God's severer judgments. He represents Him as coming with the fan in His hand, to separate the chaff from the wheat. Reflect how much you stand in need of this penance, and examine whether you be wheat or chaff. If you find yourself to be the former, take care you do not degenerate, and remember the advice of St. Paul: " Let him that thinketh himself to stand, take heed, lest he fall." (i Cor. x. 12.) If you find yourself to be the latter, endeavor, by the Divine assistance, to reform your conduct, and commence a serious conversion. If you do not, you will be cast into the " unquenchable fire." (Mark ix. 42.)
II. " Every tree that yieldeth not good fruit shall be cut down, and cast into the fire." It is not sufficient to produce any kind of fruit; the fruit must be solidly good. Examine your works, whether they be good, solid, and perfect, or not rather counterfeit and fair in appearance only, or at least imperfect and not of full growth and maturity. Tremble at the complaint which God utters by the mouth of Isaias, " I looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it hath brought forth wild grapes." (Is. v. 4.) Tremble, too, at His terrible sentence, " Cut it down; why doth it take up the ground?" (Luke xiii. 7.)
III. The Baptist did not commence his preaching until he had arrived at a mature age and prepared himself by prayer and mortification for his holy office. Then, impelled by the Divine Spirit, by whose inspiration he had retired into solitude, He enters upon his office with invincible courage. The Holy Ghost is accustomed to employ those whom He has rendered perfect, in procuring the perfection of others. Let your desert be that private life or station in which God has placed you, and endeavor to sanctify it by prayer, retirement, and mortification. Saints have been found in every station and
