Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/58

 the world,  and  the  sting  of  death  is  sin."  No  flourish of  trumpets  heralds  his  onset,  but  down  he  swoops suddenly,  like  the  Assyrians  on  Israel,  like  a  wolf  on the  fold.  "  For  the  sinner,"  Scripture  says,  "  the grave doth  yawn  thrice  wider  than  for  other  men,  and hell doth  enlarge  its  mouth."  In  history,  sacred  and profane,  you  will  find  that  the  world's  greatest  sinners have  almost  invariably  died  sudden  and  unprovided deaths,  whereas,  according  to  the  selfsame  history, the  strongest  brake  on  death's  chariot-wheel  is self-denying  virtue.  For  the  virtuous  are  trees  of precious  wood  which  the  grim  woodsman,  Death, will, before  felling,  allow  to  season  and  develop;  but  the wicked  are  as  worthless  timber  which  may  at  any time  be  cut  down  and  used  as  firewood.  And  oh! remember  that  as  the  tree  leans,  so  shall  it  fall — as  a man  lives,  so  shall  he  die.  The  salvation  of  a habitual  sinner  demands  of  God  the  exercise  of  more miraculous  power  than  would  suffice  to  cause  the leaning  oak  to  straighten  up  and  lean  and  fall  the other  way.  To  expect  such  a  miracle  from  God  is blasphemous  unto  perdition. St. Jerome  says  that  of one  hundred  thousand  men  invariably  bad,  scarce  one finds mercy  before  God. Will you  then  imitate  the hundred thousand,  and  take  your  chance  of  being  the favored one? What, risk  your  soul! You may  risk all the  world  beside,  your  goods  and  chattels  you may, to  weather  the  gale,  cast  overboard  and  afterwards recover,  but  not  your  soul,  for  that  once  lost  is lost  forever. What will  the  whole  world  profit  you, if you  lose  your  soul? And if  the  acquisition  of  a