I CHRIST. My son, hear my words, words most sweet, exceeding all the learning of the philosophers, and of the wise men of this world. My words are spirit and life, and not to be estimated by the sense 3 It is I who have taught the prophets from the beginning, and even till now I cease not to speak to all; but many are deaf to my voice, and hard. 5 Write my words in thy heart, and think diligently on them; for they will be very necessary in time of temptation. What thou understandest not when thou readest, thou shalt know in the day of visitation. Book iii., chap. 3rd. FOLLOWING OF CHRIST. DEDICATION. TO MARY, the ever Blessed and Glorious Virgin, Mother of God, are dedicated these selections from the written Word: Mary, who ever kept God's Word in holy silence and prudence, pondering it in her heart: Mary, whose sole testimony sufficed to establish the truth that the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and whose prayer will ever be most lovingly applied to form Christ in our hearts : Mary, who is heard even if God's time is "not yet come," as when she said: "Son, they have no wine": Mary, whose humility resembling that of Jesus, sought not her own glory, but remained "full of grace" under the shadow of the Most High: Mary, whose compassion is as great now, as when, standing at the foot of the cross, the sword pierced her Immaculate Heart, and when by a supreme charity as mother of us all she accepted S. John for her son in the stead of her divine Jesus. O Mother of Him who will at the last day come in great power and majesty to judge the living and the dead by the Gospel's holy law, pray for us, that, rejecting the false maxims of a world at enmity with God, we may die to it, and to ourselves, and so, the Spirit of Jesus may alone live in us and direct us, to the Glory of God the Father. Amen. MAXIMS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SIN. 6 My God, I am confounded and ashamed 1 Esdras to lift up my face to thee: for our iniquities are multiplied over our heads, and our sins are grown up even unto heaven. ix. 2 ... In thy sight no man living shall be Ps. cxlii. justified. 33 Thou art just in all things that have 2 Esdras come upon us: because thou hast done truth, but we have done wickedly. ix. 20 If I would justify myself, my own Job ix. mouth shall condemn me. If I would shew myself innocent, He shall prove me wicked. 27. I have sinned, and indeed I have ... Job offended, and I have not received what I xxxiii. have deserved. 6 We have sinned with our fathers: we Ps. cv. have acted unjustly, we have wrought in iquity. 9 Who can say: My heart is clean, I am Prov.xx. pure from sin. xxviii. 13 He that hideth his sins, shall not pros- Prov. per: but he that shall confess, and forsake them, shall obtain mercy. 21 There is no just man upon earth, that Eccles. doth good, and sinneth not. 25... We have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers from our youth vii. Jer. iii. 9 I will bear the wrath of the Lord, be- Micheas cause I have sinned against him . . . ... 28 ... Thou hast executed true judgments in all the things that thou hast brought upon us... 29 For we have sinned, and committed iniquity, departing from thee: and we have trespassed in all things. 12 Our iniquities are multiplied before thee, and our sins have testified against us: for our wicked doings are with us, and we have known our iniquities, 13 In sinning and lying against the Lord : and we have turned away so that we went not after our God, but spoke calumny and transgression: we have conceived, and uttered from the heart, words of falsehood. vii. Daniel iii. Isaias lix. 5 I have acknowledged my sin to thee, Ps. xxxi. and my injustice I have not concealed. |