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Bourdaloue, Father Croiset,  and St. Augustine.

"Because thou  art  lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will  begin  to  vomit  thee out  of  my  mouth."— Apocalypse  iii. 16.

[BOURDALOUE, Louis. — Louis Bourdaloue  was  born  at  Bourges  in 1682,  and  died  on  the  13th  of  May  1704.

During the  reign  of  Louis  XIV. of France  many  celebrated  ecclesiastics attained  celebrity  and  even  an  European  reputation,  but Bourdaloue equalled,  if  not  excelled,  all  those  who  have  succeeded  him. He was  styled  as  "  The  King  of  Preachers  and  the  Preacher  of  Kings.*"

His sermons  and  different  works  were  collected  and  published  in 17  vols. 8vo in  the  year  1826. In his  magnificent  discourses  no  one displayed a  deeper  insight  into  the  divine  mysteries. Addressing himself less  to  worldlings  than  to  Christians,  he  united  the  charity  of St. Paul to  the  unction  and  learning  of  St.  Augustine,  and  the  use  he makes  of  passages  from  Holy  Scripture  and  the  quotations  from  the writings of  the  holy  fathers  render  the  reading  of  his  sermons  profitable, and  at  the  same  time  interesting.

The eulogy  of  Bourdaloue  from  Cardinal  Maury's  Essai  sur  l'Eloquence  is  always  quoted  in  all  French  elegant  extracts.]

We begin  at  once  to  go  back  in  the  spiritual  life  when we become  lukewarm  or  lax  in  the  service  of  God. It is the  first  step  that  leads  to  sin  and  death. To languish, says St.  Bernard — not  that  languor  of  love  like  unto  that of the  Spouse  of  the  Canticle,  not  that  languor  of  dryness which David  felt  when  God  withdrew  His  consolations and seemed  to  leave  him  to  himself,  and  which  made  him say, ''Languerunt  oculi  mei  prce  inopid; but that  lukewarm-