Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/85

 be still  more  forcibly  urged  to  embrace  it,  I  shall  propose several other  means,  which  may  serve  to  the  attaining  it.

The reason  why  in  holy  Scripture  we  are  so  often  called  the children of  God,  by  the  mouths  of  the  prophets,  who  very  often repeat this  saying,  "  I  will  be  your  father,  and  ye  shall  be  my children;"  and  by  St.  Paul,  who  exhorts  us  to  be  " followers  of God,  as  his  most  dear  children"  (Eph.  v.  1);  and  by  St.  John, when he  tells  us,  "  See  what  love  the  heavenly  Father  has  had for  us,  insomuch  that  he  would  have  us  called,  and  be  effectually the  sons  of  God"  (1  John,  iii.  1 );  and  also  in  many  other  places to the  same  purpose. The reason,  I  say,  why  the  same  thing  is repeated  to  us  so  often  in  holy  Scripture  is,  as  St.  Austin  says, " To  the  end  that  seeing,  and  considering  the  dignity  and  excellency of  our  origin,  we  may  conceive  and  entertain  a  greater esteem  and  higher  value  of  what  we  are;  and,  consequently, take  greater  care  not  to  do  anything  unworthy  our  noble  extraction. We  use  great  care,"  says  the  same  father,  "  to  preserve  a rich  suit  of  clothes,  and  to  see  that  it  be  not  stained,  and  we  look carefully  to  our  jewels  and  other  things  of  great  value:  so  also, when  holy  Scripture  tells  us  of  our  dignity;  when  it  reminds  us that  we  are  the  sons  of  God,  and  that  God  himself  is  our  Father; it  is  to  the  end  we  should  take  great  care  to  preserve  our  hearts pure  and  clean;  and  that  we  behave  ourselves  in  all  our  actions, so  as  becomes  those  who  have  the  honour  to  bear  the  character of the  sons  of  God,  and  that  we  never  degenerate  from  the  noble and high  sentiments  with  which  that  great  dignity  ought  to  inspire us."  (Ep.  243,  ca.  19.)  The  saying  also  of  St.  Leo  Pope  is well  adapted  to  our  purpose.  "  Consider,"  says  he,  "  O  Christian! what thy  dignity  is;  and  seeing  thou  art  made  partaker  of  the divine nature,  suffer  not  thyself  to  fall  back  into  thy  ancient baseness, by  attaching  thyself  too  much  to  the  things  of  this  life; reflect on  that  head  and  body,  whereof  thou  hast  the  honour  to be  a  member".  (Serm.  1.  de  Nat.  Dom.)  St.  Paul  represented  the same  thing  heretofore  to  the  Athenians,  telling  them,  "That  we descended  from  God;  and  it  is  from  him  we  derive  our  origin" (Acts,  xvii.  28',  29),  and  thereby  he  wishes  to  inspire  them  with sentiments  worthy  their  noble  extraction.  But  to  make  a  still fuller  and  a  more  particular  application  of  what  is  here  said,  and of  the  comparison  of  the  rich  robes  mentioned  by  St.  Austin,  let us  consider,  that  as  the  smallest  stain  is  more  indecent  in  a  fine robe;  and  the  richer  the  cloth  is,  the  more  the  stain  appears, inasmuch  that  what  appears  very  considerable  upon  cloth  of  gold