Page:Sermons for all the Sundays in the year.djvu/16

 hearts of others to divine love ; he must himself be first inflamed with it. " Lampades ejus lampades ignis, atque flammarum." (Cant. viii. 6.) He must be first a fire to burn, and afterwards a flame to set others on fire. St. Bernard explained this in other terms, when he said, that he must be first a cistern, and then a canal ; first a cistern that is, full of the fervour and zeal which are collected in mental prayer ; and then a canal, to communicate it to others.

3. With regard to the subject matter of sermons. Those subjects should be selected which move most powerfully to detest sin and to love God ; whence the preacher should often speak of the last things of death, of judgment, of Hell, of Heaven, and of eternity. According to the advice of the Holy Spirit, " Memorare novissima tua, et in setcrnum non peccabis," (Eccl. vii. 40,) it is particularly usefu often to m ae mention of death, by delivering several discourses on that subject during the year, speaking at one time on the uncertainty of death, which terminates all the pleasures as well as all the afflictions of this life ; at another, on the uncertainty of the time at which death may arrive ; now, on the unhappy death of the sinner ; and again, on the happy death of the just.

4. The preacher should often speak of the love which Jesus Christ bears towards us, of the love which we should bear to Jesus Christ, and of the confidence we should have in his mercy whenever we are resolved to amend our lives. It would appear that some preachers do not know how to speak of anything but the justice of God, terrors, threats, and chastisements. There is no doubt but that terrifying discourses are of use to arouse