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 is gone,  until  the  last  stifled  cry  of  the  last  human being had  rung  out  over  the  dreary  waste. And over all the  scene  of  horror  who  presides? God? Merciful Father, is  this  your  work? No, no;  He  is  a  God of mercy  still. This is  not  His,  this  is  the  work  of mortal  sin.

Again consider  the  two  fair  cities  of  Sodom  and Gomorrha, with  all  their  hundreds  and  thousands  of inhabitants. What was  it  that  made  God  send  a storm  of  fire  and  brimstone  from  heaven  to  destroy these cities  and  make  their  very  sites  uninhabitable forever? It was  that  their  sin  had  become  exceeding great — it  was  mortal  sin. Stand over  against these cities  with  a  light  on  your  face  and  the  smoke whirling about  you,  and  listen  to  the  roar  of  the flames and  the  shrieks  of  the  victims  and  judge  from its effects  the  awful  malice  of  mortal  sin. Alas! human history  is  for  the  most  part  a  history  of  woes because it  is  a  history  of  sin,  whereas  if  sin  had  never entered the  world,  man  would  still  be  in  the  enjoyment of  his  original  innocence  with  all  its  accompanying blessings. Therefore every  calamity  that has befallen  or  will  befall  the  human  race;  every misery, past,  present  or  future  of  our  own  lives  are all directly  or  indirectly  the  effects  of  mortal  sin.

Brethren, let  us  look  at  a  soul  in  the  state  of  mortal sin. What, O  soul! is mortal  sin  to  thee? Thou hast burst  God's  bonds,  thou  hast  cast  off  His  yoke, thou hast said:  "I  will  not  serve." An abandoned waif, God  adopted,  enriched  and  exalted  thee,  but thou hast  despised  Him,  flung  back  His  favors  in  His