them. But he said: No, father Abraham, but if any one went to them from the dead, they will do penance. And he said to him: If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they believe if one rise again from the dead.

Non, pater Abraham; sed si quis ex mortuis ierit ad eos, pœnitentiam agent. Ait autem illi: Si Moysen et Prophetas non audiunt, neque si quis ex mortuis resurrexerit, credent.

The commandments of God cannot be broken with impunity; he that sins, shall be punished. This is the teaching of to-days's Gospel; and after reading it, we exclaim with the Apostle: How fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God! What a terrible truth is here told us! A man is in the enjoyment of every comfort and luxury this life can give; when suddenly death surprises him, and he is buried in hell! In the midst of those eternal burnings, he asks for a drop of water, and that drop is refused him. Other men, whom he knew on earth a few hours ago, are now in the abode of eternal happiness, and a great chaos separates him from them for ever. Oh! what misery! To be in despair for endless ages! And yet there are men, that live and die without giving so much as one day to think upon hell! Happy, then, are they that fear! for this fear will aid them to lighten that weight of their sins, which would drag them into the bottomless pit.

Alas! what strange darkness has come upon the mind of man as a consequence of sin! People that are shrewd, and prudent, and far-sighted in everything that regards their temporal concerns, are mere idiots and fools in every question that regards eternity. Can we imagine anything more frightful than their surprise when they awaken in the next world and find themselves buried in hell? Observe, too, that our Saviour, in order to make his instruction more impressive, has not here described

1 Heb. x. 31.

the condemnation of one of those whose crimes scandalise the neighbourhood, and make even worldlings look upon him as a sure prey of hell. The history he gives us is that of a man who led a quiet life; he was agreeable in company, and sought after; he was respected, and did honour to the position he held in society. He is not accused of any public scandals; there is no mention made of any atrocious crime; our Saviour simply says of him: he was clothed in purple and fine linen, and feasted sumptuously every day. It is true, he was not charitable to the poor man who lay at his gate; but he did not ill-treat him: he allowed him to lie there, and did not even insult his misery. Why, then, was this rich man condemned to burn eternally in that fire which God created for the wicked? It is because a man who leads a life of luxury and feasting, such as he lived,-never thinking of eternity, -caring for nothing but this world, which we are told to use as though we used it not,'—with nothing about him of the spirit of the Cross of Christ.:-such a man as this is already a victim to the triple concupiscence of pride, avarice, and luxury; he is their slave, and seems determined to continue so, for he never makes an effort to throw off their tyranny. He has yielded himself up to them; and they have worked their work in him,-the death of the soul. It was not enough that he should not ill-treat the poor man that sat at his gate, he ought to have shown him kindness and charity, for such is God's commandment. His very dogs had more compassion than he; therefore, his condemnation and perdition were most just. But, had he been told of his duty? Yes, he had the Scriptures; he had Moses and the Prophets; nay more, he had Jesus and the Church. Men who are leading a life like him, are now sur

I. Cor. vii. 31,

rounded by the graces of the holy Season of Lent. What excuse will they have, if they so far neglect them, that they do not even give themselves the trouble to think of them? They will have turned their Lent into judgment against themselves, and it will have been but one great step nearer to eternal misery.

Bow down your heads to God.

Be favourable, O Lord, to thy servants, and hear their prayers in the grant of everlasting mercy; that glorying in thee their Creator and Governor, they may have all things perfected and perpetuated to them. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Humiliate capita vestra Deo.

Adesto, Domine, famulis tuis, et perpetuam benignitatem largire poscentibus : ut iis qui te auctore et gubernatore gloriantur, et congregata restaures, et restaurata conserves. Christum Dominum trum. Amen.

Per

nos

The Hymn of Prudentius, which we have followed with so much interest during this week, thus closes.

FRIDAY

OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT.

THE Station for to-day is in the Church of Saint Vitalis, Martyr, the father of the two illustrious Milanese Martyrs, Saints Gervasius and Protasius.

COLLECT.

EPISTLE.