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 but vexation  of  spirit. In the  beginning,  man's  animal passions were  as  a  mighty  fire  just  sprung  and  raging fiercely, but  God  subdued  them  by  the  waters  of  the Deluge and  tempered  them  still  more  since  by  the waters of  Baptism. The devil's  powers,  too,  have been curtailed  since  the  woman  Mary  crushed  the serpent's head,  and  her  divine  Son  placed  at  our  disposal the  means  of  repelling  him. In fine,  the  way  to heaven  has  been  made  so  smooth  by  the  feet  of  innumerable saints;  so  easily  traced,  deeply  dyed  as  it is  with  the  blood  of  Christ  and  the  martyrs;  and  the end has  been  shown  so  clear  to  our  view,  that  the wonder is  how,  how  we  can  possibly  stray  from  that path; how  we  can  have  a  single  thought  but  for  God and the  soul;  a  single  aspiration  but  one — to  "  dwell all  our  days  in  the  house  of  the  Lord."

Brethren, know  that  it  is  now  the  hour  for  us  to rise  from  the  sleep  of  sin — now,  next  week,  this  Advent. And first,  you  poor  soul  given  to  many  and serious habits  of  sin,  in  God's  name  cast  off  now  the works of  darkness  and  put  on  the  armor  of  light. Walk honestly,  as  in  the  day;  thinking  nothing, desiring nothing,  saying  or  doing  nothing  you  would be ashamed  to  exhibit  to  the  world  in  broad  daylight. Free your  soul,  for  good  and  all,  from  those  sins  of drunkenness  and  impurity,  contention  and  envy. Make it  so  pure  against  the  coming  of  your  Lord  that it will  not  quail  even  before  the  search-light  of  God's omniscience. In short,  in  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  strip yourselves of  the  old  man  with  his  deeds  and  put  on the  new;  viz.,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. Again, you