very justly compares him to those who, in their dreams, imagine they do great feats, but when they awake have not courage to undertake anything, as is said by the Prophet Isaiah: "He that is hungry sometimes dreams that he eats, but when he awakes, his soul is empty as before." (Isa. xxix. 8.) This description of persons fancy, while at prayer, that they burn with a desire of suffering, and of being despised, but on the first occasion that presents itself after prayer, they behave in a manner quite different from what they had fancied to themselves; for in fact, it was not a real desire, but a sort of dream they had at the time. By others they are compared to soldiers represented on the canvass, who always brandish their swords over the enemy's head, but never strike; and this is one of the senses wherein may be taken the following words of the Psalmist: " Men are like images" (Ps. xxxviii. 7) — they hold the arm always raised, but they strike not. Comparing them likewise to women in labour, who cannot be delivered, we may apply to them these words of Ezekias in Isaiah: " The children are come even to the birth, and the mothers have not strength to bring them forth." (Isa. xxxvii. 3.) St. Jerom, explaining these words of St. Matthew: " Wo to such as are with child and give suck in those days" (Matt. xxiv. 19), says, Wo to those souls that have not brought up their buds to the maturity of a perfect man — wo to those, who have not brought forth the good desires they had conceived, but who extinguish them in their breasts: for when we do not carry them into effect, do we not extinguish them? And wo to those who pass all their life in wishes, and are surprised by death, before they perform any good work. For then they will derive not only no advantage from having had those good desires, but they shall be severely punished for not having carried them into execution. In fine, they will see their own children they had conceived rise up against them, when, had they brought them forth, they might have derived great advantage from them.
Holy Scripture (2 Kings, xviii. 9) tells us, that Absalom had a most comely head of hair; but it only proved his ruin. For the bough of an oak having, in his flight, caught him by the hair, he hung between heaven and earth, and in that situation was killed by Joab. Death will surprise us in the same manner, while our good desires hold us, as it were, suspended; and these good desires will make, in part, the subject of our condemnation. St. John says
