Pv 13, 15 Eci 15, 16 19 4. -FRUITS OF FAITHFUL OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW. Good instruction shall give grace: If thou wilt keep the com- and you shall find rest to mandments and perform ac- your souls. ceptable fidelity for ever, They that remain shall Eci 23, 37 they shall preserve thee. know that there is nothing Eci 32, 18- He that feareth the Lord better than the fear of God: will receive His discipline; and that there is nothing and they that will seek Him sweeter than to have regard early shall find a blessing.-to the commandments of the He that seeketh the Law Lord. Eci 33, 3 Pv 27, 18 Pv 29, 27 W 6, 19 20 18 shall be filled with it; and It is great glory to follow Eci 23, 38 shall meet with a stumbling-days shall be received from Him. 13 A man of understanding is He that keepeth justice Eci 21,12faithful to the Law of God, shall get the understanding and the Law is faithful to thereof.-The perfection of him. the fear of God is wisdom He that keepeth the fig- and understanding. 5.-EXHORTATIONS TO HEAR AND TO MEDITATE Pv 22, 17- Incline thine ear, and hear meditate continually on His Pv 23, 12 Eci 6, 37 Dt 6, 6 These words which I command thee this day shall be Let thy heart apply itself in thy heart. to instruction, and thy ears Thou shalt bind them as a Dt 6, 8-9 to words of knowledge. sign on thy hand, and they Let thy thoughts be upon shall be and shall move bethe precepts of God, and tween thy cyes.-And thou shalt write them in the entry and the doors of thy house. Dt 11, 18, Lay up these My words in 20 Thou shalt tell them to thy Dt 6, 7 children. Teach your children that Dt 11, 19 your hearts and minds, and they meditate on them, when hang them for a sign on your thou sittest in thy house, hands, and place them be- and when thou walkest on tween your eyes.-Thou shalt the way, and when thou liest write them upon the posts down and risest up. 6. REWARDS PROMISED TO THE DOER OF THE LAW. Pv 3, 1-2 My son, forget not My law, the sight of my mother.and let thy heart keep My And He taught me, and said: commandments. For they Let thy heart receive My shall add to thee length of words, keep My commanddays, and years of life and ments, and thou shalt live. peace. Pv 3, 3-4 Get wisdom, get prudence; Pv 4, 5-6 Let not mercy and truth forget not, neither decline leave thee: put them about from the words of My mouth. thy neck, and write them in -Forsake her not, and she the tables of thy heart.-And shall keep thee: love her, thou shalt find grace and and she shall preserve thee. good understanding before My son, hearken to My Pv 4, 20God and men. words, and incline thy ear to 22 22 Pv 3, 21- My son, let not these My sayings.-Let them not 22, 25-26 things depart from thy eyes: depart from thy eyes, keep keep the law and counsel:- them in the midst of thy And there shall be life to thy heart;-For they are life to soul and grace to thy mouth. those that find them, and -Then shalt thou walk health to all flesh. confidently in thy way, and My son, keep the command- Pv6, 20thy foot shall not stumble:-ments of thy father, and forIf thou sleep thou shalt not sake not the law of thy fear; thou shalt rest, and thy mother.-Bind them in thy sleep shall be sweet.-Be not heart continually, and put afraid of sudden fear, nor of them about thy neck.-When the power of the wicked fall- thou walkest, let them go ing upon thee.-For the Lord with thee: when thou sleepwill be at thy side, and will est, let them keep thee: and keep thy foot that thou be when thou awakest, talk not taken. with them. Pv 4, 1 Pv 4, 2-4 Hear, ye children, the in- My son, keep My words, Pv 7,1-3 struction of a father, and and lay up My precepts with attend that you may know thee. Son,-Keep My comprudence. mandments, and thou shalt I will give you a good gift, live: and My law, as the forsake not My law. For I apple of thy eye.- Bind it also was My father's son, upon thy fingers, write it tender and as an only son in upon the tables of thy heart. 1 M2, 5051 1 M2, 64 Jb 22, 21 22 Is 55, 2-3 Mt 7, 26 27 Is 26, 10 O My sons, be ye zealous O that thou hadst heark- Is 48, 18 the fathers, which they have If thou wilt enter into Mt 19, 17 glory and an Everlasting This is My Beloved Son Mt 17,5 My sons, take courage, and Submit thyself then to For if a man be a hearer of Him, and be at peace: and the Word and not a doer, he thereby thou shalt have the shall be compared to a man best fruits.-Receive the Law beholding his natural counof His mouth, and lay up tenance in a glass.-For he His words in thy heart. beheld himself, and went his Hearken diligently to Me, way, and presently forgot and eat that which is good, what manner of man he was. and your soul shall be de--But he that hath looked lighted in fatness.- Incline into the perfect law of liberyour ear and come to Me:ty, and hath continued therehear and your sou! shall in, not becoming a forgetful live, and I will make an hearer, but a doer of the Everlasting Covenant with work: this man shall be you, the faithful mercies of blessed in his deed. David. 7. - -NEGLECT OF THE LAW BRINGING RUIN AND 25 Every one that heareth God hath given him place Jb 24, 23 these My words and doth for penance, and he abuseth them not shall be like a it unto pride: but His eyes foolish man that built his are upon his ways. 29 house upon the sand:-And The heavens shall reveal Jb 20, 27- Let us have pity on the God's wrath. This is the He that soweth iniquity Pv 22,8 Pv 10,25 P: 33, 22 Pv 11,7 more, shall reap evils, and with not risen upon us. We wear the rod of His anger he shall ied ourselves in the way of be consumed. iniquity and destruction, and As a tempest that passeth, have walked through hard so the wicked shall be no ways, but the Way of the Lord we have not known.— The death of the wicked What hath pride profited us? is very evil: and they that or what advantage hath the hate the just shall be guilty. boasting of riches brought When the wicked man is us? All those things are dead, there shall be no hope passed away like a shadow, any more. and like a post that runneth W4,19-20 They shall fall after this on.-So we also being born, without honour, and be a re- forthwith ceased to be, and proach among the dead for have been able to show no ever: for He shall burst mark of virtue; but are conthem puffed up and speech- sumed in our wickedness.less, and shall shake them Such things as these the sinfrom the foundations, and ners said in hell:-For the they shall be utterly laid hope of the wicked is as waste: they shall be in sor- dust, which is blown away row, and their memory shall with the wind, and as a thin perish. They shall come froth which is dispersed by with fear at the thought of the storm, and a smoke that their sins, and their iniqui- is scattered abroad by the ties shall stand against them wind, and as the rememto convict them. brance of a guest of one day W 5, 1-16 Then shall the just stand that passeth by. with great constancy against Wo to the wicked unto evil, Is 3,11 -- 20 labours. These seeing it Wo to them that desire Am 5, 18, proach. We fools esteemed Acting wickedly against 2 M4,17 Be-pass unpunished. hold how they are numbered Thy pride is brought down Is 14, 11 and the Light of Justice hath Depart from Me, you curs- Mt 25, 4, 46 Mt 13, 49 50 18 devil and his angels. And the pool burning with fire So shall it be at the end of Unless thou hold thyself Eci 27,4 the world. The angels shall diligently in the fear of the go out, and shall separate Lord, thy house shall quickly the wicked from among the be overthrown. just. And shall cast them The earth is infected by Is 24, 5-6 shall be weeping and gnash-cause they have transgressed ing of teeth. Ap 11, 15, The kingdom of this world the ordinance, they have is become our Lord's and broken the everlasting covHis Christ's, and He shall enant. Therefore shall a reign for ever and ever.-And curse devour the earth, and Thy wrath is come, and the the inhabitants thereof shall time of the dead, that they sin: and therefore they that should be judged, and that dwell therein shall be mad, Thou shouldest destroy them and few men shall be left. that have corrupted the The Lord Jesus shall be 2 T1, 7-8 earth. revealed from Heaven with The fearful, and unbeliev- the Angels of His power,ing, and the abominable, and In a flame of fire yielding murderers, and whoremon- vengeance to them who know gers, and sorcerers, and not God, and who obey not idolaters, and all liars, they the Gospel of our Lord Jesus shall have their portion in Christ. Ap 21, 8 Js 23, 8, 9 Ph 1, 6 Je 13, 23 Pv 22, 6 8.-FORCE OF HABIT FOR GOOD OR EVIL. 28 Cleave ye unto the Lord It is good for a man when La 3, 27your God, as you have done he hath borne the yoke from until this day.-And then no his youth. He shall sit man shall be able to resist you. solitary and hold his peace, Being confident of this because he hath taken it up very thing, that He Who upon himself. hath begun a good work in you will perfect it unto the His bones shall be filled Jb 20, 11 with the vices of his youth, and they shall sleep with If the Ethiopian can him in the dust. change his skin, or the leo- Despairing, theyhave given Ep 4, 19 It is a proverb: A young ness. even when he is old he will iniquity with cords of vanity, not depart from it. Wo to you that draw Is 5, 18 and sin as the rope of a cart! |