steadfast in the way of the Lord " (Ecclus. v. 12), and if you discover that your devotion has grown cold, "do penance and do the first works." (Apoc. ii. 5.)
THURSDAY.
Call of the Rich Young Man.— I.
I. As Christ was passing through Judea, "a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to possess everlasting life?" (Luke xviii. 18; Mark x. 17.) Such ought to be your thoughts and cares; they ought to have for their object not the transitory and miserable goods of this life, which vanish "like a vision of the night," but the permanent and solid enjoyment of a happy eternity. Excite yourself to a feeling desire of these enjoyments, and often ask yourself this all-important question : "What shall I do to possess everlasting life V
II. Christ first answered, "Keep the commandments." (Matt. xix. 17.) This is necessary for all men; and it will not be sufficient to keep one or more of them only, but you must observe them all, for " whosoever offendeth in one point is become guilty of all." (James ii. 10.) Examine, therefore, how you keep these commandments; your observation of them ought to be exact and perfect, according to the expression of the royal Psalmist, " Thou hast commanded Thy commandments to be kept most diligently." (Ps. cxviii. 4.)
III. The young man having answered that he had kept all the commandments of the law from his youth, "Jesus, looking on him, loved him, and said to him, Sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor: and comet follow Me" (Mark x. 21); or as St. Matthew records
