and pious practices to be elicited, in the enunciation of the Perfection itself. Ex. g. :—

First Point. The presence of God is a powerful motive to avoid sin.

Second Point. To arrive in a short time at perfection. Following this method, Bourdaloue has the following beautiful and artistic division in his sermon on the Feast of the Purification.

First Point. God has an essential dominion over us, which we are bound to acknowledge by a sincere oblation of ourselves to Him.

Second Point. He has an universal dominion over us, which we are bound to acknowledge by an entire oblation of ourselves to Him.

Third Point. An eternal dominion over us, which binds us to a prompt oblation of ourselves to Him.

Each one will follow his own taste in this matter; but this second method of preaching upon the Divine Perfections would seem to be more generally useful, since it proposes to the people, with the greater clearness, the special fruits which they should derive from the discourse, each proposition of the division indicating what is to be done, and what is to be avoided.

The young preacher may consult, with great profit, upon this subject: The Sacred Scriptures, and more especially the writings of the Prophets; Bossuet's Élévations sur lès Mystères; Avrillon's Réflexions sur les Attributs de Dieu; any good theological treatise, De Deo and De Attributis Dei.

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CHAPTER IV.

DISCOURSES ON THE BENEFITS OF GOD-TWO PRINCIPAL METHODS OF ARRANGING THEM.

Y the benefits of God, we understand His Providence over His creatures, the Incarnation, the Redemption, Divine Grace, the Blessed Eucharist, the Sacrament of Penance, and, in one word, all those favours and bounties which the Creator has heaped, and is heaping upon His creatures, whether these favours come to us as the manifestation of His own divine attributes, as the fruits of the Incarnation and death of His Son, or as the effects of the Sacraments which He has instituted for the benefit of mankind.

It is as useful, as it is obligatory, to preach often upon the benefits of God, that we may thus awaken in the hearts of our people an intimate appreciation of the favours which God is ever pouring upon them, and of the obligations which they, in turn, lie under towards Him. Treating of one of these benefits, St. Liguori thus writes to a missionary priest: "I charge you," he says, "to speak often of the love which Jesus Christ has manifested towards us in the institution of the Adorable Sacrament, and of the duty which we, in turn, owe our most amiable Redeemer. Those resolu

tions which are the effect of the fear of chastisement, rather than of the love of God, will not be very firm."

There are two principal methods of treating these divine benefits, both of which are equally practical and useful.

I. The first method is to show, in the first point of the discourse, the greatness of the benefit bestowed; and, in the second point, the obligations which flow from its reception; or, in other words, the appreciation which it ought to produce in us.

In order to inspire our hearers with a becoming idea of the greatness of the benefit of which we treat, we may, in the first point, consider it from a three-fold point of view: the benefit in itself, in Him who bestows it, and in him who receives it.

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(a) The benefit in itself.-And we cause audience to estimate it at its proper value by showing how excellent it is in its very nature, how useful and how necessary to us, and (when there is place for this argument) how frequently it is bestowed upon us.

(b) In Him who bestows it.-And here we may show, on the one hand, the infinite dignity of our benefactor who, so to speak, lays this benefit at our feet; and, on the other, the price which it has cost Him, and the more than paternal affection with which He bestows it upon us.

(c) In Him who receives it.—And in this place, we may show that the recipient is a person who not only has not merited such a favour, but who, on the contrary, has shown himself infinitely unworthy of it, as well by the outrages which he has committed against

his benefactor, as by the indifference which he has shown in regard to the favours bestowed upon him.

These three considerations may be most easily developed by means of the well known verse which is specially useful in considering the Sacred Passion of Christ, and such kindred subjects, viz.: Quis, quid, ubi, quibus auxiliis, cur, quomodo, quando.

(a) Quis?—The higher the dignity of him who bestows it, the greater is the value of his gift; hence, the gift of a king to his subject is much more highly esteemed than that of an equal to an equal.

(b) Quid?-What the benefit is in itself, in its advantages, and in its results.

(c) Ubi?-To whom has it been given-to a rebellious and ungrateful subject, and to one who was well known to be such.

(d) Quibus auxiliis?—The means which have been employed in order that we might receive this benefit, suppose an infinite bounty and generosity on the part of the giver.

(e) Cur?-Through pure love, since so far from the donor being under any obligation to bestow it, there was every reason why he should withhold this benefit.

(f) Quomodo?—The circumstances which surround this benefit, the manner in which it is bestowed, reveal still more and more the generosity and the tenderness of our divine benefactor.

(g) Quando?—The time in which we receive it, furnishes still another proof of the greatness of this grace, etc., etc.

In order to impress our hearers with a, deep sense of

the obligations which are imposed upon them by the reception of the grace or favour in question, we may in the second point, lay before them such considerations as the following:—

(a) That we are bound to love and to return frequent thanks to our benefactor; that we should fear to offend Him; that we should seek to please Him in all things; that we should desire, in as far as we are able, to render Him good for good, and to do as much for Him, if that were possible, as He has done for us.

(b) That we are bound to watch, with the utmost care and solicitude, over the benefit which we have received; to hold it in the highest esteem; and, above all, to employ it according to the intention of the donor.

II. The second method of treating the benefits of God is to insert the moral conclusion, which we wish to deduce, in the proposition itself. Ex. g. :-Suppose that we are preaching upon Creation, we may thus divide and announce our subject:

First Point. By my creation God is the author of my being; therefore, I am bound to obey Him.

Second Point. He has made me for Himself; therefore, I am bound to tend to Him.

Third Point. He has made me to His own image and likeness; therefore, I am bound to imitate Him.

Or, another method:

First Point. By, my creation, God is my master; therefore, I am bound to serve Him.

Second Point. He is my Father; therefore, I am bound to love and honour Him.