¿ Ti 2,5

it 7, 1

Lu 23, 43

Ac 7,55

Ac 7,59

Ep 4, 8

Ph 1, 21

23

Ile 9, 8

2 P 15,7

To 2, 18

will to be absent rather from] We have not here a lasting He 13, 14
the body, and to be present city, but we seek One that is
with the Lord.-And there- to come.

fore we labour, whether ab- God hath regenerated us 1 Pt 1, 3-4
sent or present, to please unto a lively hope, by the
Him.
Resurrection of Jesus Christ
He is not crowned who from the dead.-Unto an In-
does not strive lawfully. heritance Incorruptible, and
The life of man upon earth undefiled, and that cannot
is a warfare, and his days fade, reserved in Heaven for
are like the days of a hire-you,-Who are kept by Faith
ling.
unto salvation.

17.-ETERNAL LIFE ONLY TO BE WON WHEN LIFE'S
COMBAT IS HAPPILY OVER.

23

This day thou shalt be with Holies was not yet made Me in Paradise. manifest, whilst the former Behold, I see the heavens Tabernacle was yet standing. opened, and the Son of man You are come to Mount He 12, 22standing on the right hand Sion, and to the City of the of God. Living God, the Heavenly Lord Jesus, receive my Jerusalem, and to the comspirit. pany of many thousands of Ascending on High, He led Angels.-And to the Church captivity captive; He gave of the First-born, who are gifts to men. written in the heavens, and To me to live is Christ, to God the Judge of all, and and to die is gain. And if to the spirits of the just made to live in the flesh, this is the perfect. fruit of labour, and what I White robes were given to Ap 6, 11 shall choose I know not.-every one of them one: and it But I am straitened be- was said to them that they tween two, having a desire should rest for a little time, to be dissolved, and to be till their fellow-servants and with Christ. their brethren, who are to be The Holy Ghost signifying slain even as they, should be this: that the way into the filled up.

18.-ETERNAL LIFE IS PROMISED TO THOSE WHO
FIGHT AND WIN LAWFULLY.

Do you take courage, and that never change their faith
let not your hands be weak- in Him.

ened for there shall be a To him that overcometh Ap 2,7
reward for your work. I will give to eat of the Tree
of Life, which is in the Para-
dise of My God.

We are the children of Saints, and look for that life which God will give to those

Be thou faithful unto Ap 2, 10

Ps 36,11

dp 2, 17

Ap 14, 13

Ap 2, 26

28

Ap 21,8

Ap 21, 27

Ap 22, 15

death, and I will give thee Father; and I will give him
the Crown of Life.
the Morning Star.

The meek shall inherit the He that shall overcome Ap 3, 6
Land, and shall delight in shall thus be clothed in white
abundance of Peace.
garments, and I will not blot
To him that overcometh his name out of the Book of
I will give the Hidden Manna, Life, and I will confess his
and will give him a white name before My Father and
counter, and in the counter before His Angels.

a new name written, which He that shall overcome Ap 21,7
no man knoweth but he that shall possess these things,
receiveth it.
and I will be his God, and
Blessed are the dead who he shall be My son.
die in the Lord. From hence- If you be willing, and will
forth now, saith the Spirit, hearken to Me, you shall eat
that they may rest from their the Good Things of the Land.
labours: for their works fol- Whom He justified, them
He also glorified.

low them.

Is 1, 19

Ro 8, 30

He that shall overcome,
and keep My works unto the and honour of the nations
end, I will give him power into it.

They shall bring the glory Ap 21, 25

over the nations.-And he Thy people shall be all just, Is 60,21
shall rule them with a rod of they shall inherit the land
iron; and as the vessel of a for ever, the branch of My
potter they shall be broken.-planting, the work of My
As I also have received of My Hand, to glorify Me.

19.

COWARDS, UNBELIEVERS, AND WICKED MEN

FORFEIT ETERNAL LIFE.

The fearful and unbeliev-| If they hear not they shall Jb 35, 12 ing, and the abominable, and pass by the sword, and shall murderers, and whoremon- be consumed in folly.

gers, and sorcerers, and idol- I have seen those who Jb4,8-9
aters, and all liars, they work iniquity, and sow sor-
shall have their portion in rows and reap them,- Per-
the pool burning with fire ishing by the blast of God,
and brimstone, which is the and consumed by the Spirit
second death.
of His Wrath.

There shall not enter into The enemies of the Lord, Ps 36, 20
It anything defiled or that presently after they shall be
worketh abomination or mak- honoured and exalted, shall
eth a lie, but they that are come to nothing and vanish
written in the Book of Life like smoke.
of the Lamb.

The unjust shall be pun- Ps 36, 29

Without are dogs, and sor-ished, and the seed of the cerers, and unchaste, and wicked shall perish.

murderers, and servers of I will visit upon you Je 21, 14

idols, and every one that according to the fruit of your

loveth and maketh a lie. doings, saith the Lord: and

Is 52, 1

Jo 3, 17

Ps 36, 1-2

Ps 10, 7

Ps 91, 10

Ps 7, 1314

Ge 49, 18

Ps 136,5

6

Ps 38, 13

I will kindle a fire in the for- the instruments of death. He
est thereof, and it shall de- hath made ready His arrows
vour all things round about for them that burn.

it.
Friend, how camest thou in Mt 22,12,
Henceforth the uncircum- hither not having on a wed- 13
cised and unclean shall no ding garment? But he was
more pass through thee. silent. Then the King said
Jerusalem shall be holy, to the waiters: Bind his
and strangers shall pass hands and feet, and cast him
through it no more.
into the exterior darkness;
Envy not them that work there shall be weeping and
iniquity, for they shall short- gnashing of teeth.

ly wither away as grass, and At last came also the other Mt 25, 11-
as the green herbs shall virgins, saying: Lord, Lord,
quickly fall.
open to us.-But He answer-

He shall rain snares upon ing said: Amen I say to you,
sinners, fire and brimstone: (I know you not.

12

and storms of winds shall be And He shall say to you: Lu 13, 27
the portion of their cup. I know you not whence you
Behold, Thy enemies, Oare: depart from Me, all ye
Lord, shall perish: and all workers of iniquity.
the workers of iniquity shall
be scattered.

50

The Angels shall go out, Mt 13, 49and shall separate the wicked Except you will be con- from among the just.-And verted, He will brandish His shall cast them into the fursword. He hath bent His nace of fire; there shall be bow, and made it ready.. weeping and gnashing of And in it He hath prepared teeth.

20.-YEARNING AFTER OUR HEAVENLY COUNTRY.
I look for Thy Salvation, there we sat and wept, when
O Lord.
we remembered Sion.

Our conversation is in Hea- Ph 3, 20

ven.

16

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten. Let my tongue Thou that dwellest in the Ca 8, 13 cleave to my jaws, if I do not gardens, the friends hearken: remember thee; if I make make me hear Thy Voice. not Jerusalem the beginning All those died according He 11, 13of my joy. to faith, not having received Be not silent; for I am a the promises, but beholding stranger with Thee, and a them afar off, and saluting sojourner, as all my fathers them, and confessing that they are pilgrims and stranWhat have I in Heaven ?gers on the earth.-For they and besides Thee what do I that say these things do sigdesire upon earth? nify that they seek a counPs 118,174 I have longed for Thy Sal- try.-And truly if they had vation, O Lord. been mindful of that from Upon the rivers of Babylon whence they came out, they

Ps 72, 25

Ps 136, 1

were.

Ro 7, 24

Ps 141, 8

Is 61,3

Ps 26, 4

Ps 41, 1-2

Ps 54, 7

Ps 59, 11

Ex 33, 13

Ps 83, 1

Ps 83,5

had doubtless time to return.[ In a desert land, and where
-But now they desire a bet- there is no way and no
ter, that is to say a Heaven- water; so in the Sanctuary
ly Country.
have I come before Thee, to
Unhappy man that I am, see Thy Power and Thy
who will deliver me from the Glory.
body of this death!

Ps 62, 3

I have gone round, and Ps 26, 6 Bring mysoul out of prison, have offered up in His Taberthat I may praise Thy Name; nacle a sacrifice of jubilation; the just wait for me until I will sing and recite a Thou reward me. psalm to the Lord.

21.-EJACULATIONS OF THE SOUL ARDENTLY

DESIRING THE GLORY OF HEAVEN.

[O, when shall be given] to

the mourners of Sion a
crown for ashes, the oil of joy
for mourning, a garment of
praise for the spirit of grief!

One thing I have asked of

Better is one day in Thy Ps 83, 11 Courts above thousands.

Wo is me that my sojourn- Ps 119,5 ing is prolonged! my soul has been long a sojourner.

My soul hath fainted after Ps 118, 81

the Lord, this will I seek Thy Salvation.
after that I may dwell in For Thee my flesh and my Ps 72, 26
the House of the Lord all the heart hath fainted away:
days of my life. That I may Thou art the God of my
see the delight of the Lord, heart, and the God that is my
and may visit His Temple.
Portion for ever.

As the hart panteth after For Thee my flesh hath
the fountains of water, so my thirsted; for Thee my flesh,
soul panteth after Thee, O O how many ways!
God. My soul hath thirsted
after the strong living God:
when shall I come and ap-
pear before the Face of God?

Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest?

Who will bring me into the strong City?

Ps 62, 2

Open ye to me the gates of Ps 117, 19 Justice: I will go into them, and give praise to the Lord.

O Lord, save me: O Lord, Ps 117, 25 give good success.

O Lord, we have patiently waited for Thee: Thy Name and Thy remembrance are the desire of the soul.

Is 26, 8

If I have found favour in My soul hath desired Thee Is 26, 9 Thy sight, O Lord, show me in the night: yea, and with Thy Face. my spirit within me in the How lovely are Thy Taber- morning early I will watch nacles, O Lord of Hosts! my to Thee. soul longeth and fainteth for the Courts of the Lord.

Blessed are they that dwell in Thy House, O Lord; they shall praise Thee for ever and

ever.

Lord, all my desire is before Ps 37,10 Thee, and my groaning is not hidden from Thee.

Who will grant that my request may come: and that God may give me what I look for ?

Jb 6, 8

PART II.

FREE-WILL AND GOOD AND BAD HUMAN

ACTIONS.

As has been shown, God is necessarily the End and
Beatitude of man. But, although God is necessarily
the End of man, still man must attain to God by his
free exertions, for man is, by the very constitution of
his nature, a free agent, and, as S. Thomas points out,
"it belongs to God's Providence to control and direct
each thing in a manner suitable to the conditions of its
nature." *
Man's will is the immediate subject of his
freedom, but his reason is the root of his freedom. As
the reason judges, so the will elects. As are our thoughts,
so are our actions. Hence the necessity of meditation
and of filling our minds with the things of God. "With
desolation," says the Prophet Jeremias, "is the whole
world laid desolate, because there is no one that thinketh
in his heart." By good works alone we can "make our
election sure.'

1.-USE OF FREE-WILL IN PURSUIT AFTER GOOD

OR EVIL, VIRTUE OR VICE.

Eci 15, 14 God made man from the Before man is Life and Eci 15, 18 beginning, and left him in Death, Good and Evil: that

the hand of his own counsel. which he shall choose shall

Eci 15,15- He added His command-be given him.

16

ments and precepts;-If thou Consider that I have set Dt 30,15-
wilt keep them, they will before thee this day Life
preserve thee.

and Good, and on the other

16