that turneth away his ears from hearing the law, his prayer shall be an abomination.'"[1] And Hugh of St. Victor, comprehending in one sentence the teaching of the Fathers, says: "It is very difficult for that penance to be true which comes at the hour of death, for we have much reason to suspect it because it is forced."
You now know the sentiments of these great Doctors of the Church on death-bed repentance. See, then, what folly it would be in you to contemplate without fear a passage of which the most skilful pilots speak with terror. A life-time is not too long to learn how to die well. At the hour of death our time is sufficiently occupied in dying. We have then no leisure to learn the lesson of dying well.
The teaching of the Fathers which we have just given is also the teaching of the doctors of the schools. Among the many authorities whom we could quote we shall select Scotus, one of the most eminent, who, after treating this subject at great length, concludes that conversion at the hour of death is so difficult that it is rarely true repentance. He supports his conclusion by these four reasons:
First, because the physical pains and weakness which precede death prevent a man from elevating his heart to God or fulfilling the duties of true repentance. To understand this you must know that uncontrolled passions lead man's free-will where they please. Now, philosophers teach that the passions which excite sorrow are much stronger than those which
- ↑ Prov. xxviii. 9.
