éause, and the distressed objects they have relieved will intercede for them like so many powerful advocates before the throne of God, and procure them admittance into the eternal tabernacles of bliss. Hence our Blessed Saviour desires us to make to ourselves friends of the mammon of iniquity, and to gain over the poor on our side by plentiful alms. Hence also the Royal Prophet says, Ps. xl. Blessed is the man who considers the necessities of the poor, and relieves them; the Lord will treat him mildly and sweetly in the evil day. The Sovereign Judge of the living and the dead will then regard whatever charities are extended for his sake to his little ones here on earth as given to himself, and reward them accordingly. On the contrary, whatever is uncharitably refused to his little ones in the hour of their distress, he will look upon as refused to himself in person; he will then shut the bowels of his infinite mercy against those who shut the bowels of their charity and compassion against their necessitous brethren, who bear the image and character of his divinity. It was for this reason that the rich glutton mentioned in the Gospel was buried in hell; he was cast into eternal flames, and refused a drop of cold water to cool his tongue, because he had refused the crumbs that fell from his table to poor Lazarus, who was perishing at his gate with hunger whilst he was feasting sumptuously, and enjoying the comforts and pleasures of life with the accomplices of his debauchery. His misfortune ought to be a warning to us all, not only to be merciful and charitable to the poor according to our abilities, but also to lead a sober and temperate life.

As to the sin of drunkenness, it would be a difficult task to sum up all the evils that it is productive of, or to relate the long train of misfortunes that flow from this poisonous source. - Not to speak of the scandal that the drunkard gives, by living a reproach to his religion and a disgrace to Christianity, there is no vice that degrades him more from the honour of human nature, or that renders him more universally contemptible; there is no crime that reduces him nearer to the low rank, base condition, and similitude of the beasts of the field; nay, he exceeds them in brutality, for they do not fall into such infamous excesses, and if they are not temperate by reason and by virtue, they are so at least by an instinct of nature; but the drunkard is neither conducted by this instinct, nor does he govern himself according to the. dictates of right reason, and consequently he is not temperate either one way or the other. Ungrateful to his Creator, who vouchsafed to distingish him by the noble faculty of reason, he debases himself to the last degree; he clouds his understanding, confuses his judgment, stupifies his mind, and renders himself unfit for every religious duty, and fit for nothing but for the drudgery of the devil. Moreover, the drunkard shortens his own days, and murders himself by inches; for excessive drinking,

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particularly of raw drams and intoxicating spirits, impairs the health, and brings on a thousand dreadful disorders which emaciate the body, overthrow the most excellent constitution, and gradually put period to its existence. Hence some learned writers of the medical faculty do not hesitate to assert, that the drinking of spirituous liquors has killed as many thousands as there are stars in the sky, and that more have died by this slow but sure poison, than by any other kind of poison whatsoever; for which reason they tell us, that the following epitaph might be justly inscribed on the tomb of every notorious drunkard: Here lies a self-murderer. What then must we think of the unhappy man or woman who, for some successive years, is taking the utmost pains to accomplish such a desperate act of suicide, and to anticipate the period of his or her existence? St. Paul replies, that such persons entail damnation on their souls, and that they shall be cut off from the inheritance of the kingdom of God, Galat. c. v. v. 21. What, alas! have such people therefore to expect when a sudden death seizes them in a state of intoxication, in the very act of mortal sin, but the eternal torments of hell, which are due to final impenitence?

O my brethren, let me entreat you by the bowels of Jesus Christ to beware of such dreadful evils. Hearken to the voice of the Apostle, Rom. c. xiii. Hearken to these words, which formerly made a deep impression on the mind of St. Augustine, and contributed to his conversion: Let us cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and emulation; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in its lusts. Give us grace, O Lord, to practice the rules and maxims of thy Gospel. Grant that we may be sober and temperate at all our repasts. Grant that we may not abuse thy gifts and blessings to our own destruction. Preserve us from ever falling into any criminal excesses. Strengthen us against all temptations, and make us truly sensible of the dangers which are before us, that we may avoid the snares of our mortal enemy, who, like a roaring lion is seeking an opportunity to devour us, and that we may secure to ourselves such a portion of thy grace, as will entitle us to partake one day of the eternal banquet of thy glory. Which I wish you all, my brethren, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.'

TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF JUNE.

On the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

Erit magnus coram Domino.-Luc. c. i. v. 15.

He shall be great in the sight of the Lord.-St. Luke, c. i. v. 15.

celebrated with This is a pe

THE Nativity of St. John the Baptist is great joy and solemnity all over Christendom. culiar honour paid to him, and was foretold before he was born. Many shall rejoice at his birth, said the Angel of the Lord; and this prediction we see accomplished to this very day. In the veneration that the Church pays to the other saints, the day of their corporal birth is passed over in silence, as they were then children of wrath, under the guilt and empire of sin. The honour and respect paid to them commences only from the time of their death, on the day they departed this life, and by a spiritual nativity began a new life of glory and immortality in the kingdom of Heaven; but with regard to St. John the Baptist, the day of his corporal birth and temporal nativity on earth, has become an object of veneration. The very first moment of his appearance in the world, that moment which to the rest of mankind in general is a moment of misery and disgrace, was to him a source of immortal honour and glory, because he came into the world cleansed and purified from the stain of original sin. Even at that early period, Heaven and earth conspired to exalt his fame, and to lay a solid foundation for handing it down to the latest posterity. Angels and men considered his greatness with astonishment, and a series of wonders and prodigies accompanied and distinguished his nativity. The Angels admired a child who was adorned with graces and filled with the Holy Ghost, at a period when other children are defiled with sin, and consequently enemies of God and confederates of hell. Men, considering that he is born of a barren mother, and of a father advanced in years, and that many illustrious miracles are wrought at his birth, openly declare that the hand of the Lord is with him, and cry out with admiration, What do you think this child shall be!

God alone can answer this question; the eternal Father replies by the Prophet Malachy, that he will be his Angel, whom he is to send before the face of his Son to prepare the way before him. The Son answers, that he will be more than a Prophet, and that there has not risen any one greater than him among the born of women. The Holy Ghost, speaking by the organ of Isaias, as

sures us that he will be the voice of one crying in the desert, the voice of the God of magnificence and power, that breaks the cedars of Libanus. Human eloquence would be presumptuous, if it added any thing to these divine encomiums. As the hand of the Lord, that is, the infinite virtue of his providence, is occupied in a particular manner in working wonders for the perfection of this child, so his adorable mouth employs its divine eloquence in explaining them to us. Let us then hearken; the panegyric of St. John is complete, and all the praises we can give him are briefly comprised in these three words, Magnus coram Domino: He shall be great in the sight of the Lord. Other Saints are distinguished by certain characteristical privileges, but he excelled in graces, and was enriched with all the perfections that became the exalted dignity to which he was raised. He was a Doctor, a Prophet, a Virgin, and a Martyr. To give you some idea of the principal virtues of his holy life, I shall confine myself to the leading features of his character, as faithfully drawn by the spirit of truth in the divine Scriptures, and endeavour to shew you how truly great he was in the manner he commenced, discharged, and concluded his ministry. Let us previously implore the aid of Heaven, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, whom the Angel greeted with the following words, Ave Maria, &c.

As God alone is great from himself, and the source of all real greatness, so nothing can be truly great and excellent in any considerable degree that does not stand in a near relation to the Divinity, or that does not flow from, and lead unto God. All human greatness can therefore be no more than a shadow of greatness. For what doth human greatness consist in? In power, which is little better than weakness; in elevation, that rises from, and terminates in dust and ashes; in riches, which are no more than gilded clay; in applause, which proceeds most commonly from adulation, is often unjustly bestowed upon the most undeserving, and vanishes away like smoke. To be great only in the eyes of men is insignificant in the last extreme; since, as the Prophet says, All nations upon the earth are nothing in the presence of the Lord. To be great in our own eyes is to be little and contemptible in his eyes, and to subvert the virtue of humility, which is the very basis of every true virtue and Christian perfection; but to be great in the sight of God, necessarily argues a true, solid and unquestionable greatness, as the Almighty entertains a just and clear idea of the nature and value of all things, and of the various degrees of their perfection. It was for this reason that the Angel foretold of St. John the Baptist, that he should be great in the sight of the Lord. His parents were Zacharias and Elizabeth, both just in the sight of God, and walking blameless in all the command. ments and ordinances of the Lord, as the Gospel tells us. The same Archangel that was sent to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to announce the birth of Jesus Christ, was sent also to Zacharias

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whilst he was on a certain day offering up incense and prayers for the people in the temple of Jerusalem, to announce the birth of the Baptist, He assured him that his wife Elizabeth should bring forth a son, and even dictated the name of John, that was to be given him, this being a name expressive of the fullness of grace, with which he was to be replenished. He told him moreover, that this son was to go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias; that he should convert many of the children of Israel, turn the hearts of the incredulous, and prepare to the Lord a perfect people. Zacharias did not question the divine power, but on account of his old age he entertained some doubt concerning the accomplishment of the Angel's prediction; and was, for his incredulity, deprived of the use of his speech for the space of nine months, that is, until the birth of his son, and the day appointed for his circumcision. Then having intimated, in writing, the name that the child was to be called, according to the direction of the Angel, his mouth was immediately opened, and his tongue, which diffidence had tied up, being set loose, he began to proclaim the signal mercies of the Lord in profound sentiments of adoration and thanksgiving, and to declare in prophetic strains the greatness and splendor of his new-born son to the admiration of the inhabitants of the country all round. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, said he, because he hath visited, and hath wrought the redemption of his people. And thou child, shall be called the Prophet of the Most High, for thou shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; to give the knowledge of salvation to his people for the remission of their sins, through the bowels of the mercy of our God. Such was the glorious design and noble end of the high commission that this great favourite and darling of Heaven was charged with. He was chosen to be the Ambassador of the Almighty, the Angel of the Messiah, the immediate precursor of the Redeemer of mankind, who had been foretold by the Prophets, ardently longed for by the Patriarchs, and impatiently expected for many ages by all nations. He was sent before him as an heavenly messenger and herald to dispose mankind for receiving the blessings of salvation. He came to bear testimony to the immaculate Lamb of God, that was to take away the sins of the world. He came to manifest and point him out, not at a distance, nor obscurely by the shadow of types and figures, as the ancient Prophets had done; but clearly and without disguise, as being already come in human flesh, and actually present among men. For this reason, the Scripture stiles John a Prophet, and more than a Prophet, and says, that there hath not risen a greater prophet among the born of women, Luke, c. vii. v. 26, 28, which is the greatest eulogium ever given in Holy Writ to any man, and a testimony of excellence that sets his glory above all the endeavours of human oratory. Before he even saw the light, or began to breathe the vital aif, being as yet unborn and only an infant, of six