from heaven, she believes, and acknowledges the power of God. Zachary, on the contrary, with the examples of Sarah and the mother of Samuel before his eyes, hesitates, and disbelieves. A simple and innocent Virgin immediately bows down before the omnipotence of God. A priest learned in the law doubts, and calls in question the divine power. Great learning generally takes away from the simplicity of faith; as if the more we were enlightened by worldly wisdom, the less we were able to penetrate the clouds which envelope the mystery of the Deity. Live, therefore, by faith: begin by purifying your hearts: innocence is the source of true wisdom. Invite Jesus into your souls with him you will possess all the treasures of learning : be ardent in love; this is the only avenue to truth; you cannot know God until you love him. Reflect, that a corrupted heart cannot possess a pure and sound reason, fit for the contemplation of heavenly things. The nearer you approach to God by grace, the more will you be enlightened: the greater advances you make in the way of his commandments, the more will you increase in spiritual wisdom; and the more clearly will you behold those divine truths which we shall hereafter contemplate without a veil, when we are become like to him, who on this day is become like to us. PASSION-SUNDAY. ON CONTRITION. Jesus said to the Jews, who amongst you shall convince me of sin? John viii. 46. IN this gospel our blessed Saviour warmly asserts his innocence, and with indignation refutes the calumnies of the Jews. But why this warmth in the breast of the meek, the humble Jesus? Was he not the Lamb of whom it was said, that he should be led to the slaughter without opening his mouth? Was it not he whose meekness would not suffer him to break the bruised reed, nor to extinguish C VOL: II. the smoaking flax? Why then this warmth and indignation? The reason is obvious. He came on earth to suffer, and to shed his blood for our salvation, and on that account he met sufferings with joy. But in quality of our High Priest-holy-innocent and undefiled, he would not be silent under the imputation of sin. So infinite was his hatred of the crime of rebellion against the Almighty, that he could not endure that the testimony of others," however unfounded, should lay it to his charge. What an instructive lesson, my beloved, may be drawn from this example of our Saviour! What a perfect idea may be formed of the sorrow which ought to rend our hearts, when we survey the multiplied guilt which we have incurred by our sins! This subject may be treated with peculiar propriety at this time: for, now it is that every member of the Church will be summoned to approach the sacred tribunal of reconciliation, and wash away. his defilements in the precious blood of the Lamb: now it is that every sinner will be called upon to excite in his soul the most unfeigned detestation of sin, and to return to the Lord by a true and hearty sorrow for all his past disloyalties. To this subject, therefore, I will call your attention; and I trust that a just delineation of the essential requi sites of contrition will produce the most beneficial effects at this season. 1. Contrition, in the first place, is a supernatural virtue, and consequently depends on the co-operation of divine grace. Man of himself is too weak, too much under the influence of terrestrial and present objects to be greatly affected either by the goods or evils of a future life: and therefore, unless he be aided and assisted by the grace of God, he is incapable of raising his soul to those sublime conceptions which constitute |