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PRIEST, who  was  conducting  the exercises of  a  retreat,  related  the following anecdote  to  his  youthful  hearers. "Some years  ago,"  he  said,  "when  I  was  prefect of  studies  in  an  ecclesiastical  seminary,  owing  to press  of  work  I  sat  up  one  evening  until  eleven o'clock.  At  this  unusually  late  hour  there  came a  knock  at  my  door,  and  when  I  opened  it  there stood  before  me  one  of  the  older  students,  a  good and  clever  young  man.  His  eyes  were  full  of tears.  'Alas!  your  Reverence,'  he  said,  'I can  not  go  to  sleep,  I  have  commuted  a  grievous sin,  I  must  go  to  confession.'  And  when  he  had done  this,  he  was  greatly  relieved;  he  fell  asleep in  the  peace  of  God,  and  he  told  me  afterward that  he  had  never  slept  better  in  his  life."

You will  readily  guess  what  gave  this  young man courage  for  this  self-conquest. It was  the thought of  eternity,  of  what  lies  behind  the  veil  — the thought  of  eternal  damnation. Let us  pause and reflect  upon  hell,  upon  that  which  lies  behind the  veil.

2. What  is  hell? Or perhaps  I  ought  rather to ask  another  question,  and  say:  is  there  any hell? Only the  fool,  the  unbeliever,  can  say in his  heart:  "There  is  no  hell,  no  eternity." Look at  those  who  so  impudently  deny  the existence of  hell;  what  sort  of  persons  are  they? Godless persons,  sunk  in  sin  and  vice  —  persons who have  every  reason  to  dread  hell,  and  therefore call  in  question  or  boldly  deny  its  existence. But, however  impudently  they  may  assert  the non-existence of  hell,  in  their  secret  heart  they often think  very  differently. Ever and  anon they hear  a  thunderous,  terrifying  voice  which