Book I, Part 3, Chapter 2. Jlgainst those Persons who defer their Penance to the Hour of Death

1. There is another sort of men, who put off their penance to the hour of their death ; but what we have said, in the foregoing chapter, might serve to make them ashamed of their folly. For if it be so dangerous to defer it but for a short time, what must be the consequence of deferring it till the very moment that man is going to leave the world ? This being so universal an error, and many souls being lost by it, it is necessary we should speak of it m a more particular manner. And though it is to be feared, that the treating of this subject may be an occasion to some weak

THE SINNER S GUIDE.

persons of despair and discouragement, yet the consequence is much worse if men should remain ignorant of the danger they expose themselves to, by deferring their conversion to the hour of their death : so that, if we weigh these two dangers together, we shall find the latter far the greater, because there are many more souls, which perish through an indiscreet confidence than an immoderate fear. It is, therefore, requisite, that we, who are placed on Ezechiel's watch-tower, should forewarn them of thtse dangers, that so they, who will follow our advice, may not be drawn headlong into this error, and that they, who are resolved to destroy themselves, may not lay their blood at our doors. But because all the light and truth we are capable of in this life can be no other than what we receive from the Scripture, the holy fathers and doctors, let us see what they say on this point, for I do not think that any man will be so rash as to prefer his opinion before theirs. To proceed, then, in this method, we will first deliver what the saints of ancient times, and then what the Scripture teaches on this subject.

§ I. The Opinions of the ancient Fathers concerning Death-bed Repentance. — 2. Before we enter into this dispute, we must presuppose, what St. Augustine and all other doctors say, that as true penance is the work of God, so it is in its power to inspire it whenever he pleases ; and, therefore, whensoever we are touched with a true sorrow for our sins, it has force and power enough for the working out of salvation, though wTe were lying on our death-bed. But to let you see how rarely we have any examples hereof, there is no need of believing either yourself or me ; do but believe the saints, for it is by their mouths that the Holy Ghost has spoken, and it is highly reasonable we should give credit to their works and testimony. In the first place, then, hear what St. Augustine says to this purpose, in his Book of True and False Penance : " Let no one defer his doing penance till such time as he is able to sin no longer, because God requires we should perform this action with cheerfulness and freedom, not with restraint and of necessity ; and, therefore, he that lets his sins leave him before he will get rid of them, does not seem to leave them so much out of choice and freely, as out of mere necessity. This is the reason why those persons, who would not return to God when they had the power of doing it, and yet confess their sins when they are out of the capacity of sinning any more, will not so easily obtain their desires as they imagine they shall." Aug. de falsa et vera Penit. And a little lower, speaking of the nature of this conversion, he says, " That man is truly converted to God, that returns to him with his whole heart, who is not only afraid of punishment, but uses his utmost endeavors to obtain Almighty God's graces and favors. Should any one, though at the end of his life, be converted to God after this manner, we should have no reason to despair of his pardon.

But because we scarce ever, or at least but very seldom, meet with such a perfect conversion as this is in these days, we have a deal of reason to fear for him, who stays so long before he returns to God ; because it is hard for a man to make true satisfaction, when he finds himself overcharged with the pains his sickness put him to, and frighted with the apprehension of punishment ; and this especially if he sees his friends before him, for whom he has such ardent love, and reflects on the world, which he is just going to be taken out of. Now, because there are many things, which hinder a man from doing penance at this time, it is certain there can be nothing more dangerous, nor which exposes him more to ruin, than his deferring till death the seeking of proper remedies to cure him. What is more yet, I make bold to say, that in case such a man should obtain pardon for his sins, he would not, therefore, be acquitted from the punishment due to them, for he must be purged and cleansed first by the fire of purgatory, for having reserved the fruits of satisfaction for the next world ; and though this fire is not to last forever, as that of hell is, it is, notwithstanding, extremely great, and far beyond all the torments one can possibly suffer in this world, since never did man endure so much in this life ; no, not even the martyrs themselves, notwithstanding the exquisite pains they have undergone ; nor any criminals whatsoever, that have been put to the greatest tortures, that either human wit or cruelty could invent. Let him, therefore, omit no opportunity of returning from this wicked life, that he may, by this means, escape those dreadful torments, which he must otherwise expect to suffer after death."

3. These are St. Augustine's own words, by which you may see what danger that man exposes himself to, who defers deliberately doing penance till his dying day.

4. St. Ambrose also, in his book of Penance, which some attribute to St. Augustine, is very copious on this matter, and amongst many other things has these words : " If any man desire the sacrament of penance as he lies on his death-bed, and receives it, and dies, I own we do not refuse him what he asks, but I dare not give you any assurance of his going the right way. I tell you again, it is more than I dare affirm, nor will I give you any promise of it, because I will not deceive you. Will you then have this doubt cleared ? Do you desire to avoid such an uncertainty as this is ? Do penance for your sins whilst you are in good health and able to do it, and then I will give you my word for it, that you are in a good way, because you have done penance for your sins when you might have increased the number and quality of them : but if, on the contrary, you defer your penance till such time as you are able to sin no longer, it is not you that leave your sins, but your sins leave you." St. Aug. 50. Horn. 4. 52.

5. St. Isidore has almost the same thing, though in other words : " Let that man, that has a mind at his death to be certain of having his sins pardoned him, do penance for them whilst he is well and able ; let him bewail and deplore his offences ; but if, having lived wickedly all his life-time, he expects to obtain his pardon when he is dying, he runs a great hazard; because, though he is not sure he shall be damned, he has a deal of reason to doubt of his being saved;" St. Isid. L. 2. sent. c. 13.

6. These authorities of the saints are sufficient subjects of our fear ; but what Eusebius tells us St. Jerome, his master, said, a little before he died, as he lay prostrate on the ground and covered with sackcloth, will put us into greater fright and apprehension. But because it is so terrible that I dare not relate it with all the rigor and severity that the saint spoke it, for fear of giving those souls that are but weak an occasion of despair, I will refer such as desire to read it to an epistle of Eusebius's to Damascus, a bishop, on the death of this glorious doctor : they will find it in the fourth volume of the saint's works. After many other things he says, " He that has persevered all his life-time in his sin, may say, When I am ready to die, I will do penance and be converted. O, what a melancholy comfort is this ! For he that has spent his whole life wickedly, without so much as ever thinking of penance, unless, as it were, in a dream, will be very uncertain of its success at that time. For being at this time entangled with worldly affairs, afflicted with the pains of his distemper, and distracted with the thought of his friends he must part with, and with the love he has for the goods of this life, which he has no hopes to enjoy any longer, how is it possible he should be in a disposition to raise up his heart towards God, and to true penance, when he is surrounded by so many afflictions and troubles ? It is what he never did as long as he had any hopes of living, nor would he do it now, if he thought he should recover again. Besides, what kind of penance must that be which a man performs when life itself is going to leave him ? I know some of the rich men of this world, who ha,ye recovered the health of their bodies after dangerous sicknesses, but have grown worse and worse in that of their souls. I believe, therefore, and am of opinion (for it is what I have had sufficient experience of), that for a man that has always led a vicious life, that has never been afraid of committing any sin whatever, and that has always been a slave to pride and vanity ; after all this to make a happy end, it is no less than an extraordinary miracle." You may see, by these words of Eusebius, how this holy doctor feared and doubted of the penance which a man, that had never done any all his life-time before, began to do on his death-bed.

7. Nor was St. Gregory less afraid of what generally happens in this conjuncture ; for writing on these words of Job, " What nope can the hypocrite have, if he takes away what belongs to Another? Will God hear his cry when tribulation shall come upon him 1" Job xxvii. 8, 9. He speaks thus : " If a man does not hear God's voice when he is in prosperity, God will not hear him in the time of his adversity. For it is written, " The prayer of that man that turns away his ear from hearing of the law, shall be cursed :" Prov. xxviii. 9. Holy Job, considering how all those that neglect now to do good, when they are ready to die, turn themselves towards God, and beg pardon of him for their crimes, says, " What ! will God hear the cries of such a people ?" Which words of his come very near those of our Saviour, The foolish virgins are come at last, and cry out, ' Lord, Lord, open to us' (Matt. xxv. 11), but immediately answer was given, '-Verily, I say unto you, I know you not;' ver. 12. Because, the greater mercy God shows now, the greater severity he will exercise then ; and the rigor with which he will punish then, will be so much the heavier, as his goodness is the sweeter and more merciful now." Thus much St. Gregory. And Hugh of St. Victor shows us he is of the same opinion with these saints, when he tells us, in his second Book of the Sacraments, " It is very hard for that penance to be true which comes late, and we have a deal of reason to suspect it when it is forced ;" Lib. 2. De Sacr. Part 14. c. 5. Every man can witness for himself, that he has no desire to do that which is out of his power to do ; for we may easily judge of the will by the power ; so that, if you do not do penance when you are able, it is a sign you have no mind to do it.

8. This is the opinion of the master of the Sentences, when he says, " Since true penance is the work of God, he can inspire it when he shall think fit, and reward, out of his mercy, those whom he might have condemned by his justice. But because there are many things at that time which divert men from this business, it is very dangerous, nay, even sinful, to defer the applying of the remedy of penance till the very utmost extremity. Nevertheless, it is an extraordinary grace of God to inspire a man with these dispositions as he lies on his death-bed, if there be any so inspired." Lib. 4. dist. 20. Observe how dreadful these words are. What madness is it, then, to expose the greatest treasure to the most imminent dangers ? Is there any thing in the world of greater consequence to you than your salvation ? What madness, then, to hazard so precious a jewel !

9. This is the sentiment of all these great doctors ; by which you may judge what madness it is to be so secure, where so many skilful pilots have shown so much concern. The art of dying well ought to be the study of our whole life ; for, at the hour of death., we have so much to do to die, that we have scarce any time to learn to die well.

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§ IIt The Opinions of the Schoolmen on the same Matter. — . 10. For the farther confirmation of this truth, we must see what have been the opinions of the schoolmen on this matter. But, above all the rest, Scotus, in his fourth Book of Sentences, treats this question the most to our present purpose, which he concludes thus: "The great difficulty a man has to do penance at the hour of death, makes the penance he does then to be hardly a true penance ;" Scot. 9. 4. dist. 20. art. 1. This he proves by four reasons.

11. The first is, the pains his distemper brings on, and the presence of death to him, are obstacles to the lifting up his heart to God, and to the exercising himself in the duties and obligations of sincere penance. To make this the plainer, you are to understand, that all the passions of our soul have a deal of force to draw a man's reason and free-will which way they please. And, according to the maxims of the philosophers, the passions that excite sorrow are much stronger than those that are the causes of joy ; so that the passions and affections of a man ready to die are strongest ; because, as Aristotle says, " Death is of all terrible things the most terrible," by reason of the pains and torments the body is in, of the disquiets and troubles of the soul, which are numerous, of the grief and sorrow which the thoughts of leaving children, wife and the world then rack a man with. Now, whilst the passions are so strong and turbulent, where must the dying man's thoughts and reasons be, but where such violent griefs and passions as these convey them ?

12. We see by experience, that even a virtuous man, if he be but troubled with a violent fit of the cholic, or with any other sharp pain whatever, whilst he is in this condition, can scarce have his thoughts fixed entirely on God, but, generally speaking, lets them go wheresoever his pains carry them. If it be thus with a good and just man, what will become of him that never knew what it was to think of God, and who, being always accustomed to love his body better than his soul, is the more easily inclined to run to his greater friend than to his less, for help and succor, when he is in any danger? One of those four things, which St. Bernard says are impediments to contemplation, is the indisposition of the body, because the soul is at that time so taken up with the thoughts of what the flesh suffers, that she can hardly think of any thing else: Serm. 5. de Assum. If this be true, what folly is it to expect the greatest indisposition of the body, in order to treat of the greatest affairs of the soul ?

13. I knew a person myself, who, being ready to die, and advised to prepare himself as well as he could for death, was so surprised and troubled at the nearness of it, that all his business was to desire, with the more eagerness and solicitude, such remedies as were the most proper for keeping off the stroke, if it were possible ; as if he had imagined he could have pushed death away with his hands, when it was so near him. A priest that was by, seeing him so forgetful of what ought to have been at that time his chief concern, advised him to lay aside those cares and solicitudes, and to call on God. The sick man looking on this good advice as troublesome, answered the priest after such a manner as least of all became one in that condition, and at such a time ; immediately after which he died ; and yet this same person had passed for a man of virtue all his lifetime. From hence you may see how troublesome the nearness of death will be to men who have loved this life too well, since it has been so unwelcome to those who, whilst they lived, seemed not to have any extraordinary affection for it.

14. I heard of another person, who being very ill, and imagining he had not long to live, desired to entertain himself before he died with none but God, and prevent his Judge by the fervor of his devotion ; but the violent and continual pain he was in, gave him no kind of ease or respite for the accomplishing his desire. What man, then, will be so mad as to defer the reform of his whole life, till such a time, when he shall find himself so ill disposed for this business ?

15. The second reason this doctor brings is, that true penance ought to be voluntary, that is, to proceed from a free notion of the will, and not to be done purely out of necessity. And, therefore, St. Augustine says, " That a man should not only fear his Judge, but love him too, and do what he has to do freely and willingly, not out of necessity ;" De Civit. Dei. L. 14. c. 10. So that, according to this, he that never did true penance all his life, but has deferred doing it till he is ready to die, seems to do it only out of necessity, not freely and willingly. And if this be the only reason of his doing it, it is certain his penance is not purely voluntary.

16. It was such a penance as this that Semei did for the offence he had committed against David, when he fled from his son Absalom (2 Kings xvi. 19) ; for seeing him return home with victory after his flight, and being sensible of the misfortune that might befall him on that account, he went out at the head of a great many men to receive the king, and with submission to beg pardon for what he had done. Whereon Abisai, one of David's relations, seeing him, cried out, " What! shall Semei by these words escape death, after having cursed the Lord's anointed ?" 2 Kings xix. 21. But David, who knew better than Abisai, that his submission would do Semei but little good, prudently dissembling his displeasure for that time, did not let the crime go unpunished ; for as he lay on his death-bed, out of the zeal he had for justice, not out of revenge, he commanded his son Solomon, as if it had been his last will, to deal with the traitor according to his deserts ;

3 Kings ii. 8, 9. It is such a penance as this, several Christians may be said to perform, who, after having, without any interruption, offended the majesty of God during their whole lives, when the time of giving up their accounts comes, seeing death just before them, with the grave open, and themselves just ready to appear before their Judge, and at the same time that there is no force that can resist this supreme power, and that the moment is just come which is to determine nothing less than eternity, they prostrate themselves before their Judge, begging and entreating him with all kind of humility, and making all the protestations imaginable, which, supposing them to be sincere, would be profitable ; but we may guess what they are by the success they commonly meet with. For we have seen by experience that several of these persons, after having escaped the danger they were in, have immediately neglected all their former promises, have taken up all their ill courses again, and put themselves a second time under the yoke which they seemed before to have been freed from, as if they did nothing out of a motive of virtue and for the love of God, but only because they saw themselves in danger, which was *no sooner over than the good effects which wTere caused by it ceased.

17. By which it appears that this kind of penance is just like that of seamen when they are in a storm : for every one then makes many promises and purposes of a change of life, and for laboring for the acquisition of solid virtue ; but as soon as ever the storm is past and they out of danger, they fall to cursing and blaspheming again just as they did before, and trouble their heads no more about what is past, as if all their promises had been nothing but mere talk and wrords of course.

18. The third reason is, because the evil custom of sinning, which a wicked man has lived in all his days, generally speaking, is his constant companion till death, as the shadow is that of the body ; for custom is like a second nature, which it is very hard to conquer. Thus we see, though with grief, several persons so entirely forgetful of their souls at that time, so covetous notwithstanding they are dying, so charmed with the love of life, that they wrould give any thing in the world to recover it again, as much slaves to the world, and every thing in it they had any affection for, as if they were not reduced to the miserable extremity they unhappily find themselves in. Have you never seen even old men sometimes as greedy and as covetous, as busy about the securing of every little insignificant trifle, and as much proof against charity as ever they were before ? Nay, have they not as great a desire :>f those things they know they cannot carry with them ?

This is a sort of punishment which God frequently inflicts on sm, permitting it to go along with its author to the very grave, as St. Gregory expresses thus : " God punishes a sinner after this manner, permitting him to forget himself at his death, because he never thought of God during his whole life ; so that one forgetfulness is punished by another : that which has all along been a sin is punished by that which is at the same time both a punishment and a sin ;" Homil. 2. in Evang. and in Ezech. Item. Lib. 20. Moral, c. 15. This is what we have daily proofs of: and we have often heard of persons who have died in the very arms of lewd women whom they have loved to their own ruin, and would not quit the company of them, not even at the very moment of their death, because, by a just judgment of God, they have neither been mindful of themselves nor of their souls.

19. The fourth reason is grounded on the worth of those actions that are done at this time, for it is plain, at least to one that has any knowledge of God, that he is much less pleased with the service done him at this time, than with that we do him at another ; " Because it is no great matter," as the holy virgin and martyr St. Lucy said, " to be profuse of that which you will be forced to leave behind ;" Surius Dec. 13. What is it for a man to forgive an a {front, when it would be a dishonor not to pardon it ? What is it to turn away his mistress, when a man can keep her no longer?

20. From these reasons this doctor concludes, that it is very hard to perform a sincere penance at that time ; nay, he adds more yet, and says, " that the Christain who designedly defers his penance till he is ready to die, commits a mortal sin, because he does a great injustice to his own soul, and exposes himself to the danger of losing his salvation." Is there any thing, then, in the world we have more reason to be afraid of than of this ? * #**

§ III. The same Thing proved by the Authority of the Holy Scripture. — 21. But because the decision of this question depends chiefly on the word of God, which there is no appealing from, nor any exception to be brought against, hear now what it says on this point. Solomon, in the first chapter of his Proverbs, after setting down the words the Eternal Wisdom makes use of for calling men to repentance, immediately adds those which it will pronounce against such persons as shut their ears to this call, thus : " Because I have called, and you have refused to come, I have stretched out my hand, and there was no one that would take any notice ; because you have despised all my counsel, and have neglected my reproofs, I will also laugh at your destruction, and mock you when that which you were afraid of shall befall you. When a sudden calamity shall rush upon you, and death shall come upon you like a storm when you least expect it ; when tribulation, as misery, shall encompass you : then they shall call upon me, and I will not hear them, they shall rise up in the morning, but shall not find me, because they have hated correction, and have not had the fear of God before them, nor followed ray advice, but have resisted all my reproof." Prov. i. 23 — 31.

These are So omon's words, or rather the words of God himself, which St. Gregory, in his Book of Morals, cited before, turns to our present matter. What answer can you make to all this ? Will not these threats, as coming from God himself, be of force to make you afraid of falling into such a danger, and prepare yourself in time against this dreadful moment ?

22. If this will not suffice, give ear to another authority, no less clear than this. Our Saviour, in the gospel, speaking of his coming at the day of judgment, with much earnestness advises his disciples to be ready against that day, and to this purpose brings several comparisons, to make them understand how important this concern was. " Happy," says he, " is that servant whom his master, when he comes, shall find watching. But if the bad servant shall say in his heart, It will be a great while be fore my master will come, and shall begin to beat his fellow servant, and shall eat and drink with drunkards ; the master of that servant shall come at a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour that he is ignorant of; and he will separate him, and will give him a share amongst the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matt. xxiv. 46 — 51. By this we may see that our Saviour was acquainted with the designs of the wicked, and the ways they use to cloak their crimes. And for this reason he meets them, as it were, and tells them what shall befall them, and what are like to be the effects of their vain confidence. Now what is it we are treating of but this very business? and what do I say, but what our Saviour himself said ? You are this bad servant, who are conceiving the same designs in your heart, and have a mind to take hold of this delay of your Master, as an opportunity of spending your time in eating and drinking, and of continuing still in your sins. Plow comes it you do not dread this threat which is made by God, who is as able to put every thing he says in execution as he is to say it ? It is to you he speaks, it is you he treats with, it is to you he directs his voice ; awake, then, unhappy man, and amend your life while you have time, for fear of being torn to pieces when the hour of this dreadful judgment shall come.

23. Methinks I spend too much time about a thing so clear ; but what shall I do when, notwithstanding all this, I see the greatest part of the world make use of this unhappy pretence ? That you may, therefore, have a clear sight of the greatness of this danger, hear wThat our Saviour says to this purpose in another place. He had no sooner made an end of the above-mentioned words, but he adds these which follow : " Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins, five of which were wise, and five were foolish ones;" Matt. xxv. 1. He says then, and when will this then be? When the Judge comes, when the hour of judgment shall draw nigh, and not only the general, but each the sinner's guide. , 223 particular judgment, as St. Augustine explains this passage : because the same sentence that shall be passed at the particular judgment will stand good at the general ; Aug. Ep. 80. ad iEsychium. This is the time when what happened to the virgins, says our Lord, shall happen to you. " There were five wise and five foolish virgins, that were waiting for the bridegroom ; the wTise ones furnished their lamps with oil betimes, to go out to receive him, but tne foolish ones neglected to do it. At midnight," the time of the deepest sleep, that is, when men are not at all solicitous and think least of death, " a noise wTas heard, the bridegroom is coming, let us go out and receive him." Immediately these virgins all rose up, and they that had prepared their lamps entered with him to the marriage, and the door was shut ; but those that had not got their lamps ready began then to dress and to fill them, and to call upon the bridegroom, saying, " Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered them, Verily, I know ye not." With these wrords the evangelist ends the parable, and immediately after tells us the meaning of it, saying, " Watch, therefore, because you neither know the day nor the hour ;" as if he had said, You have seen how those virgins prospered, who had got all things ready, and how unhappy, on the contrary, they wrere, that had not. Therefore, since you neither know the day nor the hour of his coming, and since the business of your salvation depends on your being ready, watch and be always prepared, for fear of being taken before you are aware, like these foolish virgins, and of perishing as they did. This is the literal sense of the parable, according to Cajetan, on this place, when he says, " That from this example alone we may draw this consequence, that the penance which is deferred to the very hour of a man's death, when he hears these words, ( behold the bridegroom is coming,' is not sure. On the contrary, it is looked on in this parable as false, because, generally speaking, it is so." And at the end he makes this the result of the whole parable, saying, " The moral of this doctrine is to let us know that the five foolish virgins were rejected, because they wrere not prepared when the bridegroom came, whilst the others, being ready, were admitted. And, therefore, it is requisite we should be always so, since we are ignorant both of the day and hour when he will come. What could be better expressed than this ? I wronder, therefore, that, after so plain a proof of this truth, men dare comfort themselves with so vain a hope. Were not this truth so clear, I should not wonder if they believed the contrary, or endeavored to deceive themselves : but after our great Master has decided this business, after the Judge himself has explained his laws and judgments by so many examples, and has told us how we are to be judged, wrho can be so senseless as to think this business will fall out quite otherwise than as he who is to pronounce the sentence has declared it shall ?

§ IV. Some Objections answered. — 24. But perhaps in answer to all this you will say, What ! was not the good thief saved by one sentence at the hour of death ? St, Augustine answers this question in the book above cited, where he says, " That the confession the good thief made was all at once the hour of his conversion, of his baptism, and of his death ; whence it follows, that as he who dies immediately after having been baptized goes directly to heaven, as has happened to several persons, so it fared with this happy thief, because the hour of his death was the same to him as that of his baptism ;" De vera et falsa Pcenit.

25. We may answer this query another way, which is, that so wonderful an action as this, like all other miracles of the same nature, was reserved to the coming of the Son of God into the world, for a testimony of his glory ; and, therefore, it was requisite, that at the time of our Saviour's passion, the heavens should be darkened, the earth quake, the graves be opened, and the dead arise, because these prodigies were all kept against this time, as so many proofs of the glory of him who suffered, and amongst them we may reckon the salvation of the good thief; but we must here take notice, that this man's confession was no less wonderful than his salvation ; for he confessed the kingdom of heaven, even on the cross ; he publicly preached the faith of Christ present, when the apostles had almost lost theirs, and praised and glorified our Saviour when all the world was cursing and blaspheming him. Since, therefore, this miracle, as well as the rest, was for the manifesting of our Saviour's dignity and glory at his death, it is folly to expect, that should generally be done at all times which was particularly reserved for that.

26. Besides, we see in all governments there are ordinary and extraordinary methods and ways of proceeding ; the ordinary are common to all, the extraordinary for some particular persons. The same is practised in the divine government of God's church ; for that is a regular and common method, which the apostle speaks of, that the end of the wicked shall be answerable to their works, to signify that generally a good death follows a good life, and an ill death an ill life ; 2 Cor. xi. The ordinary way of proceeding is, that those who have done good works shall go into life everlasting, and those who have done evil shall be condemned to eternal flames. This is what we find frequently repeated in the Holy Scriptures ; it is sung by the psalmist, declared by the prophets, published by the apostles, and preached by the evangelists. This is what David has explained in a few words, when he said, " The Lord has spoken once, and I have heard these two things, that power belongs to God, and that mercy is thine, O Lord, because thou wilt reward every man according to his works ;" Ps. lxi. 12, 13. This is the sum of all Christian philosophy. Now, according to this, we say it is usual for the wicked, as well as for the just, to be rewarded at the end of this life according to their deserts, which are to be measured by their works. Not that this law is so universal, but that God can show a particular favor to some persons for his own glory, and grant those the happiness of dying the death of the just, who have lived the lives of sinners; as it can, on the contrary, happen, that a man may, by a secret judgment of God, die the death of a sinner, that has lived all his life-time like a just, man; as a merchant, after a prosperous voyage, may be lost as he is entering the port. For which reason Solomon said, " Who knows whether the spirit of the sons of Adam mounts upwards, and if that of beasts goes downwards ?" Eccl. hi. 21. Because, though it generally happens that the souls of those men who live like beasts go down to hell, and that the souls of those who live like rational creatures mount up to heaven, yet, by some special judgment of God, the contrary may fall out in both respects ; but notwithstanding all this, the secure and general doctrine is, that whosoever lives well shall die happily. For this reason, no one ought to rely on the examples of particular graces, since they do not make, any general rule, nor belong to all indifferently, but to a very few indeed, and those unknown ; so that you can have no assurance of your being of this number.

27. Others make use of another pretence, and say, the sacraments of the new law make contrition of attrition, and that they shall be in this disposition, at least when they are dying, which, joined to the virtue of the sacraments, will suffice for the obtaining of their salvation. My answer is, that it is not any sort of sorrow that will suffice for that kind of attrition, which, joined to sacraments, produces grace in those persons that receive them. For it is certain there are several sorts of attrition and sorrow, and that it is not any kind of it that changes a man's attrition into contrition, but only that which is known by no one but by him who is the Giver of all grace.

28. The holy doctors have not been unacquainted with this truth, and therefore it is that they have spoken of penance with so much fear and apprehension, as we have shown already. And St. Augustine, in the first authority cited in confirmation of this

'doctrine, speaking of him that receives penance, and is reconciled by the sacraments of the church, says expressly, " We administer the sacrament of penance to the sinner, but wre give him no assurance ;" De 50. Horn. 42.

29. But if, after this, you should urge further, and object" the penance of the Ninevites to me, which proceeded from the apprehension they were in of being destroyed within forty days, I would have you reflect not only on the rigorous penance they performed, but the change of their lives ; and do you change your life as they did theirs, and you will mot fail of finding the same mercy they did. But when I see you have no soonei recovered your health than you return to your former evil courses, and neglect all the good resolutions you made during your sickness, what would you have me think of such penance as this is ?

The Conclusion of this Chapter. — 30. All we have said here has not been to shut the gates either of salvation or hope on any one : which the saints have not done, nor ought any of us to do it. Our only design is to turn the wicked out of this strong hold, in which they always take shelter, that they may continue in their sins with the more security. Tell me now, I beseech you, by the love of God, how dare you expose yourself to so imminent a ruin, when you have all the doctors and saints of the church, when you have reason itself, nay, and the Holy Scriptures, continually admonishing you of the danger of this penance ? What is it you have to trust to at the last hour? Is it to the legacies you bequeath in your will for pious uses ? Is it to the prayers and masses you order to be said for you ? Alas ! you have seen how solicitous the -foolish virgins were to supply themselves with what was requisite, and what entreaties they used at the door with the bridegroom, but all to no purpose, because nothing of all this proceeded from a true penance. Do you trust to the tears you shall shed then? Tears, it is true, have great force at all times, and happy is the man that weeps without hypocrisy and constraint ; but consider what floods of tears it cost him who sold his birthright to satisfy his gluttony, and yet the apostle tells us, " That he had no place for penance, though it was what he sought after with so many tears" (Heb. xii. 17); for it was not for God's sake that he wept, but for the loss he had suffered* You, perhaps, rely on the good resolutions you shall make at that time. These go a great way when they are sincere ; but call to mind the good designs which king Ahtiochus promised to himself, as he lay on his death-bed ; he made such great promises to God, that we cannot so much as read them without admiration and astonishment, and yet, after all, the Scripture says, " That this wicked man prayed to God, from whom he was not like to obtain any mercy ;" 2 Macch. ix. 13. And why, but because all he promised was not out of a motive of love, but of servile fear ; which, though it is good, is not yet sufficient of itself for the gaining of the kingdom of heaven ; for a dread of hell's torments is what may proceed from the natural love and affection every man has for himself; but for a man to love himself is not a means whereby he can possibly arrive at this kingdom. So that as no person had admittance into king Ahasuerus's palace that was clothed in sackcloth, so no one can enter into the kingdom of heaven in the dress of a slave ; that is, by the means of this servile fear alone, unless he be clothed with his wedding garment, which is love ; Esther iv. 2.

31. Consider, therefore, seriously, now whilst you have time before you, that you must without doubt be one day or other in this condition ; nay, the time cannot be far off, for you see what haste the heavens make to finish their courses. This mortal life of ours, which is no more than a small flock of wool, will be soon spun out, whilst the wheel is perpetually turning round with so swift a motion. For this reason Moses says, " That the day of perdition is nigh, and that the seasons come upon us very fast ;" Deut. xxxii. 35. When you have run this short course, will follow the fulfilling of these prophecies, and then you will see how true a prophet I have been in all I have foretold you ; you will find yourself surrounded with pains, disturbed by cares, tormented by the presence of death, and in continual expectation of the lot which is immediately to befall you. O doubtful lot ! O dreadful passage ! O terrible trial, in which is to be passed the sentence, either of eternal life or of eternal death ! Who will be able then to change their lot ? who will put a stop to this sentence ? It is at present in your own power to do it ; do not neglect the opportunity. You have now a convenient time to make your Judge merciful, now you may gain his favor. Take, therefore, the advice of the prophet along with you, who says, " Seek the Lord whilst he is to be found, call upon him while he is near;" Isa. iv. 6. He is now near to hear us, though we cannot see him; when we are to be judged we shall see him, but he will not hearken to us, unless we now do something to deserve it.