is appointed for all men once to die; and, after that, judgment. This sentence is general; it is pronounced on all the Children of Adam: neither wealth, nor strength, nor wisdom, nor all the power of this world can exempt any one from this common doom From the first moment of our birth, we hasten to death: every moment brings it nigher to us. The day will come, it will certainly come, and God only knows how soon, when we shall never see the night; or the night will come, when we shall never see the ensuing morning. The day will most certainly come, when thou, my soul, must bid a long farewel to this chea ting world, and all thou hast admired therein; and even to thy own bọ dy, the individual companion of thy lite; and take thy flight to another country, where all that thou settest a value upon here, will vanish like smoke: learn then to despise this 'miserable world, with all its enjoyments

with which thou must part so soon whether thou wilt or not.

Cons der, secondly, that as nothing is mor certain and inevitable than death, so nothing is more uncertain than the time the place- the manner and all other circumstances of our death. O my soul, says St. Fran "cis de Sales, thou must one day

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part with this body: but when shall "that day be? Shall it be in winter, "or in summer? in the city, or in "the country, by day, or by night? "Shall it be suddenly, or on notice "given thee? Shalt thou have lea

• sure to make thy confession? Shalt "thou have the assistance of thy ghost"ly father?" Alas! of all this thou knowest nothing at all: only that it is certain thou must die; and that, as it almost always happens, thou must die much sooner than thou dost imagine.

i

Consider, thirdly, that death being so certain, and the time and manner of it so uncertain, it would be no small! comfort, if a man could die more than once, that so, if he had the misfor tune once to die ill, he might repair" Dii

the

the fault by being more careful à second time. But, alas ! we can die but once for when once we have set our

foot within the gates of eternity, there is no returning back. If we die once well, it will be always well; but if once ill, it will be ill with us for all eternity. O dreadful moment on which depends an endless eternity! O blessed Lord, prepare us for that fatal

hour.

Consider, fourthly, the folly and stupidity of the greatest part of mankind, who though they daily see some or other of their friends, acquaintance, or neighbours carried off by death, and that very often suddenly in the vigour of youth, yet always imagine death to be at a distance from them: as if those arrows of death which are falling on all sides of them, would not reach them too in their turn; of as if they had a greater security than so many others who are daily swept away. Senseless worldlings! why will you not open your eyes? why will you fondly imagine yourselves secure from the stroke of death, when you cannot so much as promise yourselves one sin

gle

gle day of life? How many will die before the end of this mouth, that are as young, as vigorous, and as healthy as you are? and who knows but you may be of that number ?' Ah! Chrisi tians, take care lest you be surprised. Set your house in order: and for the future avoid sin, the only evil which makes death terrible. Live always in those dispositions in which you would gladly be found at the hour of death; To act otherwise, is to renounce both religion and reason.

Consider, fifthly, the state and con dition, of this corruptible body of ours, as soon as we are dead: alas! it imme. diately becomes pale, stiff, loathsome, and hideous; insomuch, that our dearest friends can scarce endure to watch One night in the same room with it j much less bear to lie with it in the same bed: for so fast does it tend to

that its neares

stench and corruption, relations are the first to wish it out of the house, and to lay it deep un der ground, that it may not infect the air. But what companions, what atten dants must it there meet with? Worms and maggots. For these, O man, thou D iii

art

art pampering thy body: these are to be thine inheritance, O man! or rather they are to inherit thee: whatever thou art to day, to-morrow thou wilt be the food of worms. Ah! world. lings, that are enamoured with your own, or the beauty of others, and thereby too often drawn from your allegiance to God, vouchsafe for once to reflect upon the condition to which both you and they must soon be reduced, and you will see what little reason you have to fix your affections upon such painted dunghills, which quickly betray what they are, and end in noisomeness and corruption. We read that St. Francis Borgia was so affected with the bare sight of the ghastly countenance of the Empress Isabella after death, whom he had seen a little before in all her majesty and charms, as to conceive an eternal disgust of this world, and a happy reso Jution of consecrating himself wholly to the service of that King who never dies. Let the like consideration move us to the like resolution.