19 infinitely beyond all fruition of creatures, or created beings. Well may we then say, O how lovely are thy tabernacles, Lord of hosts! Psalm lxxxiii. 1. EXHOR.-Seek now, O Christian, as St. Paul advises, the nings that are above, not those that are below; seek the permanent substance, not the passing shadow; seek what eternity preserves, not what time destroys. Let your heart be fixed where your treasure remains; the fruition of God, the enjoyment of heaven and heavenly souls, are the only treasure a good man thirsts after, saying, As the hart pants after the living water, so does my soul thirst after thee, O God! Psalm xii. 2. Nothing but God, the possession of God, can fully content, replenish, and render the soul happy, which was made only for him. As you are advised to descend daily, in spirit, to the gates of hell, to behold with horror the just punishment of sin and sinners, to learn you to detest a wicked life; ascend now, in heart and affection, up to the gates of heaven, and behold those endless joys, those unspeakable delights, those blessed souls now enjoy in God himself. Imagine that you hear them singing, Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God of Sabaoth, the heavens are full of the majesty of his glory: Hosanna in the highest. And ought not these eternal joys animate your fervour, your devotion, your labour, and vigilance, to the acquiring them? O what are all austerities, penance and labour you can here undergo, in balance with them! The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be set in balance with the future glory which shall be revealed in us. Rom. viii. 18. O Christian, had you but a right notion of heaven, of its glory, its happiness, you would not be so wretchedly fond of earth: all things here below would appear to you contemptible, and of no account: you would not so often and easily pawn your soul for trifles, folly and vanity: you would take more care and pains to secure it. Heaven is the precious pearl, for which the man mentioned in the Gospel gave all he had to purchase it; even the Son of God made a sacrifice of his all eclipsed his glory, sacrificed his pleasure and his very life, to regain and reinstate you in this, your former happiness: the holy saints and martyrs thought they could not do or suffer too much to obtain it; for this they lived the most mortified lives, and endured the most cruel deaths: Some were stretched on the rack, others flayed alive; others sawed in two, others exposed to wild beasts; broiled on gridirons, cast into dungeons. Others, and these innumerable, retiring into deserts, spent their lives in contemplating the glory of this place, and purifying their souls for the enjoyment of it: these had a right idea of then future immense happiness. O how many live as if they belonged not to it? or think to obtain it in a more easy and delicate manner? contrary to what divine wisdom has taught them, that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent bear it away; that they must sow in tears, to reap in joy; that they must fight valiantly, to gain so great a victory: deny themselves, and lose their life. here, to find it there; and carry their cross with Jesus, if they will partake of his crown. No, no; there is no other way to heaven, but what Christ himself has shown us, both in word and example: as it is written of him, so of all his followers: It is necessary for him to suffer, and by that means to enter into his glory. So, by many tribulations and persecutions, we are to enter, like him, into the kingdom of heaven. PRAISE BE TO GOD. his Fall...... .26 Man, his Creation and End.....25 Marriage, and its Impediments.144 Sin of Sodom... Mass, when and how obliged to Sins, seven capital or deadly...233 Vengeance... how man becomes accesso- original.... .226 actual.. .228 mortal and venial. .229 .260 ..259 Murder, wilful. ......259 232 their Forgiveness.. .72 Obstinacy in Sin. Sloth..... .248 ..256 Holy Orders.. .199 Swearing, &c..... .109 Original Sin... Oppression of the Poor. ..261 Parents, Honour due to them...114 their Obligation.......114 Temperance. .212 Theft, &c...... .121 P. Theological Virtues. .6 .9 Tithes.... 148 Penance, the Sacrament.. .177 V. Virtue and Vice...... .207 Prayer.... .83 Precepts of the Church.. ..130 W. and Despair.......80 Witness, false..... ...234 Works of Mercy, corporal.. spiritual... 124 ....222 224 THE END. PUBLISHED BY DUNIGAN AND BROTHER. The Popular Library of Instruction and Amusement. Schmid's Exquisite Tales. This series contains the inimitable and charming Tales of CANON SCHMID, so famous all over Europe for their matchless beauty, simplicity, and pure teaching, and whose delightful stories are the joy of every fireside of Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland, &c. THEY ARE SUPERBLY ILLUSTRATED, from original designs by the distinguished American artist, J. G. CHAPMAN, and executed in the highest style of the art of wood engraving. No family should be without this Library; and no mother who wishes to instruct her children should be without this series. Nothing can be more suitable for family reading, schools, premiums, gift-books, &c. They comprise the following Tales: These may be had in 5 volumes, 142 illustrations. Price-Bound in handsome cloth, gilt backs, 38 cents a volume OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. "The tales of Canon Schmid should endear him to every true friend of religion, and his popularity has the best test of genuineness.”—Dublin Review. "His stories are admirably conceived, with remarkable truth and simplicity, and told with inimitable grace and delicacy."-Brownson's Review. "These publications cannot be too highly recommended.”—United States Catholic Magazine. "Not excelled by any books published."-Lady's Book. 66 These tales, from their fascinating simplicity, their genuine piety, and tenderness of spirit, are admirably adapted for the purpose of the writer."-Tait's Edinburgh Magazine. "There is a gentleness and purity of feeling, a delightful simplicity, which justly render these tales popular. Some of them are gems, and all are good."-N. Y. Citizen, 1854. w I |