CIHM Microfiche Series (l\/lonograplis) iCMH Collection de microfiches (monographies) C«nadi*n IratftuM for Historical IMicrorapraductioin / liwtftut Canadian da microraproduction* hiatoriquas 1995 Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes technique et bibllographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibllographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of 'liming are checked below. D D D ca D Coloured covers / Couverture de couleur I I Covers uamaged / ' — ' Couverture endommag^ I I Covers restored and/or laminated / ' — ' Couverture restaur^ et/ou pelliculee I I Cover title missing / Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps / Cartes gdographiques en couleur I I Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black) / ' — ' Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or Illustrations / ' — ' Pianettes et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound witti other material / Relli avec d'autres documents Only editk>n avallat>le / Seule edition disponible Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin / La reliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge interieure. Blank leaves added during restoratk>ns may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming / II se peut que ceitaines pages blanches ajoutdes lors cfune restauration appaiaissent dans le texte, mais, kxsque cela etait pcBsiUe, ces pages n'ont pas M fi mtes. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilieur examplaire qu'il lui a et6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exem- plaire qui sont peut-§tre uniques du po'^.l de vue b.oli- ographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reprodulte, ou qui peuvent exiger une modifications dans la meth- ode normale de fllmage sont indiqu^s ci-dec30us. I I Coloured pages / Pages de couleur I I Pages damaged / Pages endimmag^es I I Pages restored and/or laminated / ' — ' Pages restaurtes et/ou pellteultes r~jl Pages discoloured, stained or foxed / '-'^ Pages d£color6es. tacheties ou piquees I I Pages detached / Pages d^chte rrn Showthrough/ Transparence I I Quality of print varies / I — ' Qualite inigale de l'impressk>n I I Includes supplementary material / ' — ' Comprend du materiel supplementaire I I Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata ' — ' slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image / Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurdes par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6t6 film^s a nouveau de fapon it obtenir la meilleure image possible. I I Opposing pages with varying colouration or * — ' discolourations are filmed twice to ensure the best possible image / Les pages s'opposant ayant des colorations variables ou des decol- orations sont filmtes deux tois afin d'obtenir la meilieur image possible. Adcfitional comments / Various paglngs. Commentaires suppldmer^res: This ittffl it filmwl at the reduction ratio chaektd btlow/ Ce document est f ihni au taux de rMuctton indtqui et-dessom. 10X 14X lax J zax 24X Th« copy filmtd hara ha* baan raprodycad ihanka to iha ganaroiity of: National Library of Canada Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha bast quality poaaibia contidaring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in liaaping with tha filming contract apocificationa. Original copiaa in printad papor covara ara fllmad baginning with tha front covar and anding on tha laat paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa- aion, or tha back covar whan appropriata. All othar original copiaa ara filmad baginning on tho firit paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa- sion, and anding on tha last paga witn a printad or illuatratad impraaaion. Tha last racordad frama on aach microficha shall contain tha symbol -*»• fmaaning "CON- TINUED"!, or tha symbol ▼ (moaning "END"), whichavar appliaa. Mapa. platas, charta, ate, may ba filmad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba antiraly includad in ona axpoaura ara filmad baginning in tha uppar lafl hand comar, laft to right and top to bonom, as many framas as rsquirad. Tha tallowing diagrams illustrata tha mathed: 1 2 3 1 2 4 5 L'fxamplair* filmt fut raproduit griea i la gtntrotit* da: Blbllotheque natlonale du Ciuiada Lai imagat tuivanta* ont at* raproduilai avac la plua grand toin. eompta tanu da la condition at da la nanata da I'axamplaira lllma, at »n eonformita avac laa condltiona du contrat da filmaga. Laa axamplalraa originaux doni la couvartura an papiar aat imprimda aont filmaa an commandant par la pramlar plat at an tarminant loit par la darnidra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'impraaaion ou d'illuatration. soit par la tacond plat, aalon la caa. Toua las autraa asamplairas originaux aont fllmda »n commandant par la pramidra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'impraaaion ou d'illuatration at an tarminant par la darnidra paga qui comporta una talla amprainta. Un daa lymbolaa suivanta tpparaitra sur la darnidra imaga da ehaqua microficha, salon la caa: la aymbola ^^ aignifia "A SUIVRE". la aymbola V aignifia "FIN". Laa cartaa, planchaa, tablaaux, ate. pauvant atrs filmds d daa taux da rdduction diffdrants. Loraqua la documant aat trop grand pour *lra raproduit an un saul clictid. ii aat filma d partir da I'angla aupdriaur gaucha. da gaucha d droita, at da haut an baa, an pranant la nombra d'imagaa ndcaaaaira. Las diagrammas suivants llluatrant la mdthoda. 2 3 5 6 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART IMo. 2) A /APPLIED INA^GE Inc S; 16bJ Eost Main Street r".^ Rochester. New York 14609 USA ^= (716) 482 - 0300- Ptione = (716) 238-5989 -Fox A TREATISK OH THK TRUE DEVOTION BLESSED VIRGIN. . 2 ^ -: ■:} ^: ? ^ ^^ 69410504 ■ 1 1 — ALL FDR JESUS THROUGH MARY ! , FILIAL DEVOTION TO MARY ^" ' ^AuVi.* '^^''"^' ''"'• Mother ! All Thou hast is Mine ! A TREATISE ON IIIK TRUE DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN "y THK Ml.ltls.sKIl LOir,S-MAK,E GKIGNON DE MONTKOKT. H^EDEKICK WiLUAM KAliEk. D.D., I'KIKNT OK THK OIUfOKV. ST. CIIAKI.ES' SEMINARY SIIKRL'ROOKK, l.Q. lyoi tT(t'ir r ■ f -- ImprimutHT t PAULI'S, Epug Sherbruokieiisis. TABLE OF CONTENTS. rrefaco )>y the Biahop of Salford 7* Letter of tlip Bisliop of Salford to hiH oi'ercv" V Translator'! Profaco ._^ 3 Preface to the French Edition".'......!......." ... 41* Preface to the Secret of Mary ..!."!.. ..... 4.'>» The Secret of Mary Revealed '.'."'.. """ 47» Introductios _ J TlfE TUEATI8K OF THE TRITE pEVOTION PART r'msT On nevntion to the lileiMd Virgin in general. I. Exceilence and NecesBitv of Devotion to our BIsKsed Lady ". 9 II. Diw-ernment of the True Devotion to our Blessed Lady 44 1. False DevotionH to our Lwly. 74 2. True Devotion : its chara<;tcrR H4 PART SKCONn. On the MoKt Excellent Devotion to our liJewd Ladi/, or the PerfeH Cuitiecration to .lemisi l,y Mnrti. Preliminary Observations on the different Ways of honouring onr Blessed Laily 91 PAoe T. tn what consititg the Perfec^t Otnsecra- tion to Je8ii8 by Mary 97 II. TtH motives.- Figure of this Congecration in the Hislory of Jacob receiving the Blessing of Tsiuic tlirough Uie ofliceg of Uebecca 108 I I I. Atlmirable EifectR of the Perfect Conse- cration to Jenug by Mary 1 77 IV. Its Rxterior ami Interior Pmcticeg 189 The Tree of Life 220 I'rayer to .lesns 224 Prayer to Mary 22fl Daily offeiing of our Actions 22a Hymn : The Devout Servant of .fegus in Mary. 231 Prayer of Blessed de Montfort asking for Mis- sionaries 2.'5.'> Method of hearing Moss in union with Mary.. 252 Method of receiving Holy Communion accord- ing to this Devotion 202 Manner of reciting the Kosary 2fi8 The Maguiflcat 27fi TheTe Denm ," 277 The Veni Creator ."."." 278 The Ave Maris Stella _ ..", 280 The Ijitany of the Ulossed Virgin 281 Hymn : The Triumph of the Hail Mary " 287 Letter to the Friends of the Cross 297 Formula of Consecration to .Tesiis through Mary 3,^R PREFACE TO THE FIFTH EDITION. In presenting the public with a fiTtli edi- tion of father Kabor's truuMlaliou of tlie lllesseil Grigiion de Moiitfort'H Treatinc on the True Utrotion to the Blessed Viryiii, It has Iteeu thought expedient to prefix to it a few observations on critifisms whidi liavt! been made l>y a certain class of minds on reading the editions wliit-h have b«>en iilreatlj" exliausted. First, some readers who are terrllily sen- sitive to the voice and conciiisions of Prot- estant criticism liave been sliocked by cer- tain words and phrases which the blessed servant of God has nsed In different parts of his treatise. For instance, here annal application of the adjective divine o the Blessed Virgin Mary, indeed, with re gnrti to this objection and t^ ^u iire iiserf In "ir "°^ **' phrases which •re used in different parts of the Treatise Ir R LT""' *" •'^^ •" -'"^ «- te^ch .« Of Benedict XIV. in the ConstUution which '.o preflxed to the Index. He says : "We — 9» _ jrlvp warning thnt It must be dlUgentlr re- "«e,nl,erel)> upon wliicli the whole of the ser- vant of God's teaching i9 baso(l, and that in this way he has found an answer to de- tailey M. Oiler, the pious founder of St. Sulpice, na- turally looli ifossesslon of the heart of the Venerable Grlgnon de Montfort, who waR one of the niost illustrious students of that Seminary, " And fiom the same source sprang his particular form of devotion to the Blessed Virgin, which was so closely connected with the devotion to tlie life of Jesus in the soul. It is well expressed in the fol- lowing prayer, which is recited daily l)y tiie students of St. Sulpice : " ' Jem virefiD in Maria, &c.— O Jesus, living in Mary, come and live In Thy ser- vants. In the spirit of Thy sanctity. In the plenitude of Tliy gifts. In the perfection of — t2»- Thy ways, In the communication of Tlty mysteries ; overcome all tlie powers of tlie enemy in l.y spirit, to tlie glory of tJie Father. Amen.' " Tlie teaching of Blessed Grlgnon de Mont- fort is further illustrated by the words spoken by the Blessed Virgin to St. Bridget, In those Revelations which have three times passed under the examination of the Holy See. She said. "He who sees God sees me ; and he who sees me may see the Di- vinity and Humanity in me as in a mirror, and me in God. For whoever sees God sees Three Persons ij Him ; and whoever sees me sees, as it were, the Three Persons. For the Deity folded me in Itself with my soul and body, and filled me with every virtue, so that there is no virtue in God which does not shine in me."— B«)., b. i. chap. xlii. Another difficulty has been raised against this Treatise, viz. that, in advocating the use of little chains as n badge of slavery to JosuR Ohrist, the blessed anth* r was going counter to the discipline of the Church, which, by a formal decree, has forl>idden the use of chains and certain other prnc- — 13* — tit-es by au association called the Coufrater- nity of the Slaves of the Mother of Ood. But it will be seen, as has been pointed out in the official examination of De Mout- fort's works, that the slavery he speaks of and the chains he recommends relate direct- ly to Jesus Christ. Many English people (lisiilic the use of the term slavery, and are unwilling to apply it to themselves. They prefer to consider themselves the servants of (Jod ; nay, the sons of God. But is not t»ur blessed autiior right when he says, "We uuglit to give ourselves to Jesus Christ, and l<> serve Him, not only as servants who work for wages, but as loving slaves, who, out of their groat love, deliver themselves up to Him to serve Hiiu as His slaves " ? Thpro is a vast difference between the con ditlon of a servant who is free to bargain and to go wlienever he wills, who retains full i)ovv«r over himself, and the condition of one who has given himself up wholly and irrevocably to the service of anodicr. St. Paul rejoiced in being the slave of Jesus (Christ : and the Catechism of the Council of Trent declares that, considering all we have received from .Tesus Clirlsl, it is mf»st just that we should devole and consecrate - J4» — uur8L>lveH for ever, even an Mlaves, to our Uwlecnier and Hovereigu I^trd. Lastly, It may be well to say that tLe Church has given no tiosltlve approbation to (lie Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. The fact that its author is now ranked among the Beatified Servants of God, and that we know with certainty that he is reigning for ever Id heaven with God, is not of itself a formal approbation by tEe Church of all that he wrote. Benedict XIV. may be again quoted. He says : " It can never be said that the teaching of a ser- vant of God has been approved by the Holy See, but, at most, that it has not been rep .rohnted, If the examiners have reporteil that nothing has been found in his works contrary to the decree of Urban VIII.. and if the Jurtginent of the examiners has been approved by the Sacred Congregation, and confirmed by the Sovereign Pontiff." All that the Holy See has done has been to pronounce that there was nothing in the writings of De Montfort to hinder his beat- ification and canonisation. But the Church throughout the world Is gradually forming an opinion of the value of De Montfort's writings, and that opinion seems to be in- — 15« — fn-aniiigly favouraVde to them. From all sIdi'H eomeg tho saaie expi'«>MMi<)ii of expt^ rieuee— that they are full ami docp ami liK'xhauHtlhle ; that they bear readliiB over iiiid over again ; that they produce lasting fruits In the soul. One of the examluers of his works en- paged by the Promoter of the Faith began Ills formal Judgment on them with these words : " / must begin by confessing the impression produced In me by reading the I)recioU8 writings of this venerable servant of God. I have experienced an Interior un(-tion, a peace, and a consolation which the writings of highly-favoured servants of (lod, of servants of God endowed with lightx and with sanctity of an extraordinary kind, are known frequently to produce. This Impression was profound and sweet to tuc highest degree." Now that the blessed author has been honoured by the Church by having been raised to the altars, and that his cultus has been formally sanctioned and recommended, we can feel no doubt but that his Influence will greatly extend, niid that he will speak, through his Trur. Dcvotion to Mary, to hundreds of thousandK with a greater persuasion and a sweeter — I6» — u...tl«„ ,h«n heretofore. In „ur hu.nl.k- Judguieut no oue chu do better than spread lie ku„«lpdKc of thl8 golden treatise on de- votlon to our Blessed Mother. * HKKBERT. Uishop uf Sitlford. Feast of Uvn Lauv ,.r t;ooo Counsel, i^iilford, AiwU 20, 1888, LETTER TO THE CLERGY. BXOTn.AB AND BKOXTXAB, or THB BIOGXAB OV SALFOBS. Veby Rev. and Rev. dbab Fathbbk and Bbbthben in Jesus Chkibt,— The sanctJfica- tlon of the sonl Is more dependent upoB Our Blessed Lady's continuous care and maternal love than upon the influence of any other creature. As the Incarnation of God depended upon her goodwill and con- sent, so the elevation of man to a state of eternal beatitude depends upon her assis- tance. Mary is no less necessary to the re- deemed than she was to the Redeemer ; and theology tells us that she was neces- sary to Him by a ne. essity called hypothet- ical. Constituted as we are. by our office, guide of men along the rugged path of life, we - 18» — are doubly bound to make a special study of Mary's place In the work of man's sanctl- hc Ion. It is not enough to recognise her singular prerogatives ; we must proclaim and explain them, until men know her, love her, and fly to her. as to the "Fdix cali Porta." This, then, is. one reason for causing to be published and dedicating to you, dear Key. FntherH and Brethren, this third edi- tion of the Venerable Grlgnon de Montfort's Treatise on the True Devotion to iK Hlested Virgin. Another reason is. that this little work 8i>enis to have a quite unspeakable value for any one who has pronounced a Consecration of himself to the Blessed Vlrfjin. and through her to God. Many of us have happily been brought up by pious parents, who lustllled n tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin into our hearts from the dawn of reason. Many of us were led later on, by pious masters or confessors, to make a solemn consecration of ourselves to this good Mother. Wp well remember the grave moment when w^ pub- licly made this religious consecration of ourselves to her in the Solidality Chapel at Stonyhnrst now forty years ago. To con- ■ecrate oneself to ber is ao IniUnct of Cath- ollc faith, and a pracUce very widely spread among the Catholic laity In England, as well as among the clergy. Some acts of devotion are translent-If we may call any supernatural act transient, whose fragrance and bloom are Imperish- able, and destlnetl to enter Into the sum of our joy for eternity, while others ought to be permat-ently energising within us, strengtheiung and deepening in our soul through life. Such, for Ui stance, are the vows made In baptism, the vows of our priesthood, our apostolic vow to serve the mission, our religious vows If we have any, and such also Is our solemn consecra- tion to the Blessed Mother of God. The vows of baptism we understood nothing of, at the time we made them ; our Consecra' tlon to Mary was probably anpreclated only accordlB? to the mind of a child. Its full significance being veiled under a very Im- perfect knowledge. The first was iot a mere ceremony, the second was not a pass- ing sentiment of devotion. Each was In- tended, In its separate way. to bo a life- long reality. The CJatechlsm of .he Gwincll of Trent — JO*- exhorts parish priests to teach their people the meaning of their baptismal vows ; and their solemn renewal is not unfrequently repeated In our chuches, at the close of missions and retreats. A quite extraordinary spiritual benefit to the whole soul may also be derived from a careful study and realisation of the conse- cration we once made of ourselves to the Blessed Virgin. Indeed, such a study is necessary if the consecration is to last, and if the soul is to bear its proper consecrated fruit. The reason why so much piety Is shallow and evanescent, why religion so frequently fails to take hold of the mind, and to govern the conduct of the stronger natures, is because the intellect has not been thoroughly engaged on the side of religion. The more Intellect is developed by education, the more it must be pressed Into the service of Gtod. Now, De Montfort's Treatise on True Devo- tion to the Blessed Virgin appeals \m strongly to the intellect as it does to the heart. Any one who has really mastered it will feel that his consecration to Mary has been sensibly raised to a higher plane, and flooded with new light. He will also sec its — 2I» — close and Important connection with the re- newal of his baptismal vows. I remember reading It when Father Faber published his English translation of It In 18G2, not long before his own death. And I well remember how enthusiastically Monsignor Newsham, the venerable and beloved President of Ushaw College, wrote about It and recommended It In all direc- tions. I had not read It again till last sum- mer, when It fell In my way apparently by accident. I then gave a whole week to the constant and exclusive study of It, and have been frequently reading It ever smce. One result of this study has been a full real- isation of Father Faber-s words : " I would venture to warn the reader of this Treatise "—these are his words— "that one perusal will be very far from making him a master of It after repeated readings of It, its novelty never seems to wear off, nor Its fulness to be diminished, nor the ffesh fragrance and sensible fire of Its unction ever to abate." And another result was a determination to get li reprinted, In order that I might place a copy of It In the hands of every priest In the dlooese. with a counsel not to be satisfied, as I had been — 22»-T twenty years ago, with one perusal of It, but to read It repeatedly, so as to expe^ rlence personally the transformation It Is capable of working In the soul. There are expressions in this Treatise that may sound strange to ears educated in the cold, critical, controversial atmos- phere of England, where even good people have sometimes felt apologetically in ad- mitting the sovereignty and sway of their heavenly Queen. Heresy, on the absurd and Pharisaical pretence of zeal for God, chides and condemns that generous and unrestrained outpouring of confidence and .affection for the Mother of their Redemp- tion, the Mother of their Sanctifleation and Salvation, which is so natural to the chil- dren of Mary, and which gives them a Christ-like character. It has consequently had much to say against this Treatise. I may, therefore, observe that the process for De Montfort's canonisation is far advanced. His virtues have been declared to have been heroic, and all his writings free from anything contrary to faith or morals, or to the Church's common sentiment or practice. The Congregation of Bites has now passed to the examination of the miracles. His — 23» — writings are, therefore, In the sanje cate- gory as the works of St. Alphonso, which no one may condemn as unsound, though we are free to discuss their merits or lay them aside, if we find they do not suit or help us. The teaching of De Montfort was very closely examined some years ago by a learned theologian, m the first volume of the Analecta Pontiftcia, and again, In the preface to the English edition of his life Dr. Pusey attacked it in his Eirenicon, and thus gave to Dr. Ward an opportunity of defending it in a most masterly way in the Dublin Review. The series of articles then put forth have since been published In a single volume, entitled Essays, Devotional ana Scriptural. I will notice only one objection that may be raised against De Montforfs doc- trme : namely, that it interferes with that straight and direct intercourse with the Sacred Humanity which is our greatest lionour and privilege ; and that it sets her pattern before us for imitation rather than that of our Blessed Lord. The objection Is more specious than real. Of course, our Blessed Lord is "the way. the truth, and rue life. " for each one of us. and H.- Him- self has said, " C6me ye all to Me." But — 24» — surely we go none the less straight, none the less securely to the Son, because we beseech His Mother to take us by the hand, and to accompany us, and to put In a mo- therly word for her poor children. It Is most reasonable to suppose that we shall flhd Him the more quickly and the more certainly if we approach Him by the very path which He Himself trod in coming to us— no other than the path of His Blessed Mother. If our Guardian Angel mercifully attends us in every step we make and never leaves us absolutely alone, what difficulty can there- be in beseeching Mary never to leave us for a moment, and to show us more and more clearly on each occasion the blessed fruit of her womb ? If even Satan be sometimes allowed to possess the souls and bodies r evll purpose or for their mysterious trial, may we not believe that Mary, who car- ried the whole mystical body of Christ within her heart, possesses at least an equal power over our souls and bodies— for our welfare and happiness ? But, in truth, the whole doctrine of this Venerable Apostle of l^ary is little more — 25» — than an expansion of those beautiful and pregnant words of the liturgical hymn : " Monstra te esse Matrem, Sumatper te prices Qui pro nobis natus Tulit esse tuus." Though one of De Montfort's counsels, which of coiirse we are free to adopt or not as we please^ goes so far as to recommend an explicit reference to Mary In all our prayers, so as never to separate Jesus and Mary in our thoughts, he says that this can be done by a mere glance of the mind towards Mary, and that i(: need In no way hinder the mind in its contemplation of the Sacred Humanity. And if, as he says, the best way to imi- tate Jesus is to Imitate His. Blessed Mother, what is this but to act upon a principle again and again inculcated by the Holy Spirit Himself in the New Testament ? "Rogo ego vos, imitatores mei estate, sioui et ego Chriati," says St. Paul to the Corin- thians. " Et voB imitatores nostri facti estix, et Domini," he writes to the Thessalonlans. " Imitatores mei estate fratres, et observate eos — w* — qui ita ambulant Mout habetia formam noa- tram "—so as you have " our model "—Is th^ injunction he presses upon the Phillpplans. Here, then, the principle is clearly laid down, and the Venerable Grlgnon applied It, like St. Ambrose, who wrote, " I^t the soul of Mary be in each of us to magnify the Lord ; let the spirit of Mary be in each of us to rejoice In God." But there can be no mistake as to the teaching of De Montfort, and Its direct tenr dency to bring us Into union with Jesus Christ. This is worth Insisting on by one or two quotations from his words ; " I avow, with all the Church, that Mary, being but a mere creature that has come from the hands of the Most High, Is, In compar- ison with His Iniflnite Majesty, less than an atom, or rather, she is nothiqg at all." Again, "The predestinate well know what is the most sure, the most easy, the most short, and the most perfect means by which to go to Jesus Christ ; and they will deliver themselves to Mary, body and soul, without reserve, that they may thus be nil for Jesus Christ." "Jesus Christ our Saviour, true God, and true Man, ought to be the last end of all our other devotions. — 2T _ else they are false and delusive." And again, •" If we establish the solid devotion to our Blessed Lady, It is only to estaSlish more per fectly the devotion to Jesus Christ, and to put forward an easy and secure means for find- ing Jesus Christ. If devotion to our Lady: removed us from Jesus Christ, vie should have to reject it as an illusion of the devil." Like some of the Saints, the Venerable Grlgnon de Montfort seems fo have been charged by God with a special mission. He declares that he comes with a distinct mes- sage, and he speaks like one Inspired by the gift of prophecy. Two hundred years ago he spoke of a marvellous increase of devo- tion to Mary then to come ; he declared that devotion to Mary will make the great Saints that are to appear at the end of the world. He asserted positively thnt "God wishes that His holy Mother should be more known, more loved, more honoured, than she has ever been." and "that the Most High with His holy Mother ha-s to form for Himself great Saints who shall surpass most of the other Siaints In sanc- tity as much as the cedars of Lebanon out- srow the little shrubs." Part of his prophecy has been already fulfilled, as all can see. 7 say nothing of his — M» — prophecy as to what should befall Ms Treatise on Devotion to Our Lady, and of hotc strangely' it has 6eCT» verified ; but 1 cannot help point- ing out the fact tbat a number of Festivals In honour of our Lady have been Instituted since De Montfort's death In 1716, and that religious Congregations of bofh sexes have been established, almost without number, either under tkj name of Mary, or In honour of her prerogatives and the mysteries con- nected with her life. With what marvel- lous zeal, too, the Bishops and people of the whole of Christendom petitioned Plus TX. to define her Immaculate Conception, and with what solemnity and rejoicings was it not at last defined ! And now the successor of Plus IX., a Pontiff whose char- acteristic la learning, and whose Apos- tolic Letters are addressed especially to the Intellect of the age, has thrown himself and the whole Church upon the bosom of Mary with a devotion and faith never surpassed. Leo XIII. commanded and decreed a thing never before heard of : that the Rosary and the Litany of Mary should be sung or re- cited in every church, vhere there is charge of souls, throughout the world, and that not once or twice, but for a period of time ex- — 29« — ceedlng a month. Surely all this is after the spirit and prediction of De Montfort And still further, as though to point out the most Intimate personal relationship stlU existing between Mary and Jesus, an-! the importance of invoking both together, the Holy Father commanded that her Rosary and Litany should be recited either in con- nection with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, or at Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Assuredly the increase of devotion to Mary during the last two hundred years has been quite extraordinary and unprecedented. Nor was there any- thing two centuries ago, when everything appeared tj dark, to warrant this marvel- lous growth. If one part of the prophecy of De Montfort has been verified under our own eyes, we are naturally led to believe that he spoke by the Spirit of God, and that the remaining part, referring to the latter days, may yet be fulfilled. And thus we I are again drawn by a number of further considerations to do all we can, as pastors of souls, to deepen devotion to Mary, and to I perfect that consecration to her which we i ourselves and our penitents may have made I in years Jong gone by, "in order that — 30* — thus," In the words of De Montfort, " we may be all for Jesus Christ." Finally, while the Vicar of Christ has turned the whole mind and heart of the Church to Mary, we may be certain that the Heavenly Patron of the Universal Church has been watching over the Pontiff and the people of God. He of all the Saints is best able to teach us how to think of Mary, how to honour her. As St. Teresa said, " If you know not how to pray, take Joseph for your master, and you will not go astray." St. Joseph necessarily leads the members of the mystical body of Christ to the love of their Mother, Els own most blessed Spouse. He will have part and lot with her and with the Church during those latter ages of the world when the struggle between good and evil shall become Inten- sified. He well knows that she will finally destroy all heresies, that she will, finally and for ever, crush with her heel the ser- pent's head. He will, therefore, help us to perfect our consecration to Mary. As Joseph and Mary shared the humiliation and obscurity of tho Redeemer for thirty years, they will take a conspicuous and noble part with Him In the glory and -. 3I» — triumph of the Chuch at the end of the world. Meanwhile, may Mary often communicate with your souls, not, Indeed, after the man- ner of those who are In the flesh, but by those intellectual operations which are prop- er, St. Thomas tells us. to the Blessed ; operations which are not hindered by local distance, and which often take place in the kingdom of the soul, even without our knowledge or consciousness. May the constant use of her Rosai^ mul- tiply your Joy in conversions ; and may the frequent perusal of this Treatise so Ulumiae your soul with the clear and blessed light of this most sweet "Morning Star," as to enable you to lead innumerable souls by a most natural and easy way into the burn- ing and all-absorbing love of "Jesus, the Sun of Justice." Wishing you every grace and blessing, I am always. Very Rev. and Rev. dear Fathers, Your faithful and devoted Servant, >ii HEPBERT, ijishop of Salford. Bishop's House, Salford, Nov. 1, 1883. PBBVAOB. It was In the year 1846 or 1847, at St. Wilfrid's, that I first studied the life and spirit of the Venerable Orlgnon de Mont- fort ; and now, after more than flfte«>n years. It may be allowable to say that those who take him for their master will hardly be able to name a Saint or ascetlcal writer to whose grace and spirit their mind will be more subject than to his. We may not yet ?all him Saint ; but the process of his beatification is so far and so favourably advanced that we may not have long to wait before he will be raised upon the al- tars of the Church. There are few men In the eighteenth cent- ury who have more strongly upon them the marks of the man. of Providence than this Bllas-like missionary of the Holy Ghost and of Mary. His entire life was such an exhibition of the holy folly of the Cross, — 34» — that bis biographers unite In always class- lag him with St. Simon Salo and St. Philip Nerl. Clement XI. made him a missionary- apostolic In France, In order that he might spend his Ufe In fighting against Jansenism so far as It affected the salvation of souls. Since the apostolical epistles It would be hard to find words that burn so marvel- lously as the twelve pages of his prayer for the Missionaries of the Holy Ghost to which I earnestly refer all those who find It hard to keep up under their numberless trials the first fires of the love of souls. He was at once persecuted and venerated everywhere. His amount of work, like that of St. Antony of Padua, Is Incredible and indeed, Inexplicable. He wrote some spiritual treatises, which have already had a remarkable Influence on the Church during the few years they have been known and bid fair to have a much wider Influ- ence m years to come. His preaching, hlg writing, and his conversation were an im- pregnated with prophecy and with antici- pations of the later ages of the Church. SrT'"^ ^r""^^ "■'^ '^«*^«'^ St. Vincent St". °° *^* ^^^ bordering on the Last Judgment, and proclaims that he — 35» — brings an authentic message frc- Oofl ajout the greater honour and wider knowl- ^e and more prominent love of His Blessed Mother, and her connection wTtJ two'^S'"'^'^**^' *•*'«-• Hefonnd^ t vo religious congregatlons-^jne of nieu and one of . women-whlch have been auZ extraordinarily successful ; and.^LXd at the age of forty-three In 1716. after onl, sixteen years of priesthood It was on the 12th of May 1853 that th» decree was pronounced at Rome, declaring his writing to be exempt from all er of Which eo^ld be a bar to his canonlsatto" In this very treatise on the veritable de- otlon to our Blessed Lady, he has record^ aginn^r^ :/ ^'^^'^ *«-««« ^h^ raging brutes will come In furv to tP«r use Of to wr ,*^ """'^ ^^*«* '^'^ ^'^^^ s"T bothT"-" ^'^^^"''^'e^^. he prophe- sies both Its appearance and its success ho If r ' '"^"^ *« *»»« letter. TheTu £Z^:y\T' •^"'^ *^« treatise was four u by accident by one of the priests of '"B congregation at St Laurent-s^tl^^e _36» — In 1842. The existing Superior was able tc attest the handwriting as being that of the venerable founder ; and the autograph was sent to Rome to be examined In the process of canonisation. All those who are likely to read this book love God, and lament that they do not love Him more ; all desire something for His glory— the spread of some good work, the success of some devotion, the coming of Some good time. One man his been striv- ing for years to overcome a particular fault, and has not succeeded. Another mourns, and almost wonders while he mourns, that so few of his relations and friends have been converted to the faith. One grieves -that he has not devotion enough ; another that he has a cross to carry, which Is a peculiarly impossible cross to him ; while a third has domestic troubles and family un- happlnesses, which feed almost incompat- ible with his salvation ; and for all these things prayer appears to bring so little rem- edv. But what is the remedy that is wanted ? what Is the remedy indicated by God Himself ? If we may rely on the dis- closures of the Saints, It is an immense in- crease of devotion to our Blessed Lady ; — 37» — but, remember, nothing short of an im- mense one. Here, in England, Mary Is not half enough preached. Devotion to her is low and thin and poor. It Is frightened out of Its wits by the sneers of heresy. It Is always Invoking human respect and carnal prudence, wishing to make ISJary so little of a Mary that Protestants may feel at ease about her. Its ignorance of theology makes it unsubstantial and unworthy, it is not the prominent characteristic of our religion which it ought to be. It has no faith in Itself. Hence it Is that Jesus is not loved, that heretics are not converted, that the Church is not exalted ; that souls, which might be saints, wither and dwindle; that the Sacraments are not rightly fre- quented, or souls enthusiastically evan- gelised. Jesus Is obscured because Mary is kept in the background. Thousands of souls perish because Mai-y is withheld from thena. It is the miserable unworthy shad- ow which we call our devotion to the Blessed Virgin that is the cause of all these wants and blights, these evils and omissions and declines. Yet, if we are to believe the revelations of the Saints, God Is iM-essing for a greater, a wider, a stronger. _ 38* — quite another devotion to His Blessed Moth- er. I cannot think of a higher work or a broader vocation for any one than the sim- ple spreading of this peculiar devotion of the Venerable Grignon de SJontfort. Ift a man but try it for himself, and his sur- prise at the graces it brings with it. and the transformations it causes in his soul, will soon convince him of its otherwise almost incredible efficacy a.i a means for the sal- vation o.' men, and for the coming of the kingdom of Christ. Oh, if Mary were but known, there would be no coldness to Jesus then ! Oh, if Mary were but known, how much more wonderful would be our faith, and how different would our Communions be ! Oh, If Mary were but known, how much happier, how much holier, how much less worldly should we be, and how much more should we be living images of our sole Lord and Saviour, her dearest and most Blessed Son ! I have tranlated the whole treatise my- self, and have taken great pains with it, and have been scrupulously faithful. At the same time, I would venture to warn the reader that one perusal will be very — 39* — far from making bim master of it. If I may dare to say so, there is a growing feeling of something inspired and super- natural about it, as we go on studying it ; and with that we cannot help experiencing, after repeated readings of it. tliat itf nov- elty never seems to wear oflf, nor its fra- ness to be diminished, nor tfie fresh fra- grance and sensible fire of its unction ever to abate. May the Holy Ghost, the Divine Zealot of Jesus and Mary, deign to give a new blessing to this worlE in Bngland ; and may He please to console us quickly with the canonisation of this new apostle and fiery miasionary of His most dear and most Immaculate Spouse ; and still more with the speedy coming of that gn^eat age of the Church, which is to be the Age of Mary ! F. W. FABEB, Priest of the Oratory. Presentation of ovr Blessed Lady, 1862. Note. See Vit de Louh-Marit Orignon de MoMfort (Le Clere, Pari*. 1839> ; alio the Jrauit Father Cloriviire's Life o f biia, 1786. Grandet'a Life of him (1724), as well as Basti- de'a memoin of nfc; minions given with the sennsknt of God, I only know by the qnotations in tlie life of 1889. PBEFAOE TO THE FBENCH EDITION. " God wishes that His holy Mother should now be more known, more loved, more hon- oured, than ever she has been : and this win no doubt come to pass. If the predes- tinate will enter, by the grace and light of the Holy Ghost, Into the Interior and perfect practice which I will discover to them." These words of the venerable ser- vant of God, Louis Marie Grlgnon de Mont- fort, cannot fall to Interest our piety, and to Inspire us with a lively desire of learning from him so excellent a practice of honour- ing the most holy Virgin. He had been drawn from his earliest Infancy, In quite a particular fashion, to the love of this Queen of Angels ; and In a con- versation which he had with his intimate friend Monsieur Blaln, two years before ills death, the pious missionary confessed him that God had favoured him with an extraordinary grace, which was the con- — 42» — tinned presence of Jesus and Maiy m the bottom of his soul. This word was a mys- tery to Monsieur Blaln ; but we shall see the explanation of It In this little treatise. We shall see revealed to ns there the heart of him who knew no fairer name than the slave of Jesus In Mary. We do not, how- ever, pretend to say that this explanation will be eqnaUy understood by all We ^ai^'^^T^'' "^^^ **•"* ^<»'<*°' the Bter^ nal Wisdom. "Thou hast Bidden these things from the wise and prudent, and re- LTdfn ?»f°V!^ "•* "**'* •'°*«*' " '»«'« been SS ?„ ^\^"* "' **•* venerable servant of God^that his history will never be under- stood except by a Christian, ft has this in common with the lives of a great numbl? that tb s'Tr^ ""' ^^- ^« "'^y ««y a'- i^ K "^® ''*"''' '^"^ "^^er be under- stood by a Christian who Is too much a stoinger to the maxims of humility and evangelical simplicity, and that the wise of this world win And themselves shocked at the lessons of true wisdom which they will r^d without penetrating their sense. AM- «oI« Ao«to ^ percipit ea. gy^ sunt Spiritus Dei smtitia enim est UU, et mn potest in- telHgere, g,Ha sptHtuallter examinatur The — 43»~ man who guides himself only by natnrrf ^nse they can'^:^ T^U' "hyTst pematural light which he has not Z Bnt let ns hasten to add that slnceiLd simple «ouls will relish the manna hidden tn St pious and touching Instructions of the ^r EnvM* /°°''- ^^'^y ^"' fless Divine Providence for the treasure. They will feel themselves penetrated with love torjesuJ and Mary, m reading these burning pagT Which the man of God wrote In the fer^oS of his prayer, without ever loqlng sight of „? T'°'' °' °"' ""'^^^ Saviour X\Z holy Mother.... In conclusion, let u^say a TtTe :;" *',' '^"^^^^ «' *••'« ^«"- 17^1 S **' ^^"^ ^^°*^»' revolution Id thf 'J. ."'"'"'*''^P*" ^^'«=h the house Of the Missionaries of St. Laurent-sur^fivre ^ssessed were hidden In the nelghboTrlng farms, where they remained burii m dus! wereT^dT" "^''^ "°' *^°- -''" ZIZ ^ ^""^ P°* *°*« tJ^e library of the i«e w„h ^"^^ recognised, as was the «a«e with some others also composed by the — 44* — tenerable founder of the company. It was not till 1842 that one of the priests of the honse of St. Lauren; fonnd It by chance In the Ubrai-y, where It had been put without being recognised, after having been mixed up with a great number of imperfect books. " After I had read a few pages," says the priest, " I took It, hoping to find It useful for making a sermon on our Lady. I read by chance the place wuere he speaks of his Company of Mary. I recognised the style and thoughts of our venerable founder, and his way of addressing his missionaries; and after that I had no doubt the manuscript was his. I took It to our superior, who Identitied the handwriting." „:..L . l™il''"*"'"P* 'i" •*««» examined at Rome; recog- nijed to be the woA of the venerable servant of Ood : most SIP.5 t ? examined in its doctrine ; and declared to be isat 1 *"" " *"'"' ^^^"^ """•<* ''" * '"'^ '0 !•" canon- — 45»- pBETAOi; TO THE SBCBBT OF HAB7, This little Work, published f r ibe first Itlme but a few years ago, and already trans- llated Into many langinageB. was composed tby the Blessed Father de Montfort. When I discovered. It bore upon It the following linscrlptlon : " Copy of a manugcript written yelth his own hand, hy the late Fathr de Monf- Ifort on the Slaver u of the Blessed Virgin, and I sent by him to a pious person of his acquaint- laner." This manuscript !s kept at the Moth- ler Houre of the Daughters of Wisdom, I at St. Lauren t-snr-Sfivre, France. Those Iwho have read his Treatise on the Trne De- Ivotlon to Our Lady, translated by Father jPaber, will recognise, at once the style of Ithe Servant of God. and. In many places. Ithe very same expressions. The zealous ser- Ivants of Mary will gladly welcome these Ipages ailed with tender and solid piety [towards the Mother of God. In reading I them. but. above all. In practising them. Ithey will better and more easily under- Istand the very excellent devotion which con- plsts In giving ourselves entlrey to Jesus jthrough Mary ; In acting only In Mary and — ♦«• — by Mary, so as to lire only in Jesus and tor Jesus. After having read this little essay, they win want to read the TreaU$e on the True Devotion to the Bleaaid Virgin in which the ^ Blessed Father de Monttort fully develops bis idea. The "Tree of Life" which follows the " Secret of Mary " is its natural completion. It is an ingenious emblem by means of which this zealous servant of Mary repre- sents, in a graceful and striking manner, the practice of devotion to the Blessed Vir- gin. This "Tree of Life" and the two Prayers to Jesus and Mary were also written by the servant of God. We have thought it well to unite in one volume these two precious woriis, and to add to them the Blessed de Montfort's Meth- od of assisting at Mass, of receiving Holy Communion, of saying the Rosary, of offer Ing our daily actions, and of consecrating ourselves to the Blessed Virgin, with some other prayers in general use. May the bless- ing of Jesus and iMary descend upon all those who will read this book, giving them to taste of the hidden manna which it con tains ! — 47«_ THE SECBET OT UAB7 B«T«al«d to th« Davout Soul. Predestinate soul, I have a secret for you. which the Most High has taught me. and which I have not been able to find In any book, oJd or new ; I confide It to you. by the Holy Ghost, on condition : 1. That you com- municate it only to those persons who de- serve It by their prayers, alms, mortifi- cations, persecutions, and detachment from the world. 2. That you make use of It to become holy and heavenly, for this secret becomes great only In proportion to the use made of it by the soul ; beware, then, of remaining with your arms folded doing nothing: my secret would then become fatal to you, and would turn to your con- demnation. 3. That -you thank God, all the (Jays of your Ufe, for the grace He has given you in teaching you a secret which you do not deserve to know. According to the extent of your use of this seoret In the ordinary actions of your life will you understand Its value and ex- cellence, which at first you will but Im — 48» — perfectly appreciate, on account of the mnltlttide and grlevousness of your jilns, and your secret attachment to yourself. Before going any further, and In order to restrain for a moment any natural and too eager desire to know this truth, say devout- ly the Ave Maria Stella and the Teni Crea- tor, in order to ask of God the grace to understand and relish this divine mystery. On account of the little time I have for writing, jind you for reading, I will say everything as briefly as possible. Soul, living image of God, and redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, the will of God concerning you is that you should become holy like Him in this life, and glorious like Him in the next. The acquisition of the holiness of OoCL Is your sure vocation ; and It Is to this that all your thoughts, words, and actions, all your sufferings, and all the movements of your life must tend or you will resist God, by not doing that for which He has created you, and is now preserving you. Oh, what an admirable work ! dust changed into light, dirt Into purity, sin into holiness, the creatjire Into its Creator, and man into God ! Admirable work, 1 repeat, but very difficult In Itself. — 49» — ' and Impossible to mere nature ; It is only I God, who, by His grace, and His abundant and extraoidinaiy grace, can bring it to pass ; the creation of the whole unlve'rse is not so great a masterpiece as this. Soul, how wiU you act ? What means will you choose In order to ascend to yfhere I God is caUing you'? The means of salva- tion and holiness are known to all ; they are marked in the Gospel, explained by the masters of the spiritual life, practised by the iSaints. and are necessary to all those who wisl^ to be saved, and to arrive at per- I feetion ; they are : humility of heart, con- Itinual prayer, complete mortlflcation, aban- donment to the Providence of God, and cou- ] fornilty to the Wiil of God. To practise these means of salvation and holiness, the grace of God is ali.solntely nef- I'ssarv, and this grace is given to aU In greater or less measure ; for God, although inflnitedy good, does not give equally great Ifrraee to all, although He gives sufficient to |each. A soul faithful to God. with a great grace. I^lll perform a great action, and with a weak grace, a small action ; it is the value and excellence of the grace given by God. 4 i — 50* — and corresponded to by the bouI, which constitutes the value and excellence of our actions. These principles are Incontestable. Everything, then, consists In finding an easy means of obtaining from God tfie necessary grace In order to become holy ; and It Is this which I wish to teach you. Now, I say, that to find this grace of God we must find Mary, because : 1. It Is Mary alone, who has found grace before God, both for herself and for every man In particular. The Patriarchs, and Prophets, and all the Saints of the' Old Law could not find this grace. 2. It is Mary who has given being and Dfe to the Author of all Grace ; and on this account she Is called the Mother of grace. Hater gratioB. 3. God the Father, from whom every good gift and perfect grace comes as from Its essential source, in giving her His Son, has given her all His graces ; so that, as St. Bernard says, the Will of God has been given her in Him and with Him. 4. God has chosen her for the treasurer. 8te'*ard. and dispenser of all His graces, so that all His graces and all His jrffts pass through her hands ; and, accord'ng to the — 51* — power she has received over them, as St Bemardlne teaches, she gives to whom Bb& wills, as she wills, and as much as she wills, the graces *f the Eternal Father, the virtues of Jesus Christ, and the gifts of the Holy Ghost. 5. As in the natural order, a child must have a father and mother, so In the order of grace, a true child of the Church must have God for his Father and Mary for his Mother ; and If he glories in having God for his Father, without at the same time having a tender filial love for Mary, he is a deceiver, whose only father is the devil. 6. Since Mary has formed the head of the predestinate, who is Jesus Christ, it is also her office to form the members of this Head, that Is to say, all true Christians ; for a mother does not form the head without the members, nor the members without the head. Whoever, then, wishes to be a member of Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth, must be formed in Mary by means of the grace of Jesus Christ, who resides In her In aU His fuhiess, to be communicated, in the same fulness, to the true members of Jesus and the true children of Mary. 7. The Holy Ghost having espoused Mary, and having produced In her. and by her. — 52» — and of her, this masterpiece, Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, and as He has never repudiated her, He continues to produce in her and by her, in a real tj^ough mysterious manner. His predestimate. 8. Mary has received from Gad a special dominion over souls, In order to nourish them and to malce them grow up in God. , St. Augustine even says that all the. pre- destined are In the womb of Mary, and that they are not born, until the good Mother brings them forth into life eternal. Conse- quently, as the child draws all Its nourish- ment from its mother, who gives it to it in proportion to its weakness, so, in like man- ner, do the predestined draw all their SDirltual nourishment and all their strength from Muiy. 9. It Is to Mary that God the Father has said : In Jacob inhabita : My daughter, let thy dwelling be In Jacob," that Is to say, in my elect, typified by Jacob. It is to Mary that God the Son has said. In Israel hneredi- tarc: "My dear Mother, let thine Inheritance be in Israel," that Is to say, in the predes- tined. Lastly, it Is to Mary that the Holy Spirit has said : In dectis meis mltte radices, " Strike thy roots, my faithful Spouse, in my «lect." Whoever, then, is elect and predes- — 53» _ tlned has the Holy Virgin dwelling In him. that is to say. m his soul ; he allows her to strike her roots In profound humility In ar- dent charity, and In aU virtues. Mary Is called by St. Augustine, and 10. Is, Indeed, the living mould of God, forma net ; that Is to say. It Is In her alone, that the God-Man was naturally formed, without losing any feature, so to speak, of His God- head; and It Is also in her alone that man can be, properly and In a lifelike way, form- ed Into God, so far as human nafure Is en pable of this, by the grace of Jesus Christ. Now, a sculptor may, out of some hard and -ihapeless material, make a statue or likeness from nature in two ways : 1. By making use of his skill, his strength, his knowledge, and good Instruments ; 2. By casting It in a mould. The flr.st way i's long ana difficult, and subject to many acci •lents : It often happens that a mere blow of the hammer or chisel, awkwardly given, fs enough to spoil the whole work. The sec- ond way Is quick, easy, and gentle, without trouble or expense, provided the mould be perfect, and a good natural like- ness, and the material used ofiTer no resist- ance to the hand. — 54» — Mary Is the great mould cf God', made by the Holy Ghost, In order to form a God- Man by the Hypostatic Un!on, and a Man- God by grace. In this mould, no feature of the Godhead Is waiting ; whoever is cast in U, and al- lows himself to be freely handled, receives therein all the features of Jesus (Jhrlst. Who Is True Go'd. And this is done in a gentle manner. In proportion to his human weakness, without much agony or labour ; in a sure manner, without fear of Illusion, for the devil has never had, and never will have, access to Mary ; and lastly, In „ ioly and spotless manner, wlfhout the shad- ow of the least stain of sin. Oh ! what a difference there Is between a soul formed in Jesus Christ by the ordinary ways; that Is to say, by trusting, like the sculptor, to mere natural skill and Ingenuity, and a «onl thoroughly tractable, really detached. And well molten, which, without In any way leaning upon Itself, suffers Itself to be cas't an Mary, and to be handled by the Holy Ghost ! How many stains, how many de- fects, how many Illusions, how much dark ness, how much of what Is merely natural and human, is there In the first soul ; and — 55» — how pure, how divine, how lilce to Jesua OhrlBt, is the second ! There is not, nor will there ever be, a creature in which God is greater, otitaido Himself, than the divine vMary, not except- ing either the Saints, or the Gfaeniblm, or the highest Seraphim, in Paradise itself. Mary Is the Paradise of God and His unspeakable ! world, into which the Son of God has gone to worlt His marvels, to keep it, and to take His pleasure therein. He has made a world for man in his state of pilgrimage, which is that on which we dwell. He has made a world for man In a state of blessed- ness, which 16 heaven ; but He has made another world for Himself, to which He has given the name of Mary ; a world almost unknown to mortals here below, and in- comprehensible to the Angels and the Messed, who, in heaven, are so filled with admiration at selng God so exalted. 80 far away from all of them, so sepaiated and hidden in His world, the divine Mary, that they cry out without ceasing. Holy, holy, holyl Happy, a thousand times happy here be- low, is the soul to which the Holy Ghost reveals the Secret of Mary ; to which He opens this " garden enclosed ", permitting it _ 56» - to enter It ; to which H>- gives access to this "sealed fountain", suffering it to draw from it, and to drlnlt deeply of the living waters of grace ! Such a soul will find God alone without any creature, In this most sweet creature ; God, infinitely hdy and exalted, but, at the same time. Infinitely condescending and proportioned to> its weBikness. Since God Is everywhere. He may be found everywhere, even In hell ; but there is no place in which the creature can find Him nearer to himself, ftnd more propor- tioned to his weakness, than In Mary, for It was for this end that He came down Into her bosom. Everywhere el3e He is the Bread of the strong, the Bread of Angels, but lii Mary He Is the Bread of children. Let no one Imagine, then, as some' do who are deceived by false lights, that Mary being a creature. Is a hindrance to union with the Creator ; it is no longer Marj' wha lives, It is Jesus Christ ; it is God Alone who lives in her. Her transformation into God surpasses that of St. Paul, and the other saints, as heaven is higher than tiie earth. Mary was made only for God ; and far from her detaining in herself a soul which casts itself upon her bosom, she, on the contrary, casts it immediately upon God, 57» — nnd unites It to Him with so much the more- perfection, as the soul Is more united to her. Mary Is the marvellous echp of God, who,, when we say " Mary," answers only " God ;" who. when with St. Elizabeth, we call her Blessed, glorifies only God. If the falsi-ly Illuminated, who have been miserably leil :>way by the devil, even lii prayer, had known how to find Mary, and by Mary, .Te- sus. they would never have had sucli terri- ble falls. When we have once found Mary, and. by Mary. Jesus, and. by Jesus, God the Father, we have found all gjod things say holy- souls : Inventa, etc. Who says all excepts nothing : all grace and all friendship with (iod ; all safety against the enemies of God ; all truth as opposed to falsehood : all facil- ity and comph'te victory over the dllBcul- ties of salvation ; all sweetness and all joy amidst the bitterness of life. Not that he who has found Mary, by true devotion, will be exempt from crosses and sutTerlngs : far from U, he is more assailed by them than any other, because Mary, being the Mother of the living, gives to her eliiidren pieces of the Tree of Life, which is the Cross of Jesus,; but in choosing their special crosses, she obtains for them the y- — 68« — Krace to carry them with patience, and even with Joy, 80 that the crosses which she gives to those who belong to her are rather sweet than bitter crosses. Or, if for awhile they feel the b ttemets of the challca which they must drink in order to be the friends of God. the consolation and Joy which this good mother gives after this sorrow, encourages them exceedingly to carry still heavier and more bitter crosses. The difficulty, then. Is to know how. In reality, to find the divine Mary, in order to And all abundant grace. God, being labsolnte Master, can communicate by Himself that which, ordinarily, He communicates only by Mary ; we cannot even deny, without rash- ness, that sometimes He does so ; never- theless, according to -the order establlshel by Divhie Wisdom, as St. Thomas teaches, He communicates Himself, ordinarily, to men only through Mary in **xe order of grace : we must therefore, lu order to ascend and unite ourselves to Him, make use of the same means, as He did to come down to us. to become man, and tfi communicate to us His graces. The means then to find grace, and abundant grace, is a true devotion to. Mary. — 59» — Bnt it must be remarked that there are [ several kindn of true devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin, for here I do not speak of false devotions. The first consists in fulfilling the duties of n Christian, avoiding mortal sin, acting more from love than from fear, praying -from time to time to the Blessed Virgin and honouring her as the Mother of God, with- out having any special devotion towards her. The second consists In having for the Blessed Virgin, feelings of the most perfect esteem and love, and confidence and venera- tion. It leads us to Join her confraternities, to recite her chaplet and Rosary, to honour her images and altars, to publish her praises, and to enrol ourselves in her congregations. If, while doing this, we keep from sin, this devotion is good, holy, and praiseworthy ; but it is not so perfect as the following one, nor so capable of withdrawing souls from creatures, nor of detaching them from them- selves. In order to unite them with Jesus Christ. The third, known and practised by very few, is that which I am about to reveal to you, predestined souls. It consists in giving -.60» — oumeleen up entway to the Most Ble$ied Virgin. in order to belong wh;iiy to Jeaua Christ through her ; and then, in doing all ouractiom with Mary, In llarg. thruwjh Mary, for Mary. m ordfr to do fheiii more perfectly with Jems, in Jesus, throuyh Jems, and for Jesus. our Last End. I shall now explain these words. In order to practise this excellent devo tlon, we should first chooae some remark- able feast. (-) on which to consecrate our- selves wholly to Jesus through Mary ; glv- lug her our body and our soul ; our body with nil Us members and all its senses ; our soul with all it) pmccrs ; cur exleHor goids of for- titne ; our interior goods of soul ; that is to say, our merits, our graces, our virtues our good works, past, present, or future ; In n word, all that we have or may have In the order of nature, of grace, or of glory ; and that without any reserve, not even of a far- thing, a hair, nor the least good action ; an.l that for all eternity, without looking for any other recompense than the honour of belong- ing to .Tesus Christ through her and In her even If this divine Queen were not. as sho -6I» — ■ always is, the most generouii, and the most iKrotpful of creatureM. (') It niUHt Ite here observed that, by tliU rte- I votlon, the soul sacrifices to Jesas. thrjURh Maty, all that it hoWs most dear, inid that of which not even any relifrious order would require the sacrifice : namely, the right of disposing of the value of our pray- ers, alms, and niortiflcations.so as to leave the entire disposal of them to the Blessed Virgin, to be applied, as she wills, to the greater glory of God, which she atone per- I fectly knows. We leave at her disposal all the satlsfac- Itoiy, and impetratory value of our good works ; so that, after having made this oblation, though without vow, we are no longer masters of the good we do ; the Blessed Virgin may apply It, either to the I relief or deliverance of a soul in Purgatory or to the conversion of a poor sinner, etc. By this devotion, we also place our merits in the hands of the Blessed Virgin ; not that I she may give them to others ; this, properly speaking, cannot be done, but that she may keep them, augment them, and embellish them. We give her all our prayers and I Vi^ta?* ''''^*'*" °° *•*" "■•'"* Derotion to the BleMed — 62» — go«J work«. in so far as they are impetra- hl . «''««'actory. to distribute and appTy them to Whom she pleases ; and If.aS having thus consecrated ourselves to her we desire to relieve the souls in Purgatory To convert sinners or to help our friends b^'our prayers, alms, mort.flcatlons. or sacrmces we must humbly ask It of her. aJd i^^e everything to her good pleasure, wi horn - '^^"^'"K ««»ythlng further, but being fX persuaded that the value of ou^ actlo^'j dispensed by the same hand, which gS make use of to distribute to us His graces ztvr^' '''' '"^ ^ "'^"«^ *^"'' our Xr^ *^''* ""' •'"^""°° «>°»'«t8 in Tslfvi^ ^^^^^"^ '"^ ''"^ '° ^'"^ «l°''"*y fn?H i '^''^'^ "' °''*"^*' = •'H °»en. good aud bad. ^ the slaves of God In this sense, rhe second Is the slavery of constraint.; the devils and the damned are slaves of G;d In this second sense. The third is the slavery Lie th«t '""^ ^''' ' «°** " '« 1° *W« ToL K Tf °°*''* *° consecrate ourselves way In which a creature can possibly give Umself to his Oreetor. — 63» — Remember that there is a great differ- ence between a servant and a slave ; a ser- vant expects wages for his service, a slave does not. A servant Is freetoJeavehls mas- ter, when he likes, he serves him only for a time : a slave cannot Justly leave his master he be.ongs to him for his whole life A inaster has not the power of life and death over his servant, but he has over Is slave he could put him to death aiid not be molested by justice. Christians do not make this kind of slaves, only Turks amd Idolaters ao. Happy, a thousand times happy the generons aoni who consecrates herself en- tirely to Jesus, through Mary, as a fovlnir slave after having, by baptism. rt«iken off the tyrannical slavery of the devil ' WONDEBFUI, EFFECTS OF THIS PEBFECT CON- SECBATION. I would require much light from God, In order to describe perfectly the excellence or this practice : I will only say : 1. That to give ourselves. In this way, to Jesus through Mary. Is to Imitate God the Father, who has given us His Son only through Mary, and Who communicates His — 64« — grace to us only through Mary ; It Is to Imi- tate God the Son. AVho has come to us only through Mary, and who, having set us the example to act as He acted, has fsked us to go to Him by the same means; that Is to Bay, through Mary ; It Is to Imitate God the Holy Ghost who communicates His graces and gifts to us, only through Mary, is it not right, says et Bernard, that grace should return to Its Author, through the same channel that transmitted It to us ? 2. That to go m this way to Jesus through Mary Is truly to honour .Tesus Christ bp- cviuse It shows that, on account of our sins we ace not worthy to approach His Infinite Holiness directly and by ourselves and that we have need of Mary, His Holy Mo- ther, to be our advocate and mediatrix with Him who Is our Mediator. It Is, at the same time to approach Him as our Mediator and - ^'"" Brother, and to humble ourselves be- fore Him, as our God and our Judge : lu a word, it is to practise humility, which Is always exceedingly pleasing to the Heart of God. 3. That to consecrate ourselves In this way to Jesus through Mary, is to place In the hands of Mary, or good actions, which however good they may appear, are yery — 65*_. often spoiled, and unworthy of the steht stars are not pure. Ah ! let us pray to our -ear Mother and Mistress, that havlngT eelved our poor px^sent, she may Zi^ sanctify, and embeHlsh it. so as to rln^ der it worthy of God. The entire revenue of our soul is Of less value to jLTthe ^■endshlp and grace of our Heavenly Fa ther than would be a worm-eaten apjle i" the hands of some poor peasant who rentS a farm from the king. What wonTd tWs^r mn do. if he had commo. «ense, and acS^« to the queen ? Wonld he not give h^^e nSVSf """'" °"' "" ^"««"' "''^ «' ^'»^ ness t» the poor peaaarat and respect for the SS Tr ''"""•'"*''«* ^«- ^«™ d^ked with flowers ; and could the kfne haiids of the queen who thus favoured the I "»• «w«i6». Jfarte traders oura. si mm ri« i Z^r ';'*!^*""' " " '«" ^'»»' to offor anything to God. '• says St. Bemarc. "place IL ^fS^f '"°*^«- "^-« ^- -^^'^ «t to • ! do! But let us, by this devotion, place it » — 66» all in Mary's hands. A49 we shall have given ourselves entirely to her, despoiling ourselves of everything in her honour, she will be infinitely more generous towards us, and will repay us a hundred fold. She- will communicate herself wholly to us with her merits and her virtues ; she will place our presents on the golden plate of her char- ity ; she will clothe us, as Rebecca clothed Jacob, with the beautiful garments of ber Sou, Jesus Christ, that is to say, with His merits, of which she has the entire disposal ; and thus, as her privileged servants, after having despoiled ourselves of everything in her honour, we shall be clad in double gar- ments : Omme/j domestici ejus vestUi aunt du- pHettua : tha garments, ornaments, per- fumes, merits, and virtues of Jesus and of Mary. That to give ourselves thus to the Blessed , Virgin, is to practise charity to our. neighbour in the highest possible degree, for it is to give to Mary all that we hold most dear, in order that she may dispose of it at her gjod pleaBvre In favour of the living and tbe| dead. That by this devotlcm we place our graces I and merits in safe-keeping, for Mary is their | guardian. We may say to her with confi- — 6-<» _ I dence : " See. my dear Mother, my kind Mis- trefls, here Is the good. whicL. l.y tho grace of thy dear Son. I have been enabled to do • i am not able to keep it, be.;au8e of my weakness and Inconstancy, and because of the number and malice of my enemies, who I ceaselessly attack me. Alas ! I see. every day, the cedars of Leba- non falling Into the mire, and the eagles which had raised themselves to the Sun be- c-ome birds of night ; I see a thousand even of the just fall on my left hand, and ten thousand on my right. Ah ! my powerful my most powerful princess, do thou hold me lest I faU ; do thou keep all my I good, lest I be robbed of It • all I have I confide to thee, in trust. DepoHtum \^todi.-8cto cui cremt. "I know whom I have trusted. I know well who thou art. Ithls Is why I entrust myself entirely to thee: thou art faithful and true to God and to I men and thou wilt not suffer anything to Iperlsh of that which I entrust to thee ; thou [nrt powerful, and nothing can hurt th^ nor Ihands *^*^ ^^'^^ *'"'" ''*^*^*** '° *^y Ipsatn sequena non devias ; ipmm rogana non l«e»p«-M ; ipfam eogitant non erraa ; ipgO, te- ■»«»te. non corruU ; ipso, protegente, non me- — 68» — tula,; ips'l duee, fion faHf/aHery, so this '^T..?""*'"^^' ""* ''' gratitude, enlarKe« and dilates our heart, and causes us to walk with giant steps in the way of God's com- mandments. Ordinarily, she frees the soul from weariness, sadness, and scruples It was this devotion that our Lord taught to the Venerable Mother Agnes of Jesus, as a sure means of deliverance from the suffor- Xr^ Pfn>l^xitie8 with which She was afflicted. "Make thyself." said He. "my Mothers slave : ■• she did bo, and her tron- Dies ceased at once. Were we to give all the authorities for this devotion, we should have to make mention of Bulls and Indulgences of Popes, of pas- toral letters of bishops In Its favour, of con fraternities established in its honour of examples of saints and Illustrious per^ns Who have practised It ; but all this we pass over In silence. I said, In tbe second piate, that this de votion consists In doing all our actions with Mary in Mary, by Mary, and for Mary It IB not enough to have given ourselves once to Jesus, through Mary : it Is not enough to •10 this every month, or everv week • (his would be too tian8:e::t a devotion, nor — 70* _ would It raise the soul to perfection. It Is very easy to tnrol ourselves in a confra ternlty, to embrace outwardly the devotion of which I am speaking, to say a few v.H-al prayers eviry day, as prei-crllied ; But th< oriat diffliuHy ta to mftr into the spirit of Hiin ricvotioii, which is to muke a ^oul interior ly dependent upon the Blessed Virgin and upon Jrxm through hn: Thcro are many per sons, who. with admirable zial, have made the oHtward consecration ; but few have acquiml its spirit, and stttl fewer hav<. persevered in it. 1. The essential practice of this devotion consists in doing all mir actions with Mary that Is to say. In taking the Blessed Virgin ns the perfect model of all we have to do. ■Therefore, before undertaking anything, we must renounce ourselves, and our own Ideas, however good they may be. We liiust annihilate ourselves before (Jotl, as beins Incapable of any supt-rnatural good, or even of any act:on profitable to talvat on ; we must have recourse to the Blessed Virgin, and unite ourselves with her and with her j intentions, though they are unknown to uh we must unite ourselves, through Mary, to I the intentions of .lesus Christ, that Is to say, we must place ourselves as instruments — 71« _ In tlie hands of the Blepaed Virgin, that she may act In us, ,.nd for us. and do with us what she pleases, to the greater gloiy of her Son, and by her Son. Jesus Christ, to the K'ory of the Father ; so that we must not undertake any kind of Interior life, or per- form any spiritual action except In depen- dence upon her. -'. We must do all our actions in Mary that is to say, we muBt accustom onraelyes little by little to interior recoUectlon, in or- der to form some little Idea or spiritual image of the Holy Virgin : she will be to u« an ovatoi'v in whlcB we can offer up all our prayers to God, without fear of being re- pulsed ; a Towfr of David to secnfe us from all enemies ; » tomp to enlighten us. and to inflame us with the love of God ; a mcrcd mongtrance in which we can see God In her and with her. In a word, Mary will be to "8 our all before God, and our universal refuge. If we pray, we shall pray in Mary ; If we receive Jesus in Holy Oommunion we shall place Him In Mary, so that He may take His delight In her. Mary will receive Him JovlDgly. will enthrone Him honorably wilt adore Him profoundly, will love Him perfectly, will embrace Him doeely, and will render Him, in spirit and In truth, worship. — 72* — which, In our blindness, Is unknown to us. If we act, we shaU act In Mary ; If we rest. we shall rest in Mary ; and everywhere and In aU things we shall make acts of self- renunciation. 3. Again, we muat never go to Jesus, except through Mary, through her Interces- sion and power with Him ; never being alone to pray to Him. 4. Lastly, we most do all our actions for Mary, that Is to say, having given aH to this august Princess, it is only right that we should do everything for her. that we should no longer work, except for her, for her In- terests and her glory ; not that we take her for our last end, which can only be Jesus Christ, but for our proximate end, and as an easy means by which to go to Jesus. We must. then. In everything we do, renounce our self-love, which is often imperceptible and say from the bottom of our heart, " O my dear Mistress, it is for thee and for thy love that I go here or there, that I do this or that; that I suffer this pain or that wrong !" Beware, predestinate soul, of believing that it is more perfect to go straight to Jesus, straight to God In your actions and inten- tions ; If you go to Him without Mary, your actions will be of little vvJue — 73* — but when you go to Him by Mary, It Is Mary who works in you and conaequenUy your actions will be highly exaJted and very worthy of God. More than this, beware of doing violence to yourself, In order to ta«te and feel wut I you are doing ; say and do everything lu that pure faith, which Mary had on earth, and which she will communicate to you lu good time; leave to your sovereign, poor little slave, the clear sight of God. the trans- ports, the Joys, the pleasures, the riches of lieaven. and take for yourself only pure faith I fuU of disgust, dlstracOong. weariness, and dryness ; say, "Amm. whatever Mary, my mistress, does in heaven, so let It be !" Oh ! take gieat care, once more, not to torment yourself, should you not Imme- diately enjoy the sweet presence of the Blessed Virgin in your interior ; this goace IS not plven to all. and when God, out of His great mercy, favours a soul with this grace It is very easy to lose it, unless she be faithful in frequent self-denial ; but should this misfortune happen to you, return quietly, and make honourable amends to your Sovereign. Experience will teach you Infinitely more than I can tell you, and you will find, If — 74»- you are faitliful to the Uttle which I hav.- tnwght you. so many rich gracen la thin pracUce, that you wlU be surprlned, and filled full of Joy. Let us labour, then, denr soul, and let us act In such a way. thnt by the faithful practice of this devotion, the soul of Mary may be In us to glorify onr Lord, and that the spirit of Mary may be In us to rejoice In God our SnTlour. These are | the words of St. Ambrolse : "Sit In ainffvUx anima Uariw vt magHiflcct Doniinum, sit In Kittffulia uplritm Uariai ut exuitit in Deo." And let us not think ihnt there was more | glory and happiness In dwelling In Abra ham's bosom, whicli was called Paradise, than in the bosom of Mary, In which God has placed His throne. These arc the words | of learned Abbot Guerric : " Ne credideHs mo^°^ ^ Piesent to her; a precious pearl we offer her, a cup of ambrosia and divine nectar — 80» — we give her. All these comparisons are made by the Saluts. I, therefore, beg you most earnestly, by the love I bear you in Jesus and Mary, not to be satisfled with reciting the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin, but also to say the beads, and even, if you have time, the Bosary every day. Do so, and, at the hour of your death, yon will bless the day and the hour when you believed me ; and after having sown under the blessings of Jesus and Mary, you will reap eternal bless- ings In heaven ; Qui aeminet in benedictioni f>*u te imedicUonHnis, et metet. IHTBODFCTIOff. IL.1" ^u *^* """* *'°'y virgin Mary that Jesus has come Into the world and it .« ;.so^. her that He has to reVln"the bJ^Z ''?* ,'^° singularly hidden during her life, it is on this account that the Holy Ghost and the Church call her aln,^ m^Z Mother secet and Hidden. Her humiUty was eartT':r *''* ^'^ ""'^ '^^ PropenaVon !f"f '"r ^'^^•^"' «•• "O'-e unlnter- mittlng than that of hiding herself, even TZ^TT 'I "'" '' ''^^ ^-'^ «'"- nTh! „ t *' *•* ""^ ''"•'^° t« «od only He heard her prayers to Him. when she begged to be hidden, to be humbled and t! aZuman'^c^iatrSr",:/" ''"'"^ ''' '™- hi,.f >, I "^'^®*^"'^^^ In bcr conception, in her With, in her life, and In her resui^ectlon and assumption. Hor parent, even "rno" l^now her, and the Angels often aslred of — 2 — each other : Qua eat Uta ? Who is that ? Becaiwe the Most High either hid h«r from them, or if He revealed anythiag of her to them, it was" nothing compared to what He kefrt undisclosed. God the Father consented that she should do no miracle, at least no public one, during her life, although He had given her the power. God the Son consented that she should hardly ever speak, though He had communicated His wisdom to her. (Sod the Holy Ghost, though she was His faith- ful Spouse, consented that His Apostles and Bvangeliats should speak but very little of her, and no more than was necessary to make Jesus Christ known. Mary is the excellent masterpiece of the Most High, of which He has reserved to Himself both the knowledge and the pos- session. Mary is the admirable Mother of the Son, who took pleasure in humbUng and concealing her during her life. In order to favour her humility, calling her by the name of woman (mviier), as if she was a stranger, although in His heart He es- teemed asd loved her above all angels and all men. Mary is the sealed fountain and the faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost, to — 3 _ "d more dly^ely TSn T °"'«°'a<»'>tly dwelling between T oT "'^'"°« »» no matter W^uie toT^^f *°, ""^ ^"''*""' tuarr without a^it and ^.*" *''"* '«"*^- a great and special privilege i say with the Saluto ti,« ^. . the terrestrial ParSle' Jf th. i"' '''"^ ** wherp TT.» f. . ™""® 01 the \ew Adam eompre/en^r 'JLT S^eTt^" ''^- and divine Worid of VL I *^* '^'^** beauties and^reluJ ^^" ^''"'"^ *^« ;Bthemagnm^:ro"^rrHrr- h''* He has hidden as In hL Z ^^' '^^*'* Son, and In Him al th,T. '°' ^'' "^ and most previous Oh T"' ^^*^^"«°* mm th4s tha" mighty gX"™"" "** |n this admirable creatSe^"t^ ' T^'^u' herself been compeU^ T '. T ''''^ ^''^ «' her profound ElftyC'l;° ^^"" 9ui potms eat /-" He fy.'JT ^ * '^^^^ ^' ^"'•'"° "'« «' thirty ,»a8 to be present, in order that He might make with her but one same sacrifice, and be immolated to the Eternal Father by her consent ; just as Isaac of old was offered by Abraham's consent to the Will of God. It is she who has suckled Him, nourished Him, supported Him, brought Him up, and then' sacrificed Him for us. O admirable and incomprehensible de- pendence of a God, which the Holy Ghost could not pass in silence in the Gospel, al- though He has hidden from us nearly all the admirable things which that Incarnate Wisdom did in His Hidden Life, as if He would enable us, by His revelation oi that at least, to understand something of Its price ! Jesus Christ gave more glory to God the Father by submission to His Motb- er during those thirty years than He | would have given Him in converting the whole world by the working of the most stupendous miracles. Oh, how highly we I glorify God, when, to please Him, we sub- [ mit ourselves to Mary, after the example of j Jesus Christ, our Sole Exemplar ! If we examine narrowly the rest of curl Blfessed Lord's life, we shall see that it was His Will to begin His miracles by] Mary. He sanctified St. John in the woinb -13 — of St. Elizabeth hds mother; but It w>a« b7 Mary's word. No sooner had X was His first and greatest miracle of grace At the marriage at Cana He changed the water into wine; but it was at Mary's bumble prayer ; and this was His first mlr- tinned His miracles by Mary, and He will c^«nne them to the end of ages by mI^ God the Holy Ghost being barren In God that Is to say, not producing another Di- vine Person-Is become fruitful by Mary Whom He has espoused. It Is with her, ta ber, and of her, that He has produced His Masterpiece, which is a God made Man and Whom He goes on producing in the persons of His members dally to the end Of the world. The predestinate are the members of that Adorable Head. This Is the reason why He. the Holy Ghost, the more He finds Mary. His dear and Indisso- luble Spouse, m any soul, becomes the more |cS. '""'• '""^ ''"'' """• '° •^««'« It Is not that we may say that our Bless- — U - ed Lady gives the Holy Ghost His fruitful Bess as If He had it not Himself. For ,"« " much as He Is God He has the same fruk fulne«« or capacity of producing as ^e bri";ft ,;? "^^ '*'°' °°'^ t^'^t He^does ^t bring It Into action, as He does not oradnnp anothei. Divine Person. But wh^twe^;^ to say IS, that the Holy Ghost cIosT to make use of our Blessed Lady, though Hp had no absolute need of her. t^ bZ a! hrra^iT^** ''^"°"' by';^Sg^; The conduct which thp Th-^ r> ' :u:rt;e°L^^^'--"-X"rt:''r Jesu^^OhrisfSy'Ttm""' ^"'^ ^""'"^ "^ invisible mLner th "T"* *"^'y ''^ «° Church, and ?heywluZf°"* *^* "'^"'^ coming Of Jesus Christ ^^ "*'* alMhVwatlrrrnrt?^ ^° --^'««e o' (morrt w? u ^® "'^ed It the sea (i'^ This grea?G'o^\™""' " ^'"^ "18 great God has a most rich and Of Prec,ousnZ;;fvrto Z' "' "'•"^' and this immense til-u.^ f **'^° *°° = *»"« Mary, whom tbTsl^'V"^ °'^«'- 'he Treasure of the llr/ . ^"^ """"^J '«'<^«a"mena^e^i:^^t,°'-''osep,e„. ^o't^er^'ai, tat t T'^'''^^'^''^^'^ *« His Ltfeand His D^Lf xr^', ''"''"^'^ ''^ His His admlra5,e^?rt„ef «^f «« "^^'^^ and !>«' the treasures" oT;..^K ^' ''''" °">de '"as given Him for »; , M°'^ ^«^«r 'y her that He IppU^ h^'^'''^^"''- " '« '"embers, and that H« f '"^''** *° His Virtues, and dls rlbutes i^r'"""'™*^^ His ffl« mysterious ™;f. ^'" «'"^^- She Is I dnct. through wWch 4 ^ '^ His aque- '«';-owA?n?abtdrjr°'«-- Npeakable gifts JaTr^'^*^'^ ^'« «- >- the disp'ensairr;:,°au'Hef "^^ ''^ "Jch sort that «ft^ ^LtlL possesses, in •^«*. «* «:*:J^^*- /« -*«- .*e Holy Ghostnoheare^t^f rf"'"'^'*- ^^^e He does not TZ 1^ gl'ttomen which pass through her virginal — 16 — hands. Sueh has been tlie Will of God, who has willed that we should have everythlnp In Mary ; »o that she who Impoverished, humbled, and h\d herself even to the abyss ■of nothingness by her profound humility her whole life long, should now be enrltited and exalted by the Most High. Such are the sentiments of the Church and the Holy Fathers. If I were speaking to the free-thinkers of these times. I would prove what I have «ald so simply, drawing It out more at length, and confirming It by the Holy Scrip- tures and the Fathers, quoting the original passages, and adducing various solid rea- sons, which may be seen at length In the book of Fr. Polrfe {La Triple Couronne de /a aainte Tierge). But as / apeak particularly to the poor and simple, who being of good •win, and having more faith ttan the com- mon run of scholars, believe more simply And so more meritoriously, I content myself with putting out the truth quite simply, ■without stopping to quote the original pas- sages, which they would not understand. Nevertheless, without making much re- search, I shall not fall from time to time to bring forward some of them. But let us now go on with our subject — 17 — Iii*«nuch as grace perfecta nature, and glory perfecta grace. It ia certain that our Lord Is stUI. In beaven. as much the Son of Mary as He was on earth ; and that, consequently, He has preserved the moat perfect obedience and submission of all children towards the beet of aU mothers. But we must take great pains not to con- ceive of this dependence as any abasement or Imperfection in Jesus Christ. For Mary is infinitely below her Son, who is God. and therefore she does not command Him. as a mother here below would command her child, who is below her. Tlary, being altogether transformed into God by grace, and by the glory which transforms all the Saints into Him, asks nothing, wishes nothing, does nothing which is contrary to the Eternal and Immutable Will of God. When we read, then, in the wrftings of 8S. Bernard, Bemardlne, Bonarenturr and others, that in heaven and on earth every- thing, even to God Himself, is subject' to the Blessed Virgin, they mean to say that the authority which God has been well pleasfed to give her Is so great that it seems as if she. has the same power as God, and that her prayers and petitions are so power- — 18 — (nl with God, that they always pass for commandmenta with Hla Majesty, who never realata the prayer of Hla dear Mother, because she Is always hnmble and con- formed to His Win. If Mosefc, by the force of his prayer, ar- rested the anger of God against the Israel- ites. In a manner so powerful that the Most High and Infinitely merciful Lord, being unable to resist him, told him to let Him alone, that He might be angry with and punish that rebellious people, what must we not with much greater reason think of the prayer of the humble Mary, that worthy Mother of God, which Is more powerful with His Majesty than the prayers and In tercesslons of all the Angels and Saints both In heaven and on earth ? Mary commands In the heavens the An- gels and the Blessed. As a recompense for her profound humility, God has given her the power and permission to fill with Saints the empty thrones from which the apost- ate angels fell by pride. Such has been the win of the Most High, who exalts the humble, that heaven, earth, and hell bend with good wUl or bad will to the commaiul- ments of the humble Mary, whom He has — 19 — made sovereign of heayen and earth, gen- «»1 of HlB armlea. treaanrer of Hla treaaurea, dlapenaer of H]a graces, worker Of Hie greateat manrela. restorer of the human race, mediatrix of men, the eiter- m inator of the enemies of God. and the Wthful companion of Hla grandeurs and Hla triumphs. God the Father wishes to have children by Mary tlU the consummation of the world ; and He has aald to her these words. In Jacob iiihaUtw-" Dwell In Jacob" -that Is to say, Make your dwelUnR and residence In My predestinated children flgnred by Jacob, and not In the reprobate children of the devil, figured by Baan. Jnat aa. In the natural and corporal gen- eration of children, there Is a father and a mother, so In the supernatural and spirit- ual generation there is a Father, who Is God, and a Mother, who is Hary. AU the true chUdren of God, the predestinate, have Qod for their Father, and Mary for their Mother. He who has not Mary for his Mother, has not God for his Father. This Is the reason why the reprobate, such as heretics, schismatics, and others, who hate our Blessed Lady, or regard her with con- — 50 — tempt and Indllterence. have not God for their Father, however much they boast of it simply because they have not Mary for their Mother. For if they had her for their Mother, they would love and honour her as a true and good child naturally loves and honours the mother who has given him life. The most infaUible and indubitable sign by which we may distinguish a heretic, a man of bad doctrine, a reprobate, from one of the predestinate, is that the heretic and the reprobate have nothing but contempt and Indifference for our Blessed Lady, en- deavouring by their words and examples to diminish the worship and love of hei openly or hlddenly, and sometimes under specious pretexts. Mas ! God the Father has not told Mary to dwell Tn them, for they are Esaus. God the Son wishes to form Himself, and, so to speak, to incarnate Himself, every day by His dear Mother in His mem- bers, and He has said to her, In I»rael lurre-^ ditarc-" Take Israel for your Inheritance. It Isas if He had said. God the Father has given Me for an inheritance all the nations of the earth, all the men good and bad, pre- — 21 — destlnate and reprobate. The one I will lead with a rod of gold, and the others with a rod of Iron. Of one I will be the Father and the Advocate, the Just Punlsher of others, and the Judge of alL But as for you. My dear Mother^you shall have for your heritage and possession only the pre- destinate, figured by Israel ; and, as their good Mother, you shall bring them forth and maintain them ; and, as their sovereign, you shall conduct them, govern and defend them. " This man and that man is born in her," says the Holy Ohost— Homo et homo natus est in ea (Ps. Ixxxvl. 6). According to the explanation of some of the Fathers, the first man that is bom in Mary is the Man- God, Jesus Christ ; the second Is a mere man, the child of Ood and Mary by adop- tion. If Jesus Christ the Head of men is born in her, the predestinate, who are the members of that Head, ought also to be born in her by a necessary consequence. One and the same mother does not bring forth into the world the head without the members, nor the members without the head ; for this would be a monster of na- ture. So in like manner, in the order of - 22 - grace, the Head and the members are born ot one and the same Mother ; and if a mem- ber of the myetical Body of Jetus Ghrisi — that is to say, one of the predestinate— vfa» bom of any other mother than Mary, voho has produced the Bead, he would not be one ot the predestinate, nor a member of Jesus Christ, but simpVy a monster in the ovder of grace. Besides this, Jesus being at present as much as ever the Fruit of Mary— as heaven and earth repeat thousands and thousands of times a day, "and blessed be the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus"— it is certain that Jesus Christ Is, for each man In particular who possesses Him, as truly the fruit of the womb of Mary, as He is tor the whole world In general ; so that If any one of the faithful has Jestis Christ formed In his heart, he can say boldly, AM thanks be to Mary ! what I possess Is her effect and her fruit, and without her I should never have had It. We can apply to her more truly than St. Paul applied to himself those words, Quos iterum parturio donee formetur Christus in vobis—"! am In labour again with all the children of Gtod, until Jesus Christ my Son be formed in them in the ful- — 23- nimself. and going beyond afl I have v«t Te^rrrr ''" "^^ PredeLnr/S order to be conformed to the image of th^ Son Of God. are In this world hidden to tte aTLard"': "*'^* ^°'^ ^*^«'" = -Sre C are guarded, nourished, brought up and s": LI\^\'^ ''"'' «-<^ Mothi^'uSt death wS;r, * *''" '""^^ *° ^^"'y *««r aeath, which is properly the day of their birth, as the Church calls the delth of the Jnst o m»8terv of grace, unknovm to Z ;sLr "' ""^ *»-»--" - self 1 *H* ^"'^ '''"''' ''""'^' *« '^^ Him- self in her. and to form elect for Hlms,^-i rf.,^ rodice,-" strike the roots. My Well-beloved and My Spouse, of all your v^tues in My elect, in order that they Ly grow from virtue to virtue, and from grace to grace. I took so much complacence in nce of the most subUme virtues, that I desire stUl to find you on earth, withl your ceasing to be in heaven. For this end behold m them with complacence the roote — 24 — of your invincible faith, of your profound hamility, of your universal mortiticatlon, of your sublime prayer, of your ardent cha- rity, of your firm hope, and all your vir- tues. You are always My Spouse, as faith- ful; as pure, and as fruitful as ever. Let your faith give Me My faithful, your purity My virgins, and your fertility "My temples and My elect." When Mary has struck her roots in a soul, she produces there marvels of grace, which she alone can produce, because she alone is the fruitful Virgin, who never has had, and never will have, her equal In pu- rity and in frnitfulness. Mary has produced, together with the Holy Ghost, the greatest thing which has been, or ever will be, which is a God-Man ; and she will consequently produce the greatest things that there will be In the latter times. The formation and education of the great Saints who shall come at the end of tne world are reserved for her. For it is only that singular and miraculous Tirgin who can produce, in union with the Holy Ghost. singular and extraordinary things. When the Holy Ghost, her Spouse, has — 25 — found Mary m a soul, He flies there H^ enters there In His fulness • n.l . tfnteii TTi,»,»„i, * 11 Illness , He oommunl- oates Himself to that soul abundantly and the full extent to which she make room S Sa r 'L*"'^^"*' ^'-^"^ union fcm Hw faithful and indissoluble 8pou>^ i ^^ n^^luble Spouse, because since that sZ ^esusXr th?S;a " o7te ^^, "'^"^^ JeBus Christ In theetc" He hf* "°^ ^udj^ her. InasmuSr:; sS hrallZ been froltf-U and faithful. We may evld «ntly conclude, then, from what t ^I ^aid : (1) that Mary has re'elv^X, Go" fn^L: ^^ *'*°°°* "^"^^ her residence To ^/' """^ *^« ^'^t''^'- ordered her to tt^s InteT r ^^'•"'^ *^« ^-*« «'"- — 26 — grace of the Most High, who, having givea her power over His only and Natural Son, has given It also to her over His adopted children, not only as to their bodies, which would be bu'. little matter, but also as to their soiuls. Mary is the Queen of heaven and earth by grace, as Jesus is the King of them by nature and by conquest. Now, aS the king- dom of Jesus Christ consists principally in the heart and interior of a man— according to that word, "The kingdom of God ip within you"— in like manner the kingdom of our Blessed Lady is prlncipaUy in the interior of a man— that is to say, his soul ; and it Is principally in souls that she is more glorified with lie^^ Son than in all visi- ble creatures, and that we can call her as the Saints do, the Queen of aM hearts. (2) We must conclude that the most holy Virgin being necessary to God by a neces- sity which we call hypothetical, In conse quence of His Will, she is far more neces sary to men, in order for them to arrive at their Last End. We must not confound devotions to our Blessed Lady with devo- tions to the other Saints, as if devotion to her was not far more necessar- than devo- - 27_ tlon to them, or oa If derotJon to her were a matter of eupererogatloii. thJ^* '1.?°^ "°"* P**""» ®™'*^ the Jeanlt. he erudite and dovont Jnatna Llpslns. doc- tor of Louvam. and many others have proved invincibly, m consequence of the sentiments of the Fathers (and among others of St. Augustine. St. Bphrem. dea «>n Of Bdessa. St Cyril of JeAisalem, s" (Jermanus of Constantinople. St. John Dam ascene, St. Anselm. St. Bernard, S° Bet thaf r !f ^'""'''' ""-^ »*• Bonaventur^^ 8«y to salvation, and thrt, even In the opinion Of (Ecolampadlus an^ some otJer heretics It Is an InfallUble mark of Cr^ S en«~f ."'''■^ '^^ predestination to be entirely and truly devoted to her. • The figures and words of the Old and New Testaments prove this. Hhe sentl- mente and examples of the Saints confirm It. Reason and experience teach and de- monstrate it. Even the devil and his crew jsti^ned by the force of truth, ^^e — M — Among all the passages of the holy Fa- thers and Doctors, ef which I have maOe 4in ample collection, In order to prove this truth, I shall, for brevity's sake, quote but •one : TIM devotum ease, eat arma quadam aa- lutia flMoe Deua Ma dat, quoa vult aalvoa /I*>'{— " To be devout to you, O holy Virgin," says St. John Damascene, "Is an arm of salvation which God gives to those whom He wishes to save." I could bring forward here many histories which prove the same thing, and, among others, one which is related In the chunlcles of St. Dominic. There was an unhappy heretic near Carcac- •sonne, where St. Dominic was preaching the Rosary, who was possessed by a legion of fifteen thousand devils. These evil spirits were compelled, to their confusion, by the commandment of our Blessed Lady, to avow many great and consoling truths, touching devotion to the holy Virgin ; and , they did this with so much force, and so much clearness, tbat It Is not possible to read this authentic history, and the pane •gyrlc which the devil made, In spite of himself, of devotion to the most holy Mary. without shedding tears of joy, however luke-warm we may be In our devotion to her. — 29 — 1. nJr°"*"' *° '^^ """^ »'«'y virgin Manr Is neceseaiy to all men, simply for working out their «l.atlon. it „ stirmoTe T ^r hose Who are called to any particular per^ section ; and I do not think any one cal acgutre an intimate union u^itH \ur I^l wlthoutT''* "^'"'^ '"^ *^^ »«'y G'^^^t l^L?"'"' ^°' ^ ^^^"^ ''''^-^- - *- It 18 Mary alone who has found grace before God. without the aid of any Sher J*o«e «rAo Aote found f^race before God have 'ound It at all ; and It Is only b«hert^t ZaT sT n^'*"'^ afteL'TrdrsS uDd It. She was full of grace when sho was ,ajuted by the Archanfel GaSet and^ she was super-abundantly filled with ^race by the Holy Ghost when He cov^ed^J * with His unspeakable Shadow ; and shT bas so augmented, from day t^ day and from moment to moment thf« LT, Plenitude, that She has tac^eTa'Z: Of grace Immense and Inconceivable- Lade her'^tH*''* '""^ ^°«* «'*»»"«» made her the sole treasurer of His- treasures, and the sole dispenser of hS — 30- «raceii, to ennoble, to exalt, and to enrich whom she wishes ; to give the entry to whom she wlHs into the narrow way of heaven ; to pass whom she wills, and In «plte of all obstacles, through the strait «ate of life ; and to give the throne, the sceptre, and the crown of the King to whom she wills. JesQs Is everywhere and always the Fruit and the Son of Maiy ; and Mary is everywhere the veritable tree, who bears the Fruit of life, and the true Mother, who produces It. It Is Mary alone to whom God has given the keys of the cellars of divine love, and the power to enter Into the most sublime «nd secret ways of perfection, and the power likewise to make others enter in there also. It Is Mary alone who has given to the miserable children of r e, the faith- less, the entry Into the terrestrial paradise, that they may walk there agreeably with •God, hide themselves there securely against their enemies, and feed themselves there •dellciously, without any more fear of death, on the fruit of the trees of life and of the •knowledge of good and evil, and drink in long draughts the heavenly waters of that ffair fountain, which gushes forth there Kfves no entry tw *''*°' ""** '"e assiduous In nravfnT? " **® ^''^ ™«st perfect model to L.T'^' '"'"'™* «*« t^^'*- ^"'aldtoTvVC^^ulr^'^'^''--^^- ^ccd, presently ^ ^ '** «"""'''• «»<1 *»- tlie other SalntI in '"" «"^a«s most of ^lie cedars Of ?J '"'"*^' "^ ""^^^ « I -"bs,r hal h^enTealern h'f ""^ Nbose «fe has been 7^ Sn^l ^ «""'' servant of God. ^"iten by a great — 3? — These great souls, full of grace and seal, 11 be ctaosen to match themselves agalntit the enemies of Qod, who shall rage on all sides ; and they shall be singularly devout to our Blessed Lady, illuminated by her light, nourished by her milk, led by her spirit, supported by her arm, and sheltered under her protection, so that they shall flght with one hand and build with the oiber. With one band they shall flght, overthrow, and crush the ncrtt'^s with their heresies, the schismatics with their schisms, the Idolaters with their Idolatries, and the sinners with their impieties. With the other hand they shall build the temple of the true Solomon, and the mystical city of God ; that Is to say, the most holy Virgin, called by the holy Fathers the tem- ple of Solomon and the city of God. By their words snd their examples they Hhail bend the whole world to true devotion to Mary. This shall bring upon them many enemies ; but it shall also bring many vic- tories and much glory for God aJouf. It Is this which God revealed to St. Vincent Ferr- er, the great apostle of his lage, as he has sufficiently noted In one of Ms works. It is th'.s which the Holy Ghost seems to — 33 — have prophe.led m the flfty-elghth Psalm 9uia Dominu, Oomtnabitur Jacob, et flntum And they shall know that Ood will rule Jacob, and all the ends of the eartl tSy shall return at evening, and shall g„ff^ th"eX" '"'^ ""' "'•'" »° ~""^ "^«* This city which men si all find at the end Of the world to convert themwlJes to ".«:: rthl ''' '"°^*^ ''^' ^- '- ..ii^'w ^^ °""'' holy virgin, who Is called by the Holy Ghost the Slt^ oT Ood It Is by Mary that the salvation of the world has begun, and it Is by Mary that It must be consummated. Mary has hardly fn^^'Jl ""^^^ **"** '"«'»• «« yet but Uttie instructed and enlightened on the Person rro^'^°' '*'*"''•' °°' '•^°'°^e themselves IZ , :. '° ''**''*^*'*°» themselves too Btrongly and too grossly to her. This would t^n known, because of the admirable even upon her exterior. This Is so true 34 — that St. Denys the Areopagite has informed us In his writings that when he saw our Blessed Lady, he should have taken her for a Divinity, in consequence of her secret charms and incomparable beauty, had not the Faith in which he was well establishert taught him the contrary. But iu the sec- ond coming of .lesus Christ. Mary has ta be made known and revealed by the Holy Ghost, in order that by her Jesus Christ may be known, loved, and served. The reasons which moved the Holy Ghost to hide His Spouse during her life, and to reveal her but a very little since the preach- ing of the Gospel, subsist no longer. God, then, wishes to reveal and discover Mary, the masterpiece of His hands, in these latter times : 1. Because she hid herself in this world, and put herself lower than the dust by her profound humility, having obtained of G(«l and of His Apostles and Evangelists that she should not be made manifest. 2. Because, being the Masterpiece of the hands of God, as well here below by grace as in heaven by glory. He wishes to be j glorified and praised in her by those who | are living upon the earth. — 35 — and df^vt^Ve'^sroTjir ^^^^^•'- J*8ns Christ. She ought t/n"' '"''" '^ and percelveii, ,n order tL Y """'^''"^ may be so ^* •'^^"s Christ «• Being the sure means «„^ *u °°*'^- and Immacolate w« vT ^''^ ''*™l«'>t and to find hJ ^ ,*^° *** "^^^^^ O^^^t. that thl T^ perfectly, it is by .-er :«y t TX'T^ *° ^^^« '-^ Lord Ha »^ ^*°<^"ty. have to find our We tbSi« t" '''*" ^°^ ^*^ «^aU find t^: wr. t?re"s*' e n "^ ^- -^eearo:rrrir— ^^^^^^^^ -rreater know4ra?n' *'''^' '^'^ ">« Holy Trlnl^. ^S MaV "Toul'd I'e "'"^ known than ever. ''® """"f 6. Mary must shine forth more than ,.v»r — 36- who shall be converted and shall return to the Catholic Church ; in might, against the enemies of God, idolaters, schismatics, Mahometans. Jews, and sorls hardened In impiety, who shall rise in terrible revolt against God to seduce all those who shall be contrary to them, and to maEe them fall by promises and threats ; and, finally, she must shine forth in grace, in order to ani- mate and sustain the valiant soldiers and faithful servants of Jesus Christ, who shall do battle for His interests. 7. And, lastly, Mary must be terrible to the devil and his crew, as an army ranged in battle, principally in these latter times, because the devil, knowing that he has but little time, and now less than ever, to des- troy souls, will every day redouble his ef- forts and his combats. He will presently raise up new persecutions, and will put ter- rible snares before the faithful servants and true children of Mary, whom it gives him more trouble to surmount than it does to conquer others. It is principally of these last and cruel persecutions of the devil, which shall go on Increasing dally till the reign of Antichrist, that we ought to understand that first ami — 87 — celebrated prediction and curse of God, pro- nounced In the terrestrial Paradise against the serpent. It Is to our purpose to explain this here, for the glory of the most holy Mrgln. for the salv: Ion of her children, and for the confusion of the devil. Inimieitiag ponam inter te et muUerem, et semen tuum et semen illim ; ipsa coitt'eret caput tuum, et tu insidiaberia calcaneo ejus (Gen. 111. 16)-" i will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed ; she shall crush thy head, and thou Shalt lie In wait for her heel." God has never made or formed but one enmity ; but it Is an irreconcilable one. which shall endure and develop even to the end. It is between Mary, His worthy Moth- er, and the devil-between the children and the servants of the Blessed Virgin and the children and instruments of Lucifer. The most terrible of all the enemies which God has set up against the devil is His holy Mother Mary. He has inspired her, even since the days of the earthly Paradise, though she existed then only in His Idea, with so much hatred against that cursed enemy of God, with so much industry in unveiling the maUce of that old serpent 38- with so much power to conquer, to over- throw, and to crush that proud impious rebel, that he fears her not only more than all Angels and men, but In some sense more than God Himself. It Is not that the anger, the hatred, and the power of God are not Infinitely greater than those of the Blessed Virgin, for the perfections of Mary are limited, but it is, first, because Satan, being proud, suffers infinitely more from being beaten and punished lay a little and humble handmaid of God. and her humility humbles him more than the Divine power ; and, secondly, because God has given Mary such a great power against the devils, mat, as they have often been obliged to confess, in spite of themselves, by the mouths of the possessed, they fear one of her .ighs for a soul more than the prayers of all the Saints, and one of her menaces against them more than all other torments. What Lucifer has lost by pride, Mary has gained by humility. What Eve has damned and lost by disobedience, Mary has saved by obedience. Eve, In obeying the serpent, has destroyed all her children together with herself, and has delivered them to him ; Mary, being perfectly faithful to God, has — as- sayed all her children and servants toge- ther With herself, and has consecrated them to His Majesty. God has not only set an enmity but en- miHea, not simply between Mary and the devil, but between the race of the holy Virgin anc. che race of the devil 5 that to to say, God has set enmities, antipathies.' and secret hatreds between the true chil- dren and the servants of Mary and the Children and servants of the devil. They do not love each other mutually. They have no Inward correspondence with each other. The children of Belial, the slaves of Satan, the friends of the world (for It is the same thing), have always up to this "me persecuted those who belong to our teem more than ever ; Just as of old Cain persecuted his brother Abel, and Esau^" brother Jacob, who are the figures of the «ate and the predestinate. But Z bumble Mary will always have the victory over that proud spirit, and so great a X ^hlt? ^': "'" ^"^ *^^ length Of l:jr, b s head, where his pride dwells. She will iways discover the malice of the se^n" Siie will always counterwork his infmiiU — 40 — mines and dissipate his diabolical counsels, and will guarantee even to the end of time her faithful servants from his crnel claw. But the power of Mary over all the devils will especially break out in the latter times, when Satan will lay his snares against her heel ; that is to say, her humble slaves and her poor children, whom she will raise up to make war against him. They shall be little and poor In the world's esteem, and abased before all, like the Keel, trodden underfoot and persecuted as the heel is by the other members of the body. But in re- turn for this, they shall be rich in the grace of God, which Mary shall distribute to them abundantly. They shall be great and ex- alted before God In sanctity, superior to all other creatures by their animated zeal, and leaning so strongly on the divine succour, that, with the humility of their heel. In union with Mary, they shall crush the head of the devil, and cause Jesus Chi:st to triumph. In a word, Ood wishes that His boly Uother should be at present more known, more loved, more honoured, than she has ever been. This, no doubt, will take place, — 41 — if the pr«i6sttnate enter, with the grace and light of the Holy Ohost, into the In- terior and perfect practice which I wIU diecloae to them shortly. Then they will see clearly, as far as faith allows, that beantlful Star of the Sea. They will arrive happily In harbour, following its guidance in spite of the tempests and the pirates. They will know the grandeurs of that Queen, and will consecrate themselves en- tirely to her service, as subjects and slaves of love. They will experience her sweet- nesses and her maternal goodnesses, and they will love her tenderly like well-beloved children. They will know the mercies of Which she is full, and the need they have of her succour ; and they wlU have re- course to her m all things, as to their dear advocate and mediatrix with Jesjs Christ They will know what Is the most sure, the most easy, the most short, and the most perfect means by which to go to J*u8 Christ ; and they will deliver themselves to Mary, body and soul, without reserve, that they may thus be all for Jesus Christ. But who shall be those servants, slaves and children of Mary? They shall be a burning flrfe of the ministers of the Lord — « — who 8haU kindle the Are of divine love everywhere, and iUmt sagitta in manu poten- ttt _<• like sharp arrows in the hand of the powerful" Mary to pierce her enemies. They shall be the sons of Levi, well purl- fled by tlie fire of great tribulation, and close- ly adhering to G^A ; who shall carry the gold of love In their heart, the Incense of prayer In their spirit, and tLe myrrh of mortification in their body ; and they shall be everywhere the good odour of Jesus Christ to the poor and to the little, while they shall be an odour of death to the great, to the rich, and to the proud worldlings. They shall be clouds thundering and fly- ing through the air at the least breath of the Holy Ghost ; who, without attaching themselves to anything, without being as- tonished at anything, without putting them- selves in pain about anything shall shower forth the rain of the Word of God and of life* eternal. They shall thunder against sin ; they shall storm against the world ; they shall strike the devil and his crew ; and they shall strike further and further, for life or for death, with their two-edged sword of the Word of God, all those to whom they shall be sent on the part of the Most High. — 43 - They shall be the true apostles of the atter Imes. to whom the Lord of Hosts Shan give the word and the might to work manrels. and to carry off the glory of the spous Of His enemies. They%hTlI sleep without gold or silver, and, what Is more, without care. In the middle of the other priests, ecclesiastics, and clerks, inter me- dioa cleroa ; and yet they shall have the silvered wings of the dove, to go. with tho pure intention of the glory of God and the Mlvatlon of souls, wheresoever the Holy Ghost Shall call them. Neither shall they leave behlrd them. In the places where they have preached, anything but the gold of charity which is the accomplishment of the r„n K 7- '° " ^°"^' ^« •^"^^ that they shau be true disciples of Jesus Christ, who, marching m the footsteps of His poverty. humUity contempt of the world, and char- ty, shall teach the strait way of God in the pure truth, according to the holy Gospel and not according to the maxims of the' world, without putting themselves In pain about things, or accepting persons, without sparing, fearing, or listening to any mortal. however Influential he may be. They shall have in their mouths the two- -44- «dged Bword of the Word of God. They shall carry on their shoulders the bloody standard of the cross, the cmclflr in their Tight hand and the rosary in their left, the sacred names of Jesus and Mary in their hearts, and the modesty and inortlflcatlon of JesuB Christ in their own behaviour. These are the great men who shall come But Mary shall be there by the order of the Most High, to extend His empire over that of the impious, the idolaters, and the Mahometans. But when and how shall this be ? God alone knows. It Is for us to hold our tongues, to pray, to sigh, and to wait : txspeotana ewapectavi--" expecting. I have ex- pected." II.— DISCERNMENT OF THE TBTJE DEVOTION TO OUB BLESSED LADY. Having said something so far of the ne- cessity which we have of the devotion to the most holy Virgin, I must now show in what this devotion consists. This I will do. by God's help, after I shall have first pre- supposed some fundamental truths which shall throw light on that grand and solid devotion which I desire to disclose. Pir8t Truth. Jesus Christ our Saviour, — 45 — true God and true Man. ought vo be the last end of all our other devotions, else they are false and delusive. Jesus Chrlat Is the alpha and on,^a the beginning and the end, of all things. We labour not. as the Apos- tle says, except to render every man per- fect m Jesus Christ ; because It Is In Him alone that the whole plenitude of the Divin- ity dwells, together with all the other pleni- tudes of graces, virtues, and perfections • because it is in Him alone that we have been blessed with all spiritual benediction ; and because He is our only Master, who has to teach us ; our only Lord, on whom we ought to depend ; our only Head to whom we must belong ; our only Model, to whom we should conform ourselves- our only Physician, who can heal us ; our only Shepherd, who can feed us ; our only Way. Who can lead us; our only Truth, who animate us ; and our only All in all things ^^ho can suffice us. There has been no other name given under heaven, except the- name of Jesus, by whict we c^n be saved ^od Las laid no other foundation of our salvation, of our perfection, and of our glory, except Jesus Christ. Every building- — 46 — which 18 not built upon that firm rock is founded upon the moving tand, and sooner or later will fall Infallibly. Every one of tbe faithful who is not united to Him, as a branch to the stock of the vine, rtiaH fall, shall wither, and shall be fit only to be cast into the Are. If we are in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ in us, we have no condemnation to fear. Neither tbe Angels of heaven, nor the men of earth, nor tbe devils of hell, nor any other creatures, can injure us ; Aecause they cannot separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ. By Jesus Christ, with Jesus Christ, n Jesus Christ, we can do all things ; we can render all honour and glory to the Fa- ther in the unity of the Holy Ohost ; we can become perfect ourselves, and be to our neighbour a good odour of eternal life. If, then, we establish the solid devotion to our Blessed Lady, It is only to establish more perfectly the devotion to Jesus Christ, and to put forward an easy and secure means for finding Jesus Christ. If devotion to our Lady removed us from Jesus Christ, we should have to reject it as an illusion of the devil ; but on the contrary, so far from this being the case, there is nothing — 47 — that r 1 J""" '"" '°'^»'«' »»«"«'ter. than perfectly, of loving Him tenderly, and of •erring Him faithfully. I here turn for one moment to Thee O my sweet Jeans, to complain lovingly' to oX^T ""^^^^ *^"* *»>« ^reate^par? 12 r"' *'■"' '** *^' ^«^- «"> -' :»ow t*e neceaaary union uhich there ia bft Te she w^nif '^^ "'"^^* '^ ^"»»«°* Thi eue she would cease to be what she is. She he'SvTnr""^ '"'' '^^^ «^ ^^-^ t'a "-t S li j^es?:; T' "^ '""^' "^° th»„ . '^®'*^®8* '» her more perfectly Ah"i?j":'^^"«^'«-^*''«Bi^-^ creltire T"'*'* '° *^'« admirable creature, we should have very different thoughts both of Thee n,u1 „* i^ T "*''^*"' have no» sJ^ . ^ *"" ^'■''"* ""*«' «•'' Th^T;^ T ' '° '^"•"'it^ly united with fght from the sun, the heat from the Are f say more : It were easier to separate f«,m — 48 — Thee all the Angels and the Saints than the divine Mary, because she loves Thee more ardently, and glorifies Thee more per- fectly than all other creatures put toge- ther. After that, my sweet Master, is it not an astonishingly pitiable thing to see the ignor- ance and the darlsness of all men here below in regard to Thy holy Mother ? I speak not so much of idolaters and pagans, who, linowing Thee not, care not to know Thee ; I speak, not even of heretics and schismatics, who care not to be devout to Thy holy Mother, being separated as they are from Thee and Thy holy Church : 6«« / speak of Catholic Christians, and even of doc- tors amongst Catholics, who make profession of teaching truths to others, and yet know not Thee nor Thy holy Mother, exc^t in a speculative, dry, barren, and indifferent manner. These doctors speak But rarely of Thy holy Mother, and of the devotion whicli we ought to have to her, because they fear, so they say, lest we should abuse It, and should do some Injury to Thee to too much | honouring Thy holy Mother. Tt they see or hear any one devout to our Blessed Lady, speaking often of his aevotion to that good — 49 — way, as of a secure means without delu- « on, as of a short road without danger "s Of an lm,naculate way without Impe fee t.on, and as of a wonderful secret folflnd mg and loving Thee perfectly, they cr^ou t!aT ?""'«'^«^^^-« J^lm a thousand false leaso by way of proving to him that he ought not to talk so much of our Blessed Lady, ,hat there are great abuses fn Tat devotion, and that we must direct our ener they already love sufficiently. ^ We hear them sometimes speak of devo •on to Thy holy Mother, not for the pur-" pose Of establishing it and persuading me^ Lnie Of it'' t?"" ^'^ ^''"^^ -'^''•^ - «h.ch men can save themselves anS if ' Lady who says his Rosaiy, or has 9 — 50 — any other practice of devotion towards her, they soon change his spirit and his heart. Instead of the Rosary, they counsel him the seven Penitential Psalms. Instead of de- votion to the holy Virgin, they counsel him devotion to Jesus Christ. O my sweet Jesus, have these people got Thy spirit ? Do they please Thee in acting thus ? Is it to please Thee, to spare one single effort to please Thy Mother for fear of thereby displeasing Thee ? Does devo- tion to Thy holy Mother hinder devotion to Thyself ? Is It that she attributes to her- self the honour which we pay her ? Is it that she makes a side for herself apart ? Is it that -she is an alien, who has no union with Thee ? Does it displease Thee that we should try to please her ? Is It to separate or to alienate ourselves from Thy love to give ourselves to her and to love her ? Yet, my sweet M&ster, the greater part of the learned could not shriuli more from de- votion to Thy holy Mother, and could not show more Indifference to it, if all that 1 have just said were true ! Keep me. Lord —keep me from their sentiments and their practices, and give me some share in the sentiments of gratitude, esteem, respect. — 51 — and love which Thou hadst In regard to Thv boly Mother, m order that I may love xhee and glorify Thee all the more by ImUatrnl and following Thee more closely ^ So as If up to this point I fiad still said nothing in honour of Thy holy Mother, give me now the grace to praise her wor- thily -rac me dUjne tuam, Matrem collau- dare-in spite of all her enemies, who are Thine as well ; and grant me to say l«udlv With the Saints. Non prmurmt aliguis oeum Be habere propUmm. qui benedictam Matrem offemam kabuerit-" -Let not that man pre Offends His holy Mother." To obtain of Thy mercy a true devotion to Thy holy Mo- ther, and to inspire it to the whole earth t«r^ r«f' ^e the burning prayer which "Tu es Christus. pater meus sanctus, Deus meus pius, rex meus maguus. pastor mens bonus, magister meus unus, adjutor mens optimus. dilectus meus puicherrimu^ Panis meus vivus. sacerdos meus in ster- num, dux meus ad patriam, lux mea vera dulcedo mea saucta. via mea recta, sapien- — 52 — tla mea prfficlara, slmpllcltas mea pura. Concordia mea paclflca, custodla mea toti.. portlo mea bona, salus mea semplterna. " Christe Jesu, amablUs Domine, cur ama- vl quare concuplvl In omnl vita mea quld- quam prseter te Jesum Deum meum ? Ubi eram quando tecum mente non eram ? Jam ex hoc uunc. omnia deslderia mea. Incales- clte et efflulte In Domlnum Jesum ; currite, satis hactonus tardastls ; properate, quo pergltis ; quserlte quam quserltis. Jesu. qui non amat te, anathema siv ; qui te non amat, amarltudlnlbus repleatur. " o duleis Jesu, te amet, in te delectetur. te admlretur omnls sensus bonus tuae con- veniens laudl ; Deus cordis mel et pais mea, Christe Jesu, deflclat coi meum spi- ritu suo. et vivas tu In me, et coucalescat spirltu meo vlvus carbo amoris tul, et ex- crescat In Ignem perfectum, ardeat jugiter in ara cordis mel, ferveat In raedullis meis. flagret In abscondltls animiie meaj ; in die cousummatlonis meae consummatus inve- uiar apud te. Amen." I have desired to put in Latin this admir- able prayer of St. Augustine, iu order tliat those who understand Latin may say it — 53 — every day, to ask for the love of Jesus, which we seek by the divine Mary. note':) "'"*°"' throwing tt into the mall print of a Thou art Christ, my holy Father, my ten- der God, my Great King, my good Shep- herd, my one Master, my best Helper, my most Beautiful and my Beloved, my living Bread, my Priest for ever, my Leader to my country, my true Light, my holy Sweet- ness, my straight Way, my excellent Wis- dom, my pure Simplicity, my pacific Har- mony, my whole Guard, my good Portion. my everlasting Salvation. Christ Jesus, sweet Lord, wiiy have I ever loved, why in my whole life have I ever desired, anything except Thee, Jesus; my God ? Where was I, when I was not In Thy mind with Thee ? Xow, from this time forth, do ye, all my desires, grow hot, and flow out upon the Lord Jesus : run-ye have been tardy so far ; hasten whither ye are going ; seek whom ye are seeking. «> •Ifsus, may he who loves Tliee not be aaatli- •■ma ; may be who loves Thee not be filled with bitterne.ss : « sweet Jesus, may every good feeling- -,54 — that 18 fitted for Thy praise love Thee, de- light In Thee, admire Thee, God of my heart, and my Portion ! Christ Jesus, may my heart faint away In spirit, and mayest Thou be my life within me ! May the live coal of Thy love grow hot within my spirit, and break forth into a perfect fire ; may It bum incessantly on the altar of my heart ; may it glow In my Innermost being: may It blaze in hidden recesses of my soul : and in the day of my consummation may I be found consummated with Thee ! Amen. Second Truth. We must conclude, from what Jesus Christ is with regard to us. that we do not belong to ourselves, but, as the Apostle says, are entirely His, as His members and His slaves, whom He has bought at an infinitely dear prlce-the price of all His Blood. Before Baptism we be- longed to the devil, as his slaves ; but Bap- tism has made us true slaves of Jesus Christ, who have no right to live, to work, or to die, except to bring forth fruit for that God-Man. to glorify Him In our bodies, and to let him reign in our souls, because we are His conquest. His acquired people, and His inheritance. It is for the same reason that the Holy Ghost compares us: 1. to — 55 — trees planted along the waters of grace In the field of the Church, who ought to bring forth their fruit In their seasons ; 2. to the branches of a vine, of which Jesus Christ is the stock, and which must yield good grapes ; 3. to a flock, of which Jesus Christ is the shepherd, and which is to multiply and give milk ; 4. to a good land, of which God is the labourer. In which the seed mul- tiplies Itself, and brings forth" thirty-fold, sixty-fold, and a hundred-fold. Jesus Christ cursed the unfruitful flg-tree, and gave sentence against the useless servant, who liad not made any profit on his talent. All this proves to us that Jesus Christ wishes to receive some fruits from our wretched selves, namely, our good works, because those good works belong to Him alone : Creati in operibus bonis in Christo Jesu— "Created In good works in Christ Jesus" -which words show both that Jesus Christ is the sole principle, and ought to be the sole end, of all our good works, and also that we ought to serve Him, not as ser- vants on wages, but as slaves of love. I will explain myself : Here on earth there are two ways of be- longing to another, and of depending on — se- als authority, ""^-"^f,;, 'if^ secant, and siavery-wbat v?e mean x>y a ^^,t ^e mean by a sla^-e ^ By common se-^ee -on.st^C. SnrrS.: «me. at a certain rate o. ^-ages or of -;«-7;; .^^Irely dependent By slavery a m^n 1^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^„,, on another for ^\^ pretending to any ,erve his "-^rist as one of his heast. ^ages or re^^-ard just a ^^^^ ^^^^ over ^vhich he has the rign death. dnverv : a slav- .,We are t^^ ^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ and ery of °«^t"^-^' '^j^f ^11 All creatures are a slavery of the vru j^j f,,, slaves of God in the first sense ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ terra et plenitudo ejus ^ ^^p. Sd's. and the *"^--/JJ,, ,, the so- --^n^'^heT^ and the saints in the cond sense : the jus^ ^^^^ ^^^^ third. The slavery of the w ^^^^^ glorious to God, ^J° !.7^j J,elf the God Lims the hearty an^-^fj;^,,,,„,.Ul ,, the ^e«^-*. /^^,ery we n.aUe choice ot t^ecause by that Slav ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^,^„ rentatSdresnotohligeustoit. _ 57 - There Is an entire difference between a servant and a «lave : 1. A servant do.>« not dve all he is. all he has. and all he can ac- '^i'e bv himself or by another, to his r ter ;• hut the slave gives bimself whole and entire to his master, all he has and aU he can gain, without any exception. 2. The servant exacts wages for the services Which lie performs for his °>«f ^ • ^"^'^^f. '.lave .-an exact nothing, whatever assl I dul^y. whatever industry, whatever energy be mav have at his worU. 3. The servant ' n leave his master when he P'-ises. o 1 at least, when the time of his --ice shall be expired ; but the slave has no right to it hi master at his Will. 4. The master It the servant has no right otjtes^^^^-f ■ over him, so that if he kill him like one of ,he beasts of burden, he would commit an linjust homicide; but the «na«t«'^ oj ^^^ l,ave has by the law a right of ife ami death over hin,, so that he may ««" him to anybody he likes, or kill him as if he stood o„'tneL«elcvelasoneofhis horses 5- Lastly, the servant is only for a time In his master's service; the slave is for al- I ways. There is notUing among men which makes — 58 — tis belong to another more than slavery. There Ib nothing among Christians which makes as more absolutely belong to Jesus Christ and His holy Mother than the slav- ery of the win. according to the example' of Jesxis Christ Himself, who took on Him the form of a slave for love of us— forma «/ servl acciplena-anA also according to the ex ample of the holy Virgin, who Is called the servant and the slave of the Lord. Thn Apostle calls himself, as by a title of ho nour, Sertms ChHgti-" The slave of Christ." Christians are often called In the Holy Scriptures Servi Christir-'- Slaves of Christ ' -which word aervus, as a great man has truly remarked, signified In old times nothing but a slave, because there were no servants then like those of the present day. Masters were served only either by slaves or by freedmen. It is this which the cate €hlsm of the Holy Council of Trent, in order to leave no doubt about our bein? slaves of Jesus Christ, expresses by an un- eauivocal term, in calling us Manciiii« €fti-i«t<—" Slaves of Jesus Christ." Having premised this, I say that we ought to be to Jesus Christ and to serve Him not only as mercenary servants, but — 59 — as loving slavee. who. by an effect of great love, give themselves up to serve Him In the quality of slaves, for the simple honour of belonging to Him. Before Baptism we were the slaves of the devil ! Baptism has made us the slaves of Jesus Christ : Chris- tians musf needs be either the slaves of the devil or the slaves of Jesus Christ. What I say absolutely of Jesus Christ, I say relatively of our Blessed Lady. Jesus Christ, having chosen her for the Insepar- able companion of His life, of His death of His glory, and of His power In heaven and upon earth, has given her by grace re- latively to His Majesty, all the same rights and privileges which He possesses by na- ture. Quidquid Deo convenit per naturam, ilariat convenit per gratiam^" All that is fitting to God by nature Is fitting to Mary by grace"-8ay the Saints ; so that, accord- ing to them. Mary and Jesus having but the same will and the same power, the two have the same subjects, servants, and s'aves. We may, therefore, following the senti- ments of the Saints and of many great men. call ourselves, and make ourselves, the 'oving slaves of the modt holy Virgin In order to lie by that very means the more — 60- perfectly the slaves of Jesus Christ. Our Blessed Lady Is the means our Lord made use of to come to us. She is also the means which we must make use of to go to Htm. For she is not like all the rest of preatures. who, if we should attach our- selves to them, might rather draw us away from God than draw us near Him. The strongest Inclination of Mary is to unite us to .Tesus Christ her Son : and the strongest inclination of the Son is that tee should coinc to Him by His holy Mother. It Is to honour and please Him. just ds it would be to do honour and pleasure to a king, to become more perfectly his subject and his slave, by making ourselves the slaves of the Queen. It is on this account that the holy Fathers and St. Bonaventure after them said that our Lady was the way to go to our Lord : Via rcnimdi ad Christum est aii- propinguare ad illam—" The way of comiiis to Christ Is to draw near to her." Moreover, if, as I have said, the holy Virgin is the Queen and Sovereign of heaven and of earth, then is it not true what has been said by St. Anselm, St. Bernard, St. Bernardine, and St. Bonaventure — lias she not as many subjects and slaves as — 61 -. Virgin included are «,,m * ""°»*'- ^''^ o' God ; behold «7l Sil '° ?' ^^P'^*- eluded, are subjectto ^f ' """^ ''•*•' '"" Virgin." I. ,. „i! *" ^^^ ^"Pl'-e of the so Ln. J^; rjf rra^ r '""°°'^^* '>e some of love, who of S - '' '""""' the honour and power ofTiT*? **°® *^ are we tn thi^. .? *''*' "*''«'"• and yet bestir 1 " "'"* '*"'• ^"'■'l- ^ho. as the oest of all sons, has divided Hi« «„+. power with TTio I, 1 ,""^'"«*' Uls entire ill ThL V ^ ^°'y ^°t*'er shall take It 11 that she too has her slaves -> h„T V less respect and love for ml^\^ °^ j ^hy am I stopping here to prov \Zlg — 61 — ^loin 9 If we do not wish to call our- 80 plain? II we ao . ^^^ upives slaves of the BiesBea viris'". r^att^rfLet us make ourselves and cal TuXes Slaves of ^--^ «f ^^j' ';^i',:' IB to be the slave of the holy Virgin inas Ichts Jesus IS the fruit and the go^^ Mary • and it is this very thing which we do^y the devotion of which we are here- after to speak. ^en spoilt by another wine which has been S it, the clear water and the good wme a°e spoilt, and readily tal^e the bad odo- In like manner, when God puts into the ves ;i of our soul, spoUt by original and a a^ , ir, TTlH eraces and heavenly dews, or ;rd«s -^ne of HI. love H,s .m. are ordinarily spoilt and corrup ed by tlie "ad leaven and the evil -^»<^^.f^^J J within us. Our actions, even t&e most suD toeand virtuous, feel the effects of A It L therefore of great Importance n. the acquiring of perfection, which it must be — 63 — remembered is only acquired by union witb JesuB Christ to empty ourselves of every- thing which is bad within us ; otherwise our Lord, who is infinitely pure and hates infinitely the least stain upon our souls, will cast us out from His presence, and win not unite Himself to us. 1. To empty ourselves of ourselves, we must first thoroughly recognise, by the light of the Holy Ghost, our inward cor- ruption, our incapacity for every good thing useful for salvation, our weakness in all things, our inconstancy at all times, our indignity of every grace, and our iniquity In every position. The sin of our first father has spoilt us all, soured us, puffed ns up and corrupted us, as the leaven sours, pnfifs, and corrupts the paste into which it is put The actual sins which we have committed, whether mortal or venial, par- doned though they may be, have neverthe- less Increased our concupiscence, our weak- I ness, our inconstancy, and our corruption, : and have left evil consequences In our souls. Our bodies are so corrupted that they are called by the Holy Ghost bodies of sin, j conceived in sin, nourished in sin, and ea- Ipable of all sin— bodies subject to thou- 64 sands of maladies, which go on corrupting from day to day, and which engender nothing but disease, vermin, and corrup- tion. Our soul, united to our body, has become so carnal that it is called flesh. " All flesh having corrupted Its way," we have nothing for our portion but pride and blindness iu tbe spirit, hardness In the heart, weakness and inconstancy in the soul, concupiscence, revolted passions, and sicknesses In the body. We are naturally prouder than pea cocks, more grovelling on the earth thau toads, more vile than unclean animals, more «nvious than serpents, more gluttonous than hogs, more furious than tigers, lazier than tortoises, weaker than reeds, and more capricious than weathercocks. We have ■down in our own selves nothing but nothingness and sin, and we deserve nothing but the anger of God and the everlastiug hell. After this, ought we to be astonished if our Lord has said that whosoever wishes to follow Him must renounce himself and hate his own soul, lamd that whosoever shall love his own soul, shall lose it. and whosi •er shaD hate it shall save it ? He win --65 — Inflnlte Wisdom does nnf ^ ments without rea^!, * f^'^ command- commanded us to ha?: ^""^ "^ h«« only we so richly deserve t! T""'""^' ''^^^""^e ^ worthier of Cy;„'^^«ed. Nothing Yr-^^-x^rets""-- oro^srer;fmrdleV"^^- ~- That Is to say w7ml^f ^ ourselves dally. «ons or the J;wers " ?'°""°*=" *^^ «»«'«■ senses 'or ourj:" wr^r'' '"^'^ "' ^^« «aw not. understkndTr nV"^ T '' ^« aot, and make use „? *1 ^ understood ^orld as If weJdl n " ^'^'"^^ °' t'''^ This is What s7i , "'^ °' *''«°' « all. 'ailing on the earth riL *™'° ""' <=«™ ^orth anything and "nn"^ '°'^'' ''^ ^" Nome useless Xif our 1''""''"' ^"' •>«" «alned by seir-lote and ^"'""^ ^"' »>« this win cause clrt T.T *''^° ^"' ' and '''egreatJ^^",^J°^J« f <^ "> abomlnaUon Bacnnces we can make, and the 10 _66 — l)est actions we can do ; so that at our death we shall find oar hands empty of Tirtues and of merits, and we shall not havo one spark of pure love, which Is only com- municated to souls dead to themeslves, sonls whose life Is hidden with Jesus Christ in God. 3. We must choose, therefore, among all the devotions to the Blessed Virgin, the one which draws us most towards this death to ourselves, Inasmuch as It will be the best and the most sanctifying.* For we must not think that all that shines Is gold, that all that tastes sweet Is honey, or all that Is easy to do and Is done by the greatest number Is sanctifying. As there are secrets of nature to do in a short time at little cost and with facility, natural operations, so also In like manner there are secrets in the order of grace to do in a short time with sweetness and facility, supernatural operations, such as emptying ourselves of self, filling ourselves with God, and becom- ing perfect. The practice which I am about to dis- close is one of these secrets of grace, un- known by the greater number of Chris- j tlans, known even to few of the devout, | ^iB practice, let m^^Zl ^*^° *° '^'o^JoBe- it Is more humble Lot tT ^"'*'*' '^^"^^ ourselves without 't^knl **^'*°"^^ ««^ of" jery foundation of our n ^ '"*'''''*°'- ^*"-* ^»« «l>own, ,s so co^ptS tT; r ' '"'^- on our own works t^ "^* '^ ^e lean «o««. i« ord^ f ;eac? G 'r- ""*^ ^''-P-- fm. It is certain that „. ^ ""•' *« P^«««e •J^aied, or bo Of 1 ittt !"Vr"''^« ^"1 '- ;° engage Hto to "n te IT' "'''''' «-l to hear us. it S nn S^°"^'' *« "« andi «»f !>- given uliaC"* ^^''^«" ^^"^^ f ty- He has sin 1 ' ^^^^ ^'s MaJ- "oapaclty. He hrhrr.r^*"''^°^^« «-•' '" order to give us l^f "^ "*"'° "« ' and «e l^as provided us ';r ^'^ ^'« -'ercles. W'ssors with His ^LZ ^'^^'^^i Inter-^ to neglect thS^ Sa;"""' '"^'""«^^ ^^''^^ I "ear to His hoiLTtoZ' ""^ **» •»^"'- ;"j; recommendation is To "1,', T "'*^°"<^ ; '« to fall to resect /I" '° ^°""'ty- P'«h and so holy Ti ?*"^« ^^' «o oo^t Of that King Of wLV'^'^" less ac- --o'aklngo%ree^f:U:-t _M — we should not wlUingly approach without «ome friend to speak for us. Our Lord is our Advocate and Mediator of redemption with God the Father. It Is ■by Htm that we ought to pray, in union with the whole Church triumphant and militant. It is by Him that we have ac- cess to the Majesty of the Father, liefore whom we ought never to appear except leaning on the merits, and, indeed, clothed with the merits, of His Son ; Just as the young Jacob came before his fathfer Isaac in the slclns of the kids to receive his bene- diction. But have we not need of a mediator with the Mediator Himself ? Is our purity great enough to unite us directly to him, and by ourselves? Is he not God, in all things equal to His Father, and by consequence the Holy of Holies, as worthy of respect as His Father ? If, by His infinite charity, He has made Himself bur bail and our Mediator with God His Father, in order to appease Him and to pay Him what wcl owed Him. are we on that account to have | less respect and less fear for His Majesty ■ and His Sanctity ? Let us say boldly with St. Bernard, that Itable office It i?h! 1 ^"'"^^ ^^^t '^har- eame. and-« is ^r/eA^Vt 1?"" ^"'^^ Him. If we fpn; . ® °"«* «o to Christ ou7GoTjLr ^'■^"^ *° '««"» ness. or becan«A «* . "®« »' our vlle- i-Plore thTaW and L "'• '** "« ^''"^ our Mother Shel Intercession of Mary nothing too suhUmt ?^™ *"" '•eP«l«fve «eelng*hei we e? **^ *"'""«°*- 1° '« nof the sun who "b" '^ r'""''- «^« rays, blinds "L bee;„^^ ?/ ^'^'''^"^ <" ^'^ »>«t She IS fair and gtnl"" T""'- ^ ^hlch receives the ll^t ", thV''" '°'^°- tempers It to render it more suulhr? ""* capacity. She ,« „^ T ®""aWe to our »«>. "«« ',%;„"„; "iTLfr •'» sion, no matter h„^ '^^'^ interces- — 70 — •of her petitions been refused. She has but to show herself before her Son to pray to Him, and straightway He grants her de- sires, straightway He receives her prayers. He Is always lovingly vanquished by the breasts, the yearnings, and the prayers of "His dearest Mother. All this is drawn from St. Bernard and from St. Bonaventure, so that, according to them, we have three steps to mount to go to God : the first, which Is the nearest to us, and the most suited to our capacity. Is Mary ; the se- cond is Jesus Christ ; and the third is God the Father. To go to Jesus, we must go to Mary : she is our mediatrix of Interces- sion. To go to God the Father, we must go to Jesus : for He is our Mediator of re- •demptlbn. Now it is by the devotion which I am about to bring forward, that this order is guarded perfectly. Fifth Truth. It is very difficult, consider- ing our weakness and frailty, to preserve in ourselves the graces and treasures which we have received from God : 1. Because we have this treasure, which Is worth more than heaven and earth put together, in frail vessels (Habemus thesau- rum isttun in vaMs flctilibus—" We have this — 71 — ireasure In earthen vessels -n i.. o 'ble body and In a w^ aJ , '''"^^'^ 8onl whi#.h « """^ Inconstant to strip nf *" J'T'r'«e us unawares, and they go r.und about us "neesfa'tll, T vonr us. and to snatch frorn u'T on raent. bv a ain .n ^.. '° °°® ™o- mees and Of merL ?"' ^' '"^« ^"'"^'^ «' "mllce. their TxSh """"^ ^""'•^- ^helr and their nlhT"!' '''''' ^t^ta^ems. '•"•nensely Zl; T*''* *" °""^« "« '«" -e see iL l"J't ™'' ^«P«^'«"y when "" «n exp°rL?e „„?;''"*'• '^tterfound- -etity.Ce"^;rsuti::r;obTr '° ""happily pillaged. 4h ' h„i T *'• ""^ '"dars Of Lebanon h^ ' """^ «»' *he -ably. .,r,^ the twLirV** '^" "'^■ lose all their hlil! ^ ^ **' "" ^^e t« ness r wif *''* *°^ «^" their brleht- ehan^eTXri' *'"* ^"^^ "'^ -^'- -hlch ,s wantLrto '""* "'*"* «' ^«-- l--orjro?i:-r4erthr/h: — 72 — themaelves stronger and more gnfflcient then they were. They thought themselves capable of guarding their own treasnres. They trusted In themselves, leaned upon themselves. They thought tlielr house se- cure enough, and their coffers stront; enough, to keep the precious treasure of their grace. It Is because of that scarcely sensible leaning upon themselves, while all the while it seemed to them that they were leaning only on the grace of God, that the most Just Lord has permitted them to be robbed by leaving them to themselves. Alas ! if they had but known the admirable devotion which I will unfol7 presently, they would have confided their treasure to a Virgin, powerful and faithful, who would have kept it for them as If It had been her o vn possession ; . nay, who would have even taken It as an ^ligation of justice on herself to preserve It for them. 3. It Is difficult to persevere in justice because of the strange corruption of the world. The world Is now so corrupt that it seems to be inevitable that religious hearts should be soiled. If not by Its mud. at leis' by Its dust. So that it has become a kind of miracle for any one to remain firm in the — 78- mldst of this Impetuous torrent without belnir drawn In by It, in the midst of that stormy sea without being drowned in it or stripped by the pirates and the corsairs, m the midst of that pestilent air without being Infected by it. It Is the Virgin, alone faithful. In whom the serpent has never had part, who works this miracle for those who serve her In that sweet way which I have shortly to unfold". Having assumed these Five Truths, we> must now take more pains than ever to make a good choice of the true devotion to our Blessed Lady. There are at this time, more than ever, false devotions to our Blessed Lady which it is easy to mistake for true ones. The devil, like a false coiner and a subtle and exrerlfneed sharper. lias slready deceived and destroyed so many souls by a false devotion lo the Blessed Mipin. that he makes a dally u«e of h's diabolical experience to plunge many others by this same way Into everlasting perdi- tion ; amusing them, lulling them to sleep in sin, under the pretext of some prayers badly said, or of some outward practices which he Inspires. As a false coiner does not ordinarily counterfeit anything but -74 - sold and silver, or very nirely the other metals, because tbey are not worth the trouble, so the evil spirit does not for tbf most part counterfeit the other devotlooN. but ojly those to Josu<< and Mnry, the devo tlon to Holy Communion, and to our Blessed Lady, because they are, anions other devo- tions, what gold and silver are amongst metals. It Is, then, ver}' Important first of all to know (1) false devotions to our Bles8e S h.«? ! "^^'^ * °'""^'' «' tales and h^r T^l ^' "" "" '" circulation about onr Lady. Or. at other times, they repj^ — 76- that the narrators have spoken as profes- sional orators, with exaggeration ; or they put a bad Interpretation upon their words. These kinds of false devotees and of proud and worldly people are grea.tly to lie feared. They do an Infinite wrong to the devotion to our Lady ; and they are but too successful In alienating people from it. under the pretext of destroying Its abuses. The scrupulous devotees are those who fear to dishonour the Son by honouring tlie Mother, to abase the one in elevating the other. They cannot bear that we should attribute to our Lady the most Just praise which the holy Fathers have given her. It is all they can do to endure that there should be more people before the altar of the Blessed Virgin than before the Blessed Sacrament, as If the one was contrary to the other, as If those who prayed to our Blessed Lady did not pray to Jesus Christ by her. They are unwilling that we should speak so often of our Lady, and address ourselves so frequently to her. These are the favourite sentences constantly In their mouths : " To what end are so mamy cuap lets, so many confraternities, and so many external devotions to the Blessed — 77 — Virgin ? There Is much of ignorance In all tills. It makes a mummei-y of our religion. Speak to us of those who are devout to Jesus Christ." (Yet they often name Him without uncovering : I say this by way of parenthesis.) -'We must have recourse to Jesus Christ: He is our only Mediator. We must preach Jesus Christ ; this is the solid devotion." What they say is true in a certain sense, but it Is very dangerous, when, by the application they make of it. they hinder devotion to our Blessed Lady, and It Is, under the pretext of a greater good, a subtle snare of the evil one. For never do we honour Jesus Christ more than when we are most honouring His Blessed Mother. Indeed, we only honour Mary that we may the more perfectly honour Jesus. Inasmuch as we only go to her as to the way In which we are to find the end we are seeking, which Is Jesus. The Church, with the Holy Ghost, blesses our Lady first, and our Lord second : Bene- dicta tu In mtdicHbus, et btntdiitui fructus ventrit tui Jesus— "Blesaed. art thou amongst Women, and blessed is the fruit of Jhy Womb. Jesus." . It is not that Mary Is more than Jesus, or even equal to Him. That — 78- would be an intolerable heresy ; but it Is that, ill- order to bless Jesus more perfectly, we must begin by blessing Mary. Let us, then, say with all the true clients of our Lady against these false scrupuous devo tees, t) Mary, thou art bless. d amongst all women, and bessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. External devotees are persons who make all devotion to our Blesi^ed Lady consist in outward practices. They have no taste except for the exterior of this devotion, beacuse they hnve no interior spirit of their own. They will say quantities of Rosaries with the greatest precipitation ; they will hear many Masses distractedly ; they will go without devotion to processions ; they will enrol themselves in all sorts of con- frateruitles, without amending their lives, without doing any violence to their passions. or without imitating the virtues of that most holy Virgin . They have no love but for the sensible part of devotion, without having any relish for its solidity. If they have not sensible sweetness in their prac- tloes, they think they are doing nothing : they get all out of Joint, thiow every tuing j up, or do everything at random. The world -79- isftill of these exterior devotees; and nterior spirit as the essential thing, while .odest. Which always acccpanles true Prf««n(,iftio,M devottes are sinners aban- doned to their passions, or lovers of the world, who, under the fair name of Chris- tians and clients of our Blessed Lady, con- ceal pride, avarice, Impurity, drunkenness, anger, swearing, detraction, injustice or some other sm. They sleep in peace In the midst of their bad habits, without doing any violence to themselves to correct their faults, under the pretext that they ae de vout to the Blessed Virgin. They promise hemselves that God will pardon them ; that they will not be allowed to die wlth- lost eternally because they say the Rosary ^ ^oause they fast on Saturdays, becau^' they belong to the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, or wear the scapular or are ..rf .T ''*'^'- --^-gatons'or we^r Z Httle habit or little chain of our Lady.* They will not believe us when we tell then* • See note farther on. — 80 — that their deTotion is only an illnsion of the devil, and a> pernicious presumption likely to destroy their souls. They say that God is good and merciful ; that He has not made us to condemn us everlastingly ; that no nian is without sin ; that they shall not dl© without confession ; that one good Peccavl at the hour of death is enough ; that they are devout to our ILiady, that they wear the scapular ; and that they say dally, without reproach or vanity, seven Paters and Aves in her honour ; and that they sometimes say the Rosary and the Office ol our Lady, besides fasting, and other things. To give authority to all this, and to blind themselves still further, they quote certain stories, which they have heard or read— it does not matter to them whether they be true or false— relating how people have died In mortal sin without confesslion ; and then, because in their life time they some times said some prayers, or went througli some practices of devotion to our Lady hew they have be6n raised to life again, in order to go to confession, or their soul i been miraculously retained in their bodies till confession ; or how they have obtained | from Gtod at the moment of death contri- ~81 ■r s;.i- ~ --- -- Piercing, woundlnT cruelfyinr f "'^^'^ ^ng Jesus Chrlst\erSr^%T °°''"- down a law to herapif . ' ^"^''^ ^^'d tWs sort Of peoDl/lh '"^^ ''^ ^^^ "^^^^^ her Son to».^ '^/" *^™clfy and outrage ^^oul^-JZT' ''"^^ *« ^^'"'^ -•> a 4" wh?et Srlfor '^^'^"^'^ *« °- the Blessed Sa rlUm Ttn" T "^"'^ '° solidest of an dJl^f "'^ ^°"^«t and a '•orrlble sacrS tb^,^ *° ^« ^"t^ of . lege of „„"^"'®«®' ^hfch, after the sacrl- /eate^t and TeTast ""^'•"'"''- ^« "^« sacrileges "'* Pardonable of all n — 82 — 1. To have a sincere resolution to avoid, at least, all mortal sin, which outrages the Mother as well as the Son. 2. I would add also that to do violence to ourselves to avoid »ln, to enrol ourselves In confraterni- ties, to say the Rosary or other prayers, to fast on Saturdays, and the like. Is wonder- fully useful to the conversion of a sinner, however hardened : and if my reader is such a one, even If he has his foot In the abyss, I would counsel these things to him. Nevertheless, It must be on the condition that he will only practise these good worlis with the intention of obtaining from God. by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, the grace of contrition and the pardon of his sins, to conquer his evil habits, and not to remain quietly In the state of sin, In spite of the remorse of his conscience, the ex- ample of Jesus Christ and the Saints, and the maxims of the holy Gospel. The inconstant devotees are those who are devout to our Blessed Lady by Intervals and whims. Sometimes they are fervent and sometimes lukewarm. Sometimes they seem ready to do anything for her, and then. a little afterwards, they are not like the same people. They begin by taking up all — 83 — They Change SethVi ^^ '""'^ «^«"ty- then, under her f2t wX^hr ""^"^ ^"*« cause they are m^LZ ^ crescent, be- ^ reckoned amonT'i: ""' """'^^^ *° faithful Virgin wh '^'''*°*" °' *!»«* It were better tor suet n •^•'°«t''°«y- themselves wJ^i, V P^"°°» to load mseives with fewer prayers and practl ces. and to fulfil them with f«ifL ^ some lawsiiif «- * ^ ""'^ to gain Other similar necessl^ Ji!^' . ' ^°™® • 84 - votecB, and neither of Ihem pass current before God and Hi8 holy Mother. Let us, then, take great care not to be of the number of the critical devotees, who believe' nothing and criticise everything ; nor of the scrupxUoua devotees, who are afraid of being too devout to our Lady, out of respect to our Lord ; nor of the extei-ior devotees, who make all their devotion con- sist In outward pratlces ; nor of the pre- sumptuous devotees, who, under the pretext of their false devotion to the Blessed Vlngln, wallow In their sins ; nor of the incons- tant devotees, who by levity change their practices of devotion, or throw them up altogether on the least temptation ; nor of the hvpocritical devotees, who put themsel- ves Into confraternities, and wear the live- ries of the Blessed Virgin. In order to pass for good people ; nor, finally, of the inte- rested devotees, who "^nly have recourse to our Lady to be delivered from bodily evils, or to obtain temporal goods. 2. On the Characters of True Devotion to our Blessed Ladu. After having laid bare and condemned the false devotions to the most holy Virgin, — 85- «' tort "?; 1 rf '"°' "" ""'" '"■> " iiearr. « flows from the eatoAm «r„ hlve^ofref "• ""' *'« '°- -^'^'^ - 2. It is tender ; that Is to say. full ot con- fidence In her, like a child's confldenceTn the soul have recourse to her In all Its bod- X?: Z"T °^'^"*^' ^"'^ °>"<^h slm- the IS ^h' ''"•i*«°<'«™«-- It implores the aid of Its good Mother, at all times. In all Places, and about all things; in its ^oubts. that it may be enlightened l^ ' wanderings, that it may be brought into 2lT' path; in its temptations that It TL^^^'T^'^' '° "« ^eaknes es. th. may be strengthened ; in ifs falls that I stonT Z^^ ^^•'^^ "^-"^ = '° 'ts cros-' if mo r « ^^■i'*"* the Ate Maris ,tella. the O (?io,.io,a Don^imz. -194 - the Maonifloat, or some other practices of devotion of which books are full ; (7) to fiing or have sung spiritual canticles in her honour ; (8) to make her a number of genu- flexions or reverences, while saying, for -example, every morning, sixty or a hundred times Ave Maria, Virgo ftdelia, to obtain from God the grace by her to be faithful to the graces of God during the day ; and then again in the evening, Ave Maria, Mater mm- ricordiw, to ask pardon of God by her for the «lns that we have committed during the ■day ; (9) to take care of her confraterni- ties, to adorn her altars, to crown and orna- ment her images ; (10) to carry her images, ■or to have them carried, in procession, and to carry a picture or image of her about our own persons, as a mighty arm against the evil spirit ; (11) to have her images or her name carved, and placed in churches, or in houses, or on the gates and entrances into cities, churches, and houses ; (12) to consecrate ourselves to her in a special and -solemn manner. There are a quantity of other practices of true devotion towarSs the Blessed Virgin which the Holy Ghost has inspired into saintly souls, and which are very sanctify- — 95 — I ing ; they can be read at length in the [ Paradise Opened of Fr. Barry, the Jesuit, where he has collected a great number of devotions which the Saints have practised In honour of our Lady, devotions which serve marvellously to sanctify souls, pro- vided they are performed as they ought to be ; that is to say, (l) with a good and pure intention to please God only, to unite ourselves to Jesus Christ as to our Last End, and to edify our neighbour ; (2) with attention, and without voluntary distrac- tion; (3) with devotion, equally avoiding precipitation or negligence; (4) with mod- esty, and la respectful and edifying care I of the postures of the body. But after all, I loudly protest that, having read nearly all the Books which profess to treat of devotion to our Lad'y, and having conversed familiarly and hollly with the best and wisest of men of these latter times. I have never known nor heard of any prac- tice of devotion towards her at all equal to the one which I wish now to unfold • j exacting from the soul as it does more sad I nnees for God, emptying the soul more of tself and of its self-love, keeping it more fauhfully In grace, and grace more faith- — 96 — folly in it, unltiQg it more perfectly and more easily to Jesus Ohrist ; and finally^ belDf more glorious to God, more sancti- fying to the soul, and more useful to our Delgb\)our, than any other of the devotions to her. A8 the essential of this devotion consists in the interior which it ought to form, it will not be equally comprehended by every- Ijody. Some will stop at what is exterior in it, and will go no further, and these will be the greatest number. Some, in small num- ber, will enter into its inward spirit ; but they will only mount but one step. .Who- will mount to the second step ? Who will get as far as the third ? Lastly, who will so advance as to malse this devotion bis habitual state ? Hje alone to whom the spirit of Jesus Christ shall have revealed the secret, the faultlessly faithful soul, whom He shall conduct there Himself, to advance from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, from light to light, until he ar- rives at the transformation of himself IntO' Jesus Christ, and to the plenitude of Hls^ age on earth, and of His glory in heaven- I. W WHAT CONSISTS THE PEBPECT CORB- CBATIOrr TO JESUS CHBIST. fni^'j*" Pf '*'^"°° coi^sl^s m being con- Jomed. united, and consecrated to Jesus Christ ; and therefore the most perfect of Which "ih?"' ?' ''"''""* "°^ ^•'"•>*' *»>« Which the most perfectly conforms, unites and consecrates us to Jesus Christ. Now' Mary being the most conformed- of all crea^ tures to Jesus Christ. It follows tBat of .11 devotions, that which most consecrates and onforms the soul to our Lord ,s devotion to His holy Mother, and that the more a oul 18 consecrated to Mary, the more Is it consecrated to Jesus. Hence It comes to pass that the most perfect consecration to Jesus Christ is nothing else but a perfect and entire consecration of ourselves to the ^^h ch I teach ; or. in other words, a per- ^Bazr*^^-- «----«' This devotion consists, then, in giving curse, entirely and altogether to fu? i-ady in order to belong entirely and al- omh to jesn, by ber. We musTgi^e her (1) our body, with all its senses and It^ 12 — 98 — members ; (2) our soi:1 with all its powers; (3) the exterior gool v^. fortune, whether present or to come , (4) our interior and sptrltuel goods, whiCh are our raerits and our vlkues, and our good works, past, pres- ent, and future. In a word, we must give her all we have In the order of nature and in the order of grace, and all that may be- come ours in future lu the orders of nature, grace, and glory ; and this we must do without any reserve of so much as one farthing, one hair, or one least good action : and we must do it also for all eternity, anil we must do it further without pretending to, or hoping for, any other recompense for our offering and service, except the honour of belonging to Jesus Christ by Mary and in Mary, even though that sweet Mistress were not, as she always is. the most gene- rous and the most grateful of creatures. Here we must remark that there are two things In the good works which we do namely, satisfaction and merit ; in other words, their satisfactory or impetratory value and their meritorious value. The satisfactory or Impetratory value of a gvod work is the good action, so far as it satis- fies for the pain due to sin, or obtains some — 99 — fresh Increase of ffraoe • ♦».- value, or the merit uth. *^V"«'"«>'l«>"a far as it merits See n *' ""^ "'^"''°' «° '■ereafter. Now frthf- °' **'"^' «f'<"-y 'actonr. ImpeteatoW «fi^' ^^' "" *^« ««««• Of our actions inT'h '"«''*°rlons value glve her all our mer./« ^""'^ '^"'^«- ^« not ,o remem- ber themselves, and to believe that they are bound and consecrated to our Lord JesiT- Christ, as slaves to their Redeemer and Lord. These are '<'s words : " Parochus ftdelem populum ad ,.t rattonem cohortabitiir ut soiot wquissimwm esse. . . nos ipsos -non seous ac mancipta Redemptori nostro ac Do- mino in perpetuum addicere et consecrare " (Oat. Cone. Trld., par. I. c. ill. sec. Hi). "The parish priest shall exhort the faith- ful people so that they may know that it Is most just. . . that we siiould devote and consecrate ourselves for ever to our Redeemer and Lord as His very slaves." Now^ If the Councils, the Fathers, and experience even, show us that the best means of remedying the irregularities of Christians is by making them call to mind the obligations of their Baptism and per- suading them to renew now the vows they made then, does it not stand to reason that we shall do it in a perfect manner, by this devotion and consecration of ourselves to our Lord, through His holy Mother ? I say in a perfect manner ; because In thus con- ~105 — secratlng ourselves to Him we make use of the most tyerfpot r,f „ii "'"le use or Blessed vTJn '°''°'* '"""^'y- *»>« either rn.r° °''^''* '" *^'^ •^^^''"on as either a new or an Indifferent one It is uZ new ; because the Councils, the Fa L" |and bLraetr"^"^ ^"«°*«' '^'^''<^«' I nJ ''"T'* ^^^"^ "^ 'o"o^s •• 1 . That it I, I ii»i.[ or our belnfir devotori ^^a -ted without e.cepUTtlr.vr;^ _ 106 — our Lord and His holy Mother. To think this, would be to think unworthily of the goodness and power of Jesus and Mary, who know well how to assist our parents, friends, and benefactors out of our own little spiritual revenue or by other ways. 2 This practice does not hinder us from praying for others, whether dead or living, although the application of our good works depends on the will of our Blessed Lady. On the contrary, it is this very thing which will lead us to pray with more confl dence ; juSt as a rich person, who has given all his wealth to his priucc. In order to honour him the more, would beg the prince all the more confidently to give an alms to one of his friends who should de- mand it. It would even be conferring a fresh favour on the prince, and giving him a fresh pleasure, to give him an occasion of testifying his gratitude towards a person who stripped himself to clothe him, and who impoverished himself to honour him. We must say the same of our Blessed Lord and of our Lady. They will never let them- selves be overcome in gratitude. Some one, perhaps, may say. If I give our Blessed Lady all the value of my actions to appU — 107 — It to whom she wUIs, I shall have to suffer perhaps, a long time In purgatory. This ob Jectlon, which comes from selMove and Ignorance of the generosity of God and His holy Mother, demolishes itself. A fervent and generous soul, who prizes the Interests of God more than his own ; who gives God all he has, without reserve, so that he can do nothing more ; who breathes only tBe glory and reign of Jesus Christ by His holy Mother, and who malses an entire sacrifice of himself to bring it about— will this gener- ous and liberal soul, I say, be more punish- ed in the other world because It has been more liberal and more disinterested than others ? Far, indeed, will that be from the truth ! It is towards that soul, as we shall see, in conclusion, that our Lord and His holy Mother are most liberal in this world and In the other, in the orders of nature, ?race, and glory. But we must now, as briefly as we can, run over the motives which ought to recom- mend this devotion to us, the marvellous- effects it produces in the souls of the faith- ful, and its practices. w •«.>. ■..- s^.-_. — 108 — II. THE MOTIVES OF THIS PERFECT CONSECRA- TION. Firgt Motive, -which shows us the excel- lence 0* this consecration of ourselves by tho hands of Mary. If we can conceive on earth no employment more lofty than the •service of God— If the least servant of God Is richer, more powerful, and more noble than all the kings and emperors of e'arth, unless they also are the servants of God- what must be the riches, the power, and the dignity of the faithful and perfect servant of God. who is devoted to His service en- tirely and without reserve, to the utmost extent that Is possible ? Such Is the faitli- fnl and loving slave of .Tesns in Mary, wlio has given himself up utterly to the service of that King of kings, by the hands of His holy Mother, and has reserved nothing for himself. Not all the gold of earth nor all the beauties of the heavens can repay him. The other congregations, associations, and confraternities, erected in ho lour of our Lord and His holy Mother, and which do such im- mense good in Christendom, do not make as Sive everything without reserve. They only ■prescribe to their members certain practices — 101 and actions to satisfy their obUgaUons. They leave them free for all the other actions and times of their lives. But this devotion, makes us give to Jesus and Mary, without reserve, all our thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings, all the times of our life In such sort that whether we wake or sleep whether we eat or drink, whether we do great actions or very little ones. It is always true to say that whatever we do, even with- out thinking of It. Is, by virtue of our offer- ing, at least, if it has not been expressly- retracted, done for Jesus and Mary. What a consolation is this ! Moreover, as I have already said, there Is no other practice equal to this for enabling ns to get rid with facility of a certain pro- prietorship, which imperceptibly insinuates Itself into our best actions. Our good Jesus gives us this great grace in recompense for the heroic and disinterested action of mak- ing a cession to Him, by the hands of His holy Mother, of aU the value of our good works. If He gives a hundredfold even In this world to those who for His love quit outward and temporal and perishable goods. wiiat will that hundrerdfold be which He Will give to the man who sacrifices for Him even his Inward and spiritual goods ! — 110 — Jesus, our great friend, has given Him- self to us without reserve, body and soul, virtues, graces, and merits. iSe toto totum mr comparavU. said St. Bernard—" He has bought the whole of me by the whole of Himself." Is It not, then, a simple matter of Justice and of gratitude that we should give Him all that we can give Him ? He has been the first to be liberal towards us ; let us, at least, be the second ; and then. In life and death, and throughout all eternity, we shall find Him still more liberal. Cum lihe- rali liberalia erit—" With the liberal He wi'l be liberal." The Second Jlotive, which shows us how .1ust It Is in Itself, and advantageous t" Christians, to consecrate themselves entirely to the Blessed Virgin by this practice. In order to belong more perfectly to Jesus Christ. This good Master has not disdained to shut Himself up in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, as a captive and as a loving slave, and to be subject and obedient to her for thirty years. It is here, I repeat it, that the human mind loses itself when It seriously reflects on the conduct of the Incarnate Wisdom, who has not willed, though He — Itt— . might have done so, to give Himself to men directly, but through the Blessed Nlrgln He did not will to come Into the world at the age of a perfect man, Independent of othem, bnt like a poor and little babe, de pendent on the cares and nonrlahment of talg holy Mother. He Is that Infinite Wisdom, who had a boundless desire to glorify God His Father, and to save men ; and yet He found no more perfect means, no shorter way to do It, than to submit Himself in all things to the Blessed Virgin, not only during the first eight, ten, or fifteen years of His life, like other children, but for thirty years ' He gave more glory to God His Father during all that time ef submission and de- pendence to our Blessed Lady than He would have given Him If He had employed those thirty years in working miracles. In preaching to the whole earf,. and In con- verting all men. seeing that His heavenly Father and Himself had ruled It thus : Quuo tilil Marl,,, sunt, homo Deus ot hon.o Pm-ns. uulus corporal.ter. et alter.us s, r," pel. si „„,d srati«>. si „„,d „„„,,,. ,„/ ^^ uoverimus redundare" (St. Bernard) "Omnia dona, vlrtutes grathr. i„sius Spl- "H Sanctl, ouibus vult. et „nando v.^ n<'on.od,^ vult. et quantflm vult. per Ipi '"-;--U„i„.str„ntur.WSt.Bernard.ne) (in a ln,l,g„„a eras eul dona.etur, datum -'-"•;st"B;;L:r' '-'"- -"'-•''' •i.atM-omny,.av,. through her What. ..' "^'^^•"■•^fo^'iveu.: and He also find, - '^luiy ,„ re,eiving through the hands of ■"•"A- r'-'e gratltuae, respect, and l„ve whi.-l, — 114 — we owe Him for His benefits. It is most just, then, that we shall imitate this conduct of God, In order, as the same St. Bernard says, that the grace should return to Its Author by the same canal through which It came : Vt eodem alveo ad largitorem gratia gratia redeat, guo fiuxit—" That grace should return to the giver of grace by the same channel through which It came." This is precisely what our devotion does. We offer and consecrate all we are and all we have to the Blessed Virgin, in order that our Lord may receive through her mediation the glory and the gratitude which we owe Him. We aclinowledge ourselves unworthy and unfit to approach His Infinite Majesty by ourselves ; and it is on this account that we avail ourselves of the intercession of the most holy Virgin. Moreover, this devotion is a practice of great humility, which God loves above all the other virtues. A soul which exalts it self abases God ; a soul which abases itself exalts God. God resists the proud, and gives His grace to the humble. If you abase yourself, thinliing yourself unworthy to ap- pear before Him and to draw nigh to Him, He descends, and lowers Himself to come to — 115 — you to take pleasure in you. and to exalt you in spite of yourself. On the contrary, when you are hardy mm Oh f""" V"' *°'' 5^"" ^«°°«t reach Him Oh, how He loves humility of heart ' it s to th.s humility that our pecufiar demion engages us. because it teaches us never to draw nigh of ourselves to our Lord, however sweet and merciful He may be. b^t Xly, Blessed Lady, whether It be to appear before Him, or to offer Him anything, or to unite and consecrate ourselves to Him Third Motive. 1. The most holy Virgin Who ,s a Mother of sweetness and ^ercj,' TJ^ T^' '^*' '^""^'' "^ vanquished Id oye and liberality, seeing that we give our elves entirely to her, to honour and tlserve her and for that end strip ourselves of a« that ,s dearest to us In order to adorn her. meets us in the same spirit. She also gives her Whole self, and gives It In an unsSIk! able manner, to him who gives all to her She causes him to be engulfed in the abyss IrZ ^T"- ^^' ""^'^^ ^'^^ ^«h her merits ; she supports him with her power ; — tl6 — she illuminates him with her light ; she in- flames him with her love ; she communi- cates to him her virtues, hor humility, her faith, her purity, and the rest. She makes herself ^Is ball, his supplement, and his dear all towards Jesus. In a word, as that person is all consecrated to Mary, so is Mary all for him ; after such a fashion that we can say of that perfect servant and child of Mary what St. John the. Evangelist said of himself, that he took the holy Virgin for all his goods : Acceplt earn discipulus in sua— " The disciple took her for his own." It is this whieli produces m the soul, if it is faithful, a great distrust, contempt, and hatred of self, and a great confidence and a great self-abandonment in the Blessed Vir- gin, its good Mistress. A man no longer, as before, leans on his own dispositions, in- tentions, merits and good works ; because, having made an entire sacrifice of them to Jesus Christ by Ihat good Motlier, he has but one treasure now, where all his goods are laid up, and Ihat is no longer in himself: for his Treasure is Mary. It is this which makes him approacli our Lord without ser- vile or scmpnlntis fear, nnd pray to him with groat confidence. It is this wliicl; — tt7~ makes him enter Into the sentiments of the devout and learned Abbot Rupert, who making an allusion to the victory that Jacob gained over the angel, said to our Blessed Lady these beautiful words : "O Mary. ,nv Princess. Immaculate Mother of a God- man, .Tesus €hrist. I desire to wrestle with that man, namely, the Divine Word, not armed with my own merits, but with yours" -Onomna, Dei genUrix Maria, tt incorrupta Uater Uev et Hominis, non mcis, sed tuis ar- mtus menus, cum isto Viro, seu Verba Dei luctan eupio (Rup., Prolog, in Cantic.). Oh, how stronpr and mighty we are with Jesus Chnst. when we are armed with the worthy merits and intercession of the Mother of God, who. as St. Augustine says, has lovingly vanquished the Most High hvm' ^y ti^s^Practice we give to our Lord by His Mother's hands all our good works at good Mother purifies them.^embeil'hes ^hem. and makes them acceptable to her (1) She purifies them of all the soil of self- ove and of that imperceptible attachment fo the creature which slips incessantly into «ai' best actions. As soon as they are in her n")st pure and fruitful hands, those same — 118 — bands, which have never been sullied or idle, and which purify whatever they touch, talse away liom the present which we malie to her all that was spoilt or Imperfect about It. (2) She embellishes our worlis, in adorn- ing them with her own merits and virtues. It is as if a peasant, wishing to gain the friendship and benevolence of the king, went to the queen, and presented her with a fruit, which was his whole revenue, in order that she might present it to the king. The queen ha\'ing accepted the poor little offering from the peasant, would place the fruit on a large and beautiful dish of gold, and so, on the peasant's behalf, would pre- sent it to the king. Then the fruit, however unworthy in itself to be a king's present, would become worthy of his majesty, be- cause of the dish of gold on which it rested and the person who presented it. (3) She presents these good works to Jesus Christ ; for she keeps nothing of what is given for herself, as if she was our last end. She refers it all faithfully to Jesus. If we give to her, we give necessarily to Jesus. If we praise her or glorify her, we at once praise and glorify Jesus. As of old, when — 119 — St. Elizabeth praise-g her, so now, when we praise and bless her. she sings herself. Magnificat anima mea Dominumr-"Mj soul doth mn^nlfy the Lord." (4) She persuades Jesus to accept these good works, however little and poor the pres- ent may be for that Saint of saints and that King of kings. When we present any- thing to Jesus by ourselves, and relying on our own Industry and disposition, Jesus ex- amines the oflferlng, and often rejects It be- cause of the stains It has contracted through self-love ; Just as of old He rejected the sacrifices of the Jews when they were full or their own will. But when we present Hljn anything by the pure and virginal hands of His Well-beloved, we take Him by His weak side, If it Is allowable to use such a term. He does not consider so much the thing that Is given Him, as the Mother who gives It. He does not consider so much whenco tile oflferlng comes, as by whom it comes. Thus Mary, who is never repelled and al- ways well received by her Son, makes every- thing she presents to Him. great or small, acceptable to His Majesty. For Jesus to receive It and to take complacence In it. Is is enough that Mary should present It. This — 120 — Is the great counsel which St. Bernard nsetl to give to those whom he conducted to per- fectlo!! : " When you want to offer anything to God. take care to offer it by the most agreeable and worthy hands of Mary, un less yo., wish to have It rejected "-Modicum ctr^nd^r— t-- -cSi-cXr™— -- jesns Chnst H.mself trod in coming to us and ,u Which there is no obstacle in arriving — 122 — At Him. It Is true that we can attain to divine union by other roads ; but it is by many more crosses and strange deaths, and with many more difficulties, which we shall ^nd it hard to overcome. We must pass through obscure nights, through combats, through strange agonies, over craggy moun- tains, through cruel thorns, and over fright- ful deserts. But by the path of Mary we pass more gently and more tranquilly. We do find, it is true, great battles to fight and «reat hardships to master ; but that good Mother and Mistress makes herself so pre- sent and so near to her faithful servants, to enlighten them In their darknesses and their doubts, to strengthen them in their fears, and to sustain them in their struggles and their difficulties, that in truth this vlr glnal path to find Jesus Christ is a path of roses and honey compared with the other paths. There have been some Saints, but they have been in small numbers, who have passed by this sweet path to go to Jesus, because the Holy Ghost, faithful Spouse of Mary, has by a singular grace disclosed it to them. Such were St Ephrem, St. John Damascene, St. Bernard, St. Bernadlne. St. Bonaventure, St. Francis of Sales, and- -123 — others But the rest of the Saints, who are ^ad STo "r'"' T"''''' "'^^ ^-" "' on thalaccoint"" '^'"^ ''''^^- ""^^'^ot z^rstc----^^^ r:rsr-r-P--Zon7:; fer;;rjrort^or^^:j <-omes It that they who follow It are fhp most despised of men ? I rep^ that it^! 7:: true that the most faithful s^rMlt, ' the Blessed Virgin, being also her great est favourites, receive from her the gr^t es g^ces and favours of heaven whTcL are crosses. But I maintain that it is also ^"^rre'fix^"--^---^^ more facility, mere merit, and — m— more glory. That which would stay the progress of another u thousand times over, or perhaps would niiike him fall, does not onco arrtst their steps, but rather enables them to advance ; betause that good Mother, all full of the graces and unction of the Hol.v Ghost, preserves all the crosses, which slif cuts for them. In the sugar of her materniil sweetness, so that they swallow them gaily, like preserved fruits, however bitter they may Iw in themselv^'s ; and I believe that a person who wishes to be devout, and to live piously In .Tesus Christ, aud consequently to suffer persecutions, and carry his cross daily, will never cany great crosses, oi' carry them Joyously or i)erseverlngly, with- out a tender devotion ■'j our Lady, whicli Is the sweetmeat and confection of crosses ; Just as a person would not be able to eat unripe fruits, without a great effort which he could hardly keen up, unless they had I e:^!! preserved in sugar. 2. This devotion to the Blessed Virgin is a short road to tlnd .Jesus Christ, both be- cause it is a road wliich we do not stray from, aud because, as I have just said, it is a road we treud with joy and fai-ility, and, by consequence, with promptitude. We make more proyrcss in a hrief period of suit- — 125 — vm,lo„ to ami ,lr,>r,nlr„rc on Jlaru than in .rf,o,e„e„rs of our own ,cm an,l of rclt yJZ I«T shall Hlng tin. signal vict..rl,.s whch .e sLall gain over his .neinles. Thev wHI re ac-e his steps, or to fall. This U t.u-. But with the support, the al.l. and the gul.i- nee Of Mary, without falliug. wItC Uruv, lug hack oue step, without even shtc-k- enlug his pace, he shall a.lvauce with gujnt strides towards J.sus. alou« the same path by Which he knows that Jesus al.o Hetest space of tln.e. Why do .von thini: and ,. those few years spent nearly all of inn lu subjection and obedience to His •^'"l>er.- Ah. this. i« the truth: that He was "Jtmed i,,de.., in a short thne. h„t rh^: He m d a long time. longer than Adani "-an Ho had con.,, to repair, althon;!; ■'patriarch l.ved above nine bnndre,! ^'"se He ,ved in c.n.plen. sul,iection to ,"^ boly Mather. ,n,d cl,.s, l,- uni.e,! with H.s Father. Vov the Holy Ghost savs th-.t ^' n.a« who honours his iMoth.T is lik.; , HK.n — 126. who layeth up a treanure : that is to f^ay. he who honourn Mnry his Mother up t>i the point of subjectiuK himself to her and obeying her in all things, will 8::on become exceedingly lith : (1) bocause ho is every (lay amassing treasures by the secret of thn i philosopher's stone : Qui honoiat matre.i quasi qvi thesaurizat—" He who honours hl< mother is as one who lays up .'. treasure" : (2 1 .because it is the bosom of Mary which has surrounded and engendered a perfect man, and has had the capacity of contain- ing Him whom the whole universe could neither contain nor comprebond— it Is. I sny, in the bosom of Mary that they who are youthful become <3lders in light, in holi- ness, in experience, and in wisdom ; and that we arrive In a few years at the fulness of the age of Jesus Christ. 3. This practice uf devotion to our Blessed Lady is also a perfect path by which to go and unite ourselves to Jesus, because the divine Mary is the most perfect and the most holy of creatures, and because Jesus, who has come to us most perfectly, took no other road for His great and admirable journey. The Most High, the Incomprehen- sible, the Inaccessible, He Who Is, has deign- ed to come us, little worms Of eartb — 127 — who are nothing. How has He done this ? The Most High has come down to us per- fectly and divinely by the humble Mary. He has come to us by her. without loalnjr :inythlng of His divinity, and sanctity. So it ia by Mary that the unvwakab;y little are to nacend perfectly and dMnelu, without any^ fear, to the Mo^t High. The Incomprehen- sible has allowed Himself to be compre- hended and perfectly conta'ned by the little Mary, without losing anything of His Im- mensity. So also Is It by the HtUe Mary that we must let ourselves be held and guided perfectly without any reserve. The Inacces- ■ sible has drawn near to us, and has closely united Himself to us perfectly, and eveik^ personally, to our humanity by Mary, with- out losing any of His Majesty. So also is it by Mary that we must draw near to God; and unite ourselves perfectly and closely to His Majesty without fear of being repulsed.. In a word, He Who Is has designed to come to that which is not, and to make tiat. which Is not become God In Him Who Is ; and He has doP3 this perfectly in giving Him- self and subjecting Himself entlrelv to the- young Virgin Mary without ceasing to be In time He who is eternal. In like manner It Is by Mary that we, who are nothing, can. — 128 — become like to God by grace and glcry by giving ourselves to ber so perfectly and en- tirely as to be nothing hi ourselves but everything In her, without fear of delusion. Make for me, if you will, a new road to go to Jesus, ami i:ave It with all the merits of the Blessed, adorn it with all their heroic virtues. Illuminate and embellish it with all tlie lights and beauties of the Argels, and let all the Angels and Saints be there them- selves to escort, defend, and sustain iliose who are ready to walk there ; and yet in truth, in simple truth, I say boldly, and I repeat that I .say truly. 1 would irefer to this new perftct i;ath the immaculate wa.v of Mary. I'oxiii iiiiiiKwiilatam vifini meuiii. It is the way without any stmiin or spot, withoiii or:ginal or a.-tual sin, wl hout -hadow or darkness. When my sweet ,Tesns in Il's jilory « onies a se« ond time on earth, as it is most certain lie will do. to rcisin tliere. He will choose no otlier way for Ills JDurncy thnn tlie divine Mary, I y whom He came tlu' rti'st time so surely ami so pcrl'eclly. I'.iir thcrf will be ;i difference be l ween His tiisr and His last coiiiinu-. 'I'lie first time i!r j.-iine seerelly and hldden'y : ihe secniiil time He will coiue gIoriousl.\- and respl.-ii- deutly. But l)ot!i times He will come pc r- — 129 — not understood, ml /Lf' ^'"^ "^'^'''^ '« •'fe.;etalUo..„t.:rte7'"'^-^«- «>Boa'lSwrtolTf"^^''^'^<^-'« mre perfection by unlHn '"'' ^"'^ ^'^ ««" a). It is a secX way ir '° ""'"• tice Which I am teaSn. f "^ '""^ ^"''• Boudon, Who died an I l,?°* "''^- ^• "''our Of sanctiS/s ri "r"'' '" '""^ he composed on this 1 ." ''"'^ ^^^'^h •^o ancient we eann I fi''"''" '^'^t " i« Of lis co-nm/neeme; '^.^T'^ *^« ^^''^ '«'» that for Tre Ih '' ''"■^^^'•- ^^r- years we find trTcesM^?" '''''' ^"°*««^ O'lUon. the Abbot Of Cl^nf "l" ''''"'•^^- ^^^• the year IMO. was one of ^h''^ "^""^ »»'«»' "^ly practised ,t ?n i ^^ ^"* ^^^ P°b- 'narked In his life r„ J'-^^'^e ; as it re- -'«tes that Vt ^^'Z!T ?^™'-«" Marfno, his brother LZ u ^^^ ^'^««ed Of the Blessed VI 'L If^ '"''" " «'"^« P"t a rope round L^"^ ™^»°er. He P'-e. and laS on tSe'ar'' ^*'°"^ ^-^^ <^'-l -althfVrn;rS;i--o. 14 — 130 - deserved to be visited and consoled at his death by his good Mistress, and to rec61ve from her mouth the promise of Paradise in recompense for his services. Cesarius Bollandus mentions an iUustriotis cavalier, Vuulle.- de Birlia's who about the year 1500 cousecrattil himself to the Blessed Virgin. This devotion was al-o practised by several private persons up t) the ssveu teenth cenluvy. when it bacame public. Father Simon de Roxas, of the order of the Redemption of Captives, and preaclicr of Philip the Third, made this devotion pop- ular In Spain and Germany ; and through the Instance of Philip the Third, he obtained of Gregury Ihe Fifteenth ample Indulgences for those who practised it. Father de Lns Rlos, the Augustinlah, devoted himself witli his intimate friend. Father Roxas, to si.re-ul this devotion, both by preaching and writ- ing, througli Spain and Germany. He com- posed a thlcli volume called Hierarchii Mariana, in which he treats witli as mu h piety las learning of the antiquity, excel- lence, and solidity of ths devo im. Tlie Theatiu Fathers iu ihi seventeenth centur.v established this devotion in Italy. Sicily, ami Savoy. Father Stanislas Phalaclus, the Jes- uit, increased this devotion wonderfully in ~ 131 - Poland Father de Los Rios, m his work illl^^lZT T "''"^^ ''' prince JrTn cess^, dukes, and cardinals of different kingdoms who embraced this devotion Cornelius a Laplde, as n.ach recommended liawn^ r.' f "f ^"^ '''' P''"^''""*' *'rudition. haung received a commission from several theo.ogians to examine this devotion, dfd so pralse^TLT*""'*" ^"' <^e.ibe.ation/ld JviVlT '^ «f''' "'^'••^^ ^^^"'''^ in the thP ? ?' ^'^''^•' ^'^'^y- presented, In he name of the Sodallsts of Cologne a llt- e reatlse on this devotion to fheDufe Jerdlnand of Bavaria, who was then Arch bljhop Of cologne. He gave It his apptobt tioa, and permission to print it • „Vh n h \ V ^® calumnies and persecutions «hich he suffered from critics and li^rtlne" — 132 — They accused him of novelty amd super- stition. They wrote and published against him a libel, in order to defame him ; and they made use, or rather it was the devil by their ministry, of a thousand subtleties to hinder his spreading the devotion iu France. But that great and holy man only answered tlieir calumnies by his patience; and he met the objections contained in their libel by a short treatise, in which he most convincingly refuted them. He showed them that the devotion was founded on the example of Jesus Christ, on the obllga- tfors w!;l' h we have to Him, and on the vows which we have made in holy Baptism. It was chiefly by this last reason that he shut his adversaries' mouths, making them see that this consecration to the holy Virgin, and to Jesus Christ by uer hands, is nothing else than a perfect renewal of the vows and promises of Baptism. He has said many beautiful things on this practice, which can be read in his worlis. We may also see in M. Boudon's bools the different Popes who have approved this de- votion, the theologians who have examined It, the persecutions they have undergone and j have overcome, and the thousands of per sons who have embraced it without any! — 133 — Pope having ever condemned If' infl.^^ ^e cannot see how it ^ T, t Indeed. Without overturn^ T^""' "^^demned Christianity It ? "lea t. '"""'^«««"» <>f votlon IS not neV atd hl^lJitT T '" fflon. It Is because t Is too n J, "*'* """'■ '«l>edandpraetlsen;rirrrir^^^'- ^"if::^!i^:.Si:irr -^ oharacteSo? SuJto"* "' " '' *^« ^-^ to the Eterna'/aTher sZr'.°''"''' therefore, must not In • f^^'^^^''^ P^sons, tl^at Mar; ZIT^ Z^J^l 't' '^"^'' tainlng to divine n^. ^ *^ **"^™ '" «*- that she Who ha« f °; '°'" '^ " *««^^ble -rthewh^L^tldrglSran^r "^^ one in ParUcular/shouirbe a\Tn Ja„' T a soul in flndinc th^ " "« a Hindrance to With Him ^cZu^ ^''^' ^'^"^^ ^' »°lon has been all fnV .' ^"'"'^'^ '""^^ ^^^^ho ^'•aces To u" 1 2' r.' ,!"^™'^°»°dl'^g with »hat It has been a kl;"'"™^ ^"^^ ^^ Should be incarnate 1^' rj", ^ *'^* °« stumbling-block In fL ' '^"'""^ "e a '^et union w, h God , ZX °' f. ^«"^'« P- -e Vie. o. other cUt'J.i.re;SVor - 134 may iierhaps at cerfaln times retard dlviue Tinlon. But this cannot be said of Mary, as I have remarked lefore and shall never •weary of repeating. One reason why so few souls come to the fulness of the age of Jesus Christ Is because Mary, who Is as much as ever the fruitful Spouse of the Holy Ghost, is not sufficiently formed In their hearts. He who wishes to have the fruit well rlpered and well formed must have the tree that produces it ; he who wishes to have the fruit of life, Jesus Christ, must have the tree of life, whk-h is Mary ; he who wishes to have In himself the opera- tion of the Holy (rhost must have His faith- ful and Indissoluble Spouse, the divine Mary, who makes Him fertile and frult- bearlng as we have said elsewhere. Be persuaded, then, that the more you look at Mary in your prayers, (ontinnpla- tlons, actions, and si'fferlngs, if not with a distinct and dednlte view, at least with a general and imperceptible one. the more per- fectly will you find Jesus Christ who Is al- ways with Mary, great, powerful, operative, and incomprehensib'e. Thus, so far from the divine Mary, all absorbed in God, being an obstacle to the — 135 — there ne^er wm ^ J'' '" ''''' P'*'"*' and aid us nZ effl n ro„X',r;r" "'* ""' whether bv thP ..ro \. ^'* ^"^""^ ^oi*. to us .or "^■T:.zi-i:':::iz-r^^^^^^ no one can be fined with the th ?*' "*"*• except by her vZrT ! thought of God nisi per ^c-ir w^e Tv f ''' ""'' ''"''''*-' -Weh She wiU guarantee to Is' "" ^^'^^' on?oTthr^o'; ?;r„;;T ^^" ^^'^-^ '-»*. have Of onr bel„Vn i^ """"'^'^ ^^ «^a« thinking Often o? Tr IT '"^ '''''• «>- Often of her. *^ **"■" speaking the bodv i« n«t !, ^ ^ ^ <^^'^aln sign <™ 'i^'iZ'oTr ■■" «» «""■* —138 - Btroyed all heresies In the whole world "), we may be sure that however critics may grum- ble, no faithful client of Mary will ever fall Into heresy qr Illusion, at least formal. He may very well err materially, take fialsehood for truth, and the evil spirit for the good ; and yet he will do even this with more difficulty than others. But sooner or later he will acknowledge bis material fault and error ; and when he knows it he will not be in any way self-opinionated in believ- ing and maintaining what he had once thought true. Whoever, then, wlsRes to put aside the fear of illusion, whlc' is the besetting timidity of men of prayer, and to advance In the way of perfection, and surely and perfectly to find Jesus Christ, let him embrace with great-heartedness (corde magna et animo volenti— " with a great heart and a willing mind") this de- votion to our Blessed Lady, which per- haps he hias noi; known before ; let him enter into this excellent way, which was unknown to him and which I now point out : Excellentiorem viam vobis demonatro— "I show you a more excellent way." It is a path trodden by Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, our sole Head. One of — 137 — bemu8e of the fuSL It t^ """ '''^• unction of the HoK ^, . ^"""^^ ^"'^ to overflowlnt vl '*' '''^'''' A"** '' vvei noting. \o one wearies therp • ««. ■iesus m a little time. It is a perfect road where there is no mud, no dust, no, tue least spot of sin. lastlv if .= road Which conducts us to Jesus Christ and life eternal in a straight and secuVe nni.f ! * ^* "'• *J^*°- set forth upon that road, and walk there day and n^ht unt„ ,.e come to the fulness of the ige of Jesus Christ. glvefto'^thr ?'^ '"•'^^•"^^ «' <'«-o«o» g yes to those who make -use of it falth- bertv VT '°*'^"'- "'^^"■^■' -^'<^-J^ i' h.. ■berty of the children of God. For as by tirS to S * T '"""^^"•^te ourselves en- tVv^ .' ^'•«^*""P«°«« for the lovJng cap. aJi scruple and senile fSir trom the son) with everything ttet Is capabir^f contract: lug. imprisoning, or confusing ,t ; (gf He — 138 — enlarges the beart by a firm coafldence in God, making it look at Him as a Father ; and (3) He inspires us with a tender and filial love. Without stopping to prove these truths by arguments, I shall be content to quote here what I have read in the life of Mother Agnes of Jesus, a Dominicaness of the con- vent of Langeae, in Auvergne ; who died there, in the odour of sanctity, in the year 1634. When she was only sfeven years old, and was suffering from great spiritual pains, she heard la voice which told her that if she wished to be delivered from all her pains, and to be protected against all her enemies, she was as quickly as possible to make herself the slave of Jesus and His most holy Mother. She had no sooner returned to the house than she gave her- self up entirely to Jesus and His Mother in this capacity, although up to that time slie had not known so muoh as what the devo- tion meant. Having found an iron cbiun she put it round her body, and wore It to her death. After this action, ail her pains and scruples ceiaeed, and she found herself iu a great peace and dilatation of heart, It was this which engaged her to teach the — 139 — devotion to many persons, who made great progress In It, and, among oibers, to M. Olier, the founder of St Sulplce, and to many priests and ecclesiastics of the same seminary. One day our Lady appeared to her, and put round hpr neclc a chain of gold, to testlry the J5y she had In Mother Agnes having made herself her Son's slave mid her own ; and St. Cecilia, who accom- piinled our Lady In that apparition, said to the religious : " Happy are the faltliful slaves of the Queen of Heaven ; for they shaM enjoy true liberty."— r/fti serrire liher- tan. Sncnth Motiic. Another consideration which may engage us to embrace this prac- tice is that of the great good which our nelght)our will receive from It. For by this practice we exercise charity towards him in an eminent manner, seeing that we give him by Mary's hands all that Is most precious to ourselves— which Is the satis- factory and Impetratory value of all our good works, without excepting the least good thought, or the least little suffering. Wu agree that all the satisfactions we may have acquired, or may acquire up to the moment of our death, should be employed — 140 — at our Lady's Trill, either for the conver- bIod of aiuners, or for the deltverance of souls from Purgatory, Is not this to love our neighbjur p;'^ fectly ? Is not this to be the true dis- ciple of Jesus Christ, who Is adways to be recognised by his charity ? Is not this the way to convert sinners, without any fear of vanity ; and to deliver souls from Purgatory, without scarcely doing anything but what we are obliged to do by our state of life ? To understand the exceUence of tlfls mo- tive, we must understand also what a good it Is to convert a sinner, or to dell^ er i soul from Purgatory. It is lan {nflnlte good, which Is greater than to create heaven and earth, because we give to a soul the posses- sion of God. If by this practice we deliver but one soul In our life f"om Purgatory, or convert but one sinner, would not that be enough to induce a truily charitable man to embrace It ? But we must remark that, in- asmuch as our good works i)ass through the hands of Mary, they receive an augmenta- tion of purity, and consequently of merit, and of satisfactory and impetratory value. On this account they become more capable of solacing the souls in Purgatory and of — 141 — converting sinners than If they did not pass by the virginal and liberal hands of JIary. It may be little that w». gjve bv our Lady • but, In truth, If it Is given without our own will, and with a disinterested charity, that little becomes very mighty to turn the wrath of God, and to attract His mercy It would be no wonder If. at the hour of death, It should be found that a person faithful to tblg practice shall, by the means of It, have delivered many souls from Pur- gatory, and converted miamy sinners, though he shaU hare done nothing more than the ordinary actions of his state of life. What Joy at his Judgment : What glory Id h!?. eternity ! Eighth Motive. Lastly, that which In some sense most persuasively engages us to this devotion to our Lady is that It Is an admir- able means of persevering and being faith- ful In virtue. Whence comes It that the majority of the conversions of sinners are not durable ? WBence comes It that we relapse so easily into sin ? Whence comes It that the greater part of the Just, instead of advancing from virtue to virtue and ac- quiring new graces, often lose the little vir- tue and the little grace they have ? This mis- u% fortune comes, as I have shown before, froui the fact that main Is at once so corrupt, so feeble, and so I'nconsta'nt, an9" yet trusts to himself, leaus on his own strength, and believes himself capable of guarding the treasure of his graces, of his virtues and merits. On the other hand, by this devotiou we confide all we possess to the Blessed Virgin, who is faithful ; we take her for the universal depositary of aill our goods of nature and of grace. It is to her fidelity that we trust fhem. It Is on her power that we leaji. It is on her mercy and char- ity that we build, in order that she may preserve and augment our virtues and mer- it!!, in spite of the devil, the world, and the flesh, who put forth all their efforts to take them from us. We say to her, as a good child to his mother, and a faithful servant to her mistress, Depositum custodi — " My good Mother and Mistress, I acknowledge that up to this time I have, by youi inter- cession, received more grace from God than I deserve ; and my sad experience teaclies me that I carry this treasure in a very frail vessel, and that I am too weak and too miserable lo keep it safely of myself. I beseech you, therefore, receive in irust all which 1 possess, and keep it for me by vour — 143 — fidelity and power. 1 vo,, k,^, u * ;s^yo.enothin.;-,?^;:-Jr- What St. Ben^ard said Tn " ^.er S: L' r;^ .!» ---age u. to adopt S^^^ not fear, when she leads you, you wlU not »e^ yourself: when she is ft,.ourable safetj -Ipsa tenente, non corruis ; ipsa pre PiUa pcrvcnis. St. Bonaventure seems to ay the same thing in still more formal terms. "The Blessed Virgin.- he Jays •IS not only retained in the plenitude of he Saints, but she ako retains and keeps the Samts In their plenitude, 8> that it may not diminish. She hinders their vir- tues from being dissipated, their merits from Withering, their graces from being lost, the devils from hurting them, and even our I>,rd from punishing them when they sin'-Tirgo non solum in plenitudine ■mnctorum detinetur, sed etiam in plenUu- (line sanctos detinet, ne plenitudo minuatur ■ (ktinet virtutes, ne fugiant ; detinet merita. «P pereant ; detinet gratiaa, ne efflmnt ; deti- i,.ii — Ii4 — net dwmones, ne noceant ; detinrt Filium, ne peccatores perciitiat (St. Bonav.. In Spceul. B. y.}. Our Blessed iJady is the faithful Virgin, who by lier fidelity to God repairs the losses -which the faithless Eve has caused by her infidelity. It is sihe who obtains the graces of fidelity and perseverance for those who attach themselves to her. It is ou this account that a Saint compares her to a firm ancEor, which holds them fast and hinders their making shipwrecli In the agitated sea of this world, where so many persons perish simply through not being fastened to that anchor. " We fasten oar souls," says he, " to thy hope, as to an abiding anchor "—AwiHias ad spem tuam *ic«< ad firman ancoram alUgamus. It iS' to her that the Saints who have saved them- selves have been the most attached, and have done their best to attach others. In order to persevere in virtue. Happy, then, a thou- sand times hapnv. are the Christians who are now fastened faithfully and entirely to her, as to a firm anchor ! The violence of the storms of this world will not malje them founder, nor sinlj their heiavenly treasures. Happy those who enter Into — M5 — Mary, as into the ark of Noe ' ThP xe«f Of the deluge of sin, Whioh^r^wnay^f^J a portion of the world, shall do no Sm to ihey Who worJc in me shaiU not sin" Tar^S' "J^" *"« ^'^'- WlsdorB^; ed are the faithless children of thrnn happy Eve if only they attach themselves' to the faithful Mother and Virgin who S«%?rr '^'^'^"' ^°^ neSr'beTe f ^** • She aaways loves those who love ^r-Ego Oiligentes fne aUig^not oly w,Ih an affective love, but with an effectual Tnd efficacious one. by hindering them. throS a great abundance of graces, from draw"S In tt ^ '"^'"" °' ^*'^"«' f'O'" 'ailing L «^ "*^' ^""^ ^""^ ^'^^'^^ the grace of IZ 7 Z"^' ^^ ^"""^^ «'^^y« o'^t Of Pur^ Charity, receives whatever we deposit With her; and what she has once received n her office of depositary, she is Sgel by Justice, in virtue of the contmct of trusteeship, to keep safely for us : Just aa a pers*. with whom I have left a thousand pounds in trust would be under the obllga- oon of keeping them safely for me ; so that «. by his negligence, they were lost, he 16 — 146 — would m justice be responsible to me for them But the telthful Mary cannot let anything which has be^n intrusted to her be lost through her negligence. Heaven and earth could pass away sooner than she could be negligent or faltihless to those who trust in her. Poor children of Mary, your weakness is extreme, your Inconstancy is great, your inward nature is thoroughly corrupted, you are drawn (I grant It) from the same corrupt mass as all the children of Adam and Eve. Yet do not be discouraged on tJ at account: Console yourselves, and exult in having the secret which I teiach you- a secret unlinown to almost all Christians even the roost devout. Leave not your gold and silver In your coffers, which have been already broken open by the evil spirits, who have robbed you. Those • coffers arc too little, too weak, too old, to hold a treas- ure so precious and so great. Put not the pure and clear water of the fountain into your vessels, aU spoilt and infected by sin. If the sin is there no longer, at least the odour 6f It is. and so the water will be Bt>ollt. Put not your exquisite wines iPto ybur old casks, which have faa^.t^a^J*^^. " them : else even these wines will be spoilt. — 147-: and perhaps breafe the casks, and be spilled upon the ground. Though you, predestinate souls, under- stand me weU enough. I will speak yet more openly. Trust not the gold of your of your heavenly graces, nor the win" of your merits and virtues to a torn sack an old and broken coffer, a spoilt and cor- rupted vessel, like yourselves ; else you will be stripped by the robbers-that is to say the demons-who are seeking and watch- ing night and day for-the right time to do « ; and you will infect, by your own bad Odour of self-love, self-confldence, and aelf- wlB, every most pure thing which God has given you. Pour, pour into the bosom and the heart of Mary all your treasures, all your graces, all your virtues. She is a spir- itual vessel, she is a vessel of honour, she is a marvellous vessel of devotlon- vas spiritmle, vas honorabile. vaa insigne devotionis. Since God Himself has been shut up In person, with all His perfections, in that vessel, it has become aJtogetlier spiritual and the spiritual abode of the most spir- . _ 148 — itual souls. It bias become honourable, and the throne of honour for the grandest prin- ces of eternity. It has become wonderful iu devotion, and a dwelling the most illustrious for sweetnesses, for graces, and for virtues. It has become rich as a house of gold, strong as a tower of David, and pure as :i tower of ivory. Oh, how happy is the- man who has given everything to Mary, £.nd has trusted himself to Mary in eveiy- thing land for everything ! He belongs aU to Mary, and Mary belongs all to him. He can say boldly with David, Hwo faeta *8t TOiM— "Mary is made for me;" or with the beloved disciple, Accepi earn in mea^" I have taken her for all my goods : ' or with Jesus Christ, Omnia meo tua sunt, et omnia tua mea aunt^" AW that I have is thine, and all that thou hast is mine. " If any critic who reads this shall take it into his head that I speak here exagger- atedly, and with an extravagance of devo- tion, alas! he does not understand me, either because he is a carnial man, who has no relish for spiritual things : or because he is a worldling, who cannot receive the Holy Ghost ; or because he is proud and critical, condemning and despising whatever he — 149 — does not understand himself. But the souls which are not born of blood, nor of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God and Mary understand me and relish me : and It Is for these that I write. Nevertheless, I say now both for the one and for the other. In re- turning from this digression, that the divine Mary, being the most gnaiclous and liberal of all pure creatures, never lets herself be overcome in love and liberality. As a holy man said of her. For an egg she gives an ox ; that Is to say, for a little that Is given to her, she gives much of what she has received from God. Hence, if a soul gives itself to her without reserve, she gives her- self to that soul without reserve, if only we put our confldence In her without presump- tion, and labour on our sldo to acquire vir- tues, and to bridle our passions. Let, then, the faithful servants of the Blessed Virgin siay hardily with St. Damas- cene, " Having confldenoe in you, O Moth- er of God, I shall be saved ; being under your protection, I shall fear nothing ; with your succour, I shall give battle to myeneaiies and put them to flight ; for devotion to yeu is an arm of Salvation, which God gives to,those whom it is His wlU to save"— — 150 — Spem tuam Uabens Deipara Borvabor ; de- fentionem tuam possidens, non timebo ; per- aequar ininHcos meoa et in fvgam vertam, habens protectionem et auxiUum Utum ; rmm tibi devotum esse est arma qutedam saiutis qua Deus his dat quos wit salvos fieri (Joan. Damasc.)- Of all the truths which I have been put- ting forward with regard to our Blessed Lady and her children and servants, the Holy Ghost gives us lan admirable figure in the Scriptures. It is in the history of Jacob, who received the benediction of his father, Isaac, by the slsiH and pains of Rebecca, his mother. This is the history as the Holy Ghost relates it. 1 will after- wards add the explanation of It. Esaiu having sold Jacob his birthright, Rebecca, the mother, of the two brothers, who loved Jacob tenderly, secured this advantage to him many years afterwards by an address most holy but most full of mystery. Isaac, feeling himself very old, and wishing to bless his children before he died, called his son Esau, who wias his favourite, and commanded him to go out hunting, to get him something to eat m order that he might bless him afterwards. iRebecca — 151 — promptly Informed Jaco^ of what ^afl passed, and ordered him to go and take two kids from the flock. When he had siven them to his mc thor, she prepared for Isaac what she knew he liked. She clothed •Tacob In the garments of Esau, which she kept, and covered his hands and his neck with the skin of the kids, so that Bla father, who was blind, might In hearing Jacob's voice, think at least by the skin of his hands that It was Esau his brother. Isaac having been surprised by the voice, which he thought was Jacob's voice, made him come near him. Having touched the skins with which his hands were covered, ho said that the voice truly was the voice of Jacob, but that the hands were the bands of Esau. After he had eaten, and, in kiss- ing Jlacob, had smelt the odour of his per- fumed garments, he blessed him, and wish- ed for him the dew of heaven and the fruit- fulness of earth. He made him lord over all his brethren, and finished his blessing with these words, " Cursed be he that cur- 8eth thee, and let him that blesseth thee be filled with blessings." Isaac had hardly finished these words when Esau entered, and brought with him what he had cap- — 152 — tured while out bunting, In order that his father might eat It, and then bless him. The holy patriarch was surprised with an Incred- ible astonishment when he understood what bind happened. But, far from retracting what he had done, on the contrary he con- firmed it, for he saw too plainly that the finger of God was in the matter. Esau then uttered great cries, as the holy Scripture remarks, and, loudly accusing the deceitful- ness of his brother, he aslsed his father if he had but one benediction ; Iseing in this I>olnt, as the holy Fathers remark, the image of those who are too glad to ally God with the world, and are fain to enjoy the con- solations of heaven and the consolations of earth both together. At last Isaac, touched with the cries of Esau, blessed him, but with a blessing of the earth, subjecting him to his brother. This made him conceive such an envenomed hatred to Jacob, that he waited only for his father's death in order to kill him. Neither would Jacob haive escaped death. If his dear mother Rebecca had not saved him from it by her industries, and by the good counsels which she gave him, and which he followed. Before explaining this beautiful history, — 153 — we must observe that, according to the holy Fathers and the Interpreters of Scrtptnre. Jacob Is the figure of Jesus Christ and the predestinate, and Esau that of the reprobate We have but got to examine the actions nnd conduct of the one and the other to form our judgment about this. 1. Esau, the elder, was strong and robust of body, adroit and skilful In drawing the bow, and In taking much game in the chase. 2. He hardly ever stayed In the house ;iaind putting no confidence In anything but his own strength and address, he only worked out of doors. 8. He took very uttlfe pains to please bis mother Rebecca, and Indeed did nothing for that end. 4. He was such a glutton, and lovea eiaitlng so much, that he sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. 5. He was, like Cain, fuH of envy against Ills brother Jacob, and persecuted him be- yond measure. Now this Is the dally conduct of the reprobate. 1. They trust In their own strength and aptitude for temporal affairs. They are very strong, very lable, and very enlightened in eaitbly business ; tout very weak and very Ignorant in heavenly things — /» tetrenis fortes in cceleatilma dehiles. 2. — 154 — It Is on this account that tjiey are hardly at all, or at least very Uttle,- at their own homes— that is to say, in their own Interior, which Is the Inward and iessentlal house which God baa given to every man, to live there after His example ; for God always rests in Himself. The reprobate do not love retirement, nor spirituality, nor Inwaid devotion ; and they treat as little, or as bigots, or as saivages, those who are inte- rior or retired from iie world, and who work more within than witlfout. 3. The reprobate care next to nothing for devotion to our Blessed Liady, the Mother of the predestinate. It is true that they do not hate her formally. Indeed, they sometimes praise her, and say they love her, and even ptaictlse some devotion In ber honour. Nevertheless, they cannot bear that we should love her tenderly, because they have not the tendernesses of Jacob for her. They find much to say lagainst the prac- tices of devotion, In which her g':4)d chil- dren and servants faithfully employ them- selves in order to gain her affection, be- cause they do not think that devotion necessary to salvation ; and they consider thiait, provided they do not hate our Lady formally, or openly despise her devotion, — 155^ It is enough. Moreover, they Imagine ihat they are already in her good graces, and that, in fine, they are her aerrantg, Inas- much as they recite and mumble certain prayers In her honour, without tenderness for her, or amendment In themselves. 4. The reprobate seU their birthright ; that is to say, the pleasures of paradise. They sell It for a pottage of lentils ; that Is to say, for the pleasures of the earth. They laugh, they drink, they eat, they amuse themselves, they gamble, they dance, and take no more pains than Esau did to render themselves worthy of the"'l)enedlctlon of their Heaven- ly Father. In a word, they think only of earth, and they love earth only ; and they speak and act only for earth and for its pleasures, selling for one moment of enjoy- meat, for one vain puff of honour, and for a morsel of hard metal, yellow or white, their baptismal grace, their robe of Inno- cence, and their heavenly Inheritance. 5. Finally, the reprobate dally hate and perse- cute the predestinate openly and secretly. They feel the predestinate as a burden to them, they despise them, they criticise there, they counterwork them, they abuse them, they rob them, they cBeat them, they Im- — 156 — poverlsh them, thev drive them away, they bring them low into the dust ; while they themselves are making fortunes, are taking their pleasures, getting themselves into good positions, enriching themselves, aggrandising themselves,, and living at their ease. As to Jacob, the 'younger: 1. He was of a feeble constitution, meek and peaceful. He lived for the most part at home, in or- der to gain the good graces of his mother Rebecca, whom he loved tenderly. If he went abroad, it was not of his own will, nor through any confidence in his own In- dustry, but to obey his mother. 2. He loved and honoured his mother. It was on this account that he kept at home. He avoided everything whlclT could dis- please her, and did everything which he thought would please her ; and this In- crieased the love which Rebecca already had for him. 3. He was subject in all things to his dear mother. He obeyed her entirely in all matters— promptly, without delaying, and lovingly, wihout complaining. At the least token of her wiU, the little Jacob mu and worked ; and he believed everything she — 157 — said to him. For example : when she told him to fetch two kids, and that he should fetch them In order that she should prepare something for his father Isaac to eat, Jacob did not reply that one was enough to make a dish for a single man, but without reasoning he did what she told him to do. 4. He had a great confidence" In his dear mother. >g he did not lean in the least on his own abUlty, he leant exclusively on the care and protection of his mother. Heap- pealed to her In all his necessities, and con- sulted her in all his doubts. For example : when he asked if. Instead of a blessing, he should not receive a curse from his father, he believed her and trusted her when she said thfat she would take the curse upon herself. 5. Lastly, he Imitated as far as he could the virtues he saw In his mother. It seems as If one of his reasons for leading such a sedentary life at home was to imitate his dear mother, who was virtuous, and kept herself removed from bad companies, which corrupt the morals. By this means he made himself worthy to receive the double bene- diction of his beloved father. Such also Is the conduct which the predes- tlaa,te daily observe. — 158 — 1. They are sedentary, and home-keep- ers, with their Mother. In other words, they love retirement, and are Interior. They give themselves to prayer ; but It is after the e3a,mple and In the company of their Mother the holy Virgin, the whole of whose glory Is within, and who, during her whole life, so much loved retirement and prayer. It Is true that they sometimes appear without, in the world ; but it is in obedience to the wlU of God, and that of their dear Mother, to fuMl the duties of their state. However apparently Important their outward works may be, they esteem still more highly those which they do within themselves. In their interior, in the compojny of the Blessed Virgin. For it is within that they accom- plish the great work of their perfection, compared with which all their other works are but infant sports. It is on this account that, while sometimes their brothers and sisters are working outwardly with mucb energy, success, and skill, in the praise and with the approbation of the world, they, on the contrary, know by the light of the Holy Ghost that there is far more glory, more good, and more pleasure, in remaining hidden in retreat with Jesus CBrist their — 159 — r?if I '1'?.^°"'^ """^ P^'^^'^t subjection woildera Of nature and grace In the world !f ^1 Tf^ ^"""^ '^^ reprobates do. Glo- rta et dtvitia in domo ejus—" Glory for God aod riches for men are to 5e found In the house of Mary." Lord Jesus, how gweet are Thy taber- nacl^! The sparrow has found a ^ui 1 m« ' *°^ ^""^ t«rtle.dove a nest for her little ones. Oh, happy la the man who w .>.*\*^" ^^'"^ «' ^'^^' ^J^ere Thou wert the first to make Thy dwelling ! it is In this house of the predestinate that he receives succour from Thee aJone, and that he ta -disposed tiie steps and ascents of «B the virtues, to raise himself In his heart to perfection m this vale of tears Quam Mecta tabernacula tua .'— " How lovely are Thy tabermades ! " 2 The predestinate tenderly love and tenly honour our Blessed Lady as ttielr good Mother and Mtetresa. They love her not only by moutii, but In trutii. They honour her not only outwardly, but In ti,e bottom Of their hearts. They avoid, like Jacob, everything which can displease her ; and — 160 — they practise with fervour whatever they think will make them find favour with her. They bring to her, and give her, not two kids, as Jacob did to Rebecca, but their body and their soul, with laill that depends on them, figured by the two kids of Jacob. They bring them to her— (1) that she may receive them as things which belong to her ; (2) that she may kill theiu, and make thein die to sin and self, in stripping them of their own skin, and their own self-love, and by this means to please Jesus her Son, who wills not to have any for His disci- ples land friends but those who are dead to themselves ; (3): that she may prepare them for the taste of our Heavenly Father, and for His greatest glory, whicih shp knows better than any other creature ; *ntl (4) that by her cares and intercessions tais body and soul, thoroughly purified from every stain, thoroughly dead, thoroughly stripped, amd weU prepared, may be a delicate meat, worthy of the mouth and tin' blessing of our Heavenly Father. Is not this what the predestinate do, wlho relish and practise the perfect consecration te Jesus Christ by the hands of Mary, which we are now teaching them, by way of^tes• — 161 _ to aem Oeit bMy «a. It, «„,r ,S «. o.r B^L^'; ^Xrir*"" er • aftpr +1, ^^^^"^ ^<>*^ Moth- subjection to Hte holy Moth*- m« exactly her counsels, as the little Jacot m those of Rebecca, who said to Um ■icguteece consilUs meis~" My son, toZwm; ^>age Of cana, to whom onr Lady said. Quod^mgu^ dixtrit voMs, /aci^e-" Whatever Z fT .''''" '^^ '"^ ^°"' ">-* ^«^'' Ja- cob, for having obeyed his mother, received the blessing, as it were, miraculously. Although naturally he would not have h«S 't. The people at the marriage of Cana for having followed our Lady's counsel, were 16 — 181 — honoured with our Lord's first miracle, who there changed the water Into wtae at the prayer of His holy Motiher. In like man- ner, laM those who, to the end of time, shall receive the benediction of our Heavenly Fa- ther, and shall be honoured by the wonders of God, shall only receive their graces in consequence of their perfect obedience to Mary The Esaus, on the contrary, lose ihelr blessing through their want of sub- jection to the Bieased Virgin. 4 The predestinate have also a great confidence in the goodness and Power of our Blessed Dady, their good Mother. They call incessantly for her help. They look ttpon her as their polar star, to lead them to -a good port. They lay bare to her their pains and their necessities with much open- nessof heart. They attach themselves to her mercy and her sweetness, in order to get the pardon of their sins by her in- tercession, or to taste her maternal sweet- nesses in their pains 'and wearinesses. They even throw themselves, hide them- selves and lose themselves in an admirable manner in her loving and virginal bosom, that they may be set on fire there of pure love, that they may be cleansed there from — 163 — their least »taln, and fully to find Jesus, who dweUs there, as on His most glorious throne. Oh, what happiness ! " Think not," says the Abbot Guerlc, "that It Is happier to dwell In Abraham's bosom than In Mary's ; for It Is tn this last that our Lord has placed His throne"— ^e oredideris ma- joria esse felicitatis habUate in sinu Abraha quam in sinu Maria, cum in eo Dominua po- suerit thronum suum. The reprobate on the contrary, putting all their trust in themselves, only eat with the prodigal whiat the swine eat. They eat earth like the toads, and, like the children of the world, they love only visible and ex- ternal things. They have no relish for the sweetnesses of Mary's bosom. They have not that feeling of a certain resting-place, and a sure confidence, which the predesti- nate feel In the holy Virgin, their good Moth- er. They are miserably attached to their outward hunger, as St Gregory says, and make not so much as a pretence of having any taste for the sweetness which is pre- pared within themselves, and within Jesus and Mary. 5. Lastly, the predestinate keep the ways of our Blessed Lady, their good Moth- — 164 — er : that 1b to say, they Imitate her. It Is on this point that they are truly happy and truly devout, and carry more especlaMy the mark of their predestination. This good Mother says lO them, Beati qui custodimt viaa mea9 ; that Is to say, " Blessed are they who practise my virtues, and with the help of divine grace walk In the footsteps of my life. During life they are happy In this world, through the abundance of graces and sweetnesses which I Impart to them from my fulness, and more abundantly tha:' to others, who do not Imitate me so closely. They are happy in their death, which is mild and tranauH and at which I am or- dinarUy present myself, that I myself may conduct them to the joys of eternity ; and, lastly, they shall be happy in eternity; for never has any one of my good servants been I6st who imitated my virtues during life." The reprobate, on the contrary, are un- happy during their life, at their death, and for eternity, because they do not Imitate our Lady in her virtues, but content them- selves with sometimes being enrolled In her confraternities, reciting some prayers in her honour, or going through some other — 165 — exterior derotlon. O holy Virgin, my good Mother, how happy are those (I repeat It with the transports of my heart)— how happy are those who, not letting themselves be seduced by a flaitee devotion towards you, falthfuUy keep your ways, your counsels, and your orders ! But how unhappy and accursed are those who abuse your devotion, and keep not the commandments of your Son : Maledieti omnes qui decUnant a man- datia tuia !-" Cursed are all who tall from Thy commandments ! " Let us now turn to look at the charitable duties which our Blessed Lady, as the best of all Mothers, fulfils for the faithful ser- vants who have given themselves to her after the manner I have described, and according to the figure of Jacob. I. She loves them : Ego deligentea me dUigo—"i love those who love me." She loves them (1) because she is their true Moiher ; and a mother loves her child, the fruit of her entrails ; (2) she loves them out of gratitude, because they effectively love her as their good Mother : (3) she loves them because, being predestinate, Gk>d loves them— ^aco6 dilewi, Eaau autem odio MJmi; (4) she loves them because they — 166 — are all consecratefl to her and are her pos- sesBion and her taherltance— /» Israel hare- Utare. She loves them tenderly, and more ten- derly than all other mothers put together. Throw, i( you can, all the natural love which all the mothers of the world have for their children into the one heart of one mother for one only child. Surely that mother will love that child immensely. Nevertheless, it is true that Mary loves her children yet more tenderly than that mother would love that child of hers. She does not love them only with afteo- tlon, but with efficacy. Her love for them is active and effective, equal to that of Re- becca for Jacob, and far beyond It. See what this good Mother, of whom Rebecca was but the type, does to obtain for her children the blessing of our Heaven- ly Father. 1. She is on the look-out, as Rebecca was, for favourable occasions to do them good, to aiggranddse and enrich them. She sees cteariy in God aU goods and evils, all pros- perous and adverse fortunes, the blessings and the cursings of God ; and then she so *■ ^^ — I«7 — disposes things from afar, that she may exempt her servants from all sorts of evilH, and heap upon them all sorts of goods ; ho that if there is a good fortune to make In God by the fidelity of a creature to any high employment, it is certain that Mary will procure that good fortune for some of her true children and servants, and will give them the grace to go through it with Hdelity. It is a Saint who says, Ipsa procu- rat neffotia nottra. 2. She also gives her clients good coun- sels, as Rebecca did to Jacob, Fill mi, ae- guiesce conHliia meis—"My son, follow my counsels." Among other counsels, she in- spires them to bring her the two kids ; that is to say, their body and soul, in order to consecrate them, to make a pottage agree- able to God, and to do everything which Jesus Christ her Son has taught by His words and His examples. If it is not by herself that she gives these counsels, it is by the ministry of the Angels, who have no greater honour or pleasure than to descend to earth to obsy any of her commandments, and to succour any of her servonts. 3. When they have brought to her and consecrated to her their body and soul, and -.168 — all that depends on them, without except- ing anything, what does tbait good Mother do ? Just what Rebecca did of old with the two kids Jacob brought Eer. (1) She kills thems and makes them die to the old Adam. (2) She flays, and strips them of their naitural skin, theifnatural inclinations, ■elf'loTe, their own wiU, and all attachment to' creatures. (8) She cleanses them of their spots, their vllenesses, and their sins. (4) She dresses them to the taste of Ood, and to His greatest glory ; and as It is Mary alone who knows perfectly what that di- vine taste Is, and what that greatest glory of the Most High, It is. Mary alone who, without making any mistake, can accom- modate and dress our body and soul for that taste Infinitely exalted, and for that glory infinitely hidden. 4. This good Mother, having received the perfect offering which we maEe to her of ourselves, our own merits and satisfactions, by the devotion I am describing, strips ub of our old garments ; she makes us her own and 80 makes us worthy to appear before our Heavenly Father. (1) She clothes us in the clean, new, precious, and perfumed garments of Esau — 169 ~ the elder-that Is, of Jeaus Christ her Son -whom she keeps In her house— that is to say, whom she has to her own power. She Is the treasurer and eternal dispenser of the merits and virtues of her Son, which Bhe gives and communicates to whom she wills, when she wills, as she wills, and In TOch quantity as she wlUs ; as we have seen before. (2) She covers the neck and hasids of her servants with the skins of the kids she klBed ; that Is to say, she adorns them with the merits and value of her own proper actions. She kills and mortifies. It Is true, all that Is Impure and Imperfect In them, but she neither loses nor dissipates one atom of the good wt'ch grace has done there. On the contrary, she preserves and augments It, to make It the ornament and the strength of their neck and their hands : that Is to say, to fortify them, and to help them to carry the yoke of the Lord, which Is worn upon the neck, and to work great things for the glory of God, and the sal- vation of their poor brethren. (3) She bestows a new perfume amd a new grace upon their garments and adorn- ments. In communicating to them her own — 170 — garments, merlte, and virtues, which she bequeath'^ to them by her testamejxt, when she died ; as said a holy religious of the last century, who died In .Ihe odour of sanctity, and learnt this by revelation. Thus all her domestics, faithful servants, and slaves. Hire doubly clad In the garments of her Son and In her own: Omnes domestici vestiti sunt duplicibus—" A.U her domestics are clothed in double clothing." It Is on this account that they have nothing to fear from the cold of Jesus Christ, who is white as snow— a cold which the reprobate, laM naked, and stripped of the merits ot Jesus and Mary, cannot for one moment bear. (4) Finally, she enables them to obtain the blessing of our Heavenly Father, though, being but the youngest born and Indeed only adopted chUdren, they have no natural right to have It. With these garments all new, most precious, and of most fragraet odour, and with their botiy and soul well prepared and dressed, they draw near with confidence to the Father's bed of repose. He understands and dis- tinguishes their voice, which Is the voice of the sinner ; He touches their hands, cov- — 171 — ered with skins ; He smells the good odour of their clothes ; He eats with Joy of that which Mary their Mother has dressed for Him recognising in them the merits and the good odour of His Son and of His holy Mother. 1. First, then, He give* them His double benediction, the benedic- tion of the dew of heaven. De rore ccele8ti» —that is to say, of divine grace, which Is. the seed of glory ; Benedixit nog in omni be- nedictione spirttali in Christo Jesu ; and then the benediction of the fat of the earth, De pinguedine feirtp— that is to say, the Father gives them their daUy bread, and a, sufficient abundance of the^ goods of this world. 2. Secondly, He malies them masters of their other brethren, the reprobate. But this primacy is not always apparent in the world which passes In aa instant, and where the reprobate are often masters— Pcccofores effabuntur et gloriaimn' tur ; vidi impium superexaltatvtn et elevatum. But it is nevertheless a true primacy ; and it will appear maoifestly in the other world for all eternity, where the just, as the- Holy Ghost says, shall reign over the na- tions, and command them—Domimihuntur- PopuUg. 3. Thirdly, His Majesty, not con- — 172 — tent with blessing them in their persons and their goods, blesses also those who shall bless them, ajDd curses those who 'shall curse and persecute them. n. The second duty which our Blessed Lady fulflls towards her faithful servants Is that jBhe furnishes them with everything, both for their body and their soul. She gives them double clothing, as we hiaive just seen. She gives them to eat the most ex- quisite meats of the table of God ; for she gives them to eat the bread of life, whicn she herself has formed. A generationibiu mei» impleminin-My dear children, she says, under the name of divine Wis- dom, be filled with my generations ; that is to say, with Jesus, the fruit of life, whom I have brought into the world for yon. Venite, comedite panem meum et Mbite vinum quod miscui vobis j- comedite, et Mbite, et in- eltriamini, cariasimi—Come, she repeats to them ia another place, eat my bread, which Is Jesus, and drink the wine of His love, which I have mixed for you. As it Is Mary who is the treasurer and dispenser of the gifts and graces of the Most High, sbe gives a good portion, mnd indeed the best portkm, to nourish and maintain her child- — 173 — ren and her servants. They are fattened on the Living Bread. They are Inebriated on the wine which brings forth virgins. They are borne at the bosom of Mary- i6 ubera portaUmini. They have such fa- cility In carrying the yoke of Jesus Christ, that they feel nothing of its weight, be- cause of the oil of devotion which has made it soften and Aeca-y-^ugum eonm m- treacere faciei a facie olH. III. The third good which our Lady does to her servants is that she conducts ana toects them according to the wlU of her Son. Rebecca guided her little Jacob, anfl gave him good advice from time to time ; either to draw upon himself the blessing of his father, or to avert from himself the hatred and persecution of his brother Esau. Mary who Is the Star of the Sea, leads all her faithful servants to a good port. She shows them the paths of etemai life. She makes them avoid the dangerous places. She conducts them by her hand along the paths of justice. She steadies them when they are about to faU ; she lifts them up when they have fallen. She reproves them Mke a charitable mother when they fall ; and sometimes she even lovlng-ly chastliei — 174— them. Can » chHd obedient to Mary, his foster-mother and his enlightened guide, go astray in the paths of eternity.? Ipaam »e- quena non deviaa—" If you follow her," says St. Bernard, " you cannot wander from the road." Fear not, therefore, that a true child of Mary can be deceived by the evil one, pr fall into any formal heresy. There where the guidance of Miaxy is, neither the €vil spirit with his illusions, nor the heretics with their subtleties, can ever come— /p«d tenente, non corruls. IV. The fourth good ofllce which our Lady Tenders to her children and faithful ser- vants is to protect and defend them. Re- becca, by her cares and artifices, delivered Jacob from all the dangers in which he found himself,, and particularly from the death which his brother Esau would have inflicted on him, because of the envy and hatred which h« bore him ; as Cain did of oJd to his brother Abel. Mary, the good Mother of the predestinate, hides them un- der the wings of her protection, as a hen bides her chickens. She speaks, she humbles herself, she condescends to all their weaknesses, to secure them from the hawk and the vulture. She puts herself — 175 — round about them, and ebe accompanies them, like an army In battle array, ut co«- trorum ades ordinnta. ShaJl a man, who has an army of a hundred thousand sold- iers around him, fear his enemies ? A faithful servant of Mary, surrounded by her protection and her Imperial power, has stm less to fear. This good Mother and pow- erful Princess of the heavens would rather despatch battalions of millions of Angels to succour one of her servants than that it rtould ever be said that a faithful servant of Mary, who trusted In her, had had to succumb to the malice, the number, and the vehemence of his enemies. V. Lastly, the fifth and the greatest good •which the sweet Mary procures for her faithful clients is to Intercede for them with lier Son, and to appease Him by her pray- ers. She unites them to Him with a most intimate union, and she keeps them unshak- en In that union. Rebecca made Jacob come near to his father's bed. The good man touched him, embraced him, and even kissed him with I Joy, being content and satisfied with the well-dressed viands which he bad brought -. 176 -. talm ; and baring smelt with much content- ment the exquisite perfume of Bis garments, he cried ont, Eece oior fiMi mei tiout odor agri pleni, cui benediait Dominua "Behold the odour of roy son, which Is like the odour of a full field that the Lord hath bdest" This odvur of the full field which charms the heart of the Father is nothing else than the odour of the virtues and merits of Mary, who is ei field full of grace, where God the Father has sown His only Son, as a grain of the wheat of the elect. Oh, how a child perfumed with the good odour of Mary, is welcome with Jesus Christ, who is the Father of the world to come ! Oh, how promptly and how perfectly is such a chilfl united to his Lord! But we have shown this at length already. Furthermore, after Mary has heaped her favours upon her children and faithful se^ vants, and has obtained for them the bene- diction of her Heavenly Father and union with Jesus Christ, she preserves them in Jesus, and Jesus In them- She takes care of them, watches over them always, for fear they should lose the grace of God, and fall back into the snares of their enemies. In plmitudine detin«(— she detains the Saints — 177^ In their fulness, and makes them persevere to the end, as we have seen ^^'"^^ere "ill™"'"''"'"""- •""»" "ncHTm. My dear brother, be sure that if rr^„ S's sj's '""«»' •»- «»^"p.:^ .r J' row :n^"^- '««-'« your soul : ^*" ^^^ P'««e In „' , '^*'" ^y His dear Spouse, Mary, vou will 2«erstand your own evil, your^^iuptZ wiiur. lou will regard vonr. ZZ: '""''' ''"^ ^P°"^ everything with «te Slime ; or a toad, that poisons everytnln^ *' "« ^enom ; or as a spiteful se^ent 17 — 178 — only seeking to deceive. In other woras, tho humble Mary yrm communicate to you a portion of her profound humility, which wUl make you degplse yourself, deaplse nobody else, but love to be despised your- self. 2 Our Blessed Lady will give you also a portion of her faith, which was the great- est of all faiths that ever were on earth, greater than the faith of aU the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and Saints put togeth- er Now that she Is reigning in the heav- ens, she haa no longer this faith, because she sees all things clearly in God by the light of glory. Nevertheless, with the con- sent of the Most High, in entering Into glory she has not lost her faith. She has kept It in order that she may keep it in the Church MUitant for her faithful servants The more, then, you gain the favour of that august Princess and faithful Virgin, the more will you go by pure faith in aU your conduct; a pure faith which wlU make you hardly care at all about the sen- sible and the extraordinary ; a lively f aitu animated by charity, which will enable job to perform all your actions from the madow ofdeatrtoUalXrwh'' "" inkewami and who have^ ^JTh k° ""^ sold or charity, to give J^tftf * ''^"*^"^ ■neek and powerful wo^« TT^ "^ ''°°'' "■"We and the cedal S ?! *^^^' °' toally, to resist t^ . ^'"'"on. «id «-les 'or sarvSj,^ '^^" -<^ -" «>e ex. 3- This Mother or f««t. i«- «way rrom your h«r^ Jf, ^ '^"' **'^e disorder of £4 f^ "1' ^^"'PJ^ and air I— nts wuh th:L:rc"ir ammimm — 180 — children of God. She wJU Introduce Into it pure love, of which she has the treasure ; 8o that you shall no longer be guided by fear, as hitherto. In your dealings with the «od of charity, but by pure love. You will look on Him as your good Father, whom ypu win be incessantly trying to please, and with whom you will converse confident- ly as a child with Us tender father. K. unfortunately, you offend Him, you will at once humble yourself before Him. You. wlU ask His pardon with great lowliness, but at the same time you will stretch your hand out to Him with simplicity, and yoo -wUl raise yourself up lovingly, without trouble or disquietude, and go on your way to Him without discouragement 4. Our Blessed Lady will fill you with » j great confidence In God and in herself : (1) because you will not be approaching to Jesus by yourself, but always by that good Mother ; (2) because, as you have given her j aU your merits, graces, and satisfactions,, to dispose of Bit her wlU, she will communM cate to you her virtues, and will clothe yon j in her merits, so that you will be able n say to God ;wlth confidence, " Behold Mfujj Thy handmaid ; be it done, unto me accon" — 181 — ingto Thy word"~Ecce anoilla Domini, flat n^ihi secundum verlmm tuum ; (3) Zl^Z as you h«^e given your«eJf entirely SLT MM, Will In return glv* herself to von in 8ta: save me •" o7 » *™ tJ^m*. holy vir- wlth thl 1.: ' ^^ ^ ^''''^ ««'1 before. ^ the Beloved Disciple. Acoepi te in r~ ^''''^ **^«° "^e«. holy Mother for Bonaventure ^I i?"*^. '^'** ^^ ^«h St. mother place T««» *„* ' ■°** '" h.. Mistress, who saves me t ^m I taTe confidence and will h«w \ ^ " yon are my strenii, TIh '*"""' ^*=*"«« h*rd....i^J^'S^^"*' '"y praise In the J^ have iTon" ! ^'^""' '^^ all that Kl„,*MeJ^°«;j° ^«"-' O glorious II win n.,* **^^ *^^ created thlnirs ' r» your love Is as strong as.death." You may «iy to God In the «.ntlmenU of the prophet, Dominc, no» m* «w«at«m t^m. «e««e elati -' o«-^* ^^^r o««wlat^ i» ^oMs, neque in m*'*''"'**"**^ p«- me, »i no« *««.«««• ,«.t««bai« ; .ed «ra^. w o«imam meam : sicut «««<"«*«• "V*^ pe/matre t«o. «« retHMio i» «»*7 "««7 '• Lord, my heart and my eyes have no Tight to ext«J themselyeB, or to be pro«d. o' Jo seek great and T^onderful things. Yet everi this I am not humble : but I haye lifted up and encouraged my soul by confl^ dence : I am like a child, weaned from the pleasures of earth and resting «" "• "?^ er's lap ; and It Is on tba* lap that aH go^ thlngfcome to me" (s6e Psalm cxxx.). (4) What will still further »»<=«*««, ^« 7,^ dence in her Is that you will hare lesi cSnce in yourself. You have given h« in trust all you have of good abont jo"^ that she may have it and keep It ; and «^ all the trust you once had in your^e'^J", become an Increase of confidence in her, who Tyour treasure. Oh, what confluence ^/j ^hat consolation Is this for a soul whocan Tay that the treasure of ^od. where He b« been pleased to put all He had most P«^ clous. Is his own treasure alaol Ip»a «« theiauru, DomiM. It was a Saint who said ■be waa the treasure of the Lord 5. The aool of our Blessed L.v v wtt! communicate Itself to you, to i ., - v.^ Lord. Her spirit will enter Uiv uje"i;i;..e of yours, ttf rejoice In God L.- ^alviUK i, provided only that you are inithfti' 'o li,- practices of this devotion. i>u iv nn.vMp anima Maria, ut magniflcet Dominum : sit . tingulia spiHtw, Uariw, ut ewultet ,r. Ueo (St Ambro«e) -" Let the soul of Mary be •n each of us to glorify the Lord : let the •pint of Mary be In each of us to rejoice In God." Ah I when wlU the happy time come isld a holy man of our own days, who woe aU absorbed In Mary-ah-! when wUl the nappy time come, when the divine Mary will be established mistress and queen of hearts, In order that she may subjiect them fully to the empire of her great and holy Jesus ? When will souls breathe Mary as the body breaches air ? When that time comes wonderful things will happen In those lowly places where the Holy Ghost, flnd- Ing His dear Spouse as It were reproduced to souls, shaU come In with abundance, and Sa them fuU to overflowing with His gifts, and particularly with the gift of wisdom, to work the miracles of gnK>e. My dear — 184 — « brother, when will that happy time, that age of Mary, come, when aoula, losing them- selves in the abyss of her interior, shall be- come living copies of Mary, to love and glorify Jesus ? That time will not come until men shaJl know and practise this de- votioi which I am teaching. Vt advmiat regnum tuum, advmiat regnum Martw. 6 If Mary, who is the tree of life, is well cultivated in our soul by fidelity to the prac- tices of this devotion, she will bear her fruit in her own time, and her fruit Is none other than Jesus Christ. B-.v many devout Boulls do I see who seek Jesus Christ, some by one way or by one practice, and others by other ways and other practices; and after they hiave tolled much throughout the night, they say, Per Mam noctem latorantes nm cepimu8-"'We have toUed all night, and have taken nothing ! " We may say to them, Lahorastis imatum, et intuUatis parum —"You have taboured much and gained llttl© :" Jesus is yet feeble in you. But by that immaculate way of Mary and that di- vine practice which I am teaching, we toll during the day, we toil in a holy place ; ^ve toll but little. There is no night in Mary, because there is no sin nor even the slight- — 185 — est shade. Mary is a holy place, and the holy of holies where Saints are formed and TZ^t l^^' °°"*="' '' ^° P'^'Be, that I say the Saints are moulded In Mary There is a great difference between mak- ing a figure In relief by olows of tammer and chisel, and making a figure by throw- ing It Into a mould. Statuaries and sculp- tors labour much to make figures in the first manner ; but to make them In the sec- ond manner, they work little, and So their work quickly. St. Augustine calls our Blessed I.ady forma i)ef-" the mould of God:" Si for- mam Dei tc appelletn, digna existis-" The mould fit to cast and mould pods." He who Is cast in this mould is presently form- ed and moulded In Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ In him. At a slight expense and In a short tlm^ he wUl become God, because he has been cast in the same mould which has formed a God. It seems to me that I can very aptly com- pare directors and devout persons, who wish to form Jesus Christ In themselves or other* by different practices from this, to sculptors who trust In their own professional skill, Ingenuity or art. and so give an infinity of — 186 — hammerlnss and chiselllnsg to a hiard stone or a piece of badly-polished wood, to make an image of Jesus Christ out of It. Some- times they do not succeed In giving any- thing like the natural expression of Jesus, eithei; from haTing no knowledge or expe- rtence of the Person of Jesus, or from some blow awkwardly given, which has spoiled the work. But for those who embrace the secret of grace which I am revealing to them I may reasonably compare them to founders and casters who have discovered the beau- tiful mould of Mary, where Jesus was naturally and divinely formed ; and without trusting to their own skill, but only in the goodness of the mould, they cast themselves and lose themselves In Mary, to become the portraits of Jesus Christ after nature. O beautiful and true comparison ! but who will comprehend It ? I desire that you may, my dear brother. But remember that we only cast in bj mould what is melted and liquid : that is to say, you must destroy and melt down In yourself the old Adam to be- come the new one In Mary. 7. By this practice, faithfully observed, you win give Jesus more glory in a montli than by any other practice, however diffl- — 187 — cult, m many years ; and I give the follow- ing reasons for It (1) Because, doing your actions by our Blessed Lady, as this practice teaches you, you abandon your own mentions and operations, although good and known, to of the Blessed Virgin, although they are un- known. Thus you enter by partldpatlor into the sublimity of her Intentions, which are so pure, that she gives more glory to S! ^^f:"/^* **' ^«^ actlons-for e:^m PH In twirling her distaff or pointing her .wd,le-than St. I^wrence by his cruel mar- by all their heroic actions put together. It was thus that, during her sojourn here oelow, she acquired such an unspeakable aggregate of graces and merits that It were easier to count the stars of the firmament. the drops of water In the sea, or the grains of sand upon Its shore, than her merits and graces Thus it was that she gave more glory to God than all the Angels and Saints toTC given Him or ever will give Him O prodigy of a Mary ! thou canat not help but ^prodigies of grace in souls that wish to lose themselves altogether in tTi^ ' (2) Because the soul In this practice — 188 — counts as nothing whatever It thinks or does of itself ! and only puts its trust and takes its pleasure in the dispositions of Mary, when it approaches Jesus or even speaks to Him. Thus it practices hnmllity far more than the souls who act of themselves, and lean with however imperceptible a com- placency on their own dispositions. But if the soul acts more humbly, It therefore glo- rifies God more highly ; and Ho Is only per- fectly glorified by the humble and those that are little and lowly in heart. (3) Beoarase our Blessed Lady, wishing by her great charity to receive the present of our actions in her virginal hands, gives them an admirable beauty and splendour. More over, she offers them herself to .Tpsus Christ, and without difficulty ; and our Lord is thus more glorified by them than If we offered them by our own criminal hands. (4) Lastly, because you never think of Mary without Mary, In your place, thinking of God. You never praise or honour Mary without Mary praising and honouring God. Mary IS altogether relative to God ; and, Indeed, I might well call her the relation to God. She only exists with reference to God. She is the echo of God, who says noth- — 189 — «ng, repeats nothing, but God Tf v.-, Mary, she says "God '• «f wii .. praised Mary, and ea£?' her tl^S* b ' XofGoretTeT, ^^'^^ "-"-- the Lord." That whi!?^ "" magnify does dally now wJ ^"^ ^'** *''^°' «»>« her, honour hir oT^?" """ ^^'^ *'^'^' '°^« rMerrrry"^^----- IV. PABTICTO^ PBACTICES OP XHIS DEVOTION. 1. Eatternal Practices. Although what Is essentlaJ In this d» tion consists in the Interior i ^''°' fail to unite to thi • "^"°'^' ^^ must not ^hat he has done or ought to do; and also — too — because they are suitable to edify our neigh- bour, who sees them, which inward prac- tices cannot do. Let no worlding, then, or critic sneer at this. Let them not say that because true devotion is in the heart, we must avoid external devotion ; or that de- votion ought to be hidden, and that there may be vanity in showing it I answer with my Master, that men should see our good works, that they may glorify our Father, who is in heaven ; not, as St Gregory says, tliat we ought to perform our actions and exterior devotions to please men and to get praise— that would be vanity— but that we should sometimes do them before men, with the view of pleasing God, and glorifying Him thereby, without caring either for the con- tempt or the praise of men. I will only allude briefly to some exterior practices, which I do not call "exterior" because we do them without any interior, but because they have something outward about them, to distinguish them from those which are purely inward. First Practice. Those who wish to enter Into this particular devotion, which is not at present erected into a confraternity, though steUa, and the litany of the Holy Ghost. — 191 — «P'rtt Of Jesus Chrll? f . .i*"'''''^ *° *!>« weeks ,n ^Ung Ssli^'s "^,,^^'«^ "•^- by the holy Virgin Tt.y^""C'>^«« the following (Jrder : ^ ^^**"" P^'-^ne During the first wp^k ti, all their Prayers anTptus/ h"""'** ^""P'^^ 'or a knowledge of them-T '''^ '° '^^^''^ tritlon of their sl^ • S^^'"' *'''* '*»• ^°"- 'n a spirit Of h^X *^:;,^"'<^ ,^o thl. oHn if +K-, L "'""•y. n or that end thev toads swine, serpents, and unclean anS oflhfdlfh^-;---^^^^^^^^ and our ending a. the food of wX' S*^ S: ^'^•' *°** '<>'• that end they "el "'*.*'' ejaculations. Domine «J I « He. and th« litany of the Holy Ghost ~-192 — Daring tbe second week they should apply tbemselyes, during all their prayers and works ( ?fii day, to know the Blessed Vir- gin. They ^ould ask this knowledge of the Holy Gbr-'- . ihey should read and meditate what T.o aaive said about it. They should recit^ aa in the first week, the Litany of the Holy Ghost land the A.W, marii ttaia. and in addition a Rosary daily, or, if not a whole Bosary at least a chaplet, for the intention ,o( impetratlng more knowledge of Macy. They should apply themselves In the third week to know Jesus Christ. They can meditate upon what we hare said about Him, and say the prayer of St Augustine, which they will find in the first part of this treatise. They can, with the same Saint repeat a hundred times a day, yoverim te- " Lord, that I might know Thee ! " or Do- mine, ut videam — " Lord, that I might see j who Thou art ! " They shall recite, as In tlie preceding weeks, the litany of ibe Holy Ghost and the Ave, maris Stella, and tl>ey ; shall add dally the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus. At the end of the three weeks they shall confess and communicate, wili the Intention of giving tfemselTes to Jesssj — f 9S - Christ, In the qualltv of .r ".e hands ot^^ "' "i*^«« »' love, by '^hlch they should trv tt , ''«™"'"nlo„. to the method given ZJu ""^ aoeordlnp '^'te the formula X:.""''"'^'"""'^ '^Wch they Will flnrt ,!^'' '^'"'secratlon, ought to write It or h ""^^^^^s. The^ -n.e day they Sdf f ^r'^ ^° '* the also that on that d„ v /h ""'^ ** ^o" I^ady, either r!o „» *'''' '»"'• B'essed 'aitb,ui.e;;t:tie'rror;rT^*-- or m testimony of tClr V '' ^^Ptlsm. 'iMesiance to the do^ f dependence and f--y. ThistmuteoT/hTto'^L'"" ''°'' to the devotion and crpaCtv „, ^'''^'"'"'^ »« a fast, a mortlflnnH ^ ^""^''^ o^e- «J^- If they S^ b ' ! ; ''" ^"'' ««• '^ <^a°- woold be enough L r * ^^ *'««"' '* at the good wilf On '' '"''^ ''^''^ o^l^ -esamHa^Vrou^rewtr^"^ consecration, obserrlne tL IT "^® -during the three wSs-Th?""' ^T''"'' once a month «. ^•'' "'^^t also What thtiL-e 1 K **''* "^ '^''y- ^«°ew "I am all for ^hJ '^"'"* "'^ '«« *««'- " ^""^ ^'^^e- a°d all I have belongs 18 — 194 — to Thee. O my jiweet Jesus, by Mary Thy holy Mother." Second Practice. They may recite every day of their life, without, however, making any burden of it, the Little Corona of the Blessed Virgin, composed of three Our Father's and twelve Hall Marys, in honour of our Lady's twelve privileges and grand- eurs. This is a very ancient practice, for It has its foundation in the Holy Scriptures. St. John saw a woman crowned with twelve •tars, clothed with the sun, and holding the moon under her feet ; and this woman, according to the interpreters, was the most holy Virgin. There are many ways of say- ing this Corona weU ; but it would be too long to enter upon them. The Holy Ghost will teo^ih them to those who are the most faithful to this devotion. Nevertheless, to say it quite simply we should begin by say- ing, Diiira'o me Imidare te, Virgo marata, da miM virhitem contra Mates tuo8. After that we should say the Cred^, and then a Pater with four Aves, and then one Oloria Patrw then another Pater, four Aves, and one Gloria Patri, and so on with the rest ; ana at the end we should say the Suh tuum pr(t-| u --195. TMrd Practice it i. -. Who have thus SLe th? ?''^"" ***""«« Jesus in m^, ^t*t '^^^'"' '""^«'» Of « badge or Slr^;t,„*f ^ »^«"'«» -ear, a* badges are not essenl, . '* "*«"«' h»u. embraced t^rr ;.'"*' " P^"°° -bo so without them . ni:?. r^" ^'"^ ''^^ after having 8hAk»n ^-./u*^ *^°*® -bo. Of the Slavery S the d!vnV'""'"' •=^''"'» sin. and Perhaps aotualtiLrH'? "^"^"'"' CbSl and*' 4'Ctr £T\ r ^^'"» m chains for Lul-Th!. . ''"' ^° *^1°» more .lorlol t^d preru7it"r** *'"^ tban^n .e goMennrs\?Xj^rr' slaverv i?Jf ^ ^""^ ^""^ *»f tbe Irons of slavery. There was nothing more dgnomlnl -on/"ihZrn:\r VL^y^- «"t •"-trlous than the chal oT^rS MICROCCWY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) ■ 10 112 1^ 1*0 1.8 ^ x^PPLIED IIVMGE I ^^ 1653 East Main Street STm Rochester, New York 14609 USA — (716) 482 - 0300 - Phone ^S (^16) 288 - 5989 - Fox — 196 — tuey unchain «s, and P--^ -^'tS; 'TZ S; tfc^n ttotsus an. like e-^^^'-y-^'^^ZnlXTt^ru^^ <"^- like chUdren. ^'^""""/^^^'"Me," said God .-itati*-" 1 ^»1 d-^^^ *Xt " by the chains -? r "^."^rrchrnrare 2 Strong «« irand^; - - a ee^tain^rr. ^^'^T^hesrVou: "adges to their ^„ylng these gi ^^^^^^^^ ^heir death. For. thougn ^.^rruption, it bodies in hi-inglng ^^^^J^ j^^j, slavery, aces not destroy the el^i- oft ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^hich, being *>*^f°;d;yofthere8nrrec. '^«^^- ^''w;hrgrand last judgment, tion of the body, the gra ^^^^ these chains f ^U jtlU be boues, a.d ^^-l^'^:,:Slfot light and and be transmuted ^^^^'^''^^ thousand times ^^^^'^'The iSL'^av^^ <>' Jesus ^.« happy. tl»e "1"^^"°^ to the tomb. — 197 — by this devotion, and of the strict obligation under which he Is to be faithful to them. As the man who sbaipes his course more often by the senses than by pure faith easily forgets his oWlgatlons towards God, unless he has some outward thing to remind Mm of them, these little chains serve marvellous- ly to remind the Christian of the chains of sin, and of the slavery of the devil, from which Baptism has delivered him, and of the dependence on Jesus which he has vowed to Him In Baptism, and of the ratification of it which he has made by the renewal of his vows. One of the reasons why so few Christians think of their bap- tismal vows, and live with as much license as if they had promised no more to God than the heathen, is because they do not wear any external badge to make them remem^ber It. Secondly, it is to show that we are not ashamed of the servitude and slavery of Jesus Christ, and that we renounce the slavery of the world, sin, and the devU. Thirdly, It Is to guarantee ourselves from the chains of sJn and the devil, and to be beforehand with them ; for we must wear either the chains of iniquity, or the chains of charity and aadvation : Tincula peccatorum — 198 — aut vincttla chaHtatis. O my dear brother, let us break the chains of sin and of sinners, of the world and of woridllness, of the devil and his ministers ; and let us cast far from us their depressing yoke : Dirumpamus tincula eorum, et projlciarms a noMs jugum ipa,yrum. Let us put our feet, t. use the terms of the Holy Ghost. Into His glorious irons, and our neck Into His collars : Injlce Ldem m ■ in compedes ilUus, et in torques illius collnm tuum ; mhjice Jiumerim tuim et porta illam, et ne acedieris vinculU ejus You win remark that the Holy Ghost, be- fore saying these words, prepares a sou ior them, lest it should reject His important counsel. See His words : Audi, flU, ct acctpe cmmum intellcctus, et ne aiiicias consUia ^ca-" Heuirken. My son. and receive a counsel of understanding, and reject not My counsel." You would wish, my very d«ar fr^nd. that I should here unite myself to the Ho y Ghost to give you the same counsel with Him Tincula illius alUgatura salutis-ms chains are chains of salvation. As Jesus Christ on the Cross ought to draw all thing to Him.with their will or against it. He will draw the reprobate by the chains ot — 199 — their sins, that He may chain them like galley-slaves and devils to His eternal anger and revengeful Justice. But He wiU. and particularly In these latter times, draw the predestinate by the chains of charity Omnia traham ad meipsum. Traham eoa in vinoulia charitatis. These loving slaves of Jesus Christ, " the chained of Christ "- Mncti Christi-can wear their chains elvher on their necli or on their feet. Faf • Vincent Caraffa^ seventh genera f ue Jesuits, who died in the odour ot .ancti"ty. m the year 1643, used to wear a circle of iron round his feet as a mark of his ser- vitude ; and said that his only pain was that he could not publicly drag a chain. The Mother Agnes of Jesus, of whom we have spoken before, used to wear an Iron chain round her body. Others have worn it round their neck, in penance for the collars of pearls which they have worn In the world ; while others have worn It round their 'arms, to remind themselves, in their manual labours, that they were slaves of Jesus Christ. Fourth Practice. Those who undertake this holy slavery should have a very special »^«y pub- lished and openly poached that sal- vation having begun with the Ilall Mary, the salvation of each one of U8 In particu- lar Is attached to that prayer. They tell us that It is that pnayer which made the dry and barren earth bring forth the fruit of life: and ihat it is that prayer well said which makes the W..rd of God germinate In our souls, and bring forth Jesus Christ the Fruit of life. They tell us that the Hail Mary is a heavenly dew for watering the earth, which is the soul, to malfe it bring forth its fruit in season ; and that a soul Which Is not watered by that prayer bears no fruit, and brings forth only thorns and brambles, and is ready to be cursed. Listen to what our Lady revealed to the B. Alan de la Roche, as he has recorded it In his booli on the dignity of the Rosary : " Know, my son, and malte all others Icnow, that It is a probable and proximate sign of eternal damnation to have an aversion, a lultewarmness, or u negligence, in saying the Angelical Salutation, which has repaired the whole world," .-icim enim et securi intel- ligas et inde lati omnibus notum facias, quod videlicet signum probabile eat et propinquum — 206 — (BtemoB damnatUmit horrere et aeediari, at negligere Salutationen Angelicam, totiua tnun- di reparationem. These are words at once terrible and consoling, and which we should find It hard to beJteve If we had not that holy man for a guarantee, and St Dominic before him, and many great men since. But we have also the experience of several ages ; for it has always been remarked that those who wear the outward look of repro- bation, like impious heretics and proud worldlings, hate or despise the HaU Mary or the Rosary. Heretics still learn and say the Our la- ther, but not the Hail Mary, nor the Roaary, Tnat is their horror. They would rather wear a serpent than a Rosary. The proud also, although Catholics, have the same inclinations as their father, Luci- fer ; and so have only contempt or Indiffer- ence for the Hail Mary, and look at the Bo sary as at a devotion which is only good for the ignorant, and for those who cannot read. on the contrary, it Is an equally universal experience that those who have otherwise great marks of predestination aibout them love and relish the Hail Mary, and d^ light in saying it We always seethe — 207- more a man l, for God. th* more he likes that prayer. This in what our Lady slS a^jo to the Blessed Alan after the wo^, which I have recently quoted. I do not know how Jt Is, nor why. but. nevertheless, I well know that It is tru.: nor have I any better secret of knowing whether a person Is for God than to examine If he likes to say the Hall Mary and the Rosary. I say if he liken ; for it may happen that a person may De under some natural Irablllty to My it or even a supern; aral one • yet. nevertheless, he likes it always' and always Inspires the same liking iito others. O predestinate souls ! slaves of Jef us in Mary! learn that the Ha. Mary is the most beautiful of ali prayers after the Our Father. It is the most perfect compliment which you can make to Mttry, because It is the compliment which the Most High sent her by an archangel, in order to gain her heart ; and It was so powerful over her heart by the secret charms of which it Is so fuU, that in spite of her profound hnmiUty, she gave her consent to the Incarnation of the Word. It is by this compliment also that you will Infallibly gain her heart, if you say it as you ought. _308 — .The Hall Mary well said— that Is, with attention, devotion, and modesty— Is, accord- ing to the Saints, the enemy of the devil which puts him to flight, and the hammer which crushes him. It is the sanctlflcatlon of the soul, the joy of Angels, the melody of the predestinate, the canticle of the New Testament, the pleasure of Mary, and the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. The Hail Mary Is a heavenly dew which fertilises the soul. It is the chaste laod loving kiss which we give to Mary. It is a vermillion rose which we present to her ; a precious pearl we offer her ; a chalice of divine am- brosial nectar which we hold to her. All these are comparisons of the Saints. I pray you urgently, by the love I bear you In Jesus and Mary, not to content yourselves with saying the Uttle Corona of the Blessed Virgin, but a whole Chap- let • or even, if you have time, the whole Hosary every day. At the moment of your death you will bless the day and hour in which you have followed my advice. Hav- ing thus sown in the benedictions of Jesus and Mary, you will reap eternal .benedic- tions in heaven : Qui semimt in benedictions bus, de benedictimibua et metet. -- 209 _ adopt t.,. a.::cz^Zs.j\::z niflcat as the Blessed Mary d'oUfea dw" -nd many other Saints. ItTs the only prayi er. the only work, which the holy Vlrl on^posed. or. rather, which Jesus compoS n her ; for He spoke by her mouth. Itis the greatest saerlflce of praise which God ever received from ^ pure creature In the moJl ^"T " ''' •*" '''' '>'>« hand, the most humble and grateful, and on the her hand, the most sublime and exaJted! Of all canticles. There are In that song mysteries so great and hidden that the An e^dit?p°''* '""'"' "'^°'- '"^^ P'«>"« '^nl erudite Gerson employed a great part of .nl vf *^°'P»«l°e woks upon most diffi- cult subjects ; and yet It was only at the c ose of his career, and even then with trem- bling, that he undertook to comment on the Magnificat, so aa to crown all his other works He wrote a folio volume on It. and brings forward many admirable things about that beautiful and divine canticle. Among other things he says that our Lady often repeat- ea it herself, and especially for thanksgiv- ing after Communion. The learned Ben- 19 — 1\0 — lonius, in exptainlng the same Magnificat relates many miracles wrought by the vir- tue of it, and says that the devils tremble and fly when they hear thse words : Fe- clt potentiam in brachio suo, diipersit auper- bos mente cordis sui. Seventh Practice. Those faithful servants of Mary who adopt this devotion ought al- ways greatly to despise, to hate, and to eschew the corrupted world, and to make use of those practices of the contempt of the world which we have given in the first part of this treatise. 2. Particular and Interior Practices for thone who wish to be perfect. Besides the external practices of the de- votion which we have been describing so far, and which we must not omit throusli negligence or contempt, so far as the stnte and condition of each one will allow him to observe them, there are some very saiir tifylng interior practices for those whom the Holy Ghost calls to high perfection. These may be expressed in four words; to do all our actions by Mary, with Mary. in Mary, and for Mary ; so that wc — 211 _ may do them aJl the more perfectly by Jesus, with Jesus, in Jesus, and for Jesus. I. We must do our actions 6y Mary ; that ■s to say. we must obey her in all things and m all things conduct ourselves by her spirit, which Is the Holy Spirit of God .H tJ.'"' "'^ '^"^ ^^ "'« SP'"-" of God are he children of God-«?«i Spiritu Dei agun- tur, H aunt fllii Dei. Those who are led by the spirit of Mary are the children of Mary and consequently the children of God as je have shown ; and among so many clients ^IJA f"^*' ^"■^'° °°"« «>•« fue or aithful but those who are led by her spirit. I toye said that the spirit of Mary was the Spirit of God, because she was never led by her own spirit, but always by the Holy Uhost, who has rendered Himself so com- pletely master of her, that He has become her own proper spirit. it ig on this Recount that St. Ambrose says : Sit in yuhs Mari<, „nima. ut maonificct Domi- "um.; Sit in sinoulis spiritus Marlw. ut exmil- '^^n Deo-" Let the soul of M«ry be in in L . f "^ '" '"'*' °' "^ *° ••*J«'<'« "fe*" the good Jesuit lay brother Alphonso tlty, it 18 all P««««««:,*.^f Jeu a^? strong, '^T '^rp^uUflumt and couva- jealcus and P""^^^^ ^ ^ order that geous. pure and P«>found ^^^^.^ the soul may ^^^}'^'' ^^„,^„ee Its o^vn ^^Stanrl -proper ««MS and wm. SS; ifdies anything. ^o^^-Joi^ Inld do so before "« Pray^iS f -4;;. saying or hearing ^-«^X- .f ou' ''"" alcating ; because the ^aikness o ^^ ^^^^X"^^rtrw1hr. 3ever g^ in the hands Of ^ f »J"l P^^^^^ J,,^ « riirr--"^^^^ Slstbedoneslmv^y.and nann Btant. by one glance /.f tiie mind b^ little movement of t^%7'"' '^'i "^^oum. bally, m saying, for example, I reno — 213 — myself ; I give myself to thee, my dear Moth- er. We may not, perhaps, feel any sensible sweetness In this act of union, but It Is not on that account the less real. It Is Just as if we were to say with equal sincerity, though without any sensible change In ourselves, what, may it please God, -we never shall say, I give myself to the devil ; we should not the less truly belong to the devil because we did not feel we belonged to him. Third- ly, we must, from timo to time, both duriug and after the action, renew the same act and offering of union. Th*. more we shall do so, the more we shall be sanctified ; and we shall all the sooner attain to union with Jesus Christ, which always follows neces- sarily on our union with Mary, because the spirit of Mary is the spirit of Jesus. 11. We must do our actions with Mary ; that is to say, we must in all our actions re- ga-^d Mary as an accomplished model of every virtue and perfection which the Holy (Jliost has formed in a pure creattu-e. for lis to Imitate according to our little measure. We must therefore in every action consider how Mary has done It, or how she would have done it, had she been In our place. For that end we must examine and meditate the — 214 — great virtues wblch she practised durinc her life, and particularly, first of all, her lively faith, by which she believed without hesitation the Angel's word, BOd believed it faithfully and constantly up to the foot of the Cross ; secondly, her profound humility, which made her hide herself, hold her peace, subniit to everything, and put herself the last of all; and, thirdly, her altogethe divine purity, which never has had. and never can have, its equal under heaven; and so on with aU her other virtues. Let us remember, 1 repeat it for the second time that Mary is the great and exclusive mould of God, proper to make living Images of God, at small cost and in little time; and that a soul which has found that mould and UP- lost itself in It, is presently changed into Jesus Christ, whom that mould repre- sents to the life. Ill We must do our actions in Mary Thoroughly to understand this practice, we must know, first, that our Blessed Lady is the true terrestrial paradise of the new Adam, and that the ancient Paradise was but a figure of her. There are, then, in this earthly paradise, riches, beauties, rarities. and inexplicable sweetnesses, which Jesus — 215 — Clirl«t. the new Adam, Las left tu was la this paradise that He tS '^r • '* Placenoe for nine months, wor^ Hil "''"" ders, and displayed Hl« .i , * '^°''" "iagnlfl^ence of a Go^ Twf "';' *"« f this earthly paradise thaf tSS%/ '« Jvlne place treos planted by the hand i t^'n^ ^«t^'-«d by His Divine unction ^liioh have borne and dally bear fruits o^ a taste divine. Thereare flower-bedl enam elled with beautiful and various bio^somr virtues, Shedding odours which embX^he' my Angels. There are meadows green w'h bope, impregnable towers of stren^h C he most entlctog houses of confldenc; It 1.'"^?; ''°'^ ^'^"^^ "'^'^ '-'^ °>a'^e us ^now Je hidden truth of these figures of mate ul things. There are in this place an Jr "^perfect purity; a fair sun, whhot — 216 — shadow, of the Divinity ; a fair day, with- out night, of the Sacred Humanity ; a continual burning furnace of love, where all the iron tha* is cast into It Is changed, by excessive heat, to gold. There is a river , of humility, which springs from the earth, and 'which, dividing itself into four branch- es, waters all that enchanted place ; and these are the four cardinal virtues. The Holy Ghost, by the mouth of the Fathers, also styles the Blessed Virgin the Eastern Gate, by which the High-Priest. Jesus Christ, enters the world and leaves it. By it He came the first time, and by it He will come the second. In the next place, to comprehend thor- oughly the practice of doing our actions in Mary, we must know that the most holy Virgin Is the Sanctuary of the Divinity, the repose of the Most Holy Trinity, the throne of God, the city of God, the altar of God.the temple of God, the world of God. AH these different epithets and panegyrics are most substantially true with reference to the dif- ferent marvels which the Most High has wrought In Mary. Oh, what riches ! what glory ! what pleasure ! what happiness ! to be able to enter in and dwell in Mary, where — 217 — the Most High ha« set up the throne of His upreme glory ! But how dlfflcu» It s for sinners like ourselves to have the pe mtaslon the capacity, and the light to enter Jnto a place so high and so holy which l» guarded not by one of the Che^Wm like «« old earthly Paradise, but by the HoTv H Hlfi^ri' ' "•"' '' "« absoluVSLt'^ He Himself has said of It. Hortm conelusu» »«<«»; Mary Is shut. Mary is sealed. The miserable children of Adam and E^e drly! Into this one, except by a pa^tlrular grace of^^the Holy Ghost, which the> oug^Tto .rtrlZ ^^ ^^^^ °*'**'°*'* **>'« lllnstrious grace by our fidelity, we must remain In he fair interior of Mary with complacency, repose th«re In peace, lean our weight there n confidence, hide ourselves there w?S assurance, and lose ourselves there without reserve. Thus, m that virginal L>C the soul Shall be nourished with the milk m^ZT "''*'™'' "^'•"^ = 2. It Shall he Dli /o™"" "' ^^^'^^^^ '«««• «'«i scru- ples ; and 3. It shall be in safety against all its enemles-the world, the de^l. and 1^' — 218 — who nevf r have an entrance there. It Is ou this account that Mary aays that they who work In her shall not sin : QtU operaniur in me, non peecabunt ; that Is to say, tho« who dwell Id Mary's spirit shall faU Into no con- siderable fault Lastly, 4. the soul shall be foruied In JesuB Christ, and Jesus Christ In It, because her bosom Is, as the Holy Fath- ers sBiy, the chamber ot the divine Sncra- ments, where Jesus Christ and all the elect have been formed. IV. Finally, we must do all our actions for Mary. As we have given ourselves up entirely to her service. It Is but Just to do everything for her as b servant and a slave. It Is not that we can take her for the last end of our services, for that Is Jesus Christ alone ; but we may take her for our proxi- mate end, o- : mysterious means, anrd our easy way to go to Him. Like a good servant and slave, we must not remain Idle, but supported by her protection, we must un- dertake and achieve great things for this august Sovereign. We must defend her privileges when they are disputed; we must stand up for her glory when It Is at- tacked ; we mot entice all the world. If we can, to her service and to this true an.l — 2t9 — ."^fn??.""" '• ''^ '""'' •P""" '^'^ cry out against those who abuse her d votlon to outrage her Son. and we must ai the Mune time establish this Veritable Devotion ; we must pretend to no recompense for our little services, except the honour of belonging to so sweet a Queen, and the happiness of being united by her to Jesus her Son by an Indissoluble Oe In time and in eternity. Gloiy to ./esus in Mary I Glory to Mary in Jesus .' Glrry 10 r.od Alone ! — no — TOT TBBB or LIW, MS OUVtVVE AMD OBOWTE; OB. HOW TO MAKE MABY WVK AND BEION IN OUB BOUU. PrAdestlned soul, have you understood, by the light of the Holy Ghost, what has been said ? If so, thank God, for It 1h a seciet unknown *« almost all the world. If you have found tbt. treasure hidden m the field of Mary, the precious pearl of the Gospel, you must sell all that you bave and buy it ; you must make a sacrifice of yourself Into the hands of Mary, that you may happily lose yourself in her, in order to find in her, God alone. If the Holy Ghost has planted in your soul the true Tree of Life ; that Iw to say, the devotion which I have Just explained, yoii must cultivate it carefully, that It may y..=ld Its fruit In due season. It is the mustard-Heed spok^'n of in the Gosp.,!, which la the " lea-ot Indeed of all seeds, 1 ut when it is growu up is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and dwell in it» branches :" that is to say, the predestined, who make their nesta in "s — Ml — branche*. rest in its shade, and hide there In safety from the beasts of prey. Prede$HHed aotd, thU <« the wav to oultiv- ate it :— 1. This tree, when planted in a truly faithful heart, requires to be In the open air without any human support ; beUiK di- vine, It must be kept free from any creature which might prevent it ascending to ItH principal end, which Is God. Therefore, the soul must not d^>end upon Its own Riclll. Its nafural Ulents. its good name, or the protection of men; It must hare re- course only to Mary, and rely on her alone 2. The soul In which this tree Is plentau must be ever occupied, like a good gardener, in looking after It For this tree, having Ufe and having to produce the fruit of life, requires continual cultivation In order that It may grow , and It should be the aim of the soul, if It would become perfect, to think of this often, and even to make of It Its chief occupation. 3. The thorns and thisUes which, In Ume might choke this Tree of Life and prevent It yielding fruit, must be cut off and rooted up : that Is to aay, the soul must be faith- ful in cutting away and retrenching all — 222 - useless satisfactions ; It must do vlotence to itself, In order to live no longer the life of the senres ; It must crucify the flesh, keep slteQce, and avoid all vain intercourse with creatures. 4. It must watch to see that caterpllliairs do not harm the Tree. The caterpillars are self-love, the love of ease, the love of Its own purely natural satisfaction, which, by eating the flowers and green leaves, destroy the fair ht>pe8 which the Tree had of yield- ing fruit ; for love of self and love of Mary, never agree. 5. It must not suffer beasts of prey to approach it. These are the sins, which would bring death to the Tree of Life by their mere touch : even their breath must not be allowed to fall upon It ; by this I mean, venial sin, which is always very dangerous, if no trouble is taken about It C. This divine Tree must be often watered by the soul with fervent exercises of piety, confession, communion, and prayer both public and private, for, without these it would soon cease to yield fruit. 7. The soul must not be troubled. If this Tree be violently shaken by the wind ; for it is necessary that the wind of tempta- 223 — tion should endeavour to unroot if. *k . ?re? "^ '''"'" '° *•>« cultivation of ms inrtlre'direit,'"" ^""'^'^*^- --<'- 6 lu mese directions, this Trep nf t ic birds of heaven shall dwe!! in it • it will hT come so perfect, that It snair y eld ^rs rn^; Of honour and grace In due season th^L to say. the sweet and adorable Jes^s Who z^:z^r ^-- -" -• - of*^r?ff K*''^'*'"' '° ""^^^ M«ry. the Tree n Which she has been able to grow and ^^eSirhei-^rr^b^^'^r^rr'^'^^"' -«oulwhlc'^prrv::t,r.utt;;; ""ath and for ever and ever. Amen. — M4 — Qui tenet teneat. If you hav« the liapplness to possess this Tree of Life, guard it as a precious treasure and cultivate it with care. FBAYXB TO JB8XJB. O most sweet Jesus, behold me at Thy feet, filled with gratitude towards Thee for the grace Thou hast granted me in giving me to Thy Holy Mother as her loving slave, that she may be my advocate in the presence of Thy adoraWe Majesty, and supply for all my defects and short-comtogs. Alas ! Lord, I am so wretched, that, without tMs dear Mother, I should beyond aU doubt be lost. Yea ! Mary is necessary to me in Thy pres- ence for all things : necessary to appease Thy just wrath, since I have so often offend- ed Thee, and offend Thee yet every day; • necessary to prevent the eternal punishment which I deserve from Thy Justice ; necessary to approach Thee, to look at Thee, to pray to Thee, to speak with Thee, and to please Thee ; necessary to save my soul, and the souls of others ; necessary, in a word, that Thy holy Will may be always done, and Tby — 225 _ greater glory procured in all things. Ah would that I could publish throughout all th« world this mercy which Thou hast shown me ! Woi M that all the world might know that without Mary I should be nireaay lost ! Would that I could offer worthy thanksgiving for such a benefit ! Mary is In me, haec facin est mihi. Oh what a treasure ! Oh, what consolation ! And after this, shall I not be all hers ? Oh what ingratitude ! My dear Savior, let me die rather than suffer this misfortune to hap- pen to me : for I would rather die than live unless I belong altogether to Mary, i hn^e taken her, a thousand and a thousand times with St. John the Evangelist, at the foot of the Cross for my only good, and as many times have I given myself to her ; but I have not yet done so as Thou wouddst wish, dear Jesus ; I do so now. and If Thou seest In my soul or in my body anything not belonging to this August Princess, I pray Thee root it up, and cast it far from me. for if it does not belong to Mary, it Is unworthy of Thee. O Holy Ghost, grant me aJJ these gra- ces. Plant, water, and cultivate In my soul tills sweet Mary, who Is the only true Life, so that this Tree Ti-ee of the may grow, 90 — 2?6 — and flower, and bring forth the fruit of Life m abundance. O Holy Spirit, give me a great devotion and a great attraction tow nrds Mary, Thy Divine Spouse; let me And strength In her maternal bosom, and an abiding refuge in her mercy, so that in her and By her, Thou mayest form in me a life- like lmag« of Jesus Christ, great and power- ful even unto the fulness or His perfect age. Amen. PRAYER TO MARY. Hall Mary, beloved daughter of the Eter- nal Father ! Hall, Mary, admlrabJe mother of the divine Son ! Hall, Mary, most faith- ful Spouse of the Holy Ghost ! Hall, Mary, my dear Mother, my sweet Mistress, and my powerful Sovereign ! Hall, my joy, my glory, my heart, and my soul ! Thou art all mine by mercy, and I am all thine by justice ; but I am not sufficiently thlue as yet : Therefore, once again, I give myself wholly to thee as thy eternal slave, without keep- ing back anything for myself or for others. If thou seest anything In me now not be- longing to thee, I pray thee to take it away Instantly and make thyself absolute Mistress of the faculties of my soul ; "1e- — 227 — stroy all. root up, and bring to nought everything therein that may be displeasing to God ; plan, build, and accomplish there all that may seem good to thee. May the light of thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind ; may thy deep humility take the place of my pride ; may thy sublime contempla- tion arrest the distraction of my wandering Jfliaglnatdon ; may thy continual sight of God fill my memory with Ills Presence • may the fire of thy charity atone for the luke warmness, the coldness of my own ; may thy vlrtnes take the place of my sins ; may thy merits be my ornament, and supply for all that Is wanting in me before God*! Lastly, most dear and well- beloved Mother grant, if it may he, that I may have no other spirit but thine, to know Jesus Christ, and His divine and blessed Will • that I may have no other soul, but thine to praise and glorify the Lord ; that I may have no other heart but thine to love (rod with a pure and burning love. I ask oMhee neither visions, no raptures, nor revelations, nor satisfactions, nor raptures. nor even spiritual sweetnesses; to thee be- longs full enjoyment without bitterness ; thine the part to reign glorious and triumph- -228 — ant at the right hand of thy Son In heaven, without hummatlon ; thine, to have absolute power over angels, over men, and over de- mons, without their being able to resist thee, and thine, to dispose of all the good things of God, without reserve. This. O di- vine Mary. Is that better part, which Our Lord hath given thee, and which shall never be taken from thee, and It Is this which Alls my heart with joy. For my portion here below, I wish for nothing that was not thine ; that is to say, I wish to believe flrmly, withoat either tast- ing or seeing ; to suffer Joyfully, wlthont consolation from creatures ; to die continu- ally to myself, without a moment's respite, and to labor earnestly for thee, even until death, without any interest of my o^nn, as the lowest of thy slaves. The only grace I ask of thee, out of pure mercy, is that every day and every moment of my life. I may lovingly say,- A.nm, 80 6e it 1 to all that thou didst do on earth ; Amen, so he it I to all that thou ait doing now inheayen;.Amm,80 be it 1 to all that thou art doing in my soul, so that there may be noue but tliou, to glorify Jesus in me to the fuM, through time, aud througH eternity. Amen. — 229 — OIWBBINO or OUB ACTIONS TO GOD. (May be made every morning*) O Eternal Wisdom, O sweet and g«ntle Jesus ! Humbly prostrate at Thy f^t I wish to offer Thee as perfectly as the Most Holy \lrgin. my thoughts, my words, and my actions of this day. Like her and by her I wish to do all things for Thy love, Thl 5 ""hT ""'"'^ '' *° '^'^^ '^'^'' to P™«Be Thee, to bless Thee, and to draw down upon my soul all the gm^e of which luT If °'f • ' *"*'^"' ^^^^' ^"b an the ardour of my Mother's Heart, to be enlightened In the mysteries of the Faith to have part in Thy mercy, to satisfy Thy divine justice, to make my saivatlon sure and to obtain for all sinners the grace of ^e conversion, for the souls In purgatory deliverance and relief, for the Just, Increase of virtue, and for Religious Orders, per- severance in their first fervour. Deign to accept, O God of goodness, tWs my intention which I would fain offer Thee at every Instant of my life begging Thee, by the Most Holy Virgin! TIU. prver i. not by the Ven. d« Montfort, but is taken fram the Poltleri ediUon of the " Secret of Mary." (Tr.) — 230 — to bles« me, and to grant me the grace never to commit a mortal, nor even a dell- berate venial sin. I desire, also, to be present In spirit at aU the Masses which are celebrated througkout the whole world, I purpose to gain all possible Indulgences, and I beg my most dear Mother, Into whose hands I have abandoned all things, to apply them herself according to her wUl, and the order of my obligations. Amen. GOD ALONE. — 231 — The Devout Slavs of Jesoa In Umrj, BT Blessed Louls-Marle Grlgnon de Montfort Sing, my soul, my Saviour's glory, Sing my Boul, our Lady's nanie. Sing the great and gracious favoms Mary's servants all can claim. Chonu. * Onward Christians, on to Jesus. On through Mary, ever on ! This the secret of salvaUon- Through the Mother to the Son. Oh ! that I to all creation Oould the joyful news attest- ihat the happiest of the happy Are the souls that serve her best. Chorus. 4r:"ea:l*"" """"■""" "'"" '""owing ,.,,.;„ Chriiliaos, on to JMne, Muryi.meway.nooveronl God', elect hare taught m, The Mother h»dt n. .T.r to her Sou. — J32 — Christians, hearken to my story Hearken, God's elect and true, For I sing her mighty marrels. Who gave birth to all of you. Chorua. Mary Is my goodly treasure. After Jesus all my wealth, All my Joy, and all my sweetness, All my soul's sustaining health. Ohortu. Mary is my ark of mercy In God's covenant with man ; Her's the only spotless vesture Ever since man's sin began. Chorua. Mary is the shrine of Jesus, For my Lord is ever there ; There my prayer is heard In glory, Never need I there despair. Chorus. Mary is .miy refuge-city, [nigb, Where nor harm nor wrong comes When the water-flood sweeps o'er me, She the rainbow in the sky. Yes, I lean upon her wholly, On my Lord to lean the more. Leaving all to His kind forethought. Body, soul, and earthly store. — 233 — When I cry to God, iny Father, Prom my depth of alnful woe, bare beneath my Mother's shelter To His goodness can I go. When I dread the wrath of Jesus, Who with her is never wroth Then I whisper : See, Thy Mother Is the Mother of us both ! She, my Mother and my Mlstiess, Succour In adversity, When I faU from very weakness, In a moment raises me. When my soul Is sore and troubled By my sins both night and day Comes a peace all thought surpassing As for Mary's help I pray. In the midst of aU my combats She It is who says to me : " Courage, child, and fear no longer, I can ne'er abandon thee." Who is he that will believe It ? Mary lives within my heart. Graveu ther: In rays of glory Though my faith but " knows In [part" -234- She, tbongb fruitful, eyer Virgin. Pare and fruitful renders me ; I, through her, am atrong and gentle, By her deep humility. Mary la my pure, clear fountain. Where her Son's reflection gleams, Where my spirit In Its dryness Drinks the fresh, life- giving streams, • Tis through Jesus to the Father That, without repulse, I fly ; ' Tls to Jesus, through His M«>iher, That, all fearless, I draw nigh. Working In her, working by her, I can tread as Jesus trod ; ' Tls the secret i be holy. And to do the Will of God. Oh ! that I could love her better ! Help me^ Christians, I Implore ! Love of Jesus, love of Mary, Lo ! our love for evermore. — 238 — or THX BLESSED DE MONTFORT Asking Ch)d to Send him Miuionaries for his Company of Mary. Remember, O Lord, remember Thy Con- gregation which Thou hast possessed from the beginning, thinking of It from pU eterni- ty ; it wag held In Thy almighty hand, when, by a word, Thou didst create the world out of uotblng ; It was hidden in Thy heart, wheu Thy divine Son. dying on the Cross, conse- crated it by His death, and confided it, as a precious deposit, to the care of His most holy Mother : Menwr esto Congregationia tu AccendaUir : May this divine fire, which Jesus-Chrlst came to bring to the world. Ik- enkindled before that of Thy anger, which will reduce everything to ashes. Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creahmtur, et renovabis fa- clem terrw ('). Send forth this Spirit of fire upon the earth, to create thereon priests all afire by whose ministry the face of the earth may be renewed, and Thy Churoh reformed. Memento Congregationis tua ; It Is a con gregatlon. an assembly, a choice, a selection of predestined souls which Thou must make m the world and of the world : Ego eUtu V08 de mundo {'}. It Is a flock of peaceful sheep which Thou must collect from among the wolves ; a company of chaste doves and royal eagles from among so many ravens; a swarm of honey bees from among s.' many wasps ; a herd of fleet deer from (1) Ps. xvni, :■ (3) St. John, XVn, 6. (2)Ps.CXII.30. — 245 — may render all glory to Th. i , ^® f ul Name. ^ '""^^ ^"^ P^^^r- pany to iby Prophet, who speaks of It Z divine, but m very obscure and very secrlt s;«::rT:rr '^'-^"^^ • "•» t««, e« tnflrmata est, tu rrrn «-... — 246 — cnpd h»>rltaKe, If not these holy mis- sionaries, thildren of Mary, Thy Spouse, which Thou art to assemble and to separate fron, thf world, for the good of ITiy Church BO stained and so weakened by the crimes of her chUdren ? \yhat are these animals and the poor who Avill dwell in Tliy heritage, to be there nour- ished with the heavenly sweetness which Tho'i hast prepared for them, if not these poor missionaries trusting in Providence who will be satiated with Thy divine joys ; if not those mysterious animals of Ezechlel, having the humanity of man, by their disin- terested and beneficent charity towards their neighbor ; the courage of the lion by their holy anger and their ardent, prudent zeal against the demons and the children of Babylon ; the strength of the ox. by their apostolic labors and their mortification of the flesh ; and finally, the swiftness of the eagle. by their contemplation In God ? These are the missionaries whicli Tlioii wishest to send to Thy Church. They shall have the eye of a man for their neighbor, the eye of a lion for Thy enemies, the eye of an ox for themselves, and| -- 247 - strength and a vi..*., "^WW, wJth a ing. that C wm stil"?' ""'' «» -*'«'- hearts wheresoZ ^L " V, """' ''"'' *" to then, that Tht^^Jt j e' T w'l,'^ fl«6te W6«m ; even Thl ^ ^°"* •' Which not ZZ Z^J''T'^ ^"^ O. to resist. ^ ^"""^"^ "'^^n be able heirrtTZ-'::'ir"^---„- wut take Th/dr^hl ^ ^^ "' **"^ ^'^t»««. «ions. they sLu £1 ^o^'^hi" '^ T''' ""«" than that of giyinH'L^^' ^"'^ ^'^ ^'«w. thesponsta£;L:?;:'^"*'>«^^or.of Wings Of tt d;vl !'X'" 1^« *^^ «"-^ I ««lden back eH^?. ''"'^ "'«'•«'« ^ and a '"S'-^-ce.XXl,X5. («p..i^vil.,3. - ii» - auri (') : that 1b to say, a perfect charity towards their neighbor to bear with their defects, and a great love for Jesuu-ChrUt to carry HIb Cross. Thou aloue, O Jesus, as King of heaven and King of kings, shalt set apart from the world these missionaries, like so many kings, in order to make them whiter than the snows on the top of Mount Selmon. mountain of God, abundant and fertllf mountain, strong and coagulated mountain. In which God takes wonderful delight, ami In which He dwells and shall dwell until the end. Lord God of Truth, who U this myste- rious mountain of which Thou sayest such wonderful things, If not Mary, Thy deiir Spouse, whose foundations Thou hast placed upon the tops of the highest mountains? Fundamenta ejus in montihM aanctia C)- Mons «i» vertice montium. (•) Happy and a thousand times happy aro the priests whom Thou hast chosen and predestined to dwell with Thee upon this abundant and divine mountain, there to be- (1) Pg. LXVII, 14. (8) Mich., VI, & (2) Pb. LXXXVI. 1. - 249 - come the king, of eterulty by their con- tempt of the world and their elevation lu t^od : there to be made whiter than snow by their union with Mary. Thy Spuu«e all-beau- tiful. all-puru and all- iiiimaeulate ; there to .« enriched with the dew of l.oaven and the fnt of the lan.l, with all the temporal and e ernal bles^lnjfs with which Mary is all- nlled. It Is from the top of this mountain that like another Moses, they shall direct the arrows of their ardent prayers against their enemies to crush or to convert them ; it Is upon this mountain that they shall learn, even from the mouth of JesusChrlst. Who ever dwells there, the meaning of His eight beatitudes ; It is upon this mountain of God that they shall be transfigured with Him a« upon Thabor. die with Him as upon Cal- vary, and ascend to heaven with Hlin as upon mount Olivet Memento Congregationis tuw.—lt is Thy frace alone that must form this company • f man touch It first, nothing will be done : « he interfere with Thy work, he will spoU «^1- overturn all. rn,r. CongrcgationU, : it is Thy work, great God : Opus turm fac. Do — 250 — Thy all--dlvhie work ; collect, call, gather together Thy elect from all places over which Thou hast domination and make of them a strong army to defend Thee against Thy enemies. Seest Thou, Lord, God of Battles, seest Tlion the captains who are forming com- plete companies, the potentates who are making up Immense armies, the navy bring- ing together whole fleets, the merchants assembling in large numbers at the markets and the fairs ? Crowds of robbers, drunkards, libertines, impious men, are uniting against Thee easily and promptly every day ! The sound of a whistle, the beat of a drum, the sight of a blunt sword-tip, the promise of a withered laurel wreath, the offer of a bit of gold or silver ; in a word, a breath of fame, an earthly interest, a vile pleasure for which they long, can. In a moment, re- unite robbers, gather together soldiers, join battalions, assemble merchants. All houses and market-places, and cover the earth and the sea with an innumerable multitude of the reprobate, who, though all divided amongst themselves, either by the places whence they came, by the difference in their — 251 — dlspositionB, or by their personal interests, are nevertheless united as one man, until death, to fight against Thee under the ban- ner and the leadership of the devil. And we, great God ! though there is so much glory and profit, so much sweetness and so many advantages to be gained by serving Thee, shall there be so few to talte up Thy cause ? Hardly any soldiers und« Thy banner ? Hardly a St. Michael to pro- claim among Thy brethren, through zeal for Thy glory : Quis ut Deua T Ah ! let me, let me cry out everywhere : Fire ! Fire ! Fire !— Help ! Help ! Help ! Fire in the house of God! Fire In souls! Fire even within the sanctuary ! Help for our brother who is being murdered ! Help for our children whose throats are being cut ! Help for our Father who is being stabbed ! 8i quis eat Domini, fungatur tnihi. (') Let all good priests who are spread over the Chris- tian world, and those who are actually in the warfare and those who have withdrawn from the combat to bury thmselves in des- erts and solitude, let them all come forward and unite with us : Ma unita fit fortior, in or- (1) Bzodtti, XXXn, 26. — 252 — der that we may form, under the banner of the CroBB, a well-regulated army In battle array, to attack, all together, the enemies of OoA who have already sounded the alarm : 8ontwnmt, frenduerutU, multiplicati sunt. Di- rvmpamua vincula eorum et projiciamus a m- biSifugum ipaorum. Qui haUtat in caeUa irri- debit eos. Exurgat Deus, et dissipentur inimi- ci efus. Exurge, Domine, quare obdormls t Exurge. • Arise, O Lord : why pretendest Thou to sleep ? Arise In Thy might, Thy mercy and Thy Justice, to form for Thyself a chosen bodyguard to keep Thy house, to defend Thy glory, and to save these souls bought at the price of all Thy Blood, that there may be but one fold and one shepherd, and that all may glorify Thee In Thy holy tem- ple : Et in templo e)U8 omnea diount gloriam. Amen. Xanner of Hearing Mass in ITnlon with Mary. Mary speaks to the soul :— "When thf" priest begins the Holy Snrri- flce, consider yourself on mount Calvary. OoUect your thoughts and unite with my — ?53 — dispositions. While the priest recites the Couflteor at the foot of the altar, think of the Agony of Jesus, Eternal Wisdom, in the Garden of Olives.. Malse a short examination of conscience, excite yourself to contrition and 1 will teach you how to sacrifice yourself with my divine Son." I. FBOU THE INTROIT TO THE QOSPEL. How to Praise and Honour the infinite Majesty of Ood. " From the beginning of Mass to the Gos- pel, think of paying to God the homage which is His due. But how can you do it ? Know you not that all the praise and adora- tion of the angels and of the saints, even the praise and adoration which I myself ceaselessly offer to the most Holy Trinity, are as nothing before God for He Is infi- nitely great? Jesus only. Wisdom Incarnate, can give to the Bterujil Father perfect wor- ship, and this He does by His abasement in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Offer then to me the humiliation of my Son, and, for this purpose, humble yomrself profound- ly, renounce your own dispositions, and, full of confidence and love, say in union with me :" — 254 — O my God, I adore Thee and acknowledge Thee for my Creator, the Lord and Master of my life. I confess that all I am and all I have comes from Thy bountiful hand. And because Thy Sovereign Majesty is deserv- ing of infinite honor and homage, and that of myself I am unable to render unto Thee thai which I owe Thee, I offer Thee the humiliations of my Savior ; I offer Thee, for myself and for all creatures, the hom- age which Jesus offers Thee upon this altar. Looli down, O Lord, upon the face of Thy Christ, upon that beloved Son in Whom Thou art well pleased. That which Jesus does, I wish to do with Him. And in order to do this more perfectly, it is icith Mary and bu Mary that I wish to hum- ble myself (and to adore Thee. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me. Supply what is wanting to mal^e my hom- age worthy of my Creator. Offer Him the joy of thy heart at the infinite honor whicli ia rendered to the Ddvine Majesty in this August Sacrifice. " Continue these Interior acts w ithout troubling yourself about putting them into words. The more you will enter into my dis- positions, the more perfect will be the sen- — 255 — tlments of humility and ladoratton which I win suggest to you. Oh, what Joy you will give to the Most Holy Trinity and to me !" U. FBOM THE aOSPEL TO THE EMVATION. Eolo to aatisfp for the Sim of which you are guilty. Mary to the soul : " Cast a glance at your sins and see what a debt you have contracted. One single mortal sin weighs more In the balance of the Justice of God than all the good works of the saints, more even tnan the Innumerable merits which by His grace I ha. e been able to acquire. Nothing less than the Blood of my Son shed upon Calvary can appease the anger of God. While the priest at the holy altar is offering for you His Most Precioufc Blood, call to mind the tears which I shed for you on Calvary as well as those which, many and many a time, I slied after the Ascension of Jesus, whe- ther while passing along the Via Dolorosa at Jerusalem, or while present at the Holy Sporiflce, when it was offered by .John my adopted son. Think of this, mingle your — 256 - tears with mine, and say with a broken luul fouUito heart :" Behold mo at Thy feet. O my Oort. I am ungrateful and guilty. Time and again have I offended Thy divine Majesty, but, now, 1 am heartly sorry for having done so. In expiation I offer Thee what is most plekadng in Thy sight,— the humiliations of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Eternal Wisdom, by which He satisfied Thy divine Justice for me and which He now offers Thee on this Altar ? Accept then, O Ix)rd, with the tears of Mary, the merits of Jesus, the Blood of Je- sus, Jesus Himself. Thy Son from aU eter- nity and Mary's Son In time. Who, as the Great Victim, deigns to renew His sacri- fice In my favour. Yes, Jesus on this altar has become my Mediator and my Ad- vocate ; by His precious Blood He is nslJing pardon for me, and I dare to unite my voice with His, land to aak of Thee par- don for the numberless sins which I have committed, and for all the sins of the world. The Blood of Jesus cries to Thee for mercy, and my heart, penetrated with sorrow, unites with this divine cry. O my God, If Thoa art Insensible to my tears, listen to the slglis — 257 _ tUT"' V^^ P^y®" o« Mary ! if. apon the Cro88. Jesus obtaiaied pardon for \ho Whole htnnan race, why «ho„.d He not obt^Jn It for me upon this altar ? Ye^ I hope by virtue of Has precious B.ooU and fo^'tSe tove of Maiy. Thy well-beloved daughter that Thou wilt pardon me all my rtn " i shaU grieve for them al, the days o"^ my^fe Grant, alao, O Lord, to all the sinners S .he world, th* gra,^ of repentance audi true conversion. O Mary, Mother of God ♦!,«„ .. »n^'"I ^rS'* •' """ "" ■'"""■■"I ">miw. I Ml off,, ,j MUNION. *«« to Tftanfc aoa for the Benefits wMek He nas heaped upon you ^Recall to mtad the favors which God has •^stowed upon you. from your birth eve^ 22 — 258 — unto this day. They are great and num- berlcBS. May you not, Indeed, say with me in tender gratitude: 'The Mo«t Hig'i hath done great things for mil. And If He has done bo much for you In the past, how much more will not this God of Good- nesB do for you In the future ? The only way to thank Him worthily Ifl through the Heart of Jesus, which has come down now. for this very purpose, Into the hands of the priest upon the hoiy altar. Loving- ly contemplate this Saviour God, thanking HlB Btemal Father for you : unite with the Saints and the angtds; but, above all. remember that I too am there with yon, and say unto God. all flUed with holy Joy:" O my God, Who hast so tenderly loved me Thou 'seest me before Thee, laden wltB the benefits, which, up to this day, Thon hast deigned to lavish upon me. and wltb those also, which it is Thy will to gran' me in time and in eternity. I confess that Thy mercies to me are inflnlte ; and y«t I am ready to make Thee an adequate rt turn for them. Yes, O Lord, this pW Host, this holy Host, this spotless Host which I offer Thee by the hands of tbe — 259 — Priest in union with Mary f. g„ffl„,-«* , know, to reoav ti,«„ ™ ^ J" "iMelent, I I have S3 at T^vVT *''°'^ ^'"'^" hope to receive intlffuw^'o"' ^'"'^•' ^ of the Lord ! o bli«i f;,*'^* *"*'" heaven! o iT«i^ x.? . '"''abltanta of deign to unite tlthzl??' ^ '^°«'«'-' «od and ,n offering' Zl° /'*''"°^ ""' His favors aU thllr *° "*°™ '«"" celebratS^' Sa^ !?'""" ^*"*^»' «haU bo -ny heart, n nnlon w ^Z; ^'^ '^^^''-^ «' ««^lng Which Jel ihri?t'. ''**^»*^'- me now upon this Lte^ '^* *« »''«''°«^ '"r ofteraryor;;:a::irr^^^ ^''^-- - «.e» torose'r^r^e^rt"'^"'*^'** - /our a^SZ ZZaT^ ^-^'-"- . IV. .BOM THK OOMMUNIOX TO T„B K.X, OF MASS. 'ow to 4,fc for all the Qracet of «,w.ik — MO — commnnlon produce* In the •oul a clote Uttlon with Jeitus Christ." "Imftglnp. ns some of My »ervnntH have done, that I am giving you the Infant Je- sus, Who has Just been horn anew upon the, altar. P^nlarge yoiir heart, for It Is the Son of God who Is coming to yon, and Who win make Intercession for you. Were I to assure you that I, myself, would carry your prayers to God, and would intercede for you, what sweet confidence would yon not have of being heard ! But It is Jesu8 Christ, true God and true man. Who Is your Advocate, and Who Is offering His own Precious Blood to His Eternal Father on your behalf." " Be not <»ontent with asking only a few fayours ; imitate me, ask great graces for yourself and for the whole world. Say, then, with sentiments of the deepest hu mf, y, and, as It were, all lost In me:—' O God of my heart, I acknowledge myselfj unworthy of Thy gifts : yes, I confess that toy reason of my Innumerable sins, I do not I deserve that Thou shouldst hear me. ButI I implore Thee to look upon the Face oil Thy Christ ; to behold this Olvlne Vlctlml — 261 — offering tC* hi2 ^^ "'^" "*'" "^^^'^ '" offer. Thee ?t Si ^^ ""* «'» Blood. West n.. niter XVeT/nd""' ' ''•"'" powerful with th„ « ' ** **'*'" ^'t «»- thou oblrror t.^!r "h ""'^ ^°- »" union with theeand wTth T " **"'*""* Chnroh, the couverslon of all -innlr I " Aaj£ with confldenee wJthn.^ # — M« - most liT<>l]r confldence, and be uaured tbat your prayers united with mine, and with thoM of Jeaua will undoubtedly be beard." " When Mass ia over, make a abort tbanks- glTing. . Then leave the Oburcb, as If yaa were going down from Calvary." "riefore going to ber dally dutUja, St. Monica used to leave her heart upon the Altar.. Do as she did, leave your heart there in adoration; and during the day, remember that it is there doro to Jesus. 'Xhla thought wlU give fervour to your soul, and make recollection easy." jUnner of Praotiaiiig this Devotion to Our Iiady when we recelT* Holy Oomnuuiion. L BXFOBS HOLY COMHTmiON. 1. You must humble youraelf most pro- foundly before Qod. 2. You must renounce your corrupt interior and your dispositions, however good your own self-love may make them look. 3. You must renew your con- secration by saying, Tuu$ Mm ego turn, et (imnia mea tua tutri—l am all tiilne, my dear Ifistresa, and all I have la thine. 4. Yon - 263 — mmt Implore that good Mother to lend you her heart, In order that you may receive her diTlne Son there with her own perfect dls- po.ltlon«. Yon will reprewnt to her that It tooches her Son's glory to come Into a heart ■o sullied and so Inconstant as yours ; that t would surely lessen His glory and per- haps destroy It But If she will only come and dwell with you, she can do so by the dominion which she has over all crea- tures ; and her divine Son will then be well received by her spotless heart rou will teU her with truth, that what you have given her of your own is very Uttle to honour her; but that by this Holy Communion you wish to make ner the same present as the Eternal Fa- ther did, and that you will honour her more by this than If you gave her all the riches in the world ; and. finally, that Jesus, Who oves her alone, desires still to talce His pleasure and His repose in her. even to your soul, though It be filthier and poor- er than the stable, where He made no dif- ficulty to come simply because she was there. You will ask her for her Heart in these tender words ; Aocipto te in nea imr •fa probe mHH eor tium. Maria f " I take — 264 — Thee for my all, O Mary, lend me Thy Heart ! " II. AT HOLT COlUIumON. When about to receive Holy Communion, after the Pater Jfoater you will say three times, DonUne non sum dignus. The first time to the Eternal Father, telUng Him that you are not worthy , because of your evil thoughts and ingratitudes to- wards so good a Father, to receive His only Son ; but that He is to behold Mary His handmaid— ecce ancUla Domini— who acts for us, and who gives us a singular confi- dence and hope with His Majesty, Quo- niam Hngukuiter in ape eonatiMtU me. The second time to the Son : Domine non sum diffnus ; telling Him that you are not worthy to receive Him, because of your idle and evil words, and your unfaithful- ness in His service ; but that, nevertheless you pnay Him to have pity upon you, that you wish to Introduce Him dnto the house of His own Mother, and yours, and that you will not let Him go without His com- ing to lodge with her. I'enui eum, nee dU mittam donee introducam ilium to domum matris meae, et in cubicuium genitrioit mew — 265 — (Cant. HI. 4). JToa will pray Him to rls« and aTofi';' ^^« «' H'« -Po- and ln"o "e inrli^\ «anctlflcatlon : Surge, Domine, IT all In ^°° P°* °° confidence strength and yonr own preparations, as Bsan did : but that yon tmst only ,n M,^ yonr tendei Mother, as the little j3^ Tnd Ksan '*^'"^"- ™' «'" ^^' «'-- and Bsan as yon are, yon dare to approach His sanctity, supported and adomJJ Hon are. with the virtues of Hta holy Moth:," The third time to the Holy Ghost Do. "^inenon»umdignu,; t.lUng Him tha^ you «re not worthy to recefvelLTs mas Sw'* °' °'^ "^"''ty' »««au8e of the ^kewarmness and Iniquity of your actions! and because of your resistances to His Ins- Pirattons ; but that all your confldenoe Is L '^l' f'" '"'*'^'"' Spouse. You wUl jay With St. Bernard. Hwc n^ „^ flducta, hmc tota ratio »pei ««i,. y^u can pniy even Him to come Himself In Mary. ffls Immaculate Spouse. teHlng Him thai her bosom is as pare, and her heart as oewent Into your sonl. neither Jetua nor — 266 — Mary will be formed, nor yet worthily lodged. III. ATTSB HOLT COMMUNION. After Holy Communion, while you are Inwardly recollected, and holding your eyes Bbiijt, you will introduce Jesus into the Heart of Mary. You will give Him to His Mother, who will receive Him lovingly, will enthrone Hflm honourably, will adore Him profoundly, will love Him perfectly, will embrace Him closely, and will render to Him in spirit and in truth, many hom- ages which are unlinown to us in our thick darkness. Or you will keep your- self profoundly humbled In your heart, in the presence of Jesus dwelling in Mary. Or you will sit like a slave at the gate of the king's palace, where He Is speaking with the queen.; and while they talk to each other without need of you, you will go in spirit to heaven and over all the earth, praying all creatures to adore, thank, and love Jesus and Mary in your place : Ventte, adoremus, Venite. Or you will yourself ask of Jesus, in union with Mary, the coming of His Kingdom on earth, the gift of Divine Wisdom, or Di- vine love, the pardon of your sins, or any — 267 — other grace, but always by Mary and in Mary, saying, while you look at yourself wUh contempt: Ne respicia.. Domi^"7^ 0^ mm: "Lord, look not on my sins - But let Thine eyes look on the virtues and merits of Ma-y;"-and then, remember SSritTlthrr '"*'"^*^^ -se-n "i-- -0^-^cc.m^^^ ^ et doloso erue me; or else, Te oportet cc- om, me atam mtnut : "My Jesus. Thou must increase in my soul, and I must de orease ; Mary. Thou must increasrwlthin ffle and I must be still less than I have ««en . OresoUe et muMpUcamini :-'• n je tus and Mary, incrojuw in ,- ^ " je- .,.„-_ . '' '"crewe Jn me and multlolv yourselves outside In others also." th?« 1 "^J^ "^"^^ "^^^^ thoughts which the Holy Ghost furnishes and wlU furnish ^!^', .fw "® thoroughly interior, mortified. I S;^ Tl" *** "*" *''"'*' ^"-^ sublime devo: tion which I have been teaching you. But al- I ways remember that the more you leave ^ Mary to act in your OommuJlon. ^he more Jesus will be glorified. The more Jl 't!* >«"y to act for Jesus, and 'esu. to act in Mary, the more profound- — 268 — ly will you humble yourself, listening to tbem In peace and silence, without troub- ling yourself about seeing, tasting, or feel- ing ; for the Just man ever lives by faith, and particularly in Holy Ciommunion, which is an action of faith. Juttus meua eu: fide vivit. The Slewed Be Kontfort's Kethod of Saying the Bomtj. THE FITS JOTTUL MYSTEBIE8. SfiirU of Hoty Joy. For Mondays and Thursdays throughout the year, the Sundays in Advent, and after Bplphany, until Lent 1.— The Annunciation. O Lord Jesus, we offer Thee this decade in honour of Thy Incarnation in the wouib of Mary ; and we asls: of Thee, In this mys- tery, and through her intercession, a mo»t profound humiUty. Amen. One Our Father, ten HaU Marys, me Glory ht to the Father. May the grace of the mystery of the An- nimciattoo dwdl to oar ■oule ! Amen. — 269 — 2.— Thk Visitation. O Lord J<>BU8. we offer Thee th!« dsoade in houor Of the Visitati..,, of 'Ihy ,„„st holy Mother to her consln St Bllaibeth. and the sanctlflcatloii of St. John Baptist ; and we ask of Thee In this mystery, and through the Intercession of Thy most holy Mother charitv towards our neighbor. Amen. One Our Father, ten HaU Marys, one Glory he to the Father. May the grace of the mystery of the Visitation dwell in our souls ! Amen. 3.— The Bibtu of Jesus. O Lord Jesus, we offer Thee thlg decade is honor of Thy Nativity in the stable of Bethlehem : and we ask of Thee In this mystery, and through the Intercession of Thy moat holy Mother, detachment from the things of earth, contempt of rictus, and love nf poverty. Amen. One Our Father, ten BaU Marys, one Olory he to the Father. Ji^J *.^x *™*'* "^ **•« mystery of the Birth of Jesus dwell in our souls ! Amen. — 270 — 4.— I»RE8ENTATION OF JeSUB IN THE TEMPLE. O Lord Jeans, we offer Thee this decade In honor of Thy Presentation in the temple and the Purification of Mary, and we ask of Thee In this mystery and through her intercession, great purity of body and mind. Amen. One Our Father, ten Hail Marys, one Glory he to the Father. May the grace of the mystery of the Pre- sentation of Jesus in the Temple dweU In our souls ! Amen. 5.— FnroiNO or Jesus in the Temple. O Lord Jesns, we offer Thee this decade In honor of Thy Finding In the Temple with the Doctors : and we ask of Thee in this mystery and through the Intercession of Thy most holy Mother, true Witdom. Amen. One Our Father, ten HaU Marys, one Olory be to the Father. May the grace of the mystery of the Finding of Jesus In the Temple dw^ in our sonls ! Amen. •- S7l — THE FIVE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES. SpMt of Oompunotion. "^^ "^TLr^ '?'"^'' *''""*'«>°t the year and the Snndaya In Lent I—Thk Agony m the Garden. O Lord Jesna, we offer Thee thia decade In honor of Thy Agony m the GerderoJ ^rX ^""^r "'"^ °' '^'^ '« thirly'tery and through the Interoeelson of Thy S Mother. co»«r«o-t holy mSS ?c ^T'^V ^"^ Amen. ' »'<*««)«<. to J'.rwrtory. May the (rrace «> ♦>.« Crnclflxlon iw^HinJ^ T^""^ •»' ^"^ «weii m our soulg ! Ameo. THB3 FIVE GLORIOUS MYSTBBOJS. Spirit of Adotation and Faith. ™* y**f' ">« the Sondays from BJii^ter tin AdTent ^•""'''he Resubrection. O Lord Jeaas, we offer Thee thi. j, ^ in honor of Thy alorinn!. iT ^ ^**^« we ask Of The^llr ' "^«"''^'^"o'> •■ and the Lov^yZJ ^^ "*** ^"'y Mother. ! iul^en!^ '^f ^ ond a ,piru Of Fervor. 2S — 574 — One Our Father, ten HaU Maryt,'>oHe Olory be to the Father. May tlie grace of the mystery of Hn' Resnrrection dwell in our seals ! Amen 2.— The Ascension. O Lord Jeans, we offer Tbee this decade in bonor of Thy trlnmpbant Ascension, ami we asic of Tbee in tbis mystery, and tbrougli Tby most grlorious Name, the virtue of hope, and an ardent detire of heaven, our true home. Amen. One Out Father, ten HaU Marys, one Olory be to the Father. May the grace of the mystery of flic Ascension dwell in our souls ! Amen. 3.— The Descent of the Holy Ghost. O Lord Jesiis, we offer Tbee tbls decade in bonor of the Descent of the Holy Obost, and we asic of Thee in this mystery, and through Tby most glorious Naa.'e minhty hath done great thing* for me : and holy i* His name. And Hiimarcy ii from gen- eration to generation : to them that fear Hiok He hath ihowed might in Hit arm: He hath Mattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. Ha hath put downthemighty from their leat, and hath exalt- ed the humble. Ha hath fiUad the huapr with good diingt: and the nch He hath «eat away emptv. He hath received Itrael Hi* ■ervaat; being mindliil of Hit mercy. As He spake to our fUher^ to Abraham and to hit seed forever. Glory be to the Father, etc. MAONIPIOAT: •anima mea Dominum. Et exullavit spitilus mens : * in Deo salutan mco. Quia respexit humilitatem anctlbe sue : * ecos enim tx hoc bcatam me dicent offlnei generalionas. Quia iiEcit mihi magna qui potcns est : * et sanctum no- men ejus. Kt miseiicordia ejus a pro- genie in progenies : * timenti- Cuseum. Fecit potentiam in btachio suo : *di^crsit superbo* menic cordis sm. Deposuit potsnMa da sede: * et exaltavit humila*. Esuricntes imdevit bonis: * et divites dimirit inanes, Suscepit Israel puarum suum: * reoonntus misarieoidiK tuac Sicut locutus est ad panres nostros : * Abraham et semini ^us in saecula. Gloria Patri, etc. — 277 — T« DMn LuNlanif «. TK Dcum laudamiu: *t« Ooninum confiumur. T. ■ternum PMnm » omnii Mnavmantur. Tih oniBW angeK, • tibi can, et univtruD pototalo : . "nu cherubim etMraphim* »aw«Wi»oceprocl.inMt: OmiiauiDcuSabiiMh: ««ii »uni cali et Mm, • "?H»«tibui regna -tciorum, Tu ad dnteram Dei ledes,* ■Ckina Patris. ' "Lird \, -wiw .'hue, (1 (■. .1, ■"••-'irU.il. * ^ lh«, .er,.l,.-Tc...-, ,s„4-. llti.ec;, •.,l„,h ^,,,,.;,i,.."" Powcrl; "'"'■'" ""'»""'• To7V, '.e Oinubiiaand S««ph.i,i ir tinually cr Heaven and eanh are full : of the majesty of Thy gtoiy. inee the glorious choir; of theApo'tIca, Thee the admirable comM- "y : of >he Prophets. TJee the white-robed army "i!«"y»:p«»ise. Thee the Holy Church throughout the world : doth acknowledge. The Father: of infinite Ma|esty. Tfline adorable, true: and only Son. Also the Holy Ghost : the Paraclete. Thou art the King of Gloty : O Chnst. Thou art the everlasting Son: of the Father. TTiou, having uken upon Thee to deliver man: didst not abhor the Virgin's womb. Thou, having overcome the suilgof death: didiit open to behevers the kingdom of heaven. TTiou sittest at the right hand ™uod: in the glory of the — 278 — We believe that Thou thalt come: to be our Judge. We beieech Thee, therefore, help Thy gervants ; whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious Blood. Make them to be numbered with Thy Saints : in glory eve^huting Lord save Thy people : and bless Thine inheritance. Goveiii them : and lift them up for ever. Day by day : we bless Thee, And* we praise Thy name for ever : yea, for ever and ever. Vouchsafe, O Lord, thi& day : to keep us without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us : have mercy upon us. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us ; as we have trusted in Thee. O Lord, in Thee have I trusted ; let me never be con- founded. Judex croderis * esse ven- turus, I Te ergo qusesumus, tuis famulis subveni, * s promise, teaching little To speak and understand. °Vh *ki'''' 1 °?' ™"<'» *'"• Thy blest light, wuh love our hearts inflame • A„dwi,hThy«„"g,'hThW; ne'er decays, i-onnrm our morul frame. Far from us drive our hellish toe. True peace unto us bring • And through all perils lead us safe, Beneath Thy Sacred wing. ■'''|r°"K'',Thee may we the rather know ; illrf''^'' '"''?'£'?'*"»' Son, T. u **' "« Spirit of them Doth: Tljrice blessed Three in One. A^l glory to the Father be, .)!["'•,.,«« co-equal Son, 1 he like to Thee, great Para- clete, While endlessages run. Amen. »«o Patri sit gloria, E)usque soli Kiiio, tUir, Spiritu Paraclito, «unc et per omne Sieculum. . Amen. -280 — Ave riaris Stella. Hail, thou Star of ocean, Portal of the sky I Ever Virgin Mother CM the Lord moat high I Oh I by Gabriel's Ave, Uttered long ago, Kva*s name reversing, StablLsh peace below. Break the eaptive'c fetters ; Light on blindoens pour ; AH our ills expelling. Every bliss implore. Show thysel f a Mother ; OHer Him our sighs. Who for us Incarnate Did not thee despise. Virgin of all virgins ! To thy shelter take us : Gentlest of the gentle ! Chaste and gentle make us. Still, as on we journey. Help our weak endeavor ; Till with thee and Jesus We rgoice forever. Through the highest heaven. To the Almighty Three, Father, Son, and Spirit, One same glory be. Amen. Ave, Maris Stella, Dei Mater alma, Atque seraper virgo, Fehx each porta. Sumens illiid Ave Cabrielis ore, Funda nos in pace, Muuns Evac nomen. Solve vincia reis Profcr lumen caecis. Mala nostra pelle, Bona cuncta posce. Monstra te esse Matrem, Sumat per te preces ?ui pro nobis natus, nlit esse tuus. Virgo singularis. Inter omnes mitis, Nos culpis salutos Mites fac et castes, Vium prKsta puram. Iter para tutum; Ut videntes Jesum Semper collaetemur. Sit laus Deo Patri, Summo Christo deciis, Spiritui Sancto, Tribiis honor unus. Amen. — 281 — The Litany of the Blessed Virgin, Commonlv called The Lltv.y of Lorato J^YRIEelriwn. Chrifte eleison. Kyiiie eleison. Christe audi nos. Christe extudi nos. Pater de ceelis Deus, miserere nobis, '^'li Redemptor mundi l^us, itiisere--e nobis. Spiritus Sancte Deus njiserere nobis. * Sancta Trinitas. unus ^^os, miserere nobis Sancta Maria, i Sancta Dei genitrix Sancta virgo virgi- | num. Q Mater Christi, ( S Mater divina- era- ' "^ iXK, >■ 3 Mater purissima, I % Mater castis.sima, ^■ Mater inviolau, " Mater intemerata, Mater amabilis, mercy J" ORD have -i on ns. Christ have mercy on u». i:f '? ""ve mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ,graciouslyhearus. OodtheFatherof heaven have mercy on ns. Ood the Son. Redeemer ofthe world, have mer- cy on us. God the Holy Ghost. imve mercy on us Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. Holy Mary, i Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of vir gins. Mother of Christ, Mother of divine grace, Mother most pure. Mother most chaste Mother inviolate, M-^ther undefiled. Mother most amia- ble, r 5" — 282 — ' Mother most admi-' rable, Mother of our Crea- tor. Mother of our !-av- iour, Vir^n most prudent, Virgin most venera- ble. Virgin most renown- ed. Virgin most power- ful, Virgin most merci- ful. Virgin most faith- ful, Mirror of justice, Seat of wisdom, Cauie of our joy, Spiritual vessel. Vessel of honor. Singular vessel of devotion. Mystical rose, Tower of David, Tower of ivory, House of gold, •Ark of the cov- enant, Gate of heaven, Morning star. Health of the sick, Refuge of sinners. Mater admirabilis, Mater Creatoris, Mater Salvatoris, Virgoprudentissima, Virgo veneranda, Virgo prsedicanda, Virgo potens, Virgo Clemens, Virgo fidelis, Speculum justiti%, Sedes sapientiae, Causa nostree laeti- tiae, Vas spirituaie. Vas honorabile. Vas insigne devo- tionis. Rosa mystica, Turris Davidica, Turris ebumea, Domus aurea. Foederis area, Janua cceli, Stella matutina, Salus infirmorum, Refiigium peccato- rum, I s — 283 — Consolatrix afflicto- rnm, Auxilium Christia- norum, Regina Angelorum, Regina Patriarch- Propheta- Apostolo- arum Regina mm, Regina rum, Regina Martyrum, Regina Confesso- rum, Regina Virginum, Regina Sanctorum omnium, Regina sine labe ori- ginal! concepta, Comforter of the af-1 flicted Help of Christians, Queen of Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Martyrs QueenofConlessors, Queen of Virgins, Queen of all Saints, s Queen conceived without original sin, Queen of the most holy Rosary, j LambofGod,Whotakest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord. LambofGodWhotakest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord Lamb of God Whotakest away the sins of the world. ha vemetcyon us ttVtiv. th* A. . ^•-.^■... Regina sacratissimi Rosarii J Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, parce nobis, Domine Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- cata mundi, exaudinos, iJomine. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, mise- rere nobis. — 284 — Christ, hear ui. 0.:'»t, graciously hear us. y. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God ; i^. That we may be made worthy of the promises of (Thrist. Let iM Pray. "DOUR forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy -*- grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ. Thy Son, was made known, by the message of an Angel may, by His Tassion and Cross, be brought to the glory of His Resur- rection ; through the same Christ our Lord Amen. iNDCLOWrciD PRAY.R8 AJMR COMMUNIOK. Behold, O good and most gweet Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees before Thee, and with Ihe utMost fervor of my soul, p«y and beseech Iheetha* Thou wouldst oeign impress «pon my 'J!*".,»^ely sentimenls of Faith, Hope i»d Char- ity, true Contrition for my sins and a most firm purpow! of amendment whilst with great love and griefofsoul I ponder within myself and men- tally contemplate Thy five Wounds; having before my eyes the words which of old the prophet David applied to Thee putting them in Thy mouth, O good Jesus : They have pierced Hy hands and My feet ; they nave numbered all Mv bones." tPfl XXI, 17 18) .«.';*s.'."SrKJixt';«S'"'^'" -286 — ANIMA CHBI8TI. r- Til of Ohriat, sanctify me : ■ '■'•Ay of Christ, save me: iilood of Christ, inebriate me : Water from the side of Christ, wash me, f assion of Christ, strengthen me : O good Jesus, hear me : Within Thy wounds hide me : Permit me not to he separated from Thee. From the malignant enemy defend me : In the hour of my death call me And bid me come to Thee That, with Thy saints. I may praiw Thee. For ever and ever. Amen. 300 daj/a' indulgence, each time. 7 yean, "nee a day, after Communion, Plenary, onee a month, if you have iMd it at lea.il onee every day. (.V.P.) Pirn IX., Jan. 25. 1868. 8USCIPE. Take, O Lord, and receive all my liberty, niv memory, my understanding and my whole will. Thou hast given me all tliat I am and all that I possess; I surrender it all to Thee that Thou mayest dispose of it according u> Thy will. Give me only Thy love and Thy grace ; with these I will be rich enough, and will have no more to desire, 300 dayi indulgence, once a day, Leo Xfll., May 26, 1883. Jesos, meek ansl hamWe of H«iirt. make my heart like unto Thine ! 300 day^ indulgence, onee a day. Piu» IX., Jan- uary 26, 1868. — 287 — THB TBIUMPH OV THX HAIL MABT. Slug h sons of men, the story Ot the Rosary-proclaim All Its grandeur, all Its glory : Sing the praise of Mary's Name. BEFBAIN. By this ever-blessed "Ave" God, In ns, shall sin destroy ; By this ever-blessed "Ave" Orace and peace shall we enjoy. Wondrous prayer, of wondrous beauty, ^«rt thou known to any one. Thee U say were Joyous duty I' rem the dawn to set of sun. Could I speak as speak the thunders I would teach, in every place, AH its beauties, all its wond«>rs To a sad and sinful race. Angels, saint., the archangel's sre^ting Sing, forevermore, on high • We their words in faith .;epeatlng. To their am hems make reply. — ias — Hath a heretic its Bweetnesa Ever known, or ever proved ? AU Its perfectness, completeness ? Hath his heart by It been moved ? 'Constant truth, and etulace bringing ;- One by Qod predestinate Never wearies "Ave," singing, Never grows disconsolate. Those who love not Ood, unspoken, Lieave this prayer ; or as of nought Think of it ; and not aef token Of the great salvation wrought. Soul predestinate, with gladness, Still thy Rosary repeat : Think to taste, amid earth's sadness, Hidden manna, passing sweet T^lfe is here, and full salvation, Joy to thee shadl It impart : Jesus loves this salutation, Wins it, too, His Mother's Heart. Gabriel once, in homage bending. Brought from highest heaven this word Ood, to manhood condescending. Stooped to us, when Mary heard : -289 — A8 Of Old, 80, too, to^lay • All Her pity It obtalneth ': Is It much for us to say ? Joy therein she ever flndeth AU we ask of Her to do. Anem from grace to m-acp if *^k ..^ Strength from hourtfrur^rfnew;: i^lJ^ **"*" *"^*'' o° hearing Gabriel's "Ave," now »ha,l bear' Fruit In season, plenteous, cheering Growing fertile everywhere. ' Surely Shall this prayer all-holy Draw The Spirit to renew Jesus In His brethren lowly •_ Such the work He fain would do. I^o!Thls"Ave"itoontalneth Victory over foes obtalneth, Over all migw work us harm. 24 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI ond ISO TE?T CHART No. 2) 130 l"^™ N IS 1.8 ^ APPLIED \hMGE I ^^ 1653 East Moin Street ^^S Rochester, New York 14609 USA ''^g (716) 482 - 0300 - Phone ^= (716) 288- 5989 -Fax — 290 — Bven God, by sin offended, Gladly listens to this prayer ; By It sball His wrath be ended, Changed Into a Father's care. When temptation round us rageth I " Ave " bids the tempest cease ; "Ave" all our griefs assuageth, Brlngeth sweetest, perfect peace. For the sinner It obtalneth Grace, and pardon for his sin : For the just roan fervour gaineth, Faith to presevere, to win. It enflameth, light revealeth, Nourishetb, and doth protect ; Reassureth. gladdeneth, healeth, Glveth strength to souls elect. He who, oftentimes, and duly Doth his Rosary recite God will answer him most truly, Pat his ghostly foes to flight. Thing that passelh comprehension :- That one "Ave," rightly said. Better is— without contention— Than the whole wide world Instead. — 291 — But, the grace that It contalneth. AU Its succour to obtain. Say It well-or it remalneth All unsaid, or said In vain. ^h'^Tw'r'"''" ^^ ^*'""'«' «P«ken- bhall the sinner turn from sin Pride by It at last be broken. Errors It to truth shall win. "Ave" said with true devotion, i>ue attention, reverent love Setteth grace for us in motion : Merit gains for us abov«. Wghtly said-how could we ever Dare It ?_Doubt not that It will Bring thee grace and pardon never ; Work thy soul a grievous ill. I^t him, who believes me, sav It Day by day. In ev'ry place, " God will certainly repay it Richly, with abundant grace. As for me, I stlU repeat It • Mysteries of Joy, of woe Glorious mysfrles. to complete it ; For its power and help i know — 292 — Dally, In my ctally duty, Joyful, or when 111 at ease. Peace or war ;— I learn Its beauty, Learn its gracious mysteries. When my ghostly foes assail me Courage, stre ?tb, to me It brings ; Armour that aall never fall me. Given by The King of kings. Oft times have the world, the devil, ' Gainst my weary spirit fought, Striven, in vain, to work me evil. For the " Ave " succour brought Far from me, ye men of learning Worldly, who In secret blame This devotion beauteous ; spuming All our love for Mary's Name. Children of our Blather, pray It ; Members of The Christ Who died To His Mother's honour say it. By the Spirit sanctified. Wouldst thou grow, as He hath bidden Perfect, in perfection's way V Mark, this counsel, secret, hidden —Say a Bosary ev'ry day. -•293 — Who 80. faithful, peraeverlng, Uvetb by Buch rule as this To his Model ever Hearing- Shall attain the promised bl'lss. BKFBAIN, By this ever-blessed "Ave," God, In US, shall conquer sin • By this ever-blessed " Ave " Shall His reign be ushered In. Practical Synopsis of this Devotion. «^T^^ AsrxBATiON : Tu^ totus ego mn, et omnia mea tua sunt. I am aU thine weet Mother ; aU I am and aU i bave ^ longs to thee ! ^ Mother and all thou katt U, mine ' ' — 294 - In all voub Actions (have this habitaal thought) : Sweet Mothei", Act in me. Pray In me. Suffer in me. I Speak in me. Worls in me. And thus with everything ; peacefully ; sweetly, without contention of mind ; but with fidelity and perseverance. Meditation (in tha Immaculate Heart . of Mctry). Dear Mother, I bring thee the three powers of my soul : My memory. My understanding. My will. I'ray in me. Be in my memory, to blot out every other thought but that of Jesus. Be in my understanding, to banish there- from all other knowledge. Be In my will, to destroy therein all other wills. Dear Mother, consider with me the virtue I need most ; and the example of it which JesuB gives me. — 295 — FBUIT OF MEDITATION. Recollection: profound; habitual In Mary. Submission : perfect ; actual ; to the Inspl- rations of grace, so as to be able to say, at every moment, In union with Mary • Ecoe aneilla. Behold the handmaid of the Lord ! Holy mass. (Follow and imitate Mary) Dear Mother, lead me to Calvary. Offer me with Jesus. Teach me how to Immolate sfd.r"^^"^''^'^^-^^--^— * CONFESSION (at the foot of the Crom, quite near the Blessed Virgin.) Dear Mothe^ may thy heartfelt sorrow for sin, and thy lively Horror of it take fuU possession of me- May thy virginal purity and thy perfect Udelity destroy every thing evil.'e^Tn t„ Ibe slightest imperfection, in my soul - COMMUNION. (Unite with the dispositions' of the Blessed Virgin.) Dear Mother, give me my Jesus. Lend me thy heart, and receive Him thy. self in me. ' Adoie, love, solicit ; glorify Him foi- me. Defend Him within me. cause Him to "ve ; to grow ; to rule and to act within inc. — 296 — O tender Mother, extend His kingdom, and strengthen His reign in the hearts of adl. At all Times : Forget everything but the sight of our loving Mother mercifully watching over us to keep us in all things. ayd through all things, closely united to Jesus. Incline sweetly, but efflcaciously— with her and lik« her— always to do what will be most agreeable to Our Lord ; in littlu things as in great things. (1) Do your duty j7CTicrott«Iy— without negli- gence or reserve— like a faithful servant— or a willing child, who never stops to ex- amine things but lovingly obeys. Take everything, whether from heaven or from earth, as coming to you direct from the Blessed Virgin. Give nothing, to God or to men without confiding it to Mary'B virginal hands. "Do this and thou shalt live ! " (1) We know God's wiU (and the B. Virgin'! alio, for ■he nerer had any other than Ood's) in thete three wayi : let. If there Is the obUgation of obcdibhox to the law or to a inperior, 2nd. If there is the obligation of chabitt, to God, to our neighbor, or to ourselres, in regard to our perfection. 3rd. If, with nothing contrary te obedience and charity, there li necessity. — 297 — FSnd?:f^l*'c™- '^SfJ*"*.' S^"*' ••• """•fort •«> 'ko piStof JbI>, iJif.™"' '^'*«" •• K.nn.. during tb* l.lt«r PBEFACE. it^.'i.iT ^'°* *^** ^P'*"**' <»°« wouW think love Is it for Jesus crucified. The writer undoubtedly received a special Inspfftlon of StS^l ^,t?*' " $^^ *•>« great Apostle or xNaaons , and we linow of no aalnt or wrl er n Christian times, who ha" ino?I ^"Wli"ely treated the noble aSd myster* ous sufferings of Our Lord. "'J'"«ri Read this solemn and touching instruc- tion, and meditate on it. Ton wffl {» nen etrat^d and enraptuin-d. It wUl glve^oii a true idea of the profound knowlfdge.Z n^«**"?^**^P^'•i!'"^«' «"»<* tl^e eminent hoh^ FH«n^ V^v*"^"^- ^° describing « T^e sentimpntii^f^P"*"^' '^""tfort reveafls the sentiments of his own pure souL The mem- bers of Trappist Communities make it one nL*SnH «"^J«=t« of constant meditation! and find in it great consolation. They sue pest it as suitable, for those who go there for a time to meditate in solitude He wrote this epistle under the followina clrcnmstanees. Passing through BeMef n^vw'T^^^.°*' "* J"'y' "14. af if sIm by Divine Providence to evangelize this large wJjrt of^^*' H^ the privilege of preaching the word of God in the various churches but was refused. Foraed to silence he nnn celved the idea of entering on a ten d^s' - 298 — retreat, and during this time be meditated on tbe sufferings of Our Lord on the Groas. On the last day of the retreat, he wrote the following beautiful epistle to the favored souls, whom he had assoctated together in tbe differeni places through which he passed, under the title of Friends of the Oross, and at tbe same time addressed the worldly minded, who followed a line of cond- uct directly opposed to his, and leading to perdition. TO THE FRIENDS OF THE GROSS. To-day, the last one of my retreat, I come out, so to speak, of tbe sweet re- tlremenf'of my own interior, to trace upon paper a few arrows of the Cross, with which to pierce your hearts. Would to God, that I could sharpen them with the blood of my veins, Instead of the Ink of my pen ! But alas ! even were this required of me, I am too great a sinner. May, then, tbe Spirit of the Living God be, as it were, the life, the strength, tbe tenor of this letter. ^f^^?^ unction be, as it were, my Ink, HlB divine Gross my pen, and your hearts my paper. You have united together. Friends of the Cross, as so many soldiers, prepared for conflict with the world, not by flying away from it like monks and nuns, for fear of — 29!; utll '*'^Ji?«'«»»ed, but like valiant and brave warriors on the field of battle, with- out yielding a step or turning back ' S- age, then, tand flght valiantly ! Unite your- selves together m a strong union of St and mind, which will be infinitely stro^er and more ,^errlble to the world and hfu than the united forces of the kingdom to the enemies of the State. The devH, are for '?hi^'' y^-i! destruction, be yon united iZfJ'f'' ojerthrow ; the avaricious are united for the gain of gold and silver be you united for the conquest ot the toeas ures of eternity, which ar« enclosed l^he cross; the licentious are united for pU^ '"?,' i^ y°° "°'t«d 'or suffering. You X .a led the Friends of the Cross^^How grand n..!i !f ^ ^ontees that 1 am charmed by It and dazzled. It is more brlillant than the sun. higher than the heavens nSre glo lious and full of majesty than rmost imgnlflcent titles of kings and emperore • tm2Ta%"h\K • " '« '"^^ unm.sUk'a'b'i^ do^^i'u rt tn?ss^:r7lfi:^b'y^ffm": P»r,t*°9«- What ind. pensable and dlfflc™t obligations are contained in this name a" d r^Z^^^.. .^^ ^^^ ^"'•ds «' the Holy !l. 1- ^^ *^*'^^®° generation, a Mnely priesthood, a holy nation, a purchaSd people." A Friend of the Cross is a^ Hv^p.''^)^'^*""* "' te" thousand, Tbl live according to sense and meia r^son to be a man, all divine, raised above r^l'. — 300 — and opposed In everything to wnse, by the life and light of pure faith, and by a burn- ing love for the CroBs. A Friend of the CroBB 1b an all-powerful king, and a hero who triumphs over the devil, the world, and the fleah. In their triple concupiscence. By the love of humiliation he overthrows the pride of Satan ; by the love of poverty he triumphs over the avarice of the world ; by the love of suffering he deadens the senauaUty of the flesh. A Friend of the Cross is a holy man, separated from all things visible, whose heart is raised above all that is frail and perishable, whose con- versation is In heaven, who passes upon earth for a stranger and a pilgrim, and who, without allowing his heart- to rest upon It, regards It with indifference, and tram]>Ies It Jwlth contempt) beneath Orts feet. A Friend of the Cross Is an illustrious conquest of Jesus Christ, crudfled upon Calvary, In un'.on with His holy Mother ; he Is a Benonl or Benjamin, the "son of pain," the "son .of the right hand," con- ceived in His sorrowing Heart, bom into the world from His pierced right side, and all-empurpled with His Blood. Owing to his origin of blood, he can only breathe rrosses, blood, and death to the world, the desh, and sdn, in order to be all hidden here below with Jesus Christ in God. Lastly, a perfect Friend of the Cross is a taTue "Christopher," or rather another Jesus Christ, so that he can say with truth. Vivo jam turn ego, vMt vero in me OhH^tus —I live, yet not I, but Christ llveth in me." — 301 — DliP« n^^'i "^.'^ u" y"*"" «™ttt name Im- plies, or, at least, have you a true deairp ^? «!,*'■'"' T'"' »° b«come so by the giS^ of God. under the shadow of the Crolfof Calvary and of our Lady of Pltv ? A^f you taking the means nlcesLryVr ml n? H# "*7f yo" entered Into the tn» Mth "J "'«• ^^hlch Is the strait and thoral wa v fL^i7t''i- t,^'\y°" ""*• withouMh7nk! ^.|f «e VrpeJ^Mor .^ryl- gfeth-SU^^^^-ia^^^^^ ^sh'^s^hrVeTcLdS s - mce. from that of the woS?and^of' nT r.oS%-tU%rafe\^^-£ oJSoSten^cT S^V'^TorTd^J^i^ chosen people, dear FrJendsT^the Cr^ss waiK not m the counsel of the nnvn^i^ fn'^'thl^^ .'" *]>« ^«y »' sinners. Sorilt In tihe chair of pestilence.' Come ye out onlf t^^r* 7*^ '"'""°°"« Baboon, Hs?en only to the voice, follow only in thi> f^t prints of My well-beloved SoL" Who^f have inven to be your Way. your TnTth! — 302 — your Life, and your Model— "ipAum auiUt " T Do you hear this loving Jesus, Who cries to yon laden with His cross, "Tenite post me. Gome ye after Me ;— he that followeth me walketh not In darlsness ; " OonfldUe, ego vM mundum,— have confidence, I have overcome the world." Ifou see, my dear Brothers of the Confra- ternity, there are two sides or parties, which present themselves every day, that of Jesus Christ, and that of the world ; that of our loving Saviour is on the right hand as you mount up to heaven, by a narrow road, straitened more than ever by the corruption of the world. Our Good Master Is at its head, marching barefoot," His head crowned with thorns. His body all bleeding and laden with a heavy cross ; there is only a handful of men to follow Him, although they are the bravest who do so, because His gentle voice is .not heard amid the tu- mult of the world, and few there are who have the courage to follow Him In His poverty. His sufferings, His humiliations, and His other crosses, which we must needs bear In His service all the days of our life. On the left Is the party of the world, or of the devil, and it is the most numerous, the most magnificent, and the most brilliant, at least in appearance. All the fashionable world are there, and great is the crowd, although the roads are broad, and ^vldened more than ever by the multi- tude which pours through them like a tor- rent ; for the roads are strewn with flowers, — 303 — bordered by pleasures and amusements covered with gold and silver. """*^™«°^8' On the right hand, the little flock which follows Jesus Christ, speaks only of tears penances, prayers and contempt of the world ; continually may you hear these words interrupted by sobs, -'Let ufsSen let us weep, let us fast, let us pray, let us hide ourselves, let us humble ourselves let lor he who has not the spirit of Jesus Christ, which is the spirit of the Crosl^s none of His ; those who are Jesus Christ's have crucified their flesh with its concupis- cences ; we must be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, or be damned. " Courage '" ,r„n7h«i:'^°'''''«n " ««d be for u^in us and before us, who can be against us V in the^w^rM ."^i^ stronger than he who is fSo t, **"^'''i ^^ servant is not greater than his master, a moment of light tribula- «on worketh an eternal weight of glory 7tL'l^^ ir'^'i ?* ^^ ^'«*=' t^*^" ">en think ; it is only the violent who take the kingdom of heaven by storm : no one shaU be croS t« th*'^^ "'**. "*^'^«° lawfully, accorSlS ^J}"^ *'??!'• *^°** "«^ according tt. th? fashions of the world. Let us then fleht hmvely let us run our course quickly, that Trow?' '*"' P""*"^' *^^* ^« «^'° «»r These are some of the words of God with which the Friends of the Cross mutuallv encourage one another. Wordlings, on the other hand, in order to encourage them- selves In malice, without scruple, cry out — 304 — every day, " Life, life, peace, Joy, Joy ! Let us eat, let us drink, let us sing, let us dance, let us play : God Is good, God has not made us In order to damu us, God does not forbid us to amuse ourselves ,; we shall not be damned for that, no more scruples, then, mortemini ! " Bear in mind, my dear Brothers, that trar good Jesus in looking at you now, and Is saying to eyery one of you singly : " See how I am abandoned by almost the whole world In the royal road of the Cross : the blind idolaters mock at My Cross as a folly, the obstinate Jews are scandalized at it as an object of horror, heretics break it in pieces and cast It down, as a thing worthv of contempt : but, what is worse^ {and I cannot tell you this wirho'ut tears in mv eyes, and sorrow in My heart.) My chil- dren, whom I have brought up on My bosom, and whom I have taught in Aiy school, the members of My Body whom I have quick- ened with My Spirit, have abandoned and despised Me In becoming the enemies of My Cross, Vumguid et voa vultis ahire ? Will yon also go awav and leave Me. by flying from My Cross like the worldlings, "who in this are so many Antichrists, ' Antichristl mvlti t ' Will you, in order to conform to this present wicked world despise the poverty of My Cross In a race after riches, avodd the pain of My Cross in a search after pleasure, hate the humiliations of My Cross in an ambitions thirst for honours'? I have many apparent friends who pro- test that they love Me, and who, in reality. — 305 — hate Me, because they love not My Cross • ahS^otS^o! Tf l^f rX"eVK our sensnality. a« Eve wa. ; let i.^only lo^k to the Author and End of our faith T sua Oruclfled; let us fly the corripSin o," the concupiscence of a corrupted world let US love Jesus Christ In tSf^perwav' ttiat is to say. by following mi ffiieh Im Srab^S Let us ^mediute rfuo^i! aomiraWe words of our lovlne Master which contain within them the whole plr feetion of the Christian life. •' sTg«te mlt vmm> post me, abnegct sHpsum, et Ml^ZS mam, et sequatur me. - if anv onr^»?n ^1, • .."P ^^^ ^^'^^' and follow Me " Aii tnis . 1. To win to become a saint—" i# «„» "Si quis, - if any one "-anv one not rXrTiJ^.^'''^^'- to" mark toe sm^ number of the elect, who really have the will to conform to Jesus Christ erueifled hv carrying their cross. The numb™ of ffie elect is so small, so small that w^ we to f^7.H J Tt^" " ''' ^« «houldTaint Iway from grief. It is so small that were G^d tn assemble them together. He would ^ to irophet: " CongreganUni urns et unw-~ 25 — 306 — gather yourselves together, one by one, one from this proflnce, one from that kingdom." " 8i quia vuU,"—it any one has a true will, an absolute will, a will determined not by nature or custom, or self-love, or interest, or human respect, but by the all-victorious grace of the Holy Ghost Who gives Him- self not to every one.— Non omnibus datum eat noase myaterium. The knowledge of the mystery of the Cross is, in practice, given but to few. A man who would mount up Calvary and suffer himself to be laid upon the cross with Jesus, in the midst of his own country, must be a brave man, a hero, a detormiiaed man, a man raised up In God ; he must tread under his feet as so much litter, the world and hell, his own body and his own will ; he must be determined to leave everything;, undertake everything, and suffer everything, for Jesus Christ. Know, dear Friends of the Cross, that those amongst you who have not this determination, are walking, so to si)eak, on one leg, are flying with one wing, and are not worthy to be of your number, because they are not worthy to be called Friends of the Cross, which we must have to- gether with Jesus Christ, corde maiino et ani- mo volenti. A half-will of this kind Is enough to spoil the whole flock, like a sheep that has the scab. If any such sheep has entered into your sheepfodd, through the evil door of the world, In the name of Jesus Christ Crucifled let it ibe chased away, as a wolf would be. "Si quia wHt poat mo venire"— \t any one — 307 ~ to carry ff fe "'"owodo co-aroior;- .^d to carry it with Joy, and to prefer it to «ii sum •" lot »,i,v. X, ^?? ' oonegef semetip- Kum , let him deny hlmse f. Far from ti7o company of the Friends of th* CroL b^ rtn«f i>ear about them everywhere the esrotlsm Af proud I^uclfer. "non sum »<«/( ^^«T-" who cannot suffer to be found fault with wTth o"t excusing themselves, or to be attaTk;;i v/lthout defending themselves or tn hi t"v ^'.^ ^**^«"* exalting the^seW Take heed not to admit Into your "mnanv those delicate and sensual men who dread _ 308 - the least prick, and who cry out and com- plain at the least pain, who have never rel- ished a halr-sblrt or a discipline or other Instrument of penance, and who mingle with their faahlouable tlevotlons a sort «>r pi. stered up .and rt«fliio(1 delicacy and wan( ofi inortiflcation. " Tollat Cruoem Suam ;" let him take up his cross : " Suam," his own. Let him. let this man, ( or that rare woman, " de ultimis ftnibua pretium ejus," whom the whole earth from end to end could not purehase ) tako up with joy, embrace vith burning zeaJ. and carry bravely on his shoulders his own cross, and not that of another; his own cross, which by my wisdom I have made for him with "number, weight and meas- ure : " b4s own cross, the four dimensions of which I have arranged wltli My own hand with great exactness, that is to say, its thickness, its length, its breadth and Its depth ; his own cross which I have cut from a portion of that which I carried My- self on Oalvary, out of the infinite love wnlch I bore him ; his own cross, which is the richest present I can make to My elect on earth ; his own cross, composed in its thickness of the loss of goods, and humilia- tions, and contempt, and sorrows, and pain, and sickness, and spiritual suffering, which in My Providence must happen to him every day until his death ; his own cross, composed In its length of a certain number of months or days, during which he must be laden with calunay, or extended on a sick bed, or reduced to beggary, or become — 309 — — 310 — cause there is nothing so needful and so useful, so sweet and so glorious, as to sufTer something for Jesus Christ. And, indeed, dear friends of the Cross, you are all sinners ; there is not one amongst you who does not deserve hell, and I more than any one. Our sins must be punished in this world, or in the next ; if tJiey are planished in this, they will not be punished in the next ; if God punish them in this world and we agree to it, the pundshment will be full of loTe ; He will chastise ns in His mercy which reigns In this world, and not in His justice ; the chastisement will be light and momentary, accompanied with sweetness and merits, and followed by rewards both in time and in eternity. But If the chatisement necessary for the sins which we have committed be reserved for the next world. It will be the avenging justice of God Who tries everything by Are and blood, which will punish us ! Terrible punishment ! horrendum I unspeakable, incomprehensible i " quis novit potestatem irw ejus f Who knoweth the power of His wrath 1" Punish- ment without mercy, judicium nine miseri- cordia, without pity, without relief, with- out merit, without limits, without end. Yes, without end ; that mortal sin of a mo- ment, which you have committed, that bad and voluntary thought which has escaped your memory, that word which the wind has carried away, that little action against the law of God, which lasted such a little while, will be punished for eternity, as long — 311- «l^^i^ !iS***^; ^^^ "»• deniona In hell ; and the Ood of vengeance will have no pity on your fearful torments, on your tears and poans, even though the^ be loud enough to rend the rocks. To suffir for ever and for ever, without merit, without mercy, and without end ! Do we think of wi hiS« ♦ **"■ i""ot'>«''8 and sisters, when we have to suffer some llttie naln in this world ? How fortunate, then, we are to make so happy an exchange of an eternaJ and unfruitful pain for. one that Is passing Hud meritorious by can-ylng this cross wltli **^ .°.^? L ^^"^ ""^"y of o"i" debts remain unpaid ! How many sins have we committed lor the explaOon of which, even after blt- fc>r contrition and slnccro confession, we shall have to suffer In purgatory for cent- Sl',r;„ ''f?'"!?.. ^* ^^^^ *^n content In A^ T w""^ ^'"^ ? *®^ ""^'y "8ht penances ! Ah ! L't us pay In this world wlUlngly, bv canning our cross well ; for. In the next world, even the last farthing Is exacted, even an Idle word must be expiated If we could only snatch from the devil the book of death. In which he has marked aU our sins and the punishment which is due i^'^l V^^* "° "nmenso " sum total " we K sS ^1?,^"^ delighted we should be to hufter whole years here Iwlow, rather tS^me?'' ^""^ ^ '*°«''^ ^^^ *° «"« ^°rW nf^?hJ°^,°°* ^*t"5 y°"'^8«l^es, my friends of the Cross, tHat you are the friends of ^^k o^:j^'sh to become so ? Make up your mind, then, to drink of the chalice, which you must drink, If you would become the (rienda of Ood : Catioem Domini bihenmt, ct amid Dfi fanti mnf. The well-beloved Ben- jamin had the chalice, and bis other broth- ers bad only the corn ; the great favorite of Jesus Christ (St John) had the Heart of Christ, and went up Mount Calvary, and drank of the chalice. Poteatis Mbere edlioem f It is good to desire the glory of God, but to desire and to pray for It, without wishing to suflter everything, is a for.v and an ex travagant prayer. Neaoitia quid petatis.... oportet per midtat trilmlationes t—oportet, we must, it is a necessity ; it is indispensable ; we must enter through many tribulations and crosses Into the kingdom of God. It is with reason that you glory in being the sous of God, glory then in the scourglngs wbtob your good Fatber baa given you and will give you for the future, for the good father chastises His children. If you are not of the numl>er of His well-beloved sons, you are, Ob, what a misfortune ! what a, thunderbolt ! yov .re, as St. Augustine says, of the number of the reprobate. He who mourns not in this world, as a pilgrim and a stranger, will never rejoice in another world as a citizen of heaven, aayfl the same St Augustine. If God the Fatlier does not send you from time to time some good crosses, it is because He does not care for you, because He Is angry with you ; because He looks upon you only as strangers out- side His bouse, an-* no longer under His protection, or as bastard children, who, not — SIS — deserving to share their Father's heritage deserve neither care nor correctJc "**' fli^o^'*^' "'^ F'"^^'