and just, but is even far too mild and merciful to compete with thy malice! O sin! would that men knew thee as thou art, and hated and detested thee as thou deservest! Meanwhile, how little thou art feared! how easily committed by all sorts of men! how increased and multiplied without number every day! As little is thought of thee as of a pane of glass falling out of a window; nay, many a one is sorely troubled at the latter trifling accident who can laugh and joke after having committed a grievous sin! Can we still wonder, my dear brethren, that the just God inflicts the terrible punishment of hell-fire on sin, since even by the threat of that direful penalty He has been able so little to destroy sin? Can we still have a doubt of His justice when He threatens the obstinate sinner with eternal flames? To my mind He shows therein not merely His equity and justice towards the reprobate, but also His infinite mercy, goodness, and kindness towards the living, as we shall see in the
Second Part.
By the threat of eternal punishment God shows His love for us, and His earnest desire for our salvation: like a father.
What greater proof of goodness, kindness, and mercy could the Almighty give us than His earnest effort and desire to make us all happy, to give Himself and infinite joys to us as our possession, and to have recourse to all possible means to carry out this design of His? Now when we consider the matter duly, we shall see that He has given us no clearer proof of His will to make us happy, no more powerful means to compel us, so to speak, to attain happiness, than the threat to punish us with eternal fire if we refuse to do His will, to fulfil His desire to have us in heaven. For when I hear a father saying to his son with a friendly, smiling countenance: my dear child, be good; conduct yourself becomingly, and you shall remain with me always, and I shall leave you a hundred thousand ducats in my will; and threatening him moreover with a serious face, saying: but if you lead a bad, scandalous, reckless life, and bring shame and disgrace on yourself before the world, and reject the inheritance I offer you, be assured that whenever I lay my hands on you I will not only disinherit you completely, but will moreover shut you up in prison, and daily have you scourged till you bleed: what should I think of that father? That he is a cruel, unmerciful man, who is altogether too severe with his children, and takes pleasure in their misfortunes? Eh! that might be said with reason of those parents who through foolish love or damnable sloth allow all lib-