Page:Withgodbookofpra00las.djvu/87

 arises the  further  question  of  their  acceptance and use  as  regards  ourselves  personally. To be good  in  general  they  must  be  in  accordance with faith  and  the  general  laws  of  the  spiritual life; to  be  good  for  any  one  of  us  individually they must  not  be  superfluous,  nor  oppressive, nor formal,  nor  artificial,  but  must  minister to our  true  spiritual  needs,  and  foster  our true spiritual  aspirations. . ..

By some,  who  are  critically  disposed  in  the matter of  devotions,  the  question  is  far  too roughly answered  by  a  mere  appeal  to  antiquity. To such  as  these  what  is  old  is  respectable, and  what  is  new  contemptible. They will  confound  in  one  category  the extravagant outbreak  of  enthusiasm  for  the utterly unknown  St.  Expeditus,  and  such deeply spiritual,  though  modern,  devotions  as that  of  the  Sacred  Heart. Devotions not known to  the  first  ages  should  not  be  known to ours,  and  they  will  only  worship  in  the manner of  their  ancestors.

There may  be  a  resistance  to  new  devotions, which comes  from  sheer  lifelessness  on  the part of  the  objectors;  they  dislike  all  that disturbs routine  and  forces  the  attention  to any  fresh  effort. But there  may,  on  the  other hand, be  a  reasonable  repugnance  on  the  part of those  to  whom  new  pieties  are  unattractive,