by an edifying life, than we do to his damnation by a scandalous one . [ Be very careful to do nothing that may scandalise your neighbour ; and humbly beg pardon of God for the sins you have committed . ]
“ Woe be to the man by whom scandal cometh ” ( St. Matt. xviii . ) .
“ The scandalous sinner must answer for the crimes which his bad example had caused to be commited” ( Salvian ) .
TWENTY -SECOND DAY : ON MORTIFICATION .
1. We are not Christians merely to be rich, and to live at our ease . It was not necessary to institute Christianity for that purpose ; the world might have been left as it was , under the empire of passion and opinion. The life of a Christian is a crucified life; unless the cross be embraced , faith must be renounced.
2. What doth the Gospel say ? " Blessed are those who weep: woe be to you , O rich , who have your consolation in this world ! " Such is the language of the Holy Ghost . But it is now looked upon as nonsense, to believe that felicity consists in tears, and that the rich are unhappy.
3. The son of God died on the cross that he might take possession of his glory ; the saints have arrived in heaven only by the path of sufferings. Shall we, then , imagine that what the Son of God and the saints have so dearly purchased, shall be given to us for nothing ? No; the cross is the distinctive mark and portion of the elect; a soul which suffers nothing, bears the strongest character of a reprobate. We must, of necessity, either suffer in this world or in the next .
[Adore Christ crucified , and beg of him the grace to participate now in his suffering life , that you may be one day partaker in his life of glory . ]
“ Whoever doth not carry his cross is not worthy of me " ( Luke xiv . ).
“ What a shame, to be a delicate member of a head crowned with thorns" ( St. Bernard ).
TWENTY-THIRD DAY : ON CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD.
1. The greatest happiness of a rational creature is, to will that which its Creator willeth . The saints are saints only because their will corresponds with the will of God. Whatever virtue we may possess, we have not that of conformity to the Divine will, if we are not truly virtuous.
2. A soul that is not satisfied with the will of God seems to doubt, in some measure , of his authority. To desire that what he ordains and permits in this world should go on otherwise than it does, is to desire that God should not be master. Every thing that happens to us happens by his order ; and is it not just to acquiesce in whatever is ordained by infinite wisdom ?
3. All things but sin fall out by God's appointment. Though his arm be raised to strike, we are sure that his hand is con-
