it so now with those whose Conversion is solid. Love is stronger in them than Fear; and yet the Fear of God's Judgment is ever living within them, and gives. stability to the new life they have begun. Those Christians who have heavy debts with Divine Justice, because of the sins of their past lives, and who, notwithstanding, make the time of Lent a season for evincing their cowardice and tepidity, surely, such Christians as these must very rarely ask themselves what will become of them on that Day, when the Sign of the Son of Man shall appear in the heavens, and when Jesus, not as Saviour, but as Judge, shall separate the goats from the sheep. One would suppose, that they have received a revelation from God, that, on the Day of Judgment, all will be well with them. Let us be more prudent; let us stand on our guard against the illusions of a proud, self-satisfied indifference; let us secure to ourselves, by sincere repentance, the well-founded hope, that on the terrible Day, which has made the very Saints tremble we shall hear these words of the Divine Judge ad dressed to us: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world Vincent Ferrer leaves the peaceful cell of his Monastery, that he may go and rouse men to the great truth they had forgotten,-the Day of God's inexorable justice; we have not heard his preachings, but, have we not the Gospel? have we not the Church, who, at the commencement of this Season of Penance, preached to us the terrible truth, which St. Vincent took as the subject of his instructions? Let us, therefore, prepare ourselves to appear before Him, who will demand of us a strict account of those graces which he so profusely poured out upon us, and were the purchase of his Blood. Happy they that spend their Lents well, for they may hope for a favourable Judgment ! LENT. 1 St. Matth. xxv. 34. 2 R The Liturgy gives us, in the Matins of to-day, the following abridged account of the Life of this holy Servant of God. Vincentius honesta stirpe Valentiæ in Hispania natus, ab ineunte ætate cor gessit senile. Qui dum caliginosi hujus sæculi labilem cursum pro ingenii sui modulo consideraret, Religionis habitum in Ordine Prædicatorum decimo octavo ætatis suæ anno suscepit; et emisa solemni professione, saeris litteris sedulo incumbens, Theologiæ lauream summa cum laude consecutus est. Mox obtenta a superioribus licentia verbum Dei prædicare, Judæorum perfidiam arguere, Saracenorum errores confutare, tanta virtute et efficacia cœpit, ut ingentem ipsorum infidelium multitudinem ad Christi fidem perduxerit, et multa Christianorum millia, a peccatis ad pœnitentiam, a vitiis ad virtutem revocarit. Electus enim a Deo, ut monita salutis in omnes gentes, tribus et linguas diffunderet, et extremi tremendique judicii diem appropinquare ostenderet, omnium auditorum animos terrore concussos, atque a terrenis affectibus avulsos, ad Dei amorem excitabat. In hoc autem apostolico munere hic vitæ ejus tenor perpetuus fuit. Quotidie Vincent was born at Valencia, in Spain, of respectable parents. He showed the gravity of old age, even when quite a child. Considering within himself, as far as his youthful mind knew it, the dangers of this dark world, he received the Habit in the Order of Preachers when he was eighteen years of age. After his solemn profession, he diligently applied himself to sacred studies, and gained, with much applause, the degree of Doctor of Divinity. Shortly after this, he obtained leave from his superiors to preach the word of God. He exposed the perfidy of the Jews, and refuted the false doctrines of the Saracens, but with so much earnestness and success, that he brought a great number of infidels to the faith of Christ, and converted many thousand Christians from sin to repentance, and from vice to virtue. God had chosen him to teach the way of salvation to all nations, and tribes, and tongues; as also to warn men of the coming of the last and dread Day of Judgment. He so preached, that he struck terror into the minds of all his hearers, and turned them from earthly affections to the love of God. His mode of life, whilst exercising this office of apostolic preaching, was as follows: he every day sang Mass early in the morning, delivered a sermon to the people, and, unless absolutely obliged to do otherwise, observed a strict fast. He gave holy and prudent advice to all who consulted him. He never ate flesh-meat, or wore linen garments. He reconciled contending parties, and restored peace among nations that were at variance. He zealously laboured to restore to, and maintain in, union the seamless garment of the Church, which, at that time, was rent by a direful schism. He shone in every virtue. He was simple and humble, and treated his revilers and persecutors with meekness and affection. Many were the signs and miracles which God wrought through him, in confirmation of the holiness of his life and preaching. He very frequently restored the sick to health, by placing his hands upon them. He drove out the unclean spirits from the bodies of such as were possessed. He gave hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, sight to the blind. He cured lepers, and raised the dead to life. At length, worn out by old age and bodily infirmities, after travelling through many countries of Europe, and reaping an abundant harvest of souls, this untiring herald of the Gospel terminated his preaching and life at Vannes, in Brittany, in the year of our Lord 1419. He was canonised by Pope Calixtus the Third. nec Missam summo mane cum cantu celebravit, quotidie ad populum concionem habuit, inviolabile semper jejunium, nisi urgens adesset necessitas, servavit ; sancta, et recta consilia nullis denegavit, carnes numquam comedit, vestem lineam induit, populorum jurgia sedavit, dissidentia regna pace composuit; et cum vestis inconsutilis Ecclesiæ diro schismate scinderetur, ut uniretur, et unita servaretur, plurimum laboravit. Virtutibus omnibus claruit, suosque detractores et persecutores, in simplicitate, et humilitate ambulans, cum mansuetudine recepit, et amplexus est. Per ipsum divina virtus, in confirmationem vitæ et prædicationis ejus, multa signa et miracula fecit. Nam frequentissime super ægros manus imposuit, et sanitatem adepti sunt: spiritus immundos e corporibus expulit; surdis auditum, mutis loquelam, cæcis visum restituit; leprosos mundavit, mortuos suscitavit. Senio tandem et morbo confectus infatiga bilis Evangelii præco, plurimis Europæ provinciis cum ingenti animarum fructu peragratis, Venetia in Britannia minori, prædicationis et vitæ cursum feliciter consummavit, anno salutis millesimo quadringentesimo decimo nono, quem Calixtus Tertius Sanctorum numero adscripsit. The Dominican Breviary contains the following Responsories and Antiphons in honour of this illustrious Preacher. How grand must have been thine eloquence, O Vincent, that could rouse men from their lethargy, and give them to feel all the terrors of the awful Judgment. Our forefathers heard thy preaching, and returned to God, and were pardoned. We, too, were drowsy of spirit when, at the commencement of this holy Season, the Church awakened us to the work of our salvation, by sprinkling our heads with ashes, and pronouncing over us the sentence of our God, whereby we are condemned to die. Yes, we are to die; we are to die soon; and a Judgment is to be held upon us, deciding our eternal lot. Then, |