever so busily employed, unless our hearts and thoughts be fixed on God, it is only praying in outAvard appearance, and not in effect ; it is only praying like the Pharisees, of Avhoni Christ complains in the Gospel, and says, This jieople honoureth me icith their lijis, but their heart is far from me, Matt. xv. 8. IIoav can such persons expect that God will give attention to their petitions, Avhen they pay no attention themselves to what they pray for ? Is it not dishonouring God to address his Divine Majesty Avith such disrespect, such coolness, such indifference, and to pretend to manifest to him the desires of the heart, Avhen the heart is no Avay concerned, nor has any sincere or earnest desire of obtaining Avhat the Avords express, but is Avandering upon Avorldly ON PRAYER. 24 i objects, and occupied witli wilful distractions ? It is necessary to dis- charge all foreign thoughts, and to keep a close guard upon our mind and upon our heart, when we go to prayer. "We should prepare our souls for appearing in the divine presence Avith due respect, according to the admonition of the Holy Ghost, Eccles. xviii. 23. Before prayer prepare thy soul, and be not as a man that tempteth God. Tliis preparation consists in calling to mind the presence of God, in keeping a lively sense of it during the time of prayer, and in directing our intention to a good end. Our blessed Saviour instructs ixs. Matt. vi. 5, about the purity of inten- tion which we ought to have in praying : When ye pray, says he, you shall not he as the hypocrites, that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may he seen by men ; but go into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret, and thy Father, who seeth in secret, ivill repay thee. This shews that true devotion seeks only to please God in the closet of the heart ; and whilst it edifies by all marks of a solid piety in places of public worship, it avoids all ostenta- tion, vanity, singularity, and pharisaical affectation. Humility is another condition of good prayer ; the Scripture tells us, that the prayer of him that humbleth himself shall pierce the clouds. Eccles. xxxv. 21, and that God resisteth the pi^oud, and giveth grace to the humble, St. James, iv. 6. He hath regard to the prayer of the humble, says the Royal Prophet, and he hath not despiseth their petition ; and again, Ps. xxxiii. 19, he is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart, and he ivill save the humUe of spirit. The efficacy of humble prayer appears evidently in the poor publican, in the prodigal son, in the centurion, mentioned Matt. viii. and in the Cananean woman, who being told by our blessed Saviour, that the bread of children was not to be cast to the dogs, was so far from being discouraged at this humiliating expression, that she persisted in her prayer, and modestly replied, that whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table. By this humi- liation and debasement of herself, she moved the tender and compas- sionate heart of Jesus to grant her petition, and dispossess her daughter of an evil spirit. Matt, xv, 22. If we, therefore, wish to render our prayers acceptable to God, and available to ourselves, we must beware of following the example of the proud Pharisee, who confided in his OAvn justice, depended on his own merits, and presumptuously imagined that he was worthy that his i")i-ayers should be heard. Far from entertaining such groundless ideas, or being carried away by such haughty and presumptu- ous notions, which bespeak a malediction rather than a blessing, we are to renounce all self-confideucC; and to throw ourselves entirely on the mercy and goodness of God, and his fidelity to his promises ; we are to prosti-ate ourselves like the publican, as criminals, in the most submissive posture, with a reverential awe, and with an inward humility of soul, at the feet of our oflTended Lord. We are to lay open to his eyes all the wounds of our souls, that they may be healed. We are to represent all our wants and necessities to him, like poor indigent supplicants, earnestly craving a charitable alms, and fervently praying for relief with a sincere desire and wish to obtain it. We are to be penetrated with a deep sense of our own imworthiness, not only to obtain the mercy we implore, but even to lift up our eyes, or to appear and speak in the presence of so great a Majesty. Such were the sentiments of the Patriarch Abraham, when he said. Shall I presume to speak to the Lord, I who am nothing hut dust and ashes ? Such likewise would be pur sentiments, were we but thoroughly convinced of our misery, indigence and inability to do the 242 ON PRAYER. least thing towards our salvation, of ourselves, and by our own natural strength. The next condition that must accompany our prayers is a lively unshaken faith, or a firm confidence and trust in God's boundless power, goodness and mercy. This condition is so necessary, that St. Augustine says, Si fides deficit oratio perit : If faith be wanting prayer is lost. Our Blessed Saviour required this disposition in the two blind men to whom he restored their sight, Matt. ix. 2, and in the sick man whom he miraculously cured of the palsy, and commanded to take up his bed and walk. A soul full of this holy confidence is like unto a sacred vessel into which the divine mercy pours the treasures of its grace, and the greater the confidence is, the greater also are the heavenly favours and blessings that pi*ayer draws into such a soul. On the contrary, diffi- dence and despondency makes a person unworthy of God's favours ; it binds and shuts up his hands, and stops the coui'se of his graces. Christ checked his disciples for this defect, saying, 0 ye of little faith, ivhy have ye doubted ? It was for this reason that Peter began to sink when he was walking on the surface of the sea ; it was on the same account that neither he nor any of his companions, were able to cast out the devil, spoken of in St. Mark, ix. which gave our Saviour occasion to say to them, If thou canst believe, all things are jiossible to him that believeth ; and again, in xi. 22, 23, Have faith in God. Amen, I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, be thou removed, and be cast into the sea, and shall not stagger in his heart, but believe that ivhatsoever he sayeth shall be done, it shall be done unto him ; therefore I say unto you, all things whatsoever you ask when you pray, believe that you shall receive, and they shall come unto you.. This is sufficient to shew how necessary it is to pi-esent your petitions to God with a certain and assured confidence of success, firmly believing that he is both able and willing to grant your requests, and hoping without hesitation or any diffidence, that he will actually grant them according to his promise. Hence St. James, i. 6, advises us to ask in faith, nothing wavering ; for he that tvavereth is like a wave of the sea,' which is moved and carried about by the ivind ; let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord. Another condition of prayer is, to present our petitions in the name of Jesus Christ, who has assured us, that ivhatso- ever we shall ask the Father in his name, shall be given to us. He is the Mediator of our redemption ; he is our Advocate and our High Priest ; and there is no other name under Heaven given to men, whereby ive must be saved, Acts, iv. 12. He has purchased for us the graces which we pray for, and it is through him that we are to go ivith confidence to the throne of grace, that ivemay obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid, Heb. iv. 16. His infinite merits are the foundation on which we are to ground our hopes. To pray for things which we erroneously imagine would be a means to promote our happiness, but which God foresees would prove an obstacle to our salvation, and become the occasion of the eternal ruin and loss of our souls, if our desires were gratified the way we ask, is not praying in the name of Jesus, as St. Augustine remarks, Tract 102 in Jo. whei-e he says. Whatever is asked of the Father contrary to his honour, or prejudicial to our salvation, is not asked in the name of Jesus, though his sacred name may be interposed ; consequently, we are not to imagine that God breaks his word, if he refuse to grant our requests in this case. It is a great mercy in him to be then deaf to our cries, and to pay no regard to our mistaken petitions. What man is there among you, says our Saviour, Matt. vii. 9, of whom if his son shall ask bread, ivill he reach him a stone ; or if he shall ask ON PRAYER. 243 him a fish, u'ill he reach him a serpent ? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more ivill your Father, who is in Heaven, give good things to them that ask him ? We ought to seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and as to all other things that ai'e truly good and expedient, if we ask them as we ought they will be granted to us, not indeed always at the moment, and in the manner and measure we desire, but at the time, and in the manner God knows they will be of most real service to us. We ought, therefore, to make his holy will the sole rule and measure of all our desires, and take care not to provoke him by our impatience, murmurs, or complaints, to lay aside the tenderness of a father, and grant us in his justice, what we ask to our own prejudice. Spiritual blessings, such as the grace of God, the great gift of final per- severance, the remission of ovir sins, a happy death, strength to resist temptations, and the like, are to be pi-ayed for absolutely, in imitation of the Royal Prophet, Avho says, One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I mag dwell in the house of the Lord all the dags of my life, Ps. xxvi. 4. But temporal blessings, such as wealth, health, and the goods of fortune, which are liable to be abused, should not be prayed for otherwise than conditionally, if the Lord sees that they are con- ducive to his own honour, and expedient for the salvation of our souls. Perseverance is the last condition of a good prayer, for as it is the crown of virtue, so it gives the finishing stroke to the efficacy of prayer. Christ marks out this condition in the parable of the man, who, after coming to his friend's house at midnight, to borrow three loaves, was at first refused, but by continuing to beg, and knock at the door, got admittance at length, and obtained his request, Luke xi. ; and again, in the parable of the poor widow, who, by her importunities and repeated entreaties, prevailed upon the unjust judge to do her justice, Luke xviii. The Cananean woman, likewise, overcame our blessed Saviour by her importunity, and forced him, by a holy violence, to grant to her perse- verance what he had denied to her first prayer. The blind beggarman, also, on the road of Jericho, was not restored to his sight the first time he cried out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me ; but when he raised his voice higher, and redoubled the fervour of his prayei', his unwearied persevei'ance became a kind of violence, that moved Christ our Lord to enlighten the eyes both of his soul and body. It is evident, then, that God is Avilling to be importuned, and that if he sometimes defers granting our requests, it is to make us sensible of the value of his gifts, to try our fidelity and submission, to I'eward our patience, to make us redouble our fervour, and continue striking at the gate of mercy until it is opened. Those who put their trust in him, and pray with the necessary dispositions, are never confounded, but are sure, sooner or laterj to receive the effects of his goodness ; so that, if our prayers in genei-al, often prove fruitless and ineffectual, it is our own fault ; it is because they are defective in some respect ; it is because they are not duly performed, or attended with the proper qualities or conditions ; it is because we pray for things that are inexpedient or prejudicial to our salvation ; it is because we render oui'selves unworthy of receiv- ing what we sue for ; it is, in fine, because we do not pray for what we ought, nor in the manner we ought, according to these words of St. James in his catholic epistle, iv. 3, You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss. 244 ON THE SACKED MYSTERY O merciful Jesus, who has promised that they who ask shall receive, vouchsafe to pour forth into our hearts the true spirit of prayer, and grant that we may perform this heavenly exercise in a manner acceptable to thee, so as to experience the effects of thy goodness, and the truth of thy promises, in the success of our petitions. Possess our souls with a sacred awe of thy divine presence. Give us the spirit of fervour and devotion, that our prayei-s may ascend like a sweet incense, and find acceptance in thy sight : for by uniting ourselves thus here on earth with the choirs of thy blessed Angels and Saints, in the homage which they pay thee in Heaven, we may confidently expect to join them hereafter, in singing thy immortal praises for a never-ending eternity. Which, my dear brethren, I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. THE THIED^DAY OF MAY. ON THE SACRED MYSTERY OF THE HOLY CROSS. Mihi autem absit gloriari nisi in cruse Domini nostri Jesu Christi. Galat. c. vi. v. 14. For my part, God forbid I should glory in any thing, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ — Galat. c. vi. v. 14. The Church celebrates, on this day, the annual festival of the Finding of the Cross, on which our Divine Redeemer vouchsafed to lay down his' life for our sake. The Jews had interred this cross in a deep pit, along with the title which was fixed to it, and with the nails which had pierced our Saviour's hands and feet, for they looked upon them as detestable objects that ought to be removed out of sight, because their Law pro- nounced those accursed ivho were hanged on a cross. Hence it was usual with them to condemn none but the vilest slaves and the most notorious malefactors to die on a cross, that kind of punishment being deemed by them the most shameful and the most infamous that could be inflicted on any criminal. It was for this very reason that they chose the death of the cross for our blessed Saviour, and cried out unanimously to Pilate, Let lis condemn him to the most ignominious death ; for they imagined the most infamous death too honourable, and the most painful too mild for the Son of God. But to their eternal shame and confusion, the cross that was a scandal and stumbling-block to them, and a folly to the Gentiles, as St. Paid speaks, 1 Cor. i. became to the faithful an object of vener- ation, and to the elect a convincing proof of the power and Avisdom of God ; for when peace was restored to the Church, after a violent per- secution of three hundred years, Constantine the Great, the first Chris- tian Prince that was raised by Divine Providence to the imperial throne, having gained a signal victory over the tyrant Maxentius, by virtue of a cross, which, as Eusebius relates, appeared visibly to him and to his whole army, formed in the air of pure light, with this inscription, In hoc signo vinces : By this sign thou shalt conquer ; the cross began imme- diately to be held in great respect, and to be regarded as an object of honour and glory. About the same time, Helen, the pious mother of Constantine, having zealously undertaken a journey into Palestine, in search of the identical cross on which our blessed Redeemer had con- OF THE HOLY CROSS. 245 summated his sacrifice, miraculously found the precious treasure she went in quest of, after destroying the profane buildings and the marble statues of Jupiter and Venus, which had been erected there out of an aversion to Christianity, in order to conceal the place of Christ's burial, and to obliterate the memory of his death and passion. The cross was then carried in public procession, and a representation of it was stamped on the Emperor's coin, and on the colours and standards of his army, instead of the imperial eagles. From being an instrument of the most ignomi- nious death, it became the most valuable pearl, and the most conspicuous ornament in the crowns of Kings and Princes. It was transferred, says St. Augustine, from the places of execution to the foreheads of Emperors, Constantine having enacted a law, that the cross should no longer be used as an instrument of punishment ; he likewise ordered the painters and statuaries to represent his Royal Person with a globe in his right hand, and a cross over the globe, to denote that Christ had subdued the world by the cross, and not by the sword, according to the expression of St. Augustine. This is the glorious victory which the Church frequently commemo- rates in her divine office, between Easter and the Ascension of our Lord ; and this is the sublime mystei-y which I will endeavour to display at present, in order to inflame your hearts more and more with the love of Christ crucified, and to shew you that the devotion which we are directed to pay to his cross, is so far from being superstitious or unlawful, that it is truly pious and religious, and productive of many salutary affections in the soul. Let us previously invoke the intercession of the blessed Virgin, greeting her in the words of the Angel, Ave Maria. The cross is taken in three different senses, or significations. First, by it is understood the real and identical cross, on which our Divine Redeemer expired for our sake on Mount Calvary, and which was, mir- aculously found by the pious Empress Helen, near Jerusalem, in the year 362. About three hundred years afterwards it was exalted with great solemnity by the Emperor Heraclius, and a considerable part of it was translated to the city of Rome, where it is still to be seen in a mag- nificent church, called the Church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Se- condly, the cross signifies an image or picture of Christ crucified, com- monly called a Cnicifix, or a representation figure and sign of the real cross, such as is formed with the hand in the blessing ourselves, or others. Thirdly, the cross is taken in a moral and mystical sense, to signify the spiritual ci'oss of mortification, penance, persecution, and suf- ferings, which a Christian should be disposed to bear patiently all the days of his life, so as to be able to say with St. Paul, With Christ I am fastened to the cross ; and again, the world is criicijied to me, and I to the world. It is in this sense that the following words of the Gospel are to be understood : tvhoever will come after me, let him take up his cross and fol- low me : for he who carries not his cross and follows me, is not worthy of me. The faithful in all nations, ever since the purest ages of Christianity, have alwaj s paid, and will continue unto the end of the world to pay re- spect, not only to the real cross of Christ, but also to the images, pictures, and representations of said cross. In the first place, it is but just and reasonable that due respect and veneration should be paid to the real cross, on account of the sanctity it received by touching and bearing the pure oblation of the sacred body of the world's Redeemer, and by being bedewed and consecrated by the sprinkling of his most precious blood. 246 ON THE SACRED MYSTERY Herein the Church in the New Law differs from the ancient synagogue, which looked upon the cross with scorn, contempt, and horror. The Church of Chi-ist, on the contrary, looks upon the cross as the summit of his and our glory. She regards it as the altar whereon the innocent Lamb of God offered himself up to his Eternal Father a bleeding victim for our sins. She honours it as the glorious instrument of human redemption, and the key that unlocked the gates of Heaven for mankind, after they had been shut by Adam's disobedience upwards of four thou- sand years. She respects it as the monument of the most illustrious triumph, and the trophy of the most famous victory that was ever gained. She esteems and prizes it as the Pastoral Staff, with which Jesus, the Good Shepherd of souls, defeated the infernal Goliah, and rescued his flock from becoming a prey to the malice of Satan. She, in fine, values it as the Royal Standard of her heavenly King, which is to precede him on the last day, and to appear conspicuous in the Heavens at the general judgment. It was by it that he triumphed over sin and death, subdued the rulers of this darkness, conquered the powers of hell, and estab- lished the Church upon the ruins of Paganism, and the destruction of the Jewish synagogue. The cross was the first throne on which he began his spiritual monarchy ; for, as the Prophet Isaias says, His prin-' cijjaUfy teas formed upon his shoulders, and he began to draw all nations to himself by faith, ivhen he ivas exalted from the earth and elevated on the cross, as he himself had foretold before his passion, St. John xii. Hence the Royal Prophet says, that God j^eigned in all nations from the time of his exaltation on the ivood of the cross, the prince of this world being then cast out and stripped of the tyrannical dominion which he had acquired over mankind ; for, as he had seduced and conquered our first parents by persuading them to eat of the forbidden fruit of a tree, it was expe- dienf that he also should be conquered by the blessed fruit of another tree, and that his empire should be overthrown by the wood of the cross, which made St. Augustine call the cross the Tree of Life. It was formerly prefigured by the tree of life that was planted in the midst of the earthly Paradise, and by Jacob's ladder that reached up to the gate of Heaven, by the Ark of Noah that saved the human species from the waters of the deluge, by the miraculous rod of Moses which destroyed the serpents of the Egyptian magicians, and by the pillar of fire that marched before the children of Israel through the desert, and pointed out to them the road to the Land of Promise. You may judge then, my brethren, with how much justice and reason the Church respects and honours that cross, which our Lord was pleased to choose as the happy instrument to work such wondel's, to confer such blessings, and to save millions of souls from the fiery furnaces of hell ; and really, if the Ark of the Covenant, and the sacred vessels of the Temple of Jeru- salem, Avhich Balthazar, King of Babylon, sacrilegiously profaned, and thereby drew down the vengeance of Heaven upon his own criminal head, were formerly held in great veneration and respect by the people of God ; if the aprons and handkerchiefs that touched St. Paul's body were so highly valued and esteemed by the faithful, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, how much more reason have we Christians to value and esteem, to honour and respect, that cross which was closely united to the adorable body of Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the effu- sion of that blood which redeemed us all ? St. John the Baptist ho- lioured the latchet of our Saviour's shoes, ^nd the «ick woman in the OF THE HOLY CROSS. 247 Gospel lionoured the hem of his garment, and was miraculously cured by touching it with a respectful humility and a lively faith. Shall it not then be lawfid and beneficial for us devoutly to honour, respect, and venerate his cross, from which we have derived so many heavenly graces and blessings. The cross, or crucifix, that is made to represent the death and passion of Christ, and to preserve the memory of the real cross he was nailed to, deserves also to be honoured and respected, since both the one and the other serve to excite the same dispositions, tlie difference being only in the degrees of more or less. We look upon a crucifix as a compen- dious history of Christ's sufferings ; we consider it as a book, and as an abridgment of the Gospel, expressed by one letter, one signal, one only character. We behold it as a mysterious symbol, a sacred memorial, a sensible expression, and a striking representation of all the wonders of our blessed Redeemer. At the sight of it we are instructed, moved, and humbled. We are excited to a more lively remembrance of God's infinite mercies, and made sensible of the great debt of love and service we owe to him, who loved us to such an excessive degree of love. All the sentiments of piety and faith are hereby revived, and the feelings we have for his sufferings is roused and awakened within us. This naturally leads us to give outward marks and demonstrations of those inward feelings and sentiments, particularly in the pious ceremonies of Good Friday. A more proper day could not be appointed for testifying our respect for Jesus Christ, and for expressing by an outward reverence to the memorial, the esteem, veneration, and love we have in our hearts for him, than that very day on which he vouchsafed to humble himself to the death of the cross for our sake. All the outward reverence, and aU the genuflections and humiliations of our bodies before the cross, on that or any other day, are but the language of our hearts, whereby we manifest the inward affections of our souls, and acknowledge with gra- titude the boundless love and mercy of our crucified Lord, who is cer- tainly most worthy of all this submission, and most deserving of the greatest respect we are able to pay him. In short, as words are expres- sions of our minds, so these exterior actions are expressions and signs of our interior intention, which is nothing else but to honour and adore Jesus Christ crucified. Nothing, therefore, can be more absurd, more unfair, or more unjust, than to traduce this devotion as superstitious and idolatrous, especially since it is from the intention, and not from the exterior action, that the difference of worship chiefly proceeds ; for the same exterior action may be either an act of supreme worship, or of an inferior and relative honour, just as it proceeds from different intentions. Our holy religion is so far from abetting idolatry in this or any other case whatsoever, that it teaches us positively to disclaim it, and utterly to detest it, as a most heinous crime of high treason against the Divine Majesty. Far from approving of the making any graven image, idol, or imaginary god, to adore and worship it with the honour due only to the living God, we are sensible that this would be a manifest violation of the first of the Ten Commandments. We are not so stupid or so blind, as to pray to the cross, or to any other image ; for we know that they neither have eyes to see, nor ears to hear us. Whatever honour and respect we pay to the crucifix, or to the other sacred images of Christ or his saints, is no more than a relative honour and respect, that 248 ON The sacred mystery does not stop there, but redounds on the originals to which it is directed hy our intention. We honour the crucifix for the sake of him whom it represents, and who is no idol, but the true and living God. It is Jesus Christ, whose likeness it bears, that we adore and respect, and not the stuff or matter whereof it is composed ; and for this reason, we deem a ci-ucifix of wood to be worthy of the same honour that a crucifix of gold is worthy of; for we do not regard what it is in itself, nor do we honour it in the spirit of the ancient Heathens, on account of any intrinsic virtue, inherent dignity, power, or divinity, but on account of the dear object which it signifies and brings to our remembrance. Such an honour as this is paid by a dutiful child to the picture of his father, by a loyal subject to the image of his sovereign, and by our separated brethren to the name of Jesus, which is no more than an image or remembrance of our Saviour to the ear, as the crucifix is an image and memorial of him to the eye. Luther himself, though he came fifteen hundred yeai-s after Christ and his Apostles, to preach up a new Gospel, and make strange innovations in the ancient faith, yet he was so sensible of the legality and antiquity of this devotion of the universal Church, that he wrote two books against his reforming dis- ciple Carolostadius, for having presumed to revive the old condemned heresy of the Iconoclastics in his absence, by sacrilegiously pulling down the altars, and abusing the images of Christ and his saints, in the churches of Wittemberg. And really, my brethren, why should it not be as lawful to honour and respect the cross, which is a history of Christ's sufferings when it is painted on canvass, or carved and engraved in ivory or wood, as it is lawful to honour and respect the same history when it is written on paper or printed in the book of the Gospel, since paper and types are the work of man's hand as well as sculpture and painting ? Why should it not be as lawful to kiss the feet of a crucifix out of devotion to Christ crucified, as it is to kiss the Bible on taking a solemn oath ? Why should it not be as lawful to uncover our heads before a crucifix or cross, as it is to uncover them before the pillars and walls of a church, or before the equestrian statue of a King ? We are persuaded, that it is as lawful for us to prostrate ourselves before this sign and image of our salvation, as it was for Josue and the elders of Israel to lie prostrate on their faces, and pray before the Ark of the Covenant, and the two golden cherubims, or image-work of angels, which was placed over the oracle in the sanctuary by the express orders of God. We are convinced that it is as lawful for us to bow and kneel before a crucifix, as it is for our separated brethren to bow to their communion table, or to bend their knees to the sacrament, which they believe only to be an empty figure, sign, and image of Christ's body. Tlie Scripture relates, that in the Old LaAV, an image of a brazen serpent was exalted in the desert by God's appointment, for the heal- ing of such as were bitten by the fiery serpents. Our Saviour ap- proved of the making of that serpent, and owns it to have been an emblem or type of himself exalted on the cross, in order to heal our souls from the bites of the infernal serpent; for he says, John iii. 14, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that ivhosoever believeth in him may not perish, hut maij have life everlasting. In imitation hereof we erect a crucifix over our altars, our tabernacles, OF THE HOt.Y CROSS. 249 our churches, and our oratories, and we look up to it with great confi- dence in Jesus crucified. A pious and attentive contemplation of it, can scarce fail of l5eing productive of many salutary affections in our souls. By the sight of it we are reminded of the baseness, and led to an hatred of sin, which nailed the Son of God to a cross ; we are made sensible of the depth of our wounds, and the malignity of our disorders, Avhich could not be healed but by so bitter a remedy. At one cast of the eye, we see more represented in a crucifix than whole volumes could express ; at one glimpse, we behold the whole of our redemption in miniature. Hereby, we are pathetically exhorted to love and gratitude to our blessed Saviour ; hereby, we are strongly excited to a penitential abhorrence of our past crimes, and cautioned against future relapses ; for, as St. John Chrysostom speaks, the nails, the thorns, the spear, and all the other instruments of the passion, cry out with a loud voice, that we ought to return love for love. They tell us in the most expressive language, that our hearts must be harder than flint, if we can behold the figure of our loving Jesus hanging on a cross for the expiation of sin, and continue still to offend and crucify him over again by fi-esh crimes ; nay, every part of a crucifix preaches repentance to us, and louly proclaims the I'iches of divine mercy, and the goodness of the Lord. The head bowed down announces to us, that he is ready at all hours to give us the kiss of peace ; the arms extended, signify that he is willing to embrace aU re- penting sinners, who return to him in the sincerity of their hearts ; the side pierced and opened, denotes that we may have admittance to his loving heart whenever we please ; the four ends of the cross represent the four virtues that shine particularly in his passion, namely, his ardent charity, profound humility, wonderful patience, and perfect obedience ; the upper part remind us how he opened the gates of Heaven for man- kind, with his cross ; and the imder part, how he crushed the head of the infernal serpent, and restrained the tyranny of the powers of hell ; the right and left sides signify the inhabitants of the East and West, the Jews and Gentiles, who were called to the true faith, in order to become one sheepfold under one shephei'd. In fine, the crucifix is a book, wherein the most illiterate person may read the most instructive lessons of Christian morality, and learn all virtue and spiritual knowledge. It was in this book that St. Augustine and Thomas of Aquiu gleaned their spiritual science, and St. Francis of Assisium conceived his seraphic ardours. St. Francis of Sales tells us, that St. Bernard studied this book so constantly, that he made for himself, as it were, a nosegay of the sufferings of his Redeemer on the cross, to carry about him as a pre- servative against sin, and an incentive to virtue. He tells us also that St. Bonaventure, when he wrote, seemed to have no other paper than the cross, no other pen than the spear, no other ink but what was dipped in the precious blood of Christ. O what meekness, what patience, what resignation, what humility, what love of God and our neighbour, are we not taught at the foot of- a crucifix ! Our faith in the mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation is here exercised, our hope is noui'ished and augmented, our charity is en- livened and inflamed. Here we find comfort in time of affliction, and strength in time of temptation. Hence it is, that a crucifix is usually exhibited to dying Christians, not only to encourage tliem by the sight of it, to die with patience and resignation for him who died for them, but also to arm them against despair, and make them confide in the 250 ON THE SACRED MYSTERY, &C. merits of Christ, on wliich is grounded all our hope for mercy, grace and salvation. Church history informs us, that the primitive Christiafis paid such re- spect to the cross, and signed themselves so frequently with it, that the cross was the mark and sign by which they were distinguished from un- believers. Tertullian relates, that they were accustomed to sign them- selves with it at the beginning of every work, to denote that they per- formed all their actions in the name of Jesus crucified, and offered them to God, in conjunction with his sufferings, to be thereby sanctified. — They looked upon the cross as a solemn invocation of God, as an open profession of faith, as an ensign of salvation, a weapon and shield against the devil, and a powerful means to overcome his temptations ; for, as Origen remarks, the devils hate the cross, and tremble at the sight of it, it being the glorious instrument that defeated them, and gave them a mortal stab. St. Ambrose, Serm. 52, informs us, that the faithful of his days prayed frequently with their arms extended in foi'm of a cross, which manner of praying the holy doctor recommends, especially in private, because there is reason to hope that our frayers will be more accept- able to God, if, while our souls are speaking to him, our bodies bear a re- semblance of Jestis crucified. Several other holy doctors, such as St. Augustine, L. 22. de Civ. St. John Chrysostom, Hom. 55. in Matt. St. Jerome, St. Gregory, St. Hilarion, Theodoretus, recommend the fre- quent use of the sign of the cross, and relate various prodigies wrought by means of it. The Church makes use of it in all her exorcisms, in all her benedictions, in the administration of all the sacraments, and in the beginning of all acts of religion. She ajjj^lies the cross to the foreheads of the believers, says St. Augustine, Tract. 119, in Jo. to the water with ivhich they are baptised, to the chrism ivith which they are anointed, to the sa- crifice li'ith tohich they are fed. Even our separated brethren themselves are baptised with the sign of the cross. For our part, my brethren, let us not blush at the cross of Christ, says St. Cyril of Jerusalem. If another conceals it, do you form and bear it openly on your forehead, says this holy doctor, that the devil, seeing the royal standard, may fly from you, and trei7ible. Let us always carry it devoutly in our hearts, and plant it there by the spirit of perfect humility and meekness ; two virtues which Jesus preaches to us from the pulpit of the cross, and commands us particularly to leai-n from him. Let us imprint in our souls a grateful remembrance of his sufferings, and endeavour to bear in ourselves a resemblance of his mortification, by dying to ourselves, and crucifying our vicious in- clinations and concupiscences. Let us imitate the great St. Paul, who gloried in nothing more than in the cross of his Lord Jesus Christ, and who looked upon it as the most profound wisdom, the most sublime philosophy, the most eminent science he knew, and the most salutary doc- trine he preached wherever he went. Grant, 0 Divine Redeemer, that we may imbibe the spirit of thy Apostle, and be penetrated with the like sentiments. Preserve us from ever becoming enemies of thy cross, and give us grace to crucify our flesh with our vices and concupiscences. Pierce our stony hearts with those nails that fastened thee to the cross, that penitential tears may flow from us in abundance to wash away the foul stains of our sins. Do not suffer us to be lost after all thou hast done for our salvation. Permit us not to frustrate the designs of thy mercy, through our own obstinacy and perverseness, but make us partake of the happy fruits of thy redemption, ON THE TRIUMPHANT ASCENSION OF OUR LORD. 251 that we may be admitted one day into those realms of bliss, which thou hast purchased for us by thy sufferings on the cross. And which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. ASCENSION THURSDAY. ON THE TEIUMPHANT ASCENSION OF OUE LORD. Assumptus est in Coelum, et sedet a dexteris Dei — St. Marc. c. xvi. v. 19. Jesus was taken up into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God — St. Mark, c. xvi. v. 19. Our Blessed Redeemer, having acccompllshed the great work of man's redemption, by sacrificing his life on the altar of the cross, was pleased to remain forty days here on earth after his glorious resurrection ; during which time he appeared frequently to his disciples, and conversed fami- liarly with them, in order to confirm them in the belief of his resurrection, and to give them every necessaiy instruction relative to the due performance of the sacred functions of their ministry. The Scripture relates ten dif- ferent apparitions, the most solemn of which happened on the very day of his triumphant ascension into Heaven ; for, as St. Paul tells us, 1 Cor. XV. 6. He ivas then seen hy more than Jive hundred brethren at once. We do not find that in any of these apparitions, from the day of his resurrection to the day of his ascension, he ever complained once of the cruelty of the Jews, or even made mention of the base treatment he had received from Annas, Caiphas, Pilate and Herod ; for, as St. Luke informs us, his con- versation and discourse regarded only the kingdom of God, that is, his Church, which he founded on earth as a spiritual kingdom, that he might reign sovereignly in the hearts of his faithful servants by his grace in this life, and that they may reign eternally with him hereafter in the kingdom of his glory. He took particular care to instruct his Apostles in the duties of the apostleship, and to expound to them the sense and meaning of the Scriptures. He treated with them about the belief of the chief mysteries of faith, and concerning the administration of the holy sacraments. He gave them the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and empowered them to forgive and retain sins by his authority, to cast out devils, and to work all kinds of miracles in his name. In fine, he com- missioned and commanded them to go into the whole world, and to teach and baptize all nations until his second coming on the day of the last and general judgment, 'promising at the same time that he would always be with them, even unto the end of the world, and, consequently, that he would be with their lawful successors ; it being evident that their suc- cessors in office were comprehended in this promise, as the Apostles were not to live always upon earth, for the purpose of teaching and baptizing all nations by themselves in person, and as the Church was not to die with them, but was to stand unto the consummation of ages, and to the end of the world, in spite of all the powers of hell. Our Blessed Saviour having thus, like unto a wise architect, settled the foundations of his Church on a solid basis, and having authorised his Apostles and their successors to govern it, and to hand down the thread of faith to the faith- ful of all ages and of all nations, he was at length pleased to withdraw his visible presence from the earth, and to go and take possession of that bliss and happiness whieh was due to his victory over sin and death. S52 ON THE TRIUMPHANT Hence the Evangelist says, in the words of my text, Jesus tvas taken up into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God. Behold the glorious vic- tory which the Church solemnizes at present with an octave, and which I will explain to you in the following discourse. In the first place, I will brie% describe the principal circumstances of this grand event ; and, in the second, I will point out the signal advantages we derive from it, and the salutary effects it should produce in our hearts. Let us pre- viously invoke the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, greeting her with the words of the Angel, Ave Maria. It was on the fortieth day after Easter Sunday, and the tenth before Pentecost, that our Divine Redeemer quitted this sublunary world as to his visible presence, and mounted up to the kingdom of Heaven. He had previously appi'ised his disciples of his intention of leaving them, and finding them overwhelmed with an heavy load of grief and affliction at the thoughts of his approaching departure, he vouchsafed to comfort them in the most affectionate manner. He laid before them the expediency of his returning to his Eternal Father, and the advantages that were to accrue to them from his ascension. He assured them that he would not leave them orphans, but would send down the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, to abide with them, and to teach them all truth. He foretold them, that after a little while they should see him again ; that their hearts should then rejoice, and their joy no one should take from them. After consoling them thus, he led them out of the city of Jerusalem to a neighbouring mountain, called Mount Olivet, where, in the presence of upwards of five hundred witnesses, he lifted up his sacred hands, and, like a loving Fa- ther, he gave them his last blessing. Then leaving the print of his feet in the stone on which he stood, he raised himself from the top of the Mount into the upper regions of the air, and ascended triumphantly into Heaven. On the same spot from which he ascended, a magnificent church was afterwards erected in memory of his ascension, by the pious Empress Helen, mother of Constantine the Great, when she travelled into Palestine in search of the holy cross of our Saviour. It was from this place he chose to ascend ; that where he began to be humbled by his passion, there also he might begin to be exalted, and to manifest his glory. He ascended as man, both soul and body ; for, as God, he never was absent from Heaven, his divinity being always every where present at the same time, and filling all places with its immensity. He ascended by his own almighty power, and not by the help of another, like unto the Pro- phet Elias, who was taken up in a fiery chariot, or like the Prophet Habacuc and Philip the Deacon, who were raised Itp into the air, and translated into distant and remote places by the assistance of Angels. He ascended in a bright cloud, accompanied with the souls of the Holy Patriarchs, Prophets, and Saints of the Old Testament, whom he released from their tedious captivity, and led in triumph with himself into the kingdom of Heaven. It was with this glorious train that Jesus Christ ascended, according to these words of St. Paul, Ephes. iv. 8, where he says, Christ ascending on high, he led captivitij captive ; opening for them the gates of Heaven, which had been shut against mankind ever since the fall of Adam till that happy day. O with what raptures of joy, cries out St. Jerome, did all the angelical powers come forth to meet and welcome the Son of God, on the day of his glorious entry into the holy city of Heavenly Jerusalem ! The Angels were surprised, the Archangels were astonished to behold our human nature exalted thus by ASCENSION OF OUR LORD. 253 him above the choirs of Heaven ; the Cherubim and Seraphim were in ecstacies, to see their King, after gaining a complete victory over hell, sin, and death, taking possession of the realms of everlasting bliss, in an immortal, impassible and glorified body, that outshone the brightness of a thousand suns. The disciples, in the mean time standing on Mount Olivet, with their eyes fixed on the cloud which had taken their dear Lord and Master out of their sight, two Angels in a human shape, and clothed in white apparel, appeared to them and said, 0 men of Galilee, for they were natives of that country, tchi/ stand ye gazing ^ip to Heaven ? This same Jesus ivho is taken np from ye into Heaven, so shall he come as ye have seen him going 7ip into Heaven ; he shall come again at the end of the world in the clouds of heaven, with great power and majesty, preceded by legions of Angels ; he shall come then, not as he did in the adorable mystery of the incarnation, but in quality of Sovereign Judge of the living and the dead, in order to invite his elect to the inheritance of his heavenly kingdom, and to banish all reprobate and impenitent sinners into hell's unquenchable flames. The Evangelist tells us, that he is at present seated at the right hand of God the Father ; not that we are to imagine that God the Father has either a right or a left hand ; for, as God is in himself an incorporeal being, and a pure spirit, he cannot be supposed to have either hands or feet, so that this is a figurative expression, accommodated to our under- standing and manner of speaking. By it is only meant, that Jesus Christ, as God, is equal in power and majesty to God the Father, and as man is now exalted above all creatures, to the highest place and to the supreme happiness that his sacred humanity can be raised to in Heaven. In like manner, the word sitteth, which is made use of by the Evangelist in the Gospel of this day, and by the Apostles in their Creed, does not denote any particular situation, attitude, or posture of our Saviour's body in Heaven, but signifies that his humanity now enjoys a perfect repose, and is in full possession of the glory of his Eternal Father without being any longer subject, as he was here on earth, to hardships, pains, and sufier- ings, or liable to the vicissitudes and infirmities of human natui"e. However, this repose which he now enjoys in Heaven does not hinder him from attending to the wants and miseries of poor mortals here on earth, and representing the merits of his passion and death to his Eternal Father in our behalf. Elevated as he is, above the nine choirs of Angels, he still watches like a good shepherd over his flock, and takes special care of his beloved spouse, the Holy Catholic Church. He incessantly presides for her as her Supreme Head, and supplies her with a regular succession of visible Pastors, Bishops, and Teachei's, whom he guides, assists and animates with his holy Spirit, to rule and govern her, that as St. Paul speaks, Ephes. iv. 13, &c. We may all meet in the unity of faith, and not he tossed to and fro, and carried about ivith every tvind of doctrine. In short, he continues without interruption to provide for the necessities of his Church, and to fulfil his promise of abiding with her every day until the end of the world, not only after a spiritual manner by his grace and protection, but verily and indeed, by a real and substantial presence of his precious body and blood, in the blessed Sacrament of the Altar. In and by this holy sacrament, and by the other sacraments which he vouch- safed to leave us as so many standing monuments and pledges of his bound- less love, the graces of God are communicated to us, and the merits of his passion are daily applied to our souls, according to these words of the 254 ON THE TRIUMPHANT Apostle, Eplies, iv. 7. Grace is given to every one of us, according to the measure of the giving of Christ. The mystery of his ascension was prefigured in the Old Law, by the High Priest entering into the sanctuary once a year, as a mediator be- tween God and his people, and cai-rying in his hands the blood of the victims that were immolated for them ; for, in like manner Jesus Christ entered into the sanctuary of Heaven on the day of his ascension as our Mediator, our High Priest and Advocate with his Eternal Father, to oiFer to him the precious blood which he shed on the altar of the cross for our redemjition, and to demand pardon and plead mercy for us with all the powerful eloquence of his five sacred wounds, the marks of which he was pleased to retain in his hands, his feet, and his side. This made St. Paul say, Heb. iv. Since, my brethren, tve have an High Priest who penetrated the Heavens, and who can always save such as have recourse to God through him, let iis go ivith confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy. In like manner, St. John says, 1 Ephes. ii. My little children, these things I ivrite to you, that you may not sin ; but if any man sin, loe have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the just ; and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole ivorld. Behold what signal advantages we derive from his ascen- sion ! He prays for us in Heaven, as our High Priest, says St. August- ine ; he prays in us there as our Head, and he is there prayed to by us as our God. It is through him, says St. Paul, that we have access to the Father, and it is through him that all favours and blessings descend to us. He ascended into Heaven in order to prepare a place there for us, as he speaks, John, xiv. and in our name to take possession of those sacred mansions of bliss which he purchased for us at the expense of his life. By withdrawing his visible presence thus from us, he likewise designed to exercise our faith, to corroborate our hope, and to perfect our charity. In the first place, our faith is exercised and rendered more meritorious, by believing in him, although we do not see him ; for the virtue of faith has for its object things that appear not, or are not seen ; and the Gospel pronounces those blessed, irho believe what they do not see. Our hope is also corroborated thereby; for, since the sacred humanity of our Saviour has ascended into Heaven, we have just reason to hope, that where our supreme head is gone before us, we, who are his members, shall likewise ascend one day, in order to be united to him for ever. Hence he says, John, xvii. 24, Father, I ivill that tvhere I am, they also whom thou hast given me may be ivith me, that they may see my glory. Our charity is likewise inci-eased and perfected by his ascension, because our hearts are thereby detached from the earth, raised above the world, and drawn after our Blessed Redeemer into the kingdom of Heaven, it being just that where our treasure is, our God and our all, there is thy heart also, as the Gospel says. Matt. vi. 21. Had he remained visible amongst us here below, he would be apt to consider him only as man, and to love him with a kind of earthly affection ; our thoughts would be fixed on the contemplation of his humanity, like the disciples, who, whilst he conversed visibly with them on earth, seemed to judge of him almost after a human manner ; wherefore he told them, John, xvi. 7, that it was expedient for them that he shoidd go from them, as their hearts required to be weaned from earthly affections, and as that imperfect love with which they loved him, required to be purified and perfected by divine love at the coming of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. Before the ASCENSION OF OUR LORD. 255 ascension of Christ the disciples were strongly attached to the things of the world, and erroneously imagined that he was to deliver the people of Israel from the yoke of the Eoman empire, and to restore their com- monwealth to its ancient splendour, as appears from these words which the two disciples said to him after his resurrection, when he appeared to them on their way to the castle of Emmaus, ?re loere in hopes, said they, that Jesus loould deliver Israel ; for the carnal Jews, being accustomed to expound the oracles of the Prophets, not in a spiritual but in a literal sense, of a temporal kingdom, it was a common opinion amongst them, that the Messias was to subdue all the enemies of their nation by the foi'ce of arms, and that he was to reign here on earth as a most opulent and most powerful Monai'ch. Hence came the ambitious request of the children of Zebedajus, who wanted to be ranked, the one at the right hand, the other on the left hand of Christ in his kingdom. It was the same mistaken notion, that made the disciples ask our Saviour at ivhat timeheivoidd restore the hingdom of Israel ? The same error was after- wards revived by Papias, the disciple of St. John the Evangelist ; it was also supported by the Millenarian heretics, and justly condemned by the Church in the days of St. Damascus, as being contrary to the spirit of the Gospel, and to the doctrine of Christ himself, who, by his Avords and actions openly declared that his kingdom loas not of this xoorld. His ascension alone was sufficient to evidence this truth ; for by quitting the earth he gave us clearly to understand that, as St. Paul speaks, Heb. xi. We have no permanent citij here heloiv, hut ive are to seek after a future one ; that we are created for the enjoyment of a better life, and ought to look upon ourselves as sojourners and travellers here on earth ; that Heaven is our native country and happy home, and ought to be the grand object of our desires, the centre of our wishes, and the chief end of all our pursuits. Such were the sentiments that actuated the disciples after the ascension of Christ; convinced thereby of the emptiness of all transitory enjoyments, and of the vanity of all sublunary things, they regarded the world as a place of banishment, as a vale of tears, as a dangerous and sinful Babylon, and as a tempestuous ocean full of rocks and quicksands. They considered themselves as exiles, as travellers, as pilgi'ims from the Lord, as St. Paul expresses it, 2 Cor. v. Eeturning, therefore, from Mount Olivet to Jerusalem, immediately after the ascension of our Lord, they retired from the noise and tumults of the world, and raised their affections to the real and permanent goods of a future state ; they followed their Divine Master into Heaven with their hearts, and longed for the happy moment that was to unite them entirely to him, and to put them in possession of his eternal kingdom ; they applied themselves unanimously to fervent pi-ayer, and to the contem- plation of Heavenly things, in order to dispose their souls the better for receiving the gi'aces and gifts of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. Behold, my brethren, the salutary effects which the ascension of otir Lord wrought in their hearts, and which it should likewise work in our hearts. We should endeavour to imitate the disciples herein, and ascend like them in spirit after Jesus Christ into Heaven. We should follow him with the most ardent desires of our hearts, that, as St. Augustine says, Serm. 175, we may have the happiness to follow him hereafter, in reality with our souls and bodies. We should divest ourselves of all inordinate attachment to the perishable enjoyment of this transitory life. 256 ON THE TRIUMPHANT, &C. and look clown with a generous disdain and contempt on its painted toys, empty bubbles, and deceitful allurements. We should, according to the advice of the Apostles, relish the things that are above, and not things that are here 07i earth. Far from following the example of the children of Israel, who were so strangely infatuated during their captivity in Baby- lon, that they fell in love with their chains and grew fond of their bond- age, we should look up to Heaven where Jesus Christ our treasure is, and aspire to that real happiness and endless bliss, which he has in store for his faithful servants. Seek, says St. Paul, Coloss. iii. the things that are above, ivhere Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, in the splendid company of millions of Angels and Saints. The Jews, indeed, might be deemed somewhat excusable in their earthly pursuits, and in seeking the perishable things of the world, because Heaven was not yet open to them, and because the Old Testament held out temporal blessings and promised woiddly rewards to them, as an encouragement to make them observe the laws and ordinances of God ; but Christians can plead no excuse under the New Law of the Gospel, since Christ has thrown open the gates of Heaven to them, and holds out a never fading Crown of Glory to reward his followers and faithful servants, after the toils and labours of this mortal life. We read in the Book of Genesis, that when Jacob understood that his dearly beloved Son was exalted to the highest rank of honour and dignity in the kingdom of Egypt, he conceived the most ardent desire to see and embrace him, and for this purpose undertook a long and painful journey. Should not, my brethren, our hearts be fired with a similar desire of seeing and embracing our dear Redeemer, now exalted to the highest degree of glory, above all the angelic choirs in the kingdom of Heaven ? Should we not, for this end, cheerfully encounter and zealously surmount every difficulty, every obstacle that stands in our way ? Should we not long for the happy day that is to rescue us from the miseries of this sinful life, and bless us with the sight of his amiable face ? He has marked out to us the course we are to take in order to arrive at this happiness ; he has taught us both by his woi'd and example, the virtues which we are to practice in order to be entitled to the possession of that eternal kingdom, to which he most lovingly invites us. If we sincerely Avish to ascend after him, we must follow his footsteps, and bear in oui'selves some resemblance of the virtues of his holy life. We must humble our- selves with him here on earth, if we expect to be exalted with him here- after, since he alone ivho himbles himself shall be exalted. We must wash away the foul stains of our sins with the salutary waters of penance, since nothing that is defiled ivill be admitted into the holy city of heavenly Jeru- salem. Drunkards, letchers, extortioners, cursers, swearers and blasphe- mers, are to be eternally excluded from it, according to the express words of the Apostle. Neither pride, nor covetousness, nor any other vice of ours, as St. Augustine speaks, will get admission there, or be suffered to ascend after our heavenly physician. O Divine Jesus, give us grace to remove every obstacle that might disqualify us from partaking of the happy fruits of thy redemption. Grant that we may have our affections constantly fixed on thee by a lively faith, a firm hope, and an ardent charity. And as thou wert pleased to lift up thy sacred hands on IMount Olivet, and bless thy dis- ciples before thy ascension, so vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to lift up thy hands of mercy, and to pour forth thy blessings on thy servants assem- ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION. 257 bled here this day in thy name. Be thou our safeguard and Almighty Protector, amidst the many dangers to which we are constantly exposed in this sinful Babylon. Defend us against all the efforts and wiles of Satan, and conduct our souls, under the wings of thy mercy, to that hea- venly kingdom, which thou hast purchased for us by the effusion of thy sacred blood, and which, my brethren, I heartily wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION. ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION. Quid prodest Homini, si mundum Universumducretur, animas vero suaj detrimen- tum patiatur? — St. Matt. c. xvi. v. 26. What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own So2d?— St. Matt. c. xvi. v. 26. To see men so industrious, so occupied, so active and vigilant in their worldly pursuits, one might say that they seem to labour for an endless series of years, and for treasures, the possession of which could insure for them a true and permanent felicity ; for can it be supposed that so much care, so much bustle, so much agitation and anxiety, are only designed for the acquisition of a fortune, the duration of which can scarce equal the duration of the pains which are taken to acquire it, and that a life so rapid should be passed away in seeking Avith so much fatigue those perishable goods, which must be abandoned at the hour of death ; and yet this mistake, which appears so palpable, is become the error of the greatest part of mankind ; temporal views influence almost all their ac- tions ; the perishable treasures of fortune, which are often possessed with no less disquiet of mind than they are acquired with anxiety, captivate their hearts, command their whole attention, and furnish their lives with ample matter of care and speculation. But should not religion furnish us with sentiments more noble, more sublime ? Does it not propose to us an eternity of bliss, as an object more worthy of our care and atten- tion ? Does it not unmask the imposture of all transitory allurements, and lay open the vanity of all terrene objects? Does it not tell us, that what is fleeting deserves not our esteem ? And that though we arrive at the highest degree of happiness here on earth, we are then perhaps at the eve of our death, and at the very gates of eternity ? Why then do we confine our thoughts so much within this world, and make so small a provision for the world to come ? Does not common prudence teach us, that what is our greatest interest is what we should have most at heart, and that the affair of salvation, well managed, is what will redound most to our advantage ? This affair, therefore, should chiefly engage our attention, and yet of all affairs it is what is most overlooked by the gener- ality of Christians. To dissuade you from this deplorable mistake and culpable neglect, is the design of the following discourse. It is to per- suade you to prefer salvation to all other affairs, because it is of all other affairs the most important, nay, of all affairs it is your only affair. Of all affairs it is the most important ; tliis shall be the first point. Of all affairs it is your only affair ; this shall be the second point, and the whole subject of your favoui-able attention. Let us imploi-e the light of K 258 ON THE IMPORTANCE OE SALVATION. tlie Holy Gliost, througli the intercession of tlie blessed Virgin, &c. Ave Maria. The whole life of the greatest part of mankind passes away in the pursuit of the transitory goods of this world, without thinking seriously on eternity, or attending properly to the grand affair of salvation. In vain does religion call us to more solid cares, and to more serious occu- pations ; in vain does experience teach us, that to amass the perishable goods of fortune is but like amassing a great heap of sand, Avhich the first shock scatters, and which decreases in proportion as we endeavour to add to it ; in vain does the Almighty himself assure us, that the day of our greatest elevation is but the eve of our fall. The cares of tem- poral affairs, in spite of religion and all its maxims, are the most serious occupations of the life of man. It is only for the concerns of the soiil that we are idle and inactive ; we are careful, assiduous and vigilant for all the rest. Nothing discourages us in the pursuit of our worldly interest ; perils, fatigues, perplexities, labours, hazards, the intrigues of rivals, nothing, in fine, can stop, nothing can shake our resolution ; but when we are to labour for the salvation of the soul, and contend for a happy eternity, alas ! we ai"e feeble, cold and indifferent, though there is nothing that we should undertake with greater ardour, since, of all affairs, the affair of salvation is the most important ? Because it is such, that if it alone succeeds, though we should fail of success in every other affair, we shall be completely happy ; and if it alone should miscarry, though we should be fortunate in all the rest, we shall be entirely and eternally unhappy. Hence Christ our Lord' says in the Gospel, What doth it profit a man, if he gain the ivhole ■world, and suffer the loss of his own' sold ? Matt. xvi. 26. To save your souls, my brethren, is the capital point for you ; as for the rest, though you should be reduced to the lowest condition, though yovi should live here in sufferings, in misery and contempt, though you should be stripped of all your worldly possessions, though you should be without succours, without friends, accused, condemned and persecuted as the scorn and outcast of men, all this is nothing if you arrive at length at the happy term of salvation, because you will then find a glory that will amply indemnify you for all the disgraces of the world, a glory infinite, a glory immortal, a glory without end. You will then find a treasure which will amply indemnify you for all the miseries of the world, for you will possess God himself, who will be your treasure, an inexhaustible treasure in the kingdom of Heaven. In short, you will then find a repose that will amply indemnify you for all the labours and sufferings you endure in the world, for you Avill enjoy a complete and consummate happiness without end, without interruption, without the least solicitude, the least trouble, the least molestation. But if you lose your souls, how deplorable will your condition be ? Consult yourselves on this head, consult reason, consult religion, consult your own con- science on this important affair. Ask the rich man mentioned in the Gospel, Avho at the sad moment of his death was buried in the flames of hell, what did all the false happiness of the world avail him, when it was followed by everlasting misery ? Learn true Avisdom at the expense of so many other reprobates, who are now condemned to eternal torments ; they can well instruct you, as they are fully convinced of their folly by their own woeful experience. Hear how they lament their unhappy lot ; hear how they bewail and regret their misfortune in the fifth chapter of ON THE IMPOllXANCE OF SALVATION. 259 the book of Wisdom : We have lived in the world in credit and splen- dour, in abundance and in pleasures ; but, O perishable riches, O seduc- ing pleasures, which Ave eagerly sought for, in order to content our sensual appetites, what do you now avail us ? Will you serve to mollify the pains we suffer, or to moderate the heat of those scorching flames which now surround, burn and devour us ? Heretofore we treated as folly the piety and devotion of those faithful servants of God, who laboured to insure for themselves a happy eternity ; we looked on them as weak, timorous, scrupulous and superstitious souls. Fools that we were, we mocked, despised and ridiculed them ; but death has justified them and confounded us ; it has opened our eyes and made us sec our mistake; a vain show of worldly happiness has deceived and seduced us; we have strayed from the Avays of truth, and we have lost our God for ever without resource. It is thus that the damned souls Avill for ever lament their deplorable condition, and unprofitably regret their loss of salvation. Let their misery and distress be a warning to you, my brethren, and teach you to be more solicitous in future than you are in providing for the welfare of your immortal souls ; for what wiU it avail you to have been great, rich, wise, learned and renowned in the world, if you are to be despicable, poor and miserable in hell for a whole eternity ? Ah ! you will say one day, what is become of those projects of ambition, those parties of debauchery, those assemblies of libertinism, those diversions, those joys and delights, which I had more at heart than my salvation ? They have all passed away like a shadow, but tlie sins of which they have been the occasion have not passed away ; they still have a being, they are not as yet effaced in the book of Divine Justice, nay, perhaps they wiU remain always there, to draw down the heaviest vengeance that a just God can discharge on a criminal soul. What charm then binds you, my brethren ? What enchantment seduces you ? You are wise and circumspect in every thing else, and it seems that you are stupid and insensible only in the affair of your sal- vation ; you are attached to every other object, according as you are led by ambition, by interest, by cui-iosity, or by any other passion, and you scarce give a moment to the affair of eternity, and this affair which is of all the most considerable, is to you notwithstanding of all the most in- different. You are passionately fond of things which are hurtful and unprofitable to you, and you interest yourselves but little for what is of infinite consequence to you, and for what you should be perpetually in action, perpetually in motion, perpetually in alarms. God has given you your whole life to labour for the salvation of your soul ; he has judged that such a space of time was necessary to succeed in it, and you are pleased to judge otherAvise ; for you pretend to be saved, though you scarce allow yourselves a fcAV moments to be employed in the business of salvation. Thus you risk an infinite series of inexpressible bliss, and with tranquillity you expose yourselves to an endless series of unspeak- able misery. You knoAV that time is short, that life is uncertain, that death approaches, and that each moment may be your last ; and if this were your last moment, and you Avere cut off the face of the earth in the state of mortal sin luirepented, your eternal ruin would be inevitable. You have often made this terrifying reflection ; you have been reminded liereof an hundred times, and though you are noAV perhaps near the end of your career, yet the affair of your salvation is not the more advanced. Ah, Christians ! is it not high time to be roused from the fatal in- 260 ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION. sensibility which leads you on to endless ruin ? Is it not high time to exert yourselves strenuously in a business of such importance ? Re- member that there is question of possessing or of losing God, of enjoying eternal happiness, or of being condemned to torments, dreadful in rigour, and eternal in duration ! Can we have any interest comparable to this? Had not Solomon reason to say, that though man should live for many ao-es, and during that space of time should enjoy an uninterrupted series of prosperity, abounding in all the advantages of the most plentiful for- tune, without the least pain, anxiety, or disquiet of mind, still in the midst of all this worldly happiness he ought never to lose sight of the days of eternity, which when once arrived, will make him clearly see the vanity and nothingness of all earthly enjoyments and delights ; it is then he will clearly perceive how unprofitably he spent his time ; it is then he will be convinced that all his indefatigable labours in the management of his worldly concerns resembled only the occupation of the spider, that exhausts itself to make these slender cobwebs which serve only to ensnare little flies. The Son of God tells you, and his ministers often repeat it, that it would avail you nothing to have made a conquest of the whole universe, if after all you come to lose your soul. All other losses are nothing in comparison of the loss of salvation; all other losses can only deprive you of those goods of which you must be stript in a short time, as soon as death closes your eyes. Other losses may be repaired and remedied, but the loss of salvation is irreparable and without resource. If you die in a bad state, you will be condemned to eternal torments without remedy; if you once unhappily fall into hell-fire, you will burn eternally in flames, " for out of hell there is no redemption. Whoever is once damned, is damned for all eternity, Avithout the least hope of relief or abatement in his pains. Is it not then the height of insensibility and blindness to neglect our salvation, to hazard an eternity of happiness, and make our- selves liable to an eternity of misery, for the vain, fleeting and deceitful satisfactions of this life, which vanish and disappear like a shadow ? Instead of losing our souls for things so trifling, and for advantages of so short a duration, the very enjoyment of which is mixed with much gall and bitterness, we should rather renounce every thing in this world than neglect the main chance, or lose sight of the grand affair of sal- vation, which of all aflfairs is the most important, nay, of all affairs it is to be considered as the only affair, as I promised to show in the second point. That salvation is our only affair, that is, the only aifair that deserves our constant care and application, is a truth frequently repeated in Holy Writ ; it is recommended to us by our Divine Redeemer, as the only one necessary thing that should engage our whole attention ; it is it only that can properly be called our own affair ; our other concerns regard those who are to benefit by us, or to inherit the fruits of our industry, but this entirely regards ourselves. Our other affairs may be useful, and may brino- in some advantage and profit, but this is an affair of absolute and indispensable necessity ; it is an affair of such moment and importance, that how fortunate soever we may be otherwise in all our enterprises, we not only gain nothing, but our All is lost for ever if we succeed not herein. This is the affair with which God lias charged every one of us in particular. It was not necessary that we should be created ; the the world was long without us, and would have still subsisted, though ON THE IMPORTANCE OP SALVATION. 261 we never had been in a state of existence ; but as it pleased the Almighty to give us a being, so he could not but ordain us for some end, and for what end more glorious than to serve him here on earth, and to enjoy him eternally in Heaven hereafter ? All your actions, then, my bre- thren, should be performed with this view, and directed to this end ; this is the business which should occupy you morning, noon, and night ; this is an employment proper for all hours. In whatever state or condition you are, says St. Ambrose, be always attentive to the salvation of your soul, and take care to insure for yourself eternal happiness. Be not too solicitous about amassing the perishable riches of this transitory world ; be not embarrassed with a multiplicity of aifairs, which, properly speak- ing, deserve not your attention ; at least, let not too much anxiety dis- quiet your mind, provided your salvation be in a prosperous way. Endeavour each day, says St. Paul, to make a progress in virtue ; pay every attention to your immortal soul, that precious talent which God has committed to your care, that valuable treasure which Christ has purchased Avith his sacred blood ; that part of you, the most valuable, the most noble, and consequently the most worthy of all your care and attention ; spare no pains to preserve and save it ; abandon the rest to Providence. This is a personal affair for you ; in a woi\l, it is your only affair, it is your only business in this world. Must all other affairs be therefore abandoned and neglected ? No, my brethren, but they must be all referred to the great and important affair of your salvation. This must be the centre of all your actions, the end of all your pursuits, and the ruling principle that should influence you in all your undertakings : so that when I say your salvation is your only affair, I do not pretend that you are to neglect your temporal concerns, the welfare of your fiimily, or the fruits of your industry ; this would be to destroy all that Christian prudence, industry and economy, which both religion and reason do recommend ; but what I affirm is, that in the management of your worldly affairs, you are to have your salvation always in view, to aim at it in all your pursuits, and to make it your only principal affair and chief study. All Christians, from the king to the beggar, are to dis- charge the duties of their respective stations with this view, and with an intention of pleasing God, and of being subservient to the designs of his Divine Providence. The merchant, the dealer, is to employ himself in trade [^and commerce, in order to execute the Aviil, and conform to the designs of the Almighty, who placed him in that state and condition of life. Fathers and mothers are to labour in their domestic concerns, through a motive of following the vocation of Heaven, and obeying the orders of Providence, which designed the labours, cares and duties of their state, as the means of their sanctification. The same may be said with regard to each different condition of life. It may be applied to the man of business in the midst of his worldly occupations, and to the ecclesiastic in the performance of the sacred functions of his ministry. This plainly shows the extreme folly of sinners, Avho ruin and damn themselves in these very circumstances to which God has attached their salvation ; for what is there which may not be made conducive to this end, by being duly i-eferred to God and sanctified by a religious motive. Poverty and riches, adversity and prosperity, depression and elevation, sickness and health, may all contribute to accomplish the important business of salvation, by being made proper use of. Are you poor and 262 ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION. destitute of tlie goods of fortune ? Hear what the Saviour of the World says in the Gospel : JSlessed are the poor in spirit ; blessed are they who are not only poor in etfect, hut poor in spirit and in alFeetion ; blessed are the poor who are christianly submissive in their poverty, and content in that low state wherein God has placed them ; blessed are the poor, who support with patience their urging necessities and pressing wants, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Are you rich, my brethren ? Employ part of what you possess to make to yourselves friends of the mammon of iniquity, that they may procure you one day admittance into the eternal tabernacles of glory. Assist the miserable, relieve the distressed, who in cellars and garrets languish under the weight of sickness and the pressures of indigence, and you shall hear on the day of judgment this comfortable sentence, which will rank you amongst the elect. Come ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom of Heaven ; I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat ; thirsty, and ye gave me to drink ; naked, and ye clothed me ; since ivhatcver ye do to my little ones, I look upon it as done to myself in i^erson. Are you in adversity, my brethren ? It only depends on you to sanctify it by your patience ; and adversity thus sanctified, is a sure pledge of eternal happiness ; for as St. Paul says. Our momentary and light tribula- tion ivorketh in tis above measure an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Are you in health ? You are the better able to undergo the more painful exercises of religion, of piety, of mortification and penance. Are you weak and infirm ? Bear with resignation your weakness and infirmities. In fine, whatever is your state, situation, or condition, all may be of ad- vantage to your eternal welfare, and contribute to the salvation of your souls, if you refer all your thoughts, words, actions and designs to this great and gloiious end. And really, my brethren, what is more necessary than that the affair of your salvation should thus engage your whole attention, and be made the end of all your pursuits ? Yet you must acknowledge, that of all affairs this is what you seem most to neglect, and to have least at heart. What part of your life have you employed in this important business ? How many years have you consecrated thereto ? How many days ? How many hours ? I cannot think you would presume to count upon those odd half hours you pass in the Chapel, whilst you assist at the Holy Sa- crifice of the Mass. You know how frequently you are distracted, and how little the afiair of your salvation engages your attention, even at that juncture. Things altogether profane are often the subject of your tliouahts ; your traffic, your domestic concerns, your diversions, and a tliousand wandering ideas accompany you to the very foot of the altar, and occupy a great part of the time. What reason can you assign for this unchristian conduct, if it be not this, that you do not consider your salvation as your most important and your only aflfair ? If you are tlireatened with an expensive law-suit, if a considerable temporal advan- tao-e is at stake, if you are seized with a fit of sickness, you are occupied bdh day and night with the thoughts of your law-suit, Avith solicitude lor your worldly interest, with the care of preventing tlie fatal conse- (luences of your sickness ; but alas ! when your eternal interest is at stake, when your souls are dangerously ill, when they are mortally wounded, and all covered with the dismal leprosy of sin, when they are all disfigured and stripped of grace, when they are under the sentence of damnation ; and nothing but the slender thread of life to suspend the execution of it ; in a word when all that is terrible is to be feared, you then are unmoved ON TUE FESTIVAL OF SAINT MOIJICA. 2G3 and ixnconcernp.d. 0 deplorable infatuation ! If common prudence re- quires, that every necessary precaution should be taken to avert temporal misfortunes, and preserve the perishable life of the body, what should be done to escape endless misery, and insure life everlasting ? Should not all that is charming, all that is agreeable to our inclinations, be aban- doned, if necessary, for this end ? The merchant and the mariner, who in a violent storm, find themselves under the necessity and sad alterna- tive, either of perishing, or casting into the sea all their valuable mer- chandise, do not deliberate long about the choice they are to make. Though it is all the fruit of a long voyage, and of numerous fatigues ; though it is all the hopes of their family ; though they see themselves upon'^the brink of being reduced to the lowest ebb of misery, they re- solve immediately on throwing overboard, and losing all the goods they have in the world, because they are persuaded that otherwise they must inevitably lose their life. Under these circumstances, and in this per- suasion, they abandon the cargo of their ship without pain, or at least without hesitation. Should not their example influence your future con- duct, my brethren, and persuade you to labour strenuously from the present moment for the salvation of your souls, cost what it will. There is nothing so precious, nothing so charming, nothing so dear to you in this world, but you should be determined to lose and abandon, rather than abandon the Lord your God, and lose your soul. There is nothing so diificult but you should be ready to undertake, nothing so painful but you should be willing to suffer, if necessary, to insure for yourselves a happy eternity. O Almighty and Eternal God, preserve us from fixing our hearts and affections upon the false goods and empty enjoyments of this transitory life. Give us grace to consider always the eternal salvation of our souls as the most important of all our affairs, and to make it our constant study to seek thy heavenly kingdom before all things. Grant us a lively faith, a firm hope, and an active charity, that will animate us to labour Avith zeal and perseverance in thy service during the time of our sojourn here on earth, as by this means we may, at our dying hour, look with a well- grounded hope for that never-fading crown of glory, which thou hast promised to thy faithful servants. And which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. FOURTH DAY OF MAY. ON THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT MONICA. Ds suum aperuit sapientiae, et lex clementise in lingua ejus ; cousideravit semitas domus siiffi Prov. c. xxxi. v. 2G, 27. She hath opened her mouth to wisdom, and the law of clemency is on her tongue ; and she was attentive to the care of her family — Prov. c. xxxi. v. 26, 27. The solemnity of this day offers to our vieAV the life of the illustrious Monica, whom God, in the profusion of his mercy, was pleased to give to the world in the year 332, as a complete and finished model of Chris- tian perfection, and a compound of all the good qualities of her sex. The superior excellency and prevailing brightness of her virtues made her the wonder of the age she lived in, and the subject of panegyric to the end 264 ON THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT MONICA. of time ; for, as it was impossible, according to St. Ambrose, that the son of such tears as her's shoukl perish, so it is impossible that the mother of such a son should ever be forgotten. Returning ages shall set forth her praise, and transmit the luminous rays of her virtues to posterity, since, as the Scripture says, the woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised. In her we behold what Solomon wished so ardently to find ; in her we see his nicest description of a virtuous woman answered, and the most minute circumstance he paints exactly fulfilled ; for her hands Avere always employed in doing good, and she never failed in her duty towards God, her neighbour, and her family, nor opened her mouth but to pro- nounce words which flowed from wisdom ; the law of clemency and meekness dwelt on her tongue, and she acquitted herself of all the ofiices of a virgin, a wife, a mother and a widow, with such fidelity and per- fection, that I may justly propose her as a bright mirror and shining example for Christians of all states and conditions. By her invincible patience and indefatigable zeal, she conquered the disorders of her do- mestics, gained their love and confidence, sanctified their souls, and made them the chief instruments of her glory. By her heroic virtues and edifying life, she completed the conversion of the most obstinate of Pagans, and of the most turbulent of husbands. In short, she performed all the obligations of a Christian wife, and left a noble example for all married women to imitate. It is the subject of my first point. She instilled religion and piety into the tender plants she brought forth for Jesus Christ, and suppressed their growing vices, so as to fulfil all the duties of a Christian mother, and to become a perfect model for all' parents to copy after. It is the subject of the second point. Let us previously invoke the divine assistance, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, greeting her Avith the Angel, Ave Maria. The great Augustine, the child of Monica's heart, and the fruitful product of her tears, has described her virtues in the ninth book of his Confessions, with all his stock of learning and his floods of eloquence ; and the glory of having given this bright luminary and unshaken pillar to God's Church, is the most solid honour that can be attributed to her, and finishes in miniature the most complete eulogium. Leaving her, therefore, in possession of her unequalled glory, I shall content myself with laying a sketch of her actions before you, not to aggrandize their merit, but to instruct you, and to point out the surest road for you to arrive at the perfection of your respective states. Represent then to yourselves a young, tender virgin, brought up with care in the love and service of Jesus Christ, educated in all the virtues that render the state of virginity so holy and amiable, so excellent and perfect, full of that piety which she had imbibed with the suck of her mother, entirely de- voted to her Creator, quite a stranger to the vanities and dissipations of a sinful world, and admired no less for her meekness and modesty, than for her profound humility and chaste retirement. Such was the chai'acter of Monica, before she was delivered by her parents in marriage. No idle amusements disturbed her mind or possessed her heart ; she was guarded against all the soothing words of deluding flattery, whereby so many unwary and innocent souls in this age are ensnared and unhappily decoyed, to make a shipwreck of their virtue and baptismal sanctity. — Far from seeking to attract the eyes of man by pompous and taudry dresses, more becoming the votaries of Venus than the disciples of Jesus Christ, her only study was to possess the inward ornaments of the mind, ON THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT MONICA. 265 and to enrich her immortal soul with the treasures of divine grace. Far from spending her precious time at a toilet or card table, or in reading novels, romances and play-books, which ai*e so apt to poison the ideas and corrupt the hearts and minds of young persons, she was constantly employed either in the performance of her filial duties, or in the con- templation of heavenly things, blessing, praising, and adoring her Creator, and consecrating her heart to him as a pure holocaust and victim of di- vine love. In these happy exercises of piety and religion, of innocence and purity, Monica spent her tender years, till Divine Providence was pleased to dispose otherwise of her, and until she was prompted by obedience and inclination to change her condition, and to enter into the bonds of holy wedlock. The greater part of those who now-a-days en- gage in this state, make it a kind of negociation and mercenary trafhe, and consider only the profits, conveniencies and pleasures that result from it ; they commonly embai'k on this voyage for life without knowing the road which they are to take, or the course which they are to steer ; they contract an alliance which is only to be dissolved by death, without consulting the will of the Almighty, without the proper motives, with- out the advice of their friends, or the consent, approbation and blessing of their parents. They, seldom reflect on the weighty obligations that are annexed to the state of marriage, and provided there be a prospect of some worldly interest, they inquire no farther ; for which reason it frequently happens, that the nuptial knot is no sooner tied than they wish it broken, deploring a thousand times their hard destiny, and lamenting, when it is too late, the cruel slavery to which they are reduced. Monica was endowed with too much prudence and religion to run hand over head in this giddy, unthinking and unchristian manner ; whatever she did was in reference to the honour and glory of God, and the sanctification of her soul ; her intentions were pure, holy, and con- formable to the great designs for which matrimony was instituted and ordained by the Almighty. She paid a due respect to her parents, and with their advice and by the permission of Heaven, she married Pa- tricius, a nobleman of Tagaste in Africa, but an obstinate Pagan, na- turally boisterous, violent and furious, and of so fiery, passionate, and hasty a temper, that he knew no bounds when contradicted in the least. The amazing contrast served only to add fresh lustre to the si>lendour of our saint's shining virtues, and gave her a large field to reap the richest palms of Christian patience. Considering the state of matrimony, as intended by Divine Providence for her salvation, she turned all her thoughts on the duties of her new profession, and formed the generous, the truly exalted resolution, to observe in the most minute circumstance whatever St. Paul had said on this subject, relative to the duties of married women, and to conquer, by the assistance -of divine grace, every difficulty that should oppose itself to her pious intentions. Scarce any woman was exposed to so many crosses and vexations ; al- most every hour in the day presented her with new trials, and fresh opportunities to exercise the heroism of Christianity ; her patience was tried in the most delicate point ; she saw unlawful flames kindled in a heart which she alone could lay claim to ; yet, wonderful to be said, here she conquered even herself, and thought worse of the offence given 266 ON THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT MONICA. to God, than of the injury done to her own person by so base an infi- delity. Monica was convinced, by the principles of her religion, that no ill-treatment could exempt her from the obedience, submission, and fidelity she owed her husband ; she knew that the obedient, submissive, and faithful woman is often the instrument that God makes use of to con- vert the unbelieving man, and that patience, resignation, and an humble confidence in the divine mercy, are the surest means to complete so great a work ; she was sensible that a silent example and an easy imrepining behaviour, are more persuasive than the severity of lectures and admo- nitions, and that an hasty obstinate man has too much pride to receive tamely an open reproof. Hence Monica never thwarted her husband by the least word or action, whilst she saw him in anger ; but when the fit was over and he was calm, she mildly gave him her reasons and an ac- count of her actions ; she drew him insensibly to reflect on his duty by the unstudied graces of her actions, and by the pleasing accents of her tongue. The sweetness and good humour which always sat upon her face, and diffused itself into every word and action, made him a tacit re- proach for his abuses, and he stood confounded and corrected by her virtue. Every thing that had the least tendency towards keeping up a dispute, or abating his affection, she considered as a matter of import- ance, and she waited for a more favourable opportunity to make him sensible of his mistake, when it was necessary. The chief argument she made use of for this end was the sanctity of her conduct, enforced by an obliging affectionate behavioui', and a greater obsequiousness, whereby she not only commanded his love, respect and esteem, but also managed the sallies of his passion with such ingenuity and good sense, that, not- withstanding his hasty and choleric temper, it was never known that he ever struck her, or that they had entertained any domestic dissension, even for a single day. So great an ascendancy had she gained, over him by her condescension, and by the sweet evenness of her temper ! A be- haviour like this preached to him the holiness of her religion more eloquently, than any discourses or arguments whatever, and contributed in a great measure to bring him over at length to the pale of the Catholic Church. Such, my brethren, was Monica's method, such was the return she met with, and such was the advice she gave her female acquaintances, who were willing to live happy in the conjugal state ; and as many as followed her advice and example in this respect towards their husbands, rejoiced in the experience of the comfort and advantages which accrued to them from their meekness, patience, and complaisance, whilst those that did not follow it, but broke out into murmurs and complaints, bitter invectives, cutting expressions, and provoking language, felt the whole weight of their husband's arms, bore the scandalous marks of their indig- nation, and foimd themselves constantly in a kind of hell upon earth. And really, what else is the mai'riage state without peace and harmony, love and friendship ? And how is it possible that love and esteem can be preserved long amidst frequent broils and disputes, reproaches and contradictions, scornful looks, ill humour and capriciousness ? Will not the most tender affection be gradually changed into coldness and indif- ference, hatred and aversion, by the means of a thwarting, sour, peevish temper ? Will not an ill-timed advice and an unseasonable rebuke, contribute rather to heighten the discord and widen the disunion ? Will not a scolding tongue, that makes a mountain of what is but au atom, ON THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT MONICA. 2G7 administer fuel to the blaze, and exasperate men sometimes to a degree of madness ? If married women did but know what piety and religion, patience and meekness can do, and what powerful aids they are to ren- der them happy, and to sweeten the yoke of matrimony, they would copy after the illustrious Monica. When they have the misfortune to be paired with bad husbands, they would endeavour to turn necessity into a virtue, and carry their cross with Christian forbearance, rather than augment their misery by fretfulness and peevishness, and expose them- selves to the danger of passing from one hell into another ; from an hell of tribulation in this world into an hell of unspeakable torments in the next ; in short, from the hell of matrimony into the real hell of the damned. Wives who sincerely wish to obtain from their husbands all the attention that is due to them, and to be mistresses as much as it is proper for them to be, should learn to be docile, mild, tractable, and obedient, like Monica ; they should bridle their tongues and subdue their passions ; they should study to be agreeable and pleasing in every thing that is just and reasonable ; they should endeavour to conquer the vicious or tyrannical temper of a bad husband, by mild and gentle means. By pursuing such a line of conduct, they Avould gradually win their husbands over to the government of reason, and assuredly induce them in the end to do their will ; in short, they would find by experi- ence, that the surest way to command a husband, is to obey with a respectful submission and an edifying example. When their husbands happen to be devoid of faith and religion, let them, like Monica, speak to them of God by their actions and prudent conduct ; let them daily put up their fervent prayers to Heaven for their conversion. It is thuS that the faithful wife obtained the conversion of the unfaithful husband. It is by such means that Monica surmounted every difficulty, and tri- umphed in the end over a furious lion. It was thus that she drew her husband Patricius out of the labyrinths of vice, foUy, and idolatry, in which he wandered, and had the happiness to see him converted from all his errors; for, being charmed with the meekness, patience, and other sublime virtues of his spouse, he could no longer doubt of the truth of her religion : he embraced the Catholic faith and was baptized ; he renounced Satan and all his works ; he put on Jesus Christ and was entirely reformed ; he became chaste, humble, and patient, sober, mo- derate, and pious, during the remainder of his life. We have now con- sidered Monica as a perfect model of Christian wives ; let us briefly consider her as a complete model of Christian mothers ; it is what I pro- mised to shew you in the second point. If we remount to the empoisoned spring of the numberless crimes, wliich, like a deluge, overspread the face of the earth, we shall discover that they chiefly owe their birth to the bad education of childi-en, and to the negligence and misconduct of parents. This is the fatal source of the many disorders, which, like original sin, are transmitted from father to son, from one generation to another. It was commanded in the Old Law, that every male child should be offered to God after the mother's purification. By this precept, the Lord was willing to oblige mankind to acknowledge their own dependence and his sovereign domi- nion, and at the same time to teach all parents, that they must devote their children to him from their tender years ; that they must instil piety into their breasts, together with their nurse's milk, and persuade them, if possible, to the practice of virtue as soon as they are susceptible of 268 ON THE FESTIVAL Of SAINT MONICA. instruction, it being a matter of the greatest consequence what ideas are stamped upon the ductile minds of children, what sentiments are im- pressed on their hearts, and to what habits they are first formed, since, if their mind once takes a wrong bent, it will be difficult to redress it. They should be inured early to little denials both in their will and senses, their passions should be curbed whilst they are pliable ; the fire of divine love should be kindled in their hearts as soon as they are capable hereof, and they should be taught that pleasures which gratify the senses, must be guarded against, and used with great fear and mo- deration. These maxims were the plan of Monica's conduct ; she knew that the quality of a wife required her submission, and that the quality of a mother armed her with authority, and therefore, she studied to sanctify her husband by her invincible patience, and her children by her indefatigable zeal. No sooner did she become a widow, but in con- formity with the dictates of St. Paul, she spent her days iji retirement, tears, and the care of her children, especially her son Augustine, whose vivacity of genius and inclination to vice, redoubled her fears ; where- fore, she Avatched all his actions from his very infancy, and never ceased by her instructions and good example, to convince him of his duty, and excite him to the love and service of Jesus Christ. Her first study was to consecrate him as a pure holocaust to God, to form his soul to virtue, to implant the seeds of piety in his heart, to inspire him with an abhor- rence of sin, and to stifle in their birth whatever impressions the bad example of a Pagan father, and of vicious companions, might stamp on him. O how much reason is there to fear that many parents, for want, of this religious care, will suifer in the other world for the crimes of their children, as well as for their own ? For what is more common than to bring up their children without any other principles of religion, than what are just sufficient to distinguish them from Jews and Pagans? Nay, how many parents are there, even within the precincts of this city, who lead such disorderly lives, that their houses resemble so many schools of the devil, and who give their unhappy children so many scandalous examples, that one would almost think that cursing, swear- ing, drunkenness, debauchery, and the like criminal practices, are the constant springs of marriage, and the only revenue or inheritance to be left to their posterity ? How many are there, who labour like galley slaves to make a fortune for their children, and to instruct them in the polite arts of the age, but take little or no pains to make them good Christians, and fit them for the kingdom of Heaven ? They are so solicitous to give them a fashionable education, that they often venture them in the midst of corruption to obtain it, as if they disregarded or forgot the great and noble end for which their children were created. Nothing of this kind could be imputed to the virtuous Monica ; above all things she studied the salvation of her children, and omitted nothing in her power to procure it. But, alas ! in spite of all her endeavours, her young son Augustine fell into the most frightful gulph of vice, in the sixteenth year of his age, partly by means of frequenting stage entertain- ments, and partly by reading lascivious play-books, which should be a warning to the unthinking youth of our days, who are so passionately fond of going to play-houses, and of perusing amorous novels, comedies, and stories of gallantry. O what a subject of grief was it for Monica to behold the child of her heart, thus straying away like the prodigal son, and feeding on the husks of swine, after she had taken so much pains to ON THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT MONICA. 269 cultivate his mind with wholesome documents, and to balance the corrupt inclinations of his nature with sound principles of religion and morality ! Each step Augustine takes out of the path of virtue is a second labour to her, and causes more exquisite pains than those which she had felt at her first bringing him into the world. Whilst Augustine sins, Monica weeps ; whilst Augustine floats on a sea of empoisoned pleasures, Monica groans under an heavy weight of sadness and affliction ; whilst Augustine plunges deeper and deeper into the mire, Monica bathes herself in scald- ing heart-breaking tears. In vain did Augustine forsake his native soil, and cross the seas to shun her presence ; Slonica was continually before him as a Guardian Angel ; she traversed vast kingdoms and empires, in order to reclaim him from his errors, and bring him to a true under- standing of his duty. Africa, Europe, Carthage, Rome, and Milan, be- held her with wonder pursuing him with an heart bleeding for the con- version of his soul ; she addressed herself to the eminent servants of God to assist her in her pious undertaking, and she poured out her heart daily before the altar of the Most High, in fervent prayers and suppli- cations. So great was the confidence she had in the goodness of her Creator, that she never once despaired but he would one day hear her prayers, receive her tears, and become propitious to her vows. This is what made her continue day and night striking at the gate of mercy with unwearied perseverance, and importuning Heaven by her tears and sighs, to restore her son from the death of sin to the happy life of grace. Learn from her example, O Christian parents, that it is a duty in- cumbent on you to pray for your children. Be not content with pro- moting their temporal interest, but carry your views higher, and think on their eternal welfare. Give them a Christian education, set them a good example, and pray for them fervently and constantly. Should they not cori-espond with your care ; should they, like Augustine, go astray, be not disheartened ; renew your supplications, redouble your prayers ; the happy moment of grace will arrive ; the early impressions of virtue will recur one day, and open their eyes to see their folly, and blush at their errors, and you may confide, like 'Monica, that you will have the consolation of seeing them return to the Lord their God sooner or later. The conversion of Augustine cost Monica fifteen years of prayers and lamentations. It was then only that her tears were dried up, and her sorrow was changed into inexpressible joy. Floods of grace descended at length from Heaven, opened his eyes, and melted his heart into com- punction. His errors vanished, his debauches were at an end ; and after a long night of obscurity he rose from the sea of his mother's tears, like a sun all-glorious, to illumine the world by his brightness, and to warm and inflame it with the ardour of his charity. It is easier to conceive than to express the raptures and ecstacies with which the affectionate soul of Monica was transported, on seeing the wonderful change that was wrought in her son. Augustine, who, on his part, began to look now upon her as doubly his mother, and considered himself indebted to her for the life of grace, as well as for the life of nature. In fine, Monica seeing her labours crowned with success, even beyond her expectation, and magnifying the Lord for so large a profusion of his mercies, coveted nothing more on earth than to be disengaged from the prison of her mortal body, and to shut her eyes to all created objects, in order to open them to Jesus Christ alone. Her last request was, that Augustine should remember her at the altar of God, whenever he oflfered 270 ON THE DESCENT up the adorable sacrifice ; and with these pious sentiments, bidding fare- well to the world, her soul, as if impatient of farther delay, broke all the chains that linked it to the flesh, and flew to the chaste embraces of her heavenly spouse. Happy they, who like her, live up to their vocation, and faithfully comply with the duties of their respective states ! Inter- cede for us, O pious Monica, that we may be of the number of such happy souls. Thou didst formerly obtain, by thy fervent prayers, the conversion of thy son Augustine ; obtain for us also, we beseech thee, the like favour from the Father of Mercies, and God of all consolation, who vouchsafed to confirm thee in grace and crown thee with gloiy. O may thy virtues adorn our souls, that after following thy example here on earth, we may partake hereafter of that happiness which thou dost enjoy at present in the kingdom of Heaven. And which, my brethi-en, I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. PENTECOST SUNDAY. ON THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST. Cum complereutur dies Pentecostes, repleti sunt omnes Spiritu Sancto, et cooperunt loqui Acts, c. a. V. 1, 4. When the days of Pentecost were accomplished, all the Disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak — Acts, c. ii. v. 1, 4. The solemnity of Pentecost is commonly called Whitsuntide, from the ancient custom of clothing catechumens, or newly-baptized Christians, in white garments, during the ensuing octave, in order to denote the sanc- tity and spotless innocence that the sacrament of Baptism confers on the soul. The Church finds herself at this time happily situated between Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, redeemed by the one and conducted by the other. Jesus Christ ascends into Heaven to be the pledge and mediator of our eternal happiness : the Holy Ghost descends to the earth to be our guide and comforter in this vale of miseries. Jesus Christ mounts up into the celestial sanctuary, to complete the functions of his priesthood, and to perform the ofiice of our Advocate with the Father : the Holy Ghost comes down from the Heavens to abide with the faithful to the end of the world, to teach them all truth, to inflame them with the fire of divine love, and to prevent the Church from being ever over- powered by the gates of hell. Jesus Christ ascends in order to prepare a place for us above, and to form never-fading Crowns for his elect and faithful servants : the Holy Ghost descends in order to animate us here below, to sustain the conflicts and gain the victories that must necessarily be gained before we can expect to be crowned. Jesus Christ elevated to the bosom of his Heavenly Father, gives man a lasting proof, and a well-grounded hope of future glory and immortality : the Holy Ghost penetrates to the heart of man to illumine and purify him with the rays of his all-powerful grace. The descent of the Holy Ghost was the price of the sacred blood of Jesus Christ, a favour owing to his infinite merits, and the last seal of our redemption. The disciples were not fit to receive this Divine Spirit till after the visible departure of our Blessed Redeemer from this world ; for as St. Augustine remarks, they had so tender an aftection and regard OF THE HOLY GHOST. 271 for their dear Lord and Master, that they could not bear his absence without great reluctance, and being seized with sadness. This sensibi- lity being the effect of nature rather than of grace, was sufficient to put a stop to the coming of the Holy Ghost, for which reason Christ told them, John, xvi. 7. It is expedient to you that I go ; for if I go not, the Paraclete ivill not come to you : hut if I go, I ivill send him to you. The descent of the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, changed them in a moment into other men, purified their hearts and consumed the dross of their earthly affections ; it inflamed them with zeal and gratitude, and banished all their appi*ehensions and all symptoms of fear and anxiety ; it made them forget their own safety to publish their IMaster's divinity, and sacri- fice their lives for his honour and glory, and for the establishment of his Church. To be convinced hereof, we need but turn our eyes towards Jerusalem, and consider attentively the glorious event which took place there this day, at the very time that the Jews Avere celebrating the anni- versary of the promulgation of their Law on Mount Sinai. This is the interesting subject to which the Church calls our attention at present, and which I wiU endeavour briefly to lay before you in the following discourse. The wonderful change that the Holy Ghost wrought in the disciples of Christ on the day of Pentecost, and the astonishing success with which he blessed and crowned their labours, shall be the subject of the first point. The means whereby the disciples prepared themselves for receiving the Holy Ghost, and by which we ought likewise to pre- pare ourselves for receiving his heavenly gifts and graces, shall be the subject of the second point. Intercede for us, O blessed Mother of Jesus, that we may be made worthy of the promises of thy beloved Son. For this end, my brethren, let us devoutly recite the angelical salutation. Ave Maria. It is an article of faith, that the Holy Ghost is the third person of the most Holy Trinity ; that he proceeds from the Father and the Son as from one source ; that he is equal to both in power and gloiy, and eveiy perfection, existing with the same divine nature and essence from all eternity. As the work of our creation is commonly attributed to the Father, and the work of our redemption to the Son, so the work of our sanctification is particularly attributed to the Holy Ghost, because he is the love of the Father and of the Son ; and it is from God's love that all grace, all sanctification, all virtue flows and proceeds. We read in the Acts of the Apostles, ch. xix. that »St. Paul, on his arrival in the city of Ephesus, found certain people there, who told him they had not even heard that there was an Holy Ghost. None of you, I suppose, can plead the like ignorance, since, now-a-days, the very children in the sti-eets may readily learn from the mouth of every common curser and sweai-er, tliat there is an Holy Ghost. To swear by him, is alas ! be- come so fashionable and so favourite an oath with many, that we can scarce pass along the public ways, without being almost deafened with the sound of it from eveiy corner. To such a pitch is impiety raised at present, that not only men, but even women, whom modesty should cha- racterize, are not content with blaspheming the Holy Father, and tearing the sacred name of Jesus to pieces every hour in the day. They have also begun to attack the Holy Ghost, and invoke him frequently as a wit- ness to their crimes and abominations ; for it is remarkable, that as they have been called to the light of the Gospel, and baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, they have at length 272 • ON THE DESCENT found out the secret of blasplieming all tlie three Divine Persons at once, as if they were resolved nothing should be wanting to secure their dam- nation. But let us leave such unhappy sinners to the mercy or justice of God, and return to our subject. It was on the fiftieth day after the resurrection, and the tenth after the ascension of Jesus Christ, that the Holy Ghost descended on the dis- ciples when they were assembled together in the city of Jerusalem on the feast of Pentecost ; for, as the feast of the Jewish Pentecost pre- figured the Christian Pentecost, and as the tables of the Law were given to Moses on Mount vSinai, the fiftieth day after the children of Israel had been delivered from the bondage of Pharaoh, and had passed the Red Sea on their way to the Land of Promise, it was, in like manner, on the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Christ, who came to deliver man- kind from the bondage of the infernal Pharaoh, and to conduct his children through the Red Sea of his precious blood to the true Land of Promise, that the Holy Ghost was pleased to descend and to promulge the New Law of the Gospel on Mount Sion in Jerusalem, about the ninth hour in the morning on a Sunday, when the Jews were comme- morating their ancient Pentecost. There was this diffei'ence, however, between the giving of the Old Law to Moses and the New Law to the disciples, that the one was engraved in tables of stone, the other was imprinted in the hearts of the faithful ; the one was given in the midst of thunder and lightning, the other under the outward appearance and visible form of fiery tongues ; for since the New Law is not a law of fear and terror, destined for slaves, but a law of charity and grace, destined for the children of God, it was expedient that it should be im-' printed in the minds, and written in the hearts of Christians by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Love, The gates of Heaven were accordingly opened on a sudden, and the riches of God's love and mercy were poured forth on the disciples of Christ this day, in the greatest abundance. A noise or sound iv as formed in the air, says the Scripture, like a violent rushing ivind, that filled the whole house where they tvere sitting, and the Holy Ghost descended visibly upon them in the shape of tongues of fire, to denote the gift of tongues with which he came to endow them, and the fire of charity which he came to en.- kindle in their hearts. He descended upon them as a spirit of light and truth, to instruct and teach them ; as a spirit of grace to sanctify them ; as a spirit of charity to qualify them in every respect for the sacred functions of the apostolic ministry. They trere all replenished with the Holy Ghost, says the sacred text, and they began to speak tvith different tongues. They were all divinely inspired, all strengthened in their faith, all confirmed and fortified, all enriched with the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost ; their intellects were enlightened with the knowledge of super- natural truths, their wills were inflamed with the fire of divine love, and all the faculties of their souls were filled with heavenly benedictions. It was thus that the following prediction of St. John the Baptist was accomplished; I indeed baptize ye in icater, said he, but he who is to come after me shall baptize ye in the Holy Ghost, and fire. It was thus that the merits of Jesus Christ crucified were crowned, and his promises fulfilled to the inex- pi'essible joy of the disciples, and to the great consolation of the faithful, but to the eternal shame and confusion of the incredulous Jews, who were a.^to- nished to hear a dozen poor illiterate fishermen by trade, who never had studied the Law, quoting the Scrijjtures and expounding the divine oracles, OF THK HOLY GHOST. 273 with as mucli facility as if they were so many inspired Angels that de- scended from Heaven. Nothing was able to resist the force of their divine eloquence, and the spirit of wisdom that spoke through their mouths. The Scripture inferms us, that one of the heavenly spirits of the angelic order of the Seraphim, purilied the lips of the Prophet Isaias with a burning coal taken from the altar ; but the Holy Ghost purified the lips of the disci- ples, and gave them tongues of fire capable of inflaming the frozen hearts of sinners, and melting them into compunction. Before the descent of the Holy Ghost, they were a set of ignorant, weak, dastardly men ; they were so timorous and cowardly, that when their Lord and Master was apprehended in the garden, they ran away and abandoned him to the mercy of his merciless enemies. Matt. xxvi. 56. After his resurrection, though he frequently appeared to them, in order to raise and cheer up their drooping spirits, yet they were so dull and slow of apprehension, that all his discourses seemed enigmas or riddles to them. Even after his ascension, they were still under such panics, that they had not cou- rage to appear in public, but remained shut up in a house at Jerusalem, for fear of the Jews. But, O wonderful change ! as soon as the Holy Ghost shed his heams upon them, they issue forth with intrepidity like so many courageous lions, breathing forth flames of charity ; they pre- sent themselves on a sudden in the streets of Jerusalem, with a design to reform the face of the universe. Nothing but an impulse of the Divine Spirit could animate them to undertake so arduous an enterprise, and nothing but the same spirit could execute it with instruments so weak and disproportioned in appearance to the gi'eatness of the design. But though weak of themselves, they tvere able, as the Apostle speaks, to do all things in him icho strengthens them. They are so wonderfully illumined from above, as to be able to penetrate the highest mysteries, to convince the most eloquent orators, and to confound the most learned philosophers. They are so amazingly foi'tified, that they fear no dangers, they appre- hend no perils, they dread no toi-ments, they regard no threats or me- naces, they despise the cruelties of the most violent persecutions and sufferings; for the sweet name of Jesus become the subject of their joy and of their glory. Acts v. 41. They zealously announce the mystery of the cross to every knov^m nation under the Heavens, and the different tribes and people of the earth understand them, as if they spoke to them in tlieir own native language. Peter, the Chief and Head of the Apostolic College, goes immediately to the elders of the Synagogue, to the Scribes and Pharisees, and to the Magistrates of Jerusalem, and boldly reproaches them with having mur- dered their Lord and Messiah. A little before that, being questioned by the servant maid of Caiphas the High Priest, he trembled with fear, and shamefully denied Christ ; but now he values not the whole San- hedrim of the Jews ; he raises his voice with courage in' a public assembly, and having commanded them to hearken to his words, he openly professes that the person called Jesus of Nazareth, whom they a few weeks before that, had most unjustly executed like a malefactor, is the true Son of the living God. He exhorts them to repent, and to become adorers of Jesus, after having been his murderers ; and blessed for ever be the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, he converts at his tAvo first sermons, ciglit thousand souls to the Lord. The rest of the apos- tles were fired with no less zeal ; death in its. most terrifying shape, was not able to deter them from the sacred functions of their ministry ; 274 ON THE DESCENT they spread ovei' the globe, each of them like the Angel mentioned in the Apocalypse, flying with his Gospel through the air, as the spirit guides them. The wondering earth is roused by the thunder of their voices ; their words resemble so many fiery darts that are shot from hearts inflamed with the love of God ; the most populous and renowned cities of Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, even Rome itself, then the mis- tress of the world, hear with raptures the eloquence of these illiterate fishermen. The temples of the devils fell to the ground at the sound of their voice, as the walls of Jericho fell to the ground at the sound of the trumpets of Israel. In short, they made such a rapid progress, and preached the Gospel of Jesus with such wonderful success, that their sound ivent into the whole earth, as the Scripture says, and their words reached the remotest corners of the known world, the Lord espousing the doc- trine they preached as his man cause, and confirming it with numberless miracles. Thus, my brethren, the Church of Christ was originally planted, and in a few years established upon the ruins of Paganism and the destruc- tion of the Jewish Synagogue. Thus the foundations of our holy reli- gion were first laid, not in the course of the tAvo or three last centuries, but upwards of seventeen hundred years ago, and that not by men of dissolute lives, nor by the force of arms, nor by the severity of san- guinary laws, nor by the allurements of temporal advantages and worldly preferments, but the labours and preaching of Christ's own apostles, aided and assisted by the Holy Ghost, who descended visibly upon them this day. We are therefore to regard the solemnity of Pentecost as the epoch of the Christian religion, and to celebrate it with sj)iritual joy as the anniversary of the birth of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church ; that pillar and ground of truth, against which the gates of hell never will be able to prevail. But whilst we devoutly contemplate the glorious mystery of this great festival, and gratefully acknowledge the goodness of the Lord our God, in having called us to the pale of his Church, and to the admirable light of faith, by the ministry of his twelve Apostles and their lawful successors in office, let us briefly examine how they prepare themselves for receiving the Holy Ghost, that by following their example we may partake, in some degree, of the inestimable bless- ings that were so plentifully bestowed on them. Eveiy solemnity should inspire Christians with a devotion proper and suitable to the mystery which they solemnize. Thus the anniversary of our blessed Redeemer's passion and death, should inspire us with a firm resolution to die to sin, and to hate that foul monster which nailed the Son of God to an ignominious cross. The feast of his Resurrection should excite us to rise from the spiritual death of sin to a new life of grace and virtue, truly, really, and permanently. The feast of his As- cension should encourage us to disengage our hearts from the inordinate love of earthly things, and to aspire after our heavenly country, where Jesus Christ our head is gone before us, in order to draw our affections after him; The present feast of Pentecost should, in like manner, excite us to have recourse to the most effectual means that may engage the Holy Ghost to descend into our souls, and take a permanent possession of our hearts ; for the coming of this Divine Spii'it was not promised to the Apostles and primitive Christians only, but was designed for a bless- ing to be entailed on the faithful of all ages, who are duly disposed to receive him, and who oppose no obstacles to the operations of his divine grace. / ivill not leave you orphans, said our loving Redeemer, / will ask OP THE HOLY GHOST. 275 the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete (or Comforter,) that he maij abide tvith you for ever, the Spirit of Truth, St. John xiv. 16, 17. We cannot prepare ourselves better for sharing in his gracious favours and blessings, than by imitating the disciples, who, immediately after the ascension of their Lord and Master, returned from Mount Olivet to the city of Jerusalem, where they assembled in the same place, and disposed themselves for the coming of the Divine Spirit, by a spiritual retreat, and by persevering unanimously in prayer and heavenly contemplation. For the space of ten days tliey withdrcAV from the distracting noise and tumults of the world, and continued together in the strictest union, and the most perfect harmony,, constantly blessing and praising God with one heart and one spirit, and inviting the Holy Ghost into their souls by fervent exercises of piety and devotion. Such were their disposi- tions, and such also should our dispositions be, if we sincerely wish to partake of the precious gifts and graces that Heaven poured forth on them this day. Before all things it is necessary to be free from mortal sin ; for the Holy Ghost will not come into a soul that Satan possesses by sin, nor dwell in a body that is defiled with impurity ; the old leaven must be purged out, and the foul stains of sin must be washed off with the wa- ters of penance, that our souls may become fit abodes and worthy temples of the spirit of sanctity ; our hearts must be cleared of all hatred, ma- lice, and ill-will, before the spirit of charity will take possession of them. The spirit of pride, the spirit of self-love, the spix-it of the world must be banished and cast out before the spirit of God will enter in ; for light is not more opposite to darkness than the spirit of God is to the spirit of the world. All dissensions and animosities are to be laid aside, and we must be in peace and harmony with our neighbour ; for the spirit of concord and God of peace will not come whei-e the spirit of discord reigns, nor will he descend into an heart that is embittered with rancour or envenomed with the spirit of anger and revenge. All these obstacles being therefore carefully removed, we ai'e, like the disciples, to enter into a kind of spiritual retreat from the distracting cares of the woi'ld, and to invite the Holy Ghost into our souls by devout and fervent prayers, especially such prayers as the Angel Raphael recommended to Tobias, I mean prayers accompanied with fasting and alms-deeds, these, being, as it were, the two wings that raise our petitions up to the Hea- vens, and make them fly to the very throne of the Almighty. Behold, my brethren, the manner in which you are to prepare yourselves for the reception of the Holy Ghost, at this holy time of Whitsuntide, when the universal Church is unanimously petitioning the throne of mercy by a solemn fast and by public prayers, which she offers up all over the world during the ensuing octave, for the descent of the Divine Spirit upon all her Pastors, her Clergy, and their respective flocks. It is true, the Holy Ghost does not at present descend visibly on the faithful in the figure of fiery tongues, nor always bestow on them the extraordinary and miraculous gifts which he conferred on the Apostles, these being now no longer necessary as they were in the infancy and at the first establishment of the Church ; however, he still continues to this very day to descend really, though invisibly, into the souls of those who give themselves up to his divine influences, and are propei'ly disposed, like the disciples, for receiving the impressions of his grace. He is an inex- haustible fountain of goodness that flows incessantly, and will continue 276 ON THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST. to flow every day unto the end of the world, till the number of the elecf, is completed. He is so rich in mercy, that his heavenly favours and blessings are neither confined to any time, nor limited to any place. It is the Holy Ghost who infuses a spiritual life into us at our baptism, and animates our souls, as our souls animate our bodies. It is the Holy Ghost who produces in the just the life of faith, sentiments of hope, works of charity, and all the happy fruits that are mentioned by St. Paul, Galat. v. 22, 23. It is the Holy Ghost who diffuses the love of God in our hearts, Rom. v. 5. He sweetens our crosses and sufferings, gives us strength and vigour to discharge every Christian duty, and distri- butes his various gifts to the different members of the Church, according to the measure of the giving of Christ, as the Apostle speaks, Ephes. iv. 7. Hence St. Augustine concludes and says, that every day in the year may be a Pentecost for Cliristians, if they please, since they have it in their power to receive the Holy Ghost every day, by being vv^ell disposed and duly prepared to co-operate with his grace. If therefore, my bre- thren, any of you have been so blind to your own eternal welfare, as to resist the Holy Ghost like the stiff-necked Jews ; if you have been so unfortunate as to contristate and extinguish the Divine Spirit, or to banish this heavenly guest from the temple of your souls by giving admittance to mortal sin, let me entreat you in the name of God to hearken to these Apostolic Avords, and practice this salutary advice, by which St. Peter converted no less than three thousand souls at one sermon on this fes- tival : Do x>enance and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 0 all- powerful Spirit ! O burning furnace of divine love ! O inexhaustible source and giver of all good gifts ! O sweet comforter of all distressed souls ! remove from us all obstacles to thy grace, and dispose us for receiving thy sacred influences. Descend, we beseech thee, on thy faithful sei'vants assembled here this day in thy name ; come into our hearts and take full possession of them ; enter into our souls and abide in them for ever, here by thy grace and hereafter by thy glory. Be thou our guide, our light, and our strength ; fortify the feeble, comfort the afflicted, animate the fearful, inspire the lukewarm with fervour, excite the languid to a feeling sense of their duty. Mollify the stony hearts of sinners, and bring back the strayed sheep to the narrow path of salvation. Quench the fire of our passions, heal our spiritual disor- ders, and consume in us the rust of all inordinate affections. Preserve us from ever splitting on the rock of presumption or despair, and grant us the great gift of final perseverance, that after partaking of thy grace in this life we may partake .of thy felicity in the next. Which, my brethren, I wish you all, in the name of the Fathei", and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. ON THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM. 277 i TEINITY SUNDAY. ON THE SACRAIMENT OE BAPTISM. Euntes ergo docete omnes Gentes, baptizantes eos in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti — St. Mat, c. xxviii. v. 19. Going therefore teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost — St. Mat. c. xxviii. v. 19. In these words, which the Saviour of the world pronounced in his last discourse to his Apostles, we find included the summary of our faith, the basis of our religion, the character of our profession, and the most august of all our mysteries ; and these words alone suffice to confound the Arians, Socinians, and all other ancient and modern unbelievers, who deny the unity of God in three distinct persons. St. John asserts the same truth, 1 Ep. v. 7, where he expressly says. There are three who give testimony in Heaven, the Father, the Woi'd, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. It is this faith that justifies sinners, sanctifies the just, baptizes the catechumens, fortifies and confirms the Chris- tians, crowns the martyrs, consecrates the ministers of the altar, and saves the universal world. Hence the first lesson we learn in the school of Christianity, is, that there is one God and three persons, equal in wisdom, power and glory. No sooner has a child obtained the faculty of speaking, but he is taught to bless himself in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It is by these sacred names of the adorable Trinity that every exorcism, consecration and benediction is jjerformed, all our sacrifices and prayers are offered, every good action is begun and ended, and our souls are sent forth at the awful hour of death, and recommended to the divine mercy, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, to denote that there is no gi-ace, no justification, no salvation, but by the faith of Trinity. "Without the belief of it we cannot understand the incarnation of the Son of God, or the mystery of our redemption ; nor was it possible for us to have the least idea of it if God had not vouchsafed to reveal it, it being impene- trable, unsearchable, incomprehensible, and infinitely above the reach of all human reason, though it is not against reason to believe it, since nothing can be more conformable to right reason than to believe most firmly what God has revealed, though reason be not able to comprehend or clearly understand it. It is indeed evident to reason itself, that there is only one God, and that there can be no more, two beings absolutely infinite and two itniversal sources of perfection implying a contradiction, which made St. Athanasius say, that polytheism, or a plurality of Gods, is atheism, or a nullity of Gods ; for two free all-powerful beings are incom- patible and destroy each other, since the power of one could be re- strained and his counsels discovered by the other. The very uniform design of the imi verse shews, that there is but one only Author and Sovereign Ruler of all things ; none but the fool can deny it, as the Scripture says. We need but open our eyes to be convinced of the ex- istence of this Supreme Being ; the Heavens publish his glory, the sun announces his Majesty, the stars proclaim his magnificence, and the whole universe discovers his infinite power, wisdom and providence. But the mystery of the Trinity is infinitely beyond the reach of every creature, and surpasses the capacity of all human understanding ; the 278 ON THE SACKAMENT OF BAPTISM. « most subtle philosophers, and the brightest wits, after all their study and search of natural causes and eifects for so many ages, could never attain to it ; nay, if you except some of the holy Patriarchs and Pro- phets, to whom it seems to have been notified by a special revelation, the Israelites and Jews, who were God's own chosen people, seem to have been stranger's to this sublime mystery. An explicit and distinct knowledge of it was reserved for the children of the New Testament. With what awful respect ought we then to celebrate this day's solemnity, which is dedicated to the ever blessed Trinity ? How gratefully ought we to acknowledge the infinite goodness and ._^mercy of the Lord, in calling us to this admirable light of faith, and enrolling us among his true worshippers ? Such unlimited bounty should excite us this day to consecrate afresh the three powers of our souls, our memory, under- standing and will, to the Three Persons of the most Holy Trinity, and never to cease paying them an unfeigned homage of praise, love and adoration, but to refer our whole being, our life and all our actions to the honour and glory of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, as the Saints and Angels do in Heaven for all eternity. This is what we solemnly promised at the sacred font, when we were spiritually born in the Church, and baptized in the name of the most Holy Trinity. To animate you, therefore, to a faithful correspondence with these im- portant duties, permit me to lay before you the signal grace and mercy bestowed on you at your baptism, and the weighty obligations which you have thereby contracted. Let us first implore the light of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, &c. Ave Maria. St. Paul, speaking of the Sacrament of Baptism, Ephes. v. 25, 26, says, that Christ loved his Church and delivered himself up for it, that he might sanctify it, cleansing it hy the laver of icater in the loord of life ; and again. Tit. iii. 5, He saved us hy the laver of regeneration, and renovation of the Holy Ghost. This is the sovereign remedy which his infinite good- ness established for the remission of oi-iginal sin, wherein we were all born. By virtue of it we are re-born, and receive a new life in Jesus Christ ; our souls are raised from a state of spiritual death, and restored to the life of grace, and it is for this reason that baptism is called a sacrament of the dead. It is allowed to be a sacrament of the New Law, even by those who have rejected most of the other sacraments. Its necessity may be pi'oved from the words of Christ to his Apostles, when he commissioned them to teach and baptise all nations ; for he im- mediately adds. He that believeth and is haptised shall be saved, and he that lelieveth not shall he damned; in which words he requires that all nations should believe the truths taught by the Apostles, and consequently be baptised, promising salvation, not to faith alone, but to faith and baptism together, which shews the necessity of the one as well as of the other. The necessity of baptism also appears evidently from St. John, where our Saviour expressly says, that unless a man he re-horn of u-ater and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God; from whence it fol- lows clearly, that as no man can enter into this world, or enjoy a corporal life, except he be born of his carnal parents, so, no one can enter into Heaven, or attain to life everlasting, unless he be regene- rated, or gets a second birth in Jesus Christ, by being baptised with the external element of water, and the internal virtue of the Holy Ghost ; for where actual baptism of water cannot be had, it must, at ON THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM. 279 least be in desire, tliere being but two cases in which the want of this sacrament may be supplied ; the first is martyrdom, otherwise called Baptism of Blood ; the second is Baptism of SphHt, or Baptism of the Holy Ghost, that is, an ardent desire of receiving the Sacrament of Baptism with a perfect repentance. Baptism was prefigured in the Old Law by the Sacrament of Circumcision, by the ark of Noah, at the time of the deluge, whereby the Avorld was purged ; by the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea, and their deliverance from the bondage of Pharoah; by the washing of Naaman, the Syrian, in the river of Jordan; by the Probatica of Jerusalem, and by the baptism of St. John the Baptist. The necessity and obligation of receiving this sacrament, commenced in general after our Saviour's ascension, when the Gospel was suffi- ciently promulged ; it was then the Apostles began publicly to execute the commission given to them by their Divine Master, to teach all nations, and to administer baptism in water, without exception, to all persons, both young and old that were converted to Christianity, even to such as had received the Holy Ghost, and consequently who had been already baptised by the Spirit, as we read in Acts, ii. viii. ix. x. xvi. and xxii. Did we but seriously consider the gift of God, and the special favour he conferred on us, by calling us thus to the light of his Gospel and the pale of his Church, by the labours of his Apostles and their successors, we would be convinced that we can never return him sufficient thanks for his mercy; it is so great a benefit, so signal a grace, that it calls loudly upon us for the most grateful acknowledgment, and the most faithful correspondence on our part. Whilst thousands of others are left perishing in idolatry, and in their native miseiy, whilst they are out of the pale of the Church, and excluded from the com- munion of saints ; whilst they are seduced by error, blinded by infi- delity, and, as the Scripture expresses it, sitting in darkness, and the gloomy shades of death ; whilst they are tossed to and fro by every blast of false doctrine, and wandering away from the paths of salvation, the Lord in his infinite mercy has vouchsafed to call us to the true saving faith, and to place us in the bosom of his Church by the regenerative grace of our baptism. By means of this grace we have been made Christians and children of God, and heirs of everlasting life. By nature we have been conceived in iniquity, and born children of wrath, and slaves of Satan, liable to eternal misery ; but by the grace of baptism we have been re-born the adoptive children of the Eternal Father, the brothers and co-heirs of Jesus Christ, and the living temples of the Holy Ghost; Ave have been rescued from the jaws of the infernal dragon, delivered from the bondage of sin, sanctified and consecrated by the sprinkling of the precious blood of our blessed Redeemer. In short, we have been sealed with the unction of the Divine Spirit, raised to a royal dignity and priesthood, as St. Peter speaks, I Ep. ii. 9, and advanced to the participation of the divine nature, when the character of a Christian was stamped on us, and imprinted in our souls at our receiving baptism, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. To denote these singular graces, advantages, and prerogatives of baptism, the Three Persons of the most Holy Trinity appeared at the time our Saviour was baptised by St. John in the river Jordan ; the Father, by the voice that was heard, saying, This is my beloved Son ; the Son, under the form of man, and the Holy Ghost under the form of a dove ; the 280 ON THE SACRAMENT OP BAPTISM. Heavens at the same time opening to give ns to understand, that Bap- tism not only constitutes us the adoptive sons of God, and restores to us the innocence of a dove, but also opens the gates of Heaven for us, and gives us an unquestionable right and title to the enjoyment of eternal glory. The character of a Christian is, of course, a character of holiness i a character of such honour, eminence and dignity, that, as St. Augustine says, 1. 5. de civ. c. 10. the Emperor Theodosius justly looked upon all the honours, dignities, and pompous titles of the world, as nothing in comparison of it. It is so noble a character, that St. Lewis, King of France, preferred the honour of being a Christian to that of being monarch of one of the most flourishing kingdoms of the earth ; for which reason he always paid more attention and regard to the title, which he took from the place of his baptism, than to that which he derived from the place of his coronation. The character of baptism is, in fine, a per- manent and indelible character, that does not vanish or forsake a pei'son at the hour of death, but follows him to the tribunal of Grod, and remains like a spiritual mark, or seal, imprinted in his soul for all eternity, either for his greater glory in Heaven, if he lives up to it here on earth, or for his greater confusion in hell, in case his life be not answerable to its dignity, or does not correspond to the weighty obligations and duties that ai'e thereto annexed. And really, as the dignity of a Christian and child of God is so very eminent, the obligations that attend this dignity are great in proportion, and require that we should demean ourselves in a manner becoming so exalted a rank, and worthy of so noble a character. The renowned St. Basil says, that whoever has received the baptism of the law of grace, has obliged himself by an irrevocable and indispensable contract to imi- tate Jesus Christ, to copy after the virtues of his most holy life, and to endeavour to resemble him as an image resembles its original. This is our duty in quality of Christians and disciples of Christ. We are to see and do accordinrj to the example he has set before our eyes ; as the Scripture says, Exod. 25. We are to he clothed ivith Jesus Christ, as St. Paul speaks, 3 Galat. We are to learn from him to be .meeh and humble of heart ; Ave are to take up our Cross and follow him; we are to bear a resemblance of his mortification in our mortal bodies ; for as he is our Head, we his mem- bers ; he our Pastor, we his flock ; he our Pontiff, we his Church ; he our Divine Master and Legislator ; we his people, his conquest, and the price of his blood ; if there be no likeness or resemblance of him in us, though we should otherwise have all the perfections of Angels, God will not acknowledge nor count us in the number of his elect, since, according to St. Paul, those u'ho are p)i'edestinated hj him, must be conformable to the image of his Son ; they must walk in his footsteps by an imitation of his virtues, and an inviolable observance of his laws ; they must renounce their own will, and seek to do in all things the will of God ; they must curb and correct their passions and natural inclinations by self- denial and mortification, if they mean to support the glorious character and dignity of disciples of Jesus Christ ; for, as the Apostle teaches, Galat. V. 24, The//^ loho are of Christ have crucified their fiesh tvith their vices and concupiscences ; from whence it follows, that such as do not comply Avith these necessary duties are excluded from the number of his disciples, and of course, from the participation of his glory. This is what made Tcrtullian call a Christian, \A\o lives up to his character, a man crucified ON THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM. 281 and dead to tlie pomps of tlie world, and the deeds of the flesh ; that is, to his own corrupt inclinations and passions. Wherefore, to be a Chris- tian, it is not sufficient to believe in Jesus Christ, and make outward profession of his doctrine, but it is likewise necessary to observe his law, and avoid every thing that it forbids, and omit nothing it commands ; for as every one who formerly received circumcision, incurred thereby a strict obligation to fulfill all the precepts of the Jewish law, Gal. v. 3, so in like manner, every one that is regenerated in the laver of Baptism is bound to keep all the commandments and precepts of the Gospel, to serve God in spirit and truth, and to edify his neighbour by the good odour of Christian vii'tues and an innocent life. Hence, when our Saviour said to his Apostles, go, and baptise all nations, ^-c. he immediately added, teach them to observe lohatever I commanded you ; to give us to understand that we must square oiir actions according to his law, join obedience to the purity of our belief, and honour our faith by the holiness of our lives. It is to inculcate these obligations, as well as to represent the graces and wonderful eiFects of Baptism, that the Church, ever since the earliest years of Christianity, has made use of so many sacred ceremonies in the solemn administration of this Sacrament. Among the rest, in former ages the newly baptised were clothed in white garments for the space of eight days, during which time they appeai-ed daily in the Church with a crown or garland on their heads, and a burning light in their hands. According to the modern discipline, the heads of such as are baptised are covered with a white linen cloth, and a lighted taper is put into their hands ; the one to denote the innocence and purity required in a Chris- tian, the other to signify the fire of charity with which his heart ought to be always inflamed, and the light of faith and good example whereby he ought to shine in the Church of God, that, like the five prudent virgins in the Gospel, he may always be in readiness to go and meet Jesus Christ, the Divine Bridegroom, to whom his soul Avas espoused at Baptism, and to answer his call at whatsoever hour he shall invite him to the nuptials of his heavenly kingdom. Hence it is that the baptising Priest says to the baptised Christian, Receive this ivhite garment, lohicfi mayest thou carry unstained before the judgment seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, that thou mayest have eternal life, Amen; and again, irceive this burning light, and keep thy Baptism ivithoiit reproof ; observe the commandments of God, that lohen our Lord shall come to his mqjtials thou inayest meet him, together icith all the Saints, in the heavenly court, and mayest have life eternal. Amen. As for the solemn renunciation of Satan, and of his works, and of his pomps, which is then made, it deserves our particular attention ; for it is a vow and promise made in the face of the Church, and in the pre- sence of God and his Angels ; it is an indissoluble contract and alliance, whereby Ave have engaged ourselves to abandon the party of the devil, to have nothing to do with his works, that is, with the works of darkness and sin, and to cast away fi*om us his pomps, that is, the maxims, modes and vanities of the world. It is, according to the Roman Catechism, p. 1. a. 2. n. 20, an holy and solemn profession, by which we have devoted ourselves to the service of the Blessed Trinity, as a religious man devotes himself to the service of God, by entering into a religious order, or as a Priest devotes himself to the service of the altar by receiving ordination. It is, in fine, a covenant or spiritual wedding like that of a bride with 282 ON THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM. lier bridegroom, contracted witli God, in virtue of which we on our part swear allegiance to him, promise never to abandon his cause, renounce his faith, or deny his religion, but to combat vigorously under the banner of the Cross against the most dangerous enemies of our souls, the devil, the world and the flesh ; to make always a steady and sincere pro- fession of the great truths of Christianity, not by words only, but by the constant practice of good works ; and God, on his part, promises us life everlasting if we prove faithful to our engagements, and preserve the white robe of our baptismal innocence pure and undefiled to the hour of death. These engagements and vows we are bound to ratify and fulfil when we come to the use of reason, as the Council of Trent teaches, Sess. 7, because they were made by our god-fathers and god-mothers in our name, at the baptismal font. The Holy Fathers and other spiritual writers advise all Christians to renew their baptismal vows every year on the anniversary of their Baptism, and also on the grand solemnities of Easter and Whitsuntide, and on the feast of the most Holy Trinity. St. Gregory Nazianzen, Orat. 39, informs us that the Greek Church cele- brates a particular festival for this purpose, which they call the holy feast of lights. St. Bernard, Cone. 1 de dedic. Eccl. says, that we ought to look upon the feast of the dedication of the Church, as a day appointed for returning thanks every year to the Lord for the benefit of our voca- tion to Christianity, and for having consecrated the temples of our souls by the grace of Baptism. St. Charles Borroma^us, Cone. 6, says, that the faithful ought to be admonished to pay unto the Lord an annual tribute, of praise and thanksgiving on the anniversary of their baptism, and to spend that day in works of piety and devotion, such as renewing their baptismal engagements, meditating on the goodness of God in having brought them to this great Sacrament, reflecting seriously on the weighty obligations they have thereby contracted, and fervently imploring grace to fulfil them. And really if the Israelites were ordered by Moses, Exod. xiii. to keep a solemn feast every year in perpetual memory and thanksgiving, for the benefit of their deliverance from the Egyptian bondage, and their mii'aculous passage through the Red Sea, how much more reason have we to celebrate, in a particular manner, the anniver-=- sary of our baptism every returning year, in grateful remembrance of the signal mercies of our God, who on that day vouchsafed to deliver us from the bondage of sin, to wash and purify us in the blood of the imma- culate Lamb, Jesus Christ, and to exalt us to the imminent dignity of his adoptive children ? Woe, nay double woe to us, if after having received so many signal favours and blessings from Heaven, we shamefully degenerate from the character and dignity of Christians, and perfidiously violate the pro- mises we have made ! It were better for us never to have been regener- ated in the waters of baptism, never to have borne the glorious title of Christians, never to have known the way of justice, as St. Peter speaks, 2 Ep. ii. 21, than after the knowledge to turn lack again, to strike a league with hell and dissolve the covenant we made with God, Alas ! the manifold graces we have received will only serve to render us the more accountable to the Divine Justice, if we receive them in vain. — They are so many funds of obligations, so many talents entrusted to us, and for which we shall be called to a more strict account, if, instead of improving them to the honour of God, the edification of our neighbour, ON THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM. 283 and the advantage of our own souls, we abuse them to the dishonour and scandal of the Christian name. The very faith we profess, will serve for our greater confusion, and be the rule of our condemnation, if we do not conform our conduct to it. The white robe with which we are clothed at our baptism, will appear against us at the last day, and reproach us with our infidelity ; nay, as the Holy Fathers speak, it will be dipped in a pool of fire and brimstone, and contribute to increase the torments of wicked Christians and Catholics in hell's devouring flames. The crimes they commit will be deemed more grievous and more deserving of pu- nishment, on account of the base ingratitude, contempt, treachery, and perfidiousness which they imply. Their baptismal vows, their own con- sciences, the Priest Avho baptised them, the Angels who were witnesses, will bear testimony and demand vengeance for the abuses and jirofana- tions of their baptism ; nay, as the Gospel says, the very Ninivites and other infidels will then rise up in judgment against them, and convict them of perjury and apostacy. The numerous tribes of barbarians who are deprived of the grace of baptism, and have not the happiness to know God, may plead some excuse, and expect some mitigation of their pu- nishment ; but the servant ivho knows the uHH of his master, and does it not, shall be beaten ivith many stripes. The Christian who is enlightened with the light of faith, and does not live up to his profession, but confessing God with his mouth denies him by his actions, will have nothing to say in his own defence, but will be liable to a far greater punishment than either Jews or Heathens ; for, as the holy character of priesthood aggravates the guilt of a Priest, if he dishonours it by the irregularity •f his life, and the coi'ruption of his morals, so in like manner, the holy character of baptism, profaned and dishonoured by a wicked life, renders a Chris- tian more criminal, and will cover those at the last day with everlasting shame and confusion, who, after being washed in tlie blood of Jesus, after being made members of his mystical body, and after being favoured with so many means and opportunities to work their salvation, have un- gratefully trampled vinder foot the most sacred laws of God and his Church, and replunged themselves into the bondage of Satan. Grant, O merciful Jesus, that we may conform our lives to the sanctity of our state, and model our actions upon the laws of thy GospeL If hitherto we have sinned against Heaven and earth, and rendered ourselves imworthy to be called thy children ; if unhappily we have made a ship- wreck of our baptismal innocence and violated our vows, we return to thy mercy in the bitterness of our souls, and most humbly beseech thee to pardon us what is past, and preserve us from future relapses. O most lioly and undivided Trinity, we adore and glorify thee for having called us to the wonderful light of faith, and incorporated us by the grace of our baptism in the pale and bosom of thy Church. Give us grace to become worthy members of so illustrious a body, that we may edify our neighbour, and promote thy honour and glory by the sanctity of our lives and by the purity of our morals, until we have the happiness to see and enjoy thee in the kingdom of thy glory. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 284 ON THE NECESSITY AND SIGNAL FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON THE NECESSITY AND SIGNAL ADVANTAGES OF ALMS AND WORKS OF MERCY. Estote misericordis, sicut et Pater vester misericors est — St. Luc. c. vi. v. 36. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful — St. Luke, c. vi. v. 36. Heaven and earth, and all tlie wonderous works of the universe, pro- claim the existence of an all-wise Providence which presides over all things, preserves regularity and perfect order in all things, and extends its attention and care to every part of the creation, even to the birds of the air, to the fish of the sea, to the beasts of the field, and to the very least and the most minute insects. By Providence I mean the eternal will, infinite wisdom, power and goodness of God, by which he directs, governs and supports' all his creatures according to his own wise pur- poses, and conducts them to their term or last end by such means as he knows to be the best adapted and the most suitable thei'eto. It is our indispensable duty to adore, obey, and second the views and designs of his Divine Providence, with an unlimited dependance and submission. Whether he thinks proper to place us in a high or a low station of life, in health or in sickness, in prosperity or in adversity, in aflluence or in poverty, we are to rest satisfied with our condition, to bow down and conform to his holy will, to receive all things as coming from his blessed hands, an^. to be firmly persuaded that he orders all things sweetly and for our real benefit and greater advantage ; foi', as the Royal Prophet says, Ps. cxliv. 9, The Lord is siveet to all, and his tender mercies are over all his ivorJcs ; and again, Ps. cii. 13, As a father hath comimssion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear him. The grand end and view of God's Providence in the dispensation of the goods of this woi'ld to mankind, being the eternal salvation of their souls, it ap- pertained to his Avisdom, to establish a variety of states and conditions, and to place some in a more exalted station, others in a more humble ; some at the head of the community, others at the feet ; some in the possession of riches, others under the pressures of indigence ; that by assisting each other, and fulfilling the diiferent duties and functions of their respective states, they might all attain the great and happy end for which they have been sent into the world. If there was a perfect equality in the states and conditions of men, if all Avere upon the same level and footing, who would take upon themselves the painful but necessary tasks of life ? If all Avere masters, Avho Avould serve them ? If all were ser- vants, who Avould employ them ? If all Avere poor, Avho Avould sujjply their wants ? If all Avere equally rich and at their ease, who would Avork for them ? Who would apply to hard labour and useful in- dustry ? Who would till and cultivate the earth in the sweat of their brow ? In the beginning indeed, God made all things common, and com- manded the earth to bring forth its fruits spontaneously, that every one might partake of them according to his necessity ; but in process of time, sin and the corruption of man's heart rendered it necessary to- make a division of earthly goods into unequal shares, and to consign a larger portion of them to some, and a smaller share to others. Ijy this Avise arrangement peace and subordination are preserved in human society, ADVANTAGES OF ALMS, &C. 285 anarchy and confusion are prevented, daily labour and honest in- dustry are promoted and rewarded. The rich and the laborious are rendered mutually dependant, and this mutual dependance serves as a link to form a closer union between them, and to engage them to be useful and servicable to each other, like members of the same body. But what means of subsistence has Divine Providence ordained for the distressed poor who are past their labour, incapable of applying to honest industry, and who have neither health nor strength to earn their daily bread in the sweat of their brow ? Have they any reason to murmur against Heaven, or to complain of the economy of Providence, as if they were forgotten in the distribution of its gifts ? No, my brethren, the Father of Mercies has not abandoned or forgotten them, though for his own wise reasons he has not judged it expedient to deposit in their hands the perishable riches of this transitory life, which are gene- rally abused and made instrumental to sin; If he leaves them in a state of poverty, it is that they may have an opportunity to atone for their sins, to sanctify their souls, to secure their salvation, and to merit ever- lasting happiness by their patience, humility and resignation. In the interim, he has taken care to provide sufficiently for their corporal ne- cessities, by giving them a just right and title to have their wants sup- plied out of the abundance of the rich ; for he has appointed the rich to be the trustees, stewards, and co-operators of his Providence, and has absolutely commanded them, as Sovereign Lord and Master of all they possess, to relieve the distressed poor by alms-deeds, according to their respective abilities and wants. To convince you of these important truths, and to induce you to a faithful and cheerful compliance with so essential a duty, is the design of the following discourse. The strict ob- ligation and indispensable necessity of giving alms shall be the subject of the first point. The great utility and signal advantages that accrue from giving alms, particularly towards the clothing, supporting and educating poor little orphans and helpless children, shall be the second point, and the subject of your favourable attention. Let us previously implore the light of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Ave 3Iaria. Since an unequal division of the goods of this life has necessarily taken place in the world, the earth is no longer common to men, as the sea is to the fish, the air is to the birds, and the forests are to the quadrupeds. The peace of society and the good order of civil government require, that each individual should be secured in the quiet and undisturbed possession of the portion of worldly substance which he lawfully acquires, or which naturally devolves to him by inheritance. With regard to other men, he is therefore to be considered as the just proprietor, and the full master of what he thus possesses ; but with regard to Almighty God, he is no more than a steward and dispenser, and of course he is obliged to make such use of wliat is deposited in his hands, as God, the Sovereign Lord and Master of all things, wills and commands. The more he has received from the giver of all good gifts, the stricter account he will be called to on the last day, if he misapplies the talents committed to him to be im- proved, or wastes and lavishes in extravagancies what Providence was pleased to entrust to his care for the relief and support of his poor fellow- creatures, who are equally children of the same heavenly Father, and destined to be partakers of the same heavenly glory hereafter. In eflfect, 286 ON THE NECESSITY AND SIGNAL, my brethren, nothing is more inconsistent with the great principles of equity and justice, which the author of nature has imphmted in the very fund of our being, and stamped on every rational soul, than to squander the blessings of Heaven, in supporting pride and gratifying the inordi- nate cravings of self-love, whilst the poor are actually sinking under the heaviest pressures of want and indigence, and exposed to all the rigours of hunger and thirst, of nakedness and cold, if we consult our own natural reason, it will tell us that men living together in community and assembled in society, should do unto others what they would reasonably wish to have done to themselves, and consequently, that they should not suffer those of their own species to languish in extreme poverty, and perish for want of the common necessaries of life, whilst they themselves wallow in riches and live in every kind of luxury ; but that on the con- trary, they are bound by the law of nature to relieve their neighbour under his grievances according to their ability, as they would wish to be relieved themselves were they in a similar situation. This is a principle which no one contradicts. The Scythian, the Barbarian, the Jew, and the Gentile, agree herein with the Christian. This is a duty that nature, that humanity, that instinct, that reason inspires and dictates. But as the voice of nature and the light of reason are not always attended to, the Almighty has been pleased to inculcate this duty in the clearest and strongest terms both in the Old and New Testament, and to give the rich to understand, that they are not at liberty to hoard up their riches avariciously in their coffers, or to make such use as they j)lease of their supex'fiuities, but they are to consider them as the gifts and talents of a wise and benign Providence, which in bestowing such plenty and abun- dance on them, and confining others within such narrow circumstances, proposed to itself an end worthy of itself, and intended that the siiperjlid- ties of the rich should be the ixitrimony ofthej^oor, as St. Augustine observes. Hence the Scripture calls the alms given to the poor a debt, and the refusal of it a defrauding the poor. Son, says the Lord, Eccls. iv. 1, 8, defraud not the jjoor of alms, and turn not away thy eyes from them; how down thy ear cheerfully to them, and pay ivhat thou oivest. And again, Deut, xv. 1 1 , / command thee to open thy hand to thy needy and poor brother, that liveth in the land ; and again, v. 7, thou shall not harden thy heart, nor close thy hand, hut shall open it to the poor man; and again, Eccls. xxix. 12, Help the poor because of the commandment, and send him not aivay empty-handed because of his pioverty ; and again, Isai. Iviii. 7, deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and the harbourless into thy house ; when thou shall see one naked cover him, and despise not thy oivn flesh. All this plainly shews, that the poor have acquired from God a just right and title to be supplied with the necessaries of life out of the abundance of the rich, and that to give alms to them in order to solace their wants, is not a simple counsel, nor a mere work of supererogation, but an indispensable duty, and a formal precept of the Soverign Lord and Master of the universe, who has appointed the rich his agents and economists, and has placed them, like Joseph, over the treasures of Egypt, for the purpose of supplying the wants of his people, and succour- ing them in the hour of distress. To neglect the poor, therefore, in their distresses, or to withhold and refuse them what has been thus given and appropriated for their relief, is to oppose tlie ordinance of Heaven, and to counteract the designs of Divine Providence. It is to commit an act of injustice in the sight of God, similar to that of the unjust steward ADVANTAGES OF ALMS, &C. 287 in tlie Gospel, who embezzled what the master of the family had en- trusted to his care, for the use and support of the domestics and lower servants of the house. It is also an open breach of charity in both its branches; for, as the Scripture says, He that hath the substance of this loorld, and shall see his hrothev in need, and shall put up his bowels from him, how doth the charity of God abide in him? 1 Ep. St. John iii. 17. What is more, he is guilty of a breach of the fifth commandment. Thou shall not hill, when through his neglect his neighbour dies for want : Avhich made St. Ambrose say. Si non pto-visti, occidisti : Feed those who are famishing with hunger. If thou hast not fed them, thou hast killed them ; thou art guilty in the sight of God of as many murders as thei-e are poor in extreme necessity, who perish with hunger in the place where thou livest, when thou hast it in thy power and thou dost not relieve them. Hence it is that the uncharitable Priest and Levite are so justly con- demned in the Gospel, for passing by and taking no notice of the poor man that lay on the road of Jericho, Aveltering in his gore, and half dead of the wounds he had received from a set of robbers. Hence it is also that the rich man mentioned in St. Luke, xvi. was condemned to eternal misery for refusing the crumbs that fell from his table to poor Lazarus, who sat at his gate, covered with ulcers and famishing with hunger — The rich man was clothed in purple and silk, as the sacred text tells us ; he feasted sumptuously every day, and when he died he was buried in hell, and plunged into devouring flames, where all the treasures he had formerly possessed on earth were insufficient to purchase a single drop of cold water for him to cool his burning tongue, or mitigate in the least degree, the excruciating torments to which he was sentenced by a just judgment of God, because in his life time he had been insensible to the cries of the pooi", and had misapplied in all kind of vanity and dissipa- tion, what he ought to have laid out in doing works of mercy. His misfortune should serve as a lesson and a warning to those unfeeling and hard-hearted mortals, who resist all the tender sentiments that nature, humility and religion inspire, and who, far from alleviating the suffer- ings of their fellow-creatures by works of mercy, let them pine away at their doors in the neighbouring cellars and garrets, for want of necessary food and raiment. They will stop at no expense to gratify their own favourite passions, and to indulge their appetite in unnecessary delicacies, but refuse to afford the least comfort or relief to a distressed neighbour, perishing on a bed of sorrow, under the anguish of an ulcerous and dis- ordered body, shielded only against the inclemency of the weather by the scanty covering of a tattered garment. They can find money enough to spend in gaming and drinking, in play-houses and idle company, in high living, fine clothes, and expensive diversions ; but, if you take their own word for it, they have nothing to spare for charitable purposes and works of mercy to the poor. O, let me entreat Christians of this description, if any such happen to be here present, to remember that the day will come when they shall be called to a strict account of their stewardship, and that the measure of their alms now to the poor, shall then be the measure of God's mercy to them. Judgment without mercy to him that hath not done mercy, says St. James, ii. 13. The tears of disconsolate widoAvs, the cries of helpless orphans, the sighs and lamentations of numbers, of piteous objects, will then rise up against the uncharitable, and draw down the divine venge- 288 ON THE NECESSITY AND SIGNAL ance on tlieir criminal heads. In vain sliall tliey cry out then for mercy; for, as the Holy Ghost says, Proverb, xxi. 13. He that stoppeth his ear against the cry of the poor, shall also cry himself, and shall not be heard. The Sovereign Judge will then shut the bowels of infinite mercy against the unmerciful ; he Avill be deaf to their entreaties and turn away his face from them, as they now turn away their faces from the poor, and shut their ears against their moving petitions ; he will then pass sentence of reprobation on them, because they have neglected to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, in short, because they have refused to assist him in the persons of his poor brethren and distressed members here on earth, as appears from St. I^Iatt. xxv. 41, where we read, that the Saviour of the world looks upon what is done or refused to the poor, as done or refused to himself in person, and that the sentence of eternal happiness, or eternal misery, shall be pronounced on the last day, accord- ing as we have or have not performed deeds of charity and works of mercy. Before T proceed, permit me to address a few words of comfort and instruction to the suifering and disti*essed poor, who, like Lazarus, labour under the difficulties of life. As the unhappy fate of the rich glutton should alarm the great ones of the world, who enjoy all the com- forts of this life, so on the other hand, the happy end of poor Lazarus, who when he died was carried by Angels into Abraham's bosom, is suf- ficient to afford consolation to you, my poor brethren, and should ani- mate you to endure with patience and resignation, all the trials and hardships to which your humble station subjects you. You should guard against murmuring and repining at your condition, during the short term you are to remain in this place of pilgrimage and vale of tears. Your Divine Redeemer has consecrated your state of poverty by his own example, and he expressly says in the Gospel, Blessed are the p)oor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. He will in his own good time dry up your tears, and change your sorrow into inexpressible joy. If you do but keep up to the rules of a Chrii^tian life, and refrain from the vices of filching and stealing, cursing and swearing, to Avhich the lower orders of people are peculiarly addicted, the God of mercy will one day translate your souls, as he did poor Lazarus, to the sacred mansions of everlasting bliss. In the interim you may rest assured, that the condition of tlie rich is not so much to be envied as some may, perhaps, imagine ; it is attended with so many dangers, difficulties, temptations and weighty obligations, that the Gospel declares it to be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the king- dom of Heaven. Let us now briefly consider the great utility and signal advantages of alms-deeds. It is what I promised to shcAv you in the second point. As it is the indispensable duty, so it is the great interest of the rich and affluent, to be charitable and merciful to the poor and distressed ; they are the greatest gainers thereby themselves ; they receive more than they give ; of a duty they make a merit ; and by paying a debt they accumulate a treasure, which moths cannot destroy, and Avhich thieves are not able to steal away. Hence the Scripture says, Prov. xiv. He that sheiveth mercy to the poor shall he blessed ; and again, chap. xix. He that hath mercy on the poor lendeth to the Lord, and he will repay him. It is a little capital, put out at the highest interest, to bring in a profit that vastly surpasses the principal ; it is a small gi'ain of seed that is sown in a fertile soil, and produces hundred-fold fruit j for such is the bounty of ADVANTAGES OF ALMS, &C. 289 tlie Lord, that, as St. Augustine observes, he never suffers himself to be outdone by us in acts of liberality, but holding himself indebted to us for the smallest act of charity we do for his sake, though it should be as trifling as the widow's mite, or of no more value in itself than a cup of cold water, he requites it with a most ample reward. Give to the poor, says our blessed Saviour, Matt. xix. 21, and tJiou shall have treasure in, Heaven. The salutary effects of alms-giving appear visibly in the cha- ritable Dorcas, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, c. xix. who, on account of her having clothed some poor widows, desei'ved to be mira- culously raised to life by St. Peter the Apostle, and in Cornelius the Centurion, who was favoured with the apparition of an Angel, and enlightened'^with the gift of faith, and mercifully called by a special grace to the pale of the true Church, because the alms given by him to the poor had ascended to Heaven like a sweet incense in the sight of the Lord ; the example of the widow of Sarephta, who shared her mea- sure of oil and pot of meal with the prophet Elias in his distress, and who was, therefore, not only blessed with plenty of provision for herself and her family, but also had the comfort to see her dead child restored to life, shews plainly that alms-deeds draw down temporal as well as spiritual blessings on the charitable donors in this life, and cause their worldly substance to encrease and multiply. They are very effectual means to avert the wrath of Heaven, to disarm the justice of God, and to expiate and redeem sins, as the Prophet Daniel told Nabuchodonosor, and as our blessed Saviour himself gave the Pharisees to understand in St. Liike, xi. They contributed wonderfully to move the God of mercy to hear the prayers to which otherwise he would be deaf; to accept the sacrifices, which otherwise he Avould despise ; to be mollified by the tears, which othei'wise he would reject; and to grant the grace of a true conversion to sinners, and the precious gift of final per- severance to the just ; so that in whatever state a pei'son may happen to be, whether in the happy state of grace, or in the dismal state of mortal sin, if he be merciful to the poor he will find his own great advanlRige in it, and may confidently hope that he will one day obtain mercy from the Lord, according to these words of the Gospel, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall ohtaiii mercjj. Y^^ater does not so easily wash away the spots off our clothes, says St. .John Chrysostom, as alms wash off the spots of our souls, and blot out the stains of our sins. They extinguish sin as water extinguishes fire, says the Holy Scripture ; they deliver from death] purge away sin, and make a man find mercy and eternal life. In fine, alms-deeds are more beneficial to the charitable giver than to the distressed receiver, which made the eloquent St. Cyprian formerly say to some poor objects, Avho returned him thanks for the alms he had given them, that it was rather incumbent on him to thank them for having exposed their wants, and afforded him a fiivourable opportunity to sow a few grains of seed, from Avhich he hoped to reap an abundant harvest, and to derive the most signal advantages. All other riches which men accumulate on earth, will quit them at the hour of death and devolve to others, who perhaps will soon forget them ; but the alms Avhicli they hide in the bosom of the poor will precede, accompany and follow them to the other world, and stand their best friends at the bar of Divine Justice. Blessed, therefore, is the man who considers the necessities of the j)oor, and relieves them ; the Lord will treat him mildly and sweetly in the evil day, as the Royal Prophet speaks, Ps. xl. For this i-eason our Saviour cautions us in the T 290 ON THE NECESSITY AND SIGNAL Gospel, not to set our hearts and aiFections on the perishable goods of this world, but to make for ourselves friends of the mammon of iniquity ; that is, to gain over the poor on our side by plentiful alms, that when all other things fail us, the alms Ave have distributed may plead our cause on the day of need, and the poor objects we have relieved may intercede for us like so many powerful advocates before the throne of God, and may procure us admittance into the eternal tabernacles of glory. Since then, my brethi-en, works of mercy and deeds of charity are so acceptable and so meritorious in the sight of God ; since they are productive of so many salutary effects and signal advantages, both to our spiritual and temporal concerns ; since they are so strongly inculcated by the voice of nature, the feelings of humanity, and the dictates of religion, it is hoped that you will come forward with alacrity, and contribute according to your abilities to the support of the laudable charity of this day. If you have much, (jive abundance, says Tobias ; if a little, take care to bestoiv unllingly a little. And that you may partake of the blessed effects of your alms, give cheerfully with a willing heart and a pleasant countenance ; since, as St. Paul says, 2 Cor. ix. God loveth a cheerful giver. Give as to God, and not as to man ; give with a pure intention for God's sake, to relieve Jesus Christ in the person of his little ones. Let the chief object of your compassion be your own immortal souls ; for, as St. Augustine remarks, Christ requires from you, in the first place, the soul which he redeemed with Jiis sacred blood. Hoc reqinrit, quod redemit. To make him an offering of your external goods, and to refuse him your souls, is to imitate unhappy Cain, who presented the worst of his flock, and reserved the best for himself. Christian charity embraces all mankind, and ten- ders its good offices to every one in real distress, notwithstanding the difference of his religion, country, or profession, as our Divine Master teaches us in the parable of the merciful Samaritan. It does not exclude any real object from the acts of its universal benevolence. Prudence and discretion are indeed to be used in the choice of proper objects ; but as St. John Chrysostom observes, too anxious an enquiry, and an over- great suspicion of imposture, are to be avoided, as being contrary to Christian simplicity and fraternal charity. The poor little children, whose cause I wish to plead with some degree of success, look up to you now with confidence ; they claim a right to your protection, and deserve your particular attention ; they are un- questionably real and proper objects, as they are either fatherless, mo- therless, friendless, or helpless ; they have neither the will nor the power to misapply or abuse your charitable donations, which are expended by their trustees with the strictest economy, for their sole use and real benefit. Since the first establishment of this charity, a great number of poor reduced room-keeper's children have been essentially relieved these several years past, both in their corporal and spiritual necessities ; they have been rescued from the jaws of destruction, preserved from the cor- ruption of the streets, instructed in their moral duties, educated in the fear and love of God, trained up to habits of virtue, and apprenticed to proper trades Avhich now afford them a comfortable support, without being a burden to the public. The flock of children who are your humble petitioners this day, expect by your charitable aid to partake of the like advantages, and to be enabled to become in process of time useful, industrious, and edifying members of society ; they have no other resource at present but your benevolence ; they stand in need of ADVANTAGES OF ALMS, &C. 291 a continuance of jour annual contributions, in order to defray tlie heavy expenses that are incurred by providing them with clothing and other necessaries. You cannot be insensible, my brethren, of the great advantages of giving children a Christian education, and impressing their tender minds with good principles, and an early tincture of piety and religion ; the honour and glory of God are thereby promoted, the loss and ruin of numberless souls are prevented, and the di-eadful evils that usually spring from ignorance and idleness are in a great measure obviated and remedied ; nay, whether we consider it in a religious or in a civil point of view, it is a matter of great importance to form youths to habits of virtue and honest industry, and to diffuse a spirit of religion among the lower ranks of people at an early period of life. This is a truth so obvious, that in eveiy civilized nation the education of youth is looked upon as an object of the first magnitude, as it is one of the most effectual means, not only to stem the tori-ent of iniquity, and to reform the depraved morals of the age, but likewise to preserve peace and order in civil society, and to advance the welfare and the happiness of the community at large. May I not then conclude, my brethren, that nothing deserves moi-e encourage- ment, nothing is more worthy of your patronage and protection, than those charitable societies and institutions which the piety of the faithful has established, for the purpose of giving a Christian education to poor, helpless, destitute children, and providing them with necessary clothing, and pi'oper trades which are to be their future support. The example of our separated brethi-en of every religious denomination, who on similar occasions seem to be actuated wdth uncommon zeal, should excite in you an holy emulation to exercise your humanity, and testify your charity to the little ones assembled here this day. Let me entreat you to open your eyes and see their wants, to open your ears and hearken to their petitions, to open your hearts and compassionate them, to open your hands and purses, and extend your charity towards their support and education. Remember, that by clothing and aiding them in their respective necessi- ties, you clothe and aid Jesus Christ, who says in the Gospel, that what- ever you do to his little ones, he will consider it as done to himself in pei'son. I shall, therefore, conclude with the advice of St. Augustine : Give some share of your worldly substance to Jesus Christ, to whom you owe all you have and possess ; reckon him among your children ; count one more in your family ; reserve a child's portion for him ; clothe, feed, and relieve him this day in the persons of his poor, little, innocent mem- bers ; and in return they Avill be bound to raise their hearts and voices to Heaven in your behalf, and supplicate the Giver of all good gifts to shower down the treasures of his grace and mercy on all their benefac- tors in this life, and to grant that on the last day, they may be ranked in the thrice happy number of those who are to be invited by Jesus Christ to the inheritance of his heavenly kingdom, with these comlbrtable words, Come ye Messed of mi/ Father, possess yoa the kiiKjdom prepared for you. from the foundation of the world, Matt. xxv. 34. Which is the blessing I Avish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 292 ON THE TKANSCKNDENT DIGMTX AND SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF COBPUS CHRISTI, AND THE SECOND AFTEE PENTECOST. ON THE TKANSCENDENT DIGNITY AND EXCELLENCE OF THE SACKAMENT OF THE EUCHAEIST, AND THE VENEEATION DUE TO IT. Homo quidam fecit ccenam magnam, et vocavit multos — St. Luc. c. xiv. v. 16. A certain man made a great supper, and invited many to it — St. Luke, c. xiv. v. 16. It is related in the first chapter of the Book of Esther, that Assiierus, King of Persia, being desirous to disjolay his power and grandeur, made a most suniptvious and elegant feast, to which he invited the nobility and gentry of his kingdom for the space of one hundred and eighty days successively. Nothing that could be purchased or acquired, though ever so costly or exquisite, was deficient, but every thing abounded that could contribute to aggrandize this royal banquet; however, it was but a shadow of the delicious and heavenly banquet alluded to in the words of my text, and called by St. Paul the Lord's Supper, because it was insti- tuted by our Lord Jesus Christ at his last supper, or the last time he eat the legal supper of the Paschal Lamb with his disciples in the city of Jerusalem. The supper which our^ Lord pi'ovided then is the blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, a supper fitter for Angels than for men, and suitable in every respect to his infinite goodness and boundless liberality. It may truly and justly be called a Great Supper, not only on account of the incomparable grandeur of him who instituted and prepared it, and the numberless multitude of guests who are invited to partake of it, but also for the intrinsic value of the food that is offered thereat. The food which we are here presented Avith, is not terrene or corruptible, but divine and incorruptible, and instituted for the nourishment of the spiritual life of our souls. We all partake of it, and still it is not dimin- ished ; we all eat of it, and still it remains whole and entire. One eats of it, and a thousand eat of it, and this one receives Christ entire, and a thousand do no more. This banquet is to continue, not for half a year only, like that of King Assuerus, but every day unto the consummation of ao-es and the end of the world. There is no set number of guests invited to it ; all mankind in general are welcome to the table of Jesus, provided they come clothed with the nuptial garment. The poor have as free access as the rich; the feeble, the blind, the lame, have the honour to be invited ; nay, not only to be invited, but even to be pressed and importuned to come, under pain of incurring his displeasure, and of being liable to be treated like the guests mentioned in the Gospel, who were excluded from the banquet of eternal gloiy, because they refused to accept of the affectionate invitation which had been given them. The blessed Eucharist is so called from a Greek Avord that signifies tJianJcsgivivr/, because at its first institution Christ rendered thanks to his Heavenly Father, and because it is to be received by us Avith thankh:- o-ivinfr, and is daily offered to God in thanksgiving for all his gracious favours and blessings, it being both a Sacrament and a vSacrifice, as it is not only given to us, but likeAvise given and offered for tis. It is a Sacra- ment in the Holy Communion and a Sacrifice in the Mass, and in both EXCELLENCY OF THE SACRAMENT, &C. 293 respects it surpasses, by ranny degrees, all the sacraments and sacrifices of the Old Testament, which have thei-efore been abolished in ordei- to make way for it. In memory of, and in thanksgiving for so valuable a treasure, and so signal a favour, the Church has instituted the grand festival and solemn octave of Corpus Christi, during which she calls on all her children, all over the world, to honour Jesus Christ in tlie blessed Eucharist, with a kind of triumph, and to praise and magnify him for the love and mercy he has been pleased to testify iu the institution of this most holy sacrament and sacrifice of the New Law. To inspire you with the like pious sentiments, I will, in the first place, endeavour to lay before j^ou the transcendent dignity and excellency of this sacrament of the Eucharist ; and in the second place, I will shew you that it is most worthy of your profound respect and veneration. Let us previously implore the divine assistance, through the intercession of the blessed A^irgip, greeting her for this end with the words of the Angel. Ave Maria. As the sun is the most noble of the seven planets, and gold the most precious of all metals, the blessed Eucharist is the most holy of the seven sacraments of the New Law, and surpasses all the sacraments, figures and types of the Old Law, by as many degrees as Jesus Christ himself, in person and dignity, excels all the victims and oblations that were for- merly immolated and ofi'ered by the people of God. It was prefigured by the tree of life that was planted in tlie middle of the earthly Paradise ; it was prefigured by the bread and wine that were offered in sacrifice by the High Priest JVIelchesidech, and by the bread that the Prophet Elias was nourished with in the wilderness, and by the holy loaves of proposi- tion that were placed on a table before the inward sanctuary in the Jewish Temple : it was prefigured by the manna from Heaven, with wdiich the children of Israel were fed in the desert ; by the Paschal Lamb of the Jews ; by the blood of the testament, vv^ith which Moses sprinkled the people, and by the peace-ofiferings and other ancient sacrifices of the Jlosaic Law. These were only types and figures of the blessed Eucha- rist, and consequently they were as inferior to it in dignity, as the image or picture of ajiing is infei'ior to the king himself in person. This made St. Paul call all the ancient types and figures iveak and beggarhj elements, and mere shadoivs of the good things to come, or that were to be given to the children of grace, under the New Law of the Gospel, Heb. x. Gal. iv. The very nature of the things shevfs that the figure must necessarily be inferior to the thing prefigured, and that the shadow and type must be inferior to the substance and reality. Hence the Old Law was annulled by reason of the loeakness and improfitaUeaess thereof Pleb. vii. 18. Hence it is, also, that the blessed Eucharist lias justly taken place of the ancient figures : no sooner was it instituted, but they were abolished. They vanished and disappeared, as the stars disappear at the approach of the sun, and as the darkness of the night vanishes away when the light begins to shine. This alone is suflicient to prove the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist ; for if there was nothing moi-e in it than a figure of his body and blood, or bread and wine taken in remembrance of him, the figures of the Old Law would not only equal, but even excel this great sacrament of the New Law, and be many degrees superior to it. It is evident that the Paschal Lamb, lor instance, was a far more noble type of Christ, and represented him much better than a bit of bread. The blood of victims, 294 ON THE TRANSCENDENT DIGNITY AND solemnly offered to God, was also a more excellent figure of liis sacred blood than the juice of the grape, and the miraculous manna, which the Scrijjture calls the hread of Angels, was far beyond the bread of man. Yet Christ our Lord promised in St. John, vi. to give us in the Eucharist something better, something more noble, more excellent, more sacred, more heavenly, and more divine than the manna from Heaven, the Paschal Lamb, the blood of the Testament, or than the other ancient types and figures, and consequently tlian common bread and wine ; he promised to present us with the substance and truth instead of types and shadows ; he promised to feed our souls with a wonderful l/fe-giving food from Heaven, that tvould bring eternal life, and mahe us abide in him, and him in vs ; he promised, in fine, to grant us some special and signal favour, which had not been granted to the Jews ; for he said. The bread which I ivill give you is my flesh, for the life of the ivorld ; not as your fathers did eat manna in the desei^t, and died : He that eateth this bread shall litBfor ever. It was on the very eve of his passion and death, the very night that he ivas betrayed by Judas, as St. Paul tells us, that he actually fulfilled his promise, and perfected his last will and testament. He feasted the souls of his disciples with the divine and heavenly banquet of his own body and blood in the blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, which he then instituted ; and that this inestimable legacy of his love might continue in his Church to the end of the world, he at the same time ordained them Priests of the New LaAV, empowering them, and their lawful successors in the ministry, to do what he himself then did, that is, to consecrate bread and wine into his body and blood, for a perpetual comr memoration of his death. St. Paul, in his first Epistle to the Corin- thians, xi. assures us, that he learned this mystery by a special revelation from Jesus Christ. The account he gives there of the last supper, is similar to that which is given by St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke, and affords us another sti'ong proof of the real presence of Christ in the blessed sacrament of the Eucharist; for in x. 16, of said epistle, the Apostle calls it, in express terms, the communion of the body and blood of Christ, which was delivered, broJcen, or sacrificed for lis on the Cross ; and in xi. 27, 29, he says, that ichosoever shall eat the bread or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, and he that eateth and drinketh umoorthily eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of our Lord, which clearly proves that the body and blood of the Lord must be really present in the sacrament ; for if what the unworthy receiver takes Avas no more than bread and wine, or a figure of the Lord, he would not be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord ; nor could he be blamed for not discerning the body of the Lord, but only for not discerning a figure of it ; nor could he be said to eat and drink damnation to himself. How could a Christian discern it, if it be not there really present ? How could he be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, or eat and drink damnation to himself, if he does not receive the body and blood of the Lord, or if what he receives be nothing but bread and wine, or only an empty figure or sign of Christ ; The heavenly manna and the Paschal Lamb were more lively figures of Christ than a morsel of bread, and yet those who eat them, in the state of sin could not be said to be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, or to eat and drink their men damnation. As to the words, Do this in commemoration of me, which the Apostle quotes in the aforesaid Epistle to the Corinthians, he informs us, V. 26, that what we are thereby commanded to remember, as often as we EXCELLENCY OF THE SACRAMENT, &C. 295 receive the body of Christ, is the death of Christ, which being a thing not only present, but really past, is a most proper subject for our devout and grateful remembrance. Even such things as are not visibly present, or that Ave are liable to forget, may be the object of our remembrance, whether they be really present or really absent. Thus we are com- manded in the Scripture to remember God, Deuter. viii. Eccles. xii. though in him we live, move, and have our being. The 7'cmembrance, there- fore, of Christ, and of his death, which is enjoined in the aforesaid words, is by no means opposite to his real presence in the sacrament. But does not St. Paul call it bread ? He does, and so does Christ himself ; but they both inform us what this bread is. Christ assures us that it is the very flesh ivhich he gave for the life of the world, John, vi. 52, and which was given and delivered for us, Luke, xxii. And St. Paul tells us, that it is the Communion of the hodji of Christ, 1 Cor. x. 16. It is called bread, because it is a svipernatural, divine, and spiritual bread of life, that feeds and nourishes the Soul as natural and material bread nourishes the body ; for which reason Christ our Lord says, John, vi. 54, Except ijou eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. It is also called bread, because, before the consecration it is bread, and it still retains the outward appearance of bread even after the consecration, when the inward substance both of the bread and wine is changed into the substance of Christ's real body and blood, by the same almighty power that changed the substance of water into the svibstance of wine at the wedding of Cana, St. John, ii. To ask hoio this can be, is a question like unto that of the incredulous Jews of Capharnaum, and is more becom- ing an infidel than a Christian who believes in a God, to whom nothing is impossible. Surely the power of the Son of God cannot be denied by any one who professes the Christian religion. He is undoubtedly able to take any form or appeai'ance he thinks proper, and to render his body visible or invisible as he pleases ; he can make it penetrate doors and stone walls, and be present, one and the same, in many different places at once, without being exposed to the external senses, or being obnoxious to corporal contingencies, any more than his blessed soul. He can render himself truly and really present with his whole and entire body, under the smallest consecrated host, in the same circumscription and dimensions that the bread and wine were before the consecration ; for as his body is now immortal and impassible, it partakes in some measure of the proper- ties and qualities of a spirit, and may, in the words of St. Paul, be called a spiritualized or spiritual body, 1 Cor. xv. 44. As a spirit, therefore, has no dependauce on place, and is neither confined by it nor to it, and as it really exists without requiring external extension for its existence, so in like manner, the body of Christ really and truly exists in the blessed Evicharist, and i-etains there all that is essential to a body, but does not require actual or external extension of parts, this being only accidental to a body. Moreover, as a spirit is not obnoxious to corporal contingen- cies, or liable to be hurt, divided or corrupted, so likewise the body of Christ is not liable to be hurt, or to suffer any alteration in this saci*a- ment. It is only the accidence or sacramental species, under which it is here veiled, that ai'e subject to such changes, and may be broken, divided and consumed. These only we see with our corporal eyes and touch with our hands, but we neither behold the divinity nor the humanity of Christ, though here really present ; for it is not the eye of the flesh, but the eye of faith, that pierces through the clouds with which he is here 296 ON THE TRANSCENDENT DIGNITY AND encompassed, and that beliolds with wondei- the dazzling rays and splen- dour of his infinite Majesty, hidden and veiled under the poor elements and humble appearances of bread and wine. However, it is not to be inferred from this, that the evidence or testimony of the senses militates against this mystery, or that they are deceived in their proper object, since the senses are affected in the same manner, and receive the same impressions, after the consecration as before it. They behold and discern the same outward appearances and qualities ; they truly pei-ceive, repre- sent and bear witness of the accidence, which are their proper and imme- diate object ; as to the inward substance, it is not the proper and imme- diate object of the senses, but the object of the understanding and judgment which is deceived when it too hastily concludes, on account of the outward appearances, that a thing is in effect what it appears to be. Regularly speaking, indeed, we may be directed by our senses, when neither reason nor divine authority obliges us to j udge otherwise. But if reason or divine authority intei'poses and assures us of the con- trary, we are to foi-m a different judgment. We are to be guided by God's Word, which makes things infinitely surer than any direction our judgment may receive from the testimony of our senses, which, as we know by experience, are often apt to lead us astray. Thus, when at Christ's resurrection and ascension, the Angels appeared under the out- ward form of young men, clothed in white garments, and when the Holy Ghost appeared in the shape of a dove and of fiery tongues, the faithful who beheld them were not to rely on the testimony of their senses, nor to conclude that these things really were what they appeared to be,^ because the authority of God's Word intervened, and assured them that what appeared to be a dove, fiery tongues and young men, was not really so, but was the Holy Ghost and Angels, under these outward appear- ances. The only sense we may safely trust in regard of the judgment we are to foi'm concerning the inward part of the blessed Sacrament, is the sense of hearing, which assures us by the Word of God, and by the authority of God's Church, which, according to the Apostle, 1 Tim. iii. 15, is thejiillar and the gi^ound of the truth, and consequently, not liable to error, that what appears to our senses to be bread and wine, is truly and really the body and blood of Christ. There is no greater difficulty in believing this, notwithstanding any thing our senses may suggest to the contrary, than tiiere is in believing the dove and fiery tongues to have been the Holy Ghost, and the young men to have been Angels, although to the senses they appeared to be quite another thing. Now, as to the respect and veneration due to the blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, it follows necessarily from Avhat has been hitherto said and proved, that it is to be worshipped with divine honour and adoration, as it contains truly and really the divine person of Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, who is certainly most Avorthy to be honoured and adored wheresoever he is. Let unbelievers misrepresent it as they please, there is no more danger of idolatry to be apprehended in worshipping and adoring him in the Sacrament, than there is in worshipping and adoring him in Heaven. It is not to the outward sacramental signs under Avhich he is veiled, that this honour is paid, but our adoration is evidently directed to the Divinity itself, and immediately paid to Jesus Christ, who is no idol or imaginary God, but the true and living God. He is the object of our adoration, and indeed the more he has humbled himself here fox our sake, the more we are indebted to him for his love, the EXCELLENCY OF THE SACRAMENT, &C. 297 more zealous we should he in testifying our gratitude and veneration for him, and the more assiduous in uniting ourselves to him by devout and fervent communion. Such are the pious sentiments Avhich the Church, ever guided by the Holy Ghost, wishes to excite in her cliildren all over the woidd during this solemn octave. She apprizes them in the words of the Angels, mentioned in the second chapter of the Apocalypse, that the Lamb that iva^ slain is ivorthy to receive honour, glory, and benediction. She exposes the divine sacrament to their view, in a remonstrance, placed in the tabernacle, that they may come and throw themselves at the feet of Jesus, like Mary Magdalen, and pour out their hearts in fervent prayers before the altar, as Anne, the mother of Samuel did, before the Ark of the Covenant ; she invites them to approach the deli- cious banquet and great supper of her beloved spouse Avith the necessary dispositions, that their souls may be replenished with grace, and enriched with celestial blessings. In fine, she calls on them in those words of the Royal Prophet, Ps. xciv. to come, adore, and prostrate themselves before Jesus Christ, because he is the Lord our God. This is what the three Kings, or wise men of the East did, when they found him in the stable of Beth- lehem, lying on a heap of straw in a manger, between two beasts, with- out any outwaixl appearance of divinity, ensigns of royalty, or marks of grandeur. Far from being scandalized on beholding him in so poor, mean, and desjjicable a condition ; far from listening to the suggestions of pride, or the reasonings of human wisdom ; far from relying on the testimony of their senses, which exhibited nothing to their view but a poor, forlorn, distressed infant, they prostrated themselves before him with a lively faith, they adored him as their God, and in acknowledg- ment of his divinity, royalty and. humanity, they presented him with three mystical gifts, of frankincense, gold and myrrh. Their conduct is a lesson for us ; we should learn from it not to be guided by the testimony of our fallible senses in matters beyond their reach, nor to conclude rashly, in direct opposition to divine revelation, that a thing is always in reality what it appears to be. Far from staggei'ing in our fiiith, or disbelieving the real presence of Christ in the blessed Eucharist, because we do not see any visible appearances or distinctive marks of infinite majesty and grandeur about him; far from being incredulous, like Thomas, because we do not feel the print of the nails and the scars of the wounds in his sacred body, we should approach him like the wise men of the East v/ith a lively faith, and offer him the gold of an ai'dent charity, the incense of fervent and devout prayer, and the myrrh of a mortified and penitential life ; we should submit our reason to his infal- lible word, and believe upon his divine authority what we neither see nor comprehend, that we may be entitled to the blessed reward that he has promised in the Gospel to those who believe and do not see. Because thou hast seen me, said he to Thomas the Apostle, thou hast believed ; blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed, St. John, xx. 29: O Divine Jesus, we therefore firmly believe that thou art really pre- sent in the blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist ; we believe that it con- tains thy sacred body and blood, accompanied with thy soul and divi- nity ; Ave acknowledge these great truths ; we believe these vv onders ; we adore the power that has wrought them ; the same power that said, Let there be liyht, and light was made. TVe submit our senses and reason to thy divine authority ; Ave praise and glorify thy infinite goodness, Avliich hast prepared this Grecit Supper for the nourishment of our souls 298 ON THE HOLY SACKIFICE OF THE MASS. during the course of our mortal pilgrimage here on earth. Thy holy prophet David had just reason to cry out with ecstacy, Oui^ merciful and gracious Lord hath made a memorial of his wonderful works, and hath given food to them that fear him. Blessed be thy name for ever. Accept our homage, O Lord, accept our most hearty thanks, and give us grace to receive this sacrament of thy love with such reverence and humility, such purity and faith, such contrition and devotion, as may be for thy honour and our own salvation, and prepare us for that eternal banquet of glory, which is reserved for thy elect in the kingdom of Heaven. — And Avhich I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Ameti. THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. Christus dilexit nos, et tradidit semetipsum pro uovis hostiam, et sacrificium Deo in odorem suaviatis. — Ephes. c. v. v. 2. Christ loved us, and delivered himself for us, cm ohlalion and a sacrifice to God, for an odour of sweetness, — Ephes. c. v. v. 2. To offer sacrifice to the Supreme Being, in acknowledgment of his so- vereign dominion over all creatures, has, since the beginning of the world, been always considered as a necessary duty of man, and an es- sential part of true religion ; and the Almighty has vouchsafed to accept of oblations of this kind as an agreeable worship, when they were ac- companied with the inward sacrifice of the heart, and with faith in the promised Eedeemer, who was to come in the plenitude of time. Hence Abel, Enos, Noe, Melchisedech, Abraham, Job, and other holy Patri- archs and servants of God, who lived under the law of nature, thought it their duty to raise altars to the honour of the Deity, and to sacrifice whatever they deemed fittest to express the humble sentiments and in- ward dispositions of their souls, and to testify the supreme homage which they owed the Divine Majesty. In the law of Moses, when the Lord himself was pleased to reveal to his chosen people the particutar manner in which he was willing to be honoured and worshipped by them, he instituted a great variety of sacrifices, some of which were called Holo- causts, or Whole Burnt Offerings ; some Propitiary, or Sin Offerings; others Thanksgiving Offerings; others Pacific, or Peace Offerings. But these sacrifices had no intrinsic virtue or efficacy in themselves, and were only acceptable to God, in view of the great sacrifice of the New Law which they prefigured. For this reason, St. Paul calls them weak and beggarly elements, types and empty shadows of the good things that were to come. Chi'ist, our Divine Recleemer, by one ofiering on the cross accomplished them all, and comprehended them all in the unity of his sacrifice, which is at the same time an Holocaust, a Sacrifice of Propi- tiation, a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving, and a Sacrifice of Lupetration, and by which he paid the full price of our redemption, cancelled the hand-writing of death that stood in full force against us, and perf(!cted for ever them that are sanctified, as the Apostles speaks. All other means of sanctifieation and salvation derive their force and efficacy from this great service which he offered on the cross ; and it was to renew the memory of it, and to apply the fruits and merits of it to our souls, that ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 299 he instituted the Eucharist and commemorative Sacrifice of the Mass, which he continues to offer daily on our altars by the ministry of the Priests of his Church ; for his love for mankind vv^as not contented with offering himself once upon the cross a bleeding victim for our sins, but he was willing also to leave his Church a continual sacrifice worthy of himself, that the same precious blood Avhich he shed for our sake on Mount Calvary, might continue to the end of the Avorld to cry aloud to Heaven from our altars for mercy and pardon in our behalf. With reason, therefore, the Apostle says, Christ loved us, and delivered himself for us, an oblation and sacrifice to God for an odour of siveetness. In the Sacrifice of the Cross he offered himself in a bloody manner ; in the »Sacrifice of tlie Mass he offers himself in an unbloody manner ; so that the sacrifice of the Mass is not a distinct sacrifice from the sacrifice of the Cross, but one and the self-same in substance, differing only in the manner of offering. In short, the Mass, is a true and proper sacrifice, than which nothing is more ancient, nothing is more holy, nothing is more august in the Christian religion, and consequently, it is necessary to be present thereat with great reverence, attention and devotion — Behold the whole plan of the following discourse, and the subject of your favourable attention. Let us previously implore the divine assist- ance, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Ave 3Iaria. Although a contrite and humble heart, fasting, prayer, alms-deeds, and every good work that is done to honour God, may be called a sacri- fice in a metaphorical sense, as St. Augustine observes, 1. 1 0, de Civ. c. 6, yet strictly and properly speaking, sacrifice is an external act of reli- gion, or an outward offering of some visible or sensible thing made to God by a lawful Priest, to acknowledge the supreme dominion of God over all creatures, and to render him the homage that is due to his So- vereign Majesty. The same holy Doctor remarks, that all nations, how- ever bai'barous and savage, that ever acknowledged the existence of a Supreme Being, and all religions, whether true or false, have always looked upon sacrifice as the special prerogative of the Divinity, and the principal means to testify the total subjection and dependence of man, and the supreme worship he owes to God. St. Jerome also says, there never was a religion without a sacrifice, nor a church without priests, nor priests without altars, nor altars without a victim or oblation ; reli- gion, sacrifice, and priesthood being so closely united, that the principal functions of priests, and the most solemn act of religion, is to offer sacrifice to the Deity in some form or other. Can it then be supposed, that Christ would leave his Church in the New Law without an essential part of religion, and destitute of the principal means of honouring God ? Can it be imagined that he would abandon her, like the Jewish Syna- gogue, which is without a priest, without a sacrifice, without an altar? No, my brethren. We have an altar, says the Apostle, Heb. xiii. 10, and consequently we have a sacrifice ; we have the eucharistic and com'- memorative Sacrifice of the Mass, which Christ instituted at his Last Supper, and which the Scripture mentions. Acts. xiii. 2, where we read in the Greek original. As they v:ere sacrificing to the Lord, and fasting, ^-c. The acts of the martyrdom of St. Andrew the Apostle, Avhich Natalis Alexander, and other learned writers, maintain to be genuine, though contested by some, make mention of this sacrifice in the following words, which the Apostle said to his persecutors : / offer every day on the altar to the Almighty God an immaQukttc Lmib, tchose fiesh indeed is eaten, hut the 300 ON THE HOLY SACRTFICF. OF THE MASS. Lamb remains whole and entire. St. Justin, St. Iren^es, TertuUian, St. Cyril of Alexandria, and other Doctors of tlie primitive Church, assert in express terms, that the Apostles learned from Christ to offer this sacrifice throughout the earth. St. Augustine, who flourished upwards of fourteen hundred years ago, assures us, l. 16, de Civ. and in Ps. 109, that this sacrifice was then celebrated in the Church all over the Clmstian world. He informs us also. Lib. 9, Con/., that his mother Monica, at her dying hour, entreated him to offer it up at the altar of God for the happy repose of her soul, from a persuasion that the souls of the faithful departed are relieved by this sacrifice of our Mediator, as he speaks in Encliyr. c. 110, I. de Cur. Mort. It was expedient and just that there should be such a sacrifice in the Christian Church, in order to join all the faithful together in the external duties of religion, to pay unto God the homage that is due to him, to give him thanks for all his blessings, to implore the forgiveness of our sins, and to obtain such favours and graces as we daily stand iu need of. Prefigurative Sacrifices were required in the Law of Nature, and in the written Law of Moses, to repi-esent the Sacrifice of the Cross, and to prefigure the death of Christ, then to come ; in like manner a Commemorative Sacrifice was re- quired in the New Law, to be a standing memorial of the Sacrifice of the Cross, and to represent the death of Christ, now already past. This Commemorative Sacrifice is no more derogatory or injurious to the infi- nite value and efiUcacy of the Sacrifice of the Cross, than the Prefigur- ative Sacrifices of the Old Law were ; on the contrary, it honours it highly, as it serves to renew and perpetuate the memory of it to the end of the world, and to impart the benefit of it to our souls. Nay, it is the same in substance with the Sacrifice of the Cross, because it is the same victim, Jesus Christ, that is sacrificed in both ; and the same High Priest, Jesus Christ, who is the principal oiferer in both. The only difference consists in this, that the sacrifice of the Cross was a bloody sacrifice, because Christ then actually shed his blood, and was really put to death ; but the Commemorative Sacrifice of the Mass is an luibloody sacrifice, wherein the death of Christ is only mystically represented, and shewn forth on the altar by the separate consecration of the bread and wine, which denotes the real shedding of his blood, and the actual separ:- ation of his body and soul at his death. Nothing is Avanting here that is necessary to constitute a true and proper saci'ifice ; neither victim, nor priest, nor altar, nor oblation, nor consummation. It is an outward oblation of the body and blood of Christ under the visible forms of bread and wine ; it is offered to God alone, and not to any creature in Heaven or on earth ; it is offered for the four great ends of sacrifice ; it is offered for the whole Church in its thi-ee diffei-ent states, that is, for the Church triumphant in Heaven, in thanksgiving to God for the graces bestowed on the Saints in this life, and for the happiness they now enjoy ; for the Chui-cli militant on earth, to draw down the blessings of Heaven on the faithful, and for the Church suffering in Purgatory, to obtain relief from them in their sufferings, and a speedy admittance to eternal glory. The oblation is here made by a lawful priest, properly ordained, consecrated, and authorised to offi- ciate in Christ's name, and as his vicegerent, he being the chief priest or pi'incipal offerer, as well as the victim that is offered ; for as it was Christ that offered himself, and that was offered upon the Cross, so in the like manner it is Christ that offers himself, and that is oiiered on the ON THE HOLY SACKinCE OF THE MASS. 301 altar by the hands of the ofl&ciating priest, who acts under him as his visible substitute, and who, therefore, when he comes to the consecra- tion, wherein this sacrifice essentially consists, speaks and acts, not in his own name, or by his own authority, but in the name and person of Christ, saying, Tlus is nvj body ; this is the chalice of my blood. The obla- tion that is here made, is also accompanied with a real change and de- struction of the inward substance of the bread and wine, and with a real presenting of the body and blood of Christ, our victim, under appearances which denote his real death. On the cross he actually died, and really shed his precious blood for our sake, his body being then mortal and passible ; on the altar he can only admit of a mystical death, and of a mystical effusion of blood, his body being now glorious, im- mortal, and impassible. He is here really exhibited to his Eternal Fa- ther under the two separate species, without any visible sign of life, motion, or action, and under the figure and appearance of death, as if he was really dead, accoi'ding to what was shewn to St. John in the Apocalypse, when he said, / saiv a Lamh standing, as it icere slain, or under the appearance of being slain, which is sufficient to a true and proper sacrifice, it being evident, from several sacrifices of the Old Law, that a real immolation or total destruction of the thing offered in sacri- fice to God was not always required. In holocausts, indeed, the victim was entirely consumed, to represent, in the most perfect manner, the supreme dominion of God over all creatures ; but in other kinds of sacri- fices it was sufficient to make such a change in the host as it was suscep- tible of. The victim Avas commonly consumed in part only, and of the rest Avas made a spiritual banquet for the priests and the people. This represented the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Mass, wherein both the priest and the people are spiritually nourished with the heavenly ban- quet and communion of the body and blood of the adorable victim of the redemption, Jesus Christ, who, to denote the complete oblation he made of himself, was like a pure holocaust, as it were, entirely con- sumed by death upon the cross for the glory of his Eternal Father. Thus by offering himself iq^ in a bloody manner on the cross, he not only exercised and fulfilled the priestly order of Aaron, but he likewise exercised and fulfilled the priestly order of Melchisedech, by instituting and offering up the Eucharistic Sacrifice on the very eve of his passion and death ; for it is evident, from the account given by the Evangelists of the institution of the Blessed Eucharist, that Christ not only gave it to his disciples, at his last supper, to be received by them as a sacrament and spiritual banquet in the holy communion, but that he likewise gave it for them, and offered it for them and for many, as a propitiatory sacrifice /or the remission of sins. And that this sacrifice might continue to be oflfered up in his Church unto the end of the world, he at the same time or- dained his Apostles Priests of the Ncav Law, and empowered and com- manded them and their lawful successors in the ministry, to consecrate and offer up the Blessed Eucharist for a perpetual commemoration of his passion, and a grateful i-emembrance of his death, as appears from these Avords, Do this in remembrance of me, that is, as St. Paul explains it, to shew jfor the death of the Lord till his second coming at the end of the world. Hence it is, that the Scripture stiles him our High Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech, which he could not be truly and properly called, if he had not instituted a sacrifice similar to that of Melchisedech, which was to be offered to the end of the world by infe- 302 ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. rior priests, subordinate to his priesthood ; for as the order of Melchise- dech's priesthood consisted principally in this, that he offered up bread and wine in sacrifice, Christ our Lord can only be stiled our High Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech, on account of the outward resemblance between Melchisedech's sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacri- fice of the Mass, which he instituted, and still continues to offer up by the ministry of the Priests of his Church under the visible form of bread and wine. This is the pure oblation of the New Law, which the Prophet Malachy foretold and pointed out in the strongest light in his first chapter, tenth and eleventh verses, where he tells us that the Jewish Sacrifices were to be rejected, and to be succeeded by a new sacrifice and a ^3«re oblation, which xvoidd be offered up to God in even/ ])lace among the Gentiles, from the rising of the sun to the setting. Both the Cxreek and Latin Doctors have made VTse of this text, to prove that the Blessed Eucharist is not only a Sacra- ment, but likewise a Sacrifice, wherein the body of Christ is represen- tatively immolated, and his blood is mystically shed and separated from the body by virtue of the words of consecration, as by a spiritual sword. To pretend that this prophecy regards only the sacrifice of the Cross, is a manifest error, because the sacrifice of the Cross Avas only offered in one single place of Judea, on JMount Calvary, and the Prophet tells us that the sacrifice he speaks of shall be offered in every jilace among the Gentiles, from the rising to the setting of the sun. Neither can this predic- tion be understood of an inward or spiritual sacrifice, for besides that the inward sacrifice of the heart, or the spiritual sacrifice of good works is not properly a sacrifice, it being often opposed to sacrifice, as whdn the Scripture ssijs, I tvill have mercy and not sacrifice ; and again. Obedience is better than sacrifice, it is evident that an inward or spiritual sacrifice is not a new sacrifice, nor to be substituted in the j)lace of the ancient sacrifices, as it existed in all times since the beginning of the world ; so that it cannot be of it that the Prophet speaks. It is clear, then, that his words can only be verified in the Eucharistic Sacrifice of Christ's precious body and blood in the Mass, which is the only pure oblation of the New Law that is made to God in every place among the Gentiles, and that has been substituted by Christ in the place of the ancient sacri- fices, which were but types and figures of his sacrifice. There are several other passages in the Old Testament which foretel that in the spiritual kingdom, or Church of Christ, the Priesthood shall never fail to offer up a continual sacrifice, and that the converted nations shall worship God by sacrifices throughout the world, as long as the Heavens and the eartli shall stand. All these predictions clearly point out the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Mass, and give us to understand that it is to be offered up to God, for an odour of sweetness, till the end of the world, when it is to be abolished by the wicked Antichrist, and the abolition of it shall be an evident mark of the approaching destruction of the universe. As a further proof, I might quote here the most ancient liturgies of all nations and of all ages since the earliest years of Christ- ianity, which make frequent mention of this sacrifice. I might produce the unanimous testimonies of the Holy Fathers in every age, the autho- rity of the general councils, and the most venerable monuments of antiquity, to shew that the Sacrifice of the Mass was always offered up in the Cliurch of God all over the Christian world, before Mai'tin Luther started up to oppose it ; but it is sufiicient at present to observe, that no ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 303 time can be assigned in which the use of it first began, which is a cer- tain proof, according to the rule hiid down by St. Augustine, that it has been handed down by tradition immediately from Christ and his Apos- tles. Let us now briefly consider the dignity and sanctity of this sacri- fice, and the manner of assisting thereat. To form some idea hereof, we need but consider the dignity of the victim that is here ofiered, the sanctity of the High Priest who offers it, and the sacred mysteries of our divine Redeemer's passion and death which are here represented, continued, and renewed. This sacrifice in itself, and as ofiered by Jesus Christ, is always a most acceptable obla- tion in the sight of God, independent of the good or bad dipositions of the ministerial Priest, who performs the outwai'd and visible part. In the first place it is a most agreeable holocaust, by which the most per- fect homage is paid to God ; for though of ourselves we are incapable of paying him an homage propoi'tionable to his grandeur, being no more than an atom in comparison of his infinite Majesty, yet because Jesus Christ humbles himself here for our sake in the most profound manner, under the poor elements of Bread and Wine, and oflTers himself up by the hands of the Priest, for us and with us, under the mystical appearance of death, we are thereby enabled to render unto God the greatest homage, adoration, and glory that any creature can possibly give to his Creator. Secondly, the Mass is a most agreeable sacrifice of thanksgiving ; for though all the thanks we can render are of no value in themselves, as proceeding from us, yet because Jesus Christ, whose dignity is infinite, puts himself here in our place, and gives infinite thanks to his Eternal Father for us, and in our name, we have a gift of infinite value to oflTer to God, and are thus enabled to make him an adequate return for the benefits confered on us. Hence the ofiiciating Priest calls on us in the midst of the holy mysteries, and says, Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro. Let us return thanJcs to the Lord our God; reminding the congregation hereby to unite themselves with their High Priest Jesus Christ, and to seize on this favovu-able opportunity to give imto God the thanks that are justly due to his Divine Majesty. Thirdly, the Mass is a sacrifice of impetration ; for though of our- selves we are undeserving of any favour, yet because Jesus Christ offers himself up here tvith us and for us, in order to obtain for us the favours and graces we stand in need of, we have here a most efficacious means to sanctify our petitions, and render them acceptable through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord ; for if he has promised in the Gospel that whatever petition we make in his name shall be granted to us, can we ever be said so properly to ask in his name, and through his merits, as when we appear before the throne of God, with himself in person, and present him to the Eternal Father, to be our advocate and j^etitioner ? This made the great St. John Chrysostom say, above a thousand year^ ago, of all times, the time of the Sacrifice of the Mass is the most sea- sonable for obtaining the favours of Heaven, and the most advantageous to negociate with the Almighty, because the body and blood of Christ are then actually upon our altars, where his sacred blood pleads for us, the virtue of which is infinite, and the voice all powerful to obtain all that is requested ; for what can God refuse us when we ofter him a God in payment of what we ask ? Fourthly, the Mass is a sacrifice of propitiation for the living and the 304 ON THE tlOLV SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. dead. The blood of the innocent Lamb of God, the infinite price of our redemption, is here offered in satisfaction for our sins, according to these words, which Christ said at the institution of this sacrifice, This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sim. He died upon the Cross for mankind in general, and offered a full and ample satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. In the eucharistic sacrifice he mystically renews and presents to his Heavenly Father the death he suflered on the cross, and thereby moves him to have mercy on us, and to receive us into favour, which he will never fail to do when we accompany the offering of the victim of our reconciliation with the inward sacrifice of a contrite and humble heart, and a true repentance for our sins. By this means the graces which Christ has merited for mankind in general by his death, are actually applied to, and particularly bestowed on the souls of those who are present at this holy sacrifice, or for whom it is offered in particular, in such manner and proportion as their wants require, and as their greater or less dispositions make them capable of receiving. Let sinners, therefore, come to this sacrifice with confidence. Jesus Christ will be their mediator and advocate ; his sacred blood will plead their cause and speak in their favour ; it will cry to Heaven for mercy in their behalf.; it will appease the anger of his Eternal Father and dis- arm his justice ; it will move him to compassionate them for Christ's sake, and to excite them, by actual and preventing graces, to a true compunc- tion of heart and a sincere detestation of sin. Let the just come to this sacrifice, that their souls may be enriched with the blessings of Heaven, and that their virtues may be crowned with the great gift of final perse- verance. Let the Mthful in general come to this sacrifice as frequently as the duties of their respective states will allow them. Half an hour out of the four-and-twenty hours in the day cannot be better employed than by consecrating it in this manner to our loving Redeemer, who vouchsafed to hang for the space of three long houi's alive on the cross for our sake, in the most excruciating pains. Now I leave yourselves to judge, my brethren, how culpable those Christians must be who make their domestic affairs, and sometimes their criminal amusements, serve as a screen to their coldness and insensibility ; who frequent the house of God more out of custom and ostentation than a true love for God and a sincere devotion ; who commit so many irre- verences even at the foot of the altar, and speak to God with as much carelessness and distraction as if they intended to affront him ; whose chief prayer is for temporal blessings and not for everlasting hajjpiness ; in fine, who are so far from resembling disciples of Christ, assembled in his name to commemorate the dolourous mysteries of his passion and death, are constantly talking, gazing, disturbing and distracting others. Can such persons expect to draw down the graces and blessings of Hea- ven, when they approach the altar of God and assist at Mass after so profane, irreligious, and insulting a manner ? The very nature of this holy Sacrifice requires, that we should assist at it with great reverence, attention, and devotion, according to the me- thod prescribed in your manuals and books of piety. It is one of the most august mysteries of the Christian religion, and the most divine ac- tion that can possibly be done by man on earth. We should be present at it with the most exalted ideas of the grandeur of God, and with the most humble sentiments of our own weakness ; we should go to it as if ON REFERRING ALL OUR DELIBERATE ACTIONS, &C. 305 ■we were going to Mount Calvary, to be present at the crucifixion and death of our Lord, like Mary his blessed Mother and St. John his be- loved disciple. We should form a proper intention, and propose to our- selves the same great ends for which this sacrifice is offered every day by the Church, namely to honour, adore, and glorify God ; to give him thanks for all his favours, and benefits ; to obtain through Jesus Christ the virtues, gifts, and graces we still stand in need of; to appease the wrath of Heaven, to supplicate for the pardon of our sins, and to renew the memory of our blessed Redeemer's passion and death. O amiable Jesus, how much are we indebted to thy boundless mercy for leaving us so acceptable a sacrifice ? What obligations are we under to thy un- speakable goodness ! For our sake thou didst come down from Heaven ; thou hast been torn with scourges, crowned with thorns, nailed by the hands and feet to an ignominious cross, and not content with all this, thou renewest the same sacrifice daily for the benefit of our souls. Give us grace, O Divine Saviour, to assist at thy tremendous mysteries with proper dispositions, and to reverence them so as to reap the blessed fruits of thy I'edemption. 0 may we never slight or neglect so favour- able an opportunity of sanctifying our souls. O may we always appear in thy presence Avith a lively faith, with a tender piety, with a grateful remembrance of thy sacred passion, with a spirit of humility and contri- tion, and with heai'ts elevated to Heaven. O may thy precious blood plead our cause, cancel our iniquities, purify our souls, and open for us the gates of life everlasting. Which is the happiness I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen, rOUETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON REFEEKING ALL OUR DELIBERATE ACTIONS TO THE HONOUR AND GLORY OE GOD. Pra;ceptor, per totam noctem laborantcs nihil cepimxis St. Luc. c. v. v. 5. Master we have laboured all the night, and have taken jiothing St. Luke, c. v. v. 5. The Gospel of this day informs us, that our blessed Saviour, on a cer- tain day, was standing near the Lake of Genesareth, the zealous multi- tude pressed upon him with so ardent a desire to hear the Word of God, and to learn the science of salvation from his mouth, that he went into a ship belonging to Simon Peter, which was near tlie shore, and embraced the favourable opportunity to instruct the people, and break unto them the bread of life. The ship of Peter, in which he preached to them, was a figure of the Holy Catholic Church, wherein the pure Word of God is announced, and from which the faithful are to learn the divine Law, and to receive the orders of Heaven with due submission. The prodigious • draught of fishes, wliich, as the Gospel relates, Peter and his companions caught when he launched forth into the deej), and let loose his nets in the name and by the orders of Jesus, denotes the many difierent nations and tribes of the earth that have been included in the pale of the Church, and converted to the Christian religion by the labours and preaching of the twelve Apostles and their lawful successors in the ministry, who were appointed and constituted the fishers of men's souls, and who were legally sent as Christ was sent by his heavenly Father, to teach all nations u 306 ON REFERRING ALL OUR DELIBERATE all that is necessary to be believed and to be practised, in order to obtain salvation. The great draught of fishes also signifies the wonderful power and efficacy of the Word of God ; and the happy fruits it should produce in us are represented by the conversion of Simon Peter and his com- panions, who were present at the sermon that our Saviour preached to the pious multitude assembled on the shore ; for Simon, first of all, was so deeply penetrated with the heavenly doctrine of Jesus, that he threw himself at his feet and confessed himself to be an unworthy sinner un- deserving of the honour of being favoured with his divine presence. His companions were no less sensibly affected. From that instant they became disciples of Christ, and without the least hesitation devoted them- selves entirely to his service and tuition. Relying on Divine Pi'ovidence, they cheerfully forsook all they possessed, and all their hopes and pros- pects in the world, in order to amass spiritual treasures for their souls in the kingdom of Heaven. They had laboured all night without any success, until they cast out their nets in the name of Jesus, which shews, that if we wish to see our poor endeavours crowned with success, we must place our confidence in God alone, and implore his divine aid and con- currence. If we rely solely on our own force and natural strength, our expectations will be blasted, and we shall meet with disappointments in the end ; for of ourselves, without the assistance of God's grace, we cannot do the least thing, either in thought, word or deed, towards our salvation. Human pride recoils at this truth, which is the very foundation of true Christian humility, and a convincing proof of our weakness and inability to do good and avoid evil, without the actual grace and preventing mercy of God, exciting, strengthening, drawing and moving us thereto. We stand in need of his continual assistance and concurrence in every thing we undertake, as it is in Mm we live, in him ive move and subsist. We should therefore consult him in all our enterprises, and all our actions should begin with him and terminate in him, as all the lines drawn from the circumference of a circle terminate in the centre. Unless we act in his name, and labour for his honour and glory, the day will come when we shall have reason to cry out with Simon Peter and his companions before their conversion, blaster toe have laloured all night, and have taken nothing ; we have laboured in vain and mispent our time to no purpose, in grasping at empty shadows and pursuing delusive vanities ; we have undergone much toil and fatigue in the world without any reference to the Lord our God, or a proper regard to the real and permanent joys of his heavenly kingdom. To guard you, my brethren, against the like misfortune, I will endeavour to shew you, first, how incumbent it is on you to refer all your deliberate actions and employments to the honour and glory of God ; and secondly, I will point out the signal advantages that are derived from a faithful compliance with this important duty. Let us previously implore the divine assistance, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, greeting her with the words of the Angel, Ave Maria. It is beyond all dispute that God has created us for no other end but to love and serve him in this life, and to see and enjoy him in the next. The very title of our Creator gives him an indefeasible right to our love and service. He is the Alpha and the Omega, tlie first cause, the begin- ning and the last end of all things. He should then be the constant object of our most ardent desires, the centi'e of all our undertakings, and ACTIONS TO THE HONOUR AND GLORY OF GOD. 307 tlie end of all our pursuits and designs. To him we are indebted for every thing, and without him we can do nothing. He is our sovereign Lord and absolute Master. We have our existence only for his service and pleasure, and are therefore bound in the strictest justice to obey, honour, and glorify him in all things. Our Blessed Saviour says of him- self, / came down from Heaven, not to do mi/ own ivill, hut the will of him that sent me, John, vi. 38. It is no less true of us, that we have been created by the Almighty God, and placed in this world not to do our own will, but tlie will of him that created us. This is the very end of our being, and to deviate from it is to frustrate the gracious designs of our Creator, and oppose his supreme dominion and unlimited jurisdiction over us and all his creatures. Every day, every hour, every moment of our life belongs to him, and should be employed in serving him in our respective stations. All our thoughts, words, and actions, and all the motions of our souls are a debt we owe to his infinite goodness. We ought of course to oiFer, refer, and direct them to him, and in all our proceedings to aim at promoting his honour and glory. This is not only our duty, but likewise our interest ; for they only who glorify him will be entitled on the last day to receive that never fading Crown of Glory which he promises to his faithful servants, 1 King, ii. 30, where he ex- pressly says, Vi^hosoever shall glorifij me, him icill I glorify. He is satisfied to leave the profit and vitility of all our works and actions entirely to ourselves, but he reserves all the glory of them to himself alone ; for, as the Prophet Isaias tells us, xlii, He ivill not part ivith his glory, nor give it to another. It is his unalienable right, and he will not suffer it to be invaded with impunity. Reason, as well as religion, teaches us that nothing is more just than that we should have his honour and glory constantly in view, and act always with a pure intention of pleasing him and complying with his holy will in all things. All Christian virtue depends on this purity of inten- tion. By it the lowest and the least important of our actions ai*e enno- bled, elevated to a superior order, and made acts of virtue and works of salvation. Without it, actions the highest, the most brilliant, the most esteemed by men, and the most admired by the world, are good for nothing in the sight of God. Though we should distribute all our sub- stance to the poor, and deliver up our bodies to the flames ; though we should convert thousands of souls, and practice all the austerities of the ancient Withers in the desert, yet it avails us nothing in order to life ever- lasting, if our intention or leading principle be nothing but disguised pride, vain glory and ostentation ; for when tlie intention, which is the eye of the soul, is turned off from God and viciously directed, the action itself, though good in its own nature, becomes vitiated and infected, and the whole work is darksome, according to these words of the Gospel, If thy eye be simple, thy whole body ivill be lightsome ; but if thy eye be evil, thy whole body shall be darksome, Mac. vi. 22. This plainly shews the neces- sity of rectifying our intention, and acting always upon a proper motive in all our proceedings ; it is not suflicient that what we do and say be good in itself, it must also be good in all its circumstances ; it must be done with a good intention ; otherwise, it will not be worthy of God's complacency and acceptance, neither will it be placed to our account on tlie last day by the Sovereign Judge and Searcher of Hearts, who will not reward with eternal glory those actions that are not done for his sake, nor referred to the honour and glory of his holy name. Then, alas ! 308 ON REFEKRING ALL OUR DELIBERATE many Christians who, on account of some external practices of devotion and exercises of piety, to which they are accustomed, flatter themselves that they are amassing spiritual treasures, and that they ai-e rich in virtue and good works, shall find themselves wretched and miserable, jioor, blind, bare and naked, as the Scripture says of the bishop in the Apocalypse ; they shall find their hands empty and void of merits, and their souls as unprovided with good works as they were when tliey first entered into the world. It may be truly said of them what Simon Peter said in this day's Gospel, that they lahovr all night and take nothing, for they work in the dark, and when the fatal night of death arrives, they Avill be entitled to no other reward than that of hypocrites, because instead of labouring for God they sacrifice their actions to human applause, to blind self-love, and to the inclinations of natural constitution. Their alms-deeds, their fasts, their long prayers, their very best actions are tainted and poisoned in their very root ; their pretended virtues are no better than Pagan or Pharisaical virtues ; their whole merit is destroyed, and they are unworthy of God's acceptance, because they are not actu- ated by the spirit of God, l)ut influenced only by the selfish motives of interest and sensuality. They neither labour with God, nor for God, but for a worldly and human respect, which they blindly make their last end. To guard against this misfortune, we should aim at perfection in all our tcorls, as the Scriptvu-e recommends, Eccles. xxxiii. 23. We should con- sider attentively Avhat spirit it is that moves us, Avhat it is we do, and for whom we do it. We should begin each day with an oblation of ourr selves to God, direct all our actions to his greater honour and glory, and from time to time renew our intentions of performing them with a xicw and desire of pleasing him ; we should shut our eyes against all human respect, and raise our hearts and thoughts to Heaven in the course of the day, and then if vain glory should happen to come and claim a part of what we do, we may say with St. Bernard, You come too late ; all is already given to God; I neither began for your sake, nor ivill I leave off fur yoiir sake. Tertullian informs us, that the primitive Christians were accustomed to sign themselves with the sign of the cross at the beginning of each work they undertook, and to otFer it fo the honour and glory of God, in the name of Jesus Christ, to signify thereby, that they performed all their actions in his name, and in conjunction with his sufterings and laborious life here on earth, in hopes of finding acceptance Avith God the Father, through his beloved Son Jesus, and rendering their own works valuable and meritorious in his sight, by being luiited to his infinite merits ; for, as the Scripture says, There is no other name under Heaven given to men, ivhereby we must he saved; neither is there salvation in any other, Acts, iv. 12. Whatever we do independently of him, however laudable it may appear in the eyes of the world, cannot contribute towards our etei-nal salvation ; for nothing can be conducive in any degree towards it but through the merits of Christ, which are applied to our souls only by liis gi-ace. We are not sufficient, says St. Paul, 2 Cor. iii. 5, to think any thing of ourselves, as of ourselves, hut otir sufficiency is from God. What- ever progress we make in virtue of Chi-istian perfection, floAvs from his mercy and grace through Jesus Christ. It is he who u'orketh in ns, hoth to ivill and to accom])lish, according to his good will, Pliil. ii. 13. It is he who begins the good work in us, and ivho also perfects it, Phil. i. 6. What we do in union with his grace, actually moving us thereto, partakes of his ACTIONS TO THE HONOUR AND GLORY OF GOD. 309 merits, but the moral actions that are done by the mere strength of nature do not partake of his merits, and consequently do not mei'it a su- pernatural rewai'd, though they may receive from God some temporal recompense in this life. Hence St. Paul says, 1 Cor. xii. 3. No man can sa)j the Lord Jesus, hut hj the Holy Spirit, that is, so as to conduce to his eternal happiness : and Christ himself also says, Without me you can do nothing, Jo. x. 5. However, it is certain that ice may alound to every good ivork, 2 Cor. ix. 8, with the assistance of the actual grace of God exciting and aiding us thereto. / can do all things in him ivho strengtheneth me, says St. Paul, Phil. iv. 13. Though our nature has been greatly vitiated by original sin ; though our service is of no manner of use to God, and cannot add the smallest mite to liis happiness ; though all we do is in itself con- temptible, of no value, and unworthy of his acceptance, yet he is Avilling to reward us in the most ample manner, as if he derived some great ad- vantage from our poor endeavours. He treats us not as servants, but as children ; he knows our weakness, has compassion on our miseries, and treats our frailties with the greatest indulgence ; even when we offend him he pities and spares us, and is ready to embrace us again with open arms upon our repentance. He has the strictest right to all our works and actions, and yet such is his bounty and liberality, that he does not demand our service gratis, but solemnly engages his sacred word to re- ward all that we suffer for his sake with an eternal tceight of glory, 2 Cor. iv. He does not make sanctity and salvation depend solely on extraor- dinary and heroic exploits ; he does not say in the Gospel, you cannot be pai'takers of my glory, unless you renounce entirely to the world ; unless you distribute all your substance to the poor ; unless you retire into the desert and practise the greatest austerities ; unless you suffer martyrdom and spill your blood for my sake. It is true, we should be in a disposition of mind to do all this, if he required it ; but he takes the most easy of all virtues, and as he produced all things out of nothing, he knows how to draw the greatest merits from the most trivial services, and is willing to sanctify the smallest of our actions by his grace, and render them rewardable in his sight. The Gospel assures us, that he re- wards not only those who offer their treasures, but likewise those who contribute their mites; it expressly declares the acceptance of the widow's mite, and says that he who gives a cup of cold water in his name and for his sake, shall be recompensed. O, my brethren, what a pleasure, what a comfort, what a happiness is it to have so merciful a God, so good a Father, so bountiful a Master to deal with, who leaves nothing unre- warded that is done for his sake, and Avith a view of pleasing him ? — Though of ourselves we are unprofitable servants to him, even after doing all that is commanded, as the Scripture speaks, Luke xvii. 1 0, yet we may become profitable servants to ourselves at a very easy rate. There is not an action, of itself so inconsiderable, but we may render available to our salvation, by undertaking it in God's name and i-eferring it to his honour and glory. Even the most ordinary actions of human life, such as eating and drinking, may by this means be changed into Christian virtues, and entitled to a reward. Hence the Apostle gives us the following advice : Whether ye eat or drink, or ivhatever else ye do in ivord or in tvork, do all things for the glory of God, and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Coloss. iii. 17. To act thus in his name, to unite in spirit witli him, and to have his glory and honour at heart in all that we do, is the surest and 310 ON REFERRING ALL OUR DELIBERATE ACTIONS, &C. shortest way to store up valuable treasures for our souls in tlie kingdom of Heaven upon the most easy terms. There is not a day, nor an hour in the day, but we may, in our respective states, offer up pleasing sa- crifices to God, and discharge the functions of the holy and royal priest- hood, which belongs to all the faithful, according to these words yf St. Peter, 1 Ep. ii. 5, Yoti are an hohj priestJwod to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The ecclesiastic in discharging the duties of his ministry, the master in his family, the artist and tradesmen in their shop, the servant and labourer at their work, meet with a thou- sand opportunities of merit, and have it in their power to offer constant sacrifices of their own will, their own liberty, their own ease, their own repose and convenience. Did they but avail themselves of the daily occasions they have to practise the excellent virtues of humility, patience, charity, justice, fidelity, obedience and submission to the will of God, who placed them in the station they fill, what a fund of merit Avould they acquire, what an ample provision would they lay up for a happy eternity ? How easily would they enhance the value of the ordinary actions and employments of each day ? How speedily would they enrich their souls, and purchase a seat of glory hereafter ? The pains they undergo, the hai'dships and difficulties they have to encounter, the losses and crosses, the mortifications, contradictions and disappointments they meet at home and abroad, would become pledges of immortality and so many seeds of life everlasting, were they borne with patience and resignation, and duly offered to God in the spirit of penance ; but for want of being referred thus to him they often remain fruitless, and resemble a hidden treasure, that turns to little or no account to the owner, for want of a little care and good management on his part. As to servants, workmen, and the laborious poor, who compose the bulk and generality of mankind, nothing but a supine neglect of their salvation can hinder them from practising this easy and beneficial method of sanctifying their servile works and toilsome employments. Great numbers of them are slaves and drudges from the cradle to the coffin ; their life in itself is more painful and more austere than the life of many who are shut up in cloisters : they are ill fed, poorly clothed, and ex- posed to the inclemency of the weather, and to the rigours of the seasons ; they work hard, and labour in the sweat of their brow for the subsistence of a short life in this world, without partaking of any considerable share of its comforts and conveniencies. The hardships they undergo, and the fatigues, distresses, afflictions and poverty they endure, are capable of being sanctified and made means to obtain life everlasting ; and yet they often turn to no account or advantage to their souls, for want of being offered to God, and borne patiently in the spirit of penance : so that labouring hard the whole year, they have all they can expect here when they receive their poor wages, and they are entitled to no recom- pense hereafter, because they sjjend their sweat and spirits in labouring Avithout any reference to God, and act only out of custom, human re- spect, and principles merely natural. They have solved vmch, says the Prophet AggKus, and brought in little, i. 6. Thei/ labour all night and take nothing, or reap no spiritual advantage from their labour, because they neither labour for God nor with God ; nay, what is still more deplorable,^ many of tliem have reason to appreliend, that after having had a kind of purgatory here on earth they will liave a hell hereafter, on account of the detestable habits of cursing, swearing, blaspheming, drunkenness, filching, ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUE AND FALSE VIRTUE. 311 and stealing, to wliicli the lower orders are unhappily addicted, and which they will not suffer themselves to be prevailed on to renounce. What a melancholy reflection is this, my brethren ? Is it not a pity that Christians, created for Heaven, shall thus lose the merit of all their hardships, toils and fatigues, and run the risk of becoming slaves to Satan in flames for all eternity, after having been poor slaves and drudges in this life ? By regulating their conduct, and bearing the suf- ferings and distresses annexed to their state with patience, due reverence, and submission to the will of God, who, after the fall of Adam, enjoined labour on mankind as a penance due to sin, they would make a virtue of necessity, and bid fair for a more exalted seat in the kingdom of Heaven than will fall to the lot of those who are placed in a more exalted station in this world. Their hardships would be sweetened, their pains would be doubly rewarded, and whilst their hands are employed at their daily labour, and earning an honest livelihood for the support of their bodies, they would earn a nevei'-fading crown of glory for their souls. O Al- mighty and Eternal God, give us grace to serve thee in our respective states with zeal and fidelity, and to improve the time of our mortal pil- grimage in this vale of misery to the best advantage, that our days may be filled with good works when the night of death comes, in which no one can labour. Grant, we beseech thee, that through the infinite merits of our blessed Redeemer, we may then find acceptance with thee, and be entitled to hear these words of comfort, Well done, good and faithfid ser- vant; because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things ; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord, Matt. xxv. 23. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. • FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON THE DUTERENCE BETWEEN TRUE AND FALSE VIRTUE. Nisi abundaverit Justitia vestra plusquam Scribarum et Pliarisseorum, non intrabitis in Regnum Coelorum St. Matt. c. v. v. 20. Unless your justice abound more than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven — St. Matt. c. v. v. 20. Nothing is more dangerous than to disguise the venom of a false doctrine, and the disorders of a criminal conduct, under the outwai-d appearance of truth, and the veil of an eminent sanctity. Our Divine Redeemer has taken care to caution us both against the one and the other ; he bids us to beware of false prophets, ivho come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly are ravening wolves, intent only on the seduction and ruin of the flock. They intrude themselves into the ministry without, any lawful mission, and endeavour, under the specious pretext of re- trenching abuses, to surprise the simple and the unwary by their captious speeches, and to impose on them by their fallacious appearances. By their fruits you shall knoiv them, says our blessed Saviour, Matt. vii. 16. In the Gospel of this day he also forewarns us against the false justice and hypocrisy of those dissemblers, who, like unto the Scribes and Pha- risees, conceal a depraved heart under the cloak of piety, and wish to pass in the eyes of the world for what they really are not in the sight of God. The Scribes were Doctors of the Jewish Law ; they sat on the 312 ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN chair of Moses, and therefore, Christ ordered the people to follow their doctrine, and to do as the// said, but not to follow their example, or do as they did. Matt, xxiii. The Pharisees were so called, as St. Epiphanius re- marks, from dividing or separating themselves from the rest of the people, and pretending to observe the Law with greater exactness ; no- thing was more reserved or composed than their exterior ; one would be apt to imagine that they might be proposed as models of piety, and patterns of vii'tue, if the all-seeing searcher of hearts had not pronounced the sentence of their condemnation, and expressly declared, that unless you be more just, more perfect, and more virtuous than they were, you shall be excluded from the kingdom of Heaven. Your eternal salvation, therefore, depending hereon, it is highly incumbent on you to know in what particulars the virtues of the Scribes and Pharisees were defective, and in what degree of justice and perfection you are obliged to surpass them, that you may carefully avoid the rocks on which they unhappily split, and abound in the justice wherein they failed. This is the import- ant subject which I intend to lay before you in the following discourse, wherein I shall briefly point out the difference between true and false virtue, and endeavour to excite you to the love and pursuit of the one, and to a dislike and aversion to the other. Let us previously invoke the light of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, greeting her for this purpose with the words of the Archangel Gabriel. Ave Maria. As the most brilliant gold is not always the most pure, so in like man- ner, the most shining virtue is not always the most perfect, nor the most acceptable in the sight of God, Avho regards our hearts, and the inward dispositions of our souls, more than our outward works and actions. He often condemns the hearts of those, Avhose actions the world admires, and reproves as false justice and disguised pride, those very virtues which seem brightest in the eyes of men. Whatever exterior homage we pay unto him must be enlivened by the interior spirit, and accompanied with the inward affections and worship of the heart ; for if the heart does not concur, and join in the interior sentiments, and worship with the exterior performance, instead of being a true homage, it is to be deemed no better than an empty sign and shadow of religion, like unto the external per- formances of the Scribes and Pharisees, who were apparently zealous in the service of God, and regular in the observance of the outward prac- tices of religion, but neglected the interior and more essential duties. Hence, our blessed Saviour reproved all this outward shoAV and glitter- ing appearance of virtue as false, counterfeit and defective. You hypo- crites (said he to them. Matt. sv. 7,) ivell hath Isaias prophesied of you, saying, this people lionoureth me u'ith their lips, hut their heart is far fi'om me. His charity and zeal for the conversion of their souls, prompted him to ■reprehend them severely for their defects, and to inveigh constantly against their false virtues, in order to make them enter into themselves, and hinder them from seducing others. He has left nothing painted in more lively colours in the Gospel, than the picture he has drawn from them in St. Matthew, xxiii. Avhere he exhibits a frightful view of their spiritual disorders for our instruction, that by way of contrast, true virtue may appear in its genuine beauty, and be the more easily distin- guished and reduced to practise, Avithout giving into the impressions of a mistaken piety, or the wild imaginations of a false devotion. It is evident from the character that Christ our Lord has given of TRUE AND FALSE VIRTUE. 313 these pretended saints and false devouts, that hypocrisy, or a dissimula- tion and sanctity was one of their capital faults ; they recited long prayers, observed rigorous fasts, gave alms in abundance, and practised many excellent acts of virtue in outward appearance. AVere we as ex- emplary and edifying in our deportment and exterior conduct, as liberal in the distribution of alms, as addicted to prayer, and as observant of our other religious duties as they were, we would be apt to think ourselves sure of our salvation ; and yet it is certain, that unless we surpass them in virtue loe shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. It is not sutRcient to do what is good in itself, but it must be done with a good intention ; for it is the intention that generally stamps the character of virtue or vice on our actions. Had the Scribes and Pharisees acted upon proper mo- tives and with a pure intention, the good w^orks they performed might have entitled them to an eternal reward, but they acted upon selfish mo- tives of human respect, and with a view of being esteemed and applauded by the world, and therefore Christ told them that they received their desired reward in this life, and they wei'c entitled to no other recompense in the next life but that of hypocrites, iceepinrj and gnashing of teeth. The sin of hypocrisy, which is the unhappy ofltspring of pride and vain-glory, ran universally through all their actions, and tainted them in their very root ; it poisoned their very best works, ruined all their virtues, and de- stroyed their whole merit. When they prayed, they chose thoroughfares and public places for this purpose, that people passing by might see and take notice of them. When they distributed alms to the poor, they caused a trumpet to sound before them, that every one might be informed of their charitable dispositions. When they fasted, they put on an air of sadness, disfigured their faces, and alfected to look pale, that the world might entertain a favourable opinion of the rigour and austerity of their fasts. Our blessed Saviour who perfectly knew the malice of every sin, Avith its fatal influences and consequences, seems to wai*n us in the Gospel, against no one crime in nature more frequently than against vain-glory, and its usual attendant, hypocrisy, as it is under the shelter of this most pernicious weed that all vices grow, and every virtue is blasted. Beware ye (says he, Luke, xii. 1,) of the leaven of the Pharisees, u'hich is hypocrisy; and Matt. vi. 1, Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them ; otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father loho is in Heaven. And that the light ivhich is in us may not be darJc- 7iess, he orders us to pray in private, when we pray in particular, and, when we give alms, jiot to let the left hand hnow what the right hand gives ; and when we fast, to anoint our head and ivash our face, that is, to rectify our intention, to purify our hearts and discharge every duty with a sincere and effectual desire to obey, please and glorify the Lord our God, who sees us in private, and will reward us in public, provided Ave make his honour and glory our last end, and the ruling principle of all our good actions. Another capital vice that Christ reproached the Pharisees Avith, Avas their Avant of fraternal charity, and their rash censorious disposition to judge and condemn others Avithout sufficient grounds. They had so presumptuous an opinion of their own imaginary excellence, that they looked doAvn Avith scorn and contempt upon their neighbour, and were so quick-sighted as to discern a moat in his eye, Matt. vii. 3, at the same time that they did not perceive a beam in their own. eyes ; that is, they cen- 314 ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN sured his lessei' failings, and even misconstrued his innocent actions, but were blind to their own greater faults, and overlooked the malice and corruption that their hearts were filled with. They separated them- selves from infidels and publicans, as fx*om persons that were unworthy- even to touch their garments, and observed with the utmost punctuality and exactness certain ceremonies, such as washing their hands before meat, and the like, but failed in the observance of the indispensable du- ties of charity and brotherly love, strainincj out a gnat and swalloioing a camel, Matt, xxiii., that is, observing the law in matters of little conse- quence, whilst they transgressed its most weighty and essential precepts without remorse. He, therefore, compared them to ivhitened sepulchres, ivhicli are fair without, and appear beautiful to men, hut are foul loithin and full of all corruption; for, in like manner they appeared outwardly just to men, but within were full of hypocrisy, and palliated a large stock of pride, envy, jealousy, disdain and contempt of others, under the cover of sanctity and the mask of an apparent piety. Is not this, my brethren, a natural picture of the conduct of several persons of our days, who deceive themselves with the empty shadows of virtue, and neglect the substance ? If we confront their lives with the lives of the Pharisees, what a near resemblance shall we discover be- tween them ? How many will you find, in the very midst of Christi- anity, whose lives are a strange medley of real sins and counterfeit virtues ? They stumble at straws and leap over blocks ; they scruple trifles, and violate the most important duties with little or no remorse ; they tremble at phantoms, and despise realities ; they are exact and formal, even to a nicety, in performing certain works of supererogation, which they impose on themselves, or have a relish for, and they overlook the great precepts of charity and brotherly love without any concern ; they refrain their hands from gross crimes of a scandalous nature, that would reflect dishonour on them in the eyes of the world, but they pay no attention to their interior, which is full of poison and deadly cor- ruption ; they carry a fair outside, but make no account of indulging evil thoughts and desires, of entertaining resentments and animosities, of forming rash judgments and groundless suspicions of their neighbour, and harbouring hatred, envy, malice and revenge in their hearts. They will sometimes spend whole hours in running over a number of vocal prayers and customary devotions in the morning, and employ the remainder of the day in defaming a neighbour and blackening his character with vile calumnies and detractions ; they appear to be models of piety in the house of God, but upon the least cross they meet with, or the smallest contradiction that thwarts their inclinations, they abandon themselves to the sallies of their passions, and become sour, peevish, ill- humoured, impatient, and intolerable in their family at home. They have hearts of flint when the cries of the poor resound in their ears ; they think nothing of stopping the wages of a servant, of depriving the honest tradesman of his due, of wronging the helpless widow and the fatherless orphan, of refusing to pay their lawful debts, and make resti- tution of what they unjustly acquired and as unjustly possess. What is this else, my brethren, but pharisaical piety and false virtue ? This is what made St. Jerome cry out and say. Woe be to us Christians, who are so unfortunate as to inherit the vices of the Pharisees ! The dread- ful menaces which the Gospel thunders out against them, should deter TRUE AND FALSE VIRTUE. 315 US from following their example, and should inspire us with an utter aversion to their hypocrisy, pride and aiTOgance, vain-glory and ostentation. Before all things, we must keep the commandments of God, and dis- charge the essential duties of charity and justice, in preference to any work of supererogation. We are to be punctual and faithful even in little things. These ive ought to do, says our Saviour, Luke, xi. 42, and not leave great and weighty things undone. We are to comply with our religious duties, and fulfil all the obligations of our respective states and conditions of life, with such an outward decency as may give edification to all that see us. AVe are to encourage each other mutually to virtue by the light of our good example ; for Christ orders us to let our light shine before men ; but then our last end and all things must be, that our Father, loho is in Heaven, may he glorified thereby. He regards the motive and intention upon which we act more than the action, and requii'e us to be as strictly virtuous in his sight as we appear in the eyes of the woidd to be. His holy will is to be always the rule of our conduct ; he only must be adored and worshipped in the temple of our souls ; no idol of pride or vain-glory must be suiFered to stand on the altar of our hearts, or to share in the honour that is due to him alone. To seek ourselves, or Pharisee-like, to court the esteem and applause of the world in the performance of our spiritual and devotional exercises, is the ready way to destroy their merit, and to forfeit the crown that Christ has promised to his faithful servants ; since, as St. Paul speaks in his Epistle to the Galatians, Were I to study to please men I would not be the servant of Christ. And, really, nothing is more unworthy a rational being, nothing more unbecoming a Christian, than to labour for the applause of the world and the encomiums of men, which cannot add a single grain to his merit, when he may acquire an eternal recompense from God by labouring for his honour and glory. Is not the esteem and empty applause of men too small a reward for a virtuous action ? What can be more precai'ious, more inconstant, or more capricious, since those who love, esteem and praise us to-day, may hate, undervalue, and decry us to-morrow ? A false report, a mere groundless ftmcy, a casual indiscretion, is sufficient to I'ob a man in an instant of all the esteem and popular applause he has been labouring to acquire for a series of years. The truly virtuous Christian, like unto the Apostle, sets no great value on the judgments of men ; he seeks his happiness, and the recom- pense of his good works only in God, and looks for nothing beyond him. Where his treasure is, there also is his heart, Matt. vi. 21, and the mark he constantly aims at, is this motto of St. Ignatius, To the greater glory of God. He amasses spiritual treasures for his soul, which neither the moth of vain-glory, nor the worm of pride, nor the rust of any criminal passion can consume, corrode or eat up, because he takes care to resist their suggestions, and to practise this short lesson, which Jesus Christ, prescribes in the G ospel, Zmra /ro??i me to he meek and humble of heart. He is convinced that humility is the basis, the guardian, and, as St. Augustine calls it, the fortress and citadel of every virtue. It cherishes, preserves, and secures the other virtues ; for, as natural fire is preseiwed under ashes, so the supernatural fire of charity, attended with tlie whole train of the other virtues, is never more safe or better secured than when it is hidd(-n under the ashes of a proibund humility. Herein consists the difi:erence between charity and humility. Qharity covers a multitude 316 ON CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE AND SOBRIETY, of sins. 1 Pet. iv. Humility covers and hides a multitude of virtues which accompany it, and secures them from all imminent dangers; with- out it, no virtue can be acceptable in the sight of God ; it is the first, the second, and the third degree to raise us to glory, as St. Augustine says. If it does not precede the other virtues to prepare us for them ; if it does not accompany them to sanctify them ; if it does not follow them to pre- serve them, we Avill lose the fruit and benefit of them. It was the want of humility that rendered the virtues of the Pharisees so defective, and deprived them of the benefit of all their outward works of piety and devotion. Their misfortune should be a warning to us to practise what they were deficient in, and to keep at the greatest distance from the vices for which they Avere repi'oved. O sweet Jesus, grant us this grace, we most humbly beseech thee. Thou hast taught us humility by thy word; thou hast taught us humility by thy example. 0 may we imitate thee by humbling ourselves here on earth, that we may be found worthy on the last day to be exalted to the kingdom of Heaven, and to inherit those never-fading crowns of glory, which thou hast prepared for thy faithful servants. And which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, ON CHEISTIAN TEMPERANCE AND SOBRIETY. Accipiens septem panes, et gratias agens, fregit et dabat Discipulis suis ut appone- rent St. Marc. c. viii. v. 6. Jesus taking the seven loaves, giving thanks he broke, and gave them to his Disciples to set before the multitude — St. JNIark, c. viii. v. 6. We read in this day's Gospel that a great multitude of people, consist- ing of about four thousand persons, having followed our Divine Re- deemer into the desert with an ardent desire of hearing the Word of God, exposed themselves by their zeal to the danger of fainting in the way with hunger, as they Avere fasting after the fatigues of a long and painful journey of three days, and were not provided v/ith the common neces- saries of life, having no more than seven loaves and a few little fishes among them all ; a small pittance for four thousand people ! But he who embraces all mankind with the tenderness of a father, and who drew the ixniverse out of nothing, by his Almighty power, took care to jirovide for the subsistence of their bodies, after he had nourished their souls with the spiritual food of his heavenly doctrine ; for he multiplied the loaves and fishes in such a manner, that seven baskets were filled Avith the frag- ments which remained, after the whole multitude had eaten as much as satisfied their appetite. This illustrious miracle afibrds us several excel- lent lessons concerning Christian temperance, one of the four cardinal virtues, which are so called from a latin Avord that signifies a hinge, be- cause they are, as it were, the hinges on Avhich all the mortal virtues of a Christian life chiefly depend. St. Gregory the Great, speaking of the duties of Christian temperance, remarks three great disorders Avith regard to the nourishment of the body, Avhich it is the duty of temperance to retrench and rectify. First, a servile attachment to the body. Secondly, excessive repletiou and surfeiting. Thirdly, an over-great anxiety and ON CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE AND SOBRIETY. 317 solicitude in procuring nice and delicate meats. The principal function of temperance is to govern, regulate and subject the body to the spirit, in order to subject the spirit the more easily to God. For this end it moderates that inordinate affection, which makes a man in some measure a slave to his body. Secondly, it restrains our sensual appetites from brutal excesses, hinders us from surpassing the bounds of want, and makes us rest contented with what is necessary for our support. Thirdly, it retrenches all delicacy in seeking nice and exquisite meats, to please and gratify the palate, nothing being more conti-ary to the spirit of the Gospel, and to that obligation which it enjoins to lead a penitential life, and mortify the flesh with its vices and concupiscences. These disorders, which occur so frequently in the use of that food, which the bountiful Author of Nature has created for our necessary support, and intended for our relief, are pointed out to us in this day's Gospel, and therefore, I shall make them the subject of the following discourse. In the first place, I will shew you what defects and abuses we are to avoid in the refection of our bodies ; and in the second, you shall see what sanctity this refection is susceptible of, and by what means it may be purified and perfected. Let us previously invoke the aid of the Divine Spirit, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Ave Maria. Experience convinces us, that there is no action of human life more liable to great abuses and disorders, than the nourishment of our bodies, by which nature endeavours to repair its weakened force, but by which passion, instead of confining itself within the bounds of necessity, aban- dons itself to the most shameful and the most scandalous excesses in point of eating and drinking. Christ Avas willing to correct those ex- cesses, by giving us a shining example of temperance, in the great miracle he wrought in the Gospel of this day. He nourished and fed a numerous multitude of people ; but before all things he disengaged them from being too solicitous about the support of their bodies, by taking them into a solitary place, into a barren desert, destitute of all human relief, and unprovided with the common necessaries of life ; he gave them no corporal nourishment until they were hungry, and stood in need of being refreshed. In fine, he furnished them with no nice or delicate meats, dressed out in the most exquisite manner for the purpose of pleasing the palate, but supplied them Avith plain, common food, fit only to repel hunger, namely, a few little fishes and bread. Let us ob- serve all the circumstances of this grand miracle, and consider hov sur- prising it was to see so many thousands of men running after our Divine Redeemer, and marching into a frightful solitude, without succours, with- out provisions, without thinking of their corporal wants, or being dis- heartened at the barrenness of the place, or the difficulty of the road. O what a difference was there between this pious multitude, which followed the Son of God with so much resolution and so much constancy, and those ancient Jews who formerly followed Moses into the deserts of Palestine ? Scarcely had the latter opened their eyes to observe the journey, which their Legislator and Leader pointed out to them, when they began to cry out and murmur against him ; a criminal diffidence seized and possessed their hearts ; the meats of Egypt came incessantly into their memory, and in vain did Moses work so many prodigies to animate tliem ; in vain did he break the waves of the sea, and sweeten its bitterness ; in vain did he draw fountains of water out of the rock by a stroke of his rod. These carnal men would not be content till they 318 ON CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE AND SOBRIETY. were glutted. Always taken up with the thoughts of theii' belly, they cried out Exod. xvi. We wish toe had remained till death closed our eyes in the i^lace of o\ir exile, ivhere we had bread in ahundance. But, alas ! their gluttony, their sensuality, their thirst after the flesh-pots of Egypt, soon drew down the vengeance of Heaven upon them in the desert. It was their servile attachment to their belly that brought them to the shameful crime of idolatry, and made them adore the golden calf; it was their intemperance in eating and drinking that caused the anger of God to descend upon them, and to destroy several thousands of them, ivhilst the food ivas yet in their mouths, as the Scripture expresses it. Such was the greediness of that sensual nation, and such, alas ! is the conduct of many Christians of our days, who, as St. Paul remonstrated to the Philippians, live like apostates and enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ. Men delivered up to their senses, immersed in flesh and blood, idolators of themselves, who have no other end to expect but eternal pei'dition, because they make a god of their belly, and have no other thought, no other view, no other occupation, but to nourish and fatten their bodies, and to lead a carnal, sensual, luxurious, and epicurean life. How many are there to be found amongst them, who, far from foi-getting their corporal wants, as the pious multitude did in this day's Gospel, to come and hear Jesus Christ in the person of his ministers, shamefully break the most solemn fasts of the Church, and neglect every opportunity of sanctifying their souls, for the sake of a party of pleasure ? How many who abandon all the exercises of piety on Sundays, and on the greatest festivals in the year, rather than drop the least opportunity of making good cheer, and indulging and gratifying their senses ? What else is this, my brethren, but to resemble the children of Israel, who preferred the leeks and onions of Egypt to the manna from Heaven ? What else is it but to imitate Esau, who forfeited his inheritance for a dish of lentils, and sold his birth-right for a mess of pottage ? It is evident that nothing is more opposite to the spirit of the Gospel, which almost in every page inculcates the indispensable obligation of doing penance, of curbing and restraining our sensual appetites, of denying ourselves, of retrenching all supei-fluities, of living soberly, justly, and piously, and of bearing a resemblance of the mortification of Jesus in our mortal flesh. All the saints of the New Testament, convinced hereof, practised the most rigorous austerities, and spent their days in the most laborious exercises of penance and self-denial, without allowing themselves any further relaxation than was absolutely necessary to support life. St. Bernard, as the history of his life relates, was accustomed to have recourse to food as to medicine, for the preservation of his health. St. Augustine, after his conversion, was so nice in this point, that, as we read in the Book of his Confessions, it was a pain to him to eat or drink, lest he should be led astray by the stream of concupiscence, and fall into the least intemperance under the veil of necessity. Our blessed Saviour took care to forewarn us against this evil, saying, Luke xxi. Look ivell to yourselves, and be vpon your guard, lest perhaps your hearts he overcharged ivith surfeiting. It was lor this reason that he made no pro- vision for the four thousand men who had followed him in the desert, until he found them pinched with hunger, and under a necessity of tak- ing food, lest they shoidd faint in the tvay. He could have prevented tliis want ; he could have furnished them with food in abundance, as his ON CHRISTIAN TEMrERANCE AND SOBRIETY. 319 Almighty power liad furnished the Israelites in the desert with manna and fowl from Heaven ; but he waited until they were in necessity, to give us to understand, as St. Basil observes, that necessity alone ought to be our rule, when we intend to give nourishment to our bodies, and not sensuality, greediness, or a blind voracious appetite, which is not easily satisfied when way is once given to it. Nature itself requires no more than Avhat it precisely Avants ; it is content with what is necessary for our support, and an immoderate use of meat and drink serves only to depress and overwhelm it. Thousands have impaired their health, shortened their lives, and brought themselves to an untimely end by gluttony ; nay, it is written, that gluttony has destroyed more than the sword, inasmuch as it engenders, feeds, and foments an abundance of superfluous and noxious humours, which, settled in the body, give rise to the numberless diseases that hurry millions into the other world. Nothing, on the contrary, is more conducive to health than a regimen of life ; nothing more serviceable to the body than a regular diet ; nothing- more salutary or more powerful to prevent and I'emove corporal dis- tempers than Christian temperance ; it is the physician of the soul as well as of the body, the support of old age, and the surest means to re- establish a broken constitution ; for it has been often proved by expe- rience, that temperance has cured diseases which obstinately defied all the power of the strongest medicines, and it is well known that the ancient Patriarchs and Recluses, by leading an abstemious and temperate life, prolonged their days to a surprising old age. The very Pagans themselves, as Arnobius, a celebrated writer, in- forms us, were so sensible of the salutary eiFects of temperance, and of the many dismal consequences of intemperance, that they were accus- tomed to place their idols at their tables, in public view of the guests they had invited, that the sight of them might serve to prevent the company from falling into any criminal excesses, and to keep them Avithin the limits of a just moderation. Whosoever cast his eves on these false divinities, became more circumspect and more reserved in eating and drinking before them, it being deemed then a kind of sacri- lege to dishonour the presence of their idols by any intemperance or indecent behaviour. What a lesson is this for Christians? Imaginary gods inspired the greatest libertines with a respectful fear, and deterred them from giving into excess, and shall Christians pay no attention or regard to the presence of the true and living God ? Ah ! my brethren, says tSt. John Chrysostom, let Jesus Christ assist at all your entertain- ilients ; let him be one of your guests ; let him hold the first place ; let him receive all the honours of your table ; let him preside at all your recreations, and have a share in them. If you follow this rule, gluttony and drunkenness will be banished from your houses ; vokq^tuousness and licentiousness will be eliminated ; immodest discourses, double entendres, and lapped-up speeches, with which the tables of Christians are so often profaned, will be no more the favourite topic of conversa- tion ; and instead of staining the character of such as are absent, either by raillery or detraction, as is but too frequently the case, your tables will be sanctified, and your entertainments will be seasoned with an edifying conversation. Such was the advice, such was the practice of the great St. Augustine. He caused two verses to be written at the head of his table, forbidding there all kinds of detraction and immoral conversation, and he ordered a book of piety to be always read to his guests whilst 320 ON CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE AND SOBRIETY. they Avere eating their meats, and taking their repasts, to the end that their souls might be spiritually nourished, at the same time that they were feeding their bodies with corporal food. It is thus, my brethren, that we may perfect and sanctify the care of feedin"- the body ; for though it be one of the grossest actions of human life, and common to us with the beasts, which should contribute very much to humble the pride of man, yet it may become altogether holy, altogether supernatural and meritorious, by being duly referred to God's honour and glory, and performed Avith a pure intention of pleasing and obeying him. For this end we must take our meals, not for the grati- fication of a sensual appetite, but as a remedy for corporal weakness, for the necessary support of nature, and for the preservation of our being, which we are commanded to preserve, until it shall please the Sovereign Lord of life and death to put a final period to our mortal existence. This must be our leading principle when we have recourse to food, according to the advice of the Apostle, and according to the model pre- scribed by our Saviour in this day's Gospel. Taking the seven, loccves, says the Evangelist, he blessed them, and returned thanks to his Heavenly Father, whereby he elevated this human action above its ordinary level, and raised it to a supernatural degree. This is the model, according to which wc ought to regulate ourselves, and sanctify our tables. In imitation of the Son of , God, we are to lift up our hearts, our eyes, and our hands to Heaven to honour our Sovereign Lord and bountiful Creator, Avho vouchsafes to provide for our support and preservation. Whenever we make use of those tilings his providence has sent for our nourishment, it is but just that Ave should receive them from his hands Avith respect, Avith gratitude, with love and thanksgiving. St. Ambrose remarks, that the two disciples Avhom our blessed Saviour met on the Avay to the castle of Emmaus, knew him in the breaking of bread, and this because, according to his usual custom, he blessed the bread before he eat of it. It is by this same ceremony, says the holy Doctor, that Christ always knew and knows as yet his true disciples. Are you willing, then, to act as true disciples and faithful servants of Jesus Christ ? Whether ye eat or drink, you are to do all for the honour and glory of God, and to receive all things from his holy hand ivith thanksgiving-; for it is the height of ingratitude to partake of his gifts, and to enjoy his blessings Avithout a proper acknoAvledgment. But Avhy do Ave bless the meat we make use of? demands St. John Chrysostom. Is it unclean in itself? No, my brethren, answers this holy Doctor, but we Avho make use of it are unclean. What I fear, O Lortl^ says St. Augustine, is not the uncleanness of the meat, because I know it comes from thee, but I fear my oavu uncleanness, and for this reason, I always begin by prayer. By this I acknoAvledge it to be the gift of thy hands, that thou art the author of it, and that I hold it from thee. Receiving it thus, I receive it Avith respect, Avith gratitude, Avith love, and by this means I purify my soul. The food which is thus received, is also sanctified by the Word of God, as St, Paul says, 1 Tim. iv. It is sanctified by the blessing and thanksgiving Avhich ought to be always given before and after meals, in imitation of the primitive Christians, who, since the earliest years of Christianity, Avere ahvays accustomed to observe this pious practice most religiously. Tliey not only make themselves known as Cliristians in celebrating the divine mysteries, in partaking of the body and blood of Christ, and in hearing his holy Avord, but they also sanctified ON CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE AND SOBRIETY. 321 tlieir tables as well as their sacrifice ; they praised and gloi-ified God's holy name, not only in the Temple, but likewise in their pious assemblies, and at the repasts where they eat together, and enjoyed themselves in the Lord with modesty and reservedness ; they took the necessary support of nature with a pure intention, in obedience to the will of God, and as a medicine for the preservation of health, seasoning it with the remem- brance of the gall and vinegar that our blessed Saviour was presented with at the time of his passion. Behold an excellent pattern for us to copy after, and a lesson that is sufficient to confound many Christians of our days, Avho scarce allow themselves a passing reflection on the good- ness of their bountiful Creator, when they sit down to their meals, and who shew so much delicacy in the choice of their food, and commit such excess in the use of it, that they defeat the very purposes for which nou- rishment should be taken, by impairing the health which it was designed to preserve. Another instruction our Saviour gives us in the Gospel of this day is, to feed the poor with the leavings of our tables. He ordered his disci- ples to gather the fragments that remained, as the Evangelist informs us, after they had eaten of the food miraculously multiplied, to give the rich to understand that the poor ought to be fed and supported with the superfluities of their tables. This is not only their duty but their interest, for the alms tvhich they hide in the bosom of the poor, will accompany them to the bar of divine justice, and stand their best friends in the day of need; u-hen all other things fail them, the charities they have distributed will plead their cause, and the distressed objects they have relieved will intercede for them like so many powerful advocates before the throne of God, and procure them admittance into the eternal tabernacles of bliss. Hence our blessed Saviour desires us mahe to ourselves friends of the mammon of iniquity, and to gain over the poor on our side by plentiful alms. Hence also the Royal Prophet says, Ps. xl. Blessed is the man loho considers the necessities of the iwor, and relieves them ; the Lord ivill treat him mildly and sweetly in the evil day. The Sovereign Judge of the living and the dead will then regard whatever charities are extended for his sake to his little ones here on earth as given to himself, and re- wai'd them accordingly. On the contrary, whatever is uncharitably refused to his little ones in the hour of their distress, he will look upon as refused to himself in person ; he will then shut the bowels of his infinite mercy against those wlio sliut the bowels of their charity and compassion against their necessitous brethren, who bear the image and character of his divinity. It was for this reason that the rich glutton, mentioned in the Gospel, ivas buried in hell; he was cast into eternal flames, and refused a drop of cold water to cool his tongue, because he had refused the crumbs that fell from his table to poor Lazarus, who was perishing at his gate with hunger, whilst he was feasting sumptuously, and enjoying the comforts and pleasures of, life with the accomplices of his debauchery. His misfortune ought to be a warning to us all, not only to be merciful and charitable to the poor according to our abilities, but also to lead a sober and tem- perate life. As to the sin of di'unkenness, it would be a difficult task to sum up all the evils that it is productive of, or to relate the long train of misfortunes that flow from this poisonous source. Not to speak of the scandal that the drunkard gives, by living a reproach to his religion and a disgrace X 322 ON CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE AND SOBRIETY. to Christianity, there is ncf vice that degrades him more from the honour of human nature, or tliat renders him more universally contemptible ; there is no crime that reduces him nearer to the low rank, base condition, and similitude of the beasts of the field ; nay, he exceeds them in bruta- lity, for they do not fall into such infamous excesses, and if they are not temperate by reason and by virtue, they are so at least by an instinct of nature ; but the drunkard is neither conducted by this instinct, nor does he govern himself according to the dictates of right reason, and con- sequently he is not temperate either one way or the other. Ungrateful to his Creator, who vouchsafed to distinguish him by the noble faculty of reason, he debases himself to the last degree ; he clouds his under- standing, confuses his judgment, stupifies his mind, and renders himself iinfit for every religious duty, and fit for nothing but the drudgery of the devil. Moreover, the drunkai'd shortens his own days, and murders himself by inches ; for excessive di'inking, particulai-ly of raw drams and intoxicating spirits, impairs the health, and brings on a thousand dread- ful disorders which emaciate the body, overthrow the most excellent constitution, and gradually put a period to its existence. Hence some learned writers of the medical faculty do not hesitate to assert, that the drinking of spirituous liquors has killed as many thousands as there are stars in the sky, and that more have died by this slow but sure poison, than by any other kind of poison whatsoever ; for which reason they tell us, that the following epitaph might be justly inscribed on the tomb of every notorious drunkard : Here lies a self-murderer. What then must we think of the imhappy man or woman, who, for some successive years, is taking the utmost pains to accomplish such a desperate act of suicide, and to anticipate the period of his or her existence ? St. Paul replies, that such persons entail damnation on their souls, and that they shall be cut off from the inheritance of the kingdom of God, Galat. v. 21. What, alas ! have such people therefore to expect, when a sudden death seizes them in a state of intoxication, in the very act of mortal sin, but the eternal torments of hell, Avhich are due to final impenitence? O, my brethren, let me entreat you, by the bowels of Jesus Christ, to beware of such di-eadful evils. Hearken to the voice of the Apostle, Rom. siii. Hearken to these words, which formerly made a deep im- pression on the mind of St. Augustine, and contributed to his conver- sion ; Let lis cast off the worJcs of darkness, and jnit on the armour of light. Let, lis ivalk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy; hut put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh in its concupiscences. Give us grace, O Lord, to practise the rules and maxims of the Gospel. Grant that we may be sober and temperate at all our repasts. Grant that we may not abuse thy gifts and blessings to our own destruction. Preserve us from ever falling into any criminal excesses. Strengthen us against all temptations, and make us truly sensible of the dangers which are before us, that we may avoid the snares of our mortal enemy, who, like a roaring lion is seeking an opportunity to devour ns, and that we may secure to ourselves such a portion of thy grace, as will entitle us to partake one day of the eternal banquet of thy glory. Which I wish you all, my brethren, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. ON THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. 323 TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF JUNE. ON THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. Erit magnus corum Domino St. Luc. c. i. v. 15. He shall be great before the Lord — St. Luke, c. i. v. 15. The Nativity of St. John tlie Baptist is celebrated with great joy and solemnity all over Cliristendom. This is a peculiar honour paid to him, and was foretold before he was born. Many shall rejoice at his birth, said the Angel of the Lord ; and this pi*ediction we see accomplished to this very day. In the veneration that the Church pays to the other saints, the day of their corporal birth is passed over in silence, as they were then children of lorath, under the guilt and empire of sin. The honour and respect paid to them commences only from the time of their death, on the day they departed this life, and by a spii'itual nativity began a new life of glory and immortality in the kingdom of Heaven ; but with regard to St. John the Baptist, the day of his corporal birth and tem- poral nativity on earth has become an object of veneration. The very first moment of his appearance in the world, that moment which to the rest of mankind in genei-al is a moment of misery and disgrace, was to him a source of immortal honour and glory, because he came into the world cleansed and purified from the stain of original sin. Even at that early period, Heaven and earth conspired to exalt his fame, and to lay a solid foundation for handing it down to the latest posterity. Angels and men considered his greatness with astonishment, and a series of wonders and prodigies accompanied and distinguished his nativity. The Angels admired a child who was adorned with graces and filled with the Holy Ghost, at a period when other children are defiled with sin, and consequently enemies of God and confederates of hell. Men, consider- ing that he is born of a barren mother, and of a father advanced in years, and that many illustrious miracles are wrought at his birth, openly declare that the hand of the Lord is loith him, and cry out with admiration, What do ijon thhik this child shall be! God alone can answer this question ; the Eternal Father replies by the Prophet Malachy, that he will be his A ngel, ivhom he is to send before the face of his Son to prepare the ivay before him. The Son answers, that he will be more than a Prophet, and that there has not risen any one greater than him among the born of ivomen. The Holy Ghost, speaking by the organ of Isaias, assures us that he ivill be the voice of one crying in the desert, the voice of the God of magnificence and power, that breaks the cedars of Libanits. Human eloquence would be presumptuous, if it added any thing to these divine encomiums. As the hand of the Lord, that is, the infinite virtue of his providence, is occupied in a particular manner in working wonders for the perfection of this child, so his adorable mouth employs its divine eloquence in explaining them to us. Let us then hearken ; the panegyric of St. John is complete, and all the praises we can give him are briefly comprised in these words, Magnus corum Do- mino: He shall he great before the Lord. Other saints are distinguished by certain characteristical privileges, but he excelled in graces, and was enriched with all the perfections that became tlie exalted dignity to which he was raised. He was a Doctor, a Prophet, a Virgin, and a Martyr. To give you some idea of the principal virtues of his holy life, 324 ON THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAl'TIST. I shall confine myself to the leading features of his character, as faith- fully drawn by the spirit of truth in the divine Scriptures, and en- deavour to shew you how truly great he was in the manner he com- menced, discharged, and conchided his ministry. Let us previously implore the aid of Heaven, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, whom the Angel greeted with the following Avords, Ave Maiia, ^-c. As God alone is great from himself, and the source of all real great- ness, so nothing can be truly great and excellent in any considerable degree that does not stand in a near relation to the Divinity, or that does not flow from, and lead unto God. All human greatness can there- fore be no more than a shadow of gi-eatness. For what doth human greatness consist in ? In power, which is little better than weakness ; in elevation, that rises from, and terminates in dust and ashes ; in riches, which are no more than gilded clay ; in applause, which proceeds most commonly from adulation, is often unjustly bestowed upon the most un- deserving, and vanishes away like smoke. To be great only in the eyes of men is insignificant in the last extreme ; since, as the Prophet says, All nations upon the earth are nothi7ig in the jjresence of the Lord. To be great in our own eyes is to be little and contemptible in his eyes, and to siibvert the virtue of humility, which is the very basis of every true virtue and Christian perfection ; but to be great in the sight of God, necessarily argues a true, solid and unquestionable greatness, as the Almighty entertains a just and clear idea of the nature and value of all things, and of the various degrees of their perfection. It was for this reason that the Angel foretold of St. John the Baptist, that he should be great before the Lord. His parents were Zacharias and Elizabeth, both just in the sight of God, and ivaUdng blameless in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, as the Gospel tells us. The same Archangel that was sent to the blessed Virgin Mary, to announce the birth of Jesus Christ, was sent also to Zacharias, Avhilst he was on a certain day offer- ing up incense and prayers for the people in the temple of Jerusalem, to announce the birth of the Baptist. He assured him that his wife Eli- zabeth would bring forth a son, and even dictated the name of John, that was to be given him, this being a name expressive of the fulness of grace, with which he Avas to be replenished. He told him moreover, that his son loas to go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias; that he should convert many of the children of Israel, timi the hearts of the incre- dulous, and prepare to the Lord a perfect people. Zacharias did not question the divine power, but on account of his old age he entertained some doubt concerning the accomplishment of the Angel's prediction ; and was, for his inci'edulity, deprived of the use of his speech for the space of nine months, that is, until the birth of his son, and the day appointed for his circumcision. Then having intimated, in writing, the name that the child was to be called, according to the direction of the Angel, his mouth xvas immediately opened, and his tongue, which diffidence had tied up, being set loose, he began to proclaim the signal mercies of the Lord in profound sentiments of adoration and thanksgiving, and to declare in prophetic strains the greatness and splendour of his new-born son, to the admiration of the inhabitants of the country all round. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, said he, because he hath visited, and hath trrought the 7-edemption of his people. And thou, child, shall be called the Prophet of the Most High, for thou shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ON THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. 325 UHujs ; to give the Jcnowledge of salvation to his •people for the remission ofiheir sin.9, through the bowels of the niercg of God. Such was the glorious design and noble end of the high commission that this great favourite and darling of Heaven was charged with. He Avas chosen to be the Ambassador of the Almighty, the Angel of the Messiah, the immediate precursor of the Redeemer of mankind, who had been foretold by the Prophets, ardently longed for by the Patriarchs, and impatiently expected for many ages by all nations. He was sent before him as an heavenly messenger and herald, to despise mankind for receiving the blessings of salvation. He came to bear testimony to the immaculate Lamb of God, that was to take away the sins of the world. He came to manifest and point him out, not at a distance, nor obscurely by the shadow of types and figures, as the ancient Prophets had done ; but clearly and without disguise, as being already come in human tlesh, and actually present among men. For this reason the Scripture stiles John a Prophet, and more than a Pro- 2)hct, and says, that there hath not risen a greater Prophet among the horn of women, Luke, vii. 26, 28, which is the greatest eulogium ever given in Holy Writ to any man, and a testimony of excellence that sets his glory above all the endeavours of human oratory. Before he even saw the light, or began to breathe the vital air, being as yet unborn, and only an infant, of six months, he began by divine instinct to perform the office of Christ's precursor, to acknowledge his incarnation, and jiay him his first homage of love and adoration ; for, as the Gospel informs us, he leaped ivith joy in the ivomb of Elizabeth, when the Mother of our Lord favoured her with his and her presence, Luke, i. It is the received opinion of St. Augustine, Ep. 187, and of others, that the Baptist, though conceived in original sin, was on this occasion freed from the guilt of it, and sanctified in his mother's womb at the presence of his Redeemer, as appears from the following words of the Angel to Zacharias, lliy wife Elizabeth shalt bring thee forth a son, and he shall be replenished ivith the Holy Ghost from his mother's ivomb. But why should I dwell so long on the childhood of a saint, whose whole life was one continued chain of the most heroic virtues, and in whom the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost grew up with his years ? As he was elevated to the most exalted ministry that man ever appeared in, and surpassed all his predecessors by the dignity of his office, he was raised of course to a degree of sanctity suitable thereto. The very nature of his ministry gave him a superiority over all the prophets, and his sanctity was not inferior to his dignity. It is herein that his greatness may be briefly said to have consisted. To preserve his innocence and sanctity unspotted and unblemished, he sequestered himself at an early period from the society and evil communication of the Avorld. Shunning the dangerous occasions of sin, he retired into a dreary wilderness in Judea, where he devoted the best part of his days to the spiritual exercises of prayer and heavenly contemplation, until the time of his manifestation to Israel, Luke i. 80. The Gospel is silent on many of the virtues which he practised in his holy retreat, and concealed from the eyes of men, but which rendered him truly great in the sight of the Lord. He united the innocence of an Angel with all the rigorous austerities, self-denials, and mortifi- cations of a penitent, and allowed himself no other nourishment or re- laxation, but what was barely sufficient to support nature. His garment consisted of camel's hair, and was no better than a species of coarse cam- let. He ivore a leathern cincture about his loitts, the naked ground served 326 ON THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THK BAPTIST. liim for a bedj and his food locis locusts and wild honey, which the desert supplied him Avith. He neither eat bread, nor drank ivine, nor any strong drink, which gave occasion to the Saviour of the World to say of him, that John came neither eating nor drinking, Matt. xi. 1 8, his life being one continual ftist and spiritual martyrdom. O how opposite is the conduct of the modern disciples and followers of Christ to the conduct of the forerunner of Christ ? What a striking contrast is there between his life and our lives, though Christ assures us. Matt. xi. 12, that from the days of John the Baptist till the present, the kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it aivay. Far from resembling those fickle inconstant Christians, who like unto a reed, shaken loith every blast oftvind, are carried away by the torrent of their passions, and yield to the most trifling temptation, John persevered in the service of his Divine Master, and was not to be warped from his duty by any means. Having appeared at the age of thirty years on the banks of the river Jordan, he entered publicly upon the sacred functions of his ministry, and began by his Word, as well as by his example, to preach the necessity of the baptism of penance, which was a figure of, and a preparation for, the baptism of the New Law. He reproved the vices of all orders of men with undaunted zeal, and inveighed particu- larly against the pride and hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees, the injustice of publicans, the extortions of tax gatherers, and the oppres- sions and cruelties of the military, Luke iii. and his labours were crowned with such wonderful success, that crowds of proselytes flocked to him from the neighbouring countries, repenting and confessing their sins, and receiving his baptisin, Matt. iii. The Jews, edified by the splendour of his doctrine, and the lustre of his virtues, conceive so high an esteem and veneration for him, that they imagine him to be the promised Messiah. The zealous preacher of penance repeatedly assures them, he is not even worthy to render the Messiah the least or the lowest service. He takes as much pains to undeceive and disabuse them of their mistaken notions, as others ai*e apt to take pleasure in unmerited pi-aises and ap- plauses, which they have no right to seek or to assume. His soul being truly humble, he is little in his own eyes, though great in the sight of the Lord. It is the loftiest trees, says St. Augustine, that always shoot their roots deepest in the earth ; and the higher a stately edifice rises, the lower in proportion is the foundation that is laid. In like manner, the more sublime and the more exalted the virtues and perfections of John the Baptist were, the deeper was the foundation of humility, which he sunk and grovinded them on. His spotless innocence, his angelic purity, his spirit of prayer and retii-ement, his unparalleled austerities and penance were wonderfully great, but his humility was the more pro- found in proportion. This was the crown of all his greatness. He openly declares to a solemn embassy of Jewish Priests and Levites Avho waited on him, that he is no more than an empty sound, or a mere voice, to be attended to only on account of the meaning it conveys, and the object it signifies. He even declines the title of a Prophet, as he did not foretel things to come, though he was more than a Prophet, as he pointed out the Messiah then already come. He denies that he is Elias, as he was not Elias in person, though he was Elias in spirit and oflice, Jo. i. He is unacquainted with his own high prerogatives and excellent perfections, and entirely taken up with promoting the honour and glory of his Divine Master. Whilst the world admires him, he undervalues himself; he ON THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. 327 forgets himself in the very bosom of glory ; he annihilates himself in the most exalted degree of dignity and sanctity ; but the more he humbled himself, the more our blessed Saviour exalted him, and extolled his merit, comparing him, John v. 35, to a hurning and sJuning light, burning with the most ardent zeal, and shining by the fervour of his charity and other briliant virtues, with which he was endowed. When Jesus Christ produced himself in public, about the age of thirty years, and submitted by the most astonishing condescension to the bap- tism of his forerunner, whose humility yielded to the duty of obedience after some resistance, the Baptist concluded that, having announced his Divine Master to the Avorld, it Avas high time for him to retire. He saw the Holy Ghost descending on him at the river Jordan in the appearance of a dove, and heai'd a voice from Heaven, saying. This is my beloved Son, in ivhom I am ic ell pleased, Matt. iii. 17. He, therefore, resolved to leave him in the glory of shining alone, as the morning star which precedes and announces the sun and shines with its rays, withdraws its borrowed light, and leaves the glory of enlightening the world to the sun alone, as soon as it appears and shows itself above the horizon. The grand object of the Baptist was to bear testimony to the truth, that, as the Gospel says, all men might believe through him, and be induced by his preaching to emiirace the light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this loorld, John i. He acquitted himself faithfully of this duty , fulfilled his ministry ivithjoy, V. 29, and manifested Christ to mankind by so many illusti'ious testimonies, that he had the pleasure to see his glory shining more brightly everyday, and eclipsing the great renown he himself had justly acquired. To raise his reputation the more, he sent those he had bap- tised to receive from Christ a more powerful and a more efficacious bap- tism. Behold, said he to them, the Lamb of God ; behold him that talcetk aivay the sins of the world. This is he who is j^referred before me, because he ivas before me. I baptise in water, but it is he that bap)tiseth in the Holy Ghost, John i. and again, c. iii. 30, He m^lst increase, but I must be lessened and diminished in the opinion of mankind, when they begin to believe in him and know his great superiority over me. It was with this view, and not for his own instruction, but for the greater edification of his disciples, that he dispatched and sent them to Christ, Matt. xi. for he had reason to believe that the sight of his sacred person would charm their eyes, the sanctity of his doctrine would subdue their hearts, his heavenly conver- sation would attract their affections, and that the splendour of his mira- cles would remove all their doubts, convince their understanding, and engage them to become his disciples. Thus St. John took care, like a good father, to provide the best of masters for them before he consum- mated his ministry, and to induce them to enter into the school of Jesus Christ, and learn his heavenly doctrine. Behold here, my brethren, a sketch of his holy life. How many instructive lessons does it not furnish us with ? Should not his example make a deep impression in our souls, and teach us the indispensable obligation we are under to lead a peni- tential life, in order to carry the kingdom of Heaven by an holy violence to our corrupt nature ? Should we not endeavour, like him, to discharge with fidelity all the duties of our vocation, and to imitate his humility, his zeal, and such other of his eminent virtues as are centred within our sphere, proportioned to our strength, and suitable to our respective states ? This is the true method of honouring the saints of God, and the surest way to be crowned hereafter with them in glory. Our Saint 328 ON THE NECESSITY OF finished Lis career by a glorious martyrdom under the tyrannical go- vernment of Herod Antipas. AYhat was the cause hereof? for, as St. Au"-ustine remarks, it is not the punishment but the cause that makes a martyr. Martyrem noii facit jx^na sed causa. An insatiable fury in a lascivious woman, a wanton address in her dancing daughter, a barbarous complaisance in a sacrilegious tyrant, a noble inti-epidity in a mortified saint, were the motives that cast him into an obscure and nauseous prison, condemned him to a frightful dungeon, loaded him with chains, and de- prived him of his life, amidst the dazzling splendour of a royal court, and the rejoicings of a birth-day banquet. His sacred head spouting forth rivulets of blood, was served up upon a dish to gratify the rage and vengeance of a lewd and incestuous queen. Cease then, 0 Christians, to murmur, complain, and repine, when you are visited with crosses, dis- appointments, and sufferings, since you here behold innocence and sanc- tity bleeding, vice and iniquity triumphing, the greatest man born of a woman persecuted and oppressed, whilst a monster of impiety was per- mitted by an all-wise Providence to enjoy the momentary comforts of this transitory life, and Avallow in filthy pleasures. All the inhabitants of Jerusalem were witnesses of the incestuous and adulterous conversation of Herod with his brother's wife, but none of them had the courage to speak to him about the scandalous state wherein he lived. St. John was too sensible of the strict obligation of fraternal correction on similar occasions, to be silent either through fear or human respect. His zeal and charity prompted him to give the tyrant an admonition, and to re- px'ove his misconduct with an impartial freedom and an undaunted" authority, in these few words : It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother'' s wife. The consequence was that Herod, at the request of Herodias ordered his head to be cut off in the prison, and to be brought up in a most inhuman manner to his own table, Mark vi. Thrice happy saint ! whose death, equal to his life, was precious in the sight of the Lord, and rewai'ded with the everlasting joys and glory of Heaven. Let ns, my brethren, endeavour to bear some resemblance of him, by an imita- tion of the virtues of his holy life and happy death as nearly as we can, that after living and dying in the service and grace of our Creator, our souls may be translated from the miseries of this sinful Babylon to the charming mansions of heavenly Jerusalem. Which is the blessing that I cordially wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON THE NECESSITY OF AN OPERATIVE FAITH, ACCOMPANIED WITH GOOD WOKKS, AND THE PRACTICE OF CHRISTIAN VIRTUES. Omnis arbor, quae non facit fructum bonum, excidetur, et in ignem mittetur St. '<■ >-^ Matt. c. vii. V. 19. Every tree that bringeth not forth (jood fruit, shall be cut doivn, and shall be cast into the fire — St. Matt. c. vii. v. 19. The moral sense of these words of this day's Gospel is plain and obvious. It is evident that the fate of Christianity is liereby emblemed and pointed out. Kot only the tree that brings forth bad fruit shall be condemned AN OPKRATIVE FAITH, dc. 329 to the flames, but this also shall be the fate of the barren tree on which no good fruit is found ; that is to say, not only those who live openly engajied in the practice of vice shall receive the sentence of eternal fire, but likewise the indolent Christian, who does not produce the real fruits of solid virtue and good works. A mere speculative or abstractive faith will not save him ; for the true saving faith is active and operative. It tvorketh by charity and the practice of Christian virtues. Gal. v. 6. The advantages of faith are indeed great in themselves, but, as St. James remarks, they will avail us but little without good works. To be justified in the sight of God, two conditions are essentially necessary, faith and obedience ; that is, we must not only believe Avhat Christ has taught, but we must also obey what he has commanded. Our actions must agree Avith our belief, and our lives must correspond with the purity of the faith we profess. As Catholics you are fully persuaded hereof, my brethren ; you know that it is by a practical and active faith that the just man lives, and hopes to reap the benefit of Christ's redemp- tion, who expressly says in the Gospel of this day. Not every one ivho saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enier into the kingdom of Heaven ; hut he who doth the loill of my Father, u-ho is in Heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Yet how few are there to be found who practise what they believe, and live up to the holy law and will of God ? There ai-e mil- lions who firmly believe all that he has revealed, but how few are there, comparatively speaking, who perform what he has commanded ? What a shameful contradiction is there not between their faith and their mo- rals ? What monsters of impiety, cries out St. Jerome, do we not behold in the very midst of Christianity ? This monstrous contradiction between faith and practice, so deploraljle in itself, and still so general in the world, shall be the subject of the following discourse. In the first point, I will shew you how injurious and provoking it is to the Almighty ; and in the second how prejudicial and fatal it is to the sinner. Let us previously imi)lore the assistance of the Holy Ghost, through the inter- cession of the blessed Virgin, whom the Angel greeted with these words. Ave Maria. When the Church, in her infancy, was opposed by the incredulity and obstinacy of the Jews, she gloriously triumphed by the zeal and miracles of her Apostles ; when she was attacked by the infidelity of the Gentiles, she became victorious by the courage and constancy of her martyi's ; when heresiai'chs and sectaries attempted to corrupt and adulterate the purity of her faith, she refuted their erroneous tenets by the wisdom and erudition of her doctors, and by the decisions of her general councils, but she has not yet been happy enough to subdue the vicious and dis- orderly conduct of numbers of her own refractory children and rotten members, who persecute her faith most shamefully by their wicked and scandalous lives. She has not yet triumphed over the perverseness, of those half Christians and half Catholics, who believe one way and live another. Their immorality is an evil that still subsists to this very day, and openly contradicts her doctrine, slights her salutary admonitions, overlooks her menaces and anathemas, and resists the force of grace and all the good examples of the virtuous. To compare their conduct with the rules of Christianity, one would be apt to infer that the world is the only god they adore, the only Sovereign whose laws they revere. Re- gardless of the advantages of future happiness, they ajjpear to be totally 330 0^' THE >'ECESSITY OF attached to the happiness of this life, and to be influenced only by tem- poral views in almost all their actions. Yet they will tell you, their sentiments are perfectly orthodox, and that they do not doubt of any revealeth truth. But who can give credit to their declarations, when their actions contradict and give the lie to their words ? How can they be supposed to believe, for examjjle, that unspeakable misery in the flames of hell will be the punishment of the wicked, and that inexpres- sible happiness in the kingdom of Heaven will be the reward of the vir- tuous, when they abandon themselves with so much facility to vice, and sleep with so much tranquillity in the arms of perdition ? How can they be supposed to be convinced of the enormity and dismal effects of mortal sin, when they commit it with so little remorse, and expose themselves to the manifest danger of perishing eternally, by continuing whole years together in that unhappy state ? But let us suppose that they are not incredulous, and that they have not lost their faith. They are still inexcusable for acting contrary to it, and the irregularity so visible in their lives, is what cannot be sufiiciently lamented. Were they but directed by their faith, sin would appear unmasked in its real deformity, virtue only would seem amiable, and the vain show of transitory allurements, which the world displays to their view, would soon vanish like a phantom. Their faith would tell them, that by every mortal sin they are guilty of, they lose God and his grace, the merits of their past good works, and the glory of Heaven. Their faith would set before their eyes a frightful picture of the last judgment, and of the abyss of devouring flames which the anger of God' has kindled, for the purpose of tormenting impenitent sinners for never- ending eternity ; it would move them to a speedy and sincere repentance, as being the only remedy that can preserve them fi'om the impending dangers that threaten their souls ; it would, like the soul in the human body, animate all their actions, rouse and influence their desires, and inspire them with courage and resolution to surmount every difficulty that occurs in the practice of virtue. Such were the fruits that faith produced in the primitive ages of Christianity, and such likewise are the fruits that it would be productive of in our clays, Avere we but directed by it, and did we but make it the invariable rule of our conduct ; but, alas ! the generality of modern Christians, instead of living conformably to the dictates of religion, and regulating their actions according to the principles of their faith, reject and contradict in their practice the sacred truths which they profess with their mouths. Nothing is more holy than their belief, nothing more disorderly than their behaviour. They believe like saints but live like infidels ; nay, they often surpass even the very Pagans themselves in criminal excesses ; their voice is like the voice of Jacob, as the Scripture speaks, but their hands, that is to say, their works and actions, are like those of Esau. They are Christians and Catlaolics in theory and specidation, and appear to be no better than Turks and Mahometans in practice. How many nominal Christians of this kind are to be met with, even within the precincts of this city and its liberties ? They admit the necessity of good works to salvation, and yet they live as if they believed that they may be saved by faith alone, Avithout doing any good works ; nay, as if they expected to go to Hea- ven, by running on blindly in the broad road that leads to hell and eternal perdition, and scarce ever giving any other proof of their believ- AN OPERATIVE FAITH, &C. 331 ing in tlie existence of one God and three Persons, but when they abuse the blessed name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, by the most horrid oaths, imprecations, and blasphemies. As Catholics and disciples of Christ, our lives should be copies of that Divine Original, and our actions should be a pviblic declaration of the sanctity of our profession. Our faith so venerable for its antiquity, so amiable for its purity, so solidly grounded and confirmed by a 'cloud of miracles, should rouse our hopes, inflame our desires, and animate us to 7nake our vocation and election sure hy the practice of good works, 2 Ep. St. Peter, i. 10. It should excite us to vindicate the honour of God, prove the truth of his doctrine, contribute to the conversion of sinners, and confound the false maxims of the world by an edifying behaviour. St. Paul established this great maxim amongst the Romans as an invariable rule of their conduct, when he said in general, without exception of per- sons. Let every one of you jjlease his neighbour unto good, to edification, xv. 2. Hence if we look back towards the infancy of the Church, we shall behold with pleasure the primitive Christians converting a pagan world by the sanctity of their example, and diffusing the good odour of Christ on all sides by the purity of their morals and the practice of every heroic and divine virtue which their actions breathed. Armed with the shield of faith, and inflamed by the great truths which it represented to them, their constancy was not to be shaken by all the rage of the most cruel tyrants. Their fidelity was tried like gold in the furnace. The violence of tor- ments, and the power of delusive charms, were employed to compel them to apostatize or renounce some part of their religious creed, but in vain ; for in proportion as they were slain by the persecuting sword, their num- ber increased and multiplied, so as to give occasion to Tertullian to sayj that the blood of martyrs became a fertile seed of netv Christians. Did we, my brethren, but honour our faith as they did, by our morals, and by an exact conformity between what we believe and what we pi-actice, our exemplary lives would not only make our holy religion appear in its native lustre and genuine beauty, but would also be an effectual means to bring about the conversion of nimibers of souls. Our separated bre- thren would no longer view our principles in the imfavourable light they usually do ; they would be disabused, undeceived, and edified. But the monstrous opposition they observe between the belief and practice of wicked Catholics, scandalizes them to the highest degree, and contributes to increase their prejudices, to multiply their mistaken notions, to remove them farther from the truth, and to destroy in their hearts all the good dispositions they might otherwise have. I leave yourselves now to judge how injurious this must be to the cause of religion, and how provoking to the Almiglity. Woe be to them, says the Gospel, ivho are the cause of such scandal, and who, by their bad example, hinder the conversion of their neighbour ! Woe be to them who di-aws so many bitter reproaches on the Church of God, by the shameful inconsistency that appears between their conduct and their belief! St. Augustine does not hesitate to call them the greatest enemies of Christianity, and the most dangerous persecutors of the Church, inasmuch as through them the name of God is blasphemed among unbelievers, the sacred mysteries of religion are exposed to raillery and open contempt, and many foul aspersions are undeservedly thrown upon our doctrine, as if it countenanced and authorized the vicious practices of some of our refractory and rotten members. They may, perhaps, feed themselves at present with chime- 332 ON THE NECESSITY OF rical hopes ; but the day will come when they shall be convinced by fatal experience, that the faith which they 2)rofess with their mouths, but deny by their actions, instead of saving them will serve for the rule of their condemnation, and render them liable to greater punishment. This reflection leads me to my second point. Scarce was the Church of Christ established when an error was broached, setting forth, that how irregular soever were the lives of men, it sufficed for salvation if they believed as Christians. The Nicolaits, and the dis- ciples of Simon the Magician, were the first who declared for this impious dogma. Never, perhaps, was there any heresy less plausible than this ; for what probability could there be that the Incarnate Wisdom, the Son of the Eternal Father, came only on earth to found a religion in favour of libertinism, and to indulge mankind in their criminal disorders, with the hopes of impunity, provided they but believed in him. The glaring absurdity of this erroneous tenet conveys with it its own condemnation ; however, the Scripture is very explicit on this head in sundry places. It expressly declares, that every tree that does not bring forth good fruit, shall he cut down, and cast into the fire. St. James says, that as the body ivithoid the spirit is dead, so also faith ivithout works is dead, ii. 26. St. Paul says, that in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumci- sion, but faith that ivorketh by charity. Gal. v. and again, 1 Cor. xiii. though I shoidd have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. The unhappy fate of the slothful servant, who was doomed to the same place of darkness with the unfaithful servant, shews also, that God will comprehend in the same condemnation those Christians who neglect to improve the talents entrusted to their care, and those who abuse and misapply them. In like manner, the parable of the five foolish vii'gins who Avere rejected, not for any intrigues or malpractices, but be- cause they neglected to furnish their lamps Avith the oil of charity and good works, is a proof, not only of the necessity of being exempt from the gross and scandalous vices of the world, and leading a moral, honest life, as thousands of infidels do, but also of the obligation we are under to distinguish ourselves by the practice of Christian virtues, and to excite our neighbour, by the shining light of our good example, to glorify our Father in Heaven. In the account also that the Gospel gives us of the last judgment, when the Sovereign Judge ivill render to every man accord- ing to his works, as St. Paul says, Rom. ii. 6, no other cause is assigned for the damnation of the reprobate but the neglect and omission of good works. What will then become of wicked Christians and Catholics who live in the open practice of vice, and disgrace the august character they received in baptism, by their immoralities and scandalous behaviour ? What will be the fate of those, who, being enlightened by the rays of the Gospel, and abundantly favoured Avith the gifts of Heaven, only abuse the graces they have i-eceived, and provoke the justice of God by the malice of their crying sins ? Have they not reason to expect a more severe sentence, and a more dreadful punishment than pagans and infi- dels Avho sin through ignorance, since they are incomparably more cri- minal and mere ungrateful, as they have received more signal favours and blessings from Heaven ? St. Peter says, 2 Ep. ii. that it Avould be better for them to have remained in the dai'kness of infidelity, and never to have come to the knoAvledge of God's holy law, than to resist and transgress the truth, after knowing and embracing it ; for this will serve AN OPERATIVE FAITH, &C. 333 to enhance tlieir guilt, and subject tlieni to a more severe punishment. The Xinivites, who did penance at the preaching of the Prophet Jonas, shall rise up in judgment against them, as the Gospel speaks. Matt. xii. 41. And the inhabitants of Sodom and Ghomorra shall meet with a more favourable judgment on the last day, Matt. xi. 24. Nay, even in this life, tlieir ingratitude and perverseness often draw down the dire effects of God's wrath and indignation on their criminal heads ; for when the measure of their iniquities is filled up, and the time of forbear- ance is over, the axe is laid to the root, and they are treated like the barren fig-tree mentioned in St. Luke, xiii. which encumbered the ground to no purpose, and therefore fell under a dreadful malediction. They are deprived of the gracious favours and heavenly succours which they slight and abuse ; they are left to themselves, and to the corruption of their own hearts ; they are delivered over to a reprobate sense, and abandoned, like the vineyard spoken of in Isaias, v. which was given up to be plundered and trodden under foot like a desert, because it produced nothing but wild grapes and brambles, briars and thorns, though it had been cultivated Avith much care and assiduity, and copiously watered with those gentle showers that descend from the clouds. "We have a sad instance of this terrifying truth in the Jews^ who were once the favourite vineyard of the Lord of Israel, but are now above sixteen centuries abandoned and forsaken, dispersed through the world, and branded with infamy. The sentence that was announced by the Prophet Isaias has been literally verified in them, in just punishment of their ingratitude and contempt of the laws of God ; they abused his mercy, and therefore, they now experience the severity of his justice ; they neglected to pro- duce the good fruits he expected from them, and are therefore deprived of that special providence which was their safeguard and protection. The kingdom of God, and those heavenly succours which they would not profit of, have been withdrawn from them and given to other nations. The light of the Gospel has crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and darted its beams to the new world in South and North America, and to the very corners of the East and West Indies ; it has penetrated to the most bai'barous parts of the earth, and one single ray of it has not as yet enlightened that stiff-necked people. This example of God's avenging justice should teach all sinners to learn wisdom at their expense, and to profit by their disgrace ; it should be a warning to Christians and Catho- lics to be more attentive to their religious duties, and to beware of pro- voking Heaven to pvmish them in like manner, by a subtraction of its gracious favours and blessings, and by depriving them in its wrath of the great advantages and benefits of the true saving faith, as has happened to many extensive nations, where the Christian religion heretofore flourished witli great splendour. What is become of Greece, once the seminary of learning, and the nursery of piety ? What is become of Egypt, here- tofore inhabited by twenty-seven millions of Christians ? What ' is become of so many other kingdoms and provinces in Asia Minor, and in Africa ? Those vast regions which enriched the Church with Cyprians, Augustines, Jeromes, Chrysostoms, Brasils, Gregories, and numberless other illustrious doctors and saints, are no longer watered with the dew of divine grace ; they ai-e become the seat of infidelity and irreligion ; they are overspread with the darkness of paganism. O my brethren, how deplorable would our condition be, were Ave so unfortunate as to experience the severity of God's justice in this respect ; and to be treated 334 ON CORKESPONDING WITH in like manner in punisliment of our sins ? O merciful Jesus, preserve us from this misfortune ; remove all scandals from thy Church, and give us grace to become worthy members of so illustrious a body. O may those unquenchable flames which are prepared for the fruitless tree, for the slothful and indolent servant, rouse our sluggish souls from the lethargic sleep of tepidity and indolence, and excite us to improve the talents and graces we have received to thy honour and glory, and to the edification of our neighbour. Grant us, we beseech thee, a lively, active, and practical faith, animated with charity, and accompanied with good Avorks, that by living here in a manner worthy of our vocation and pro- fession, we may have the happiness to see and enjoy thee hereafter in the kingdom of Heaven. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON COKRESPONDING WITH THE GRACE OF GOD. Redde rationem villicationis tuas St. Luc. c. xvi. v. 2. Give an account of thy stewardship — St. Luke, c. xvi. v. 2. The subject of this day's Gospel is the parable of the unjust steward, who being accused of having wasted his master's goods, was called upon to o-ive an account of his stewardship, and who, therefore, managed his affairs with such ingenuity, and settled his accounts so artfully, that he Avas continued in his employment, and gained his master's applause, not for his fraudulent and unjust proceedings, but for the prudent expedients and cautious measures he adopted and contrived, in order to prevent his own ruin, and avert the danger of being dismissed from his office witli disgrace, and reduced either to beggary or to very hard laboui-, which he found himself unequal to. This parable gives us to understand, that we are all stewards of the Almighty God, and that there is a day of reckoning to come, on which we must appear before his awful tribunal, to give a strict account of our stewardship, and to sh^w in what manner we have corresponded with his graces, managed his gifts, and employed his favours and blessings. A diligent enquiry will then be made, whe- ther we have improved the talents entrusted to our care for God's honour and glory, and the benefit of our neighbour, or buried them under ground like the indolent servant, or misapplied them to answer the inordinate cravings of self-love, pride and vanity. The most effectual means you can devise, my brethren, to avert the wrath of Heaven, and gain the friendship of the Sovereign Judge on that great accounting day, is to make good use at present of the gracious favours and blessings that are conferred on you, in order to enable you to accomplish the grand and important affair of your salvation. If yoii abuse and reject them ; if you reap no benefit or advantage from them, but render them unprofitable, you have reason to apprehend that your ingratitude will draw down on you the most formidable vengeance of Heaven, and provoke the Lord your God to withdraw from you those graces Avhich you slight and despise, and give them to others wlio will profit of them, according to these words which Jesus Christ formerly said to the Jews, llie kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation yielding the THE GRACE OF GOD. 335 fniits thereof, Matt. xxi. 43. To engage you, then, to correspond faith- fufly with the graces of God, is the design of the following discourse. If you continue to render unprofitable the graces of God, he will deprive you of them. This is my first point. He will give them to others who Avill profit by them. This is the second point, and the whole subject of your favourable attention. Let us previously implore the light of the Holy Ghost, through the intei-cession of the blessed Virgin. Ave Maria. St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, i. 18, informs us of the dread- ful punishment that God inflicts on those who abuse his graces ; for he says. The urath of God h revealed from Heaven npon all impiety, and upon the iniquity of those men ivho detain the truth of God in iniquity, that is, on all - those who receive his grace, and reap no benefit by it, and who detain in an imjust captivity all those grand truths which he has been pleased to make known to them. But what is the lorath of God, that falls on the heads of those who abuse his graces and despise his goodness ? Is it that he commands Heaven and earth, and all the elements to arm and revenge the contempt of his favours ? No, my brethren ; for since such chastisements could only punish that which is the least culpable in man, and affect the body alone without touching the soul, it is not in this sensible manner that the anger of God is always made manifest. But as it is the most tender proof of his infinite bounty towards sinners to go in search of them in the midst of their criminal engagements, to speak to them in the bottom of the heart, to press, invite and solicit them to return to their duty; so it is the greatest mark of his wrath and justice to abandon them, to retire from them, and to speak to them no more. It was this di'eadful chastisement that David so much apprehended, when he prayed thus to the Lord, Ps. xlix. 0 my God he not silent ; let your sacred voice still echo in the bottom of my soid. It was this jiunishment that the Almighty heretofore so often threatened by his Prophets to inflict on his people. I have spoken, I have raised my voice to press and conjure you to return to me, hit you have been deaf to all my amorous invitations, wherefore, / shall in my turn be silent ; I shall no more disturb your false, your fatal repose, which will end in your eternal ruin, in death everlast- ing. Thus it is that God threatens to manifest his wrath to sinners who are unfaithful to his graces. We have taken care of Babylon, says the Lord, Jerem. li. 9, and Babylon is not cured ; let us abandon it, mid have its welfare no longer at heart. It is true, indeed, God does not abandon us, unless we first abandon him, as St. Augustine says ; he is undoubt- edly a God full of mercy and bounty, for those who attentively listen to his calls and faithfully correspond with his graces ; but he is armed with wrath and vengeance against those who despise his goodness, are deaf to his inspirations, and reject his invitations. For this reason Christ assures us in the Gospel, that the servant who has received but little, and has profited by this little, that more shall be given to him ; but that he who has buried his talent, this talent shall be taken from him, and he himself as an unprofitable servant, shall be cast into exterior darkness, where there will be perpetual weeping and gnashing of teeth. This, alas ! will be the fate of the unhappy soul tliat slights and aban- dons God, and in its turn is abandoned by him. It will fall from sin into sin, from crime into crime, without being sensible of the misery of ** its vmhappy condition ; or if sensible, it will still flatter itself with the pleasing hopes, that it will one day renounce its criminal engagements. 336 ON CORllESrONDING WITH In the interim, God in his anger suffers it to be deceived by this per- nicious illusion, and to fall into a spiritual lethargy, which insensibly conducts it into endless misery. He permits it to be overpowered Avith a fatal blindness, and to sleep peaceably in the arms of perdition with- out disturbing its repose, until it awakes to feel the rigour of his justice in hell. Such is the order of his providence, that when the sinner has filled up the measure of his iniquities, and deserves to perish, God with- draws those powerful and those efficacious graces, which would not only enlighten his understanding to see the horror of his condition, but would also inflame his will with an ardent desire, and with a generous resolu- tion to overcome all these obstacles that oppose his conversion ; and the substraction of these graces is the most formidable punishment that the Almighty can inflict on him in this life, because nothing removes the sinner farther from his last end, which is eternal salvation ; and con- sequently, nothing makes him approach nearer the greatest of all misfor- tunes, eternal damnation ; since without these graces he never will be saved. Moreover, this substraction of grace hardens the sinner, and makes him gi-ow obdurate in his unhappy state ; he no longer discovers the deadly poison and fatal effects of sin, but becomes enamoured of it ; he doats on the pleasing object that gratifies his passions, and is capti- vated by its engaging aspect ; for when grace ceases to shine on the eyes of his soul, and to display the grand ideas of a just and avenging God, of a judgment without mercy, of a sentence Avithout appeal, of a miser- able eternity, he is deprived of those interior lights, by means of which he might be alarmed and terrified, and might discern how odious and fright- ful sin is in itself, and be roused to have recourse to a remedy, and use his best endeavours to rise out of the deplorable state to which he is unfortunately reduced. On the other hand, he is allured and attracted by the false and deceitful charms of sin, and by his inordinate affection to it he justly forfeits his right to Heaven, and loses his soul for all eter- nity. Nay, this subtraction of grace is a punishment which the Almighty not only inflicts on those declared libertines Avho make open profession of violating his laws, and who rejoice and glory in their criminal ex- cesses, but also on those who lead an idle, inactive, unprofitable life, Avithout performing any good works; for Avhy should the Almighty be- stOAv his favours on us, if Ave are unAvilling to profit by them ? Is it not to reject and profane his graces, not to employ them for the end Avhicli they Avere designed for ? The fruitless fig-tree, mentioned in the Gospel, was struck with an anathema because it bore not fruit ; the barren land Avas cursed because it yielded not grain in abundance : the servant Avas condemned, and lost the talent he had received, because he did not make the proper use of it. Such is the punishment which God inflicts on those who do not correspond with his iavours ; it is thus they are cursed, anathematized and abandoned by Heaven, who reject his graces, who despise, insult and outrage his goodness, and Avho, notwithstanding his many efforts to withdraAv them from their criminal engagements persist obstinate in vice, closing their ears to all his charitable admonitions, and refusing for whole years together to listen to his fatherly entreaties. Were they but obedient and submissive to his voice, his providence Avould never abandon them, his eyes AA'ould be constantly fixed upon them to Avatch for their security and defence, all his treasures Avould be open for tliem, and his bounty Avould engage him still to heap new favours on them ; but it is most just that he should at length despise them as they THE GRACE OF GOD. 337 have despised him ; that he should be hai'dened against them as their heart has been so long hardened against him, and that he should punish the so often repeated abuses of his heavenly favours. It is thus, in fine, my brethren, that those obdurate soids pei'ish, who, after having often rejected the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, fall from small sins into great, from sins often reiterated into a deplorable habit, from this habit into a kind of necessity, from this necessity into contempt and obduracy, from obduracy into despair, from despair into hell, and when they are buried in these mansions of misery, it is then that God will no longer have compassion on them. Burn, unhappy sinners, burn, cry, lament, roll yourselves in this devouring fire, God will never more look on you with the eyes of pity ; he never will commisserate your distressed con- dition. There are so many ages that Cain burns in these flames, so many ages that the Sodomites suffer ; God beholds their unspeakable torments without pity ; his anger is never to be appeased ; his justice is to be for ever inflexible, inexorable. Can you then, my brethren, after such instances of the formidable judgments of God, can you any longer continue to despise his goodness, to reject his graces, to resist his in- spirations ? If you do he will withdraw his graces from you in this world, as a prelude to that eternal punishment whicli awaits obstinate sinners in the next, as you have already heard, and these graces he will bestow on others, who will profit by them. This leads me to my second point. It is a received maxim in philosophy, that God and nature do nothing in vain, and of course, grace, whicli is one of the most noble productions of the Almighty, never remains unpi-ofitable. But you will ask me, do not many sinners reject grace, and with regard to these, is it not abso- lutely unprofitable, as they benefit nothing by it ? It is true ; but this grace will not be lost ; this sinner is not willing to profit by it ; it will be given to another who will receive it, and make the proper use of it. This is a truth which we learn from the following parable, mentioned in the Gospel of St. Luke, xiv. A certain nobleman made a great feast, and invited many ; but all these unwilling to answer the invitation, de- sired to be excused: the nobleman immediately ordered his servant to go forth into the streets and lanes of the city to gather up all he met, and to bring in the poor, the lame and the blind, and the servant said. Lord it is done, as thou didst command, and yet there is place ; wherefore the Lord said to the servant, Go forth into the highways and hedges, and compel them to enter, that my hoiise may be filled. This parable, my brethren, is an emblem or figui-e of what happens with regard to the eternal banquet of glory prepared in the kingdom of Heaven. God invites all mankind to this great feast, and in particular all Christians ; he calls them interiorly by his secret inspirations, by the movements of his grace, and exteriorly by the preachers, teachers, and pastors of his Church, who speak to them on his part, and in his name. Many despise these calls, these kind invitations of their sovereign benefactor, and by this contempt seal their eternal reprobation ; others are called in their stead, who, profiting by their downfall, cheerfully embrace the offer, faithfully correspond with the graces of God, and are thereby admitted to that eternal feast which he has prepared in the kingdom of Heaven for those who constantly love and serve him. It is then an unquestionable truth, that the Almighty withdraws his graces from those who des})ise them, to bestow them on others who are to make Y 338 ON CORRESPONDING WITH the proper use of them. Nay, it is a truth, which has been long since verified in the Jews, reproved by Heaven for the abuse of its favours, and in the Gentiles, who profited by their reprobation, and were adopted and substituted in their place. If then, the Almighty has numberless graces, it is not to reserve them to himself, but to communi- cate them; he requires but proper subjects to bestow on them these supernatural blessings, and he withdraws them from such as are so un- happy as to abuse them, in order to give them to others who will make proper use of them. Beware then, O sinner, of presuming on the bounty of your God as you frequently do, even so far as to persevei'e in your criminal disorders, because you have a good God to deal with ; beware, I say, of flattering yourself into such a false security, and saying to yourself, God is too merciful to suffer me to perish for ever ; for though you should be so unhappy as to perish for ever, God will not be the less merciful for that ; his mercy still will find its account in the distribution of his favours, and it will lose nothing though you are eternally damned, because others will be saved in your stead. It is true, mercy in this supposition will not be exerted in favour of you, but it will be exerted in favour of another, who will take your place, and obtain that crown of glory which was designed for you in Heaven. Hence the Holy Ghost gives you this important advice, which you should be always careful to reduce to practice: Be diligent to retain ivhat ye have, fearing least another should take that croivn xchich has been p^^eiiared for you, Apocal. xi. What- ever degree, then, of sanctity or perfection you imagine you have ac- quired, still beware not to harbovu' too great an opinion of youi'selves,' and still much more not to despise others ; for you are not confirmed in grace, nor those whom you despise, in final impenitence ; you know not what is to be their lot, nor what will be your own fate. The judgments of God are formidable ; they are abysses which human understanding cannot fathom ; he is often pleased to exalt the humble, and humble the proud ; to exalt the humble as high as the highest Heavens, and humble the proud as low as the bottom of hell. The deplorable downfall of many who soared almost to the highest degree of sanctity, and are now eternally damned, Math all their pretended merits, is a glaring but terrifying proof of this truth. Whoever you therefore are, whether just or sinners, these grand truths concern you, and you should draw from them consequences which may be of advantage to your souls. If you are just, beware not to conceive too high an opinion of yourselves. Perhaps you will be one day rejected like Saul, and that sinner who now appears so infamous in your eyes, will, like another David, be raised to the same throne with the princes of the people of God ; per- haps you will take the place of Judas, and he that of St Matthew, for virtue and grace are not inseparably annexed to any person, to any state or condition. No one then should presume in his ov.n merits, or in the sanctity of his profession. All this has availed nothing to the Jews, who are by adoption the people and children of God, and the heirs of his kingdom, and these advantages they unhappily forfeited, because they made not the proper use of them. Such are the dreadful conse- quences of abusing the favours of Heaven. This is what should make even the most virtuous work their salvation in an holy fear and trem- bling, lest the grace of God be Avithdrawn from them in punishment of their despising, slighting, neglecting, and, what is worse, frequently resisting it. Is not this contempt, this neglect, this resistance, the sad THE GRACE OF GOD. 339 cause of tlie many frailties wliieli are often visible even amongst who are remarkable for piety and religion? How many do we see daily shipwrecked on their voyage to etei'nity ? How many have lost, in one moment, the chastity and probity of several years ? How many Christian heroes, who for the greatest part of their lives were exemplary for their piety, have at length miserably fallen, and are now lost for all eternity ? They were, notwithstanding, the children of the kingdom, but now they find it verified by woeful experience, that the children of the kingdom shall be cast into exterior darkness, as the Gospel expresses it, where there ivill be ^^crpetual iveeping and gnashing of teeth. Had they but persevered a little longer in the practice of virtue, and corresponded with the favours offered to them, crowns of glory were ready to fall on their heads, and inexpressible bliss would have been the reward of their fidelity to God's graces ; but one unlucky hour blasted all their hopes, frustrated all their expectations, and their reprobation became an occa- sion of salvation to others, to whom the advantages they wei'e possessed of have been transferred ; for the Idngdom of God is talcen from some, and given to others, tvho yield the fruits of it. This should excite the vigilance of the just, and engage them to be ever careful in corresponding with the favours of Heaven, since, though they are just to-day, they may be sinners to-morrow ; though this day saints, to-morrow they may be in the state of damnation. As for you, sinners, who have been long deaf to the calls of God, and for a series of years immersed in the mire of sin and sensuality, be not discouraged or dismayed, the Almighty has still, perhaps, some graces in reserve and in store for you. Idolatrous nations have heretofore come to the knowledge of the true religion ; morals the most corrupt have been changed, habits the most inveterate have been conquered, vices the most odious and abominable have been effaced ; monsters of impiety have become pattei'ns of virtue. Do not then despair, like un- happy Cain, or look on your salvation as impossible. Millions precipi- tate themselves into the bottomless abyss, and perish for all eternity, on account of their infidelity to the graces that are offered to them. Yoii may derive an advantage from their misfortune, and profit by this favourable opportunity ; they lose the ci-owns of glory which were de- signed for them ; you may gain these crowns if you please. There is not any one amongst you so wicked or abandoned, but may still be reclaimed by the help of divine grace ; there is not one of you but may still equal, or surpass the most virtuous souls you see on earth, in virtue and merits. If you ascend in thought into Heaven, and take a view of the blessed, you will see many among them who were heretofore noto- rious sinners. They are enjoying their God in the mansions of bliss, whilst the children of the kingdom groan and lament in exterior dark- ness. Eemember that Jesus Christ himself has declared in the Gospel, that publicans and prostitutes would take place of the most regular amongst the Scribes and Pharisees in the kingdom of Heaven. St. Matthew experienced this truth : from a publican he became an Apostle ; St. Paul, from a blasphemer and persecutor of the Church, became a doctor of nations, a vessel of election, a pi-odigy of grace and sanctity ; and Magdalen, though a woman of bad fame, surpassed even virgins in virtue and merits. Begin, then, sinners, to labour strenuously in the grand affair of your , salvation ; let not the difficulty of the enterprise deter you ; consider 340 JESUS WEEriNG OVER JERUSALEM, &C. wliat a fund you have to depend on, what a support ? So many graced, which a numberless multitude of reprobate sinners have abused, they are for you, if you are willing to accept of them ; ask for them in the name of Jesus, and your God will grant them ; nay, he does not always wait to be asked ; does he not often Avait and strike at the door of your heart to gain admittance into your souls ? At present he invites you to return and give yourselves up to him ; he prevents you, he seeks you, he presses you to throw yourselves into the arms of his mercy. Resolve then, from this day, from this moment, no longer to reject the favours of Heaven, no longer to tear open these sacred wounds of your crucified Jesus, which have already poured forth streams of blood to wash away "all your horrid crimes. Cry out from the bottom of your hearts, 0 my God, ice are noiv determined never more to he deaf to thy calls, never more to reject thy loving invitations, never more to abuse thy gracious favours and blessings. Strengthen, O Lord, this our good resolution, and grant that by co-operating faithfully with thy grace here on earth, we may, as the reward of our fidelity, see and enjoy thee here- after in the kingdom of Heaven. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. JESUS WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM, &c. Videns Jesus Jerusalem flevit super illam — St. Luc. c. xix. v. 41. Jesus seeing the city of Jerusalem, he wept over it — St. Luke, c. xix. v. 41 . The misery and insensibility of mankind have always been the subject of the tears and tenderness of Jesus Christ. No sooner had he blessed the world with his nativity, but his infant cries proclaimed him the pledge of sinners ; nor was the tomb of Lazarus adorned with the heavenly drops which trickled from his sacred eyes, but as it exhibited the corruption and perverseness of sinners ; and if his heart overflows with grief at the sight of Jerusalem, it is because that city had no foresight of her future misery, and i-efused the present graces which were offered to it. But if the Jews, deaf to every holy inspiration, and insensible of the calamities that were to ensue, have been reproved and abandoned by God, because they neglected the different times in Avhich he favoured them with his blessings, it is our business at present to become wise at their expense, and by opposing virtue unto vice, establish a lasting felicity on the ruins of their slighted glory. It is our duty and interest to improve and manage well the precious moments of our visi- tation, and beware of neglecting the fixvourable opportunities which the Father of Mercies is pleased to oft'er us to work our salvation. This is what Christian prudence dictates and whispers to our hearts. We should consider attentively that the disaster of Jerusalem was but a faint shadow of the eternal punishments that are reserved for obstinate and impenitent ^nners in the next life, and therefore, if we have our eternal welfare at heart, it is incumbent, on us, whilst the sun of grace and mercy shines, to mingle our tears with the tears of Jesus Christ, and lament our past sins in the bitterness of our souls. O that 1 could be so happy as to excite in you all this day the like spirit of compunction ! JESUS WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM, &C. 341 It is what I shall attempt, by laying before you a plain exposition of the Gospel, and showing you how deplorable is the state of all impenitent sinners groaning under the weight of mortal sin, and what fatal conse- quences they expose themselves to by rejecting the graces of God. E^nable me, O Holy Ghost, to expatiate on this important subject to thy honour and glory, and to the edification of the faithful assembled here in thy name ; it is what we humbly request, through thy intercession, O immaculate Mother of Jesus, greeting thee for this end with the words of the Angel, Ave Maria. What a melancholy sight was it, my brethren, to behold the Saviour of the World, amidst all the mirth and public demonstrations of joy at his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, giving full sway to the tenderness of his heart, and bursting out into a flood of tears. A great multitude of people accompanied him on this occasion, some carrying green boughs in their hands, others strewing their garments on the way under his feet, others singing the praises of the Lord, and crying out with a loud voice, Ilosanna to the Son of David, Messed he the King of Israel, who cometh in the name of the Lord, jyeace in Heaven and glory in the highest; but in the midst of all these joyful acclamations Jesus began to weep, No sooner did he behold Jerusalem at a distance, but his heart was overwhelmed with sadness, and his eyes, his beautiful and divine eyes, the sight of which formerly wrought the conversion of so many sinners on earth, and now makes the blessed in Heaven happy, were bathed in tears. If we dive into the cause of this astonishing conduct of our Redeemer, and enquire why the joy of angels was thus afflicted, he assigns the reason himself, and tells us that he Avept over Jerusalem, because it knew not the time of its visitation. Pie bewailed its future destruction ; he lamented the blindness and infidelity of the Jews, whose hearts were harder than the very rocks themselves ; he wept over their unfortunate metropolis, which, after murdering so many holy Prophets, was to be in a short time tlie theatre of his bloody passion. He hastened towards it, indeed, in tri- umph, to shew how willing he was to lay down his life for the salvation of mankind, and that he was no way terrified at the foresight of the bitter torments and most ignominious death prepared there for him ; but as if he forgot himself, and was regardless of his own suflei-ings, lie only fixed his eyes and thoughts on Jerusalem ; he considered that that was the last day of mercy and vocation that would be oftered to it, and fore- seeing the miseries and calamities which its inhabitants were to endure in punishment of their notorious ingratitude and obstinacy, he could not forbear breaking out into sighs and tears. O Avonderful charity of our Divine Jesus ! His compassion for that sinful city was an emblem of his pity on sinners, and demonstrates his sincere desire of the conversion of those, who, like Jerusalem, are insensible of their own sad condition, rebellious to God's grace, and deaf to the fatherly admonitions whereby he calls them to repentance ; for, in weeping over Jerusalem, we are aiot to suppose that it was over the stately palaces and holy buildings, but over the people of Jerusalem that Jesus wept. It was over you he wept, O sinners, who let loose the reins of your unruly passions, who put off your conversion from day to day, and like Jerusalem, neglect the fa- vourable time, and the precious moments of your visitation. He wept over you, O worldlings, who are so strangely infatuated with the de- ceitful charms, and fawning pleasures of life, as not to see your folly, not to tliink of your future misery, nor guard against your approaching 342 JESUS WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM, &C. ruin ; but be no longer deceived ; unless you be converted to the Lord, the day shall come when your enemies will encompass you on every side, as was the case of Jerusalem ; the day shall come when God's severe justice will ovex'take you, and cut you off the face of the earth, pei'haps in the midst of your career; the day shall come when legions of infernal spirits will inclose you at the hour of death, in order to hurry you away to endless flames. These were the reflections which made so deep an impression on the tender heart of Jesus, and drew tears from his eyes ; and did you hut hnoiv, even at this day, as the Gospel says, that peace and reconciliation which God offers you, you would also weep and mingle your tears with the tears of Jesus. In effect, to see the Son of God weeping for us sinners, ought to melt our hearts into compunc- tion, and to draw streams of tears from our eyes ; for we must be harder than rocks, and insensible to the highest degree, if we can behold him pouring forth torrents for our sake, and at the same time remain so callous and unconcerned, as not to drop a single penitential tear to lament and wash away our sins, Avhich afflicted him in so sensible a manner, though it was not his interest, but ours that affected him ; for whether we be saved or damned, his happiness will neither admit of in- crease or decrease ; but, alas ! if we happen to die impenitent, in our sins, we shall be utterly lost and undone for ever, and justly condemned to be the fuel of unquenchable flames. St. John Chrysostom says, that Jesus wept for nothing but for sin. If he could weep now in Paradise, were he still susceptible of grief, and if sorrow was compatible with the glory he possesses in Heaven, he would shed tears in abundance for ' the multitude of crying mortal sins that are daily and hourly committed on earth. O mortal sin, thou detestable evil, thou infernal monster and foul progeny of hell ! how enormous must thou be, since nothing else was able to force sighs from the heart, sobs from the mouth, and tears from the eyes of our sweet Redeemer! I was already convinced of thy enormity by the eternal pains due to thee in hell's devoviring flames ; but when I consider the deep impression thou hast made, and the effect thou hast pi'oduced in the person of my Saviour, I am moi-e fully convinced of thy baseness, and made more sensible of thy grievousness. The Gospel informs us, that Avhen Jesus Avent with Mary and Martha to the monument, in order to raise their brother Lazarus to life, he stood over the grave, 'he sighed, he moaned, he was greatly troubled and touched with sorrow, he cried out ivith a loud voice, and wept, John, xi. 35. But what do you imagine* troubled and afflicted him in so surprising a manner ? O Christians, it was for you and me that Jesus then wept and moaned ; it was for your crying sins, your curses and blasphemies, your debaucheries and criminal excesses, that he was sen- sibly afflicted. In the person of Lazarus, who was four days dead, buried and corrupted, and who had his hands and feet bound Avith Avind- ing bands, and his face tied Avith a napkin, he lamented the melancholy state of all inveterate and habitual sinners, Avhereof Lazarus was a strik- ing figure, and Avhose unhappy souls lie dead, buried, and infected in the grave of mortal sin, not four days only, but several months and years together, without any serious notion of awaking from their lethargic sleep, or of breaking the fetters and chains that hold them in bondage, and keep them under the tyrannical empire of the devil. It Avas his com- passion for such impenitent sinners, and the fore-knoAvledge he had of JESUS WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM, &C. 343 their future misery in hell, that drew these tears from the eyes of our loving Jesus, and almost broke his heart. He foresaw that all his labours and fatigues Avould prove useless to them, on account of their own ob- stinacy and hardness of heart ; he considered that his precious blood was to be spilt in vain for thousands of sinners, who, through their own perverseness would perish eternally, notwithstanding his bitter death and passion. These reflections made our tender-hearted Redeemer weep when he stood over the monument of Lazarus ; they made him also weep Avhen he entered Jerusalem ; and again, when the first scene of his pas- sion commenced in the Garden of Olives. Then, as the Gospel relates, his soul was sorrowful even unto death; then, not content to weep for our sins with the eyes nature had furnished him with, he wept and poured forth tears and streams of blood through every pour of his sacred body. Can we think of this, my brethren, without blushing at our own insen- sibility ? Can we reflect that ovu' sins, our crying sins, overwhelmed our Divine Redeemer with such an heavy load of sorrow and afiliction, and refuse to join our tears with his ? But, O strange hardness of our stony hearts ? We lament what we ought not to lament, and we remain unconcerned for what ought to give us the greatest concern ; we repine and grieve immoderately at the loss of a law-suit, or of the perishable goods of fortune, and we regret not the loss of God's love and friendship, which is the greatest of all losses. The corporal death of a near relation, of a favourite child, or of a bosom friend, is apt to render many persons inconsolable, says St. Cyprian, whilst the spiritual death of their own souls, lying in the grave of mortal sin, makes little or no impi-ession upon their hearts, though the death of the soul is the gi-eatest evil that can befal a Christian in this life. This was the case of St. Augustine before his conversion ; he could not for- bear weeping, when he heard the mournful description that Virgil the Poet gives of the death of the famous Queen Dido ; and yet, at the same time, the death of his own soul gave him not the least vxneasiness. Hear himself, in the first Book of his Confessions, c. 13, bewailing his folly in the following words : I filled my head, says he, with the wander- ings of -^neas, whilst I forgot my own errors, whereby I wandered away from thee, O Lord, like a strayed sheep in the wilderness. I shed many tears for the death of Dido, who killed herself for love, when in the mean while, wretched creature as I was, I passed by, with dry eyes, my own self-dying from thee, O my God, my life, and the light of my heart. But, alas ! what is more miserable than for one who is in misery to have no commisseration for himself, or to weep for the death of others, and not to lament his own spiritual death, or weep for his sins, which rob his soul of the life of grace ? It was for this reason that our Saviour, carrying his cross on his bleeding shoulders towards Mount Calvary, and seeing some pious women in the crowd weeping and bewailing his condition, he turned towards them and said, Luke xxiii. 28, Daughters of Jerusalem, iveep not over me, hut weep for yourselves, and for your children ; as if he had said. If you have tears to spare, reserve them for another use, shed them for your sins ; for if in the (jreemvood they do these things, what shall be done in the dry ? If the just are treated with such severity, what will become of the wicked, who like unto dry wood bring forth no fruit, and are only fit to be cast into the fire to burn ? Behold, the day xvill come in which it shall be said, Happy they that are barren, and the breasts that have not given such 344 JESUS WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM, &C. The day will come when the Lord shall reduce the earth into a wilder- ness, and crush the sinners thereof into pieces ; then, ready to sink into the ground with shame, and wishing to hide themselves from the face of their angry Judge, they will begin to lament their unhappy fate, but their lamentations and tears will turn to no account ; their prayers and entreaties will be of no service ; for the reign of mercy will be expired, and justice alone will sit on the bench. Impenitent sinners, who now refuse to lament their sins with penitential tears, will be confounded, then, at the thoughts of their insensibility and fatal blindness ; they will be convinced, by woeful experience, of the dangerous and dreadful con- sequences of procrastinating their conversion, of abusing God's mercy, of rejecting his gracious calls, and neglecting the favoui^able time, and the precious moments of their visitation. Jerusalem, unfortunate Jerusalem, thou art a tei-rible instance hereof ! That unhappy city, which was a figure of a sinful soul, had many signal favours conferred upon it. After several holy Prophets had been sent to it in vain, Jesus Christ himself in person vouchsafed to honour it with his presence, his preaching, and his miracles. He was pleased to visit it in the days of mercy, and to invite it to repentance with these most affectionate words : Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often have I been ivilling to gather thy children together, as the hen gathers her chickens under her tvings ? But Jerusalem repaid all these favoui-s with ingratitude ; it murdered the Prophets of the Lord, and stoned those to death who were sent to it by the Father of Mercies ; it refused obstinately to correspond with God's graces, slighted his merciful invitations to repentance, and neglected the precious time of its visitation ; wherefore, God's justice taking place of his mercy, in punishment of its obstinacy, it was delivei'ed over to the fury of its enemies, forty days after the passion of our Saviour ; so long a time was given unto Jerusalem to repent ; that city was besieged, taken, ran- sacked, burnt, overthrown and leveled with the ground, by the Roman Emperors Titus and Vaspasian ; the magnificent temple of Solomon was reduced to an heap of rubbish, and of all the lofty towers and palaces not one stone was left upon another. Thou didst foresee this, O sweetest Jesus, long before it happened, and therefore thou didst weep over Jerusalem, or rather over all impeni- tent and obstinate sinners, who were prefigured by it, and who, like Jerusalem, are deaf to God's calls, harden their hearts and resist the inspirations of the Holy Ghost ; but the day, alas ! will come, when they shall learn to their inexpressible sorrow, that the sad disaster of Jerusalem was but a feeble representation of the punishment prepared for them in the scorching flames of hell. These things are now hidden from them, as the Gospel says ; but then their eyes will be opened, and they shall ac- knowledge when it will be too late, that the visible judgments and scourges that fell on Jerusalem, were scarce a shadow of the dreadful torments reserved in the next life for those who neglect the favourable opportunities that God's infinite goodness affords them to do penance for their sins in this life. I heartily wish, my brethren, that the Loixl may preserve you all from ever having an experimental knowledge hereof, and therefore I conjure you to mingle your penitential tears, this day, with the tears of your compassionate and tender-hearted Redeemer. — It is better for you to weep in time, than to weep in vain for all eternity in hell. Remember that one single mortal sin is enough to make a sinner weep for an eternity. Remember that one single tear now will avail you JESUS WEEPING OVER JERUSALEM, &C. 345 more, than a whole torrent of tears will avail you hereafter. Let the world then rejoice, its joy will terminate in sorrow. Do you gineve and u'eep for your sins, and your grief will be changed into joy, John, xvi. Tears like the tears of David, says St. John Chrysostom, are able to quench the flames of hell ; they are a most powerful means to move the Father of Mercies to wash away, with his divine grace, the blackest stains of your sins, and to render your souls as white as the driven snow. He calls upon you, this day, to return to him without further delay ; his arms are open to embrace you ; his head is bowed down to give you the kiss of peace ; his side is open to give you admittance to his loving heart. Let me then entreat you to harden your hearts no longer, but to seek the Lord ivhile he may be found, call uj)on him ivhile he is near, Isai. Iv. Perhaps this very time is the precious moment of your visitation ; perhaps it is the happy moment that Heaven has destined from all eternity for your conversion, O unfortunate sinners, who for several years past have been entangling yourselves in a labyrinth of criminal disorders ; perhaps this is the last call that will be given you, and the last time that an offer of mercy, grace and salvation, will be ever made to you. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem ! 0 sinful soul, be therefore sincerely and speedily converted to the Lord your God. Be converted, he says, through the mouth of the Prophet Ezekiel, xxxi. 2\. Be converted from your evil ways ; and why will you die, 0 house of Israel ? Your conversion will edify the Church mili- tant on earth, and cause joy among the Angels in the Church triumphant in Heaven ; for, as the Gospel assures us, there is more joy in Heaven before the Angels of God over one sinner that doth penance, than over ninety- nine just who need not penance, Luke, xv. 7. Jesus Christ, your Divine Redeemer, declares. Matt. ix. that he did not come to call the just, but sinners, to repentance ; and compares himself to a shepherd, who, having lost one of his sheep went in search of it, and having found it after a dilio-ent pursuit, brought it home to his flock upon his own shoulders, with more joy than what he felt at the safety of ninety-nine other sheep, which he had left in the desert. After all this, who can ever despair of God's mercy ? Far from giving up to despondence, my brethren, though your crimes should happen to be as red as scarlet, or as numerous as the sands of the sea, throw yourselves with an entire trust and confidence into the arms of his tender mercy ; approach him in the person of his representatives here on earth, and water his feet with tears of compunction, flowino- from a contrite and humbled heart. He is the very fountain of all goodness and sweetness, infinitely rich in every perfection, but j^articularly rich in mercy, Eph. ii. 4. If you be weak, his grace is strong ; if your prayers be unworthy, when they are joined with his mediation, and put up in his name, you may be sure of finding acceptance with his Eternal Father. If your sins be many and grievous, his sacred blood is of infinite value, and sufficient to cancel the sins of ten thousand worlds. If you be un- deserving of any favour yourselves, there is no favour whicli God'can grant but what he has merited for you ; there is no blessing but what you may obtain through his merits by a strong confidence in him, and an humble diffidence in yourselves. • O merciful Jesus, who never forsakest those who put their Avliole trust in thee, we repose our trust in thee, and hope that thou wilt not suffer us to be eternally miserable, since tliou art infinitely good. Preserve us, we beseech thee, from rejecting thy graces, or frustrating the designs of thy mercy through om' own obstinacy and perverseuess. Grant us the 346 ON THE DANGEROUS SIN OF grace of a sincere contrition for our past transgressions, and of a faithful perseverance in thy service during the remainder of our life, that nothing either in life or death may ever separate us from thee, or prevent our admission into the sacred mansions of heavenly Jerusalem, which thou hast purchased for us with the price of thy blood, and the enjoy- ment of which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son^ and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON THE DANGEROUS SIN OF PEIDE AND VAIN-GLORY. Omnis qui se exaltat, humiliabitur ; et qui se humiliat exaltabitur St. Luc. c. xviii. v. 14. Every one that exalteth himself shall he humbled ; and he that humhleth himself shall be exalted — St. Luke, c. xviii. v. 14. There is no virtue more admired, esteemed, and recommended than humility, and no vice more condemned and decried in the sacred Scrip- tures than the opposite vice of pride ; yet no virtue is less practised than true Christian humility, and no vice more common than that of pride. The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, recorded in this day's Gospel, plainly shews the pernicious effects of -pride in the one, and the salutary effects of humility in the other. These two men, as oixr blessed Saviour tells us, went up to the Temple of Jerusalem to pray ; but O strange con- trast ! the Pharisee, instead of prostrating himself in the presence of the Almighty God as a criminal, with a feeling sense of his own unworthiness and misery, stood upright in the Temj^le, with an air of confidence and arrogance, and began to sound his own praise and plead his own merits. Instead of making an humble confession of his faults, which the pride of his heart concealed from him, he recited a long catalogue of the good works he had done, and was so taken up with the thoughts of his own righteousness, that he regarded the rest of men with contempt and dis- dain, particularly the poor Publican, whom he despised in his own heart as an unworthy sinner. My God, I give thee thanks, said he, that I am ' not like the rest of men, extortioners, unjust dealers, adidterers, nor such as this piMican. On the contrary, the publican sued for pardon by a sin- cere acknowledgment of his guilt. Though he ventured to come into the Temple of God, he kept at a distance from the Sanctuary, and pros- trated himself in the most submissive posture, without even presuming to lift up his eyes to Heaven, but knocked his breast with sorrow, and supplicated for mercy and pardon of his sins in the following words : O God, he merciful to me a sinner. What was the consequence ? His humble petition pierced through the clouds of Heaven in an instant, and he was received into favour, and returned home justified, whilst the presuming saint, who was puffed up with a favourable opinion of his own merits, and boasted of his imaginary virtues, was despised, rejected, and con- demned by the Son of God, who repeatedly declares in the Gospel, that eveni one that exalteth himself shall he hwnhled, and he that humhleth himself shall he exalted. To excite you to a just abhorrence and detestation of the dangerous sin of pride and vain-glory, and to the love and practice of the opposite virtue of humility, is the design of the following dis- coui-se, wherein I shall endeavour to shew you, that as no vice is moj-e PRIDE AND VAIN-GLORY. 347 odious to God, or more pernicious to man than pride, so no virtue is more acceptable to God, or more salutary to man than humility. Let us first implore the divine assistance, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, who, on account of her profound humility, was exalted to the supereminent degree of the Mother of God. Ave Maria. Pride, according to the description that St. Augustine gives of it, L. 14, de Civ. c. 13, is an inordinate self-love or complacency in one's own self, that makes a person refer everything to himself, and have nothing in view but self-exaltation and self-esteem, instead of attaching himself to God, and referring all things to his honour and glory. This sin is justly ranked at the head of the seven capital sins, because it is an uni- versal sin, the poisonous source and root of all sin, and makes an essen- tial ingredient of the malice of every other sin. The Scriptures calls it the beginning of all sin, and says, that it is hateful before God and men, and that he that holdeth it shall be filled loith maledictions, and it shall ruin him in the end, Eccles. x. 7, 15. For this reason, the venerable old Tobias gave his son the following advice : Never svffer pride to reign in thy mind, or in thy words, for from it all perdition tooh its beginning. When it is not resisted, but Avilfully cherished in the heart, and suffered to reign in the soul without controul, it is looked upon by spiritual writers to be one of the most evident marks of reprobation, as it is one of the greatest obstacles to God's grace, and of course, the most dangerous enemy of our souls. What renders it of all other crimes the most odious, the most detestable and oiFensive in the sight of God is, the extreme opposition it bears to the glory of God ; for the proud withdraw themselves in their own idea from the subjection they owe to God, and upon the essential dependance which they have upon him ; they stand upon their own bottom, as if they had no need of him, and could do without him ; they eiFect a self-excellence, which belongs to God alone, and which is as essential to God as his self-existence and independence. They fall off from God, says Eccles. x. 14, and their heart departs from him that made them. By this rebellion they separate themselves from the principle of all that is good, and instead of giving all honour and glory to him alone, to whom all praise and glory are due, they pretend to rival God and attribute the pure effects of his bounty and liberality to their own merit, if not in express terms, at least in the pride of their own hearts, and in the whole tenor of their conduct. Thus they set them- selves up, as it were, in the throne of God, and Satan-like invade God's right, dispute his prerogative, and by looking on his gifts as their own property, they attempt to rob him of that glory which essentially belongs to him, and of Avhich he is so jealous that he declares, through the mouth of the Prophet Isaias, xlii. 8, / tlie Lord, this is my name, I ivill not give my glory to another. This made St. Augustine cry out, in the sixteenth chapter of his So- liloquies : " He, O Lord, who seeks not thy glory, but his own, in the good he does, and desires to be praised for thy gifts, is a robber, and resembles the devil himself, who pretended to rob thee of thy glory." But God, Avho severely punished pride in his Angels, will not tolerate it in man, who is but a lump of clay, and a handful of dust and ashes. Nay, he seems to take pleasure in defeating the projects of the proud and high-minded, who thus appropriate to themselves his incommunicable prerogative, by withdrawing his hand froni them, and permitting them sometimes, thi'ough an effect of his justice, to fall openly into shameful- 348 ON THE DANGEROUS SIN OF disorders, in order to pull down their pride and arrogance. How odious pride is in his sight, appears evidently from the fall of Lucifer and his apostate confederates, who instead of meriting an increase of happiness, by paying unto the Lord the homage of their adoration, and referring the gifts of nature and grace with which they Avere adorned, to the great source and principle of perfection, forfeited the glory of Heaven through their own fault, and were doomed to the gloomy regions of hell, because they proudly valued themselves on their dazzling beauty and excellent gifts, as if they had not received them from God, but had them from themselves, Isaias xiv. 13. The dreadful j udgments denounced against Pharaoh, King of Egypt, Exod. v. 1, against Nabuchodonosoi-, King of Babylon, Dan. iv. 27, and against Sennacherib, King of Assyi'ia, Isaias xxxvii. 10, 36, to punish whose pride an Angel, sent from Heaven, slew one hundred and eighty-five thousand of his army in one night, are manifest proofs of the hatred that the Almighty bears to the proud, who attribute to themselves the good qualifications they possess, and who value themselves and seek to be esteemed, praised and honoured on that account, instead of referring all to God, and giving glory to him who is the author of all good, and to whom alone all praise, glory, and honour are dtie for ever and ever, 1 Tim. i. 17. Every proud man, who thus for- getful of God, exults in the fumes of his own supposed excellency and perfection, and glories in himself, as if his riches, power, strength, valour, knowledge, and beauty were his own property, to be solely attri- buted to his merit, industry, courage, and coixduct, is an ahomination to the Lord, as the wise man says, chap. xvi. v. 4. St. Gregory, in his twenty-third book of JMorals, distinguishes four different branches of pi'ide, which ai'e diametrically opposite to the four distinguishing characters of humility. The four branches of pride are, ambition, presumption, vain-glory, and hypocrisy. They are called the daughters of pride, and are the different ways that this odious and pernicious vice shews itself. That branch of pride which is called vain-glory, because it has for its object an imaginary excellence in the way of glory, that is, in the way of being known, admired, praised, and esteemed by others, is the fruitful parent of a numerous offspring of other pernicious evils. This was the darling vice of the Scribes and Pharisees ; this was the idol of their hearts, to which they sacrificed their fasts, their prayers, and their alms-deeds. They performed all their outward works of piety and devotion, that they might be seen, honoured, and esteemed by men ; for which reason our Blessed Saviour pronounced so many dreadful woes against them in the Gospel, and declared that they were entitled to no other I'ecompense but what they had received here, the empty breath of sinners, the vain, precarious praises and applauses of the ixnthinking multitude, Matt. vi. 5. Such is the malignity of the sin of pride and vain-glory, and so pernicious are its effects, that it robs a man in the sight of God of the merit and reward of all his good works ; it corrupts the very vitals of the soul, and leaves nothing sound in it ; it poisons the root of every virtue, and like unto a worm, corrodes and eats up the substance of the very best actions. St. Basil compares it to an insidious thief, that lies in wait for good works, in order to destroy their value and merit. Otiier writers compare it to a snake, that creeps insensibly into the soul, lurks unnoticed in the inmost recesses of the heart, and, as St. Gregory remarks, often hides itself under gack-cloth and ashes. Nothing is to I'RIDE AND VAIN-OLORY. 349 be dreaded more by pious Christians, in the performance of their spi- ritual duties and devotional exercises. The greater progress they have made in the way of perfection, the more they are exposed to this vice, and the greater danger they ai'e in of forfeiting their crown, and losing the fruit of all their labours, unless they be constantly upon their guard to resist the suggestions of pride and vain-glory. Other vices are the vices of sinners, have something evil for their object, and are not to be gratified but by the perpetration of wicked actions ; but this vice chiefly arises from objects that are good, and as it first began among the Angels, it usually attacks heavenly souls, and is one of the most subtle and most delicate temptations that the enemy of mankind makes use of to insinuate a deadly poison into the secret foldings of their hearts. He takes no extraordinary pains to tempt notorious profligates and scandalous libertines, as he tliinks he is sure of them, and expects that they will of course fall one day into his hands, and become an easy prey to his malice ; but when he sees Christians devoted to the ser- vice of God, intent on the practice of good works, and standing fair for a never-fading crown of glory in the kingdom of Heaven, he sets all his engines at work, and artfully spreads the net of pride and vain-glory in order to ensnare their souls, and strip them at once of all the spiritual riches of grace and virtue, which they have been accumulating for several years. He knows it would be to no purpose to tempt them to fall into glaring and palpable crimes, and therefore he endeavours to infect and vitiate their virtues and good works with the bane of vain-glory. He endeavours to fill them with a presumptuous opinion of their own merits, and to persuade them that they are not like the rest of mankind ; that they have not been guilty of any gross crimes, like many others in the world ; that they have served the Lord faithfully for several years, and consequently that they have a right to expect great rewards from him in Heaven. There is not a more evident proof of pride than to imagine ourselves to be out of the reach of it ; they are often most guilty of it who do not believe themselves to be proud. Other crimes are apt to stare men in the face, and disgust them by their deformity at the first sight ; but this subtle and pestiferious vice steals upon them almost imperceptibly, and deceives them in such a manner, that, as vSt. Thomas of Villanova remarks, they are often full of it vip to their very eyes, without being sensible of it themselves. It is the first vice that generally attacks those who apply themselves to a virtuous life, and the last that leaves them ; it is born with us, and closely twisted and interwoven with our corrupt nature, and mankind is so strongly inclined to it, that most persons are more or less guilty of it. We have received it by inheritance from our first parents, and it is the most deeply rooted, and the most dangerous of all the spiritual maladies and wounds that original sin has inflicted on human nature. Where is the man that does not feel in himself a violent bent and fondness for admiration and praise ? Where is the man who is entirely exempt from self-complacency and self-love ? Where is the man who is not pleasing in his own eyes, and who is not desirous of being pleasing to others ? A little applause, though never so undeserved, is apt to exalt some people in their own conceit, and to swell them with vanity ; pride being a passion of that strange nature that will feed upon almost every little trifle, and upon mere empty shadows, appearances and imaginary excellencies, when it has nothing real or solid to subsist on. It insinuates itself under a thousand shapes and forms ; it even covers 350 ON THE DANGEROUS SIN OF PRIDE AND VAIN-GLORT. itself sometimes with tte cloak of humility, and makes men proud of humility itself. How many will you not find in the very midst of Christianity, who, under the mask of an apparent humility, are idolaters of themselves, and dupes of a subtle refined pride ? They are humble in their words, but in their hearts they are pufted up and elated with such an idea of their own imaginary perfections, that they cannot eudui'e the least contradiction, or bear to be slighted or treated with the smallest disrespect or inattention. Tange monies et fumigabunt. They are all mildness and pictures of forbearance, as long as they are thwarted ; but if you offend their delicacy, the mask will disappeai", and their anger will begin to vent itself without restraint. Others will boast of their talents and abilities, and pretend to be versed in every science ; but with all their boasted knowledge, they are strangers to the very first elements of true wisdom, since they are ignorant of themselves, and vainly think they are something, u'hereas they are nothing, as the Apostle speaks, Galat. vi. 3. They are active, restless, and bustling ; they aspire pre- sumptuously to exploits beyond their sphere, and are fond of such works and employments as attract public applause and esteem, the two darlings of human pride, to which they sacrifice their care and occupations, and which they unhappily make the last end of all their pursuits. Others are obstinate, positive, contentious, and extremely attached to their own will and judgment; they are full of envy, jealousy, bitterness and in- dignation against those who are preferred before themselves, or shewn greater marks of honour and esteem, considering their good qualities as a diminution of their own supposed excellence ; they censure and judge them rashly, misconstrue their virtuous actions, and give them a malicious turn. Like the censorious Pharisee, they discern a mote in a brother's eye, as the Gospel says, at the same time that they do not perceive a beam in their own ; they are filled with scorn, disdain and contempt for their neighbour, and clear-sighted in discovering his failings and imper- fections, but blind to their own real faults, and to the many evil diposi- tions that spring from the pride and corruption of their hearts. It is only the all-powerful hand of God that can cure us of these dread- ful evils, and entirely root the pernicious vice of pride, with its various branches out of the soul ; we should, therefore, frequently implore the assistance of his divine grace by fervent prayer, and labour incessantly on our part to check the pride of our hearts, and to stifle the flattering delusions of self-love by a profound humility ; we should watch carefully over our interior, and beware of attributing to our own merits the gifts that we have received gratis from the pui'e bounty of our Maker. What hast thou, says St. Paul, that thou hast not received ; and if thou hast received, tvhy dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received? 1 Cor. iv. 7, and again, 2 Cor. 10, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord, who, in crowning our good works, crowns his own gifts and the effects of his grace, according to St. Augustine. Instead of entertaining any vain self-complacency in our hearts, or in our minds, we should gratefully acknowledge our own indigence and dependence on him in all things, and remember, that the more we have received, the more shall he required of us. We should enter into the humble sentiments of the Apostle, who says, what I am, I am by the grace of God ; and cry out with the Roj'al Prophet, Ps. cxiii. 9, not to us, 0 Lord, not to us, but to thy name, may all praise, honour and glory be given. In him only we are to confide, and not in our- selves, or in our own righteousness, as the proud Pharisee did. In all ON THE SIN OF DETRACTION. 351 our works we are to seek only to please him and do his holy will, in imi- tation of Christ our Lord, wiio never sought his own glory, or the praise of men, but did all his works with the most pure intention, for the ho- nour and glory of his Heavenly Father, John viii. 49, 54, Humility was his favourite virtue, and ought to be the favourite virtue of every Christian. He came from Heaven to teach us humility by his example, as well as by his doctrine ; in every stage of his life we meet with lessons of humility. Learn of me, he says. Matt. xi. 29, to he meek and humble of heart, and ifou shall find rest to your souls. To inculcate the excellency, and to enforce the necessity of this amiable virtue in the most striking manner, when his disciples were disputing among themselves for pre- eminence, and asked him who was the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven, he called to him a little child, and having placed him in the midst of them, he said, Amen, I say to you, unless you he converted, and hecome as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven ; ivhosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the king- dom of Heaven, Matt, xviii. 3, 4. O Almighty God, Avho resisteth the proud, and givest thy grace to the humble, inspire us with a just abhor- rence of the destructive vice of pride, and excite us to the love and practice of the opposite virtue of humility, that we may be favoured with thy grace here, and inherit thy glory hereafter. Which is the hap- piness, my brethren, that I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. ELEYENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON THE SIN or DETEACTION. Jesus tetigit linguam ejus, et suspiciens in Coehim ingemuit St. Marc. c. vii. v. 33. Jesus touched his tongue, and looking up to Heaven, he sighed — St. Mark, c. vii. v. 33. The subject of this day's Gospel is an illustrious miracle, wrought by our blessed Redeemer in favour of a man who was both deaf and dumb. The Son of God, pitying his condition, and taking him aside from the crowd, put his fingers into the ears of this poor man, and touched his tongue with a little spittle ; then looking up to Heaven, from whence all blessings descend, he sighed, and commanded the mouth and the ears of the dumb and deaf man to be opened; and immediately, his' ears being opened, and the string of his tongue being loosed, he recovered the per- fect use of his hearing, and of his speech, to the great astonishment of the multitude then present, whom our Saviour, willing to give us an example of humility, charged not to publish the miracle they were eye- witnesses of; but the more he recommended silence to them, the more their zeal prompted them to publish it, and to proclaim the praises of Jesus Christ, crying out with a loud voice. He hath done all things ivell ; he hath made the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. Here we see the use of sacred ceremonies, approved and authorised by the example of Christ himself. In curing this man, as well as the man who had been born blind, John, xi. 6, what a number of ceremonies did he make use of, and for what end ? A single word from him was fully sufficient for the purpose of curing both the one and the other ; but as his actions are recorded for our example, we have his sacred authority in approbation of the holy ceremonies used by the Church upon different occasions. The 352 ON THE SIN OP DETRACTION. very ceremony he used in curing the deaf and dumb man, mentioned in this day's Gospel, is taken from his example, and is still retained and observed in the administration of baptism, to signify that by the grace of baptism the ears of our soul are opened to the Word of God, and the inspirations of his Holy Spirit, and that by obeying his divine will, manifested to us by this means, we are to become a good odour of Christ, 2 Cor. ii. 15, by our good example and edifying conversation. Yet, alas ! how many Christians are there to be found, who, in open violation of the covenant and sacred obligations of their baptism, dis- honour and disgrace the Christian name by their disorderly conduct and scandalous conversation ? They may, indeed, be said to resemble in some respect the dumb and deaf man spoken of in the Gospel, as they are, in a moral sense, not only dumb but likewise deaf ; for they are silent when the honour and glory of God, and the edification of their neighbour, call on them to speak out, and make a proper use of the gift of speech. They are deaf to the inspirations of God, and to the clamours of a guilty conscience, inviting them to open their mouths in fervent prayer, and implore mercy and pardon of their sins by a sincere repent- ance. They neglect to employ their tongues for such salutary purposes, whilst they unhappily make them subservient to the most odious vices, and instrumental to the most horrid crime of cursing, swearing, blas- pheming, and abusing the adorable name of the Lord their God. How frequently are their tongues employed in spreading the infection and odour of death, and in calumniating and in detracting their neighbours ? It is on the pernicious and destructive sin of detraction that I intend to expatiate in the following discourse, in order to excite you to a just abhorrence and detestation of so foul a vice, by shewing you how offen- sive it is to God, how injui'ious to our neighbour, and how detrimental to the detractor himself. In short, detraction is highly offensive to God, and injurious to man. This shall be the subject of the first point. Detrac- tion is highly detrimental to the detractor himself, and attended with consequences extremely dangerous and almost irreparable. This shall be the subject of the second point. Let us previously implore the divine aid and unction of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin. Ave Maria. Detraction is an unjust defamation of our neighbour, or a blackening of another person's character in his absence. It is called Detraction, not because it detracts from the truth, but as St. Thomas of Aquin observes, because it detracts, derogates, and takes from our neighbour's reputation, by lessening the esteem and good opinion others have of him ; a man's reputation being as effectually lessened and lost by publishing the crimes he has actually committed, as those he has not. To discover the hidden faults of others, when it is . necessary for their amendment and conver- sion, or for the instruction and precaution of those who are in danger of being considerably damaged or corrupted by their wicked principles, bad example, company and conversation, is not deta'action but fraternal cor- rection, provided it be done, not out of anger, malice, hatred, or envy, but with a good intention and through a motive of charity and justice, to prevent their ruin and destruction. Thus the Patriarch Joseph, for the amendment of his brothers, discovered their wickedness to his father Jacob, Gen. xxxvii Mardochajus manifested the conspiracy of Bagathan and Thares, Esther, ii. St. Paul also notified the impiety of Alexander the copper-smith, lest the innocent might be defrauded and deceived by ON THE SIN OF DETKACTlON. 353 liim, Eplies. ii. 4, and Christ himself published the malice and hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees, to precaution his disciples from following their example. All kinds of false testimonies, calumnies and detractions, are forbidden by the eighth commandment. False testimonies were punished in the Mosaic Law, by inflicting the same penalty on the false witness which he Avould have brought on his neighbour had he been really guilty, and had the fact been fully proved against him, Deut. xix. 19. The very Pagans themselves held the crime of bearing false wit- ness in such abhorrence, that they punished it with death, as appears from the practice of the ancient Romans, who condemned false witnesses to be cast headlong down from the Tarpeian Rock. Detraction differs from contumely, as theft differs from robbery ; for contumely attacks a person's good name openly and before his face, but the base and cowardly vice of detraction stabs his reputation secretly and behind his back, with- out allowing him the opportunity of self-defence. Detraction differs also from calumny or slander ; for calumny is a false accusation, whereby a person is charged with a crime he is really innocent of, as was the case of the virtuous Joseph, mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and of the chaste Susanna, spoken of in the Book of Daniel ; but detraction is com- mitted by divulging, without necessity the private and hidden crimes a person has been really guilty of, or by exposing some considerable defect that tends to his prejudice. This vice betrays a great corruption of heart, and commonly arises from a certain degree of pride and envy, which makes men blind to their own faults, and clear-sighted to discover faults in others ; for a man of a depraved heart is apt to look at others through the medium of his own passions, and to judge them to be evil because he is evil himself. Like unto those vile insects and noxious flies, which delight to dwell always on filth and corruption, the detractor makes the crimes and infirmities of his neighbours his favourite topic, and the ordinary subject of his conversation ; he pretends, like the Pharisee in the Gospel, to see a mote in his brother's eye, at the same that he does not perceive the beam in his own eye. Charity judges favourably of all men, has compassion for their failings, and excuses their intentions when it cannot excuse their actions. It seeks rather the salvation than the defamation of a neighbour, and stu- dies to conceal and diminish, rather than to propagate and augment scandal ; it usually declares on the favourable side of mercy, and evinces a dignity and greatness of soul in taking the unfortunate under protec- tion. Detraction, on the contrary, evinces a total want of every liberal, noble and generous sentiment ; it sports with a neighbour's misfortune, and exults at his downfiill ; it blackens him with odious aspersions, and propagates scandalous heresays and reports, in order to expose him to contempt, disgrace, and ridicule. The bee extracts honey out of the most bitter flowers : but the detractor takes a bad meaning out of things that are highly commendable and really praiseworthy in themselves. He puts a malicious construction on the very best actions, depreciates the most amiable qualities, and turns the virtues of his neighbour into vices. He feels a secret pleasure in speaking freely of the faults and imperfections of others wherever he goes, particularly when he has, or thinks he has truth on his side, and by this means he becomes the un- happy cause of numberless quarrels, divisions and animosities. In short, he sets neighbours at variance with each other, he sows discord in fami- lies, and disunites the most intimate friends, and arms brother against Z 354 ON THE SIN OF DETRACTION. brother, and Imsband against wife. May I not, then, justly apply what St. James says, in chap. iii. of his Catholic Epistle, v. 6, and 8, to the tongue of a detractor ? It is a devouring fire, a world of iniquity, an unquiet evil, full of deadly poison. It spares nothing, whether sacred or profane, but discharges its fury on the good grain and on the chaff, on the prince and on the subject, on the ecclesiastic and on the layman, leaving ruin and desolation wherever it passes. It penetrates into the earth, to root up what has been buried in oblivion, and it seeks, in the ashes of the dead, the faults which have been already cancelled in the sight of God by tears of repentance, and which time has effaced out of the memory of men. There is no mischief that can be thought of, says St. John Chry- sostom, but the tongue of a detractor is productive of; for Avhich reason the Holy Scripture cautions us in the strongest terms to refrain our tongues from detraction, Wisdom, i. 11, and expressly declares that detrac- tors are odious in the sight of God, and that the tvhisperer, the tatler, and the double-tongued are accursed, because they trouble many that are in j^eace, Eccles. xxi. Their ivords are smoother than oil, says the Royal Prophet, Ps. liv. and in the end they are darts, which, like the sting in the serpent's tail, carry poison with them, and wound the deeper the more they ai-e disguised; and again, Ps. v. their mouth is an oj^en sepidchre, yrhich exhales a contagious infection, and their tongues resemble a sharp-whetted sword, that destroys the reputation and civil life of many, whose conduct in other respects is regular, virtuous, and edifying. St- James concludes, therefore, that if any one imagines himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, this man's religion is vain, i. 26. The Prophet Jeremias gives us a pathetic description of the damages done by a detracting tongue under the figure of a fertile olive tree, beautiful to the sight, both for the number of its branches, and the quan- tity and quality of its fruit ; but being set on fire by a few sparks carried to it by a blast of wind, all its branches were in a short time consumed, its beauty soon perished, and all its fruit was destroyed. This olive tree is a figure or i-epresentation of an upright just man, of a prudent vir- tuous woman, of an exemplary pious ecclesiastic, of an honest conscien- tious tradesman. How great soever their virtue may be, how regular soever their conduct, however strictly honest their dealings, a blast of wind carries fire to the olive tree, and consumes in a moment all its leaves, branches and fruit ; that is to say, a few words of a detracting tongue blast their reputation and brand them with infamy. A^^ho would believe it, says St. Bernard, that so small a thing as a word of detrac- tion could cause such a dreadful havoc ? Yes, my brethren, gunpowder that has taken fire may be as well confined as detraction, or a restraint may be as well put on the sea when the banks are broken doAvn ; for when detraction has once passed the lips, it flies like a flash of lightning, but still it ftiils not to make deep and mortal wounds. The detracted person is immediately reduced to a state of civil death. He becomes like unto a dead member in the community, says St. Francis of Sales. He sinks into a object of infamy and public contempt, a sport for some, a pity for others. He is torn within and without ; within a prey to his own remorses, without a butt to the satires and censures of men. The sun only rises to enlighten his shame, to let him see the remains of his shattered character, and to bear the dishonour and disgrace of it ; so that it were better for him to have been blackened by calumny than to have been defamed by detraction, for calumny is often for the falsely accused ON THE SIN Ob' DETUACTION. 355 a subject of triuinpli, and a wouiul more easily healed ; tlie shame fre- quently rebounds on the calumniator Avho first gave birth to the malicious report. Time clears up the matter ; the falsehood is detected and re- futed ; the truth is made manifest, and injured innocence, like gold that is tried by the fire, appears with more lustre than before. Nay, even though the calumny could not be refuted, it might be despised. The assured testimony of a good conscience can revenge itself of the vain and ill-grounded discourses that are daily spread in the world, and it is always an advantage and a comfort to a calumniated Christian, to be able to say Avithin himself, that he is innocent in the sight of God of what is laid to his' chai'ge ; but in detraction there is no such resource ; there is no means to recall it, no efiectual remedy to repair the damage. A reputa- tion once ruined by detraction, can scai'ce ever be recovered ; it is a wound almost incurable. Do you wonder, then, that St. Bernard calls detraction a very grievous crime ; grande crimen detractio, that stands in direct opposition, not only to the great precept of fraternal charity, but also to natural justice and equity ; for let a man's private conduct be what it may, he has a just title to a fair and reputable character as long as he is not convicted of any public offence ; till he makes the public witnesses to his crime he is accountable to God alone, and amen- able only to the divine tribunal. Whoever, then, discovers his secret crimes, without a just cause or pressing necessity, he is guilty of an injustice far greater, far more cruel, than if by fraud and violence he robbed him of his money or temporal substance ; for what is worldly substance Avhen put in competition with a fair character ? Is not a fair character the most valuable of all temporal blessings ? Is not a good name preferalle to much riches ? as the Scripture says in ch. xxii. of the Book of Proverbs. It may lead the poorest and the most destitute of men to the acquisition of wealth, but a character once lost is not to be i-e-purchased with all the treasures of the earth. I leave yourselves, then, to judge what an injury, Avhat a flaming act of injustice it is, to deprive a person by detraction of that which is in itself so valuable. Can any theft or robbery be comparable to this ? says St. Ambrose. Moreover, if the person detracted has already cancelled his secret crimes in the sight of God, by abundant tears of contrition, is it not unjust, uncharitable, and cruel to the last degree, to revive and publish them in the eyes of the world ? Yes, my bi'ethren, carry this truth with you : He that was yesterday a sinner, may be a saint this day ; and the mo- ment that publishes his crimes, is often the moment of mercy which completes his conversion. Remember what is I'ecorded of the penitent Magdalen. The proud Pharisee reproached her with her crimes, and yet in that very instant her love and her tears effaced them at the feet of her Divine Redeemer. May I not, then, justly conclude that detrac- tion is a manifest breach of charity, an open violation of justice, and an odious vice in its own nature, highly offensive to God, and very injurious to man ? It is likewise highly detrimental to the detractor himself, and attended Avith consequences extremely dangerous and almost irreparable. This is Avhat I promised to shew you in the second point. To convince you how liurtful and dangerous the sin of detraction is to the detractor himself, it migl\t be sufficient to observe, that it is numbered by St. Paul amongst those capital, crimes which render men hateful to God, and exclude them from ever inheriting the kingdom of Heaven, unless they be expiated by a true and sincere repentance. 356 ON THE SIN OF BETKACTION. Eom. i. 30, 1 Cor. xv. It is, therefore, of its own nature a grievous mortal sin, that causes the spiritual death of the soul of the detractor, and entails eternal death and damnation on it hereafter. What is more, it is often the unhappy occasion of the spiritual death of the person detracted, on account of the hatred and passion of revenge it excites in his heart against the detractor ; nay, the detractor is also accessary to the spiritual death of the criminal accomplices and partakers of his guilt, who concur and join with him in encouraging and propagating the detraction. This made St. Bernard on Psalm Ivi. call the detractors tongues a two-edged, nay, a three-edged sword, with ichich he commits three murders at one stroke. First, he murders his own soul when he wounds his neighbour's reputation. Secondly, he murders the character of the person he detracts, as he destroys that civil life by which he lived fair in the esteem of others ; a life more dear to men of honour and probity, than the life of the body. Thirdly, he murders the souls of those who give ear with pleasure to the detraction, and encourage, spread, and keej:* it alive ; for whoever encourages and gives ear to a detractor, is equally criminal with him. Nay, St. Bernard says he knows not which of the two merits damnation the most, the detractor or the listener, since both have the devil in them, the one in his mouth, the other in his ears. O, how many crimes are there then united in this crime ! and how extremely difficult must it be to make reparation for all the mischief and damages caused by it ? Yet, without this reparation, there is no pardon to be obtained ; for detractors are no less strictly obliged to repair the damages done by their means, than thieves and robbers are " bound to restore the property of their neighbour which they have unjustly acquired. The only difference is, that detractors labour under far greater difficulties in the discharge of this duty, than they do who only strip others of the external goods of fortune, and that for two reasons. First, because the damage done by detraction is so extensive that it can scarce be repaii-ed. Secondly, because the weakness of the detractor is such, that he can scarce gain on himself to make a due reparation. Such are the dangerous consequences of detraction. The infamy of the detracted neighbour increases in proportion to the number of persons to whom his or her private failings have been dis- closed. The scandal augments continually; each one repeating the same story, will be apt to add something of his own invention, and to set it off in a more advantageous light. Though discovered at first to one only person, it spreads farther every day, like unto a little brook, which the farther it runs the larger it continually grows, until at length it becomes a gi-eat river, or like that spark of fire mentioned by St. James, which in the beginning appears very inconsiderable, but in a shoi't time consumes the greatest buildings, and spreads ruin and deso- lation on every side. How difficult, then, must it be for the detractor to repair the injury he has done, and to heal all the wounds his envenomed tongue has inflicted ? The sins of a whole multitude are his sins, and he may be said to detract with as many mouths and as many tongues, as through his means co-operate to destroy the re- putation of his neighbour. How will he be able to expiate such evils ? How will he disabuse all those to whose eai'S his malicious report has reached, and is to reach after his death ; for it is to be observed, that the scandal does not always die with the de- tractor, but often survives him, so that when his detracting tongue ON THE SIN OF DETRACTION. 357 will be buried in the grave, the reputation he blasted will be still de- stroyed on earth. But though the detractor should be able to repair the reputation he has blasted by proclaiming his own rashness, and publishing to the woi'ld the malice and injustice of his aspersions, is it easy to gain so far on himself as to resolve on such a publication ? And yet to clear his injured neighbour's character, and make a full reparation of the wrong he has done him, he must swallow down all this confusion, and assume the odious titles of a liar, impostor and calumniator, in case he has, in reality, belied his neighbour. But where are the true penitents to be found, who are willing to submit to such an humiliation ? How few will be persuaded to do what lies in their power on this occasion ? It requires no small stock of humility to retract what one has said, and though it should be done, few will believe the retraction. This shews how dangerous a sin it is, and how difficult the reparation of the damage thereby occasioned is rendered by human pride. What is still a con- vincing proof that it is extremely difficult, mortifying, and painful to flesh and blood to retract, after having detracted, and to sacrifice one's own good name in order to re-establish that of another, is this, that nothing in the world is more frequent than detraction, nothing more rare than retraction. Mankind is sti-ongly addicted to this vice, says St. Jerome. It unhappily infests all states, ranks and conditions, inso- much, that even those who have retired to a great distance from other vices, fall into the sin of detraction as into the last snare of the devil. Who is there amongst us, who has not a thousand times heard the character of his neighbour torn and mangled in conversation ? and yet seldom or never has any detractor returned to undeceive us, and make a due reparation, though the obligation is so strict, that no power on earth can exempt the delinquent from it, and so pressing, that it should be deferred, delays herein being particularly prejudical. Since, therefore, detraction is so odious and so dangerous a vice, let me entreat you, my brethren, to guard most carefully against all the different ways it is committed, and the various cloaks with which it is often artfully disguised. Take heed, says the Scripture, Eccles. xxviii. 30, lest thou slip loith thij tongue, and in the sight of thy enemies, ivho lie iti unit for thee, and thj fall be incurable unto death. We are even cautioned in the Holy Scripture against keeping company with detractors. My son, says the Holy Ghost, Prov. xxiv. have nothing to do ivith detractors, for their destruction shall rise suddenly. And again, Surround thy ears with thorns, and hearken not to a wicked tongue. Make a door for thy mouth, and locks for thy ears. Hast thou heard a ivord against thy neighbour, let it die within thee, Eccles. xix. 1 0. O Divine Jesus ! infuse into our hearts the spirit of true charity, that we may never lessen our neighbour's reputation by detraction or slander. Give us grace to govern our tongues, to be watchful over all our woi-ds, to avoid rash judgments and malicious reflections, and to walk with cir- cumspection in the way of thy commandments, that after promoting thy honour and glory, and edifying our neighbour here on earth, both by word and example, we may have the happiness to see and enjoy thee hereafter for all eternity in the sacred mansions of bliss. Which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 358 ON THE LOVE OF GOD, TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON THE LOVE OF GOD AND OF OUR NEIGHBOUR. Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo, et proximum tuum sicut te ii3siim — >S^ Luc. c. X. V. 27. Thou shah love the Lord thy God with thy ivltole heart, and thy neiyhbour as thyself. — St. Luke, c. X. V. 27. As tlie sun was created to give light, and the fire to communicate heat, the water to refresh, the air to breathe, the earth to produce its fruits, and these fruits to nourish man^ so man himself was created to love and serve the Loixl his Grod. He has made us for himself, says St. Augustine, and our hearts will be always restless until they repose in him, as the only amiable object that is able to satiate our boundless desires, and render us completely happy. Experience has convinced thousands of this great truth, ancl tauglat them, that even in this life no real content or true hap- piness is to be found but in loving and serving God. The virtue by which we love God above all things is called Charity, and is ranked by St. Paul in the first place amongst the theological virtues, that regard God as their immediate and primaiy object, Faith, Hope, Charity, these three, says the Apostle, htt the greatest of them is Charity. Faith and Hope will cease after this life, but Charity shall subsist for all eternity, to be the glory and joy of the blessed inhabitants of heavenly Jerusalem. Charity is usually stiled the form, the life, the soul, and the queen of all , virtues ; for all the other virtues are so closely connected with it, that they always accompany it, linked, as it were, hand in hand together. When it reigns sovereignly in the heart of a Christian, it animates the whole train of the other virtues, sets them in motion, and reduces them to practice ; it is never idle, but ever active, operative, and laborious ; it is always doing good wherever it is, and where it does not good, there it is not, as St. Gregory tells us. It is to the soul of a Christian what wings are to a bird, says St. Augustine ; it bears it up against all adver- sity, and enables it to soar above all sublunary things, and to surmount all difficulties that occur in the practice of virtue ; it makes it run with- alacrity in the way of the Commandments, and in the road of perfec- tion ; it sweetens all the rigours and austerities of penance and mortifi- cation, and renders the yoke of Christ pleasant, and his burden light and easy ; so that everything he prescribes in the Gospel is performed with pleasure and delight by "a true lover of God, let it appear ever so dis- agreeable to the senses, or repugnant to the inclinations of corrupt nature. Those, indeed, Avho blindly fix their hearts and affections on the toys and trifling enjoyments of this transitory life, are unacquainted with these heavenly charms of Charity ; but give me one, says the great Auo'ustine, who in reality loves the Lord his God as he ought, and he wilf bear testimony of the truth of what I say. Da amantem, et sentit qnocl clico. We have almost as many instances and witnesses hereof as there have been saints in the Church of God, the blessed fruits and happy effects of divine Charity having appeared conspicuous in the whole tenor of their conduct. This virtue is so necessary, that we cannot expect salvation without it, though we should have the faith of an Abra- ham, the chastity of a Joseph, the zeal of a Moses, and the piety of a David. Though I should have faith strong enough to remove mountains, says AND OF OUR NEIGHBOUR. 359 tlie Apostle, thougli I sliould distribute all my worldly substance in alms to feed the poor, though I should even deliver my body to be burnt on the score of religion, yet, if I have not Charity, it would avail me nothing, and I would be no better than a sounding brass, or a tinkling symbal. Charity is the nuptial robe with which our souls must be clothed, in order to be entitled to admission to the marriage feast, or to l^artake of the banquet of eternal glory, that is prepared for the elect in the kingdom of Heaven. The very spirit of Christianity consists in - Charity ; it is by it, says St. Augustine, that the children of God are discerned from the chilclx-en of Satan ; it is the plenitude of the Law, as St. Paul calls it ; it is the chief end of the Law, and the very foundation on which the whole Law and the Prophets depend. Our entire duty and obligation, and the substance of whatever God commands and forbids, is reducible to Charity, and briefly contained herein, for which reason the Apostle says, He that lovetli has fulfilled the Law. There are two precepts of Charity, Avhich, like two branches, sprout from the same root ; one of them regards God, the other regards our neighbour ; and the tendency of both the one and the other, is to bring back our hearts and affections to God, and make vis recover that happy union with him, which mankind lost by the fall of Adam. It is of the nature of those two branches of Charity that I intend to speak in the two parts of the following discourse, it being a matter of the greatest consequence for all Christians to be well instructed in so essential a duty. The manner in which we are bound to love the Lord our God shall be the subject of the first point ; the manner in which we are bound to love our neighbour, shall be the subject of the second point. Let us pre- viously implore the light of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin. Ave Maria. The Law of God, properly speaking, commands nothing but Charity, for this virtue takes in every other duty, and necessarily includes the observance of all the commandments, which made St. Augustine say, Ama, etfac quod vis. Love God, and do tvhat you i^lease. Charity does not consist in certain transient consolations and affectionate motions, wliich sometimes warm the heart with pleasing transports, and are attended with spiritual sweetness and tears of sensible devotion. Per- sons of a lively imagination, and inclined to tenderness, are apt to have such feeling sentiments without having the reality of love ; they some- times fancy that they love God, when in fact they love him not, and only love themselves. Many of the saints never experienced or felt such sensible impressions, and yet they really loved God above all things, and with their whole heart and soul. To persevere in the service of God, though we should happen to find in it no relish, no consolation, is a more certain proof of a generous, disinterested, and solid love. It shews that we love God for his own sake. This holy love covers a multitude of sins in this life, and will be rewarded Avith everlasting hap- piness in the nest life, Avhen the measure of a Christian's glory will be proportioned to the measure and degree of charity that he is possessed of here on earth. The measure of loving God is, to love him xvithout mea- sure, says the devout St. Bernard ; for if love should be proportioned to the goodness and excellence of the thing beloved, the love due to God should be immense and infinite, as God himself is immense, and infinitely exalted above all other beings in goodness and in every other perfection ; consequently, he deserves to be loved with the most emi- 360 ON TUB LOVE OP GOB, nent, the most sublime, and the most intense degree of love, were it possible for us to arrive at such perfection in this place of banishment and vale of tears ; but it is only in Heaven that the actual perfection of Charity will be acquired, when the curtain shall be drawn, and the cloud shall be removed that hides God from us at present. Divided as we now are, between so many distracting cares and engagements, it is not expected from us, weak and imperfect mortals, that our minds should be constantly united to God by an actual and unrelenting fervour, like unto the blessed Angels and Saints, who see him clearly face to face, and perceive such charms in him that they are forcibly, but sweetly attracted by his incomprehensible beauty, and have it not in their power to restrain their love, or to turn their thoughts from him even for a single moment. However, though we cannot pretend to such a degree of fervour, we are indispensably bound, as far as our condition and infirmities here below will admit, to love the Lord our God ivith our ichole soid, with oiir ivhole mind, and ivith all our strength. This is what constitutes the essence of divine charity ; this is the first and the greatest of all the command- ments ; and at the same time that it points out our duty to us, it affords us, as St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom remarks, a sad proof of the miserable condition to which sin had reduced the children of Adam, us they stood in need of a formal precept to press and engage them to love the Sovereign Good and the fountain of all Love. To love him in the manner enjoined by this precept, is to give him eflPectually the first place in our hearts and in our affections ; it is to love him sovereignly, • and in preference to everything in Heaven and on earth ; it is to love him more than ourselves, and better than our own life ; it is to be dis- posed to part with what is dearest to us in this world, rather than part Avith his grace, forfeit his friendship, or offend him by a single mortal sin ; it is to prize, value, and esteem him inwardly in our minds above all things in the universe, and to make him the principal object of our thoughts, the centre of our desires, the beginning and last end of all our pursuits ; it is to employ the faculties of our souls in meditating on his eternal truths, our senses in glorifying him, our tongues in blessing and praising his holy name, our hands, our strength, our labour, and' industry in serving him, and doing good works to promote his honour and glory. The love of him neither admits of superior nor rival ; he claims our whole heart, or will accept of no part of it ; he requires it entirely, without division or reserve ; it is not sufficient to give it to him by halves, as they do who are for serving two masters, God and the world ; God must be the only object of our whole love, and we are not to love any created object with him, finally for itself, but only for him, in him, and with a due subordination to our love for him ; for, as St. Augustine says, L. 10, Conf. c. 29, he who loves anything with God, which he does not love for God, is deficient in loving God, because, as God is the prin- ciple from whence everything proceeds, so he is likewise the centre in which everything must terminate. We are to love him for himself, and we are to love nothing out of him, but for his sake, and with a view and reference to him. For this reason the aforesaid holy doctor compares the love of God to a great river, which is endowed with the tributary Avaters of several small rivulets that flow into it. It is thus that all the different species of well regulated love, whether of our neighbour or of AND OF OUR NEIGHBOUR. 361 ourselves, must, like so many dilFerent rivulets, be all united together in the immense ocean of the adorable perfections of God, by which means we may be truly said to love God in all things, and all things in God, and for God, and less than God. Nothing is more just, nothing is more conformable to the dictates of right reason, nothing can be better adapted to all capacities than this important duty. The poor, as well as the rich ; the ignorant, as well as the learned ; the weak and sickly as well as the strong and healthy, are capable hei-eof, and can neither plead any excuse, nor claim the least exemption. Heaven and earth cry out to us on every side, as St. Augustine speaks, that we are indispensably bound to love him, who is our first beginning and last end. They proclaim his glory and grandeur with a loud voice, and tell us that he is infinitely worthy of all possible love from us and from all creatures. Wherever we tui-n our eyes, we behold visible traces and striking pi-oofs of his goodness, not only in the order of nature, but also in the order of grace, and in the order of glory. From him we have received our very existence, and to his pure bounty we are indebted for all we have and possess. The inestimable benefits of our creation, redemption, sanctification, and preservation, are the wonderful effects of his boundless charity ; they ai'e so many powerful and endearing motives for loving him with a love of gratitude, on account of his goodness to us in this life, and the eternal happiness he has prepared for us in Heaven ; but besides loving him with a love of gratitude on this account, and because he is infinitely good to ns, we ai'e also bound to love him for his own sake, and because he is infinitely good in himself. This is the primary and principal motive on Avhich our love for God is to be grounded, as the love that is grounded on this motive is peculiar to the virtue of charity, which is a pure disinterested love of preference, complacency, and benevolence, whereby God is loved on account of the infinite excellency of his own divine nature, and for his own intrinsic goodness, because he is tchat he is, the most perfect, the most excellent, the most beautiful of all beings ; in short, because he is God, infinitely good in himself. The other two theological virtues are founded upon some of his divine perfections in particular. Faith is founded upon his veracity, hope is founded upon his mercy and power, but charity is gi'ounded upon all his attributes, and embraces him as the sovereign good, infinitly lovely in every perfection. Why then, 0 ye sons of men, cries out the Eoyal Prophet, ivhy do ye love vanity, and grasp at mere illusions ? Why do you run blindly after empty shadows of felicity ? Why do you set your affections on the fleeting joys and perishable goods of a deceitful, trea- cherous world ? 0 come see, and taste hoio sweet and amiable the Lord your God is, and how good to all those ivho love him ! He is the only real, solid and substantial good that deserves to be loved, and that can fix the agitation of the heart of man. He is the source of all goodness, the fountain of all loveliness, the centre of all happiness, and an overflowing ocean of all sweetness, of all charms, of all delights ; all that is delightful, charming, good and amiable in the whole creation, flowing from him, as a rivulet flows from its spring, or as the rays of light proceed from the sun. How long then, O sinners, will you continue to harden your hearts and prostitute your affections on petty toys and trifles ? How long will you be so infatuated as to abandon the fountain of living waters, 362 ON THE LOVE OF GOD, and wallow in tlie muddy streams and putrid mire of filthy carnal pleasures ? All your happiness, both in time and eternity, depends on loving the Lord your God above all things. Why then do you turn your backs to him, and shamefully give a decided preference to a vile creature, to a worm of the earth, to a lump of clay, and to a handful of dust and ashes? Why do you sacrifice your immortal souls to a sensual gratification, to an imaginary point of honour, to a phantom of vain-glory and human applause, to the love of dress, to the vanity of being admired, to a sordid temporal interest ? The great precept of charity begins first to bind us to pay an actual tribute of our love to our Creator, as soon, moi-ally speaking, as we attain the use of reason. This is a debt, an homage, an oifering we owe him as our Sovereign Lord and Master, our first beginning and last end. All the sacrifices of the first fruits that were prescribed in the Old Law, prove that God requii-es the first homage of our hearts, and the first fruits of our deliberate actions to be offered to him. We are commanded, Eccles. xiii. to love Mm all the days of our life. The first that descended from Heaven to consume the sacrifice of Aaron, was an emblem that denoted and inculcated this gi-eat duty ; for, as by the express orders of God, that sacred fire was to be fed both day and night, and to be pre- served constantly burning on the altar of the Tabernacle, so in like manner, charity or the love of God, which is the sacred fire that Jesus Christ brought down with him from Heaven, and which is infused into our souls by the Holy Ghost at the time of our baptism, ought to be constantly kept alive and nourished both day and night on the altar of our hearts, without suffering it to be ever extinguished by mortal sin, or even its fervour to be cooled and weakened by deliberate venial sins. Hence it is that spiritual writers warmly recommended it to all Christiana to excite as many devout acts of divine love as they can in the course of their life, particularly every morning and night, and at the hour of death ; a fervent act of perfect charity or divine love, being the most holy action that man can perform in this life, and so meritorious in the sight of God, that, Avith a desire of the sacrament, it is capable of blotting out the most grievous sins in an instant. Let us now proceed to the second point and second breach of charity, or the love of our • neighbour. The love of our neighbour is an extension of the same divine virtue by Avhich we love God, and has so necessary a connection with the love of God, that we cannot fulfil the first precept of charity. Thou shall love the Lord thy God, without the second, Thou shall love thy neighbour ; for, as in loving our neighbour for God's sake, and upon God's account, we cannot but love God at the same time in the pex'son of our neighbour, so in like manner, if we truly love God we cannot but love our neighbour, who is created after the image and likeness of God, redeemed with the precious blood of his beloved Son, and destined to inherit his eternal glory. God's infinite goodness is the motive both of the love of our neighbour and of the love of God, as they ai-e branches of the same virtue of charity ; and conseciuently, to separate one from the other, is to destroy both the one and the other, and to have no divine charity at all ; as, to divide the motive of faith, by believing one revealed truth and rejecting another equally revealed by the same divine authority, would be to destroy the virtue of faith, and to have no divine faith at all. Hence St. John says, 1 Ep. iv. If any man say, I love God, and hateth AND OF OUR NEIGHBOUR. 363 his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother, ivhom he seeth, how can he love God, lohom he seeth not ? It was a common eiTor among the carnal Jews, who in several pomts gave a false interpretation to the law, to confine the love of their neigh- bour to their friends and relations, to people of their own nation and re- ligious profession, and to exclude all others. Our blessed Saviour was pleased to correct this mistaken notion, and to teach them, in the beauti- ful parable of the Samaritan, that charity and brotherly love is not con- fined or limited, but general and universal, and that it extends itself to all men, whether they be friends or foes, whether they be of the same country and religion, or of a diflferent nation and profession. Matt. v. Luke vi. It is true, there is a certain order in charity to be observed in the concurrence of different persons, who are in real necessity and in equal want of assistance ; for in this case a preference is due to those with Avhom we have the greatest ties of justice, and who are nearest allied to us in blood, or of the same household, as St. Paul speaks, Galat. vi. 10. B ut charity does not stop here ; it extends itself, according to its abilities, to all mankind, without exception or reserve. Our Divine Redeemer seems to have had nothing more at heart than a due observ- ance of the precept of fraternal love and charity ; he began and ended his mission with instructions concerning it ; he called it a new command- ment and his own favourite law, John xiii. and xv. and he chose it to be the badge and characteristic that was to distinguish his disciples fi'om the rest of mankind. It is hereby, said he, tliat all men shall know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another. The Apostles, therefore, took care to inculcate the duty of fraternal love above all things, both by word and example ; and the primitive Christians lived in such perfect imion, peace, and harmony, in the infancy of the Church, that one heart seemed to enliven their bodies, and one soul to preside over all their actions, as St. Luke informs us. Acts, iv. The Pagans, Avho hated their religion, admired their charity ; and, as Tertullian relates, were often heard to say with surprise. See how the Christians love each other ! Their belief, their doctrine, their gospel, is to love their neighbour and to do good to all men ! How little alas ! of this divine vh'tue is to be seen now-a-days in the world ? Was rancour, animosity and jealousy ever carried to a higher degree than at present ? Would one imagine that the Christians of this age are the descendants of the faithful of the primitive Church ? Would not one be inclined to believe that days are already arrived, in which, as Christ our Lord predicted, the charity of man ivould grow old, that imqidty ivoidd abound, and that men would be entangled in wars and quarrels, and live in broils and dissensions, hating, persecuting, destroying and killing one another ? Reason itself dictates, that men who live together in society, should do no wrong or injury to each other, but mutually assist and be service- able to one another. They should imitate that love and union 'that subsists between the members of the same natural body, which do not disagree among themselves, but all combine to give mutual assistance, as St. Augustine remarks. These are the duties which humanity has engraved in the bottom of our hearts, and which the all-wise Creator has implanted in our souls. The Christian religion requires still something more noble, more sublime, more elevated, and more perfect than what nature inspires : for, as St. Augustine says. It has jJerfected nature in regard to charity, and directs Christians to look upon each other as fellow- 364 ON THE LOVE OF GOD, members of the same mystical body, whereof Jesus Christ is the head. The model and rule by Avhich it orders us to regulate the love we owe to our nei"-hbour, is the love of ourselves, because, of all loves this is the strongest, the most sincere, the most constant, the most durable, and the most extensive. "We are commanded to love him, not /or ourselves, or for our own interest, but as ourselves. AV"e are not commanded to love him as one friend loves another, because human friendship is apt to dissolve and dwindle away ; nor as one brother loves another, because brotherly love often changes into a mutual hatred ; nor as a father loves a son, or a son his father ; for we see in the world but too many examples of enmity and rancour, that stifle all the tender sentiments of natural love between parents and their children. The love we are commanded to have for our neighbour must be similar to the love we have for ourselves. This is Avhat is meant by the words. Love thj neighbour as thyself ; they do not imply an equality of love, but only a resemblance, for Charity well ordained begins with ourselves, and then flows upon all that bear the image of G-od, and are redeemed with the blood of Jesus Christ. We must, therefore, learn first to love ourselves, as St. Augustine observes, Serm. 368 ; for if we do not know how to love ourselves, how shall we be able to love our neighbour as ourselves ? It is to be observed, then, that there are two different kinds of love of ourselves ; the one is a vicious criminal love of ourselves and of our bodies, that moves us to gratify our sensuality, curiosity and pride ; it is governed by passion, grounded on the depraved inclinations of nature, and makes us only seek and con- sult in every thing our own ease, pleasure and interest ; like a weight it draws away the heart from the love and allegiance it owes God, to tlie love of created objects. It is of this blind and inordinate self-love that Christ says in the Gospel, He that loves his soul shall lose it. The other kind of love of ourselves is, a just and holy love of ourselves and of our souls, which is directed by reason and religion, and which makes us hate sin, subdue our passions, mortify the flesh and deny our own will, what- ever pleasure it craves contrary to the will of God. To love ourselves with any other love than this is, in reality, to hate ourselves, because it is the way to render ourselves objects of God's hatred, liable to eternal punishment hereafter. This made St. Augustine say, Ep. 176, Ao vian ' can he truhj said to love himself, unless he loves and serves God. It is of this holy and spiritual kind of love that the Gospel speaks, when it assigns the love of ourselves for the standard and the model we must follow in loving our neighbour ; we are to wish and desire unto him all the real happiness and good that we wish and desire unto ourselves, according to reason and the law of God ; we are chiefly to wish him such good things as regard his future happiness and eternal salvation. In short, we are to do hy him as we tvould be done by, Luke, vi. 31, for, according to the remark of St. Gregory, the divine precept of charity comprehends these two great principles of the law of nature : Not to do to another what with reason and in j ustice we would not have done to ourselves ; but on the contrary, to do unto him what in the order of wisdom and justice we would have done to ourselves were we in his situation. These are principles which no one contradicts. The Mahometan, the Jew and tlie Gentile agree herein with the Christian. However, there is a wide difference between the love which the Gospel commands, and the natural love, human affection and friendship, which as our blessed Saviour tells us, Matt. v. subsists amongst the Heathens, who are void of AND OF OUR NEIGHBOUR. 365 divine charity. A love that is influenced by flesh and blood, and grounded only on human resj^ect and principles purely natural, is not sufl&cient for the disciples of Christ. His favourite precept is not fulfilled by any of those different kinds of love, which take their birth from selfish mercenary views, and look no farther than at the private interest, profit, pleasure and conveniency that may accrue from a neighbour. No, my brethren, we must raise our thoughts higher, if we have a mind to arrive at the holy love of charity, which is a pure, spiritual and disinterested love of sincere amity and benevolence. God himself is the motive of it ; it always regards him in the good it wishes and does to others ; it studies only to please him, and seeks no other reward. It is not a mere barren speculative love, that sits only on the tongue, and consists in empty com- pliments, vain offers of service, idle protestations of friendship, or verbal assurances that we wish our neighbour no harm and bear him no ill-will. No, Christians, the love that God commands is an active, practical love, that lodges in the heart, and manifests itself by its effects ; it inclines the soul Avherein it dwells to perform offices of charity, and practices the spi- ritual and corporal works of mercy ; it dries up the tears of the Avidow and the orphan, and relieves those who are a prey to hunger and Avretch- edness ; it clothes the naked, visits and comforts the sick and suffering poor in cellars and garrets, and beholds them with tenderness and com- passion, considering in them the person of Jesus Christ, who looks upon whatever is done to any of his little ones for his sake, as done to himself in person. In fine, the love of our neighbour is best known by what is done for him in his spiritual and temporal necessities, as the love of God is best known by a faithful compliance with our respective duties, and a regular observance of his commandments, according to these words of our blessed Saviour, he that keeps my commandments, he it is that loves me. This is the best sign and surest test of our charity ; this is a more satis- factory proof that we really love God and our neighbour, than any vain parade of exterior professions and verbal declarations can be ; for it is a manifest contradiction to say that we love God and our neighbour, if our works and actions speak a diffei'ent language, and give the lie to our words. Let us then examine ourselves by this evangelical test ; let us, according to the advice of St. Augustine, sound all the secret recesses, and probe the bottom of our hearts, that we may find out the ruling prin- ciple of our actions, and discover what it is that chiefly influences and regulates all the interior motions of our souls ; whether it be a true love for God, or a blind inordinate self-love, which is diametrically opposite to, and subversive of the holy love of charity. How many, alas ! are there in the very midst of Christianity, who, on looking narrowly into the state of their conscience, will find that the profane fire of concu- piscence is burning on the altar of their hearts, and that the sacred fire of divine love has been totally extinguished in their souls for a long series of years, by one or more mortal sins ? How many will discover on close inspection, that they are slaves to some favourite vice, and place their last end in the object of some disorderly passion ? Yet they fancy they love God, and even say they really do ; for, as St. Augustine observes, this is the common language of sinners, as well as of the just; of the lukewarm as well as of the fervent ; of the inhabitants of Babylon, as well as of the citizens of Jerusalem. But their conduct proves, that in fact they only love and idolize themselves, as they have no other object in view, and refer every thing ultimately to themselves without any refer- 366 ON THE ENORMITY AND DISMAL ence to God. If tliey dread sin, it is not because it offends God, but because God punishes it ; if they fear hell, it is not on account of the pain of loss, or eternal privation of God, but on account of the pain of •sense. The eternal flames of hell are the principal evil that alarms and terrifies them. In short, their souls are void of divine love, and only full of the deadly poison of self-love, which is an enemy to the virtue of cha- rity, and one of the greatest obstacles to a Christian's progress in divine love ; for in proportion as it is indulged and cherished in the heart, it obstructs the effusions of grace and the operations of the Holy Ghost. On the contrary, in proportion as self-love is restrained and weakened by the opposite virtue of self-denial, the pure love of God will triumph and reign sovereignly in the heart, and inflame it with chaste affections. O God of Love, 6 Spirit of Charity, replenish our souls with ' this hea- venly virtue. O Sun of Justice, make the light of thy mercy shine upon us, and vouchsafe to dart a bright ray of thy grace into our hearts, that, as the sacred lire of the Old Law was re-kindled in the days of Nahe- miah, so in like manner, the spiritual fire of charity may be re-kindled and lit up in our souls by a speedy and sincere repentance. O may we even now begin to love thee with our whole heart and soul, and pay off the long arrears of love we owe thy infinite goodness. May Ave never cease loving and serving thee here on earth, till we have the happiness to see and enjoy thee in Heaven, where charity reigns in her full lustre, and is the joy and gloiy of the blessed. This is the happiness that I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON THE ENOKMITY AND DISMAL EFFECTS OF MORTAL SIN. Jesu, Prseceptor, miserere nostri — St. Luc. c. xvii. v. 13. Jesus, our Master, have mercy on us — St. Luke, c. xvii. v. 13. The Gospel of this day informs us, that ten poor men, covered with a, leprosy, recurred to Jesus Christ for relief in their distress. The feeling sense they had of their misery made them solicitous to procure a remedy for their corporal infirmities. They were forbidden by the law of Moses to enter into the cities and towns of Judcea, for fear of spreading the in- fection, and commvmicating it to the inhabitants ; wherefore they resolved to watch on the high roads for a favourable opportunity of addressing themselves to our blessed Saviour, and imploring his divine assistance.^ It happened on a certain day, that he was passing through the midst of Samaria, on his way to the city of Jerusalem, in order to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles. The poor lepers having met him on the road,^ to their inexpressible joy, and seeing him ready to enter into a neighbouring castle, they stood at a distance, and raising their voices together, they cried out unanimously, Jes^is, our Master, have mercy on us. This short and humble prayer was so prevalent, that ovir charitable Redeemer was thereby moved to relieve them. No sooner had their unanimous petition reached his ears but it touched his tender heart, and made him look upon them with the eyes of compassion. See, my brethren, how ready the Father of Mercies is to hear the prayers of the humble, and to grant them their request ! However, he did not cure those poor lepers on the EFFECTS OF MORTAL SIN. 367 spot, nor restore tliem to their perfect health in an instant, as on other occasions he was accustomed to do ; but he was pleased to command them to go first and shew themselves to the Priests. Why so? It was, as the Holy- Fathers remark, to inculcate the necessity of Sacramental Confession in the New Law, and to give us to vmderstand, that it is by the ministry of the Priests that God is pleased to remit and forgive sins. It was to teach us that sinners, who in a mystical sense may be called lepers, must, by a sincere and candid confession of all their sins, humbly lay open the state of their consciences to their spiritual guides and physicians, in order to have their souls cleansed and purified from the spiritual leprosy of mortal sin. The Gospel informs us also, that only one of the ten lepers who were healed, returned back to thank his bountiful Benefactor for having cured him from his corporal leprosy. This poor man was a Samaritan, the other nine were Jews, and of the number of God's chosen people. The signal fevour conferred on them all, called upon them all for a grate- ful acknowledgment, yet the Samaritan alone had the gratitude to come back and give glory to God after being cleansed. Wherefore our Sa- viour expressed his displeasure thereat in the following words : Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine ? There is no one found to give glory to God hut this one stranger. His conduct herein was so pleasing to Jesus, that he granted him more than what he at first requested. He had only requested a cure for his body, and Jesus healed the disorders both of his soul and body ; for he enlightened him inwardly with the light of faith, and he cleansed him from the leprosy of sin, saying to him at the same time. Arise and go, thy faith has made thee sound. This plainly shews, that to praise and glorify God for all the benefits we receive, is an indispensable duty, and a just tribute we owe the Divine Majesty for all his blessings, whether spiritual or temporal. Yet how many are there who repay the favours of heaven with the blackest ingratitude ? How few who retain a grateful remembrance of God's infinite goodness, and make him a proper retui'n for his boundless mercy ? Were it not for this great mercy. Christians, you would have been justly condemned to the eternal flames of hell, the very instant you had the misfortune to fall into mortal sin after your baptism. What thanks should you not return to the Lord your God, for his patience in having spared you hitherto, and in still giving you time to repent and recover his grace, whilst thou- sands have been cut off the fiice of the earth by a sudden and unprovided death, and are now actually burning in unquenchable flames for fewer sins than, perhaps, you have committed ? Are you not, then, more in- debted to the mercy of God, for having thus preserved you from falling into hell, than if he had really delivered your souls out of it ? What return do you make him for his goodness to you ? Do you not resemble the ungrateful lepers ? Nay, you are more insensible of your sad and de- plorable condition, O sinner, when you do not recur, like them, to Jesus Christ for a remedy to heal and cleanse your soul, covered all over with the leprosy of mortal sin, which is the most dangerous of all leprosies, and the most dreadful evil that can befal a Christian in this world, as I will endeavour to shew you in the following discourse. The nature and enormity of mortal sin, and its dismal effects and consequences, shall be the entire subject of your favourable attention. Let us previously invoke the divine assistance, through the intercession of the immacu- late Virgin, Avhom the Archangel Gabriel greeted with these words, Ave Maria. 368 ON THE ENORMITY AND DISMAL Sin, in general, is a voluntary offence, or a wilful transgression of God's Law, by thought, word, deed, or omission. Some sins are com- pared in the Scripture to a camel, others are compared to a gnat, or small insect ; some are compared to a beam, othei's to a mote in the eye ; some are compared to ivood, others to straw and stubble, which are easily con- sumed. Some, it says, the just man falls into seven times, others it declares to be odious and abominable in the sight of God, and to exclude for ever from the inheritance of his heavenly kingdom. Hence comes the distinction between mortal and venial sin. Mortal sin is so called, because it kills the soul of the sinner, by depriving it of the life of grace, and making it liable to eternal death or damnation, which is the worst of all deaths. Venial sin is a light offence, or a small breach of the Law of God, and it is so called because it is more easily pardoned. Every sin, be it ever so small, is a great evil in itself, and ought to be carefully avoided, inasmuch as it offends God, though but lightly when compared to mortal sin. But the most pernicious and the most dangerous kifid of venial sins, are those which are committed deliberately, out of an evil custom, attachment, or affection ; for a contempt of them cools the fervour of charity, and leads the sinner on gradually, step by step, towards the total loss of sanctifying grace, and the frightful gulph of mortal sin. The greatest things take their rise from small beginnings. A slight distem- per, disregarded in the beginning, often brings on gx-eat diseases and death. A small sparkle neglected, frequently kindles a great fire ; and drops of Avater gradually multiplied, Avill at length sink the largest ships by their number ; and if a ship be lost, says St. Augustine, Ep. 118; what matter is it Avhether she be swallowed up in the sea all at once, or be gradually sunk by many drops of water entering at a leak, and neglected to be pumped out ? A little motion of anger indulged, led Cain, by degrees, to the hoiTid ci'ime of murdering his brother ; an un- guarded glance of the eye, not minded, dragged on King David to the heinous sins of adultery and muixler ; and an inordinate attachment to money, not corrected in time, brought unhappy Judas to betray his Lord and Master. If venial sin is, thei-efore, to be carefully shunned as a great and per- nicious evil, it follows of course, that mortal sin, Avhich is the sovereign evil, as God is the sovereign good, should be shunned and detested above all things, as God ought to be sought and to be loved above all things. Mortal sin is of all things the most base, the most vile, the most odious, the most ruinous, the most detrimental, and the most abominable ; it is an abomination in its own nature, and a desolation in its effects ; nothing more offensive or more injurious to God; nothing moi'e desti'uctive or pernicious to the sinner ; its malice, its enormity, and its dismal con- sequences, are such as render it the greatest of all evils, and the most deserving of all our hatred and abliorrence. Nay, there appeal's some- thing so excessively monstrous and foul in every cii'cumstance of mortal sin, that neither thoughts can distinctly represent, nor Avords sufiiciently express. It is evident that the grievousness of an injury ahvays rises in proportion to the superior dignity of the person offended above the person that injures him, and therefore, to comprehend the greatness of the injury, we must not only consider Avhat the offence itself is, but likcAvise Aviio it is that is offended, and Avho it is that offends. We are to consider, first, if the person offendcxl be highly exalted in dignity and merit ; se- condly, if the offender be very low, mean and contemptible ; and thirdly, EFFECTS OF MORTAL SIN. 369 if the offence be of its own nature very provoking. The affront that a person distinguished by the most sublime rank, and recommendable by the most eminent qualities, would receive from a man of nothing, for example, if he was trampled upon and treated with sovereign contempt by a common slave, or by one of his own menial servants, it would be judged a very horrid and enormous offence, because the dispropoi'tion and inequality between him who would give that insult, and him to whom it would be given, together with the indignity of an act so contemptuous in itself, would afford some just idea of the enormity of the outrage com- mitted. It is from this clear principle generally acknowledged, that we may judge of the atrociousness of the injury done to God by mortal sin, because all the three aforesaid circumstances which are capable of aggra- vating an offence, meet here together in the highest degree ; for it is God himself, whose dignity is infinite, and whose grandeur is supreme, that is insulted and attacked, and that by a vile miserable creature, by a mere handful of dust and ashes, and by a most grievous offence. Mortal sin strikes directly at his infinite goodness, abuses his infinite mercy, defies his infinite justice, and provokes his vengeance ; malice, insolence, treachery, rebellion, perfidiousness, ingratitude, and a barefaced contempt of his Divine Majesty, are its inseparable attendants and properties. By mortal sin, a poor reptile of the earth impudently raises his head against Heaven, daringly Avages Avar against the King of all Glory, audaciously flies in the face of his Creator, insolently attacks the Supreme Being, presumptuously affronts his Lord and his God, and impiously tramples upon his most sacred laAV. By mortal sin a Christian perfidiously violates the covenant made at his baptism, sacrilegiously breaks the most solemn vows, treacherously dissolves the most sacred ties of fidelity, and basely strikes a league with hell, and subjects himself to Satan ; by mortal sin he repays the goodness of his Heavenly Father, and most bountiful Bene- factor with the blackest ingratitude, and in return for the many signal benefits, fiivours, graces and blessings conferred on him in preference to thousands of others, he renews the passion and death of Jesus Christ, crucifies him over again, and treads under his feet the precious blood of the Son of God, as St. Paul expresses it : In fine, mortal sin implies a barefaced contempt of the living God, as it is a blind preference of some created object or criminal pleasure, before the eternal and Sovereio-n Good, that is infinitely grand, infinitely beautiful, infinitely amiable. By every mortal sin that the sinner is guilty of, he turns his back to his best friend, he forsakes his merciful Redeemer, he parts with his Hea- venly Father, to feed, like the prodigal son, on the husks of swine ; he abandons his Creator for the sake of the creature ; he quits the fountain of living water to plunge in a muddy cistern, as the Scripture speaks ; he barters Heaven for earth, and more perverse than the Jews, who pre- ferred Barabbas to Jesus, he gives the devil himself the preference before Jesus, as TertuUian remarks. Nay, as St. Augustine says, by every mortal sin that he commits, he sells his soul to the devil, and for his salary and recompence he receives nothing but a momentary satisfaction, a brutal pleasure, a filthy delight, a sordid, perishable interest. These are the idols and false gods which the unhappy sinner erects on the altar of his heart, and adores and Avorships there, to the great contempt and injury of the li\-ing God. This is Avhat made the Lord complain, through the mouth of the Prophet Isaias, i. and say, / have reared up children, but 2 A 370 ON THE ENORMITY AND DISMAL they have undervalued and despised me ; I have left nothing undone to pur- chase their affections and gain their hearts, but they have dishonoured me ; they have forsaken and abandoned me ; they have chosen to forfeit my grace and friendship, rather than quit their favourite sins and renounce their evil ways. Are you then surprised, my brethren, that the Lord being thus despised, insulted and outraged by the crying malice of mortal sin, has from time to time manifested his indignation and hatred to it, by inflicting the most severe punishments on the unhappy offenders even in this life. The universal deluge, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by showers of fire and sulphur from the Heavens, with many other visi- ble judgments recorded in Holy Writ, are indeed melancholy instances hereof; but nothing demonstrates the horrid outrage and injury com- mitted against the infinite majesty of God by mortal sin, nothing shews the gi'eat hatred he bears unto it more clearly, than the passion and death of the world's Redeemer. Here we see that one mortal sin of disobedi- ence was so odious, so offensive, so injurious, and so provoking to the Almighty, that the gates of Heaven were thereby shut against mankind, and that nothing less than the humiliation of a pei'son of infinite dignity was required to make condign satisfaction for it ; nothing less than the precious blood of Jesus Christ, true God and true man, was able to cancel it, or to atone for it in the rigour of justice. It is from the bitterness of the remedy, says St. Bernard, that we may form some idea of the base- ness and enormity of mortal sin, and truly judge how horrid and abomi- nable it must be in the eyes of God. And really, were it not infinitely horrid, odious and detestable to the last degree, it would not oblige th$ great God, who is so prone to mercy, and whose very nature is goodness, to condemn to unquenchable flames a soul, made after his own image and likeness, created to enjoy himself for ever, and ransomed with the pre- cious blood of his beloved Son. Such, notwithstanding, is the punishment reserved in the next life for the soul which departs this life in the state of a single mortal sin unre- pented ; for, as the Scripture assures us, the wages and salary of sin is death, the death of the soul here, and a second death or eternal damna- tion hereafter ; hence the Prophet Ezechiel says, xviii. 20, The soul that sinneth shall die. Though incorruptible in her nature, and immortal i-n her own substance, she dies in the presence of God, and becomes more loathsome and offensive than a putrified carcass, from the very instant that she loses God and his grace by mortal sin ; for, as it is the soul of man that gives life to the body, so it is the grace of God that gives life to the soul, and consequently, as the body dies when the soul departs out of it, so, in like manner, tlie soul dies as soon as it is deprived by mortal sin of the supernatural life of sanctifying grace. This made St. Augustine say, that a sinner in the state of mortal sin carries a corse within him- self wherever he goes, inasmuch as he carries a dead soul in a living body, buried therein as in a grave, and exposed every instant to the danger of being buried in hell. O that I was able, cries out this holy doctor, to raise such unfortunate sinners to the happy life of God's grace, and to make them as solicitous for the preservation of the supernatural life of their souls, as they generally are for the preservation and recovery of the transitory life of their perishable bodies ! But, alas ! every one dreads the death of his body ; few dread the death of their souls. Mortal man labours incessantly to stave off his corporal death, though he knows EFFECTS OF MORTAL SIN. 371 it to be unavoidable, and in tlie interim he takes little or no pains to fly from mortal sin, though it is the greatest and most dreadful misfortune that can ever happen to a Christian in this world. To be more fully convinced hereof, we need but consider that whilst a Christian is in the happy state of grace, his soul is a favourite of Heaven, an object of God's complacency, and a living temple and sanctuary of the Holy Ghost ; it is embellished with his heavenly gifts and blessings, enriched with virtues and merits, enlivened with faith, animated with hope, inflamed with divine love, and resembles Jesus Christ by the happy union it has with him, as iron, when it is penetrated and inflamed with fire, resembles the fire itself, and glows and shines with its heat and brightness. But no sooner is moi'tal sin committed, but the soul is ren- dered a sink of filth and corruption, and a receptacle of Satan ; she immediately loses all her former beauty and splendour, fervour and lu.stre ; she is stripped of all her rich and valuable ornaments ; she is robbed of all her spiritual treasures ; she is disfigured, profaned and pol- luted ; she is reduced to a state of poverty and nakedness, and brought to the lowest ebb of misery and wretchedness ; all her accumulated merits are instantly swejit away much after the same manner that a plentiful harvest is at once swept away by a sudden inundation ; for as the Prophet Ezekiel says, xxviii. If the just man idthdraws himself from his justice, the virtues he has practised shall he no more remembered. By falling into mortal sin he becomes God's enemy, a slave of Satan, a confederate of hell, a child of perdition ; in fine, he loses God and his grace, the merits of his past good works, and the glory of Heaven for ever and ever, if he hap- pens to die in that unhappy state ; for it is an article of faith, no less certain than terrifying, that God in his justice has decreed an eternity of torments in hell for every mortal sin that is not washed off the soul by a true and sincere repentance in this world. The unfortunate sinner, therefore, who departs this life in the state of mortal sin unrepented, may bid an everlasting farewell to the kingdom of Heaven, into wliich nothing that is defiled can enter ; he may bid an eternal adieu to the beatific vision of the ever blessed Trinity ; hell is to be the place of his abode for ever and for ever ; infernal spirits are to be his perpetual companions ; incomprehensible torments are to be his everlasting inheritance ; to bui-n Avith merciless devils in unquenchable flames of fire is to be his portion for a never-ending eternity. Such, my dearest brethren, are the dismal consequences of mortal sin, which clearly prove how offensive and inju- rious it must be to God, and how detrimental and destructive to the sinner himself. Should we not conclude, then, that it is our own great interest, as well as our indispensable duty, to fly from it as from the face of a venomous serpent ? Sliould we not resolve from this instant, rather to suffer the most cruel death than ever to be guilty of mortal sin, either in thought, word, or deed ? Should not those who have had the misfortune at any time in their past life to fall into that deplorable state, be always humble in their own eyes, and incessantly use their best endeavours to regain the love and friendship of their injured Creator, and recover the valuable treasure of his sanctifying grace, by a true and sincere repentance ? In the primitive ages of Christianity, one mortal sin was deemed sufficient to make a sinner do penance all the days of his life, and for this reason, the canons of the Churcli formerly enjoined on penitents a rigorous fast on bread and water for the space of seven, ten, nay, fourteen or fifteen 372 ON THE ENOUMITY AND DISMAL EFFECTS, &C. years, for the expiation of a single mortal sin. O what deep impressions should not the consideration of these great truths make on the hearts and minds of those sinners who make so little account of committing sin, that, according to the Scripture phrase, theij drink inufdtij like imter, and continue whole years together in the state of as many mortal sins, per- haps, as they have hairs on their lieads, though they know not but the first time they close their eyes to sleep, they may never unclose them but to view the flames of hell, nor return to their senses but to feel unspeak- able torments ? Is it not stupendous that Christians can sleep thus unconcerned in the arms of perdition, surrounded by as many dangers as they have committed sins, and pursued by as many executioners of God's justice as there are devils in hell, who only expect the final sen- tence of the Sovereign Judge to arrest and torment their souls for ever ? St. Thomas of Aquin says, he cannot comprehend how a Christian can be at rest, or even laugh and divert himself, Avhilst his conscience tells him he is in the state of mortal sin, since the sword of God's avenging justice is in the interim continually hanging over his criminal head, and threatening every instant to strike the fatal blow, and cut the slender thread of life by which he is suspended over the mouth of hell. The dreadful catastrophe of numberless sinners, who are every day surprized and cut off the face of the earth in the midst of their iniquities, the menaces of Heaven, the fear of God's justice, the uncertainty of the hour of death, the many obstacles and difficulties that attend a death-bed con- version, the dreadful judgment that ensues, and the never-ending eternity that depends on the issue of it, are more than sufficient to deter us all from living a single hour in the state and affection of mortal sin. We should seek God, by a speedy and sincere repentance, the very time we have the misfortune to lose him by sin, without suffering a moment to intervene between our rise and our fall. We should endeavour to make our peace with oixr injured Creator, and have immediate recourse to his mercy as soon as we offend his goodness, since otherwise his justice may overtake us when we least expect it, and strike our names out of the book of life for ever. There is not, there cannot be a more dangerous illusion, my brethren, than to procrastinate your conversion upon a project of repenting in the end of your life. No time is more unfit or improper to begin so arduous a task. Many impediments m.ay occcur then, that may prevent the very possibility of repenting, or even of bestowing one serious reflection on the eternal salvation of your souls. A malignant fever, or some other violent disorder may, perhaps, derange your reason, and render you incapable of partaking of the favourable supports of religion, or reaping any benefit from the holy Sacraments of the Church. The only time you can depend on, the only favourable time for you to set about this important work is the present time, whilst you are in health, in your perfect senses, and capable of making some regular preparation, and complying with all the duties of a Christian penitent. Let no one be deceived with false hopes, or flatter himself with the notion that it is never too late to repent ; for though a true repentance never comes too late, yet, as St. Augustine says, a late repentance is seldom true and sincere ; for men generally die as they live ; their death is commonly of a piece Avith their life. Such as the tree is, such also is the fruit. Such as the grain is that is sown in the earth, such likewise is the crop. A man who dies, is compared in Holy Writ to a tree that falls. The tree. ON THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 373 as St. Bernard observes, commonly falls on that side which has the greatest quantity of branches, as it inclines mostly towards that side. In like manner, sinners commonly fall whatever way they mostly incline. If they foUoAv the natural bent of their evil inclinations without controul or restraint, and habituate themselves to drunkenness, impurity, cursing, swearing, and blaspheming, in all probability they Vvdll fall on that side, and die as they live, drunkards, letchers, cursers, swearers, and blas- phemers. The evil habits to which they are attached, and the favourite vices to which they are addicted, and which they take little or no pains to conquer, will, it is to be feared, follow them to the grave, and accom- pany their souls to tlie bar of Divine Justice, there to rise up in judg- ment against them and plead their condemnation. O may God, in his infinite mercy, preserve every one in this congregation from an experi- mental knowledge of the like misfortune. For this end, my brethren, let me conjure you by the bowels of Jesus Christ, never to live in a state in which you would be afraid to die. Let the just, who are in the happy state of grace, guard most carefully against everything that might occasion them to fall. Let those who, on looking into their consciences, find that they are involved in the state of mortal sin, be alarmed at their deplorable situation, and resolve from this instant not to harbour that foul monster and poisonous viper any longer within their breasts. Let them throw themselves, without further delay, at the feet of God's mei'cy, with contrite and humbled hearts, before the gate of mercy is shut in their faces. We prostrate ourselves before thee, O Father of mei'cies and God of all consolation. We most humbly beseech thee to grant the great gift of final perseverance to those who ai'e already in the state of grace, that nothing either in life or death may ever separate them from the love of thee, or engage them to depart from the ways of justice and forfeit their innocence. Vouchsafe to open the eyes of such as unhappily labour under the guilt of mortal sin, that becoming sen- sible of their miserable situation, they may conceive an ardent desire of being freed from their bondage, and restored to the sweet liberty of thy children. O may we all begin from this hour to devote the re- mainder of our days to thy service, till we have the happiness to see and enjoy thee in the sacred mansions of eternal bliss. Which I wish you, my brethren, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. A7nen. FIFTEENTH DAY OF AUGUST. ON THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes St. Luc. c. i. v. 48. Henceforth all generations shall call me blessed St. Luke, c. i. v. 48. On this great festival the Church commemorates the happy departure of the blessed Virgin Mary out of this world, and the day of her transla- tion into the kingdom of Heaven, as being the birth-day of her true greatness and glory, the consummation of all the sublime mysteries by which her life was rendered so wonderful, and the crowning of all the eminent virtues Avhich we admire in particular on her other festivals. This mystery is promiscuously called the Passage, Dormition, ia\(\. Assmnp- 374 ON THE ASSUMrTION OF Hon of the Mother of God ; but whether the assumption was of her soul only, or of her soul and body both together, is not a defined article of faith, nor is it proposed to us to be believed as such. It is, indeed, a very ancient tradition and a pious belief, that soon after her death her body was re-united to her blessed soul, and assumed or taken up into Heaven by a singular privilege before the general resurrection, which is to take place at the end of the world ; for if the Almighty dispensed with Henoch and Elias in the general sentence of death at the usual time ; and if, on the day of Christ's resurrection he raised to life the bodies of several saints, who made part of his triumphant ascension, when, as St. Paul says, he led captivity captive, why may it not be allowed, and piously believed, that the blessed Mother of God might be likewise exempted from the common decree, and dispensed with to anticipate the time of the general resurrection of the dead at the day of judgment, especially, since this privilege is not so particular, nor so extraordinary as other privileges and favours bestowed upon her ? Not only the bodies, but even the garments of the three Hebrew children, were pre- served from being burnt by the flames of the fiery furnace of Babylon. Was it not then becoming, that the immaculate body of the Mother of the world's Eedeemer should be preserved from being corrupted in the grave, and becoming a prey to devouring worms like the bodies of other mortals ? St. Augustine tells us, that he could not entertain an idea of the corruption of the body of the Mother of God, and that it would be shocking to express it. Sentire non valeo, dicere p)erhorresco. Several other holy Doctors of the Latin and Greek Church are of the same opinion, and do not hesitate to assert, that a preservation from the corruption of death, and a speedy assiimption to glory, was due to that sacred body of which the Son of God took human flesh. However, the object of the present festival is still the same, whether this favour was confen-ed on her or not ; for, as we honour the depar- ture of the other saints out of this world, so we have reason to honour the departure of the blessed Virgin, and to pour forth our souls before the Lord in holy transports of joy, praise, and thanksgiving for the super-eminent degree of grace and glory to which his infinite mercy has exalted her. To inspire you with the like sentiments, and to excite your devotion to her, I will endeavour to shew you how solid this devo- tion is in its principles, how salutary in its effects, how acceptable to God and beneficial to mankind, when it is performed according to the spirit of the Church. In the first part you shall see on what this devo- tion is grounded, and in the second in what it consists. Let iis pre- viously implore the light and unction of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of this spotless Virgin, greeting her for this purpose with the angelical salutation, Ave Maria. The devotion which the Catholic Church pays to the blessed Virgin, is so well grounded both upon reason and religion, that it is amazing how it can be opposed by any who make profession of Christianity ; for reason as well as religion teaches us, that the friends of God, who have a near and close relation to him, or who have been elevated by his grace to an eminent degree of perfection, sanctity, and glory, should be ho- noured for his sake, and respected on his account. Let honour he given, says St. Paul, to ivhom honour is due, Rom. xiii. V. The Mount whereon Moses stood, and the Decalogue was published, the Sacred Vessels, the Temples, the Churches, the Communion Table, the Books of the Holy THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 375 Scripture, and the like inanimate things, which are consecrated to the divine service, ought to be respected and revered on God's account, and for the reference they have to him. St. John the Baptist professed his respect for the hitchet of our Saviour's shoes, and the sick woman in the Gospel revered the hem of his garment, and Avas miraculously cured by touching it with respect. What honour, what respect and veneration, should we not pay then unto that animated Temple of the Holy Ghost, that precious vessel of election, that most distinguished favourite of Heaven and spotless Virgin, who, in preference to all other creatures, was singled out and elevated to the high dignity and eminent rank of Mother of God ? Must we not be deaf to the voice of nature, must we not be prejudiced in the extreme, destitute of true piety, void of grati- tude, and of the love of Jesus Christ himself, if we do not highly honour and respect the Mother that bore him, and furnished him with the blood that redeemed us all from the bondage of sin ? Does not the dishonour and disrespect that is shewn to the Mother, reflect indirectly on the Son ? The Lord himself honovrs his friends exceedingly, as the Eoyal Prophet observes, Ps. cxxxviii. 16. The Three Divine Persons of the most adorable Trinity, have vouchsafed to honour the blessed Virgin Maiy in a manner that no pure creature was honoured ever since or before. God the Father honoured her in a most singular manner when he destined, elected, and prepared her for becoming the Mother of his only Son Jesus ; God the Son honoured her highly when he descended from Hea- ven, made choice of her for his favourite sanctuary, tabernacle, and dAvelling-place, and was pleased to be born of her in the plenitude of time. God the Holy Ghost honoured her also, when the Lord of all glory was miraculously conceived in her and clothed with human flesh, by the divine and supernatural operation of the Holy Ghost. The Church of God, therefore, being thus authorized by God's own example, and guided by his unerring Spirit, has always held the blessed Virgin in very high veneration, and has in all nations and in all ages since the first establishment of Christianity, justly paid her a religious honour and respect ; inferior indeed, by many degrees, to the supreme honour and worship of Latvia, which is paid to God alone ; but superior to the honour that is given to all the Princes of the earth, and to all the An- gels and Saints in Heaven. Hence it is that so many solemn festivals have been devoted to her in the course of the year, so many cathedral churches throughout Christendom have been dedicated to God under her patronage, so many altars have been erected, so many religious orders and confraternities have been instituted under the invocation of her name, and so many holy doctors and learned writers of venerable anti- quity have, as it were in concert, employed both their tongues and their pens in proclaiming her praises, and in recommending to posterity a true devotion to her, as being not only well grounded and lawful in its own nature, but also as redounding very much to the honour and glory of God, and to the spiritual advantage of the faithful. This extraor- dinary respect and universal devotion of all ages and nations, has been foretold by the blessed Virgin herself about eigliteen hundred years ago, in that celebrated canticle. Magnificat, which she pronounced by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, Lidie i., and in which she expressly pro- phesied, that all succeeding generations shoidd call her blessed, because he toho is mighty had done great things for her. That she should be elevated to the dignity of being the Mother of 376 ON THE ASSUMPTION Of God, was a most stupendous miracle, and tlie higliest honour, the most transcendent rank to which any pure creature was ever raised. Neither Patriarchs nor Prophets, nor Apostles nor Martyrs, nor Angels nor Archangels, nor Cherubim nor Seraphim, nor any of the choirs of blessed Spirits who assist continually befox*e the Throne of God, ever approached so near, or were so closely united and allied to, the Sovei'eign Majesty of God; nay, no pure creature was capable of being elevated to a higher rank, or of bearing a more illustrious title of honour than that of the Mother of God, the Mother of Jesus, our Divine Redeemer. This special favour, this singular prerogative, this super-eminent dignity, and of course every thing that was suitable to it, was reserved for Mary, and for Mary alone, who, preferably to all other ci'eatures, whether visible or invisible, in Heaven or on earth, was chosen to bring forth the Author of life, to give a Saviour to the world, a Victim of i-econciliation to sinners, a Model to the just, and a new nature to the Son of God. It was by her we received Jesus, and with Jesus every thing that is good ; it was in her, and of her that his adorable body was framed ; he took flesh of her flesh, and the precious blood which he offered upon the altar of the cross to his Eternal Father for our ransom, Avas formed of her sub- stance ; so that we may say, that all the blessings of the Old and New Testament were concentered in her, and that mankind is, in some measure, indebted to her for their salvation ; since as St. Augustine remarks, next after her beloved Son Jesus, she has been the principal co-operatrix of human redemption, and the worthiest instrument in the hand of God for crushing the head of the infernal serpent, and for removing the maledic- tion that was laid on us all in punishment of our transgressions. However, though the quality and prerogative of the Mother of Jesus, true God and true man, raised her to so eminent and so exalted a degree of honour, yet it must be acknowledged, according to the holy Fathers, that Mary was happier for her virtues than for her privileges, happier for her sanctity than for her dignity, happier in loving the Lord her God than in having conceived and brought him forth. God's own honour was interested herein, and required that so close and so near a relation should be embellished with the most exquisite gifts of grace which became her high rank, and Mary's fidelity in corresponding with these graces was the measure of her glory, and rendered her so distin- guished a favourite of Heaven, so deserving an object of God's com- placency. It was it that qualified her for supporting the glorious title of Mother of God, and exalted her more in his eyes than all the crowns and sceptres of the world could have done. It was her ardent charity, her angelical purity, her conformity to the divine will in the sharpest trials, her meekness, her patience, and her other transcendent virtues, that the Lord considered and chiefly regarded in the recompence he bestowed upon her, as appears from what Christ himself says, Luke, xi. 28, and Matt. xii. 50. Her reason was never obscured by any passion, for being always per- fectly subject to God, her will was likewise perfectly subject to her reason. No sooner did she know her Creator by the light of faith, but she broke forth into acts of divine love, adoration, praise and thanks- giving. Her heart took fire in an instant, because God's grace found no resistance in it ; and as God's grace increased in her soul without inter- mission, because she never ceased to co-operate with it, so her love for God, and all the other exalted virtues and perfections that adorned her THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 3(7 soul, received proportionably their gradual improvement, and went on increasing in her during the whole course of her life. Hence the Arch- angel Gabriel, sent from the Court of Heaven on an embassy to her, saluted her, not by her own name, but with the most glorious title of full of grace, as if it were her proper name, assuring her at the same time that she had found favour before God in preference to all her sex. Her modesty was such that she even trembled at the sight of the Archangel, announcing to her, in a human form, the happy tidings of man's approach- ing redemption. It was not from the distraction of diversions and Avorldly amusements that he called her aside to deliver his message ; he found her shut up in her oratory, retired from the dangerous occasions of sin, and wholly occupied in the contemplation of heavenly things. The ground-work and foundation of these and all her other virtues, was her sincere and most profound humility. This was her darling virtue, and it was it that distinguished her, made her so acceptable in the sight of God, and attracted the Son of God from the seat of his glory into her virginal womb. It is, therefore, to this virtue alone that she attributes all the signal favours, graces and blessings that were bestowed upon her, as appears from the following words of her Canticle : Because the Lord hath regarded the humility of his handmaid, behold henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. St. Elizabeth, mother of St. John, the Baptist, inspired by the Holy Ghost, called her blessed among women, as being the Mother of the Lord; and she was exalted to this high honour and dignity in preference to all others, because of all others she was the most humble. This was the source of all the precious ornaments of divine grace, and of the rich treasures of supernatural virtues, that Heaven poured forth into her happy soul with a boundless liberality ; nay, her assumption into the kingdom of Heaven was propei'ly the crown, the recompence, and the triumph of her humility. Human weakness should desist here, and stop its enquiries in silent raptures of admiration and praise, without presuming to pursue them in an object which was the astonishment of the highest Angels in the choirs of the celestial hierarchy. These glorious inhabitants of heavenly Jeru- salem might be justly amazed on this occasion, and with reason cry out in the words of the Scripture, Canticle, viii. 5. Quae est ista ? Who is she that cometh u}) from the desert, flowing ivith delights, leaning tq)on her beloved, rising like the morning star, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, and terrible as an army set in array ? vi. 9, for who can comprehend with what honour Jesus Christ received his most holy Mother into his kingdom, and what measure of glory he bestowed on her ? It is presumption to offer to dive into God's secret mysteries, by pretending to fathom the degrees of bliss to which she is raised. Let it then suffice, that we know her glory is now proportioned to the dignity of Mother of God, which she bears, and to the transcendent degree of grace and merits which she possessed on earth. We justly extol her incomparable dignity in being the Mother of her Creator, a dignity which no mortal tongue can suf- ficiently describe ; and we may confidently say, that the glory with which Christ crowned her in Heaven is no less above the reach of our understanding. Pie enriched her here on earth with the most exquisite treasures of grace, when he first chose and exalted her to the super- eminent dignity of being his Mother. We cannot, therefore, doubt but he has exalted her by the most excellent giffs of his glory, not only to the third Heaven, like St. Paul, but above all the Angels and Saints ; 378 ON THE ASSUMPTION OF for, if the Gospel assures us that he abundantly rewards those who, for his sake serve and relieve the least of his members on earth, we may justly conclude that he displays his liberality with the utmost profusion of great gifts in favour of a Mother the most faithful to his graces, the most fervent in his love, and the most constant in his service. He can- not forget the affectionate piety with which she sanctified herself before she conceived him, and during the remainder of her life cherished and served him in his mortal body, and suffered with him by compassion on Mount Calvary ; and now he repays her by the happiness to which he has raised her, and that in a manner so much the more wonderful, as he is infinite in power, love and goodness, and as his ways are infinitely exalted above the ways of all his creatures. Hence, it is, that the fol- lowing words of St. John, in the Apocalypse, xii. 1, are applied to the mystery of the blessed Virgin's glorious assumption into Heaven : There appeared a great wonder in Heaven ; a woman clothed icith the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. The Angels and Saints, says St. Francis of Sales on this text, 1, 3, c. 8, "are " here only compared to stars, and the first of those to the fairest of " these ; but Mary is fair as the moon, and as easily discerned from the " other saints as the sun is from the stars. She is clothed with a glory " transcending that of the other blessed, as the brightness of the sun " surpasses that of the stars : wherefore she is said to receive a crown, " not like that of the other saints, but a crown of twelve stars is placed " upon her head," The Scripture informs us that King Solomon having placed his mother Bethsabee on a throne at his right hand, desired her to demand what- ever favour she pleased, and promised that it should be granted to her, because a son ought to refuse nothing to his mother. Can it be, then, imagined that a Son infinitely grander and holier than Solomon, a Sou who never omitted the least duty of a child to his parent, a Son who came not to violate but to fulfil the very last iota, or the least tittle of the Law ; can it be imagined, I say, that such a Son will refuse any grace to a Mother so holy, so acceptable, so eminently exalted as the blessed Virgin Mary ? Even when she was here on earth, her power of obtaining Avhat she asked was great. A single hint of what she wished for was sufficient to induce our Lord to work a stupendous miracle to supply the wants of those for whom she prayed. It was at her request he wrought his first miracle at the wedding of Cana, by changing water into wine, John, iv. She interceded then and was heard ; Jesus, indeed, observed to her that his hour teas not yet come, and that what she required was not a thing that belonged to him as Man, nor to her as his Mother, miracles being a work of the Divinity, in which the glory of God is rather to be attended to than any natural affection. However he granted her request, and began to work miracles before his hour, in order to please her. If, therefore, her prayers were so powerful then, how powerful must they be now that she reigns with him in the glory of Heaven ? What may we not expect from his mercy through her inter- cession, if we engage her by a true and solid devotion to espouse our cause, and to lift up to the Throne of God in our behalf those pure and spotless hands, which carried our Divine Redeemer here below on earth ? Have we not reason to believe and to hope, that our petitions will be more acceptable and more efficacious, when* they are backed and supported with her interest, and presented by her unspotted hands, than if Ave THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 379 prayed alone by ourselves ? Slie is full of charity, full of mercy, full of compassion, full of zeal for our salvation ; she knows that it was for our sake her beloved Son laid doAvn his life on the altar of the cross. By the light of glory, which she now enjoys, she can discover in the divine attributes many secrets that are impenetrable to nature and hidden from us, as she beholds God clearly and intuitively, and not through a dark cloud and mist as we do. She knows and sees our infirmities, wants and necessities, We cannot doubt of her will to assist us, since her clmritij is not evacuated in Heaven, nor any way diminished, but rather perfected and increased, now that she is inseparably united to him, who is charity itself. Neither can it be supposed that her power is diminished, or that she has lost her interest and credit with her Son, and through him, with his Heavenly Father. On the contrary, the more she is ho- noured and exalted by him, the more powerful and the more prevalent her intercession must be ; so that as her charity is now more ardent and more j)erfected, her power also, and interest, must be proportionably much greater than it was on earth, since she is now confirmed in divine grace, raised to a state of bliss, and crowned with glory at the head of the heavenly host. These considerations are more than sufficient to shew tliat the blessed Virgin is justly entitled to the special respect and parti- cular veneration of the faithful, and that the devotion which the Church pays her is grounded upon a solid foundation ; we cannot, therefore, with any colour of reason, hesitate upon the legality and propriety of it, as will fui'ther aj)pear from a few observations on the nature of it. Our holy religion teaches us, that the essential devotion of every Christian consists in the invocation, worship and adoration of one God in three Persons, and that as God alone is to be adored and worshipped with divine honour, so he alone is to be prayed to as the giver of all good gifts, and he alone is to be served and trusted in as God and the Creator of all things. To give the supreme honour to any creature, even to the blessed Virgin herself, would be a gross error, which the Catholic Church is so far from approving or authorising, that she expressly condemned it in the Collyridian heretics, as St. Epiphanius testifies, T. 3, h. 78. We are sensible that though the blessed Virgin is the purest of God's creatures, she is still no more than his creature, and consequently, she can grant nothing of herself, nor claim any grace for iis in her own right, or in- dependently of the infinite merits of our Lord Jesus Chiist, who is the sole mediator of our redemption, and through whose merciful hands all graces and favours must come. It is for this reason that the following conclusion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, is always understood, if not expressly mentioned in all the prayers of the Church, whatever words they may happen to be addressed in, he alone having a just right, through his infinite merits, to obtain from his Eternal Father, whatever he asks for us, or is necessary for conducting us to the happy end of our creation. All our devotion is centered in God, performed on his account, and re- ferred to his honour and glory ; it begins in him, and terminates in and Avith him, as the first cause and last end of all things ; it is to him we pray and direct our petitions even when we address the blessed Virgin, invoke her intercession, and entreat her to pray for and with us to our common Lord and Creator. Li honouring her, we honour him, because Ave honour her for his sake, and for being honoured and beloved by him; in revering and venerating her we venerate and admire the gifts and graces of God in her person. The honour of God is, therefore, so far 380 ON THE ASSUMPTION OF, &C. from being hurt or diminished thereby, that it is, on the contrary, promoted and increased. It is no dislionour to God to praise him in his saints, and to call upon his Angels to glorify him as the Scripture frequently does. The more the number of his adorers and humble suppliants is increased, the more he is honoured. Is it not evident that every time we beg of the blessed Virgin to be a fellow-petitioner with us, we honour him more, to whom we beseech her to address our prayers, than we honour her, whom we only beg to pray for and with us ? It is also evident that this devotion can be no more said to be derogatory or injurious to the medi- atorship of Christ, than it was for St. Paul to have recourse to the prayers of the faithful, Rom. xv. 30, or for us to beg the prayers of our brethren here on earth, from an humble sense of our own unworthiness, and from a conviction that the -prarjer of the just man 2)revails much tvith God, James, v. 1 6. The Scripture informs us, that God himself has at different times sent sinners to saints, that they might intercede for them, and that by this means they have been frequently spared and rescued from the jaws of destruction, Gen. xx. Numb. xxi. Job, xl. Kings, i. vii. viii. What is more, Christ our Lord seems to have recommended this devotion from the pulpit of the cross, by saying. Behold thy Son; behold thy Mother, John, xix. 26, 27, for, as he was pleased, in his great mercy, to raise us to the dignity of being the adoptive children of his Heavenly Father, and his own brethren and co-heirs of his kingdom ; so, by ad- dressing the blessed Virgin in these words. Behold thy Son, meaning St. John, and in his person all the faithful, who were represented by him, he constituted them the spiritual children of his virginal Mother, and placed them under her patronage and protection, that she might look upon them with the tenderness and compassionate bowels of an affec- tionate mother ; and again, by saying to St. John, and in his person to all the members of the Church, who were represented by him. Behold thy mother, he gave him and us to understand, that he appointed the blessed Virgin the spiritual mother of all the faithful, and as such, that we are to honour and revere her for his sake with all filial piety, respect, and devotion. It cannot be supposed that she forgets these words of her dearly beloved Son, or that she neglects the charge which he thus gave her with his last breath, or that she is no way interested or concerned for our eternal welfare. If the Gospel tells us that the rich man who was buried in hell, whilst poor Lazarus was translated into Abraham's bosom, was so solicitous for the salvation of his five brothers on earth, that he used his best endeavours to prevent their coming into that woeful place of torments, can it be supposed that the blessed Mother of Jesus is less charitable or less zealous in procuring the salvation of those whom he recommended to her care, ransomed with his precious blood, and destined to be one day co-heii-s of his everlasting kingdom ? No, my brethi'en, Mary is both willing and able to employ her interest with her beloved Son in our favour, and to succour us in all our necessities — There is no grace but we may hope for from the divine mercy, through her intercession, provided we render ourselves worthy of her patronage by a true and sincere devotion. Such devotion consists not barely in honouring her with our lips, or invoking her intercession by word of mouth, but, as St. Bernard says, in honouring her with our hearts, and with our deeds and actions ; it consists in following her example, and copying after the virtues of her holy life. It would be an impious pre- sumption to expect to be saved by her intercession, without complying ON THE JOYS AND GLORY OF HEAVEN. 381 with the essential duties of religion, and renouncing those detestable vices, which, according to the Apostle, entail damnation on the unhappy offenders. It is in vain.to flatter ourselves with the notion that she will patronise or befriend us, merely on account of paying her a daily tribute of a few vocal prayers, if in the interim, we continue to lead a vicious, disordex-ly, and scandalous course of life, and to crucify Jesus Christ over again by relapsing into mortal sin. She is, indeed, justly styled the refuge of sinners; but she is not the encourager nor the protectrix of incorrigible rebels and libertines, who persist in the habit of trampling upon the commandments of God, and violating the sacred laws of his Church. She is the i-efuge of sinners, but of repenting sinners, Avho fly from God's justice to the throne of grace and mercy with contrite and humble hearts. Accept, O blessed Virgin, the small mite of my poor endeavours to vindicate thy honour, and promote a true and solid devotion to thee. Hail, O Virgin, full of grace, and Messed among tmmen! IMay we all experience the salutary effects of thy powerful intercession. Pray for us now, we beseech thee, during the course of our mortal life, but particu- larly at the last and fatal hour which is to decide our eternal lot ; stand by us then, as thou didst stand by thy beloved Son when he expired on the cross ; obtain for us the gi-eat gift of final perseverance and the grace of a happy death, that our souls may not become a prey to the malice of Satan, but may be safely conducted into the charming mansions of heavenly Jerusalem, there to join the angelic choirs in singing the immortal praises of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for a never-end- ing eternity, which, my brethren, I wish you all, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, ON THE JOYS AND GLORY OF HEAVEN. Quaerite primum Eegnum Dei et justitiam ejus St. Matt, c, vi. v. 33. Seek first the Kingdom of God, and his justice — St. Matt. c. vi. v. 33. "What a grand and important research is it, my brethren, to seek the king- dom of God and his justice ? This is, without doubt, an occupation the most worthy of a Christian, and to inspire us with courage and resolu- tion our Blessed Saviour holds out to our view a never-fading Crown of Glory, and promises his faithful servants a very great reward in Heaven after the toils and labours of this mortal life. Be glad and rejoice, he says. Mat. v. 12, for your reward is very great in Heaven, It was by the hope of this great reward, that all the saints were animated to spend their days here in the most laborious exercises of penance, and the prac- tice of the most heroic virtues. Expecting the blessed hope, and the coming of the great God, as the Scripture says, they contended to enter in at the narrow gate, and to carry the kingdom of Heaven by an holy violence to corrupt nature ; their glorious examples should contribute very much to influence our conduct, and to excite us to walk in their footsteps, and to labour with assiduity and perseverance for the acquisition of the same happiness which they now enjoy. In vain do you allege your own frailty and weakness, for the saints were mortal men as you ai'e ; they had the 382 ON THE JOYS AND GLORY OF HEAVEN. same passions to conquer, tlie same obstacles to surmount, the same ene- mies, the devil, the world, and the flesh to combat, and you have the same succours they had ; you have the same faith to direct you, the same Gospel to follow, the same duties to discharge, and the same reward to hope for ; you have been made for Heaven like them, to labour strenu- ously here, and to enjoy your Maker for all eternity hereafter. As this is the foundation of your hopes, so it should be the term of your wishes and the end of all your actions and pursuits. What will it avail you to be attached to the enjoyments of this transitory life, and to labour like slaves for the convenience of a few moments, if you leave eternity to the hazard ? What will it avail you to gain the whole world, if you swerve from the end of your creation, and lose your souls ? Does not the whole series of our redemption suppose that the heart of every Christian ought to be strongly possessed with this great principle, that his chief business on earth is to love and serve God in this life, and to aim at being eter- nally happy with him in the next ? To impress your minds deeply with these sentiments, permit me for your greater encouragement, to engage your attention at present with the consoling prospect of the glorious re- wards that await the servants of God in the kingdom of Heaven. In the first point I will shew you, that Heaven ought to be the principal object of your wishes and desires ; and in the second, that Heaven ought to be the grand subject of your labours and pursuits. Let us first implore the divine assistance, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Amen. The many miseries and tribulations which we experience from the cradle to the coffin, prove that this world is not our home, but a place of exile and a vale of tears for the unhappy sons of Eve. Yet, alas ! for the most part they resemble the thoughtless children of Israel, who being born in the captivity of Babylon, had no desire or notion of returning to Jerusalem, their native country, but grew fond of their bondage, and fell in love with their chains. If we consult religion, we shall not only be convinced of the strange blindness and lamentable insensibility of such preposterous conduct, but also be furnished with sentiments more noble and more sublime. The Gospel proposes to us an eternity of bliss in the kingdom of Heaven, as a most desireable object, and the most deserving of our attention and highest esteem. It unmasks the imposture of all worldly allurements, and lays open the vanity of all terrene objects ; it exhibits to our view the Saviour of mankind with diadems of glory in his hand, inviting his faithful servants to enter into the joys of their Lord, and to receive the crown of immortality which he pur- chased for them by the effusion of his precious blood. Is not this ani- mating prospect capable of inspiring us with a noble disdain of all the fading' vanities of this miserable Babylon, and of making us frequently aspii'e to our native country, heavenly Jerusalem, in imitation of the Royal Prophet, whose soul frequently longed and thirsted for the Court and Palace of the Lord, as the hart pants and thirsts after the water brooks, according to the expression of the holy Scripture ? The Scripture to accommodate itself to our weakness, sketches out a draught of heavenly Jerusalem, and represents it under the notion of those things Avhich are valued and admired most here beloAV. St. John, in the Apocalypse, tells us, that the Avails of this charming mansion of bliss are of precious stones ; its streets are pure and transparent gold ; its water is the river of life, more clear than crystal, and ever flowing ; ON THE JOYS AND GLORY OF HEAVEN. 383 its light is sucli that it needs neither sun or moon, for God himself shall be its light for ever. O celestial Jerusalem, thou city of God, cries out King David, how loveli/ are thy Tabernacles, and ivhat glorious things are said of thee? Whole volumes have been written by inspired men to dis- play the wonders of its perfections. All that is rich, grand and re- splendent in the creation, has been called in to aid our conceptions and to elevate our ideas ; but after all it must be acknowledged, that no tongue can express, no person can describe, no fancy can imagine the beauty, the splendour, the grandeur and magnificence of this glorious and divine abode. The great St. Paul, wlio was wrapt up to the third Heaven, tells us that there are such transcendent glories there as the eye has not seen, such transports of pleasvxre as the ear has not heard, and such a fulness of joys as the heart of man cannot conceive. The light of the sun, and the fixed stars, and all the glories of this universe, are but faint shadows, feeble representations, and weak glimmerings of the incom- parable splendours which encompass the throne of God on every side ; there is light behind light ; there is glory within glory. It is certain, that our imaginations cannot be carried too high when we speak or think of the splendour and magnificence of that glorious and heavenly palace, where the whole art of creation has been employed to manifest the divine poAver and wisdom in the most magnificent manner ; for what must be the architecture of infinite power under the direction of infinite wisdom ? With what skill, with what glorious designs must that sacred habitation be beautified, where omnipotence and omniscience have so singularly exerted themselves ? How great must be the majesty of that kingdom where the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords appears in perfect majesty, and discovers himself in the fullness of his glory to the celestial hosts and angelic choirs ? If he has made these lower regions so extensive and magnificent for the habitation of mortal and perishable beings, how extensive and magnificent must be the superior regions of Heaven, where, as the Prophet Daniel tells us, c. vii. thousands of thou- sands, and ten thousand times hundreds of thousands of Angels and Saints, I'lerpetually surround the seat of bliss, with sweet alleluias and canticles of praise ? O could we for a moment draw aside the veil that interposes, and throw a single glance on these divine abodes, how soon would all sublunaiy possessions become tarnished in our eyes, and grow flat upon our taste ? One transient glimpse would be sufficient to captivate our souls, and engross all our fticulties in such a manner, that Edei\ itself, after such a vision Avould appear a cheerless desert, and all earthly charms would seem intolerable deformity. However, though the kingdom abounds thus with an assemblage of all that can be imagined good, grand and delightful, without the least mix- ture of evil, yet it is not in all this, but in the clear vision and eternal enjoyment of God himself that the principal recompense of virtue, and the essential happiness of the blessed spirits in glory consists ; they see God there face to face, as he truly is in himself, and are more sensible of his divine presence than we are of the presence of those whom we look upon with our eyes ; they see him clearly in the very centre of their souls, and by tlie eternal contemplation of his infinite beauty, goodness and other divine attributes and perfections, they are quite inflamed and enraptured ; they shine and gloAv with his brightness, and are set on fire with seraphic flames of love. This love transforms them, in a manner, into the beloved object, and by a wonderful union puts them in possession 384 ON THE JOYS AND GLORY OF HEAVEN. of God himself, and consequently, in possession of all his perfections ; it makes them resemble and become like unto him, as iron cast into a fur- nace, and inflamed with fire, resembles and becomes like unto fire itself. O happy souls ! What can be wanting to satiate their desires and com- j)lete their joy, who thus have within and without them a vast ocean of felicity, with an absolute certainty that this felicity shall be as lasting as an endless eternity. Thousands of years pass away there like a day, and each day gives them the joy of thousands of years ! It is this lasting, this unspeakable happiness, that I propose to your consideration, when I speak to you of the joys of Heaven. O my bre- thren, what a blessed and desirable object is this ? How glorious ! How charming ! how worthy of a Christian soul to covet and thirst after ? Must we not be insensible to the last degree, if we forfeit such unutterable beatitude for a sordid interest, for a vile pleasure in sin ? O let us remember that we are created for a nobler end, born to higher hopes, and invited to a glorious state of immortality. Did we but make it our business to consider attentively what it is to dwell for ever in Paradise with God and his Angels and Saints, to converse eternally with the Fountain of all goodness and sweetness, to Avarble everlasting praises to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to live in perpetual raptures and ecstacies of joy and love; such pious reflections would make us blush at our past indifference, negligence and tepidity, and cause an holy ardour to glow in our breasts. They would inspire us with vigour and activity in the service of God, sweeten every toil and labour, and carry us with pleasure through all the weary stages of our duty. In short, we Avould become all life, spirit and wing, and be wonderfully animated to run with alacrity, as well as with patience, the race that is set before us, as the Apostle speaks ; for every thing that appears light and easy to a Christian who has an Heaven of endless and incomprehensible joys always in view. It was this blessed prospect that sweetened the rigorous austerities, fasts, and mortifications of thousands of Christians in the primitive ages, and that turned the flames of martyrdom into a bed of roses. What tortures has not the barbarity of tyrants formerly invented to torment a St. Laurence, a St. Andrew, a St. Stephen, and numberless others" ? They were raised on gibbets, fastened to crosses, extended on wheels, plunged into caldrons of boiling oil, broiled on gridirons and burning coals, and yet, in the midst of all their excruciating pains, what had they in their mouths but canticles of joy and thanksgiving, and prayers for their cruel persecutors ? From whence came this courage, this strength more than human ? It Avas because they beheld the Heavens open over their heads. They beheld Jesus Christ, their Chief, presenting them with Crowns and Palms of Glory. At this sight, at this consoling prospect, they lost all other feeling. The hope of reigning eternally with Jesus Christ in the kingdom of Heaven, sweetened the bitter chalice of their sufferings ; this was the cordial that gave them new life and spirits, supported them imder their severe trials, made every labour seem light, every pain delightful, and rendered death, in its most terrifying shape, desirable and acceptable to them. Hence the Scripture relates, that the zealous mother of the seven brothers, IMachabees, who suffered a most cruel martyrdom under King Antiochus, cried out to the youngest of her seven sons in the midst of his torments, 0 my child look tip to Heaven and take courage ; suffer ON THE JOYS AND GLORY OF HEAVEN, 385 witlx constancy for a little while, that you may be happy for ever with your God ; your sufferings will soon have an end, and a Crown of Glory will be the prize of your victory, and your great recompense for an endless eternity. O let me entreat you, in like manner, my brethren, to have your faces ever turned towards heavenly Jerusalem, and to make it the principal object of your most sanguine desires, and the grand subjects of your labours and pursuits. Never, says St, Augustine, never lose sight of that blessed country for which you have been created. Eaise your thoughts frequently alDOve this world, and ascend in spirit into that true Land of Promise, which your blessed Redeemer has purchased for you at the expense of his blood. Take a serious view of that sacred mansion of bliss, and nothing will be able to shake your constancy, or prevail on you to depart from your duty. You will not grow weary in the service of God, nor betray such sloth and reluctance in complying with the precepts of the Church, and discharging the obligations of your respective states, if you have the immense joys of Heaven always before your eyes. The labourer would faint in the vineyard if he was not cheered by the sight of the recompense he expects to receive. When you look up to the great recompense that is in store for the servants of God, you will account as nothing all the trouble and pains you undergo in this life, for the sake of obtaining life everlasting. Every thing you do and sutler on this account will appear no more than a shadow, that bears no manner of proportion with an happy immortality. Nay, you will be astonished that the divine bounty grants so great a salary, so immense a reward for so little labour, for such trifling pains. To obtain eternal rest would deserve eternal labour ; to purchase an happiness without bounds, we should be willing to suffer for ages. Yet God, in his great mercy, does not require us to labour so much, or to suffer so long ; he does not require a million or a thousand years, or even five hundred, but only desires us to labour the few years that we live on earth, during Avhich he promises that the dew of his consolations shall not be wanting, and assures us that he will afterwards recompense our labours and our patience with a glory that has no end. He does not say, you shall not be partakers of my kingdom, unless you withdraw yourselves from all society, unless you distribute all your worldly substance among the poor, luiless you spill your blood for my sake, luiless you perform many great and extraordinary exploits ; but he has declared in the Gospel his acceptance of the widow's mite, and he has promised us his kingdom upon the most easy terms, and for the smallest good works, even for a cup of cold water given for the love of his blessed name, and for a moment of light and supportable tribulations suffered for his sake. He is satisfied with the perfection of our ordinary actions and common duties. He requires of us but a virtuous life, which the Avhole world may easily ])ractise Avith the aid of his grace, and the practise of which contributes even to render this present life more pleasant and more comfortable, since, as the Scripture says, A good conscience is a contimud feast. O how happy then are we, my brethren, to have so good a Father to deal with ? What a pleasure, what a comfort it is to serve so boun- tiful a master, who does not overlook the least good action that we do, but grants the greatest of all blessings to his faithful servants, and infallibly crowns with glory those who persevere to the end ? What 2 H 386 ON THE JOTS AND GLORY OF HEAVEN. greater enconragement can we desire to make good use of our time, to embrace every favourable opportunity of merit that we daily meet with in our respective states, and to treasure up for ourselves incorruptible treasures in Heaven, before we ai*e overtaken by the fatal night of death ? Where is our faith, where is our zeal, if we continue any longer in a cold indifference for Heaven, and blindly place our hap- piness in the transitory enjoyments of this present life ? O children of men, cries out the Eoyal Psalmist, how long will you be heavy of heart ? "Why do you love vanity and seek after lies ? Shall nothing but woeful experience open your eyes, and make you sensible of the folly of pursuing empty shadows, trifling toys, gilded phantoms and painted bubbles ? O could you but hear the woes and lamentations of those unhappy souls, who heretofore placed their last end in created objects, and now justly feel the weight of God's vengeance in the unquenchable flames of hell, you would be soon disabused and stand convicted of your error ; for they would tell you, that it is downright folly and madness to fix your hearts and affections on the false security of temporal advantages ; they would tell you, that those who seek their happiness here below are woefully mistaken, and will meet with nothing but disappointment in the end ; for though they should enjoy whatever this world can affoixl, the most pleasing and the most delightful, if at the hour of death they change their shining apartments on earth for a grave in the gloomy regions of hell, all their past pleasures and enjoyments will serve only to renew the sad remembrance that it was once in their power to obtain the kingdom of Heaven. On the contrary, though all the miseries and suffering that ever befel the whole species of human nature should be centered in one person, if in the end he saves his soul and gains the glory of Heaven, he must be pronounced happy for all eternity. What can rouse you, my brethren, from your insensibility, if all this does not? Will you labour incessantly to acquire perishable riches, and to rise and flourish in this world, and take no pains to purchase the joys of Heaven and merit crowns of immortal glory? If the labour deters you, O let the great reward animate you, cries out one of the Fathers of the Church, liemember that the labour is short, the recompence eternal. Remember that Heaven is worth infinitely more than you are able to do or suffer for it. All your pretended difficulties and imaginary hardships will soon vanish like a shadow, if in your spiritual combats, sufferings and penitential exercises, the thoughts of eternal glory be always present to yoiir mind. It Avill encourage you to undertake eveiy thing, to un- dergo every thing, to accomplish every thing for the sake of enjoying God for ever in his heavenly kingdom ; for if the hopes of enjoying Eachael made fourteen years hard labour appear sweet and agreeable to the Patriarch Jacob; if the prospect of possessing a country overflowing with milk and honey raised the drooping spirits of the children of Israel, and animated them to undertake and pursue a most painful journey of forty years tlirough the desert, shall not the hopes of enjoying God in the true Land of Promise, and of seeing his glorious and beautiful Majesty for all eternity be suflacient to inspire us with courage and resolution to surmount every difficulty that attends a virtuous life, and to perform with alacrity every duty that religion dictates and prescribes? O celestial Jerusalem ! May we forget ourselves before we forget that ON THE HAPPY STATE OF GHACE, &C. 387 thou art our inheritance and our blessed hope. 0 may we reject with Christian disdain all the solicitations of this sinful Babylon, and despise all the fleeting joys of this transitory life. O may we make thee the chief object of our contemplation, the centre of our desires, the grand subject of our labours, the principle of our joy and consolation during the time of our mortal pilgrimage here on earth. O God of all glory ! God of all goodness ! Fountain of all sweetness ! when shall we come and appear before thee in that happy kingdom, where thou art the crown and the great reward of thy servants ? O when shall we arrive in the lovely tabernacles of thy glory, and contemplate thy infinite beauty, face to face, without the intei'position of either cloud or mist ? O give us grace, we beseech thee to comply with the conditions that are necessary on our part, in order to be entitled to eternal happiness. Strengthen our faith, increase our hope, inflame our charity, and grant us the great gift of final perseverance, that being enriched with the treasures of thy grace here, we may be re^jlenished with the riches of thy glory hereafter. Which is the blessing I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Avien. FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON THE HAPPY STATE OF GRACE, AND THE UNHAPPY STATE OF SIN. Et resedit, qiii erat mortuus, et crepitloqui — St. Luc. c. vii. v. 15. And he that ivas dead, sat up, and began to speak — St. Luke, c. vii. v. 15. The subject of this day's Gospel is a renowned miracle wrought by our Saviour, in favour of a widow's son whom he was pleased to raise to life near the city of Naim, in Galilee ; for, as the Evangelist informs us, when Jesus on a certain day was approaching with his disciples near the gate of the aforesaid city, he met a multitude of people accompanying the funeral of a young man lately deceased. Having observed among the crowd, the disconsolate mother of the young man following the corse with an aching heart, and lamenting the death of her only son with a flood of tears, the tender bowels of his infinite mercy were moved to compassion, and so sensibly affected that he desired her to desist from weeping, and went over towards the bier on which the corse lay, and having touched it with his sacred hands, he said : Young man, I say to thee, rise up ; which words he had no sooner pronounced, but the dead man immediately came to life, sat up, opened his eyes, and began to speak in the hearing of the astonished multitude, to the inexpressible joy of the poor widow his mother, who glorified God for having raised her, son to life, and restored him to her in perfect health. This afflicted mother bewailing the corporal death of her son, was a figure of our holy mother the Church, overwhelmed with grief and affliction for the spiri- tual death of as many of her children as unhappily plunge themselves into the dismal state of mortal sin ; which is called mortal, because it kills the soul of the sinner by depriving it of the supernatui-al life of sanctify- ing grace, and rendering it liable to eternal death and damnation, according to these words of the Scripture, The wages and salary of sin is death ; the death of the soul here, and a second death hereafter. 388 ON THE HAPrY STATE OF GRACE, 0 wliat a dreadful evil must mortal sin therefore be ? What a fright- ful change does it cause in the soul of a Christian ? What a long train of misfortunes does it entail on her ? To excite you to an utter abhor- rence of so foul a monster, and to a due esteem for sanctifying grace, is the design of the following discourse. In the first point, I will lay before the signal advantages of living in the happy state of grace, and the sad consequences of falling from it into the dismal state and affection of mortal sin. In the second point I will shew you, by what means the grace and friendship of God may and ought to be recovered, when un- happily forfeited by mortal sin. Let us previously implore the divine assistance, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, greeting her with the Angel, Ave Maria. St. John, the beloved disciple of our Lord, could not refrain from transports of holy joy, admiration and astonishment, when he reflected on the eminent degree of honour, dignity and happiness, to -which Chris- tians are elevated at the time of their baptism' by the sanctifying grace of God. See, cries out this Apostle, what charity God has given us, that we are named, and in reality are raised hy the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the high rani: of being the children of God ! That we should even be admitted into the number of God's servants, would be an honour prefer- able to that of swaying a royal sceptre, and wearing an imperial crown. What an incomparable honour and dignity must it then be, to be raised to the rank of the children of God, and of course the friends of God and heirs of his heavenly kingdom ? Should we not conceive a due esteem for, and set the highest value on this glorious quality, this noble title, this super-eminent dignity, which has been conferred on us, through the merits of Jesus Christ, at the baptismal font. Should we not labour Avith all possible care to support this dignity, to preserve this grace, and live vip to this august character, which is far superior to all the glory of Solomon, to all the grandeur of the greatest monarchs of the earth, and to all the temporal advantages that the world can oifer us ? Though we were masters of all the treasures of the earth, it would be better to risk them all, nay, even to foi'feit them all, rather than hazard the loss of God's grace by mortal sin, or to fall thereby from the high rank of his children, his friends, and the heirs of his eternal kingdom. Whatever other loss we may happen to sustain, whatever other disgrace we may incur, whatever other misfortune we may meet with, it is but trifling and insignificant in compai'ison of the loss, misfortune and disgrace, that is incurred by falling into mortal sin. We lose nothing worthy of our regret, provided we do not lose the grace and friendship of our God. As long as we continue united to him by sanctifying grace, we may be truly said to be rich and happy, though we should be stripped of all the goods of fortune, and of all the enjoyments of the world. As long as we continue in the happy state of grace, we find in it, in a supei'-eminent degree, whatever the malice of our most inveterate enemy could deprive us of. In this blessed state a Christian possesses his God, who is the whole happiness of the Angels and Saints in Heaven. In this blessed state his soul is a living temple of the Holy Ghost, embellished, beauti- fied, and enriched with celestial gifts and blessings. In this blessed state God is his joy, his ti-easure, his portion, his inheritance, his asylum, his consolation in all adversities, and in him alone he finds all that can be the object of his most sanguine wishes and desires : so that he may then truly say with St. Francis, My God and my AIL He may exult with AND THE UNHAPPY STATE OF SIN. 389 the devout recluse in tlie desert, and say, The world may Indeed strip me of the external goods of fortune, hut no one can take away my God from me. On the contrary, whilst a Christian is separated and divorced from God by mortal sin, he is really poor, abject, wretched and miserable, though he should be possessed of the most ample fortune, and exalted to the highest degree of worldly honour that is attainable here on earth. From the very moment he falls into mortal sin he ceases to be the favourite of Heaven, a child of God, and an heir of Ms eternal glory ; he becomes in an instant God's enemy, an object of his hatred, a victim of his justice, a slave of Satan, and a confederate of hell. He is de- graded, disinherited, and divested of all right and title to everlasting happiness. His soul is no longer a sanctuary and temple of the Holy Ghost ; it is profaned and defiled by mortal sin, and rendered an abo- minable sink of filth and corruption. From one of the most noble beings in the creation it becomes one of the vilest, one of the most despicable of all creatures ; it loses all its former beauty, is stripped of all its noble prerogatives, robbed of all its spiritual treasures and precious ornaments of grace, and reduced to the lowest ebb of poverty and nakedness. Nay, mortal sin, reduces the unhappy sinner to a kind of nothirig in the order of grace, or rather to a state absolutely worse than nothing, or that of not being at all, as King David remarked, Avhen opening his eyes to behold the disorders of his soul, he cried out in Ps. Ixxi. 0 Lord, ivhat a dreadful change has sin wrought in me, as soon as a blind passion got the better of my reason, and took possession of my heart ! I found myself by a just desertion of thy grace reduced to a mere nothing, and I did not know it. Hence St. Paul, 1 Cor. iii. could not find a more energetic expression to represent the nature of sin, than by calling it nothing. If I have not charity, says he, if I am not in the grace of God, / am no- thing ; though by the force of my faith I should transport mountains, and suffer the most racking tortures, it avails me nothing, if I am void of charity, and stripped of the grace of God. Whilst we are united to God by sanctifying grace, and ingrafted on Jesus Christ like the branches of the vine that are joined to the trunk, all the good actions that we deliber- ately perform are acceptable to God, and meritorious of life everlasting. Every act of virtue that we do in the interim acquires for us a new de- gree of grace, and entitles us to a new degree of happiness ; and, con- sequently, as many virtuous actions as we perform in the state of grace, so many Crowns of Glory are reserved for us in the kingdom of Heaven. This is a consoling truth, that should engage us to live always in a state of grace, since we thereby have it in our power to amass for ourselves immense treasures of merit in Heaven, and thus render ourselves eter- nally great, eternally glorious, eternally happy. But alas ! it is equally true, that if we have the misfortune to incur the displeasure of God, and forfeit his sanctifying grace by mortal sin, we not only lose the merit of all our past good works as long as we continue in that unhappy state, but also we become like unto withered and lopped oft' vine branches, which draAV no juice from the root, and are therefore incapable of bearing fruit ; for as 'in a state of natural death, it is impos- sible to perform any vital function or action of life ; so in the state of spiritual death or mortal sin, we cannot perform any action of spiritual life, or meritorious of life everlasting. Hence the Prophet Ezechiel says, c. xxviii. If the just man loithdram himself from his justice, the virtues he has 390 ON THE HAPPY STATE OF GRACE, practised shall he no more rememhered : The Lord will make no account of them, nor recompense them in the order of glory, unless they revive and recover the life of grace by a true repentance. As for the good works that are performed in the state and affection of mortal sin, they never revive or recover the life of grace, as they were never animated by it ; they are dead in the sight of God, void of condign merit, and unworthy to be entered in the book of eternal life, or ranked in the number of those virtuous actions to which the upright Judge has promised a Croivn of Jus- tice, as the Apostle speaks. However, a sinner is not for this reason to omit the practice of good works, or to neglect the duties of religion, because he has unhappily fallen ; for, though the works that are done in the state of mortal sin are not worthy of God's complacency, nor meri- torious of life everlasting, yet they are not altogether unprofitable, but rather of great advantage, because they may contribute to withdraw the sinner from the dismal gulph of mortal sin, and dispose him for the sacraments of reconciliation ; they are the only resource he has then left, and therefore, far from neglecting the practice of such works, or trans- gressing the general obligations of Christianity, because he is in mortal sin, he should for this very reason redouble his diligence ; he should fast and pray the more, he should give more abundant alms to the poor, and apply himself with greater ardour to the practice of good works, in order to avert the wrath of God and soften his justice. Who knows, says the Prophet Jonas, if the God of mercy will not be thereby touched and engaged to look down with pity on the sinner, and grant him the grace of a true repentance. It was by such dispositions that the Niniv- ites averted the indignation of Heaven, and the humble publican obtained mercy and pardon ; and it is also by similar means that every sinner ought to labour to rise out of the abyss of mortal sin, and rein- state himself in the grace and friendship of God, as I will shew you in the sequel. What you are to resolve upon, my brethren, when you have unhappily lost God's grace, and fallen into mortal sin, is, to hasten without delay to repair your loss, and to rise from the dismal death of sin by a speedy and sincere repentance ; for to defer applying this healing balsam will only serve to add to your misfortune, to widen the dreadful wounds made by sin, and to render your cure the more difficult ; it will serve only to strengthen your fetters and to remove you farther from God, farther from the way of salvation. If by imprudence or mistake you had lost the good graces of an earthly monarch, or incurred the anger of some powerful friend, to whom you are indebted for many signal favours, and who could easily oppress you with the weight of his power, would it be necessary to exhort you to have recourse to every means in your power in order to appease him, and re-establish yourselves in his favour ? Your own interest, and the apprehension of feeling the effects of his anger, or of losing the advantages that might be expected from his bene- volence, would sufficiently press you to recover his friendship without loss of time. If robbers had entered into your house at night, says the Prophet Abdias, v. and had carried off all that was precious and valuable therein, how great would your trouble and concern be ? With what speed and diligence wovild you not pursue them, in order to recover what they had carried off? When you are attacked by a dangerous fit of sickness, do you not endeavour to remove the cause of your complaint, and to re-establish your health with speed, with care and solicitude ? AND THE UNHAPPY STATE OF SllSf. 391 You do not wait for the last extremity to call in a physician and apply for a remedy. You submit to the most painful cures ; you swallow the bitterest pills ; you sutler the shai-pest operations of physic and surgery. Should you not be more diligent, more impatient, more solicitous to recover the grace of God, and the spiritual life and health of your soul ? Should you not be more grieved and concerned for the loss of it than for any other loss whatever ? Is it not the greatest of all losses ? Is there any thing so rigorous or so painful in the salutary remedies of penance and mortification that you should not willingly undergo, in order to heal your spiritual maladies, and re-establish yourselves in that haj)py state of grace from which you fell ? As soon as you are sensible of your fall, you should rise, with the prodigal child, and return to your God and your Heavenly Father without delay, at the first call of grace which invites you to return to him. If you seek him immediately, whilst he is not far distant, you may find and regain him without any great difficulty ; but if you wait until he retires far from you, it is only by extraordinary efibrts that you will be able to recover his favour and friendship. Hence the Prophet Isaias says, seeJc ye the Lord ichile he may le found ; call upon him while he is near, Iv. 6. Do not delay to answer him as soon as he calls on you ; never defer until another time to follow his inspirations. If he stretches out his hand this day to assist you, embrace the offer readily j if he strikes at the door of your heart, let him have admittance imme- diately ; if he casts on you a glance of his merciful eyes, make use of it, as Peter the Apostle did, to weep bitterly for your crimes, and to wash them off by tears of a sincei*e repentance ; for if you hesitate and let slip the precious and decisive moment of grace, you will run the risk of never meeting the same favourable opportunity again. The day, perhaps, will come, when you may in vain cry out for mercy ; for mercy abused is. often changed into inflexible justice. Thousands of sinners have been convinced of this terrifying truth by woeful experience ; relying on the deceitful hope of the time to come, and referring their conversion to a future day, as if they were masters of futurity, or could command the grace of God whenever they were willing to demand it, they have been justly disappointed ; their projects have been baffled, and their vain expectations blasted ; their days have been cut short, and they have been hurried out of the world by a sudden and unprovided death, at a time when they least expected it. This was the case of the five foolish virgins men- tioned in the Gospel : they dallied and neglected to trim and furnish their lamps when the bridegroom called upon them, and therefore they found the gate of mercy afterwards shut in their face; all their tears and entreaties were not sufficient to procure them admittance ;, they were justly excluded from the nuptial banquet; the bridegroom, became inflexible, and condemned them to be banished out of his sight for ever. This plainly shews how dangerous it is for a sinner to procrastinata- the great work of his reconciliation with God, and reject the heavenly- calls and graces, by which the Father of Mercies invites him to return: speedily to a proper sense of his duty. Your God at present says to you^, my brethren, by the preachers of his Gospel, what the Angel formerly- said to St. Peter in the prison. Surge velociter, Arise with speed. Throw off the shackles and fetters with which you are bound ; disengage your- selves from the galling yoke of sin under which you miserably groa' ^ Eenounce those detestable habits of drunkenness, impurity, detraqU' jn' 392 ON THE HAPPY STATE OF GRACE, &C. injustice, cursing, swearing and blaspheming, by wliicli you ai-e enslaved ; sleep no longer in the arms of perdition, but rise without further delay out of the lethargy of sin, and Jesus Christ will enlighten you ; he calls on you by those pious emotions Avhich he at present excites in the bottom of your hearts ; he calls upon you by those celestial rays of light which he darts on your understanding ; he calls on you by the good thoughts and secret inspirations which you inwardly feel ; he calls on you by the many edifying examples you behold, and by the salutary instructions and exhortations which are delivered to you from the chair of truth. If you reject all these graces and prove deaf to all these calls, your neglect and contempt of them may, perhaps, fill up the measure of your iniqui- ties, and put the last seal to your eternal reprobation. The Lord, pro- voked by your obstinacy and resistance to his gracious calls, will, perhaps, in his turn, shut his ears to your entreaties, and be deaf to your petitions, when you will wish to return to him and to implore his mercy ; he will, perhaps, refuse you his powerful assistance in the hour of your greatest distress, and let you die in your sins, according to these words of the Scripture, Prov. i. 24, / have called upon you, and you have refused to hear me ; you have despised all my counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions ; I ivill also, in my turn, laugh at your destruction, and 7iot hear your cries in the hour of your tribulation, and again, John, vii. 34, You shall seeJc me, and shall not find me, and you shall die in your sins, viii. 24. If, therefore, any in this congregation should happen to be so unhappy as to be involved in the guilt and affection of mortal sin, let me conjure them to hasten to the throne of grace tvith confidence, that they may obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid, Heb. iv. 16. Let me entreat them to open their eyes before they are opened by the scorching flames of hell, and to repent in time, lest they may have reason hereafter to repent in vain for a never-ending eternity. The precious blood of Jesus will cry out to Heaven for mercy, and Avill plead their pardon and wash away their sins, provided they sincerely unite their voice, their hearts and penitential tears with it. O Blessed Eedeemer, do not suffer us to be so ungrateful to thee or so cruel to ourselves, as to frustrate the designs of thy mercy through our own obstinacy. Grant, we beseech thee, the gift of perseverance to those happy souls which are already in the state of grace, and the gift of a true contrition to those who are labouring under the galling yoke and miserable bondage of sin, that being restored to the sweet liberty of thy children, and being united to thee here by grace, they may be united to thee hereafter in the kingdom of thy glory, for ever and ever. This is the blessing that I wish you all, my bre- thren, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen, ON THE FESTIVAL OF ST. AUGUSTINE. 393 TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY OF AUGUST. ON THE FESTIVAL OF ST. AUGUSTINE. Sapientiam ejus enarrabunt geutes, et tandem ejus enuntiabit Ecclesia Eccle- siastic, c. xxxix. V. 14. Nations shall declare his wisdom, and the Church shall shew forth his praise Eccl. c. xxxix. V. 14. On this clay we solemnize tlie glorious memory of one of the most illus- trious doctors and most eminent saints that ever adorned the Church of Jesus Christ, I mean the great Augustine, who was great indeed by the many excellent qualities which he received from nature, but greater by those that divine grace favoured him with ; great by his prodigious talents, greater by the good use he made of them ; great by his learning, greater by his humility ; great in tlie esteem of all nations, greater by many degrees in the sight of the Lord. In him we plainly see that man, though weak and insufficient of himself, is capable of the greatest exploits with the assistance of God's grace. Whoever considers the wonderful change the grace of God wrought in him, the boundless liberality with which it was bestowed on him, the exact fidelity with which he corres- ponded with it, and the unparalleled zeal with which he defended it, must acknowledge that he was a prodigy of divine grace in every shape, and that there is no saint after the great St. Paul, to whom those words of the Apostle are more applicable : By the grace of God I am ivhat I am, and his grace has not been in vain in me. Not unlike the supreme planet of nature, this bright and transcendent genius was eclipsed for a time, and involved, in his early days in the dark errors of infidelity, until, as the Scripture phrase expresses it, God commanded light to shine forth from the darkness, and dispersed the thick clouds wherein he was enveloped. Yes, my brethren, it was the all-powerful hand of God, that wrought this wonderful change in Augustine, and opened his eyes by the lu- minous rays of his grace, which, when it pleases, is able to triumph over the proud spirit of man, and purify the most corrupt heart in an instant. It can form sons for Abraham out of the hardest rocks, and convert vessels of mud and vessels of ignominy into vessels of gold and vessels of election. From a deluded sinner, and a blind abetter of Maniche- ism, it converted the young Augustine into a mirror of sanctity, and a most illustrious luminary of the holy Catholic Church ; so that I may venture to say, that the errors of Augustine's youthful days serve only as shades to set off the lusti-e and beauty of his eminent virtues, and to render the triumph of divine grace the more conspicuous in him. By his wisdom and learning he became a pillar and support of the Church, and of its chief ornaments by his seraphic piety. It is under these twQ qualities I will endeavour to represent him to you, as they seem to com- plete the cliaracter of our glorious Patriarch ; by the one he zealously defended the truth and propagated the light of the Gospel ; by the other he practised the most perfect maxims, and established the spirit of the Gospel. Behold, in a few words, the plan of the following dis- course, and the subject of your favourable attention. Let us previously implore the assistance of Heaven, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, whom the Angel of the Lord greeted with these words, Ave Maria. 394 ON THE FESTIVAL OF ST. AUGUSTINE. Tagaste, a city in Africa, gave birth to the great Augustine, about the middle of the fourth century, and behekl with joy and surprise the lofty towering sjoirit of her admirable oifspring. Nature was so profuse in bestowing on him her most exquisite gifts, that there was nothing in human sciences but what he attained to by the strength of his genius ; nothing so intricate or abstruse but what his vivacity unravelled. Me- thinks I see him in his early days wandering in the schools of Aristotle and Plato, amusing himself with logical definitions, divisions, sylogisms and categories, running blindly after an empty phantom of glory, and bidding adieu to his native country, in order to give public lectures of eloquence to the first cities of the world, and to gather with raptures the fading laurels and flowery garlands with which Rome, the mistress of polite literature, Avas then accustomed to crown her learned sons. — Young Augustine, being as yet a stranger to Christian humility, courted nothing more than popular applause and the acquisition of a great name, resembling herein the mighty giants, mentioned in the book of Genesis, who undertook the building of a most lofty tower, with a view to aggrandise themselves and render their name illustrious and immortal. Hear him- self afterwards bewailing his folly and blindness in the bitterness of his soul. I sought with pride, says he, what humility alone could make me find ; fool as I was, I left my nest, imagining myself able to fly, and I fell to the ground ! Ah, Lord ! how blind I was, passing from sect to sect, and flying away, like perfidious Cain, from thy face, in order to serve false gods. Whilst he resided at Carthage, and filled that re- nowned city with the fame of his name and the admiration of his learning, he had the misfortvme to fall into the eri'ors of the Manicheans, and having become in a short time a chieftain among them, he gave a new lustre to their impostures by his eloquence. The fall of so great a genius should be a warning to those who presume too much on their own natural abilities, and make their own private judgment the sole rule and standard of their belief; for Avhoever steers by this narrow com- pass in matters of divine faith, and pretends to fathom the profound mysteries of religion with the short line of human reason, will surely be entangled in his own reasonings, like young Augustine, and must expect to wander in errors, to float on uncertainties, and, as the Apostle speaks, to be tossed to and fro by every blast of difierent doctrines, like unto a ship, which, when destitute of pilot and rudder, and left to the mercy of the waves, is tossed about from rock to rock, from shoal to shoal. It was whilst young Augustine was thus plunging blindly into an abyss of errors, that the Father of mercies, and God of all consolation, being moved by the reiterated supplications and abundant tears of the pious Monica, Avas pleased to look doAvn propitiously on him, and to grant him the grace of a true conversion, as he had granted the like faA'our to Saul the persecutor, at the request of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the New Law. A bright ray of divine grace began at length to dawn upon him and disperse his blindness ; the scales fell from his eyes, as the vScripture says of Saul, and like him, he heard a voice from Heaven, that roused him out of the lethargic sleep of sin, and made him resolve, without further delay, to cast ofi" the Avorks of darkness, and put on Jesus Christ ; a melting softness trickled through all his veins ; an unusual tenderness seized on his heart, and a stream of penitential tears began to flow. St. Ambrose, who had foretold his mother Monica, that it was impossible a ON THE FESTIVAL OF ST. AUGUSTINE. 395 child of SO many tears should perish, was destined by Heaven to be the Ananias or spiritual director, who was to conduct him into the path of salvation. The holy bishop preached to him ; Augustine heard the voice of his pastor with docility and submission ; he captivated his understand- ing in obedience to the faith of Christ, and began immediately to relish the pure doctrine of the holy Catholic Church ; the very name Catholic attracted him to her communion. He was wonderfully taken with the majesty of her hierarchy, and the splendour of her worship and sacred ceremonies ; he admired her authority, which, as he remarked, was begun by miracles and confirmed by antiquity, and by a lineal succession of bishops and pastors, descending directly from the Apostles. In short, he embraced her religion, from a full conviction of its being a divine insti- tution, and was baptised in the thirty-third year of his age. No sooner was he received into the pale and bosom of the Catholic Church, but it appeared visibly that he was destined by divine Providence to be a pro- digy in the house of God, and to serve, like the pillar of cloud and of fire that marched before the Israelites in the desert, to make light and splendour march before him, and to kindle flames of charity in the breast of every being. After the example of St. Paul, he began immediately to signalize his zeal against the very sect which he had previouly espoused with so much heat and animosity ; he laid open the monstrous errors of the Manicheans, who had formed a system of religion upon the compo- sition of what was most profane in Paganism, carnal in Judaism, abo- minable in magic, and sacrilegious in heresy ; he combated their impious tenets with the intrepidity of an invincible champion, until he made truth and virtue triumph over error and immorality. In those days hell had opened its gates, and poured out a deluge of several other creeping heresies upon the face of the earth. It spawned an Arius, a Donatus, a Pelagius, an Nestorius, an Eutyches, with a swarm of other heterodox teachers, who, like wolves, under the clothing of sheep, insidiously attacked the flock of Chi'ist, and led multitudes astray by the sophistry of their subtle, captious, and fallacious arguments. But, glory be to God, who has promised never to abandon his Church, this formidable troop served only to multiply the combats, and to signalize the victories of the great Augustine, for he alone, with the grace of God was enough for them all. He was a wall of brass, where all their united efforts split ; he was a buckler, impenetrable to the strokes and shafts of error : he was a two-edged sword, proper to attack falsehood, as well- as to defend truth from its poisoned ari-ows. He pursued all the sectaries of his days through all the various mazes and labyrinths of their pernicious dogmas, until he gave a fatal blow to the many-headed hydra ; he en- countered a faction of above four hundred schismatical prelates leagued together, and to their great confusion he made the arms of truth glitter before the eyes of an admiring world. He confuted no less than one hvuidred and fifty-nine Donatist bishops in a general conference held at Carthage, and persuaded the greatest part of them to return to the pale of the Catholic Church. When all Africa stood afii-ighted at the appear- ance of the dangerous heresy of Pelagius, a Scotchman, who under the pretext of defending free-will against the Manicheans, attempted to sap the very foundation of Christianity, and to introduce a religion purely natural, the zeal of Augustine was roused. As he owed his conversion to divine grace, he could not be silent and inactive, when he saw the grace of Jesus Christ so daringly attacked, and the price of his blessed 396 ON The festival of saint Augustine. Eedeemer's precious blood so sacrilegiously ti-ampled under foot. Where- fore, like another David, he courageously entered the lists with the inso- lent and haughty Goliah ; I mean the presumptuous Pelagius, and after a noble combat of ten years he crushed the head of the British serpent, and raised numberless trophies upon the ruins of his subtle errors. It would be an endless task to enumerate all the labours and fatigues he underwent in defence of the Church, and in vindication of her doctrine against all the emissaries of hell. The subject is too immense for any particular description, and therefore I must confine it to some few general expressions, and be content with drawing the panegyric of our holy Patriarch in miniature. Tlie voluminous writings which he has transmitted to posterity plainly shew, that since the days of the Apos- tles there never was any one more conspicuous, more zealous, or more indefatigable, in maintaining the faith of Jesus Christ, and preserving the true religion in its native lustre. He explained to the utmost what the Gospel contains the most difficult, and expounded the sublime mys- teries of the Trinity, Incarnation, and Grace, as far as mortal man can pretend. General Councils have extracted their canons from his works ; Sovereign Pontiffs have taken their degrees, Universities their decisions, Divines their lectures of speculation and moral dignity. Preachers their sermons and instructions, the Polemic Writers their strongest arguments against every species of unbelievers. Nay, the most learned Christian pens have enriched themselves with the spoils of the great Augustine, and seem, with a kind of emulation, to have displayed their rhetoric in honouring him with the highest eulogiums, and in representing him as a precious vessel of election and prodigy of divine grace, singled out by Heaven to dispel the clouds of infidelity, to unravel the most hidden mysteries, and to propagate the pure lights of the Gospel by his wisdom and learning. Some writers have not hesitated to say of him in the warmth of their zeal, that as all the rays of light which had been dis- persed during the three first days of the creation, were centered in the body of the sun on the fourth day ; so, in like manner, all the luminous points of learning which had been divided during the three first centuries among the successors of the Apostles and the Pastors of the Church, seem to have been centered in the fourth century in the person of the great Augustine. Let us now consider him practising the most perfect maxims, and establishing the spirit of the Gospel, by the sanctity of his life, and the sj^lendour of his eminent virtues. It is what I promised to shew you in the second point. Learning and sanctity, if directed to their proper objects, are the most shining qualities of a Christian soul. This is the double spirit which great men breathe from Heaven, and which fills the mind with wisdom and inflames the heart with love. The great Augustine Avas completely happy in these two characters ; by his learning he shone fortli like a refulgent sun in the temple of God, and was therefore deservedly stiled the Oracle of his age, the Eagle of Doctors, the Tongue of the Church, the Master of Truth, the Trumpet of the Gospel, the Cham- pion of Grace, the Genius and Soul of the National Councils of Africa, the Scourge, the Mallet and Thunderbolt of Heretics, who were never able to withstand the force of his eloquence, or to resist the spirit of wisdom, that spoke through his mouth and wrote with his pen. All the great and solid perfections of a Christian life appeared in him with a beautiful gloss, that edified the faithful and attracted universal esteem ON THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT AUGUSTINE. 397 and veneration. He was not only a Doctor tliat possessed every science, but also a Saint that practised every virtue. He was a good Pastor, who had nothing more at licart than the welfare of his flock. He was a Bishop, who fulfilled all the sacred functions and arduous duties annexed to that high station, with such exactness and fidelity, that St. Paul seems to have drawn his picture, in drawing the picture of a worthy bishop. For the space of five and thii-ty years he resided in the episcopal see of Hippo, like the sun in its meridian, and from thence he diflused the splendour of his doctrine and the rays of his sanctity all over the universe. With the trumpet of the Gospel he laboured inces- santly to overturn the walls of the sensual Jericho, to stem the torrent of iniquity, and to enforce the strict observance of every religious duty. He sacrificed the sweet repose of liis convent, where he enjoyed the comforts of Heaven, to the immortal toils in the Lord's vineyard, in order to promote the glory of God, and to procure the salvation of souls, both by his word and example. Nothing escaped his vigilance and assi- duity ; he roused the zeal of his clergy, regulated the manners of the laity, prescribed rules for arriving at the summit of evangelical perfec- tion, broke the bread of life to the little ones, instructed the ignorant, converted infidels, united schismatics, reclaimed profligates, retrenched abuses, banished vice, restored virtue, and reduced to practice all the works of mercy, both spiritual and coi'poral. It is a rare thing, says St. Bernard, to find a man who seems little in his own eyes, when he appears great in the eyes of the world. But this is no longer a paradox ; for it is certain that Augustine luidervalued and despised himself, when the rest of mankind beheld him with admiration and sounded his praises. Whilst they proclaimed his merits, he Avas accustomed to reply, that God sometimes makes use of feeble means and contemptible instruments to perform the greatest wonders. For his own greater humiliation, and to balance in some measure the sublime idea the world had of his sanctity, with the sincere acknowledgment of his youthful errors, he composed the Book of his Confessions, the read- ing of which gives a person a truer notion of his perfect contrition, pro- found humility, and fervent piety, than all the tongues of eloquence are able to expi-ess. There you will find, that he fulfilled the character of the true Gospel penitent, and that he became a perfect model of self- denial and mortification, dead to the Avorld, to its vanities, to its plea- sures, crucified to Jesus Christ, and enamoured of his bounty. ' When I speak of his repentance, you are not to imagine that it consisted in a few equivocal exercises of piety, or superficial practices of religion. No, my brethren, his repentance was solid, true, and lasting ; his sor- roAv was efficacious ; he never relapsed. It was sincere ; it produced worthy fruits of penance, for he began it in the spirit of humility, and he completed it by charity. A grief universal penetrated his soul, and a love ineffable transported his heart. The penance of his heart was far more aixleut than that of his body, and the emotions of his soul surpassed by many degrees what appeared in his actions. Where is it we shall find one whose heart was inflamed with the rays of divine love like his ? Are not all his writings chequered with the marks of this celestial influence? Who can describe the transports, raptures, and ecstasies of his pious soul in his Divine Meditations, in his Manual, in his Soliloquies, and in his Commentaries on the Psalms of David ? Do but open them wherever you please, and you will see the 398 ON THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT AUGUSTINE. fire of divine love shining in every line ; you will be persuaded that his pious soul breathed nothing but the purest flames of chai'ity; and it is for this reason that he is usually represented with the symbol of a flaming heart, transfixed with the arrows of charity, and casting forth blazing rays of fire as out of a globing furnace. O how often does he bless the happy instant of his return to God ? How frequently does he regi-et every mo- ment he had spent in the oblivion of him ? When shall I see thee, my God ? says he in one of his raptures ; when shall I possess thee Avhom my heart sighs for, and my soul is impatient to behold ? Ah, I loved thee too late ; too late alas ! have I begun to love thee, O Beauty, ever ancient and ever new ! Permit me, therefore, to begin my course again, that every moment of my life may be filled with tokens of my love, or rather consume me at present with the flames of thy eternal brightness, that I may no longer be divided from thee. O eternal verity, it is for thee I languish ; thou art my God and what is not thee is nothing to me. Thou art a thousand times more amiable than the trifles and plea- sures which thou dost banish. I am now full of thee, and rejoice in thee, for thou art my riches and my glory. Thy sacred word assures us, that we know not whether we are vessels of honour or disdain, worthy of love or hatred ; but after examining my heart I feel I love thee, I know I love thee, nor can I doubt it ; nor is my fear servile, or my hopes self- interested. Quench the fire of hell ; I do not dread it because I love thee. Destroy Heaven ; my joy, my felicity is only in loving thee. These and a thousand such like overflowings of the heart, were the con- stant occupations of the seraphic Augustine. Never was a heart occupied with a more active, a more constant, a more grateful, a more tender, or a more universal charity ; never was any genius more artful in finding out ways and means to testify the love he had for God and for his neighbour. Not satisfied with the apostolic labours of three and forty years after his conversion, he carried his views to future ages, and planted a religious order, that it might after his death continue to practice the most perfect maxims and counsels of the Gospel, and spread the grace of salvation to the exti'emity of the known world. The rule he drew up was deemed so wise, so prudent and so pei'fect, that forty-six different orders in the Church have since embraced it, and the religious of his own institution became so numerous in a short time, that, exclusive of the multitudes that emigrated afterwards into the va- rious kingdoms of Europe, there was scai'ce a city or town in Africa without a monastery of one or two hundred of them, even in his own days. May I not then say, as St. Basil was chosen by God to be the founder of religious orders in Asia, and St. Benedict in Europe, so, in like manner, St. Augustine seems to have been chosen to be the patriarch and first founder of religious institutions in Africa. Ecclesiastical writers count among his disciples, a great number of illustrious Saints and learned Doctors and Prelates, besides two thousand five hundred of the religious of his order, who suffered martyrdom in the bloody persecution that was raised by the Goths and Vandals. At length our glorious Patriarch was called from this life to the enjoyment of a better. Ex- hausted with labours, enriched with merits, after enlightening the earth with his glory, as the Scripture says of the Angel in the Apocalypse, he died a martyr of divine love, and sunk, like the phoenix in its native flames, in the midst of the palm branches he had planted and replenished with his own spirit. You have now, my brethren, heard how the great ON THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT AUGUSTINE. 399 Augustine propagated tlie true light and perfect spirit of the Gospel, by his wisdom and sanctity. But what impression should all this make in your souls ? What advantages are you to derive from hence ? If you wish to comply with the pious intentions of the Church in solemnizing the annual festivals of the saints, and announcing the panegyrics to the faithful, you are to admire devoutly the wonders of gi-ace and mercy that Heaven has displayed in their favour. You are, as the Royal Pro- phet directs, religiously to honour, thank, glorify, and praise the Lord in his saints, for the large profusion of the precious graces, gifts, and blessings, which he has vouchsafed to confer on them ; you are likewise to endeavour to render yourselves worthy of their patronage and inter- cession, by following their example, and copying after the virtues they practised here on earth. You will, perhaps, tell me that you are not blessed with the brilliant talents of Augustine, that you are not possessed of his profound wisdom and extensive erudition, that you are not quali- fied like him to be a champion of religion, to argue, defend, prove, dis- pute, convert, and reclaim unbelievers and sinners from their errors and evil ways. But will you tell me that you are not qualified, like Augustine, to correspond Avith the grace of God, to submit to the sweet yoke of the Gospel, and to hearken to the voice of the pastors and spiritual guides who have been appointed by Jesus Christ to lead you into the ways of salvation ? Will you tell me that you are not qualified to become good Christians and Catholics, or to believe all that Christ has taught, and practice all that he commanded ? Will you tell me you are not qualified, like Augustine, to cast off the works of darkness, and renounce those detestable habits of drunkness, cursing, swearing, and blaspheming, which render so many unfortunate sinners, a disgrace to Christianity, a scandal to the Church, and a reproach to their profession. Though, my brethren, you are not endowed with the abilities of an Augustine, yoit are sufficiently qualified to prove and defend the truth and purity of your religion by the most convincing of all arguments, that is, by the purity of your morals and your edifying conversation. You are able to instruct your children and domestics in the fear of the Lord, and to convert and reclaim your strayed brethi-en by your exem- plary conduct. Though you have not zeal enough to aspire to the per- fection of Augustine, you have it in your power to imitate, at least in some degree, his conversion, his repentance, his humility and meekness, his piety and devotion, his love for God and for his neighbour. These virtues are Avithin your reach, and centered in the sphere of yotu- duty, and unless you bear some resemblance of St. Augustine herein, you cannot expect to be favoured with his intercession, nor to be crowned with him hereafter in the glory of Heaven. The same grace that converted and sanctified him, is able to convert and sanctify you, let your case be ever so desperate, let your past sins be ever so numerous. You may still become vessels of election and fa- vourites of Heaven, like Augustine, provided you return to the Lord your God in the sincerity of your hearts as he did, by a speedy, solid, and efficacious repentance. The merciful arms of Jesus Christ are still open to embrace you ; his precious blood will plead your pardon and cancel your sins, if you renounce and detest them, in due time, with a contrite and humble heart. Grant this grace, O Father of mercies and God of all consolation, to 400 ON SANCTIFYING THE SABBATH-DAY. US all assembled here to praise and honour thee in thy saint. "We request it unanimously and most humbly, in the name, and through the infinite merits of thy beloved Son and our dear Redeemer Jesus Christ, and we confidently hope to find acceptance through him in thy sight, and to be adraitted one day into the charming mansions of everlasting bliss, which he has purchased for us by the effusion of his precious blood ; and which, my brethren, I heartily wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON SANCTIFYING THE SABBATH-DAY. Factmi est cum intraret Jesus in domum ciijusdam principis Pharisaeorum Sabbato manducare panem, et ipsi observabant eum — St. Luc. c. xiv. v. 1. It happened ivhen Jesus went into the house of a certain Pharisee to eat bread on the Sabbath-day, and they were watchimj him — St. Luke, c. xiv. v. 1. The Gospel of this day shews us, on the one hand, to what extremes the Scribes and Pharisees were hurried by their excessive pride and great want of charity ; and on the other hand, it represents to us with what patience our blessed Redeemer bore their insolence, and with what sweetness and meekness he endeavoured to reclaim them. It happened that he Avent into the house of a certain Pharisee to eat bread on the Sabbath-day, where the Pharisees took care to be present, not with ii view of listening to his heavenly instructions, but of watching his conduct and censuring his most innocent actions. He foresaw that they would be scandalized at a miracle which he Avas about Avorking, and blame him as a Sabbath- breaker for healing a man ill of a dropsy, who came to implore his divine assistance ; but neither the fear of their censures, nor the evil dispositions of their hearts, were able to hinder our charitable Redeemer from relieving the afflicted and dis- tressed objects who had recourse to him in their necessities, teaching us by his example, that Ave ai'c not to be deterred from our duty, nor draAvu from the practice of good works by the apprehension of being unjustly censured and misrepresented. Tlie Evangelist tells us, that he first asked the Doctors of the LaAV and the Pharisees then present. If it was lawful to heal the sick on the Sabbath-day ? Then he took hold of the sick man, restored him in an instant to his perfect health, and sent him aAvay full of joy, and penetrated Avith sentiments of gratitude. However, in order to remove the unjust scandal Avhich the Pharisees had taken at this miracidous cure, he condescended so far to their weakness as to reason them out of their error, by asking them, if an ox or an ass of their OAvn should happen to fjill into a pit, Avliich of them Avould scruple drawing it out on the Sabbath-day ? This question covei-ed them Avith so much shame and confusion, that they could make no reply in their OAvn defence ; for their insatiable avarice, Avhich was represented by the dropsy that our Saviour cured the poor man of, influenced their reason so far, as to make them conclude that it Avas no violation of the Sabbath to take their ox or ass out of a ditch on tliat day ; but their vanity and excessive desire to distinguish themselves by an exact and rigid observance of the LaAv, together Avith their Avant of fraternal love, made them overlook the distress of their neighbour, and ON SANCTIFYING THE SABCATII-DAY. 401 deem it unlawful to cure him on the Sabbath-day, under tlie specious pretest of piety. Thus it is, that the enemy of mankind often deceives sinners with the shadow of virtue, leaving them the appearance of con- science, and persuading them to scruple at trifles, whilst they neglect the substance and transgress the most essential duties without remorse. The observance of the Sabbath is indeed an important duty ; two extremes, liowever, are to be carefully avoided herein. First, the rigid supersti- tion of the Scribes and Pharisees, who were scandalized at seeing our blessed Saviour pei'forming works of mercy on the Sabbath-day, and at his disciples plucking a few ears of corn and eating tixem, when they passed through the corn fields, and were pressed with hunger. Secondly, the impiety and irreligion of those Christians, who are neither afraid nor ashamed to spend the Sabbath in drunkenness and rioting, in dissipation and licentiousness, in idle amusement and lawless practices, by which they pervert this day of grace and mercy into a day of wrath and perdi- tion. To I'emedy such evils, and to excite you to a religious observance of the Cliristian Sabbath, is the design of the following discourse, wherein I will lay before you, first, the nature and original institution of the Sabbath ; and secondly, the manner in which the obligation of sanctifying it is to be complied with. Let us previously invoke the light and assistance of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Ave Maria. Amongst the various sinful abuses and disorders that reign at present in the very midst of Christianity, there is scarce any one that seems to call more loudly on the Preachers of the G-ospel for an exertion of their zeal, than the scandalous practice of profaning the Sabbath-day. The sanctification of our souls, and the conduct of our lives the other six days of the week, depend, in a great measure, on the sanctification of this day, because a regular observance of it would contribute very much to facili- tate the observance of the other divine precepts ; and on the contrary, a constant transgression of this duty is generally attended with a total neglect and oblivion of the other great duties of religion. Nay, it is hard to conceive how people of business, servants, and other laborious Christians can be said to serve God, and to take proper care of theii- souls, if they do not sanctify the Sabbath-day, because they are en- tangled in worldly cares all the i-emainder of the week, and engaged from morning till night in a continual drudgery, that takes their thoughts off from their spiritual duties, and hinders them from applying theniselves properly to the service of the Lord their God, and to the salvation of their souls. Permit me then, my brethren, to echo and re-echo these words of our Lord in your ears, and to imprint them deeply in your hearts. Remember to keep holy the Sahhath-day. The very terms in which God commands us to observe this precept, indicate its singular importance ; for, not con- tent witli laying a simple injunction on us, as he does in the otlier nine commandments, he cautions us in a particular manner by the word Re- member, which is prefixed to this commandment only, and not to the rest ; and he awakes our constant attention by charging us never to forget this holy ordinance, which plainly shews that it is a law of the highest im- portance, and that it is to be most religiously observed. It is partly a moral and indispensable precept of tlie Law of Nature, and partly a ceremonial and changeable precept of the Mosaic Law. Inasmuch as it points out one particular day in preference to another to be sanctified, 2 c 40Ji ON SANCTIFYING THE SABBATH-DAY. it is a ceremonial precept ; but inasmuch as it directs us to set apart some portion of our time, or to lay out one day in the week for the practice of those religious duties Avhich tend immediately to the worship of the Creator, such as prayer, adoration, praise, thanksgiving and sacrifice, it is a moral and unchangeable precept of the Law of Nature ; for it being impossible for us, in the present order of Providence, to employ our whole time, or to spend every day of the week in these holy exercises, the Law of Nature and the light of reason dictates, that we are indis- pensably bound to set aside some part of our time for these sacred pur- poses, and to devote at least one day in the week in a special manner to the worship of our Maker, and to the spiritual concerns of our souls. Our Avhole time, it is true, belongs to God, and he has the strictest right to our homage every day. We owe oui'selves entirely to him ; it was for the purpose of serving him only that we have been created, and therefore, we are to perform all our works and actions every day, in our respective states, with a view of pleasing and honouring him, and in obedience to his holy will. Besides this general duty of referring all our worldly actions and employments to God's honour and glory, and thus making them subservient to the great affair of our eternal salvation, right reason tells us that, as we naturally allot certain proper times for the sevei'al necessities of our bodies, we should likewise allot certain proper times for the care of our souls, and for paying a special tribute of our homage and adoration to the Divine Majesty. The Law of Nature does not point out one particular time, or one certain day in the week more than another for the performance of these duties ; so that the pre- cept of sanctifying the Sabbath, in this respect, is no more than" a ceremonial precept, liable to be changed both as to the particular day of the week, and the particular manner of sanctifying it, ever since the Mosaic Law was abrogated by the death of our Blessed Saviour, and ceased to be any longer binding as to its ceremonial precepts. The ap- pointment or determination of one particular day, preferably to another, depends on the positive ordinance of God, or of some lawful authority deriving a power from him, to make whatever regulation or change herein, as to the fixed time, that it judges most expedient. The Almighty God himself, who in the space of six days had made Heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things therein contained, was pleased in the Old Law to determine and appoint a particuhir day by an express commandment. From the very beginning of the world he ap- pointed and reserved Saturday, or the seventh day of the week, to be consecrated in a special manner to his honour, in memory of, and in thanksgiving for the great benefit of the ci-eation. He allowed mankind to employ the other six days in the management of their temporal affairs, and worldly occupations and cares ; but as these are apt to draAV the thoughts of mortal men from heavenly things, and hinder tliem from having their minds continually fixed on God's infinite perfections in holy contemj)lation, like the Angels and Saints in Heaven, he blessed the seventh day in particular, and ordered it to be kept holy ; he sanctified it, and called it the Sabhath-day, that is the day of rest, because he then rested from the work of the creation, or ceased from the production of any new species of creatures. However, though the Sabbath-day had been thus instituted and sanctified from the very creation as the birth- day of the world, yet mankind, after the fall of our first parents, having grown languid and slothful in the service of God, the precept of keeping ON SANCTIFYING THE SABBATH-DAV. 403 holy the Sabbath was shamefully neglected for the space of near two thousand five hundred years, according to the testimony of Philo, a learned Jewish historian ; for which reason it became necessary to renew and i*e-establish it in the Law of Moses, when the ten commandments were pviblished on Mount Sinai in two tables of stone. Hence it is that the Lord then expressly said in the third commandment. Remember to keep holij the Sahhath-day, given the children of Israel to understand by the word remember, that the sanctification of the Sabbath was not a new pre- cept, but had been instituted long before that time, and reminding them of the strict obligation they were under to observe it according to its primitive institution, thereby to acknowledge God's sovereign dominion over them, and their own entire dependence on him, and thus prove themselves to be the chosen people and sei"vants of the true and living God. He commanded them at the same time to refrain from all corporal labour and servile works, and not to employ their domestics or servants on tliat day ; no, not even their beasts of burden, lest the use of them might be an hindrance to the due observance of the Sabbath, and that they might learn from thence, to treat their servants, not with cruelty or hard heartedness, but with charity and humanity, since they were com- manded to spare the very beasts themselves, by letting them rest from hard labour one day in the week ; they were not even allowed to kindle fire in their houses, or to dress their meat on the Sabbath-day ; this was to be done on the preceding day. The Scrijoture tells us also, that whilst they were travelling tlu'ough the desert, they were obliged to gather as much of the heavenly manna for their food on every sixth day, as was sufficient to support them on that day, and on the Sabbath, or seventh day, that ensued. And what is very remarkable, the double quantity of manna that was thus gathered on the sixth day, never cor- rupted, as it always did, whenever they gathered more than one day's provision on any other day of the week, the Lord encouraging his people by this miracle, to rely on his providence, and not to be too solicitous about the time to come. To enforce a faithful compliance with this lioly ordinance the more effectually, he promised all kinds of temporal blessings to such as religiously observed the Sabbath-day, and he de- nounced the most dreadful punishments against all transgressors. The book of Numbers, xv. informs us, that he expressly ordered a man to be stoned to death by the people for having gathered a few sticks on that day, which struck such a terror into the children of Israel, that they and their posterity ever after became most rigid observers, not only of the weekly Sabbath, but likewise of the several other great festivals, which God himself ordered them to observe in the course of the year, in me- mory of and in thanksgiving for the great temporal blessings which Heaven had conferred on them. It was in the Apostolic age that the Sabbath was translated from .Saturday, the vSeventh day, to Sunday, the first day of the week. The Scriptures make no particular mention af this translation, though it took place all over Christendom since the in- fancy of the Church, which shews the necessity of admitting Apostolical traditions. However, this tx-anslation of the Sabbath from one day to another made no substantial alteration in the third commandment, inas- much as it contains God's eternal Law, and the moral and natural duty of man ; for in this respect the commandment continues still unchange- able and indispensable, though it was liable to be changed as to whatever was only ceremonial, or inasmuch as it prescribed the seventh day of the 404 ON SANCTIFYING THE SABBATH-BAY. week in particular to be kept llol3^ The best authority we have for the Aveekly Sabbatli being thus translated, and for Sunday being substituted in the New Law in the place of Saturday, the ancient Jewish Sabbath, is the testimony and ordinance of the holy Catholic Church, which being ever guided by the Holy Giiost, wisely appointed the first day of the week to be the Christian Sabbath, and properly called it in the Scrip- ture language, the LorcVs-day, Apcc. i. our Lord having chosen it in pre- ference to any other day for communicating his most gracious favours and blessings to mankind, and for displaying the most excellent works of his wisdom and power, according to the remark of the ancient Fathers. It was on a Sunday that our Lord Jesus completed the great work of our redemption, by rising from the dead on a Sunday, by sending down the Holy Ghost on a Sunday, and by forming and establishing his Church on a Sunday ; and since the work of our redemption is a greater work than that of our creation, the day on which this great work had been fully accomplished, was justly deemed the most proper day in the week to be nominated and sanctified as the Lord's-day, and fitter to be the Christian Sabbath and the day of public worsliip in the New Law of the Gospel, than the day on which God had rested from the work of the creation. Hence it follows that we are equally obliged to keep the Christian Sabbath on Sunday, as the Jews were to keep holy the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday, the divine commandment being in this respect substantially the same, and remaining still in all its force, but in what manner we are to comply with this obligation ? It is what I promised to shew you in the second point. As the day for keeping holy the Sabbath is different in the Nev/ Law from the day appointed in the Old Law, so the manner of sanctifying the Sabbath in the Law of the Gospel is also different from the manner pre- scribed by the Mosaic Law. Christians are not to carry the observance of their Sabbath to a ridiculous degree of superstition, like the Scribes and Pharisees, who censured our blessed Saviour for healing the sick and performing other Avorks of mercy and charity on the Sabbath. Neither are we to be misguided by an erroneous conscience, like the Jews mentioned in the first book of Machabees, ii. who imagined that they would be guilty of a violation of the Sabbath, if in a just war they took up arms on that day in defence of their own lives ; or if they even laboured to extinguish a raging fire that surrounded them on every side and threatened them with immediate destruction ; for since the Sabbath ivas made for man, and not man for the Sabbath, as our blessed Saviour says, Mark, ii. 27, it plainly follows that such things as are really and absolutely necessary for the preservation of our own life, or the life of our neighbour, are not forbidden on the Sabbath-day, but the unborn Law of real necessity and charity to our neighbour may dispense in many things, which otherwise sliould not be done on the Sabbath ; for charity is the end of the law, and therefore no law can hinder Avorks of real charity. Nay, the law of charity and mercy must go before all outward sacrifice and service, according to these words of Christ himself in xii. 7, of St. Matthew, / will have lacrcy, and not sacrifice. The precept of sanctifying tl;e Christian Sabbath, or Lord's-day is jDerfectly clear and explicit on this point. It contains two parts, or is partly an afRrmative precept and partly an negative precept, that is to say, it comm.ands something, and it forbids something ; it commands us to spend the better part of the day in religious duties, or to employ such ON SAXCTIFYIXG TIIK SAI?BATH-DAY. 405 a portion of tlie Sabbatli in spiritual exercises of pietj and devotion, that Ave may be truly said to keep it holij. Hence, besides the various exercises of piety, which are commanded in general, and left to our own private devotion, tliat every one may choose such as are fittest and properest for himself, we are ordered in particular, by the highest spiritual authority on earth, to assist with devotion and attention at the public worship and great sacrifice of the Church, this being the most solemn act of religious worship, and one of the most essential duties of a Christian. However, it is not to be supposed that the Church, in thus commanding her chil- dren to assist devoutly at the holy Sacrifice of the Mass on the Lord's-day, jueans that this is suifieient, since the Church by her precept neither did, nor could ever intend the least derogation from the divine precept of sanctifijinQ the xcliole day ; on the contrary, she ceases not to inculcate the indispensable obligation of perfectly complying with the divine precept in its full extent, by constantly admonishing the faithful to have recourse on the Lord's-day to the holy sacraments and fountains of grace with the necessary dispositions, to meditate devoutly on the sacred mysteries of their redemption, to thank, praise, and glorify the Lord for all his bene- fits, to read pious books and assemble their children and domestics toge- ther in common prayer, to be more liberal than usual in their alms to the poor, and more diligent in performing deeds of charity and works of mercy, both spiritual and corporal. In short, the Church directs us not only to assist with devotion on the Lord's day at the divine service in the forenoon, but likewise to be present at exhortations, catechistical instruct tions, vespers, sermon and benediction in the afternoon, whenever we can, without great inconvenience. As to the negative part of the precept of sanctifying the Lord's day, it forbids all unnecessary servile works, that is to say, all laborious, corporal and mechanical employments, such as are followed by tradesmen and woi'kmen, for payment and hire. In a word, it forbids every thing that is incompatible with the sanctification of the Sabbath, or that may be an hindrance to a religious observance of it, to the end that our hearts and minds, being free from worldly incum- brances, and from the distracting cares of life, may be elevated to the contemplation of heavenly objects, and that we may have no business to take us from attending to the service of God, and to the spiritual con- cerns of our souls. It is for this end that all servile works and worldly occupations are prohibited on the Loi-d's-day, and not to make idlers of mankind, or if such works wei'e intrinsically evil in their own nature. No, my brethren, the time that v/ould be employed at them on any of the other six days of the week, should on this day be spent in such exer- cises of piety as render a day truly holy, and the corporal rest, which we are commanded to observe, should be sanctified and consecrated to God ; for if the rest prescribed on the Lord's-day, was to be a mei'e corporal rest, or a bare cessation from manual labour, it would rather be a disadvantage than an advantage, as it v,'ould serve to discourage industry, and to countenance sloth and indolence. This rest must, tliere- fore, be sanctified in such a manner, that whilst our bodies rest from laborious occupations, our souls may rest in the Lord, which is the true Christian Sabbath, and, as St. Augustine says, Ep. Z^, a figure of the spiritual rest and enjoyment of God on the great and happy Sabbath of eternity, wliich we expect hereafter, and which the Apostle, Hcb. iv. 9, calls the sahhatliizinci of the people of God. 406 ON SANCTIFYIXCr THE SABBATH-DAY. I leave yourselves now to judge liow much those Christians are mis- taken, who imagine themselves to be religious observers of the Lord's- day, if, after sleeping till ten or eleven o'clock in the morning, they spend about half-an-hour in hearing the last Mass, and refrain from servile works the remainder of the day, but trifle it away in sloth and indolence, in idle conversation, in vain amusements, diversions, pastimes and parties of pleasure, in reading novels, romances, play-books and stories of gallantry, in revelling, dancing, card-playing, or the like pro- fiine occupations, which are by no means suitable to the sanctity of the Christian Sabbath. Such people may, perhaps, be deemed to comply with the ecclesiastical precept of hearing Mass, provided they assist at it with devotion and attention from the beginning to the end ; but it is hard to conceive how they can be truly said to comply with the divine precept, Rememher to Iceep liohj the Sahbath-daij, when they keep no more of it holy than the short time that they are assisting at Mass. Surely the Sahhatli-day is not sanctified by idleness or by dissipation ; nor can it be supposed to he kept hohj, as the Lord expressly commands, if only an hour, or half-an-hour of it be kept holy, since an hour or half-an-hour is not the day, but only the twenty-fourth, or the eight-and-fortieth part of the day. If Christians of this description be highly reprehensible and remiss in their duty, how much more culpable must they be who are so far from sanctifying even this small part of the Lord's-day, that they do not allow themselves time to be present at the august sacrifice of the altar, but spend the whole day in such a manner, that they seem to cele- brate a festival of Bacchus, and of Satan himself, rather than the Sabbath of the living God? Christians, let me appeal to your own consciences, not with a view of confounding, but of admonishing you as my dearest bi'ethren in Christ, as the Apostle speaks, how frequently is this day en- tirely devoted to pride and vanity, to luxury and debauchery, to sporting and gambling, to drunkenness and rioting, to intrigues and unlawful combinations ? What shocking scenes of impiety present themselves to our view on every side ? What vollies of horrid blasphemies and impre- cations do we hear resounding from every quarter ? What numbers of drunken men and women do we not meet on the flags, sleeping away the fumes of intoxicating liquors, or reeling along from one side to the other in a condition that disgraces the human species, and degrades it even beneath the brute creation ? Are not the dram-shops and public-houses crowded more on this day than on any other day in the week ? Are not the adjacent streets and public highways often stopped with a multi- tude of spectators, who seem to exult in encouraging their fellow- creatures to strip themselves naked, without the least regard to Christian modesty, and thus to decide their quarrels and disputes, by fighting like wild beasts, and tumbling each other into the channel like dogs ? What groups of unfortunate females and young libertines are seen infesting the common passages, and like so many emissaries of hell, seeking to entrap and ruin the souls that the Redeemer of the World came to save by the eflfusion of his precious blood ? Yes, my brethren, it is thus that the only day which the Lord has specially reserved for his own service, is shamefully devoted to the service of the devil, by several who go under the name of Christians, but to the great dishonour and scandal of reli- gion live worse than Turks. O what a subject of sorrow and affliction must it be to those who have any zeal for the honour of God and the ON SANCTIFYING THE SABBATH-DAY. 407 salvation of souls, to behold impiety erecting its head with such bare- faced eifrontery, and irreligion spreading its baneful influence with such licentiousness ? Is it not enough to call forth the woes, the tears and lamentations of a Jeremiali, to see the Sabbath of the Lord God of Hosts thus abused, moched and derided ? The very day, alas ! that has been instituted for worshipping our Creator, for purifying our souls, and for expiating the sins which are committed on the other six days of the week, is the very day on which the Lord is most grievously offended ; so that what St. John Chrysostom formerly said of some wicked libertines at Constanti- nople, is applicable to several unhappy Christians of this depraved age : There is more wickedness committed by them on the Lord's day, says this holy doctor, than on any other day, nay, perhaps, more than the whole remainder of the week, although nothing is so strictly forbidden on this day as sin, sin being the most servile of all works, as it renders the sinner a slave of the devil. This made St. Augustine say that it would be better to spend the Lord's-day in digging, ploughing, spinning and cai-ding wool, than in committing sinful and immodest tricks at hops and dances. Nay, it is the received opinion of several eminent divines, that sins committed on the Lord's-day are more grievous than if they were committed on any other day, especially if they be external and of a scandalous nature, because the circumstance of this sacred day aggravates the malice of such crimes as are committed thereon, as the circumstances of an holy place aggravates the malice of the crimes which are perpe- trated therein. Let me, therefore, my brethren, once more sound the divine com- mandment in your ears, and impress it deeply on your minds. Remember to leep hohj the Sabbath-dai/. Let me entreat you to beware perverting this day of mercy and grace into a day of wrath and perdition. Let me beseech you to refrain from the servile works of sin, and to practice the virtues of a Christian life every day, but more particularly on this day of purification, this day of sanctification, which belongs to God, that after the toils and labours of this mortal life, you may possess the joys and glory of Heaven, and repose in the Lord for ever and ever ! O merciful Jesus, give us grace to be faithful in discharging all the obligations of this holy day, and wise in reaping all the advantages which thou hast designed on it for the good of our souls. O may we make it our constant study to advance on this day in our way to Heaven, and since it is an emblem of everlasting rest, may we labour on it to withdraw our hearts from the perishable things of this world, and to be united here to thee by fervent acts of adoration, love, praise and thanksgiving, to the end we may be eternally luiited to thee hereafter in the kingdoin of tliy glory. Which is the happiness I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 408 ON THE LOVE OF OUP. NEIGHBOUR. SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, ON THE LOVE OF OUK NEIGHBOUR. Diliges proximuni tiiiim sicut te ipsum — St. Matt. c. xxii. v. 39. Thou shah love thy neighbour as thyself. — St. Matt. c. xxii. v. 39. Of all Christian virtues there is not any one which our Blessed Eedeemer has oftener or more warmly recommended than charity, of which the love of our neighbour is a branch. It is remarkable, that when the youno- man mentioned in the Gospel, asked him what he should do in order to obtain eternal happiness, the Son of God proposed to him no other pi-ecepts but those which concern the virtue of charity, Are you toilling, said he, to enter into life everlasting ? Observe the commandments, thou shall not kill, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not steal, ^-c. In short, thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself. Yes, my brethren, this is the whole scope of a Christian's duty, all other precepts are included in this, and by discharging this one obligation we fulfil the whole Law. Hence, as St. Jerome informs us, when St. John the Evangelist, through the infirmity of old age, was no longer able to entertain his audience with a long discourse, he contented himself with this brief exhortation, Ify hrethren, love each other. The faithful being at length tired of constantly hearing the same admonition repeated, took the liberty to ask tvhy this frequent repetition ? Yf hereupon he made an answer worthy of the be- loved disciple of Jesus Christ : Because, said he, it is the command of the Lord, and the observance of it alone suffices for life everlasting. O divine reason, capable to make an impression on the heart of the most obdurate ? Since, therefore, it is the command of God that we love each other, since our Blessed Eedeemer has so strongly recommended it to us, and made this love the characteristic of his true disciples, it is of the utmost importance to make you thoroughly sensible of this great duty, which is the foundation that all the commandments of the second table of the de- calogue depend on, and to propose to you the model, according to which youlire to exert yourselves in the practice of it. Wherefore the motives that are to induce us to love our neighbour, and the model of this love, shall be the two parts of the following discourse. The motives which are to en"-ao-e us to love our neighbour shall be the first point ; the model of this love shall be the second point, and the whole subject of your favourable attention. Let us previously implore the intercession of the immaculate Mother of Jesus, greeting her with the words of the Angel. Ave Maria. St. Augustine remarks in his twelfth Book of the City of God, that the Almighty created a prodigious number of fishes in the sea, birds in the air, and beasts in the field, as a stock from whence all the i-est should proceed unto the end of time ; but he was willing that all mankind should descend from one common father, to engage us thereby to love one another, to teach all men to regard each other as brethi-en in the order of nature. Though we should therefore resist all the tender sentiments that religion suggests, if we but hearken to the voice of natui'C, it cries out to us^ incessantly, that we ought to love our fellow creatures, to whom we are allied by the ties of blood, and with whom we have an intimate connexion, and live united together in society. The very heathens themselves entertain a reciprocal love and mutual fi'iendsliip for eacli ox THE LOVE OF OUR NETGnEOUI?. 409 Other, and are taunflit by the light of nature, tliat they ought to do by their neighbour as they woukl wish to be done by. This is a duty that reason dictates, instinct inspires, and that the Author of Nature has imphxnted in the centre of our liearts for the best of purposes. How- ever, if we consider the order of grace, we shall find that there is a wide difference between the love that subsists among the Heathens and the love that should i-eign among the faithful. The different kinds of human love and affection are generally influenced by flesh and blood, and spring from selfish views and principles purely natural ; but the love of charity Avhich the Gospel commands, has more noble and more elevated motives, and is the product of faith and grace. It is supernatural in its motives, and universal in its object ; it is an extension of the same divine virtue by which we love the Lord our God. By it we are to love our neigh- bour on God's account, and for God's sake, because he is made after the image and likeness of God, and redeemed with the precious blood of his beloved Son. He is a child of God by creation, and his adopted Son by grace ; for which reason we are ordered in the Lord's Prayer to ad- dress God as our Father. All the works of liis hands are the objects of his love ; but he has a particular tenderness and affection for man, who is the master-piece of infinite art, and who excels amongst all sublunary beings. It was for his use alone that this vast and stately fabric of the universe has been ei'ected, and for his service all other creatures have been destined. Nay, the very Angels themselves, who are the brightest beings of the creation, have been appointed to be the guai'dians of man, to conduct him with security through the paths which lead to life ever- lasting, Are not these cogent arguments and most pressing motives to oblige lis to love our neighbour ? He who is worthy of the love of a God, is he undeserving of our esteem ? You will tell me, perhaps, your neighbour has treated you ill, he has blasted your character, he has stained your reputation by calumny and detraction, he has supplanted you in trade, he has made you appear odious in the eyes of the world, as far as malice could represent you in the blackest colours. But if you listen to St. Paul, he will tell you that this injurious treatment must not cancel the debt of charity, or cause a bi-each of that love you owe your neigh- bour. Hear this reason ; God says, he recommends to us the love of our brethren, because when we were his declared enemy by sin, when we had forfeited all claim, all pretensions to Heaven, Christ became for us a victim of reconciliation ; he died an ignominious death to "redeem us from hell, and to reinstate us in the favour of the Almighty, He ransomed us not with corruptible gold and silver, but at a dearer rate, with his own most sacred blood ; we should, therefore, love even our greatest enemies, in consideration of this love and affection which the Almighty has testified to us. This is what St. John likewise inculcates in the first of his epistles, v/here, after expatiating on tlie infinite love of God tov/ards mankind, in giving for them his only Son as the price of our redemption, he infers from this prodigy of charity the obligation we are under to love one another, I Epis. iv, 11. Consider then, my brethi'en, that man who has offended you, as ennobled, ransomed and all covered with the blood of Jesus Christ, and he will not appear vile or despicable in your eyes. This consideration will lead jou to reason thus with yourselves. This person, whom I hate and despise, is still the object of the tenderness and affection of my Saviour. It was for him, it was for me, tliat this loving Redeemer spilt his precious blood. 410 OS THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR. This should be an indissoluble tie of mutual love and friendship be- tween him and me. I Avill, therefore, no longer bear an enmity to my neighbour, but love every one who is the friend of my Saviour and of my God, since a common friend unites those whom the most violent enmity had separated. Thus it is, that the spirit of charity should influence our conduct ; thus it is that we ai'e to shew ourselves the true disciples of Jesus Christ ; for it is by this test alone that all men shall know us to be his disciples, as he himself declares in St. John, c. xiii. V. 35. What can be more reasonable than that this charity should constantly reign amongst all Christians ? By the grace of baptism and regeneration we are all become children of the same Heavenly Father, members of the same mystical body, supported by the same hand of Providence, and des- tined for the same end, the same eternal happiness. Our blessed Saviour has broken down the wall of separation that stood between us ; he has united us in the same worship, the same faith, the same sacraments, the same doctrine, the same discipline ; he has formed one flock, one Church, one sheepfold out of all the tribes, all the nations of the earth. Are not these so many inducements to bind us closely together with the strictest ties of charity ? How shameful then would it be, to behold Christians unhappily divided amongst themselves ? Must they not be stripped of all these tender sentiments which both nature and religion inspire, if they suffer such a division to take place ? In vain do we flatter ourselves that we love God, when a spirit of discord and disunion, envy, malice, and hatred prevails between us and our neighbour. Whoever declares he loves God, says St. John, 1 Epis. ii. and hateth his brother, is . a liar ; though his life should otherwise seem devout, pure and angelical, he de- ceives you, he deceives himself; his piety is no better than hypocrisy and illusion, if he be void of charity and fi-aternal love for his neighbour. In short, he is no better than a sounding brass, a tinkling synibal, and a mere empty nothing in the sight of God, if he fails to have charity. The distinguishing character of this divine virtue is given by St. Paul, Avriting to the Corinthians, 1 Ep. xiii. Charity, says he,* is patient, is kind, it envieth not either the temporal or spiritual welfare of a neighbour. It does no prejudice to any person, either by its actions or by its discourse. It is not pnfed up, it is not ambitious, nor does it pretend to domineer over the most despicable. It is so disinterested, that it will sooner give up its right than enter into disputes which might disturb Christian peace. If you give the offence, it fancies it has given the occasion ; if you treat it with contempt, it thinks you do it but justice. All the faults that can be excused, it represents them in the most favourable light ; it is afflicted when they are too visible, and is overjoyed Avhen it finds any thing praise- worthy. It does not rashly judge, censure or condemn another, nor endeavour by malicious comments to misconstrue his actions. And turn his virtues into vices. It thinlcs not evil, but believes all that savours of piety to be true and genuine. It suffers without murmur, Avithout complaint. It bears with the most imperfect, and finds even in their failings something that makes them worthy of its indul- gence. God himself is its motive. Neither the indignity nor the ingratitude of men can stop the course of its liberality ; but, in imitation of the great Creator, who causes his sun to shine on the unjust as well as on the just, it dispenses its favours with a liberal hand to the de- serving and to the unAvorthy. The sick and suffering poor, in cellars ON THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR. 411 and garrets, who are tlie most lively instances of human misery, and whose ulcerous bodies, under tattered garments, excite horror in the sjiectators, are the favourite objects of chai-ity's tenderness and com- passion. It still discovers, with the eyes of faith, something in them Avorthy of respect and veneration. The blood of their Saviour, which is the price of their redemption, is an embellishment that makes them agreeable in its sight, and the more nature abhors to approach such disagreeable objects, the more charity is pleased to comfort and assist them. It is the character of human love to seek its own private intei-est ; it shows itself in empty compliments, in protestations of friendship, in offers of service, in deceiving promises, and in all those other disguises which policy has invented to ensnare men by a fair out- side ; but Christian charity is not counterfeit ; its woi'ds do not belie its actions, and its actions are always conformable to its sentiments, because sincerity is essential to it, as the Apostle observes, 1 Tim. i. 5. Charity from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and an unfeigned faith. It never acts by the low and earthly views of interest and vanity, which generally influence the actions of men, but studies to do what is pleasing to God. If it does good, it takes care that it may not be seen ; if it gives alms, it liides them in the bosom of the poor ; it draws a veil over the gift, that the benefactor may not be discovered. The pleasure it feels in doing a good action is to it a far greater recompense than all the grand applauses of men. As all it does is for God's honour and glory, so it desires no other witness but him ; it is enough that he should know the good works it does, to reward them hereafter with everlasting happiness. Hence the truly charitable Christian is that universal man, who, like St. Paul, transforms himself into all shapes to be of service to all. His ordinary employment is to succour, to defend, and to serve his brethren ; he overlooks their imperfections, and adapts himself to their different humours. His is the comfort of the afflicted, the support of the feeble, the succour of the necessitous, the asylum of the persecuted, and the counsel of the ignorant. There is no weakness which he does not commisserate, no misery which does not excite his tenderness and compassion. Such are the characteristics of the amiable virtue of charity. You have heard the motives which are to induce you to it. The model of your love for your neighbour shall be the subject of the second point. To love as we would willingly be loved, to love as we love ourselves, to love as Jesus Christ has loved us ; these rules are to be the model of that charity which we owe our neighbour. We are willing to be loved by all men ; we love ourselves sincerely ! the Son of God has loved us solidly Our chai'ity, then, to be perfect, must have these three qualities : It must be universal, sincere and solid. First, it must be universal, that is, it must take in all mankind. Our Blessed Saviour gives us to understand, in the parable of the charitable Samaritan, that all men, without exception or reserve, are our neighbours, whether friend or enemy, countryman or foreigner, rich or poor. The Almighty has given us, in himself, an example of this extensive and universal charity ; his paternal providence procures the welfare of all created beings, and supplies the necessities of the most minute, the most abject creatures. He waters the land of the reprobate with as gentle showers, as that of the faithful Christian who is attached to his service. The universe subsists by his infinite power, and he showers down the gifts 412 Oti THK LOVF. OF OUR NEIGH.EOUK. of nature on tlie unjust as well as on the just, Matt. v. It is thus Christian charity tenders its good offices to ail, without exception, be- cause it finds all inclosed in the heart of Jesus Christ. It embraces the Avhole universe, has as many relations, as many friends, as there are men on the face of the earth ; and as St. John Chrysostom speaks, exceeds in its affection to all, that of the most tender parent to his children. All men in general, notwithstanding the difference of their religion, or the contrariety of their humours, are the objects of its tenderness and com- passion ; it excludes not tlie most imperfect nor the most vicious from a share in its affection, but commisserates their Aveakness and infirmity. Far from entertaining a bitter, indiscreet zeal against them or traducing their character, whilst it separates from them by way of precaution, it assists them with prayers, with good example, and interests itself in their favour at the throne of mercy. Charity is also sincere, like unto that love which we bear to ourselves, and which of all love is the most sincere, the most constant, the most durable, the most active, and the most extensive. Hence the love of ourselves is the model by which we are commanded to regulate the love we owe our neigh- bour. When I speak of the love of ourselves, on this occasion, I do not mean that blind, inordinate and criminal self-love, which is governed by passion, grounded on the inclinations of corrupt nature, and which moves us to gratify our sensuality, curiosity and pride, and to consult only our own ease, pleasure and interest in all things ; but I mean that true and just love of ourselves which is directed by reason and religion. The vScripture also gives us to understand, that we are to imitate that love and union Avhich subsists between the members of the same body ; for we are all one body and fellow-members in Christ, as the Apostle speaks, Rom. xii. 5. We have all different offices, functions and uses in this body, and have all mutually need of one another. Providence has wisely assigned us various employments and duties, which are necessary for the benefit of the whole body. Som.e are placed in a higher and in a more exalted rank, others in a lower and a more humble station ; some are at the head, some at the feet, and all should rest satisfied with the station allotted to them without murmuring, or envying their fellov/- members any advantage they may possess above tlaem. There is no envy, no disagreement between the members of the same natural body, says vSt. Augustine. The feet do not envy the head, the eyes, or the hands ; they do not despise or quarrel with each other, but are all solicitous for one another, and combine to give a mutual assistance ; they all love each other, are in pain for one another, and are mutually careful one of the other, 1 Cor. xii. 24, 26. One member protects and defends another in danger. If the head be threatened, the eye discovers the danger ; the hand is raised to prevent the blow, and the feet run away to escape it. If the foot happens to ti'ead upon a thorn, the back stoops, the eye searches for it, the tongue complains and asks where it is, the hands are employed, and the fingers pull it out and deliver the suffer- ino- member from its torment. When one member is hurt all the rest are concerned, and ready to bring relief ; and when it is cured and well, all the rest rejoice and are happy. Such is the love, such is the union, says St. Augustine, that ought to subsist amongst Christians, who are members of Christ's mystical body. Our Blessed Saviour proposes another model of charity more sublime ON THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINE. 413 and more perfect. A new commandment, says he, John, xiii. 34, / rjive unto you, that you love one another, as I have loved you. By these Avords he undoubtedly demands of us a love of our neighbour, Avhich has in view nothing less than the eternal salvation of his soul. Should I then assert, that to procure the eternal salvation of your husbands, of your ■wives, of your children, and of your neighbours, you sacrifice even life itself, were it necessary, I would tell you nothing but what St. John positively declares to be your duty. We ought to lay doicn our lives for the brethren, 1 Ep. iii. 16. But how could I think of preaching this doc- trine at present to those who, perhaps, several times in the day pray to God to damn the souls of their wives, children, and domestics ? How could I think of preaching it to those unhappy parents, whose houses resemble so many schools of the devil, and who are so far from instruct- ing their children in the principles of religion, and they bring them up as so many victims which they sacrifice to hell ? What success could I promise myself by recommending it to those unfortunate sinners of our days, who seem to have nothing more at heart than the ruin and damna- tion of each other, as they daily endeavour to corrupt and debauch so many innocent souls by their filthy discourses, wicked intrigues, and scandalous example ? Notwithstanding, the principal duty of charity is to assist each other mutually in the grand aifair of salvation ; for if it obliges us to succour our brethren in their temporal wants, it imposes a far more strict obligation to assist them in their spiritual necessities, by giving them a brotherly admonition when we see them in danger of losing their souls, and by endeavouring to Avithdraw them from the road of perdition, and persuade them by good advice and example to the prac- tice of virtue. O God of Charity inspire us with these Christian senti- ments. Fill our hearts and inflame our souls, we beseech thee, with this celestial fire which thou didst come to kindle on earth, and grant us the great gift of final perseverance, that we may at our dying hour, through thy mercy, inherit those sacred mansions of bliss, where cha- rity is to be the joy and constant occupation of thy Angels and Saints for a never-ending eternity. This is the blessing v/hich I wish you all, my brethren, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. TENTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER. ON THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINE. Mirificavit Dominus Sanctum suum Psal. c. iv. v. 4. Tlie Lord has rendered his Saint wonderful Psal. c. iv. v, 4. Whilst we admire the wonders of grace and mercy, which God has displayed in favour of his Saints, we are strongly moved to return him thanks for tlie large profusion of the heavenly blessings and gifts he con- ferred on them, and to praise and magnify his adorable goodness in them, as tlie Eoyal Prophet recommends, Psal. cl. saying. Praise ye the Lord in his Saints. In taking a view of their lives we learn the most sublime lessons of Christian morality, and we see the most perfect maxims of the Gospel reduced to practice. By considering the examples they have left us, and by contemplating the eternal bliss which they now enjoy in the 414 ON THE FESTIVAL. OF kingdom of Heaven, we are excited to a fervent imitation of the virtues which they practiced here on earth, in hopes of partaking hereafter of their reward, and of being made one day companions of their glory. Hence it is that the Holy Catholic Church solemnizes so many festivals in the coui-se of the year, in memory and in honour of those great servants of God, who have been elevated by divine grace to an eminent degree of sanctity and perfection, and who are now companions of the blessed Angels in Heaven, and co-heirs with Jesus Christ, the Redeemer and Saviour of Mankind, the King of the Saints, and the source of all sanctity and gloiy. It is in his precious blood the Saints have waslied their robes, as the Scripture expi'esses it, and it is from him they derive all their purity, whiteness, and lustre. He is the author of all their good ; their graces are his gifts and streams from his fountain, and our addresses to them are only petitions for the assistance of their prayers to G-od, whom we honour, praise and glorify in them and through them, as often as we invoke their intei'cession, sound their praises, and celebrate their festivals. It is in order to inspire you with the like religious sentiments that I come this day to announce the eulogium of St. Nicholas of Tolentine, and to shew you that God, who, as the Px'ophet says, Ps. Ixvii. is wonder- ful in his Saints, enriched his soul with such extraordinary graces, and rendered him so conspicuous for his eminent virtues and illustrious miracles, that he may be justly stiled a prodigy of divine grace. His love for God was without measure ; his charity towards his neighbour was unlimited ; his zeal for the convei'sion of sinners was indefatigable ; his humility, his patience, and his piety were truly admirable ; his spirit of prayer, of penance, of self-denial and mortification, was almost incre- dible. To delineate all his perfections, and describe all his shining vir- tues, woi;ld be a task sufficient to swell a large volume. The matter is too copious to be compromised within the limits of a short discoui'se ; wherefore, to proceed with all the brevity that so extensive a subject Avill admit of, and to shew you how wonderful the Lord has vouchsafed to render him, both for the sanctity of his life and the splendour of his miracles, I shall confine myself to the two following propositions. St. Nicholas of Tolentine has adorned the Catholic Church by the wonderful lustre of his virtues. This is the subject of the first point. St. Nicholas of Tolentine has adorned the Catholic Church by the wonderful lustre and number of his miracles. This is the subject of the second jDoint. Let us previously implore the divine assistance, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin. Ave Maria. It is an undoubted maxim of Christian morality, that we are all bound to aspire to perfection, and to endeavour to be holy and without blemish in the sight of God, during the course of our mortal pilgrimage here below on earth. Be holy, because I the Lord your God am holy, says the sacred Scripture, Levit. xi. ; and again. Matt. v. 48, Be you therefore ;;er- fect, as also your Heavenly Father is inrfect. It is for this reason that St. Paul appropriates the name of Saints to all Christians, as if it were the same thing to be a Christian and to be a Saint. For the same reason St. Peter, 1 Ep. ii. 9, calls all the faithful a chosen generation, a Jdngly priesthood, an holy nation, a i^urchased people, which plainly shews, that in quality of Christians and disciples of Christ, we contract a special obligation by the solemn covenant and vows of our baptism, to serve God in holiness and justice all the days of our life, as the Gospel says, Luke i. SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINE. 415 St. Nicholas of Tolentine, whose glorious memory we now solemnize, Avas perfectly acquainted with these truths ; he was charmed with the sacred maxims of the Gospel, and therefore, he placed all his felicity in reducing them to practice. He commenced his career in so amazing a manner, that he discovered at the very dawn of life, and at the first twilight of reason, some sparkles of that divine light, which was one day to blaze conspicuous in him. His very birth was stupendous and miraculous, and was immediately preceded and followed by manifest presages of his future sanctity. The history of the birth of the Prophet Samuel was perfectly renewed in his nativity : for, like unto him, Nicholas was a child of prayers, bestowed to the world after many repeated vows and supplications to Heaven ; but I pass over these par- ticulars, in order to make you admire the first instance of his extraor- dinary piety, which manifested itself at the age of seven years, by a fast of three days in the week, which he exactly observed ever after during the whole course of his life. This early zeal for mortification was a proof of the love he had for Jesus Christ, and of his ardent desire to carry the cross of his Divine Master, and to imprint on his flesh a just resemblance of that Man of Sorrows. His piety did not wait to be ripened by the maturity of yeai-s, but blossomed out at a time when the generality of children seem only capable and fond of childish amuse- ments and plays. As soon as reason began first to glimmer, he antici- pated the years of his perfect understanding, and became a rigorous penitent before he knew what sin was. He loved God with his Avhole soul, and he presented his entire heart to him without division or reserve. Like young Tobias, he despised the toys, and shunned the frivolous diversions of other children of his age ; and whilst they began to corrupt by degrees, and offered their first sacrifices to the golden calves of Jeroboam, Nicholas went daily to the temple of the living God, in order to pour out his soul before him in the holy exercises of religion. It was his delight, his joy, and his glory, to lie prostrate at the foot of the altar of Jesus Christ, to lift up his tender hands to Heaven, to ho- nour and invoke God's holy name, and to vow eternal obedience and homage to his infinite power. Such were the first essays of his child- hood. In other persons these things are generally the fruits of several years co-operation with divine grace ; but where others usually finish, Nicholas began his journey of life. O with what an eye of complacency did the Almighty behold these first transports, emotions, and sacrifices of his loving heart ! After so touching an example of youthful piety, what shall we say of those who, instead of giving God the first place in their hearts, and paying him the just tribute of love as soon as they are capable hereof, go astray in the very beginning of their cateer, and seem to reserve only the dregs of old age, and the shattered, languishing remains of a debauched life for their great Creator? What judgment shall we form of those Christians, who are neither afraid nor ashamed to commit so many irreverences at the foot of the altar, who speak to God at their prayers with as much cai'elessness and distraction as if they intended to aflront liiui, who frequent the house of God more out of custom, vanity, and ostentation, than out of a true and sincere devotion ; in fine, whose exterior modesty and strained behaviour in the Church proclaim them so many models of piety, but whose impatience, peevish- ness, ill-temper, and disorderly conduct at home in their family, pro- nounce them victims of self-love, and slaves of Satan? The piety of 416 ON THE FESTIVAL OF young Nicliolas is an eternal reproach to tliem ; it is also a lesson sufii- cient to confound many vicious and undisciplined children of our days, who scarce receive the spirit of God but the}^ stifle it, and unliappily raake a shipwreck of their baptismal innocence, before they rightly know- its inestimable value, plunging into unnatural and detestable vices, which corrupt their hearts, infect their minds, defile their bodies, destroy charity, extinguish sanctifying grace in their souls, and often prove the first fatal step to their eternal reprobation. This is a misfortune truly deplorable, and in a great measure to be attributed to the misconduct of their parents, who are so apt to pervert them by their own scandalous example, and to bring them up in such a manner as fits them rather for the drudgery of Belial, than for the service of Jesus Christ. Far from instilling principles of religion into the souls of their young children, and making them carry the sweet yoke of the Lord from their infancy ; far from giving them an early tincture of piety, and presenting them in due time in the temple of God, to be nourished and fortified by the graces of the holy sacraments, they are only solicitous to fashion them to the customs and manners of the world, for which end they often expose their innocence in public places and dangerous assemblies, where they are soon initiated in the dreadful mysteries of flesh and blood. The parents of young Nicholas pursued a difieient line of conduct ; their chief study and care was to shape and mould him to virtue, to cultivate the happy dispositions Heaven had blessed him with, and to cherish the seeds of piety, which sprung from the grace of his baptism ? And what was the consequence ? The older he grew the more he advanced in grace and true wisdom, not unlike the sun, which gi-adually acquires more strength, and shines with greater beauty and lustre the nearer it approaches the meridian. But why should I delay so long in examining the childhood of a saint, v/hose whole life was one continued series of virtue ? No sooner had he heard a preacher of the oi'der of St. Au- gustine declaiming zealously against the vanities of the world, but he obeyed with promptitude the voice of grace and the call of Heaven, by embracing a religious state of life in the Augustinian convent of Tolen- tine, in Italy. The Avorld offered him its riches, its pleasures, honours ; but he nobly despised them as empty shadows of felicity, and glittering phantoms of glory. He renounced them all for the love of Jesus Christ, to whom he offered a most perfect holocaust of his soul, his body, and of all the external goods of fortune he possessed or was entitled to on earth. O may the day on which Heaven enriched the order of St. Augustine with so valuable a treasure be marked as happy for returning ages ! Hei-e it is my brethren, that I will prescribe no bounds to your thoughts. Represent to yourselves whatever the most eminent penitents have inflicted on their bodies, your idea will fall short of what Nicholas performed. It is almost incredible what a surprising progress he made in the school of perfection, after his religions profession and promotion to holy orders. To imitate the poverty of his Divine Redeemer the more perfectly, the only patrimony that he coveted, the only legacy he thirsted after, was the Cross of Jesus Christ ; the only dwelling-place he chose was a nai-row cell, where his most valuable furniture was a crucifix, a cold flag to place his bare knees on when he went to praj^er, and another to support his naked elbows ; an hair shirt to wear under his habit, and an iron chain to surround his loins, and to discipline his SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINE. 417 cliaste and innocent body, until he left it streaming in a gore of blood. His fast was almost continual ; the approved history of his life informs us that his usual diet, three or four days in the week, for the space of thirty years, Avas bread and water ; a few seasoned roots and herbs were his choicest entertainment. His vigilance was such that he seemed divorced from sleep, and frequently spent whole nights in prayer and contemplation without closing his eyes. When he allowed his wearied and emaciated body a little rest, the bare ground, the cold earth, or the naked boards served him for a bed, and a hard stone for a pillow. Whilst he thus sacrificed his body to God by the rigours and austei'ities of pe- nance, his soul constantly breathed the sweet incense and perfume of ardent prayer. Like unto a glass, which, being penetrated with the rays of the sun, reflects its brightness, so Nicholas, penetrated with the rays of eternal justice, and filled with the fire of divine love, cast about him bright rays of sanctity ; devotion sparkled in his eyes, meekness and modesty shone in his countenance, and spread a lustre that instructed and edified ; his compassion for the poor was so great, that he thought it no unworthy employment to beg for them and plead their cause before the rich, whom he exhorted to expend their superfluities in relieving the distressed members of Christ rather than squander them in extra- vagancies to support pride and worldly vanities, as frequently happens. His charity was not confined to the body, but laboured chiefly for the more noble part, to gain souls over to Jesus Christ, being his crown and his joy. There was no work of mercy, spiritual or temporal, but what he cheerfully performed. How often has he wept for hardened sinners who would not weep for themselves ? What prayers did he offer for their amendment ? What labours and fatigues did he undergo for their conversion ? He echoed in their ears the doctrine of a crucified Jesus, with a noble and eloquent simplicity, that was calculated to mo- lify their hearts and draw penitential tears from their eyes, rather than praises or applauses from their mouths. Nay, his sanctified life, of itself, was a most excellent sermon, whereby he reclaimed numbers of sinners, and pei'suaded them to rise out of the mire of their iniquities, and to return to the Father of Mercies. He knew no other business he had on earth but to accomplish the will of his heavenly Father, and promote his honour and glory both by word and example ; he, therefore, spent the best part of sixty years in these and the like holy exercises, spreading the glittering rays of his sanctity on every side, and adorning the Catholic Church by the lustre of his virtues, until it pleased the Almighty to disengage his pious soul from the prison of his mortal body, and transfer it to the mansions of bliss, to shine there like a star before his throne for perpetual eternities. Hence it is customary to represent him with a star on his breast, a crucifix in one hand, and a white lily in the other : the lily denoting his angelic purity, and the crucifix signifying his penitential austerities and mortifications. Contemplate yourselves now, my brethren, in this bright mirror of sanctity, which I have hitherto held out to your view ; consider atten- tively whether or no you walk in the path which conducted Nicholas to everlasting bliss. See if you tread in the steps which he has traced out to you by his example. Be assured you will find yourselves woefully mistaken in the end, if you expect to go to Heaven by following the crowd, and marching on boldly in the broad, pleasant road, and the flowery paths of vice ; for there is but one Gospel for us all, but one 2 D 418 ON THE FESTIVAL OF Redeemer, and but one Heaven, and no other road can lead you to it but the road of the cross. You must contend to enter in with the small number of the elect, at the narrow gate of penance and mortification ; for the kingdom of Heaven siiffereth violence, as our Saviour says, Matt. xi. 12, and it is not to be carried but by curbing and counteract- ing the vicious inclinations of corrupt nature. I do not pretend, how- ever, that you are bound to live up to the rigour of the wonderful austerities of St. Nicholas, because they are not proportioned to every one's strength, nor suitable to every condition ; but^ to be crowned with him in glory, you must follow his example by an imitation of those virtues which are within your reach, and centered in the sphere of your duty ; for it is certain that a life which is a flat contradiction to his life, and the very reverse of it, neither has the Gospel for its pattern, nor will be able hereafter to stand the test of it on the terrible day of judg- ment. O what will then become of those half Christians, who, intent only on the gratification of their senses, let loose the reigns to their disorderly passions, and spend their days in a continual circle of criminal pleasures, pampei'ing, indulging, and idolizing their corruptible bodies, without taking any pains to decorate their immortal souls with the real ornaments of virtue ? What will become of those nominal Catholics, who, by their detestable habits of drunkenness, cursing, swearing and blaspheming, are a scandal to the Church, a reproach to religion, a dis- honour and disgrace to Christianity ? They believe indeed like saints, but alas ! many of them live worse than Turks, in an open violation of the commandments of God and the precepts of the Church. But let us at present draw a veil over such deplorable scandals, and take a more pleasing view of St. Nicholas of Tolentiue, who not only adorned the Catholic Church by the sanctity of his life as you have already heard, but likewise by the splendour of his miracles, as I promised to shew you in the second point. As sanctity is one of the distinguishing characters of the true Chui'ch of Christ, so, in like manner, the gift of miracles is another character and mark, whereby the true Church and religion of Christ is dis- tinguished and discerned from all other sects and religions on earth. It is well known that all the illustrious ssints who have flourished, in different nations these seventeen hundred years past, have lived and died in the bosom of the Catholic Church, which plainly shews that she must be the true Church of God and the real spouse of Jesus Christ, since she has always been the Church of the Saints, and the mother and fertile nursery of the children of God. It is no less evident, and the world must acknowledge it, that her religion has been founded, con- firmed and propagated by miracles, which was one of the motives that attracted that great luminary St. Augustine, to her communion. This holy doctor assures us, in his Book of the City of God, that he was himself an eye-witness to various miracles wrought in the Catholic Church by means of the relics of saints. Hence he urges the following dilemma against the unbelievers of his own days : The Catholic religion either was confirmed by miracles, or it was not ; if by miracles, then it is a divine religion, and has God for its author, because God being essentially true, could not set his hand and seal to a lie, or authorize error by real miracles. If you deny that it was confirmed by miracles, you still prove it to be a divine religion, and you acknowledge a greater miracle than you deny ; for to convert the world to the Catholic i-eligion SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINE. 410 without a miracle, would be the greatest and most divine of all miracles ; so that whatever way you consider its establishment, you must admit its veracity, and confess that it has the divine authority stamped upon it in the clearest characters. Unbelievers, in general, explode and ridicule miracles, because they were never vested with such power, nor favoured with the like prerogative ; but to deny the miracles which have been wrought in confirmation of the truth of the Catholic religion, is not only to discredit the most authentic records and annals of all nations and ages, but also to falsify the Scriptures, to contradict the word of God, and give the lie openly to Jesus Christ, who positively assures us, John xiv. that those who would believe in him shoidd work greater miracles than he himself had wrought ; and again, Mark, xvi. that they should cast out devils, and heal all kind of disorders in his name, Moses and the Prophets in the Old Testament were gifted with the like power of working various miracles, which served as credentials to pi'ove the legality of their mission, and to shew that they did not come of their own accord, without being sent, like the false Prophets, of whom the Prophet Jeremias complains in c. xxiii. The apostles also proved their mission by a multitude of miracles, and Christ himself, though his heavenly Father and the Prophets bore testimony of him, declared to the Jews that they would not have sinned in not receiving him, if he had not done such works among them as no one else had done, John, XV. 24. So necessary has it been always judged for those who came to found a new religion, or to preach up any novelty in faith and morals, to prove their doctrine by miracles, in oi'der to shew that it was not an human invention, nor the idle production of their own brain, but a divine revelation which had God himself for its author, and was stamped with his divine approbation. It was for this reason, that in all ages such as have set up for new lights, sent immediately from God, or have pretended to an extraordinary mission, and taken upon themselves to commence pi'eachers and fabricators of new-fangled systems of re- ligion, were justly challenged to produce their patents and credentials, stamped with the broad seal of Heaven, and ratified by some evident miracle, which, if they were not able to do, they were always held by the faithful in no other light than that of usurpers, cheats and impostors, prompted on by the father of lies, as was the case with the Prophets of Baal, in the famous contest between them and the Prophet Elias, mentioned in the third Book of Kings, xviii. And really God, who is the sovereign wisdom and the sovereign justice, does not expect that we should receive or give credit to any such new gospellers upon their own bare word or assertion ; otherwise we should be constantly ex- posed to the danger of being led astray by false Prophets, who never fail to cry out. The Lord, the Lord, though the Lord never sent them. Christ himself charges us to bcAvare of such preachers and teachers, as wolves that come in sheeps' clothing ; and the Apostle goes so far as so say, that though an Angel should come from Heaven to preach up a new Gospel, we are to look upon him as an anathema, Galat. i. 8. Among the many saints of the New Testament, to whom the Al- mighty has been pleased to communicate the power of working miracles, St. Nicholas of Tolentine obtains one of the first places ; for, according to the declaration of Eugenius lY. who canonized him in the year 1446, No Saint since the days of the Apostles, ever adoimed or confirmed the Church 420 ON THE Fi:STIVAL. OF, &C. of God loith more miracles than Nicholas of Tolentine. He therefore stiled liim The Patron of the Church, and honoured him with the title of Thau- maturgus, by excellency, that is to say, Tlie Worker of Miracles. The hull of his canonization alone contains iipwards of three hundred re- nowned miracles, strictly examined, well attested, and juridically proved by the testimonies of three hundred and seventy-one witnesses, amongst whom are reckoned no less than five-and-twenty persons who had been raised to life by his intercession. As to the wonderful effects that are attributed to the blood of St. Nicholas, and to the small breads which he was accustomed in his life-time to give to the sick as a remedy for various distempers, I shall, for brevity's sake, pass them over in silence. Let the four elements, and the four parts of the earth to which the fame and sanctity of his miracles reached in a short time, so as to induce several cities to choose him for their patron and protector under God, speak now for me, and relate Avhat they have often beheld with astonishment. However, to disabuse those who seem to glory in ridi- culing and making a jest of such matters, I must beg leave to observe, that the Almighty has been frequently i)leased to unite grandeur with simplicity, and to make choice of things, mean and contemptible in themselves, in order to demonstrate his i)ower and magnificence, good- ness and mercy. "We read in the Old Testament, that he made choice of the rod of Moses to fill all Egypt with prodigies, and of the mantle of Elias to divide the waters of the Eiver Jordan, and of the bones of Elisajus to raise a dead man to life, and of the brazen serpent in the desert, to Avork a great num.ber of miraculous cures. The New Testa- ment informs us also, that the Almighty had made use of the shadow of St. Peter to heal all kinds of disorders, and of the handkerchiefs and aprons which had touched the body of St. Paul, to banish spirits, and of a little clay moistened with spittle, to restore sight to a blind man. If all this be true, as no Christian can deny, why should it be deemed ridiculous to give human credit to the authentic records of different nations, and to the united testimonies of numberless leai-ned, pious, and credible Avitnesses and writers all over Christendom. Why should it be counted absurd to believe piously, upon so respectable an authority, that the Almighty, lohose arm is not shortened, has been pleased to shew the greatness of his goodness, mercy and poAver in his faithful servant, Nicholas of Tolentine, in order to rouse sinners from their lethargy, and encourage them to be more submissive and attentive to his sacred laws ? By renderiny his saint so ivonderful, and so conspicuous, both for the lustre of his virtues and the splendour of his miracles, the Lord manifested to the world the truth and divine origin of the Catholic faith and religion which he professed, enriched the Cliurch Avith a ncAv oi-nament, and furnished all succeeding ages Avith an illustrious model of piety, penance, and mortification. O Almighty and Eternal God, we thank, praise, and glorify thee for all the Avonders of thy grace, mercy, and poAver, Avhich thy adorable goodness hast been pleased to display in favour of thy Saints. Grant that by foUoAving their example we may find acceptance in thy sight, and after having experienced the Avonderful effects of thy tender mercies in this life, may partake of thy eternal glory in the next. Which is tlie blessing, my brethren, that I sincerely Avish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. ON THE NATURE OF INDULGENCES AND JUBILEES. 421 EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON THE NATUKE OF INDULGENCES AND JUBILEES. Confide, file, remittuntur tibi peccata St. Malt. c. i.v. v. 2. JBe of good heart, Son, tlnj sins are forgiven thee — St. Matt. c. ix. v. 2. "\V"e do not find the power of remitting sin was ever confen*ed on any human creature before the Son of God became man. Tliis signal bless- ing was reserved for the children of God, under the New Law of Grace. Christ our Lord, as man, being at the same time true God, was the first who received tliis power from his heavenly Father, and the Scripture informs us, that he exercised it on several occasions. We read in the Gospel of this day, that he wrought an illustrious miracle, to convince the incredulous Jews that he had power on earth to forgive sins. The Scribes and Pharisees, a set of carping hypocrites, who made it their constant practice to censure his doctrine, to misconstrue his words, and to traduce his most innocent actions, were scandalized, and charged him in their own hearts with blasphemy, on hearing him say to a man who had been brought to him, hiimj on a bed, and ill of the pais)/, Sou, be of good heart, thj sins are forgiven thee. Wherefore, our Divine Kedeemer, knowing their thoughts, and willing to confirm his woi'ds and doctrine replied with his usual meekness and charity, Which is it easier to say, thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say rise up and walk ? But that you may know the Son of Man hath piower on earth to forgive sins, I say to thee, addressing himself then to the sick man. Rise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house, which the sick man accordingly did in an instant, to the great astonisli- ment of the crowd of the people v/ho were eye-witnesses hereof, and who began immediately to glorify God, for having given stich power to men. It is true, God alone has power o/AzHise//" to forgive sins ; but Christ who is both God and man, could, and did communicate this power of remitting sins, in his name, and by his authority, to his Apostles and their lawful successors, as his ministers and instruments. (See Sermon on Low Sunday, p. 209.) It is in virtue of this pov/er and commission that the pastors of the Church have been accustomed, ever since the earliest years of Christianity, to exercise a spiritual and judiciary authority in tlie sacred tribunal of penance, and not only to absolve the faithful from the guilt of their sins, upon a sincere repentance, but likewise to grant them indulgences occasionally, when a just cause required it, for the purpose of releasing them from the debt of temporal punishment, which gener- ally remains to be discharged, either in this life or in the next, even after the sins themselves are forgiven, both as to the guilt and the eternal punishment due to them in hell. This practise, and the doctrine of ab- solution, when dispassionately considered, fairly represented, and rightly understood, far from being any way derogatory or injurious to the ho- nour of God, Avill be found to redound very much to it, and to be a great curb to sin. Instead of promoting sin, or being an encouragement to a sinner, to persevere in iniquity, upon the confidence of being absolved Avhenever he pleases, nothing contributes more to the real conversion of sinners, as nothing lays corrupt nature under so many severe restraints, nothing subjects it to more humiliating or more penal conditions, nothing enourages the practise of works of piety and religion, charity and 422 ON THE NATURE OF penance more effectually. To imagine, then, that by an absolution, or by an indulgence, is meant a leave or license to commit sin, or at least a pardon previously granted for future sins, is a notion that justly de- serves the abhorrence of every Christian, and that is diametrically op- posed to the belief of the Catholic Church, which teaches us that no authority upon earth can give previous leave to commit the least venial sin, or can absolve any sinner whatsoever without a true repentance, and a firm purpose of amendment. To elucidate this matter, and to excite you to a due esteem for indulgences, is the design of the following dis- course. In the first point I will lay before you the nature and utility of indulgences and jubilees, and in the second the conditions that are ne- cessary to gain the benefit of them. Let us, before we proceed, devoutly implore the assistance of the Divine Spirit, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, greeting her in the words of the Archangel Gabi'iel. Ave Maria. Were I to speak here to a people of a different religious persuasion, who reject the authority of the Church, and deny it a power of granting indulgences, I would not despair of being able to prove this orthodox truth out of the written word of God, which is the only authority they pretend to abide by ; but glory be to God, no one here doubts of the power imparted by Christ to his Church. No confusion of Babel, no wall of sepai'ation divides us in this saci'ed place ; we all sing the same hymn of the peaceful Sion, and we are all but one sheepfold under one pastor. We all believe that Jesus Christ faithfully fulfilled the promise which he made first to St. Peter, saying, / ivill give to thee the leys of the kingdom of Heaven : Whatsoever thou shalt hind iqwn earth, it shall be hound also in Heaven ; and lohatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall he loosed also in Heaven, Matt. xvi. 19, and again, to all his Apostles, Amen, I say to you, whatsoever you shall hind iipon earth, shall he hound also in Heaven ; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall he loosed also in Heaven, Matt, xviii. 18. These promises, which our Lord made without any exception, limitation or reservation whatever, clearly imply a power of loosing and releasing all such bonds as might otherwise hinder or retard the entrance of a soul into the kingdom of Heaven, into which, as the Scripture assures us, nothing that is sullied or defiled ivill he admitted, Apoc. xxi. Hence it is that the power of granting indulgences has been made use of in the Church at all times, and in all ages, since the purest and earliest years of Christianity, as the Council of Trent observes. St. Paul himself, at the I'equest of the faithful of Corinth, granted an indulgence to the inces- tuous man whom he had excommunicated and put under penance, 1 Cor. v. for when he understood that this man had given evident proofs of his real contrition and sincere conversion, the Apostle treated him with the greatest indulgence, and not only freed him from the excommunication he had inflicted, but also from all guilt, and remitted to him, both before God and man, the remainder of the punishment which he was to have suffered. This pardon St. Paul granted in the person of Christ, that is, by the power and authority he had received from Christ, and as if Christ himself, really present, had granted it, lest perhaps the Corinthian should be overwhelmed ivith too much sorroiv, and fall into pusillanimity and despair, 2 Cor. ii. 7, 10. Tertullian, who flourished in the second cen- tury, testifies, lib. de pud. c. ult. that the bishops and pastors of the pri- mitive Church were accustomed, in the days of persecution, to grant indulgences to repenting sinners, and to remit the penalties due to their INDULGENCES AND JUBILEES. 423 crimes, when they produced letters of attestation from imprisoned and tortured martyrs, who sealed their faith with the effusion of their blood. St. Cyprian also informs us, Ep. ix. 10, 13, and 24, and the bishops fre- quently hastened the grace of absolution, and discharged penitents at the request of the holy martyrs, from the whole or from part of the peniten- tial works enjoined them, particularly in case of sickness, or when their spiritual good required it, and too great a rigour was likely to prejudice their souls. We read likewise in chapter xii. of the first General Council of Nice, and in other particular Councils, that bishops were empowered to abridge the time and the degrees of the canonical humiliations and penances then in force, in favour of such penitents as performed them with greatest fervour. "Whenever they wei'c moved by the teai's and repentance of sinners to do this, it was called an indulgence of so many years, as the penance enjoined by the canons for their different sins should otherwise have lasted, because it was the effect of an indulgence or compassion of the Church towards her children. For some sins of public notoriety, seven years public penance was enjoined ; for others eleven, fifteen, or more years, in proportion to the enormity of the crimes. During this time the penitents fasted four quarantines in the year, at least three days a-week on bread and water ; they stood at the Church gate upon vSundays and Holy-days, clothed in a penitential habit, and were not admitted, unless for just and pressing reasons, to the sacraments, until their years of penance were finished. This was the ancient rigorous dis- cipline of the Church for many ages, and according to it some sinners must have been liable to a much greater number of years of penance, corresponding to their sins, than they could be expected to live, in order to fulfil it, so that any extraordinary grants of indulgences which might, perhaps, have been made in favour of such penitents, are to be under- stood as designed to release them from the extraordinary debt of temporal punishment they had incurred by their sins, according to the canons then in force. Indulgences, however, were not so frequent then, nor so necessary as they are at present, when a general depravity seems to have taken possession of the heart of man. The spirit of penance was then every where visible from the ai'dour alone of imitating Jesus Christ, the perfect model of all Christians ; the faithful wishing to tread in the foot- steps of their crucified Eedeemer, devoted their lives to the love of the cross, the desire of martyixlom, and the most painful austerities and exercises of penance and mortification. They endeavoui*ed, in general, with the aid of divine grace, to satisfy for the offences which the weak- ness of human nature had caused them sometimes to fall into, without having recoiu'se to the spiritual treasures of the Church. When this primitive zeal became colcl, and the spirit of penance relaxed, the Church judged it expedient to moderate the severity of her ancient discipline, in condescension to the weakness of her children, and to render the usage of indulgences more frequent in these latter ages. Her intention, how- ever, is not to diminish the zeal of the faithful thereby, nor to exempt or exonerate them from doing penance for their sins, but on the contrary, to animate them with the spirit of penance, and inspire them with a more ardent desire of atoning for their sins by their own voluntary satisfactions, and by devoutly performing the penitential works, which are usually enjoined and prescribed as a condition necessary for the obtaining of an indulgence. Hence the Council of Trent teaches, that the obligation of doing penance for sin is so indispensable a duty, that the whole life of a 424 ON THE NATURE OF Christian ought to he a continual practice of penance. Sin is at present no less offensive to Almighty God than it formerly was, and consequently, no less punishment is due to it now than in the primitive ages, since the divine justice is still unchangeably the same. Nay, the crimes of the generality of modern Christians are more grievous and more numerous than the crimes of tlie primitive Christians, and of course their penance and satisfaction should be proportionably greater, according to this rule laid down by God himself: The mimber of stripes shall be according to the greatness of the offence, Deut. xxv. It is true, when sinners truly repent, God in his great mercy is pleased to remit their sins, both as to the guilt and eternal punishment due in hell to every mortal sin ; but* his divine justice commonly substitutes a temporal punishment in the place of the eternal punishment, as appears evidently from several illustrious exam- ples, recorded in Holy Writ. Adam himself, though the Lord pardoned him his sin, was in punishment thereof, tui-ned out of the earthly Para- dise, and condemned to labour during life, and his posterity became subject to sickness, to death, and to a long train of miseries and calami- ties, in consequence of his disobedience. We read also, in chapter xii. of the Book of Numbers, that the sister of Moses was subjected to seven days penance, though her sin had been forgiven. In like manner, the Israelites Avere pardoned their sins, through the intercession of Moses, and yet in punishment of their idolatry and murmurs, they wei'e con- demned to wander forty years in the desert, and debarred from entering the Land of Promise, Numb. xiv. The prayers of Manasses were heard, and his sins were forgiven, yet he was afterwards temporally punished, and God would by no means remit the punishment. King David was assured by the Prophet Nathan, that the Lord had put away his sin, yet he was punished with the death of his child, the dishonour of his house, dissensions in his family, and several other judgments, which were inflicted on him, Samuel, ii. 12. A sin of pride, which he afterwards committed, was pardoned, and yet it was punished with a plague of three days, which carried off seventy thousand of his subjects, 2 Kings, xxiv. 15. Here we plainly see the pardon of sin separated from thepai-don of the punishment, and the justice of God reserving a right to inflict a tem- poral punishment on those who have transgressed his sacred laws. In the sacrament of Baptism the case is different ; we are then treated with unbounded mercy, and the merits of Christ are applied to our souls, and accepted in their full extent in satisfaction for our sins ; for though avc are not thereby freed from all the infirmities occasioned by original sin, the Almighty, being willing to permit them to remain in order to try our fidelity, to exercise our virtue, to disengage our affections from the Avorld, and to humble our pride at the thoughts of our own weakness, yet by the grace of baptism we receive a full and perfect remission of all past sins committed before it, and we are delivered from all the punish- ment, both eternal and temporal, due to them ; but we are not received again into favour upon such easy terms after baptism as before it, the sins committed after baptism implying a base ingratitude, special malice, and barefaced contempt of the goodness and bounty of God. Justice and mercy going then together, God is moved, through the merits of Christ, to grant us mercy upon a sincere repentance, and to forgive us our sins, both as to the guilt and the eternal punishment due to them ; but his jus- tice is pleased to change a greater punishment into a less, and requires to be satisfied by penitential works and temporal chastisements for the abuse of 1XDULGENCE3 AND JUBILEES. 425 his mercy. This is not only conformable to the rules of strict justice, but also attended with signal advantages to our souls, and highly conducive to our salvation ; for it serves to give us a true sense of the grievousness of sins committed after baptism, and of the great injury thereby done to the infinite majesty of God ; it keeps us in a salutary fear, makes us more cautious and careful, and deters us from future relapses ; it checks our vicious inclinations, strikes at the root of our spiritual disorders, appeases the wrath and disarms the divine justice, and renders us more faithful in the performance of our religious duties, and more fervent in the practice of Christian virtues. If we were too easily reconciled after great crimes, and too speedily freed from the bonds of justice, we would be apt to think slightly of them, to abuse the facility of pardon, and to abandon ourselves to a temerarious confidence, according to the remark of St. Augustine, Parva putaretur culpa, si cum ilia Jineretur et 2>csna. It is to expiate and satisfy for this debt of temporal punishment, due to the divine justice on account of past forgiven sins, that we are sub- jected to some painful and laborious works of penance in the sacred tribunal, and that indulgences are granted to the faithful. The direct and immediate effect of an indulgence, therefore, is not to pardon or remit sin, for it supposes sin already forgiven, both as to guilt and the eternal punishment, either by the sacrament of penance, or by a perfect contrition, which includes a desire of the sacrament. By an indulgence is only meant a relaxation or remission of the debt of temporal punish- ment which remains to be discharged, and atoned for either in this world or in purgatory, until the last farthing is p)aicl, as the Gospel expresses it. Matt. XXV. the sinner's repentance being seldom so perfect as to release him entirely from it. Some indulgences are partial, some plenary, some ax-e confined to particular Churches or places, and granted on solemn fes- tivals and days of devotion ; herein they ditFer from Jubilees, which are more rare, more solemn, more general, accompanied with greater privileges, and extended to the universal church. They all derive their virtue and value from the price of the blood of Jesus Christ, as rivulets derive from their fountain head, and as the moon borrows its light from the sun ; in him we have a most plentiful redemption, and an inexhaustible treasure to make up for all our deficiencies, to supply all our Avants, and to relieve all our necessities. His merits and satisfactions are of infinite value, and the source of all our good ; they elevate our penitential works to the value they have, our works being no otherwise valuable and satisfactory than as joined to his satisfactions ; for it is through him alone we can expect to find a grateful acceptance in the sight of God. "What v/e call satisfaction with the primitive Church, is nothing but the application of his satisfactions ; nothing is wanting to them on his part, but something is wanting on our part, in order to have the fruits and merits of his pas- sion and death applied and communicated to our souls ; for he did not intend to patronize indolence, encourage sloth, or discharge us from the obligation of satisfying his offended justice as fiir as we are able. On the contrary, he requires us to join the small mite of our poor endeavours with his superabundant satisfactions, that we may partake of the benefit of them. This made St. Paul say, Coloss. i. 24, that he accomplished and fulfilled in himself what icas behind-hand and icantinrj to the passion of Christ, that is, to the application of his infinite merits. As to the satisfactions and merits of the saints, since they have their value from him, and through him are accepted by his Eternal Father, they were also applica- ^ZO ON THE NATURE OF ble to the faithful upon earth ; for by the communion which the members of his mystical body have one with another, they reciprocally i-eceive help from each other, and are enabled to say with the Royal Prophet, Ps. cxviii. I partalce, 0 my God, of all the good works of those who fear thee. The Scripture informs us that God spared Loth on account of the faith of Abraham ; he also spared the Israelites on account of Moses, and was willing to spare the Sodomites, if ten just men had been found amongst them. But what are the conditions required to gain an indul- gence ? One of the most essential conditions required for gaining the benefit of a plenary indulgence, is to be in the state of grace. It is in vain to expect that the punishment due to sin will be forgiven whilst the guilt or affection of it remains in the soul ; and the guilt of it will remain in the soul until it is remitted and washed away by the grace of Jesus Christ, who has merited for us the pardon of our sins, and repeatedly promised it to those who sincerely repent, and approach the throne of mercy with proper dispositions. To gain the full effect of a plenary indulgence, and to be released from the whole punishment due upon account of past sins, we must not only be free from the guilt and affec- tion of mortal sin, but also from the guilt and affection of venial sin. This should excite the faithful to redouble their fervour, and to dispose themselves in the best manner they are able for the Sacraments of Re- conciliation, if they Avish to obtain the benefit of a plenary indulgence. Indulgences, particularly plenary indulgences and jubilees, which are the most signal of all indulgences, are favours granted only to the just, and friends of God, who apply devoutly for them. They are merciful dispensations and releases, designed for the succour and relief of the indigent, to supply their wants out of the treasui'e of the Church, by offering to God an equivalent for the debt of temporal punishment, that the infirmity of human nature and their own insufficiency render them liable to. Besides the various indulgences that may be gained on the principal solemnities and festivals which occur in the course of the year, the plenary indulgence, called the Jubilee, is granted every twenty-fifth year, and upon some other extraordinary occasions to all the faithful, who, being truly penitent, approach the holy sacrament Avorthily, and duly comply with the other conditions of fasting, alms-deeds, and devout prayers, which are then usually prescribed. The intention of the Church herein is to renew the spirit of fervour, piety and charity among the faithful, to promote the practice of all kind of good Avorks, to rouse the lukewarm, and bring back the strayed sheep from their evil ways. She then calls most pressingly on all sinners, and most zealously invites them to return, like the prodigal son, to their heavenly Father with their whole heart, that they may be reinstated in their deserted rights, and restored to their paternal inheritance which they unhappily forfeited. She solicits them to unite with the whole body of the faithful all over the world, in offering a holy violence to Heaven by the public prayers and penitential works which are generally performed on the occasion. This solemn indulgence is justly distinguished by the name of Jtdjilee, a woi-d that signifies JO?/ and exultation, because the effects of it are the con- versions of multitudes of sinners, which gives joy to the Angels in Heaven ; the multiplying of all sorts of good works, which gives edifica- tion to all Christendom ; and the spiritual joy, inward peace, and con- solation, which are sensibly felt in the souls of those who worthily INDULGENCES AND JUBILEES. 427 partake of it, The year that this great act of grace is extended to all the faithful, is called the Holy and Jubilee year, from the resemblance it bears with the Jubilee year in the Old Law, the origin and institution of which we read, Levit. xxv. and xxvii. It was a year of remission and indulgence for the i)eople of God. As soon as it was announced with trumpets by the Priests to the children of Israel, all bondsmen and slaves were set at liberty, prisoners were released, debtors were discharged, and every one returned to his former possessions. It is of it that the Pro- phet Isaias speaks, c. Ixi. where he says, that The Lord sent him to j^reach indulgence, to deliver captives, to discharge debtors, and to heal the ivounds of the sick. The ancient Jubilee was ordered to be celebrated every fiftieth year, and that whole year was sanctified in the same manner that the JcAvs sanctified their weekly Sabbath, by refraining from servile works ; and to prevent the j^eople from suffering any hardship on account of so long a Sabbath, Divine Providence took care to bless the labour of the preceding year in such a manner, that they were supplied with plenty of all kinds of grain and all sorts of fruit, not only for the Jubilee year, but also for the two following years, on account of the sanctification of the Jubilee year. Such were the advantages and benefits of the Jubilee in the Old Law ; but they were only figures and shadows of the benefits and advantages that are derived from the Jubilee in the New Law of grace. In the Old Law the people received only temporal blessings, that regarded this transitory life ; in the New Law we enjoy many spiri- tual blessings, that relieve our souls, and open the way to life everlasting. In the Jewish Jubilee, those who had been slaves to men were freed and set at liberty ; in the Christian Jubilee, those who Avere before slaves of Satan by sin, are released from their bondage and restored to the liberty of the children of God. In the ancient Jubilee debtors were acquitted of all their Avordly debts, and recovered their earthly possessions ; in the Jubilee of the Evangelical Law, Christians are released from their spiri- tual debts, reinstated in the favour of God, and recover the right and title to the kingdom of Heaven, and to their past merits, which they had forfeited by falling into mortal sin. In virtue of the power of binding and loosing, and the keys left to the Church by Jesus Christ, they are freed from their chains, released from their captivity, absolved from the guilt of their sins, acquitted from the punishment they incurred thereby, and delivered from the bonds that might otherwise hinder or retard their souls from entering into the kingdom of Heaven. However, it is only for such sinners as are truly converted and reclaimed from their evil ways, that the Church thus opens her spiritual treasures, and unlocks the gates of the kingdom of LTeaven. She claims no power to impart the benefit of an absolution or of an indulgence to those who will not renounce the devil and his works, or who refuse to be reconciled to their enemies, to repair the scandal they have given, to shun the dangerous occasions of sin, to make restitution of their neighbour's property which they unjustly possess, to repair the injuries they have done him, or to drop the detestable habits of cursing, swearing and blaspheming, wherein, they are involved. Any abuses that may, perhaps, be committed herein through the fault or connivance of individuals, cannot with justice be laid to the charge of the Catholic religion ; since the Church is so far from authorizing or countenancing them, that she utterly disclaims, cen- sures and condemns them, as appears clearly from the decree of the Council of Trent relative to indulgences, and from the common doctrine 428 ON THE SMALL NUMBER OE THE ELECT. of the most learned divines, who assert that pardons and indulgences, granted Avithout a just cause, or without the necessary dispositions on the part of those who apply for them, are not ratified by Almighty God, who according to the Royal Prophet, Psal. Ixxxiv. 9, will only speah peace unto his iHople, and unto his saints, and grant it to such as recover his sanctifying grace, by being converted to him with all their heart. O Divine Jesus, grant us all the grace of a true conversion, that we may draw waters in joy from thy sacred fountains, and be duly qualified to hear these words of peace and comfort pronounced in our favour, which thou hast vouchsafed to say to the sick man, mentioned in this day's Gospel, Son, he of good heart, thy sins are forgiven thee. This is the blessing that I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON THE SMALL NUSIBER OF THE ELECT. Multi sunt vocati, pauci vero electi St. Matt. c. xxU. v. 14. Many are called, but few are chosen St. Matt. c. xxii. v. 14. "Who would imagine, my brethren, that a guest invited on the part of his sovereign to partake of a marriage feast, would be sentenced on so solemn and so joyful an occasion to be tied hands and feet and plunged into a frightful dungeon, where there was nothing to be heai'd but weeping and gnashing of teeth ? Such, notwithstanding, was the dis- ' mal fate of the guest spoken of in this day's Gospel. What was the cause of his condemnation ? He is not accused of having ill-treated the other guests, or of having committed any insolence in the banquet-room. All the crime he is chai-ged with is, that he came to the marriage-feast without being clothed with the wedding garment. For this reason he was expelled by the waiters, and cast into exterior darkness. By this man are represented all sinners who are void of the grace of God, defiled with sin, and whilst they continue in that unhappy state, exposed every moment to the manifest danger of being excluded from the banquet of eternal glory that is prepared for the elect in the kingdom of Hea- ven, and of being delivered over to the ministers of divine justice, in order to be precipitated into a gloomy prison, where there is nothing but tears, despair, horror, fatal blindness, devouring flames, and eternal damnation. The Lord, it is true, does not desire the death of any sinner, hut that he he converted and live, as the Prophet Ezechiel assures us, xxxiii. 11. He is not willing that any should perish, says St. Peter, 2 Epis. iii. 9, says St. Paul, Tim. 1 Ephes. iv. It is his ivill that all men he saved, and that they come to the knoioledge of the truth, v. iv. He invites all mankind, without exception, to the inheritance of his heavenly kingdom, and supplies them with the means that are necessary and sutficient to attain the happy end of their creation. Nevertheless, it is not to be doubted but the greater part of mankind is lost for ever, since Christ himself declares in the conclusion of this day's Gospel, that many are called, few are chosen. This divine oracle is really terrifying, and enough not only to alarm sinners, but also to fill the just themselves with a salutary fear. Theo- logians and spiritual writers, however, endeavour to throw some light ON THE SMALL NUMBER OF THE ELECT. 429 on it, by remarking, tliat the number of the elect is to be supposed to exceed the number of reproved sinners, if we take into the calculation of the elect the immense multitudes of Angels and other heavenly spi- rits Avho perpetually surround the throne of God, because the nine choirs of Angels and whole celestial hierarchy are, beyond comprehension, more numerous than all the descendants or the Avhole posterity of Adam, from the creation to the very end of the worl^. But if the entire race of Adam be considered separately and apart by themselves ; in this case the number of the elect amongst them is by many degrees smaller than the number of the reproved, or there are vastly more human beings damned than saved. Some writers do not hesitate to compare the many that are lost to the numberless fleaks of snow and drops of water which fall from the Heavens on a winter's day ; whilst on the other hand, they draw similies from the Scripture, and compare the number of those avIio are chosen and saved to the few ears of corn that are picked up by the gleaners during the harvest, and to the few scattered grapes which escape the workmen's eye in the vintage time. When the calculation is confined to Christians only, it is generally supposed and believed that the number of the elect amongst them is much greater than the number of the reproved, provided all the young children who die in their bap- tismal innocence be comprised and included in the number ; but if we abstract from such children who depart this life in the sanctity of their baptism, and count only the adult, Avho attain to the age of reason and understanding, it is the common opinion that there are many more gx-own-up Christians lost than saved, and, of course, the number of the elect among them is but small, comparatively speaking. If you ask whence comes this ? the reply is easy : From their own demerits, and from their refusing or neglecting to perform the conditions which God requires on their part in order to obtain salvation, namely, to believe what God teaches, and to obey what he commands. In short, there are only two ways that lead to Heaven and life everlasting, the way of inno- cence, and the way of penance ; and there are but few Christians, com- paratively speaking, Avho bid fair for entering Heaven, either by the one Avay or by the other, as I will endeavour to shew you in the folloAviug discourse. How few there are who go to Heaven by the way of inno- cence, shall be the subject of the first point ; how few go to Heaven by the way of penance, shall be the subject of the second point. Let us previously implore the divine assistance, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin. Ave Maria. Innocence is undoubtedly a sui*e road to heavenly Jerusalem, into lohicli nothing that is dejiled ivill he admitted ; but if we except infants, who after their baptism are mercifully withdraAvn from the dangers of this sinful Babylon, before malice has time to corrupt their understanding, how few are there nov^^-a-days, who pass through the road of innocence to the happy mansions of everlasting bliss ? Where are those pure souls to be found among the adult who have never been guilty of any actual sin, in tliought, word, or deed ? Hov.r few are there to be met with in this degenerate age, Avho constantly live up to the maxims of the Gospel and to the rules of Christianity ? Not to speak of the whole race of man- kind, nor of the numberless multitudes of idolaters who dwell in those Avide extended nations that stretch beyond the tropics, nor of the various tribes of infidels that people the back settlements of America ; not to mention the many millions of Pagans Avho inhabit the extensive empires 430 ON THE SMALL NUMBER OE TirE ELECT. of Turkey, of Persia, of Tartary, of China, and other populous countries in Asia ; not to speak, I say, of all these unbelievers, who live and die not only in the state of original sin, but likewise under the guilt of many actual sins, which they voluntarily commit against the inborn law of nature, whereof they cannot be supposed to be invincibly ignorant, what shall we think of the generality of Christians, even in Europe ? How few, comparatively #peaking, are there to be found amongst them who are truly virtuous, and who make Heaven their chief concern ? How few who inviolably preserve, to the end of their lives, that sacred treasure of sanctifying grace which they received at the baptismal font, and of which Jesus Christ Avill demand a strict account on the dreadful day of judgment ? How many, on the other hand, are there among them who separate themselves from the fold of Christ by schism and heresy, and who live in an open violation of the laws of God and his Chui'ch ? How many are there who by their immoralities, dishonour the sacred character they bear, and promiscuously perpetrate those odious and shameful crimes, which, as the Apostle says, should not even be named among Christians, and which he assures us, Galat. v. 19, exclude for ever from the kingdom of Heaven ? There are, indeed, the Lord be praised, some happy souls, who like Noah preserve themselves untainted amidst the general corruption ; for the Church of Christ never was, and never will be destitute of saints, even in the worst of times ; but there is reason to fear that out of ten thousand of the adult, there is not, perhaps, one to be found so happy as to carry the white robe of his baptismal innocence from the font to the coffin, without having stained it with some actual sins. Such is the corruption of the world, such is the depravity of human nature since the fall of our first parents, that we almost all begin from our childhood to deviate from the right road, and decline from the ivay of virtue, as the Eoyal Prophet remarks, Ps. xiii. The first use we commonly make of our heart, is to misplace our affections on created objects, and to trans- gress the great commandment of loving the Lord our God above all things. Our first inclinations are generally vicious, and prompt us to follow the suggestions of blind self-love, and to have no other view but to please ourselves, and satisfy our own will. "We are apt to be led asti-ay by a long train of dangerous passions, which form a kind of mist or cloud before our eyes, and hinder us from seeing the beauty of virtue and the deformity of vice in their pi'oper colours, until our reason ripens on the sad remains of shipwrecked innocence. To be more fully convinced that few adult Christians enter Heaven by the gate of innocence, we need only take a general view of the com- mon life of the professors of Christianity ; for is it not evident that the generality of them violate their baptismal vows, and that their lives ai-e a direct contradiction to their profession and religious principles ? They are hurried on by the impetuosity of their passions ; they are constantly occupied in seeking enjoyments and interests incompatible with true virtue, and they seem to be intent on nothing so much as the gratifica- tion of every unlawful desire ; they forsake the narrow painful way of the cross ; and run with the crowd into the broad and flowery road of criminal pleasures. Concupiscence of the flesh, concupiscence of the eyes, and pride of life, are the three idols to which they pay their homage, in opposition to, and in contempt of the living God. If we examine from the palace to the cottage, from the most elevated to the lowest condition ON THE SMALL NUMBER OF THE ELECT. 431 of life, we shall find vice reigning amongst every class of men ; we shall scarce see any thing else amongst the great but inordinate ambition, pride, irreligion, a barefaced contempt of piety, libertinism, dissipation, criminal excesses, oppression of the poor, and a shameful abuse of power and authority. Those who move in a lower sphere, and whose circum- stances do not permit them to indulge their natural inclinations, are sel- dom more innocent ; interest is with the generality of them the sole rule and standard of all their actions ; they allow themselves little or no time to think of the great concerns of eternity, or if they spare an odd half hour in the course of a whole week to attend the public worship and great Sacrifice of the Mass on the Lord's-day, it is with languor and tepidity, with coldness and indifference. What they are really in earnest about, is the providing the necessaries, the conveniencies, the comforts and satisfactions of this transitory life. Instead of seeking first the king- dom of Heaven, instead of sanctifying their worldly occupations, by per- forming them for God's honour and glory, and with a view of pleasing him and discharging their respective duties, their first and principal ob- ject is to increase their jDossessions, to maintain their station, and keep up their importance on earth, for which purpose they are disposed for any act of fraud and injustice, from which they may possibly derive any benefit or emolument ; for it is remarkable, that their religion and piety decrease in proportion as their wealth and riches increase. It is also remarkable that those very states, which are most proper to excite Christians to the practice of virtue, and to procure the salvation of their souls, such as poverty, afftictions, and sufferings, become the occa- sion of sin and damnation to thousands, by the bad dispositions of those who suffer and are afflicted ; so that if prosperity hurries on a great number to eternal perdition, because it blinds them and makes them for- get God ; adversity is equally destructive to as many, since it causes them to murmur against divine Providence, and repine against the will of Heaven. If riches are a grand obstacle to salvation, on account of the bad use commonly made of them, poverty likewise sends numbers to hell by the bad use that is made of it. Thus it happens that the pow- erful and the feeble, the rich and the poor, help and assist to damn each other. The powerful oppress and ruin the weak, and by this means en- tail damnation on themselves ; the weak are exasperated and enraged against the powerful, and thus they damn themselves in like manner ; the rich grind the faces of the poor, and therefore are liable to fall vic- tims to God's eternal vengeance; the poor envy, defraud, and injure the rich, and thus they are equally exposed to perish eternally. Did time but permit me to take a cursory view of the different branches of trade, and the particular states in which Christians engage themselves, we would discover a thousand low artifices and illegal practices which they recur to, in order to deceive, cheat and circumvent each other. How many ai-e there who seem to place their duty in the transgression of it, neglecting what is commanded and doing what is forbid ; parents are either careless in the education of their children, or children are without due respect and obedience to their parents ; husbands are cruel to their wives, or wives are deficient in that love and submission Avhich they owe to their husbands ; masters and mistresses are overbearing and tyrannical to their servants and domestics, or domestics and servants are insolent and unfaithful to their masters and mistresses. In fine, there are but very few, comparatively speaking, who perfectly comply with 432 ON THE SMALL K UMBER OF THE ELECT. every part of tLeir duty ; very few whose virtue is not mingled with some alloy of corruption, and accompanied Avith many defects and blemishes ; very few who sincerely in their hearts prefer God to all things, and are constantly in a disposition of mind rather to lose all, and sufier all, than offend him, and consequently, there are but very few, who can pretend a right to Heaven on the title of innocence. Let us now examine, and be yourselves judges, if more souls go to Heaven by the vray of penance : this is what I promised to shew in the second point. When I say that there are but few, comparatively speaking, who can claim a right to Heaven in quality of true penitents, I do not mean that there are but few who have recourse to the sacrament of penance ; for it is to be supposed that, except libertines and profligates, Avho make open profession of licentiousness and impiety, and who are neither afraid nor ashamed to trample upon all laws, both divine and human ; it is to be supposed, I say, that except men of this description, the generality of the faithful acquit themselves in some manner of this duty at or about the holy time of Easter, that is to say, the great number confess their sins ; but it is to be feared that amongst this great number there are but few who can be stiled true Gospel penitents, and consequently, there are but few of them to be saved, since to do penance is absolutely necessary to salvation, according to this terrible sentence, pronounced by Jesus Christ himself: Unless you do penance you shall all j^erish. For what is a true Gospel penitent ? A penitent, says Tertullian, is he who has always a deep sense of his great misfortune in having lost the favour and friend- ship of his God, and who has incessantly belbre his eyes the sad image and remembrance of his sins, and is affected by a true and sincere son-ow for them. A penitent is he who frequently repasses in the bitterness of his soul, those years he spent in vice, and detests and heartily bewails the crimes by which he has offended the Almighty ; a penitent is he who leads a new life, and endeavours to expiate his past sins by the laborious exercises of penance and mortification, thereby to prevent the dreadful punishments which he has deserved, and which the justice of God has a right to inflict ; a penitent, in fine, is a person chai'ged with the interest of God's justice against himself, Avho looks therefore on his body as an enemy that must be weakened, as a rebel that must be chastised, as a delinquent to whom all favour and indulgence should be refused, as a criminal destined to die, because he no longer deserves to live, and con- sequently, his di-ess, liis actions, his whole deportment should bespeak austerity, mortification, and compunction. Such is the character of a true Gospel penitent, but, my brethren, penitents of this kind, where are they to be found ? The early years of Christianity could indeed boast of penitents of this character ; in them happy times sinners of all ranks were frequently seen prostrate at the gates of the Churches, covered with sackcloth and ashes, crying out to Heaven for mercy, striking their breasts, like the publican, Avith grief, and conjuring their brethren Avho entered into the house of God, to ob- tain for them by their prayers the pardon and remission of their crimes. For a single mortal sin they passed Avhole years in the painful exercises of fasting, praying, and Aveeping, and debarred even of innocent recre- ation ; they alloAved themselves no other comfort but that of tears and repentance, because they had the misfortune to offend the Lord their God. Such were the true penitents in the primitive ages of Christianity, and thus they endeavoured to efface and expiate their past sins. The ON THE SMALL NUMBER OF THE ELECT. 433 least vestige or trace of this ancient discipline and penitential spirit is, now-a-days, scarce visible in the conduct and deportment of the generality of modern Christians. If fasting, or any other work of mortification be enjoined them as a salutary penance; if the observance of the Lent, the Fridays and Saturdays, and other days of abstinence prescribed by the Church, be insisted on as a necessary duty, a thousand excuses are immediately framed. If you take their own word for it, their health is impaired ; they are of a delicate constitution ; their state of life will not admit either of fasting or abstinence ; it is too heavy a bnrden, which they are unable to bear. In quality of Christians, they are followers of a Leader who was crowned with thorns, and disciples of a Master who lived in sufl'ei'iugs and died in torments ; and yet they can scarce abide to hear talk of penance or mortification, of fasting or self-denial, much less to practice them, though their manifold and grievous sins cry aloud to Heaven for vengeance. Iix short, they either totally neglect the Sacrament of Penance, and live and die in a state of final impenitence, or they approach the sacred tribunal without the necessary dispositions, without any hearty sorrow for their sins, without a firm and sincere purpose of amendment. Judge then, my brethren, if the greatest part of the faithful can claim a right to Heaven in quality of true and sincere penitents. Judge if you yourselves can ground your pretensions to life everlasting on the same title. As a farther proof of the gi'eat number of Christians who perish eter- nally, how many are there that wrong and defraud their neighbour, and how many make restitution ? The first are almost without number, and the second very rare. Of an hundred persons you will scarce find one but complains of having suffered some damage by fraud and injustice; and notwithstanding, what restitution do we see made ? What satis- faction for the damage done ? This is what the fraudulent and unjust do not even think of, and still nothing more certainly entails damnation on them than a neglect of this duty ; nothing being more clear than they shall perish eternally, if, having it in their power to do it, they will not restore the property of their neighbour whom they have defrauded, and repair the damage they have willingly caused. After this, need we re- quire other proofs to be convinced that there are incomparably more souls damned than saved, and that even in the midst of Christianity there are few who enter Heaven by the gate of penance, in comparison of the great numbers that are lost for ever, because they do not repent in the sincerity of their hearts, nor produce the fruits that are worthy of penance. How many habitual and relapsing sinners are there to be found amongst the penitents of our days, who are constantly re-plunging into the same favourite vices, and refuse to shun the dangerous occasions of sin, or take any pains to restrain their passions and overcome their evil habits ? Hoav many are there who, abusing tlie mei'cy of God, and' presumptuously relying on the uncertainty of a death-bed repentance, put off their conversion to the end of their life, and resolve to quit sin only in their old age, when sin may be said to quit them ? Old age may indeed disengage a sinner from the follies of youth ; adversity, the loss of health, a Avrecked constitution, worn out in the pursuit of vice, and exhausted by criminal excesses, may chill his blood, quench the fire of his passions, restrain the inordinate inclinations of his heart, and give 2 E 434 ON THE SMALL NUMBER OE THE ELECT. a natural aversion to sin. His crimes, of course, may cease then, but is he for this reason to be deemed a sincere penitent ? Or is it to be supposed, that he can command at will a true sorrow and compunction of heart, with a hatred and detestation of sin, because it is offensive to God's infinite goodness ? No, my brethren, the sorrow such sinners have for their sins often amounts to no more than a wish that they could continue to sin with impunity. The offence given to God is a matter they seldom consider ; they regard nothing in religion but its menaces, and the torments of an hereafter ; and were there no hell to be feared, it is to be apprehended that they would live and die like Atheists, without faith, religion, and remorse of conscience. If so, my brethren, as undoubtedly is the case of numbers of false penitents, have I not reason to conclude that the generality of Christians do not bid fair for entering the kingdom of Heaven, either by the gate of innocence or by the gate of penance ? Perhaj)S you will object and say, that the great God is merciful, and that he did not put you into the world to damn you. Merciful he is, indeed, praise, honour and glory be to his holy name, and were it not for his boundless mercy we would be all lost and undone for ever; but he is equally just and faithful to his promises, and he has no where promised to admit all sinners into the kingdom of Heaven, but he has expressly declared the reverse. He has not put you into the world to damn you : but let me ask you, did he put you into the world to be wicked, to be unjust, to be lewd, to be revengeful, to defame and detract, to rob and cheat your neighbour, to be drunkards, cursers, swearers and blasphemers ? No, my brethren, God has .put you into the world to love and serve him ; and if, instead of loving and serving him, you constantly offend him and transgress his command- ments, it is your own fault if you are not saved. It is you yourselves, who damn yourselves, and the Lord may justly say to you as he formerly did to the Jews : Israel, thy perdition is entirely oiving to thyself. He created you without your own assistance, says St. Augustine, but he will not save you without your own concurrence. He requires the co- operation of your own free-will with the graces which in his mercy he dispenses, and it is for want of this co-operation that of the many who are called, so few are chosen. Awake then, O sinners, from the fatal lethargy of sin, and labour in good earnest to be of the small number of God's elect. Contend to " enter ye in at the narrow gate ;" for ivide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are ivho go in thereat ; but iiarroxu is the gate, and strait is the loay that leadeth to life, and few there are that find it, as Christ our Lord expressly says in the Gospel, Matt. vii. 13, 14. If, therefore, my brethren, you have had the misfortune to shut the gate of innocence against yourselves, you still have a resource. The gate of penance is yet open, and you have it in your power to recover the friendship of God, and to carry the kingdom of Heaven by means of a true and sincere conversion. An affair of such importance admits of no delay, but requires your most serious attention and application. All is gained if Heaven be gained ; and if Heaven be lost all is lost, and lost for ever witliout resource. O, let me entreat you to sleep no longer on the brink of hell, and in the arms of perdition. Remember that the sword of divine justice is unsheathed, and hangs over your head, supported only by the slender thread of life, a thread which may break every moment ; and should it happen to ON THE RESPECT DUE TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. 435 break, and death surprise you in a bad state, defiled with sin and void of virtue and merits, eternal misery must inevitably be your doom. Let the terrifying truths which I have announced to you this day inspire you with a salutary fear, but let your fear be always accom- panied with confidence in the mercies of God, and the merits of your Blessed Redeemer. O amiable Jesus ! we humbly prostrate ourselves at thy feet ; we throw ourselves into the arms of thy tender mercy, Avith a firm hope and confidence in thy goodness, that thou wilt not suffer our souls to be eternally lost, since they have cost thee the last drop of thy precious blood. Draw us to thee by thy all-powerful grace and the bonds of divine love, that after loving and serving thee here on earth, we may be admitted hereafter into the number of those happy souls, who are to be in thy presence for ever. This is the blessing which I wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, ON THE EESPECT DUE TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. Domus mea domus orationis est St. Luc. c. xix. v. 46. My house is the house of prayer St. Luke, c. xix. t. 46. The universe may be considered as one extensive habitation and spacious temple, formed by the almighty power of God, and replenished with his divine presence, according to the remark of the Prophet Baruch, iii. 24, 25, where he cries out with astonishment, 0 how great is the House of God, and how vast is the place of his possession ! It is great and hath no end ; it is high and immoise. A serious consideration hereof, caused King David to cry out to God, in Ps. cxxxviii. " Where shall I go, O Lord, to hide " myself from thy spirit ? "Where shall I fly from before thy face ? If " I ascend up to Heaven thou art there ; if I descend down to hell thou " art there also ; if I take wings to fly to the extremity of the earth, " and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 'tis thy hand that guides " me, and thy right hand that shall hold me. I said to myself, perhaps " the darkness may cover me ; but I know that even the darkest night " becomes luminous to shew me to thee, for darkness, O my God, is " not obscure to thee, nor is the night to thee less clear than mid-day." Thus this holy King reasoned with himself, concluding from thence that he was under an obligation to hold himself always in the presence of his God, and never to forget that he is every where, that he sees all things, knows all things, and fills all things with his immensity. St. Augustine, speaking of the immensity of God, figures it to himself as a vast ocean, in which all creatures, to use his expression, are swallowed up and ' penetrated witli the essence of God, without ever being able to come out of him or to disengage themselves from him, because they are present to him by the necessity of their being. Is it not then just that man, who is an intelligent and rational creature, should honour and respect God in all places, and walk continually in his presence, without ever straying away or losing siglit of it, especially as there is not a greater preservative against sin, nor a more powerful incentive to virtue, than to remember always that God sees us, and that be is 436 ON THE KESPECT DUE a witness not only of our actions, but likewise of our most secret intentions. However, as a great part of the earth which Ave inhabit is either con- taminated with vice, or laid out for temporal afiairs and profane pur- poses, and as our manifold necessities and worldly avocations do not allow us to be at all times, and in all places, in that respectful posture and devout employment, with which we should endeavour to present ourselves before the infinite majesty of God, it was expedient that some particular places should be sanctified and set apart for this sacred and religious purpose. Hence we read in the Old Testament, that certain places have been particularly chosen, sanctified and appropi-iated to the divine worship, both in the law of nature and under the written laAV of Moses, and 'that the Almighty God himself has been pleased to manifest the wonderful effects of his power and goodness in these places more frequently and more copiously than in others ; for as he thought proper to make choice of some particular times in preference to others for dis- playing the riches of his mercy, and to appoint certain festival days to be devoted in a special manner to his divine service, though he is equally Lord and master of all days and of all times, so he has likewise thought proper to choose certain particular places in preference to others for his special habitation, there to receive the homage and submission of his faithful servants, and to bestow his gracious favours and blessings more readily and more abundantly, though in the interim he is intimately present in all places, fills the wide expanse of Heaven and earth with liis immensity, and cannot be limited or confined within the precincts or walls of any material edifice, like unto the idols and false gods of the GentUes, as St. Paul speaks. Acts, vii. My present design is to take a comparative view of the types and figures of the Old Law, and of the asylums of piety and religion Avhich, in the New Law of grace, are de- dicated to the worship of God by the solemn consecration and benedic- tion of the Holy Catholic Church. The trauscendant sanctity of these sacred places shall be the subject of the first point. The great respect that is due to them, and the profound reverence and edifying piety with which we ought to conduct ourselves therein, shall be the sub- ject of the second point. Let us previously invoke the assistance of the Divine Spirit, through the intercession of the blessed Virgin, &c. Ave Maria. The Book of Genesis informs us, c. xxviii. that the Lord appeared to Jacob at Bethel in the mysterious vision of a ladder, the foot of which stood upon the ground, the top seemingly reaching to Heaven, and numbers of Angels ascending and descending by it. Whereupon Jacob, trembling and filled with awe, adored the Divine Majesty, as there present ; and having erected a stone for a title, he poured oil on it and cried out, Hoiv aivful is this place! It is truly no other than the dwelling- place of God, and the gate of Heaven; the Lord is most certainly here^ and I knew it not. The holy Patriarch was not ignorant that the Lord was present in all places by his immensity ; but until then he knew not that the Lord had chosen that particular place, and sanctified it by a special presence, which required a peculiar respect and veneration. The Al- mighty appeared likewise to Noah, Abraham, and other Holy Patriarchs and Prophets, and they accordingly erected altars to his honour, and worshipped him in the particular places Avhere he had appeared to them, and had given them sensible marks of his special presence ; but Solomon TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. 437 was the first man that ever erected a permanent Temple to the living God. During the forty years that the children of Israel were travelling through the Desert, they had no other place of worship but a portable Temple, that is to say, the Tabernacle, which was erected in the middle of their camp by the express orders of God himself, who was pleased to accept the vows, oblations and sacrifices of his people in that particular place. When they arrived at Jerusalem, and were formed into a commonwealth, he ordered a magnificent Temple to be built in that city, that they might invoke his holy name therein, and adore him with greater splendour and solemnity. The amazing grandeur and magnificence of that Temple served to inspire them with a reverential awe and respect'; it was so august, and upon so grand a scale, so highly embellished and so richly decorated, that the view of it impressed their minds Avith some idea of the beauty and splendour of Heavenly Jerusa- lem, and of the infinite grandeur and glory of God. The Scripture tells us, that when the solemnity of its dedication was completed, the ma- jesty of God filled the whole Temple, and having caused fire to descend from Heaven and consume the prodigious number of holocausts that were offered on the occasion, the Lord was pleased to appear to Solomon, and assured him that he had chosen that holy jilace for his own habitation, and that his eyes ivoidd be open, and his ears icould be attentive to the i^rayers which his people ivoidd offer therein. Hence, Daniel in his captivity, opened his window towards Jerusalem three times a day, and prayed with his face towards the Temple, when he could not go there in person. The Jews were accustomed to flock to it from all parts, in order to adore and glorify the Lord in it, by the most solemn acts of religion. They held this holy Temple in such respect and veneration, that they were accustomed to premise several ablutions and purifications before they would venture even to approach the exterior court, that served as a barrier to keep them at a greater distance from the Holy of Holies, which was in the interior Court of the Temple. None but the Priests were permitted to enter into the interior court, every other person being forbid imder pain of being stoned to death. Nay, the Holy of Holies was inaccessible to every one except the High Priest himself, Avho, after many preparatory exercises of religion, was allowed to enter into it once a year, with the blood of the immolated victims, this sacred place being a figure of Heaven, which was shut against man till Christ, our High Priest, entered there, covered with his own precious blood, as the Apostle speaks, Heb. ix. Such, my brethren, was the respect the people of God, in^ the Old Law, paid to these sanctified places, which were appropriated in a spe- cial manner to the divine service ; such, in particidar^ Avas the reverential awe and veneration which the Jews testified with regard to the Temple of Jerusalem, and which God himself enforced with so much rigour, that he punished the least profanation of it with great severity. In the. Book of Leviticus, chap, xix., he expressly commanded them to reverence his Sanctuary, and to do nothing in it but what tended to his honour and regarded his worship. Nay, he ordered Aaron and his sons to wash their hands and feet before they approached the Altar and Tabernacle, and Moses to take off his shoes when he approached the burning bush, out of respect to the holy ground Avhereon he stood ; and he forbid the Israelites even to approach the holy Mount, on which the Law of the Ten Com- mandments was published. 438 ON THE RESPECT DUE These examples are recorded in Holy Writ for our instruetion, and are so many convincing pi'oofs of the singular respect that is due to those Christian temples and sacred houses of religious worship, which under the New Law of the Gospel are dedicated to the honour of God, and sanctified in a particular manner by his special presence. It must be acknowledged that they are by many degrees more holy and more venerable than the Jewish Temple, or any of the other ancient types and figures, as these were no more than empty shadows of the good things which Christ was to confer on us. Our churches, chapels, and oratories, are by excellency the houses of God, and are therefore stiled by the Prophet the new Heavens on earth, Avhich were promised to the children of the New Testament. Here there are no barriers between God and his people as there were in the Temple of Jerusalem. Our Divine Redeemer has destroyed the wall of separation that kept mankind at so great a distance from the Holy of Holies. Here it is not the flesh of oxen, sheep, or other animals that is offered up in sacrifice, as in the Temple of Jei'usalem, but the immaculate flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, the innocent Lamb of God and Saviour of the World. It is the very same adorable victim which was once ofifered up in a bloody manner on Mount Calvary, that is here immolated on our altars in an unbloody manner ; it is the same precious blood which flowed upon the cross, that continues here to plead our cause, and to cry aloud to Heaven for mercy on our behalf ; it is, in fine, the pure oblation and commemorative sa- crifice of the New Law that is here offered up every day, and that sur- passes all the sacrifices of the Old Law as much as the substance 'and reality surpass the shadow and figure, or as much as Christ himself in person and dignity exceeds all the victims that wei'e foi'merly immolated. O what would the pious Israelites have done, with what sentiments of religion would they have been penetrated, if they had possessed in their Temple the heavenly treasures, favours and blessings which Christians enjoy in their churches and chapels ? With what fervour and zeal would the holy King David have been inflamed and actuated ? He, who cried out to the Lord, Ps. xxv., / have loved, 0 Lord, the beauty of thj house, and the place ichere thy glory divelleth. The Scripture tells us, that he paid such respect and honour to the very Ark of the Covenant, that he danced before it in transports of joy, and caused it to be brought in triumph to the capital of his kingdom, amidst the soiuids of musical instruments and the joyful acclamations of a numberless multitude of his subjects. Josue and the elders of Israel prostrated themselves also before it with the most profound reverence and humility, and the people with an holy emulation contributed such quantities and heaps of their most valuable effects, their plate, their rings, their bracelets, their finest stuffs and richest ornaments, for the purpose of decorating the Taber- nacle, that Moses found it necessary to give them notice, by a public crier, to bring no more, Exod. xxv. Yet what Avas their Tabernacle ? What was their Ark ? What did their Ark contain but the two tables of the Decalogue, the rod of Aaron, and a small portion of the manna that fell from Heaven ? What was their Tabernacle in comparison of the tabernacles and sanctuaries of the holy Catholic Church, wherein is deposited the most holy, the most inestimable treasure in the world, the most venerable sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist, wherein Jesus Christ, the living Ark of the New Testament, is really and substantially present to feed and nourish the souls of the faithful, not with corruptible manna, , TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. 439 as the Israelites were fed in tlie Desert, but Avitli the true and life-giving food of Angels, with the banquet of his own sacred body and blood ? He remained nine months in the virginal womb of his blessed mother, forty days in the stable of Bethlehem, three liours on the cross, and three days in the sepulchre ; but he is present at all hours in our sanc- tuaries, ready to give us a favourable audience, and to dispense his gracious favours and blessings with a boundless liberality. Here he abides with us, not only by his immensity, but also by the real presence of his sacred humanity. Here he dwells and resides among us as a King in his palace, and a Sovereign on his throne, to receive ovir petitions, to hear our prayers, to redress our grievances, to grant our requests, and to make us partakers of the holy sacraments, which he instituted as so many fountains of grace for the sanctification of our souls. Here, in fine, he presides in the sacred tribunals of penance, in the persons of his representatives, whom he authorizes and commissions to forgive the sins of repenting sinners, with a solemn assurance, that whosoever sins tliey foi-give on earth in his name, and by his authority, shall be for- given in the Court of Heaven, provided the penitent has recourse to his mercy with proper dispositions. Let us now briefly consider the great respect that is due to those sacred places, and the manner in which the faithful ought to present and conduct themselves therein. The primitive Christians held their oratories and places of public worship in such respect and veneration, that, as Eusebius the historian informs us, whenever they assembled therein to celebrate the divine mysteries, they were accustomed both at the beginning and conclusion of their religious duties to cry out, in imitation of the Patriarch Jacob, How awful is this place ! it is no other than the House of God and the gate of Heaven / The very presence of the Angels, who, as St. John Chrysos- tom says, are here continually attending the God of all glory, was suffi- cient to fill them with a reverential awe, to inspire them with sentiments of piety, and to make them say with the Prophet, when they approached the entrance of the house of God, //* the multitude of thy mercies, 0 Lord, I will enter thy house, adore thee in thy holy temple, confess to thy name, and sing to thy praise in the sight of thy A ngels. St. Paul made use of this argument when (1 Cor. xi. 10.) he ordered a woman to have her head modestly veiled in the church, out of respect to the Angels there j'^resent. In those early ages of Christianity the faithful were cruelly persecuted, and yet they zealously attended every day in their places of worship, at the hazard of their lives and fortunes, being persuaded that the prayers which they offered up unanimously, assembled there together in a body, Avere more efficacious, more prevalent, and more acceptable to God than private devotions performed at home. Far from committing any irre- verences in the house of God, they behaved there in a manner becoming the disciples of a crucified Jesus, assembled together to commemorate with gratitude the dolorous mysteries of his passion and death. Theii? interior was recollected and elevated to Heaven by attentive and devout prayer, and their exterior was composed by a decent appearance and a modest deportment, which redounded to the honour of God and to the edification of their neighbour. They were sensible that holiness hecometh the house of God to the end of time, as the Royal Prophet says, Ps. xcii., and for this reason they came to it with the most profound humility, looking on themselves as unworthy to appear in the presence of the Di- vine Majesty, particularly when they found their conscience burdened 440 ON THE KESPKCT DUE witli the guilt of sin. It is related of the great St. Jerome, that he trembled at the very thoughts of entering even into the repositories of the relics of the holy martyrs, whenever he happened to be disturbed ■with any little motion of anger, or to be assaulted with evil suggestions or nocturnal phantoms in his sleep. As for the notorious and scandalous sinners, they were absolutely refused admittance into the Church, until they had previously expiated their crimes, and atoned by public penance for the public scandal they had given. The ministers of the altar were accustomed to shut the gates in their face, and to repel them with these Avords of the Scripture, Apocal. xxii., Far from hence the impure and the iinclean ; far from hence all idolaters, murderers, and liars ; the holy things are reserved for those ivho are holy. "We have a remarkable instance hereof in the Emperor Theo- dosius ; St. Ambrose would not suffer him to enter into the church of Milan, until he had performed a rigorous penance of eight months, amongst the public penitents at the outside inclosure of the porch. With what eyes will you behold this temple ? said the holy Bishop to him. With what feet will you tread in this sanctuary ? Depart, and do not attempt to aggravate the guilt of your past sins by a fresh crime. It is true, indeed, the rigour of this ancient discipline is no longer enforced ; sinners are not debarred from entering our places of public worship, nor from assisting at the holy sacrifice of the mass, unless they be publicly excommunicated and personally denounced. However, the spirit of the Church being still unchangeably the same, though her discipline may vary with the times, she continues to exhoi't her children to appear ahvays in the presence of the Divine Majesty with due reverence and respect. If they are not so happy as to be in the actual state of grace, she entreats them to come at least to the house of God free from all affection to mortal sin, and with minds occupied with pure affections ; she admonishes them to present themselves with the dispositions of the humble publican in the Gospel, with a hatred and detestation of their past sins, and a sincere desire of renouncing their evil ways, and of breaking the chains of iniquity with which they are fettered. The vessels of holy water, which are usually placed near the porches and doors, are so many monitors to remind them of the purity and cleanliness both of soul and body, with which they should endeavour to appear before the Lord their God, and to assist at the great sacrifice of the New Law. St. Justin Martyr informs us, that the Pagans of his age paid such respect to their temples, that they were accustomed to enter them bare- footed, and that they had the picture of silence painted on the Avails, with an inscription ordering the most pi'ofound silence to be observed there, and commanding all profaners to withdraw. The Turks and Ma- hometans of our days have likewise their mosques and their pagods, wherein they behave with all the decorum and decency that their false religion prescribes ; and shall we, my brethren, who glory in being Christians and professors of the true religion of Jesus Christ ; shall we, I say, misbehave and be guilty of irreverences and profanations in our churches and chapels ? Shall we sufter ourselves to be outdone by the very Pagans themselves ? Is not their example sufficient to confound those who, instead of Avorshipping God in spirit and truth, and edifying their neighbour by their exemplary piety, behave, under the all-seeing eyes of their Creator, with as much levitj'-, iri'everence, and disrespect, as if they were in a play-house ? Is it not enough to cover those Chris- TO THE HOUSE OF CxOD. 441 tiaii3 with shame, who cany their impiety to the very foot of the altar, and in the very midst of the divine mysteries are constantly talkinc^, hiughing, gazing, distracting and disturbing others ? If the conduct of such persons be reprehensible, what are we to think of those who insult the sanctity of God's house still in a more audacious manner ? What are we to judge of those who come with a wicked design, with a bad intention, with a view to pick the pockets of such as they observe to be attentive to their devotions, and to steal away whatever they can lay their sacrilegious hands on ? The dreadful punishments which the Lord has inflicted, from time to time, on the profaners of sacred things and sacred places, plainly shew the enormity of this crime, and should be a warning to all persons to avoid it most carefully. Ozias, a King of Juda, who was struck Avith a leprosy for having trust himself into the Sanctuary and offered incense ; the sons of Aaron, who were consumed by lire from Heaven for having made use of profane fire in the censers ; the Phillistians, who were scourged Avith dreadful plagues for having placed the Ark in the temple of their idol Dagon ; the Bethsamites, Avho were punished Avith sudden deaths for having gazed at the Ark Avith an over-great curiosity ; Oza, a Prince of Juda, who was struck dead on the spot for having indiscreetly touched the Ark Avitli his hand ; Heliodorus, a commissary of King Antio- chus, who, as we read, Machab. ii. was scourged almost to death by two Angels from Heaven, for having attempted to rob the Temple of Jeru- salem. These are so many dismal instances that prove hoAV offensive the loAvest degree of sacrilege is to the Almighty God. We need but consider Avhat the Gospel relates, concerning our Blessed Saviour overturning the stalls and money-tables of the buyers and sellers, and whipping them out of the Temple with indignation, to be convinced Avhat a grievous sin it is to profane and dishonour the house of God. This was the only sin, as St. Augustine remarks, that could make Jesus Christ act in a manner seemingly opposite to that heavenly sweetness and meekness which, on all othei' occasions he always manifested to the greatest sinners, and for which he Avas so remarkable, that the Prophet Isaias stiled him the Prince of Peace. He bore all his own sufferings AA'ith the most astonishing patience, but was moved to an holy anger Avhen he saw the Temple of Jerusalem profaned. He reproved the world for many crimes, but he would punish Avith his own hands no crime but sacri- lege. He employed Avords of mercy and indulgence to reclaim publicans and notorious sinners ; but he made use of a rod of justice to punish the pi'ofaners of his heavenly Father's house Avith rigour and severity, re- proaching them at the same time Avith having made it an house of traffic : My house, said he, shallhe called the house of prayer, hut you have made it a den of thieves, Luke, ix. 1 7. Let us, therefore, my brethren, beware of the like abuses and irreverences. Let us honour God in all j)laces, but particu- larly in those sacred places which are honoured by his special presence, and devoted to his Avorship. Let us always appear in his divine presence with due reverence and respect, and pay unto him the just tribute of our homage with a tender and attentive piety, and Avith a spirit of recollection and true devotion, that after having honoured and adored him religiously in his temples here on earth, we may see and enjoy him hereafter in the eternal temple of his glory in the heavenly Jerusalem. Which is the happiness that I heartily wish yon all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Ploly Ghost. Amen. 442 ON LOVING OUR ENEMIES, TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. ON LOVING OUR ENEMIES, AND PARDONING OEFENCES AND INJURIES. Sic Pater meus coelestis faciet vobis, si non remiseritis unus quisque fratri suo ile cordibus vestris — St. Matt. c. xviii. v. 35. So shall my heavenly Father do to you, unless every ojie of you forgive his brother from your hearts St. Matt. c. xviii. v. 35. There is no valuable quality of the mind more generally approved of in speculation, and less regarded in practice, than that of moderating our resentments, refraining from anger, and treating those who have injured us with meekness and humanity. Yet the Son of God never spoke with greater authority, nor declared his will more decisively, than in regard to this article ; for he knew that none but himself could oblige us to foi-- give and love our enemies sincerely. Sovereigns and magistrates might indeed put a stop to exterior acts of vengeance, and even hinder a furious person from making use of opprobrious language ; but to stretch this command to the heart, and compel us to stifle our inward resentments, and return good for evil, was the privilege of God's infinite power and justice. It is for this reason he calls it by excellence his oiun command- ment. The rest he was pleased to promulge by his ministers, but this he promulged himself, as the thing in life he most desired, and resolved to have observed most religiously. That Pagans, darkened with the clouds of infidelity, should despise and reject a law so repugnant to human pride, and so contrary to the impulses of self-love, is not to be wondered at ; but that Christians, enlightened with the rays of divine grace, should loudly proclaim, that to bear tamely an affront is to authorize insolence ; that Christians, listening to nothing but what the impiety of a degenerate age inspires, or their own depraved nature and weakness of reason suggests and pre- scribes, should endeavour to extenuate the practice of a law so com- pletely glorious, is what astonishes the preachers of the "Word of God, and becomes a subject worthy of their greatest zeal and eloquence. Wherefore, I shall endeavour to shew you that to love your enemies, and do good to those that hate you, is not a simple counsel, but a precept Avholly divine and woi-thy of him, who, in the Scx'ipture is stiled the Prince of Peace, and whose wisdom only could suggest so sublime a law, and contrive so wonderful a means to govern the universe in peace, and to unite the hearts of all the faithful in the bonds of charity. And though this Law is comprised under the general precept of charity, which obliges us to love all mankind without exception or reserve, yet as it is com- monly considered a part by itself, as a duty containing two members, namely, that of loving our enemies, and pardoning injuries, I shall briefly lay before you the indispensable obligation and necessity of complying both with the one and with the other. But let us first invoke the assist- ance of the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of that immaculate Virgin, who was I'eplenished with the richest treasures of his divine grace. Ave Maria. It was a common error among the Jewish sectaries, to confine the love of their neighbour to the sole love of their friends and the people of their own nation, and to exclude all others ; nay, the Scribes and Pliarisees AND TAKDONING OFFENCES, &C. 443 imagined it lawful to hate their enemies and to retaliate injuries. But our Divine Redeemer, who came down from Heaven to kindle the fire of charity on earth, took care to condemn their en-oneous doctrine, and to teach his disciples that brotherly love is a debt which we owe all man- kind, and which no provocation or offence can ever cancel. " You have heard," says he in the Gospel, " that it ivas said, an eye for an eye, and " a tooth for a tooth ; hut I say to you not to resist the evil. You have " heard that it was said, thou shalt love thy neighbour and thou shalt " hate thy enemy ; but I say to yovi love your enemies, do good to those " that hate you, and pray for those who persecute you and utter calum- " nies against you ; to the end you may be the childi-en of your Father, " who is in Heaven, who maketh his sun rise upon the good and the bad, " and raineth upon the just and unjust ; for if you love those that love " you, what reward shall you have ? Do not even the publicans do " this ? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more ? Do " not even the publicans do this ?" Matt. v. It is neither a Moses, nor an Elias, nor any earthly Prince or Judge that lays down these rules, but it is Jesus Christ, Avhom our sins have fastened to a cross ; it is that Sovereign Lord and all-powerful Judge, who is to decide our endless misery or perpetual happiness for time and eternity. He not only incul- cated this divine Law by his word at his first and last sermon, but also vouchsafed to enforce it by his own example ; for what was his whole life but one continued practice of love and charity to his enemies ? Was it not his love for his enemies that brought him down from Heaven, clothed him with the human nature, and made him endure the greatest hardships, humiliations and sufierings ? All the base treatment he re- ceived from the Jews could not hinder him from spending three whole years amongst them in continual endeavours to procure their everlasting happiness. He wrought all kind of miracles during that time, for the sake of a people the most imgrateful that ever lived upon the face of the earth, and who, he knew, were to rejiay all his favours with a most igno- minious death. When two of his disciples, John and James, requested that he would cause fire to descend from the Heavens to burn the Sama- ritans, for having refused him admittance into their city, did he not reprimand them severely, and say, You knoiu notofivhat spirit you are ; the Son of Man is not come to destroy soids, hut to save them. At his last supper, did he not prostrate himself at the feet of the traitor Judas with the most amazing humility, and wash and wipe them with the same marks of love and tender affection, as if he were one of his truest friends ? Did he not afterwards embrace him most lovingly in the Garden of Olives, and miraculously heal the right ear of Malchus, who came trea- clierously to seize on his sacred person ? If we follow him to Mount Calvary, we shall find him in the midst of his most painful agony on the cross, forgetting himself and imploring mercy and pardon for his cruel executioners, at the very time they were spilling his precious blood. Father forgive them, said he, /or they knoiv not ivhat they do. Thus it was, my brethren, that our heavenly Legislator spent his last breath in fer- vent prayer for his murderers, preaching charity and patience from the pulpit of the cross, and recommending by his own example, the strict observance of that favourite precept and divine Law, which, during the course of his mortal life he had so warmly and so frequently inculcated, as the characteristic badge and mark that was to distinguish his disciples 444 ON LOVING OUR ENEMIES, from the rest of mankind. It is hereby, says lie, John, xiii. 35, that all men shall know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. The very genius and spirit of Christianity consists in this godlike disjjosition, and it is vain for us without it to assume to ourselves the honour of bearing the name of Christians. In vain do we pretend to be followers of the meek and humble Jesus, unless we be in charity with our bi'ethren, love our enemies, and encounter their malice with the arms of patience, meekness and humility. He that hateth his brother, says St. John, is in darkness, and ivalketh in darkness, and knoweth not lohither he goeth, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes, 1 Epist. c. ii. v. 11. and again, c. iii. v. 14, 15, He that loveth not, abideth in death, and tohosoerer hateth his brother is a murderer, because he thereby murders his own soul by depriving it of the life of grace, and the hopes of eternal life. Vfhilst he remains in that unhappy state his fasts, his prayers and offerings are not acceptable in the sight of God, who prefers the duty of fraternal love to sacrifice, though sacrifice is the highest honour we can pay to his Sovereign Majesty ; for this reason Christ our Lord says, in St. Matt. V. 23, 24, If, therefore, thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee, leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shall offer thy gift. You will say, perhaps, that it is difficult for flesh and blood to love an enemy, to put up with an injury, and to be reconciled to those that hate us. I own it is difficult to embrace our friends and foes with the same complacency and tenderness of heart ; but are we not sensible that the holy religion we profess is not an incentive to flatter our weakness and gratify our senses, but to restrain and enervate our passions, and destroy our prejudices ? Do we not know that the kingdom of Heaven is to be carried by an holy violence to our corrupt nature ? Is not the reward of an happy eternity capable of making an impression on our souls and enfoi'cing a passage to our hearts ? Is it not possible with the assistance of divine grace, to overcome evil by good, to conquer the malice of an enemy by meekness, and to repay an injury with charity and benevo- lence ? And ought we, who after a thousand reiterated crimes, have received numberless proofs of God's mercy, to think it severe, mean or despicable to love and forgive for his sake those who have injured and offended us ? Are we not happy to have it in oiu* power to obtain the pardon of our manifold offences upon such favourable terms ? Our case, in reference to Almighty God on the one hand, and our neighbour on the other, is similar to that of the servant, mentioned in this day's Gos- pel, who being summoned to give up his accounts, and being found indebted to his master in the sum of ten thousand talents, which he was unable to discharge, was forgiven the whole debt upon his humbly im- ploring mercy ; for if we look into the state of our conscience, we shall perhaps have reason to apprehend a more heavy load of debt lying upon our own souls. We shall acknowledge that every mortal sin we have been guilty of in our life is an immense debt, a sum, alas ! of ten thou- sand talents, which Ave are utterly unable to discharge of ourselves. However, the Lord is as ready to forgive us this immense debt as the master was to forgive his servant, provided we imitate in some measure his goodness, in compassionating our neighbours and forgiving the trifling debt and small offence for which they are indebted to us. But AND PARDONING OPFENCES, &C. 445 if we imitate the unmerciful servant, who, instead of having patience with his fellow-servant, and allowing him some time for the payment of the hundred pence he owed, seized on him with open violence and cast him into confinement ; if, I say, we harden our hearts in this manner, and shew no mercy to our brethren, we must expect to be treated here- after like him with the utmost rigour, and to be delivered over to the ministers of God's severe justice, until we shall have paid the last farthing ; for, as Christ says in the conclusion of the aforesaid parable, It is thus mij heavenly Father shall treat you, unless every one of you forgive his brother fro7n your heart. Lest Ave should ever forget or lose sight of this great duty, he has thought proper to insert the following petition in the form of daily prayer, which he has taught us. Forgive tis our tres- jxcsses, as tve forgive them that ti^espass against us ; after Avliich he took an occasion to enlarge upon this petition alone, and said. If you forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father ivill forgive you also your offences ; but if you ivill not forgive men, neither ivill your Father forgive you your offences, Matt. vi. 14, 15. This plainly shews that to forgive our brethren sin- cerely from the heart all the injuries and offences they commit against us is a condition absolutely necessary, in order to obtain from God the forgiveness of our own sins. How then can we without trembling repeat these words. Forgive us our trespasses as ive forgive, if our heart tells us, at the same time, that we do not forgive ? Is it not calling for justice instead of mercy, for vengeance instead of compassion, unless Ave for- give ? Is it not bespeaking our own condemnation, and a denial of the pardon Ave sue for in reciting the Lord's Prayer ? Christians who are about approaching the sacred tribunal of penance, ajjd who Avish to be qualified for the benefit of the sacramental absolution, should reflect seriously on these important truths, and lay aside all rancour and ill-Avill, resentments and animosities. They must, in the sincerity of their hearts, forgive all those Avho have offended and injured them, if they expect to be forgiven themselves ; for though in other respects they may be seemingly Avell disposed, yet as long as they persist in an imforgiving revengeful temper, and harbour hatred and malice in their hearts to any one person in the world, they are utterly unworthy of the mercy they sue for ; their repentance is no better in the sight of God than a mock- ery, their confession is void, the absolution they deceitfully receive is null, and instead of discharging their debts, they only enci-ease their reckoning, and return back Avith the additional guilt of sacrilege. "What is more, if they die in that state, there is no room for mercy, since as St. James, ii. 13, assures us. Judgment ivithout mercy shall be dealed out to him ivho hath not shewn mercy ; God Avill deal with him, in this respect, just as he shall have dealt with his neighbour, according to these Avords of the Gospel, With ivhat measure you shall measure to others, it shall be measured to yo^i again, Luke, vi. 38. If we consult the Old Testament, we shall find that the great duty of fraternal love for enemies, and of forgiving injuries and offences received, Avas reduced to practice long before the promulgation of the Evangelical LaAv. "What shall Ave say of the Patriarch Joseph Avith regard to his brethren, Avho had combined against his life, and sold him as a slave to be carried aAvay from his father's house into Egypt ? What an illustrious example of foi-bearance and charity do Ave also behold in King David, Avith regard to his mortal enemy Saul, who sought all opportunities to take aAvay his life, and Avas so much incensed against every one that 446 ON LOVING OUR ENEMIES, relieved David, or shewed him any kindness in his greatest distress, that for this reason he caused all the inhabitants of Nobe to be massacred, Avithont even sparing the children, or the brute animals themselves, and ordered Abimelech with fourscore and four priests to be put to death, because they had given David some of the sanctified loaves to eat during the time of his exile. Notwithstanding all this unheard-of cruelty, David loved Saul most affectionately, spoke favourably of him whei'ever he went, and rendered him all the good services in his power, at the very time that Saul thirsted after his innocent blood, and was searching the mountains and dark caverns of the earth where he supposed David was hiding, in order to find him and put him instantly to death. On one of these occasions David, accompanied with a number of his trusty friends, happened to meet Saul alone in a solitary place, where, had he been dis- posed to be revenged, he might have easily secured his own life, and peaceable possession of the royal crown of Israel for himself and his family after ; but he was so far from laying violent hands on him, that he dismissed him unhurt, after cutting off the skirt of Saul's robe, to shew that he had him in his power. This made St. John Chrysostom say : as often as I reflect on the meekness and charity of King David, finding his greatest enemy alone in a solitary cave, I look upon that cave as a temple, Avhere he offered unto God the most acceptable of all saci'i- fices, not that he sacrificed the flesh of animals there, but because he surmounted his own anger, and resisted all desire of revenge, which is a thousand times more agreeable to the Lord ; he acqviired more glory in suffering Saul to go away unhurt, than he acquired by defeating the- for- midable giant Goliah, and cutting off his head ; he stood in no need of a sling, a stone, or a SAVord ; he obtained, Avithout Aveapons, the most signal of all A'ictories in forgiving his enemy ; he did not return from the field of battle, carrying the head of a giant in his hands, but subduing the most violent of all passions. The women and daughters of Israel did not sing as they did after the defeat of Goliah, Saul hilled a thousand, and David ten thousand, but the Angels in Heaven, who Avere faithful wit- nesses of his sincere charity, proclaimed his victory, and published his glory among the blessed. Say no longer, then, my brethren, that it is impossible to love your enemies, and do good to those who pursue you with the greatest malice, hatred, and disdain. Christ does not command impossibilities ; His yoke is siveet, and his burden is light. Thousands of holy martyrs amongst the primitive Christians, who wore the same flesh and blood with us, pi*e- served in their hearts the most sincere affection and charity for their enemies, and sought no other way to be revenged of them than by praying for them, and overcoming evil with good. They suffered the loss of every thing that was dear to human nature A\'ith patience, and en- dured the sharpest trials and the most bai'barous cruelties with the meek- ness of lambs and the simplicity of doves. Far from retaliating, far from regarding their persecvitors as objects of their anger and aA'ersion, they looked upon them as the instruments of divine justice, and bore the inju- ries done them as coming from the hand of God, and designed for their spiritual good. When they were imprisoned, scourged, stoned, and put to death, they prayed for their enemies, they rejoiced that they were deemed worthy to suffer ignominy for the name of Jesus, and they laid down their lives without shewing the least resentment. Whei'e shall Ave find such examples of charity and moderation noAV-a-days ? How often. AND PARDONING OFFENCES, &C. 447 alas ! do modern Christians, for want of observing the maxims of the Gospel, tnrn enemies to their own repose, and traitors to their conscience ? How often do they provoke the divine vengeance against themselves, and unchristianly, as well as imprudently, revenge upon their own souls the real or imaginary injuries done to their persons ? If they do not imbrue their hands in the blood of those whom they suppose to be their enemies, and that for fear of falling victims to the j ustice of the civil laws, how often do they wish for their death, and murder them with their hearts, though not with their hands, and stab their reputation with their enve- nomed tongues ? They grieve at their prosperity, rejoice at their adver- sity, inveigh against them Avith bitterness, and take pleasure at hearing them reviled, traduced, and detracted by others ; they cannot endure their presence, nor bear to hear a favourable word said of them ; they obstinately reject all terms of reconciliation, and refuse to return even an answer or a salute. Others, indeed, more moderate, will say that they forgive those whom they call their enemies, that they bear them no ill-will and wish them no harm, but never desire to see their face, or sit in their company. vSurely, my brethren, it cannot be reasonably supposed that this is sufficient to comply with the gi-eat law of charity, and discharge the obligation of fraternal love, which our Divine Legislator commands ns to bear unto all those who are created after his image, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and destined to inherit his kingdom. Would we be satisfied to be forgiven ourselves by God on these terms only, so as never to be admitted into his divine presence, nor to see his blessed face ? To bear no ill-will, or wish no harm to our neighbour, what is this more than what we do to the common beasts ? The law of God requires a moi-e sublime perfection and sanctity from us. If thy enemy he hungry, says St. Paul, give him to eat ; if he thirst, give him to drink ; for, doing this, thou shalt heap coeds of fire upon his head, Rom. xii. 20, that is, according to the interpretation of St. Ambrose, thou wilt mitigate his anger and make him your friend. The effects of your charity will re- kindle his that was dead, as a burning coal lights another that was quenched. By this condescension you will contribute to save his soul, and extricate him from the jaws of hell. This is charity; this is loving our neighbour in God and for God ; this, in short, is loving God, in our neighbour, and it is in this manner we are to love our enemies, and gain over those that hate us. Look down upon us, we beseech thee, 0 Blessed Jesus, from the throne of thy bliss with the eyes of pity, and grant us, by the merits of thy passion and death, that spirit of -charity with which thou didst cry out from the cross for thy most cruel enemies, saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not ivhat they do. Verify in our hearts what we so often repeat with our tongues, saying, Father, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. Fill our hearts with such abundant charity as may entitle our souls to the joys of Heaven, where we hope to see and enjoy thee for a never- ending eternity ; which is the blessing, my brethren, Avhicli I sincerely wish you all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 448 ON THE SUFPEflliSGS OF SECOND DAY OF NOVEMBER. ON THE SUFFERINGS OF THE SOULS IN PURGATORY. Miseremini mei, miseremini mei, saltern vos amici mei, quia manus Domini tetigit me Job, c. xix. v. 21. Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched me — Job, c. xix. v. 21. We have reason to tliank the Lord, for having called us to a religion, whose charity and zeal extends itself beyond the limits of our mortal life, and we should deem ourselves happy in being the children of a Church which, after closing our eyes here below, is solicitous to assist us in the other world. That of our separated brethren thinks no more of her members when she once ceases to see them ; her solicitude for them reaches no fixrther than the grave, and this is but a natural consequence of the innovations made in the ancient faith in the two last centuries ; but the Catholic Church, that plaintive dove and beloved spouse of Jesus Christ, does not intermit her sighs and her prayers until she has placed us in the bosom of eternal happiness : her charity embraces all the members of Christ; it maintains a mutual intercourse between them, and engages her to share both the miseries and afflictions, the comforts and blessings of all that are comprised in her communion. Plence, as she is composed of three parts, the triumphant Church in Heaven, the militant Church on earth, and the patient or suffering Church in Pur- gatory, she unites eveiy part of her mystical body, and from the vespers of the present gi-eat festival of all the saints in Heaven, she celebrates the solemn commemoration of all the souls in Purgatory, that the faith- ful here on earth, who compose the Church militant, may join unani- mously on these days in imploring the intercession and prayers of the saints who compose the Church triumphant, and in praising and glorifying the Lord for their triumphs and crowns, and that they may in a particular manner solicit the divine mercy in favour of the Church patient, and afford them a share in their alms-deeds, devotion, sacrifices, and other good works, as they are not able in the least to assist themselves, the time of mercy and merit being now over for them, and the night cometh when no man can ivorlc, as St. John speaks, ix. 4. It is for this reason that these suffering souls address themselves to us, and borrow the voice of the Church, which to express their moans and to excite our compassion cries out to us for them in these Avords of Job, Miseremini mei,