that rests upon the bosom of its mother does not speak, save with its loving looks and its apparent delight while reposing in her maternal arms.

The essential point of meditation consists in the following things:

1. To awaken the affections.-We ought therefore to humble ourselves with heartfelt sincerity, to animate our faith and our hope, and, above all, to make acts of contrition, and of love of God, of conformity to his holy will, and to offer ourselves up entirely to him. We should repeat the same affections over and over again, especially those to which we feel the most inclined.

2. We must make petitions.It is in meditation that God shows us our misery, and how much we need his grace to conquer our evil inclinations. For this reason the time of meditation is the fittest time for prayer. God ordinarily gives his grace, and especially the grace of perseverance, to those who pray.

3. We must make good resolutions.-After having discovered by meditation what we have to do on our part in order to live in conformity with the holy will of God, and having asked his assistance, it still remains for us to put in practice what we have thus seen to be necessary, otherwise our meditation will be fruitless. We must therefore make a serious resolve to avoid such or such a fault, to do this or that good work the very first occasion. It is necessary also, from time to time during the day, to recall the good resolution we have taken for fear lest, when the occasion arrives, it should be already forgotten. After the good resolution comes the end of the meditation. Then we must thank God for the holy inspirations which he has given us, and beseech him, for the love of Jesus and of Mary, to help us to carry

out in practice the good resolutions we have made. Also, before the meditation is over, we ought to recommend to God the souls in purgatory, the Holy Church, our friends and benefactors, and all poor sinners, saying for this purpose a Pater and an Ave, which are the most efficacious of all prayers.

Meditations for every Day of the Week.

MEDITATION FOR SUNDAY.

On the End of Man.

YONSIDER, O my soul, that God has given thee existence, made thee after his own image, without any merit of thine, and adopted thee for his own child in holy baptism. He has loved thee more than a father, and has created thee to love and serve him in this life, that thou mayst eternally enjoy him in paradise. Therefore thou art not created and must not live to be happy here on earth, to enjoy riches and authority, or to eat, drink, and sleep, as do the animals, but only to love thy God and win thy eternal salvation.

And thy Lord has given thee created things for this use, to help thee to reach thy great end. O wretch that I ain! I have thought of anything else rather than of my eternal end. [For example, of this or that thing. Examine here to see what is your chief vice.]

My Father! for the love of Jesus, grant that I may begin a new life, perfectly holy and conformable to thy divine will. [Here endeavour to excite the deepest

spirit of penance, and make the firmest resolution— especially, never more to think of this or that bad or vain object, but rather on something quite opposite.]

II. Consider what stings of conscience it will give you at the moment of death to remember, that you have not thought of serving God! What sorrow, when, at the end of your days, you see that there is nothing left to you, at that hour, of all your possessions, honours, splendour, and pleasures, but a handful of dust! what consternation then to see that you have lost the favour of God, and your immortal soul, for the sake of vain trifles and things that perish, when it is too late to remedy the evil, too late for you to try the better way! O what despair! O cruel torment! You will then see, but too late, how great is the value of time; you would willingly purchase it then with your blood, but alas! you will not be able. O bitter day for him who has not served and loved God! [Awaken in your breast the sentiments of contrition, and make a firm resolution.]

III. Consider how men neglect their salvation, that great end of man. They do not forget to amass riches, to eat, to prepare entertainments, and make all things comfortable about them: but they think little of serving God. You have thought so little of saving your soul, and you consider your everlasting end a thing of little consequence. And thus the greater part of Christians are hurrying, feasting, singing, dancing, and playing, on their way to hell, O if they only knew the meaning of that word Hell! O man! what pains thou takest to be lost, and wilt thou do nothing to be saved?

When once the private secretary of a king was lying on his death-bed, he exclaimed: Miserable man that I am! I have used so much paper in writing

letters for my prince, and have not employed a single leaf to help me to examine my sins and prepare for a good confession.

But of what use to him then were those sighs and lamentations?__They served at best only to increase his despair. But, made wise at the cost of others, learn, Christian, to live mindful of your eternal salvation, if you would not fall into the same despair. And remember that everything you do, say, or think, if it is not for God, is lost. [Reflect again on your besetting sin.] It is indeed time for you to change your life. What! will you wait for the moment of death to awake you from your delusion-at the door of eternity, on the borders of the abyss? There is yet time, yet opportunity to correct your error. My God! spare me! I love thee above all things! I am sorry for having offended thee more than for every other evil. Mary, my hope, pray to Jesus for me. [Excite your will to contrition, and make a firm resolution.]

C

MEDITATION FOR MONDAY.

On the importance of securing our End.

ONSIDER, O man! how much depends upon gaining your great end, that is, your salvation. Everything is at stake; for if you reach it, then you are saved, then you will be for ever blessed, and will enjoy for ever every possible good of soul and body: but, if you fail, you will lose soul and body, paradise and God; you will be for ever miserable; you will be lost eternally. Behold here the greatest of all affairs, the only important, the only necessary business: to serve God and save your soul. Then say no longer, O Christian: I will live now for my own pleasure, and after that I will give myself to God, and hope

S

to be saved after all. O how many has this false hope thrown into hell, who once spoke thus, and who now are lost, for whom there is now no deliverance! What man would ever wish to be damned? Yet he is accursed of God who sins in the hope of mercy. "Cursed is the man who sins in hope." You say, I will commit this sin and afterwards confess it. Who knows if you will have time for that? Who can give you the assurance that you will not die immediately after you have committed this sin? Meanwhile you lose the favour of God; and what will become of you if you do not obtain it again? God is merciful to those who fear him, but not towards those who despise him. "His mercy is to them that fear him." (Luke i. 50.) Do not say, it is all the same whether I have two sins to confess or three-no; for God may pardon you two sins, but not perhaps the third. God suffers long, but he will not suffer always. "He will punish them in the fulness of their sins." (Zach. vi. 14.) When the measure is full, God pardons no more, but punishes sinners suddenly with death, and casts them from him, so that they go on from one sin to another, until they fall into hell-a punishment far worse than death itself. O my brethren, mark well what you now read; cease from sin and give yourself to God. Fear lest this should be the last warning which God will send you. You have gone on in your offences long enough. He has borne with you long enough. Tremble lest the first mortal sin you again commit after this, God will pardon you no more. Consider well: your soul is at stake-all eternity is at stake. How many have been moved by this great thought of eternity to leave the world, and live in cloisters deserts, and caves! O unhappy sinner that I am!