Page:Thecompleteascet02liguuoft.djvu/29



1. Thus  did  St.  Augustine  designate  the  thought  of eternity:  "  The  great  thought" — "magna  cogitatio." It was this  thought  that  induced  so  many  solitaries  to  re tire   into   deserts;   so    many  religious,   even  kings    and queens, to  shut  themselves  up  in  cloisters;  and  so  many martyrs to  sacrifice  their  lives  in  the  midst  of  torments, in order  to  acquire  a  happy  eternity  in  heaven,  and  to avoid  a  miserable  eternity  in  hell. The Ven. John of Avila  converted  a  certain  lady  with  these  two  words: " Reflect,'*  said  he  to  her,  "on  these  two  words:  Ever and Never."     A  certain  monk  went  down  into  a  grave that  he  might  meditate  continually  on  eternity,  and  constantly  repeated,  "  O  eternity! eternity!"

How frequently,  my  God,  have  I  deserved  the  eternity of hell! Oh, that  I  had  never  offended  Thee! Grant me sorrow  for  my  sins;  have  compassion  on  me.

2. The  same  Ven. John of  Avila  says,  that  he  who  believes  in  eternity  and  becomes   not  a  saint  should  be confined  as  one  deranged. He who  builds  a  house  for himself takes  great  pains  to  make  it  commodious,  airy, and handsome,  and  says:  "I  labor  and  give  myself  a great  deal  of  trouble  about  this  house,  because  I  shall have  to  live  in  it  all  my  life." And yet  how  little  is  the house of  eternity  thought  of! When we  shall  have  arrived  at  eternity  there  will  be  no  question  of  our  residing  in  a  house  more  or  less  commodious,  or  more  or  less airy: the  question  will  be  of   our  dwelling  in  a  palace overflowing with  delights,  or  in  a  gulf  of  endless  torments. And for  how  long  a  time? not for  forty  or  fifty years, but  forever,  as  long  as  God  shall  be  God. The saints, to  obtain  salvation,  thought  it  little  to  give  their