Page:Stalphonsuspraye00ligu.djvu/394

 How is  it,  then,  that  certain  great  saints,  after having given  themselves  wholly  to  God,  and  after  a life  of  mortification  and  detachment  from  all  earthly things, at  the  hour  of  death  have  felt  great  terror  at the  thought  of  appearing  before  Christ,  their  Judge? I reply  that  those  great  saints  who  have  suffered these fears  at  the  moment  of  death  have  been  very few, and  that  it  was  the  will  of  God  that  they  should thus purge  away  the  remains  of  their  sins  before entering on  eternal  blessedness;  but  that,  ordinarily speaking, all  the  saints  have  died  in  remarkable peace, and  with  earnest  desires  to  depart  to  the presence of  God. And for  the  rest,  this  is  the  very difference between  sinners  and  saints  at  the  hour  of death,  that  sinners  from  fear  pass  on  to  despair,  and saints from  fear  pass  on  to  confidence,  and  thus  die in peace.

Therefore, every  one  who  has  a  hope  that  he  is  in the  grace  of  God  ought  to  desire  death,  repeating the prayer  which  Jesus  Christ  has  taught  us:  "  Thy kingdom  come;"  and  he  ought  to  embrace  death  with joy when  it  comes,  that  he  may  thus  be  freed  from sin, and  leave  this  world,  where  no  one  lives  without imperfections, and  go  to  behold  God,  face  to  face, and love  Him  with  all  his  powers  in  the  kingdom  of love.

Y God,  being  certain  that  I  shall  die,  and  not knowing when  it  will  be,  I  intend  now  to prepare  myself  for  death;  and  I  therefore declare that  I  believe  all  that  the  holy  Church  believes, and  especially  the  mystery  of  the  most  holy Trinity, the  incarnation  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ, paradise and  hell;  because  Thou  Who  art  truth  itself hast  revealed  all  these  truths.

I deserve  a  thousand  hells:  but  I  hope  in  Thy