CHAPTER II. ON THE ADVANTAGES OF THE RELIGIOUS STATE.

WELL MAY THE WORDS of the Canticle of Moses and of the children of Israel, after their delivery from the tyranny of Pharaoh and the bondage of Egypt, be applied to religious: "In thy mercy thou hast been a leader to the people which thou hast redeemed, and in thy strength thou hast carried them to thy holy habitation"-Exod. xv. 13. As the Hebrews, compared with the Egyptians, were in the Old Law the beloved people of God, so religious, contrasted with seculars, are, in the New Law, the chosen spouses of the Saviour. As the Hebrews went forth from Egypt, a land of labour and of slavery, where God was not known, so religious retire from the world, which gives to its servants no other recompense than pains and bitterness, and in which God is but little known. Finally, as the Hebrews in the desert were guided by a pillar of fire to the land of promise, so the spouses of Jesus Christ are conducted by the light of the Holy Ghost into the sanctuary of religion-the bright image of the promised land of heaven. In heaven there is no self-will; no thirst for earthly riches or for sensual pleasures; and from the cloister, these pernicious desires, by means of the holy vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity, are effectually excluded. In heaven, to praise God is the constant occupation of the saints, and in religion, every action of the community is referred to the glory of his name. "You praise God," says St. Augustine, "by the discharge of every duty; you praise him when you eat or drink; you praise him when you rest or sleep"-St. Aug. in Ps. 146. You, O sacred virgin, praise the Lord by regulating the affairs of the convent, by assisting in the sacristy, at the turn, or at the gate; you praise the Lord when you go to the table; you praise him when you retire to rest and sleep; you praise him in every action of your life. Lastly, in heaven, the saints enjoy continual peace, because there they find in God the source of every good; and, in religion, where God alone is sought, in him is found that peace which surpasses all understanding, and that content which the world cannot give. Well, then might St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi say, that the spouse of Jesus should have a high esteem and veneration for her holy state: since, after baptism a vocation to religion is the greatest grace which God car? bestow.

2. You, then, should hold the religious state in higher estimation than all the dignities and kingdoms of the earth. In that holy state you are preserved from sins, which you would commit in the world; there you are constantly occupied in holy exercises; there you meet every day with numberless opportunities of meriting an eternal crown. In this life, religion makes you the spouse of a God, and, in the next, will raise you to the rank of queen in the eternal kingdom of his glory. How did you merit to be called to that holy state, in preference to so many others who had stronger claims than you? Black, indeed, must be your ingratitude, if, for the benefit of your vocation, you do not thank God every day with all the affections of your soul. The advantages of the religious state cannot be better described than in the words of St. Bernard: "Is not that a holy state in which a man lives more purely, falls more rarely, rises more speedily, walks more cautiously, is bedewed more frequently, rests more securely, dies more confidently, is purged more quickly, and rewarded more abundantly?" St. Ber. de Bono. rel. Let us examine these advantages separately, and meditate on the great treasures which each of them contains.

3. First.-"Vivit purius."-"A religious lives more purely." Surely all the works of religious are, in themselves, most pure and acceptable before God. Purity of action consists principally in purity of intention, or in a pure motive of pleasing God. Hence our actions will be agreeable to God in proportion to their conformity to his holy will, and to their freedom from the corruption of self-will. The actions of a secular, however holy and fervent she may be, partake more of self-will than those of religious. Seculars pray, communicate, hear mass, read, take the discipline, and recite the divine office when they please. But a religious performs these duties at the time prescribed by obedience-that is, by the holy will of God. For, in her rule and in the commands of her superior she hears His voice. Hence, a religious, by obedience to her rule and to her superior, merits an eternal reward, not only by her prayers and by the performance of her spiritual duties, but also by her labours, her recreations, and attendance at the turn by her meals, her amusements, her words and her repose. For, since the performance of all these duties is dictated by obedience, and not by self-will, she does in each the holy will of God, and by each she earns an everlasting crown.

4. Oh! how often does self-will vitiate the most holy actions! Alas! to how many, on the day of judgment, when they shall ask, in the words of Isaias, the reward of their labours-"Why have we fasted, and thou hast not regarded?-have we humbled our souls, and thou hast not taken notice?"-to how many, I say, will the Almighty Judge answer-"Behold, in the day of your fast, your own will is found"-Isa. lviii. 3. What, he will say, do you demand a reward? Have you not, in doing your own will, already received the recompense of your toils? Have you not, in all your duties, in all your works of penance, sought the indulgence of your own inclinations, rather than the fulfilment of my will? Abbot Gilbert (Serm. 87) says, that the meanest work of a religious is more meritorious in the sight of God, than the most heroic action of a secular. St. Bernard asserts (Serm. 4 in Ps. qui habitat) that if a person in the world did the fourth part of what is ordinarily done by religious, she would be venerated as a saint. And has not experience shown, that the virtues of many, whose sanctity shone resplendent in the world, faded away before the bright examples of the fervent souls, whom, on entering religion, they found in the cloister? A religious, then, because in all her actions she does the will of God, can truly say that she belongs entirely to him. The venerable M. Mary of Jesus, foundress of the convent of Tolsoa, used to say, that, for two reasons, she entertained a high esteem for her vocation; first, because a religious enjoys the society of Jesus Christ, who, in the holy sacrament, dwells with her in the same habitation; secondly, because a religious having by the vow of obedience sacrificed her own will and

5. Second.-"Cadit rarius."-"A religious falls more rarely." Religious are certainly less exposed to the danger of sin than seculars. Almighty God represented the world to St. Anthony, and before him to St. John the Evangelist, as a place full of snares. Hence, the holy Apostle said, that in the world there is nothing but the "concupiscence of the flesh" or of carnal pleasures; "the concupiscence of the eyes," or of earthly riches; "and the pride of life," or worldly honours, which swell the heart with petulance and pride. In religion, by means of holy vows, these poisoned sources of sin are cut off. By the vow of chastity, all the pleasures of sense are for ever abandoned; by the vow of poverty, the desire of riches is perfectly eradicated; and by the vow of obedience, the ambition of empty honours is utterly extinguished.

6. It is, indeed, possible for a Christian to live in the world without any attachment to its goods, but it is difficult to dwell in the midst of pestilence and to escape contagion. "The whole world," says St. John, "is seated in wickedness"-1 John v. 19. St. Ambrose, in his comment on this passage, says, "that they who remain in the world live under the miserable and cruel despotism of sin." The atmosphere of the world is noxious and pestilential, whosoever breathes it easily catches spiritual infection. Human respect, bad example, and evil conversations, are powerful incitements to earthly attachments and to estrangement of the soul from God. Every one knows that damnation of numberless souls is attributable to the occasions of sin so common in the world. From these occasions religious, who live in the retirement of the cloister, are far removed. Hence St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was accustomed to embrace the walls of the convent, saying: "O blessed walls! O blessed walls! from how many dangers do you preserve me." Hence also blessed Mary Magdalene of Orsini, whenever she saw a religious laugh, used to say: "Laugh and rejoice, dear sister, for you have reason to be happy, being far away from the dangers of the world."

7.-Third-"Surgit velocius."-"A religious rises more speedily." If a religious should be so unfortunate as to fall into sin, she has the most efficacious help to rise again. Her rule, which obliges her to frequent the holy sacrament of penance; her meditations, in which she is reminded of the eternal truths; the good examples of her saintly companions, and the reproofs of her superiors, are powerful helps to rise from her fallen state. "Woe," says the Holy Ghost, "to him that is alone, for when he f alleth he hath none to lift him up"-Eccl. iv. 10. If a secular forsake the path of virtue, he seldom finds a friend to admonish and correct him, and is therefore exposed...