Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/447

 the heavenly  fire  descends,  is  it  not  rash  to  anticipate God by  sitting  in  judgment  on  one  another? Selfjudgment is  nothing  more  than  the  examination  of one's  conscience,  a  sacred  duty  incumbent  on  every Christian, a  powerful  incentive  to  repentance,  and  a valuable  aid  in  the  production  of  the  proper  dispositions for  prayer. It is  of  self-examination  that  St. Paul,  writing  to  the  Corinthians,  says:  "  If  we  would judge  ourselves,  we  would  not  be  judged,"  for  such salutary effects  would  this  exercise  produce  in  us  that we would  thereby  escape  God's  weightier  condemnation. But would  we  thereby  escape  human  criticism? Alas! the more  virtuous  a  man  is  the  more  fault  will be found  with  him,  and  the  cavilings  of  his  critics  will be bitter  in  proportion  to  their  wickedness. The vicious resent  goodness  in  others  as  a  personal  reproach. " Let  us,"  say  they  (Wis.  ii),  "  let  us  lie  in wait  for  the  just  because  he  is  contrary  to  our  doings, upbraideth  us  with  transgressions  of  the  law,  and  divulgeth  against  us  our  sins.  He  is  become  a  censurer of  our  thoughts,  grievous  to  us  even  to  behold,  for his  life  is  not  like  other  men's,  and  his  ways  very  different. He  esteemeth  us  as  triflers  and  abstaineth from  our  ways  as  from  filthiness,  and  glorieth  that  he hath  God  for  his  Father.  Let  us  examine  him  by outrages  and  tortures,  that  we  may  know  his  meekness and  try  his  patience,  and  let  us  condemn  him  to a  most  shameful  death." Ah, Brethren,  what  a  commentary on  human  nature  is  this;  what  a  picture  of that  malice  which  could  torture  and  crucify  even  the irreproachable, the  loving  and  gentle  Saviour. We