Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/90

 wife." (Ib.  xvii.  32.)  What  was  it  she  did?  God  having brought  her  out  of  Sodom,  in  order  to  save  her  from  the  fire which  consumed  that  city,  she  stopped  upon  the  way,  and  turned to  look  behind  her,  and  immediately  in  the  very  place  where  she turned  her  head,  she  was  changed  into  a  statue  of  salt.  Would you  know,  says  St.  Austin,  what  this  signifies?  Salt  seasons and  preserves  everything,  and  our  Saviour  would  have  us remember  Lot's  wife,  to  the  end,  that,  reflecting  upon  what happened  to  her  we  may  preserve  ourselves  with  that  salt,  which her  transformation  does  furnish  us  with;  that  is  to  say, that taking  warning  by  the  example  of  her  punishment,  we  may  go on  and  persevere  in  that  good  course  of  life,  into  which  we  are entered,  without  stopping  or  looking  behind  us,  lest  we  ourselves should be  turned  also  into  statues,  from  which  others  may  take salt, for  their  own  preservation. Alas! how many  are  there now-a-days, who  serve  us  for  statues  of  salt,  like  that  of  Lot's wife? How many  are  there  whose  fall  may  serve  us  for  a warning,  and  become  of  very  great  advantage  to  us,  in  order  to our  eternal  salvation? Let us  then  be  wise  at  other  men's  cost, and let  us  endeavour  to  do  nothing  that  may  make  others  become wise at  our  expense.

St. Austin and  St.  Jerom  farther  add  and  say,  that  "  To  begin well  and  end  ill,  is  to  make  a  monster,  as  if  a  painter,  after  he had  drawn  the  head  of  a  man,  should  add  to  it  the  neck  of  a horse.  (Ad  frat.  in  Erem.  ser.  8.)  St.  Paul,  writing  to  the Galatians,  reprehends  them  very  severely  for  proceeding  after this  manner.  "What,"  says  he,  "are  you  grown  to  such  a height  of  folly,  as  that  having  once  begun  well  in  the  spirit  you will needs  end  in  the  flesh? Senseless men! who has  bewitched you, thus  to  rebel  against  truth?"    (Gal.  iii.  3.)

But to  the  end  we  may  obtain  God's  holy  grace  to  persevere  in doing  well,  we  must  strive  to  lay  at  first  a  good  foundation  of  virtue and  mortification;  for  if  the  foundation  be  weak,  the  building will quickly  come  to  lean,  and  so  fall  to  the  ground. That fruit into which  the  worm  has  once  crept,  never  ripens,  but  soon  falls from the  tree;  whilst  that  which  is  sound,  sticks  fast  to  the branch, till  it  is  perfectly  ripe;  in  the  same  manner  if  your virtue be  not  solid,  and  your  heart  not  wholly  possessed  by  God, and if  you  still  cherish  the  same  worm  of  presumption,  of  pride, of impatience,  or  any  other  irregular  passion;  that  worm  will  by degrees  corrupt  your  heart,  and  consume  all  its  best  juice  and substance; and  to  speak  more  clearly,  you  will  run  the  danger