Page:Thecompleteascet02liguuoft.djvu/38

 end, its  only  good,  so  that  all  the  goods  of  earth  and heaven, without  God,  could  not  make  it  happy. Hence it is  that  if  a  condemned  soul  in  hell  could  possess  and love God,  hell,  with  all  its  torments,  would  be  to  it  a paradise. But this  will  be  its  sovereign  punishment, which will  render  it  forever  inconceivably  miserable,  to be  deprived  of  God  for  all  eternity,  without  the  least hope of  ever  again  beholding  him  or  loving  him.

Jesus, my  Redeemer! nailed to  the  cross  for  my  sake, Thou art  my  hope;  oh  that  I  had  died  rather  than  offended Thee!

2. The  soul,  being  created  for  God,  has  an  instinctive tendency to  become  united  with  its  sovereign  good,  its God; but  being  united  with  the  body,  when  it  wallows in iniquity,  it  becomes  so  darkened  by  the  created  objects  which  allure  the  senses  that  it  loses  its  sight,  and has so  little  knowledge  of  God  as  no  longer  to  desire  to be  united  with  him. But when  separated  from  the  body, and from  sensible  objects,  then  it  will  know  that  God  is the  only  good  that  can  render  it  happy. Therefore, as soon  as  it  shall  have  departed  hence,  it  will  feel  itself drawn with  most  powerful  attraction  towards  a  union with God;  but  having  left  this  life  an  enemy  of  God,  it  will be not  only  kept  back  from  him  by  its  sins,  as  by  a  chain, but dragged  by  them  into  hell,  there  to  be  forever  separated  and  at  a  distance  from  God. The wretched  soul  in that  eternal  dungeon  will  know  how  beautiful  God  is, but will  not  be  able  to  behold  him. It will  know  how amiable God  is,  but  will  not  be  able  to  love  him;  it  will even feel  itself  forced  by  its  sins  to  hate  him;  and  this will be  its  hell  of  hells,  to  know  that  it  hates  a  God  who is infinitely  lovely. It will  desire  that  it  were  possible to destroy  God,  to  whom  it  is  hateful;  and  to  destroy itself, hating  God;  and  this  will  be  the  eternal  occupation  of  this  unhappy  soul.

Do Thou,  O  Lord! have pity  on  me.