登陆注册
5166700000045

第45章

Let me refer you to the example of this, given at p.34; it is that of a female who, while she practised daily the devotion of saluting the images of the Virgin, spent all her days in mortal sin, and yet was saved after all, by the merit of that single devotion." "And how so?" cried I."Our Saviour," he replied, "raised her up again, for the very purpose of showing it.So certain it is that none can perish who practise any one of these devotions." "My dear sir," I observed, "I am fully aware that the devotions to the Virgin are a powerful means of salvation, and that the least of them, if flowing from the exercise of faith and charity, as in the case of the saints who have practised them, are of great merit; but to make persons believe that, by practising these without reforming their wicked lives, they will be converted by them at the hour of death, or that God will raise them up again, does appear calculated rather to keep sinners going on in their evil courses, by deluding them with false peace and foolhardy confidence, than to draw them off from sin by that genuine conversion which grace alone can effect." "What does it matter," replied the monk, "by what road we enter paradise, provided we do enter it? as our famous Father Binet, formerly our Provincial, remarks on a similar subject, in his excellent book, On the Mark of Predestination.'Be it by hook or by crook,' as he says, 'what need we care, if we reach at last the celestial city.'" "Granted,"said I; "but the great question is if we will get there at all." "The Virgin will be answerable for that," returned he; "so says Father Barry in the concluding lines of his book: 'If at the hour of death, the enemy should happen to put in some claim upon you, and occasion disturbance in the little commonwealth of your thoughts, you have only to say that Mary will answer for you, and that he must make his application to her.'" "But, father, it might be possible to puzzle you, were one disposed to push the question a little further.Who, for example, has assured us that the Virgin will be answerable in this case?" "Father Barry will be answerable for her,"he replied."'As for the profit and happiness to be derived from these devotions,' he says, 'I will be answerable for that; I will stand bail for the good Mother.'" "But, father, who is to be answerable for Father Barry?" "How!" cried the monk; "for Father Barry? is he not a member of our Society; and do you need to be told that our Society is answerable for all the books of its members? It is highly necessary and important for you to know about this.There is an order in our Society, by which all booksellers are prohibited from printing any work of our fathers without the approbation of our divines and the permission of our superiors.This regulation was passed by Henry III, 10th May 1583, and confirmed by Henry IV, 20th December 1603, and by Louis XIII, 14th February 1612; so that the whole of our body stands responsible for the publications of each of the brethren.This is a feature quite peculiar to our community.And, in consequence of this, not a single work emanates from us which does not breathe the spirit of the Society.That, sir, is a piece of information quite apropos." "My good father," said I, "you oblige me very much, and I only regret that I did not know this sooner, as it will induce me to pay considerably more attention to your authors." "I would have told you sooner," he replied, "had an opportunity offered; I hope, however, you will profit by the information in future, and, in the meantime, let us prosecute our subject.The methods of securing salvation which I have mentioned are, in my opinion, very easy, very sure, and sufficiently numerous; but it was the anxious wish of our doctors that people should not stop short at this first step, where they only do what is absolutely necessary for salvation and nothing more.Aspiring, as they do without ceasing, after the greater glory of God, they sought to elevate men to a higher pitch of piety; and, as men of the world are generally deterred from devotion by the strange ideas they have been led to form of it by some people, we have deemed it of the highest importance to remove this obstacle which meets us at the threshold.In this department Father Le Moine has acquired much fame, by his work entitled Devotion Made Easy, composed for this very purpose.The picture which he draws of devotion in this work is perfectly charming.None ever understood the subject before him.Only hear what he says in the beginning of his work: 'Virtue has never as yet been seen aright;no portrait of her hitherto produced, has borne the least verisimilitude.

It is by no means surprising that so few have attempted to scale her rocky eminence.She has been held up as a cross-tempered dame, whose only delight is in solitude; she has been associated with toil and sorrow; and, in short, represented as the foe of sports and diversions, which are, in fact, the flowers of joy and the seasoning of life.'" "But, father, I am sure, Ihave heard, at least, that there have been great saints who led extremely austere lives." "No doubt of that," he replied; "but still, to use the language of the doctor, 'there have always been a number of genteel saints, and well-bred devotees'; and this difference in their manners, mark you, arises entirely from a difference of humours.'I am far from denying,'

同类推荐
  • 赠卢大夫将军

    赠卢大夫将军

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 金刚般若波罗蜜经注解

    金刚般若波罗蜜经注解

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大方广佛华严经论

    大方广佛华严经论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Bentham

    Bentham

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 岁寒居词话

    岁寒居词话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 锦凰当国

    锦凰当国

    “陛下,不好了!公主殿下把大理寺卿张大人的三公子给打了!”柘樾浅喝一口茶,淡定无比,“大理寺卿家三公子本就纨绔无礼,不识礼数,不知轻重,打了也好。”“不好了不好了!陛下!公主殿下在通天阁玩您的冰弦琴时将您最喜爱的冰弦琴摔碎了……”柘樾在兰庭看书,淡定无比,“既然卿卿爱玩,再拿其他珍宝给她玩好了。”“陛下!不好了!公主殿下要跟西域那位姜公子出城了!”柘樾一拍桌,“不惜一切代价,将她给孤带回来!”曾褴褛破衣举半破瓯茶碗,对指梢间一轮皓玉盘侃谈风流事,今有貂裘加身不觉半丝暖,立君侧,笑嗔这一世浮屠几何,奈何嫣颜涩褪,俯瞰半壁权野,拂揽九州。初心,何安。期人,何放?
  • 对联话

    对联话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 到美国上大学:常春藤布朗小子姜晓航

    到美国上大学:常春藤布朗小子姜晓航

    这是一位留学美国的中国学生的手记,作者以第一人称详细介绍了自己到美国留学后在学习、生活、社会交往等方面的经历和体会,穿插了大量语言交流方面的实例,对美国高中、大学的生活和环境记录很详细,并记录对中外文化差异较真实的体会,此书对准备出国留学的中国学生具有一定的实用、参考价值。
  • 元大陆之除妖传说

    元大陆之除妖传说

    元大陆,人类聚居地。人们在此享受欢乐,幸福。直到一万年前妖族通过时空差来到这里,与人类争夺这片净土,七大势力崛起,守卫者这一切。一位少年和他的战队斩妖除魔,惊险,悬疑,迷踪不断上演。。。。。
  • 极品逍瑶:云家四小姐

    极品逍瑶:云家四小姐

    云家四小姐?如假包换!痴傻儿?应该没错!丑八怪?千真万确!但是,废物?尼玛别以为没灵力就是废物,尼玛别以为自己灵力有多强大!!!宫主是她仆人,门主当她厨子,战神成她打手,冥王与她契约,一个比一个牛逼的人缠着让她收为己用时:云家四小姐?您说的是那个云家?抱歉,心情不太好,给玩没了!痴傻儿?男女不分啊你,白痴!丑八怪?看看姐身边的这些,再自个去照照镜子,姐实在是不想打击你……废物?没灵力?关门,放……算了,一起上吧!且看曾经的一代天之娇女碰上了二十一世纪最狗血的‘穿越’在同一片大陆重生之后如何扮猪吃老虎把坑蒙拐骗狠懒邪发挥到极致,与股掌间玩转天下逍遥一世!【正剧浓缩版】:她,萧小柒,苍云大陆第一世家萧家的天才,一场阴谋,被至亲之人舍弃,被至爱之人背叛,含恨而终。她,云轻瑶,苍云大陆最末世家云家的小姐,一场重病,灵力全无,丑颜残容,被至亲遗弃,自生自灭。一场倾天赌局,一次精心设计,她成为了她,至此,天下局势因她的重生而波涛暗涌,而王朝,则等着她颠覆。......当一切自以为尘埃落定,却没想到只不过是开始,她,又该何去何从!【萧瑶语录】:她说:从今以后,世上再无萧家小柒,有的,只是一个与天争命的云轻瑶!她说:天既弃我,我便逆天,世若不容,我便灭世。她说:光明的背面一定是黑暗么?正义的背面一定是邪恶么?如果这一切都不过是场未醒的梦,那么为了我的梦境我愿意毁灭三界,因为我爱的背面,是绝望和惨烈。她说:......PS:女强文,玄幻+言情,美男多多,炮灰不少,结局一对一,一生一世一双人,谁将与她,携手同行,仗剑天涯,醉看十里桃花,共赏千江明月?------------------------------【我是如风华丽的分割线】---------------------------------【片段一:“大家都洗洗睡吧,那地上的人,随便找人给我治治,别死在我这。要是死了,就当花肥吧,定能培育出极品草药。”略显慵懒的打了打哈欠,这看了一晚上的戏,还真是有点累了。而在其身后那一群黑衣人就这样眼神错愕的看着那一抹白色肆无忌惮的消失在众人的面前,隐藏在面具下的嘴角微微抽搐着,这女人到底是何方神圣?……【片段二:“嗯,黑蛋,虽然这天气挺冷的,容易感冒着凉,但是我还是觉得你不穿衣服比穿上衣服好看。”
  • 爱,好难好难

    爱,好难好难

    “救命啊,放开我,呜呜……求求你……不要,求你……不要,不……”一个雷雨轰隆的夜晚,除了黑暗就是恐惧,一个年约四五十岁的男人,面目狰狞的撕扯着女孩的衣服……叶欣儿猛的睁开双眼,发现枕头已被泪水打湿,这样一个噩梦叶欣儿已经不是第一次梦到,如果是梦,为什么那么真实!为什么要频繁的出现在自己的梦境中,纠缠恐吓着自己。自从两年前的车祸,叶欣儿失忆了,从那以后,就会经常被这样一个噩梦……
  • 医妃错嫁:请君入瓮

    医妃错嫁:请君入瓮

    她本是首辅大人的嫡女,却因自己的母亲被贬妻为妾,从此变成备受冷落的庶女。被庶妹陷害惨遭毒手。再次醒来时,她却转了性子…看似一场命运的轮回,是否依旧如从前那般…..君祁用修长的手指轻抚着她的半侧脸颊问道:“你不怕落的和她们一样的下场么?”只见她挑着好看的眉毛,嘴角露出些许的轻浮戏笑道“既来之,则安之。”情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 幻造纪元

    幻造纪元

    君子动口不动手,我是君子,我只动口!不过,我不是只会动口!还会动粗!
  • 龙族(1-4合集)

    龙族(1-4合集)

    累计销售量达千万册的青春幻想小说,被誉为“东方的《哈利·波特》”,作者江南本人获得2013年中国作家富豪榜榜首的荣誉。主角路明非原本只是一个普通的高中生,在申请留学的时候收到了来自屠龙学院——卡塞尔学院的来信,从此开启了他不平凡的人生,在伙伴陈墨瞳、楚子航、恺撒等人的帮助下,属于龙族的神秘世界逐渐在他们面前展开,路明非神秘莫测的身世也慢慢浮出水面。
  • 超级武尊

    超级武尊

    没有种马!只有满腔热血!铁血男儿的纵横史,曾一人独战――数百顶级高手,曾一人独战――数万精锐士兵,曾一人独战――百万异界侵略者!血流成河,成江,成海……杀……杀……杀……