heaven; and whatever you shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven' (Matt. xviii. 18.). Temporal princes have a power to bind, but the body only: whereas the power of the priesthood binds the soul, and reaches to heaven. In this sense, God ratifies above, and the Lord confirms the sentence of his servants. In a word, what else has he bestowed upon them, but all power in heaven? Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.' (St. John xx. 23.) What power, I ask, can be greater than this? The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son.' (John v. 22.) But this very power hath Christ entrusted to his ministers; so that they are inducted into their office, as if they were already of heaven, as if above this mortal nature, and exempt from human passions. Were a king to confer upon one of his subjects the power of casting into prison, and releasing whomsoever he would, how honoured and how envied would be that man? And shall he who derives from God a power as superior to that, as heaven is above the earth, as the soul is more excellent than the body, be thought clothed with a dignity which it were possible to despise.

The Jewish priests had power to cleanse the leprosy of the body, or rather, not to cleanse it, but to judge whether it were cleansed; but the Christian priesthood have received authority, not over the leprosy of the body, but over the impurities of the soul, not to judge of it when cleansed, but to cleanse it altogether. They, therefore, who disesteem them, are more criminal, and deserving of a severer punishment, than that incurred by Dathan and his followers. God hath given to his ministers a greater ability than to our natural parents, not only to pun

ish, but to bless. The latter bring us into the present life, the former into life eternal. The former have no power to deliver us from disease or death; the latter have often saved the fainting soul when on the eve of destruction; stopping the progress of sin to come, and preventing further relapse by instruction, admonition, and prayer. Not only have they the ability to regenerate us in the laver of baptism, but afterwards the power of remitting our sins.-Book of the Priesthood.

When the heart is to be touched and afflicted, is bodily strength required? or is any effort necessary to offer up prayers to God, to recal to mind our offences, to put on humility, or to eradicate pride? God is pleased by actions such as these. In them where is the labor? where the pain? And yet, as if it were so, they are omitted to be done.

The

severity of the haircloth, the narrow retirement of a cell, the gloomy solitude of caves, God does not require. What he demands is, that we always bear in our minds the remembrance of our failings, that we keep the consciousness of the same before our eyes, and that for them we implore forgiveness. You may conceal your sins from men, but not from God; yet this latter you disregard, while the former alarms you. I exhort you, that, though there be no witness, you severally enter into your own consciences; appoint reason your judge; and declare your sins, unless you prefer that at the last day they should be proclaimed before the whole world. Let, then, the medicine of repentance be applied, and the wound be healed. . . There are seasons in which we must fast and pray more fervently, and make a full and exact confession of our sins. For the enemy knows, that we can then treat best of the things

that belong to our salvation, and obtain much by confessing our sins, and disclosing to the spiritual physician the wounds of our soul. This physician will heal, and not reproach the penitent for the evils done; would he speak to him alone, without the privity of any one, and with care lay all before him, he will easily amend his failings. The confession of sins is the abolition of crimes.-Hom. xxx., on Genesis.

THE HOLY COMMUNION.

As we are speaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, let us consider that those who partake of that Body and taste of that Blood, are partaking of that which is in no wise different from that Body, nor separate, as regards participation; that we taste of that Body which sitteth above, that is adored by angels, that is on the right hand of the Father.

I observe many partaking of Christ's Body lightly and heedlessly, and rather from form and custom, than with the mind and understanding. • When the season of Lent sets in,' I hear you say, 'whatever a man may be, he partakes of the holy mysteries; and the same at the Epiphany.' Yet remember, that it is neither the Epiphany nor Lent that renders a man worthy to approach, but sincerity of heart and purity of soul. With these, approach at all times; without them, never. For as often,' saith he, as ye do this, ye show forth the death of the Lord;' in other words, 'ye make a remembrance of the salvation that has been wrought for you, and of the benefits which I have bestowed.' Consider those

who partook of the sacrifices under the Old Covenant, what abstinence they practised, how they watched, and purified themselves. And dost thou, when thou drawest nigh to a Sacrifice, at which the very angels tremble, dost thou measure the matter by the revolution of the seasons? How shalt thou present thyself before the judgment-seat of Christ, thou who presumest to touch his body with polluted hands and lips? Thou wouldst not presume to embrace an earthly king with an unclean mouth, and dost thou embrace the King of heaven with an impure soul? It were an unpardonable outrage. Tell me, wouldst thou choose to come to the Sacrifice with unwashed hands? I presume not; thou wouldst rather not come at all. And wouldst thou, then, scrupulous as thou art in this little matter, come with a soul defiled, and so dare to touch it? And yet the hands hold it but for a moment; whereas into the soul it is received entirely. What! do ye not see the holy vessels, so thoroughly cleansed all over, so pure and resplendent? Our souls ought to be purer than they, more holy, more brilliant than they.

At other times ye come not, no, not even though ye are clean; but at Easter, however great the sins ye may have committed, ye come. O the force of custom, and of prejudice! Vain is the daily Sacrifice; in vain do we minister before the Altar; there is no one to partake. These things I say not to induce you to partake without due preparation; but that you would render yourselves worthy to partake. Art thou not worthy of the Sacrifice, nor of the participation; then, neither art thou worthy of the prayer. Thou hearest the Deacon who stands and exclaims, "Let all the penitents depart!" As

many as do not partake are penitents. If thou art one of them, thou oughtest not to partake; for he that partaketh not is presumed to be one of the number of penitents. But when he says, "Let all not qualified to pray, depart!" why hast thou the effrontery to stand still? But no, thou art not of that number; thou art of the number of those qualified to partake, and yet art indifferent to so important a duty; nay, regardest the matter as nothing.

Look, I entreat you: a royal table is set before you; angels minister at that table; the King Himself is there and dost thou stand still, and gape with idle curiosity? Are thy garments defiled, and dost thou make no account of it? Are they clean? then kneel at the altar and partake. Every day he cometh in to see the guests, and converse with them. Yes, at this moment he is speaking to your conscience, listen to his words, Friend, why standest thou here, not having on a wedding garment?' He does not say,- Why didst thou sit down to meat?' but why comest thou in hither?' Such are the words that He is at this very moment addressing to one and all of us, that stand here affronting Him with our presence. Yes, every one that partaketh not of the mysteries, is standing here and affronting Him by being present without the wedding garment. For now, when the solemn Sacrifice is offered, and Christ, the Lamb of God, is immolated upon the altar; when thou hearest the words, LET US PRAY! when thou beholdest the curtains of the sanctuary drawn up, then imagine that the

*These curtains were let down during the time of the Consecration, and raised at the Communion. We learn from St. Jerome that the curtains were adorned with a figure of Christ, or of the patron Saint of the Church.