Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/365

 churches, and  to  be  present  in  them  with  external  modesty and  silence  accompanied  by  internal  devotion  and humility. If David  could  say  of  the  ancient  temple, " Holiness  becomes  Thy  house,  O  Lord,  unto  the  length  of days,"  (Ps.  xcii.  5.)  with  how  much  more  propriety  may  it be  said  of  Christian  churches?

II. Christ, inflamed  with  zeal,  and  anxious  "to  do away  with  this  pollution"  of  His  Father's  house,  "when He  had  made,  as  it  were,  a  scourge  of  little  cords,  He drove  them  all  out  of  the  temple,  the  sheep  also  and  the oxen,  and  He  poured  out  the  changers'  money,  and  the tables  He  overthrew." (John ii.  15.)  He  repeated  the same action  a  little  before  His  passion. This meek  and humble lamb,  when  His  Father's  honor  was  concerned, assumed the  character  of  a  lion,  fulfilling  the  expression of the  Prophet,  "The  zeal  of  Thy  house  hath  eaten  me up." (Ps. lxviii.  10.)  With  such  zeal  ought  all  those  to be  inflamed,  whose  duty  it  is  to  prevent  the  sins  of  their neighbors.

III. This zeal  for  His  glory  is  most  pleasing  to  God: He reproaches  some  of  His  prophets,  "  You  have  not gone  up  to  the  race  of  the  enemy,  nor  have  you  set  up  a wall  for  the  house  of  Israel." (Ezech. xiii.  5.)  Hence,  St. Gregory  writes,  "  There  is  no  sacrifice  more  pleasing  to God,  than  the  zeal  of  souls." True zeal  consists  in  this, that you  endeavor  to  correct  everything  you  see  wrong in others,  by  proper  means;  and  if  you  cannot  succeed, to bear  it  with  patience,  and  pray  for  them. Observe how cold  you  are  on  this  subject,  as  if  like  another  Cain, you were  not  your  brother's  keeper.