Page:PracticeOfChristianAndReligiousPerfectionV1.djvu/93

 amuse himself  in  looking  upon  the  lancet,  and  admiring  its workmanship? Would you  not  persuade  him  to  forbear  that  idle curiosity, and  tell  him  that  it  is  his  business  to  be  let  blood;  that what he  was  to  mind  now,  was  to  have  his  vein  opened;  and the rest  was  little  or  nothing  to  the  purpose. It is  the  same  with those who,  instead  of  attending  to  that  which  is  most  essential in a  sermon,  to  that  whence  they  could  extract  the  so  necessary nourishment of  their  souls,  stop  at  the  rind,  and  attend  to nothing  more  than  to  the  plan  and  division  of  the  discourse,  to the  strength  and  beauty  of  the  language — in  a  word,  to  that which is  only  an  idle  ornament  and  a  vain  artifice  of  eloquence. Such men  as  these  may  justly  be  compared  to  a  sieve  and  a sarse  which  retain  only  the  chaff  and  bran,  and  let  all  the  grain and flour  pass  through  them. Holy Scripture  tells  us,  that  when Esdras (2  Esd.  viii )  read  the  law  of  God  to  the  people  of  Israel, all the  people  were  so  moved,  that  reflecting  upon  their  past lives, they  wept  most  bitterly,  comparing  their  actions  with  the law of  God,  which  ought  to  have  been  their  rule,  and  which  was delivered to  them  for  that  end. Insomuch that  the  Levites  felt it extremely  difficult  to  suppress  their  sighing. It is  after  this manner we  ought  to  hear  sermons,  with  a  wholesome  and profitable confusion  for  our  faults;  comparing  our  lives  with the doctrine  we  hear  preached;  examining  the  difference  there is between  what  we  are,  and  what  we  ought  to  be;  considering, in fine,  how  far  we  are  from  the  perfection  proposed  to  us  to practise.

There is  a  third  point  which  will  confirm  still  more  and  more the preceding  one,  and  which  being  presupposed  will  also  serve as an  excellent  precaution  against  the  spirit  of  curiosity,  and will dispose  us  better  to  derive  advantage  from  what  we  hear. It is,  and  the  whole  world  ought  to  believe  it,  that  exhortations are not  made  to  unfold  to  us  any  new  extraordinary  duties,  but only to  revive  in  us  the  memory  of  the  more  common  and ordinary duties,  and  thereby  to  inspire  us  with  more  fervour  to put  them  in  practice. In effect,  it  is  particularly  upon  this account that  St. Ignatius (Part  iii.  Const,  cap.  i.)  required  so frequent  exhortations  amongst  us;  for  in  the  third  part  of  the Constitutions, after  he  had  established  the  rules  set  down  in  the summary; "  Let  there  be,"  says  he,  "  some  one  appointed,  who every  week  or  at  least  every  fortnight,  may  remind  us  of  these Rules,  and  other  such  like  instructions;  lest,  through  the  weakness of  our  nature,  we  may  forget  them,  and  at  last  come  to