you! May the poor thoughts which I have strung together, excite
in your minds this fruitful and wonder-working desire. Regard the
love of God as the pearl of great price. Consider over and over
again the value of it. Persevere in efforts to appreciate it. Say
to yourselves--I will not forget. I will continually repeat: Oh,
God, make me to know thee, and to love thee more and more! Oh,
how I wish to love my God better than I do! Excite this desire in
the morning when you arise--during the day, when you are
tempted--when you are discouraged--when you have any thing to
suffer--in the midst of pleasure, and whenever the Holy Ghost
inspires it. At night, take some time to reflect upon the love of
God, to sigh and beg for it. Persevere, and it will not be long
before your heart will be inflamed with it--your whole life will
be filled with it. Your only uneasiness will be because that
burning desire cannot be fully satisfied in this world.
{292}
This is to hunger and thirst after justice. What a blessed hunger
and thirst it is, and what a blessed promise accompanies it!
"_Blessed are ye who hunger and thirst after justice, for you
shall be filled_." [Footnote 122] Filled with justice! What
does that mean? Filled so that we shall not want any more. Not
filled with money--which will leave us poor and naked at the last
hour. Not filled with sensual pleasures, which please the heart
in time and burn it in eternity; but filled with justice, that
is, filled with God--filled with a deep inward peace and joy
during our mortal life--a foretaste of heaven; and filled with
glory and happiness unspeakable in heaven itself forever. Amen.
[Footnote 122: St. Matt. v., 6.]
-----------------
{293}
Sermon XVIII.
The Worth Of The Soul.
"There shall be joy before the angels of God
over one sinner doing penance."
--St. Luke xv., 10.
(From the Gospel for the 3d Sunday after Pentecost.)
This is what theologians call an _accidental_ joy. The
essential joy of Heaven consists in the perfect knowledge and
love of God, and is unchangeable and eternal; but the accidental
joy of Heaven springs from the knowledge of those events in time
which display the goodness and greatness of God. The first of
these events was the creation itself, when the hand of God spread
the carpet of the earth and stretched the curtains of the
heavens. Then "_the morning stars praised Him together, and all
the sons of God made a joyful melody_." [Footnote 123]
[Footnote 123: Job xxxviii., 7.]
{294}
After this the great historic events of the world have been
successively the burden of the angelic songs--the unfolding of
the plan of Redemption, the birth of Christ, the triumphs of the
Church. But lo! of a sudden these lofty strains are stopped.
There is silence for a moment, and then the golden harps take up
a new and tenderer theme. What is it that has happened? What is
the event that can interrupt the great harmonies of Heaven, and
furnish the Angels with a new song? In some corner of the earth,
in some secret chamber, in some confessional, on some sick bed,
in some dark prison, a sinner is doing penance. He prays, whose
mouth had been full of cursings. He weeps, who had made a mock at
sin. The slave of Satan and of Hell turns back to God and
Heaven--and that is the reason of this unusual joy. It is not
that a recovered sinner is really of more account than one who
has never fallen, but his recovery from danger is the occasion of
expressing that esteem and love for the souls of men which always
fills the heart of God and the Angels. Therefore, as that
contrite cry reaches heaven the Angels are silent, for they know
that there is no music in the ear of God like that.
{295}
And then, when God has ratified the absolving words of the
priest, and restored the contrite sinner to His favor, they cast
themselves before the throne, and break forth into loud swelling
strains of ecstasy and triumph, while He Himself smiles his
sympathy and joy. Oh, my brethren, what a revelation this is! A
revelation of the value of the soul. There are great rejoicings
on earth when a battle is won, or upon the occasion of the visit
of some great statesman or warrior, or when some great commercial
enterprise is successful, but these things do not cause joy in
Heaven. The conversion of one soul--it may be a child, or a young
man, or an old woman--the conversion of one soul, that it is that
makes a gala day in Heaven. Now God sees every thing just as it
is, and if there are such rejoicings in Heaven when a soul is
won, what must be the value of a soul! Let us confess the truth,
we have not thought enough of the value of a soul. We have
thought too much of the world, of its pleasures, of its profits,
of its honors, but too little of our own souls. We have not
thought of them as God thinks of them. Let us then strive to
exalt our ideas, by considering some of the reasons why we should
put a high value on our souls.
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In the first place, we should value a human soul, because it is
in itself superior to any thing else in the world. The whole
world, indeed, with every thing in it, is good, for God made it.
But He proceeded in a very different manner in the creation of
the material world from what He did when He made the soul. He
made the world, the trees, the rivers, the lights of heaven, the
living creatures on the earth, by the mere word of his power.
"_God said, Be light made. And light was made_." [Footnote
124] And God said, "_Let the earth bring forth the green herb,
and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind. And it was
so_." [Footnote 125]
[Footnote 124: Gen. i., 3.]
[Footnote 125: Gen. i., 12.]
[Transcriber's note: The USCCB reference is Gen. i., 11,12.]
But when He made the soul, the Scriptures tell us, "_He
breathed into the face of man and he became a living soul_."
[Footnote 126]
[Footnote 126: Gen. i., 26.]
[Transcriber's note: The USCCB reference is Gen. ii., 7.]
By this action we are to understand that God communicated to man
a nature kindred to his own divinity. The Holy Ghost, the Third
Person of the Blessed Trinity, is the uncreated Spirit of God,
eternally breathing forth and proceeding from the Father and the
Son; and God when He breathed into the face of man, signified
that He imparted to man a creative spirit kindred to his own
eternal spirit.
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The Holy Scriptures indeed, expressly tell us that such was the
case; "_Let us make man to our Image and our Likeness_."
[Footnote 127]
[Footnote 127: Gen. i., 26-27.]
This likeness consisted in the possession of understanding and
free will, the power of knowledge and love--the two great
attributes of God Himself. You are then, my brethren, endowed
with a soul which raises you immeasurably above God's material
creation. You have a soul made after God's image. This is the
source of your power. The two things go together in Holy
Scripture. "_Let us make man to our Image and Likeness: and let
him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of
the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping
creature that moveth upon the earth_." [Footnote 128]
[Footnote 128: Gen. ii., 7.]
[Transcriber's note: The USCCB reference is Gen. i., 26.]
In the state of original innocence, no doubt, this dominion was
more perfect, but even now it exists in a great degree. "_Every
kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and of the rest, is
tamed, and hath been tamed by mankind_." [Footnote 129]
[Footnote 129: St. James iii., 7.]
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See how a little boy can drive a horse. See how a dog obeys his
Master's eye and voice. See how even lions and tigers become
submissive to their keepers. And the elements, often wilder than
ferocious beasts, are obedient to you. The fire warms you and
cooks for you, and carries you when you want to travel for
business or pleasure. The wind fans the sails of your vessels,
and the waters make a path for them under your feet. Even the
lightning leaps and exults to do your bidding and to be the
messenger of your will. Thus every thing falls down before you
and does you homage, and proclaims you lord and master. What is
the reason that every thing thus honors you? It is on account of
the soul that is in you--the power of reason and will--the
godlike nature with which you are endowed.
Yes, and your soul is the source of your beauty, too. In what
consists the beauty of a man? Is it a mere regularity of form and
feature? Do you judge of a man as you do of a horse or a dog? No;
the most exquisitely chiseled features do not interest you, until
you see intelligence light up the eye, and charity irradiate the
countenance--then you are captivated.
{299}
A man may be a perfect model of grace in his movements without
exciting you, but when he becomes warm with inspirations of
wisdom and virtue, when his words flow, his eye sparkles, his
breast heaves, his whole frame becomes alive with the emotions of
his soul, then it is you are carried away, you are ready almost
to fall down and worship. What is the reason that Christian art
has so far surpassed heathen art? the Madonna so far more
beautiful than the Venus de Medicis? It is because the heathens
portrayed the beauty of dead matter; the Christians portrayed the
beauty of the soul. And if the soul is so beautiful in the little
rays that escape from the body, what must it be in itself? God
has divided his universe into several orders, and we find the
lowest in a superior order higher than the highest in the
inferior order. The soul, then, is more beautiful than any thing
material. "_She is more beautiful than the sun, and above all
the order of the stars; being compared with the light she is
found before it_." [Footnote 130]
[Footnote 130: Wisdom vii., 29.]
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Oh, my brethren, do not admire men for their form, or their
dress, or their grace, but admire them for the soul that is in
them, for that is the true source of their beauty.
It is also the secret of their destiny. God did not give you this
great gift to be idle. He gave it for a worthy end. He gave
understanding that you might know Him, and free will that you
might love Him; and this is the true destiny of man. You were not
made to toil here for a few days, and then to perish. You were
made to know God, to be the friend of God, the companion of God,
to think of God, to converse with God, to be united to God here,
and then to enjoy God hereafter forever. Once more then, I say,
do not admire a man for his wealth, or his appearance, or his
learning. Do not ask whether he is poor or rich, ignorant or
learned, from what nation he springs, whether he lives in a cabin
or palace. Let it be enough that he is a man, possessed of
understanding and free will, spiritual and immortal, with a soul
and an eternal destiny. That is enough. Bow down before him with
respect. Yes, respect yourselves--not for your birth, or your
station, or your wealth, but for your manhood.
{301}
"_Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, and let not the
strong man glory in his strength, and let not the rich man glory
in his riches. But let him that glorieth glory in this, that_
HE UNDERSTANDETH AND KNOWETH ME." [Footnote 131] Yes, my
brethren, this is your true dignity, the soul that is in you--the
soul, that makes you capable of knowing and loving God.
[Footnote 131: Jer. ix., 23, 24.]
[Transcriber's note: The USCCB reference is Jer. ix., 22,
23.]
And yet, there is another reason why you should value your souls,
besides their intrinsic excellence--I mean, the great things that
have been done for them. Do you ask me what has been done for
your souls? I ask you to look above you, and around you, and
under you. Oh, how fair the earth is! See these rivers and hills!
Look on the green grass! Behold the blue vault of heaven! Well,
this is the palace God has prepared for you above; nay, not for
your abode--your dwelling-place is beyond the skies, where
"_the light of the moon is as the light of the sun, and the
light of the sun seven fold, as the light of seven days_,"--
but for the place of your sojourn. This earth was made for you;
and, as your destiny is eternal, therefore the earth must have
been made to subserve your eternal destiny.
{302}
Why does the sun rise in the morning, and go down at night? It is
for you--for your soul. Why do summer and winter, seed-time and
harvest, return so regularly? It is for you, and your salvation.
The earth is for the elect. When the elect shall be completed,
the earth, having done its work, will be destroyed. This is the
end to which, in God's design, all things are tending. God does
not look at the world, or its history, as we do. We say: "Here
such a great battle was fought;" "there such a celebrated man was
born;" "in this epoch such an empire took its rise, such a
dynasty came to an end." But God says: "Here it was a little
child died after baptism, and went straight to heaven;" "there it
was I recovered that gifted soul, which had wandered away into
error and sin, but which afterward became so great in sanctity;"
"in such an age it was that I lost that great nation which fell
away from the faith, and in such another, by the preaching of my
missionary, I won whole peoples from heathenism." I know we
shrink from this in half unbelief. When it is brought home to us
that this little earth is the centre of God's counsels, and our
souls of the universe, we are amazed and offended.
{303}
But so it is. "_All things work together unto good to them that
love God_." [Footnote 132] All things; not blindly, but by the
overruling Providence of Him who made them for this end.
[Footnote 132: Rom. viii., 28.]
Do you ask me what has been done for your souls? I answer, the
Church has been established for them. Look at the Church, and see
how many are her officers and members--Bishops, Priests,
Levites, Teachers, Students. All are yours--all are for you. For
you the Pope sits on his throne; for you Bishops rule their Sees;
for you the Priest goes up to the altar; for you the Teacher
takes his chair, and the Student grows pale in the search for
science. That the Apostolic commission might come down to you,
St. Peter and St. Linus and Cletus ordained Bishops in the
churches. That the true doctrine of Christ might come down to you
uncorrupted, the Fathers of the Church gathered in council, at
Nice, and Ephesus, and Chalcedon, and Trent. That you might hear
of the glad tidings of Christ, St. Paul and St. Patrick labored
and died. For you, for each one of you, as if there were no
other, the great machinery of grace, if I may express myself so
coarsely, goes on.
{304}
Do you ask what has been done for your souls? Angels and
Archangels, and Thrones and Dominions, and Principalities and
Powers--all the hosts of Heaven--have labored for them. "_Are
they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for those who
shall receive the inheritance of salvation?_" [Footnote 133]
For you the whole Court of Heaven is interested, and one bright
particular Angel is commissioned to be your guardian. For you St.
Gabriel flew on his message of joy to the Blessed Virgin Mary,
and St. Michael, the standard-bearer, waits at the gate of death.
[Footnote 133: Heb. i., 14.]
Do you ask what has been done for your souls? From all eternity
God has thought of them, the means of salvation been determined
on, the chain of graces arranged. And the Son of God has worked
for them. Galilee, and Judea, and Calvary were the scenes of his
labors on earth, and on his mediatorial throne in heaven He
carries on still his unceasing labors in our behalf.
{305}
And the Holy Ghost has worked. He spake by the Prophets, and on
the day of Pentecost He came to take up his abode in the Church,
never to be overcome by error, or grieved away by sin, to vivify
the Sacraments, and to enlighten the hearts of the faithful by
the preaching of the Gospel and his own holy inspirations.
Why, who are you, my brethren? The woman at Endor, when she had
pierced the disguise of Saul, and knew that she was talking with
a king, was afraid, and "_said with a loud voice: Why hast thou
deceived me, for thou art Saul?_" [Footnote 134]
[Footnote 134: 1 Kings xxviii., 12.]
[Transcribers Note: The USCCB reference is I. Samuel xxviii. 12.]
So, I ask you, who are you? I look upon your faces, and I see
nothing to make me afraid; but faith tears away the disguise, and
I see each one of you radiant with light, a true prince, and an
heir of heaven. I look above, and see Heaven open and the Angels
of God ascending and descending on errands of which you are the
object. I look higher yet, and I see God the Father watching you
with anxiety, and the Son offering his blood for you, and the
Holy Ghost pleading with you, and the Saints and Angels, some
with folded hands supplicating for you, and others pointing with
outstretched hand to the glorious throne reserved in Heaven for you.
{306}
Have you, my brethren, so regarded yourselves? Have you valued
that soul of yours? Have you kept it as your most sacred
treasure? Is it now safe and secure? Oh, how carefully do men
keep a treasure they value highly! Kings spend many thousand
dollars yearly just to take care of a few jewels. The crown
jewels of England are kept, as you know, in the Tower. It is a
heavy fortress, guarded by soldiers who are always on watch. At
each door and avenue there is an armed sentinel. The jewels
themselves are kept in glass cases, and visitors are not allowed
to touch them. And all these pains and outlay to take care of a
few stones that have come down to the Queen by descent, or been
taken from her enemies! And that precious soul of yours, before
which all the wealth of the world is but worthless dross--with
what care have you kept that? Alas! every door has been left
open. No guard has been at your eyes to keep out evil looks. No
guard at your ears to keep out the whispers of temptation.
{307}
No guard at your lips to stop the way to the profane or filthy
word. Nay, not only have you kept up no guard, but you have
carried your soul where soul-thieves congregate. The Holy
Scripture says: "_A net is spread in vain before the eyes of a
bird_." [Footnote 135]
[Footnote 135: Prov. i., 17.]
Yes, the birds and beasts are cunning enough to avoid an open
snare; but you go rashly into dangers that are apparent to all
but you. Sinners lie in wait for you. They say, in the language
of Scripture: "_Come, let us lie in wait for blood; let us hide
snares for the innocent without cause. Let us swallow him up
alive like hell, and whole as one that goeth down into the
pit_."--and you trust yourself in their power. Oh, fly from
them! Consider the treasure you carry. "_What shall it profit a
man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?_" Will you
sin against your own soul? you that are made after God's
likeness; you that are princely and of noble rank, will you
defile that image, and degrade yourselves to a level with the
brutes that perish?
{308}
But there are others whose offence is of an other kind. They let
their salvation go by sheer neglect. If a man plants a seed, he
must water it, or it will not grow. So the soul needs the dew of
God's grace; and prayer and the Sacraments are the channels of
God's grace. Yet how men neglect the Sacraments! Even at Easter,
when we are obliged to receive them, some absent themselves. It
has been a matter of the keenest pain to us to miss some members
of this congregation during the late Paschal season. You say, you
have nothing on your conscience, and it is not necessary to go to
confession. But is it not necessary to go to Communion? Will you
venture to deprive yourselves of that food of which, unless ye
eat, the Saviour has said: "_Ye have no life in you?_" Oh!
you have a sad story to tell. You have fallen into mortal sin,
and you are afraid to come. But do you think we have none of the
charity of the Angels? Only convert truly, for it is a true
conversion that gives the Angels joy, and we can give you the
promise that Thomas à Kempis puts into the mouth of Him whose
place we fill: "How often soever a man truly repents and comes to
me for grace and pardon, as I live, saith the Lord, who desireth
not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted
and live, I will not remember his sins any more, but all shall be
pardoned him."
{309}
And to you, my brethren, who, during the Easter season just past,
have recovered the grace of God, I have a word of advice to give
in conclusion. Keep your souls with all diligence. Keep your
souls; that is your chief, your only care. Keep them by fleeing
from the occasions of sin. Keep them by overcoming habitual sins.
Nourish them by prayer and the sacraments. How great a disgrace,
that all the irrational world should do the will of God, and you,
the rulers of the world, should not do it! "_The kite in the
air hath known her time; the turtle, and the swallow, and the
stork have observed the time of their coming; but my people have
not known the judgment of the Lord_." [Footnote 136]
[Footnote 136: Jer. viii., 7.]
How great an evil it is in a State when an unworthy Ruler is at
its head. The people mourn and languish, and at last rebel. So,
when a man neglects the end for which he was made, the whole
creation cries out against him. The stones under his feet cry
out. The air he breathes, the food he eats, protest against the
abuse he makes of them.
{310}
Balaam's ass rebuked the madness of the Prophet; so when you live
in sin, the very beasts reproach you. Your horse, your cow, your
dog, your pigs cry out: "If we had souls we would not be as you.
Now we serve God blindly, and of necessity; but if we had souls,
it would be our pride and happiness to give Him our willing
service." All things praise the Lord;--"showers and dew;" "fire
and heat;" "mountains and hills;" "seas and rivers;" "beasts and
cattle." O, sons of men, make not a discord in the universal
harmony! Receive not your souls in vain! Serve God; "praise Him
and exalt Him forever."
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{311}
Sermon XIX.
Merit The Measure Of Reward.
"Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with Me,
to render to every man according to his work."
--Apoc. xxii., 12.
Society is made up of numerous classes of persons, of very varied
position and attainments. How marked is the line, for instance,
which divides the man who lives in the Fifth Avenue, anywhere
below Fortieth street, from the occupant of a shanty on the
outskirts of the city! Again, what point of contact is there
between the man of science or literature, whose life is spent in
intellectual pursuits, and the vacant lounger that hangs around
our steamboat landings and wharves? These men move in separate
spheres, and have scarcely anything in common.
{312}
They are like two different races of men. The difference is
perhaps less marked in this country than elsewhere, inasmuch as
royalty and nobility and hereditary titles do not exist here. But
even in this country there is a clear line of division between
distinct classes of persons. Shall this always be so? Shall these
accidental and artificial barriers survive death? How will it be
in heaven?
No, my dear brethren, these particular lines of division, of rich
and poor, learned and unlearned, shall cease with this world; but
others will be set up in their place. There is an aristocracy,
there is a hierarchy, in Heaven. St. Paul, after saying,
"_There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon,
and another glory of the stars, for star differeth from star in
glory_," adds, "_so also is the resurrection of the
dead_." [Footnote 137]
[Footnote 137: 1 Cor. xv., 41, 42.]
St. Teresa calls this difference "a prodigious inequality." We
must not imagine, however, that these various ranks of glory in
Heaven are founded upon such accidents as birth or good fortune.
They are founded upon that proportion of merit which we shall
have gained, each one by his good deeds in this life.
{313}
The amount of grace and personal holiness that we possess when we
appear in judgment before the Lord, this, and not wealth, or
position, or gifts of any kind, will be the standard by which we
take a high or low place there. It is about this principle of
"personal merit" before God, and in view of Heaven, that I am
going to speak to you this morning. In order to do this, I shall
speak of the certainty of merit, of the sources of merit, and the
conditions of merit.
I. The Certainty Of Merit.
What is meant by merit? It is that supernatural reward, which God
has promised by way of justice, to a good work done in the state
of grace. God has made a contract with us, as it were, in virtue
of which He has given us the privilege of claiming eternal
happiness from Him on certain conditions. Let me show you how
this is the teaching of Holy Scripture. "_Rejoice and be glad,
for great is your reward in heaven_." [Footnote 138]
[Footnote 138: St. Matt, v., 12.]
{314}
Our Lord, you see, uses the word reward which I have used.
"_Every one shall receive his own reward according to his
labor_." [Footnote 139]
[Footnote 139: 1 Cor. iii., 8.]
St. Paul here adds another idea to that of reward, namely, that
it shall be given according to one's labor, or good works. This
is what our Lord says in the words of my text: "_Behold I come
quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every man
according to his work_." "_For the rest there is laid up for
me a crown of justice, which the Lord the just Judge will give me
in that day; and not to me only, but to them also who love his
coming_." [Footnote 140]
[Footnote 140: 2 Tim. iv., 8.]