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But you will ask me, do not many sinners reject grace, and with regard to these, is it not absolutely 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, c. xiv. A certain nobleman made a great feast, and invited many; but all these unwilling to answer the invitation, desired 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 house may be filled.

This parable, my brethren, is an emblem or figure 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 despise them, to bestow them on others who are to make 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 communicate them; he requires but proper subjects to bestow on them these supernatural blessings, and he withdraws them from such as are so unhappy 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 persevere 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 what ye have, fearing lest another should take that crown which has been prepared for you, Apocal. c.sxi. Whatever degree, then, of sanctity or perfection you imagine you have acquired, still beware not to harbour too great an opinion of yourselves, 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, with 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; perhaps you will take the place of Judas, and he that of St. Mathew, for virtue and grace are not inseparably annexed to any person, to any state or condition. No one then should presume in his own 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 kingdon, and these advantages they unhappily forfeited, because they made not the proper use of them. Such are the dreadful consequences of abusing the favours of Heaven. This is what should make even the most virtuous work their salvation in an holy fear and trembling, lest the grace of God be withdrawn 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 cause of the many frailties which are often visible even amongst those who are remarkable for piety and religion? How many do we see daily shipwrecked on their voyage to eternity? 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 woful experience, that the children of the kingdom shall be cast into exterior darkness, as the Gospel expresses it, where there will be perpetual weeping 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 occasion of salvation to others, to whom the advantages they were possessed of have been transferred; for the kingdom of God is taken from some, and given to others, who 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, whoever you are, 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 patterns of virtue. Do not then despair, like unhappy Cain, or look on your salvation as impossible. Millions precipitate themselves into the bottomless abyss, and perish for all eternity on account of their infidelity to the graces that are offered to them. You may derive an advantage from their misfortune, and profit by this favourable opportunity; they lose the Crowns of Glory which were designed 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 notorious sinners. They are enjoying their God in the mansions of bliss, whilst the children of the kingdom groan and lament in exterior darkness. Remember that Jesus Christ himself has declared in the Gospel, that publicaas and prostitutes would take place of the most regular amongst the scribes and pharisees in the kingdom of Heaven. St. Mathew experienced this truth: from a publican he became an Apostlę; St. Paul, from a blasphemer and a persecutor of the Church, became a doctor of nations, a vessel of election, a prodigy 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 what a fund you have to depend on, what a sup. port? So many graces, 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 wait 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, we are now determined never more to be 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 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.

NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST.

Jesus Weeping over Jerusalem, &c.

Videns Jesus Jerusalem flevit super illam.-Luc. c. xix. v. 41.

Jesus seeing the city of Jerusalem, he wept over it.—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 refused 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 which he favoured them with his blessings, it is our business at present to become wise at their expence, 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 visitation, and beware of neglecting the favourable opportunities which the Father of mercies is pleased to offer 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 sinners 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 I could be so happy as to excite in you all this day the like spirit of compunction! It is what I shall attempt by laying before you a plain exposition of the Gospel, and shewing you how deplorable is the state of all impenitent sinners groaning under the weight of mortal sin, and what fatal consequences they expose themselves to by rejecting the graces of God. Enable 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 entrance into Jerusalem, giving full way 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, Hosanna to the Son of Daivd, blessed be the King of Israel who cometh in the name of the Lord, peace 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 wept over Jerusalem, because it knew not the time of its visitation. He bewailed its future destruction; he lamented the blindness and infidelity of the Jews, whose hearts were