Lord in His public mission. John sent his disciples to ask Him: “Art thou He that art to come” into this world as the Messias and Saviour of the world? To this question Our Lord answered neither yes nor no, but simply said: “Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them;” from this John must know who I am. My dear brethren, that Jesus Christ in His second coming, etc. Continues as above.
TWENTY-EIGHTH SERMON.
ON THE CAUSES OF THESE TERRIBLE SIGNS.
Subject.
First, the signs that are to precede the last day are all effects of the goodness and mercy of God, that sinners being terrified by them may repent, which, however, few of those on earth at the time will do. Secondly, public calamities nowadays are also effects of the goodness and mercy of God, that being chastised by them we may amend our sinful lives, which, however, few of us do.—Preached on the second Sunday of Advent.
Text.
Qui præparabit viam tuam ante te.—Matt. xi. 10.
“Who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.”
Introduction.
John was the angel who was to make ready the way for the coming of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, into the world. In what manner did he prepare for it? “He came into all the country about the Jordan,” says St. Luke, “preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins.”[1] Everywhere he cried out to men: “Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[2] My dear brethren, the Almighty God shall cry out and give similar warnings at the approach of the last day of the world, by those terrible signs that shall be forerunners of the second coming of Christ as Judge. What will those signs say? What John
