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 from God  and  became  the  Mother  of  the  Man-God — the truth  and  the  life. Eve consented  to  the  prince of darkness,  but  it  was  to  an  angel  Mary  said:  "  Be it  done  unto  me  according  to  thy  word." Mary brought forth  her  Son  without  loss  of  virginity  and without pain,  whereas  had  she  ever  even  for  an instant  been  the  subject  of  original  sin,  God's  words would have  been  verified  of  her  as  of  every  daughter of Eve:  "  I  will  multiply  thy  sorrows  and  in  sorrow shalt  thou  bring  forth  children." Eve came  to  fill the world  with  the  thorns  and  thistles  of  human  afflictions, but  the  Canticle,  speaking  of  Mary's  conception, says:  "  The  winter  is  now  past,  the  rain  is  over and  gone,  and  the  flowers  have  appeared  in  our  land." She is  the  flower  of  the  field  and  the  lily  of  the  valley. "As the  lily  among  the  thorns,"  says  the  Canticle, " so  is  Mary  among  the  daughters  of  Eve." She is the  fleece  of  Gedeon,  bathed  in  the  heavenly  dew, while all  around  was  parched  with  the  breath  of  hell. Upon Mary,  says  the  Psalmist,  grace  came  down  as the  dew  upon  the  fleece,  and  from  her  it  spread broadcast, and  was  increased  by  the  preaching  of  the Apostles and  their  successors,  until  it  became  as showers  gently  falling  upon  all  the  land,  for  their sound hath  gone  forth  into  all  the  earth  and  their words unto  the  ends  of  the  world. She is  the  ark  of Noe  unsubmerged  by  the  universal  deluge  of  sin; alone on  the  world  of  waters,  a  solitary  refuge  for  the remnant of  mankind.

Brethren, there  is  one  more  text  of  Scripture  from many that  might  be  adduced  concerning  the  Immac-