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If we examine the hearts of those who refuse to
practice virtue, we shall frequently find a delusive
love for the world to be one of the chief causes of
their faint-heartedness, I call it a delusive love
because it is founded on that imaginary good which
men suppose they will find in the things of this
world. Let them examine with closer attention these
objects of their affection, and they will soon
recognize that they have been pursuing shadows. If we
study the happiness of the world, even under its most
favorable aspects, we shall find that it is ever
accompanied by six drawbacks, which tend very much to
lessen its sweetness. No one will question the truth
of this, for who can deny that the happiness of this
life is brief, that it is exposed to changes, that it
leads to danger or blindness, and that it frequently
ends in sin and deceit? As to the first of these,
who will say that that is enduring which at best must
end with the brief career of man on earth? Ah! We all
know the shortness of human life, for how few attain
even a hundred years? There have been popes who
reigned but a month; bishops who have survived their
consecration but little longer; and married persons
whose funerals have followed their weddings in still
less time. These are not remarkable occurrences of
the past only; they are witnessed in every age. Let
us suppose, however, that your life will be one of
the longest. "What," asks St. Chrysostom, "are one
hundred, two hundred, four hundred years spent in the
pleasures of this world compared to eternity?" For
"if a man live many years, and have rejoiced in them
all, he must remember the darksome time, and the many
days; which when they shall come, the things passed
shall be accused of vanity." (Eccles. 11:8). All
happiness, however great, is but vanity when compared
to eternity. Sinners themselves acknowledge this:
"Being born, forthwith we ceased to be; we are
consumed in our wickedness." (Wis. 5:13). How short,
then, will this life seem to the wicked! It will
appear as if they had been hurried immediately from
the cradle to the grave. All the pleasures and
satisfactions of this world will then seem to them
but a dream. Isaias admirably expressed this when he
said, "As he that is hungry dreameth and eateth, but
when he is awake his soul is empty; and as he that is
thirsty dreameth and drinketh, and after he is awake
is yet faint with thirst, and his soul is empty, so
shall be the multitude that fought against Mount Sion."
(Is. 29:8). Their prosperity will be so brief that it
will seem like a fleeting dream. What more, in fact,
remains of the glory of monarchs and of princes?
"Where," asks the prophet, "are the princes of the
nations, and they that rule over the beasts that are
upon the earth? They that take their diversion with
the birds of the air; that hoard up silver and gold
wherein men trust, and there is no end of their
getting; that work in silver and are solicitous, and
their works are unsearchable? They are cut off and
are gone down to hell, and others are risen up in
their place." (Baruch 3:16-20). What has become of
the wise men, the scholars, the searchers into the
secrets of nature? Where is the famous Alexander?
Where is the mighty Assuerus? Where are the Caesars
and the other kings of the earth? What does it now
avail them that they lived in pomp and glory, that
they had legions of soldiers, and servants, and
flatterers almost without number? All have vanished
like a shadow or a dream. In one moment all that
constitutes human happiness fades away as the mist
before the morning sun. Behold, then, dear Christian,
how brief it is. Consider also the innumerable changes to which human
happiness is exposed in this valley of tears, this
land of exile, this tempestuous sea which we call the
world. The days of man on earth scarcely suffice to
number his sorrows, for almost every hour brings new
cares, new anxieties, or new miseries. Who can fitly
describe these? Who can count all the infirmities of
the body, all the passions of the soul, all the
disasters which come upon us not only from our
enemies, but even from our friends and from
ourselves`! One disputes your inheritance; another
attempts your life, You are pursued by hatred,
calumny, envy, revenge, and by a lying tongue, the
most dangerous of all. Add to these miseries the innumerable accidents which
daily befall us. One man loses an eye; another an
arm; a third one is thrown from a horse or falls from
a window; while still another loses all he possesses
through succoring a friend. If you would know more of
these miseries, ask worldlings to tell you the sum of
their sorrows and their joys. If balanced in the
scales of truth, you will find that their
disappointments far outweigh their pleasures.
Since, then, human life is so short, and so
constantly beset with miseries, what possibility is
there of knowing real happiness in this world? The
vicissitudes of which we have been speaking are
common to the good and the wicked, for both sail on
the same sea and are exposed to the same storms.
There are other miseries, however, which, as the
fruits of iniquity, are the portion of the wicked.
"We wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity and
destruction," they tell us by the Wise Man, "and have
walked through hard ways, but the way of the Lord we
have not known," (Wis. 5:7). Thus, while the just
pass from a paradise in this i life to Heaven in the
next, from the peace of virtue to the rest of their
eternal reward, the wicked pass from a hell in this
life to an eternal Hell in the next, from the
torments of an evil conscience to the unspeakable
tortures of the undying worm.
Different causes multiply the miseries of the sinner.
God, who is a just Judge, sends them suffering, that
crime may not remain unavenged; for though the
punishment of sin is generally reserved for the next
world, it sometimes begins in this. The government of
Divine Providence equally embraces nations and
individuals. Thus we see that sin, when it has become
general, brings upon the world universal scourges,
such as famines, wars, floods, pestilences and
heresies. God also frequently inflicts on individuals
punishments proportioned to their crimes. For this
reason He said to Cain, "If thou do well, shalt thou
not receive? but if ill, shall not sin" � that is,
thy punishment � "forthwith be present at the door?"
(Gen. 4:7). Moses gave a like warning to the Jewish
people: "Thou shalt know that the Lord thy God is a
strong and faithful God, keeping his covenant and
mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep
his commandments, unto a thousand generations; and
repaying forthwith them that hate him, so as to
destroy them without further delay, immediately
rendering to them what they deserve." (Deut. 7:9-10).
Observe how strongly the idea of punishment in this
life is shown by the expressions forthwith, without
delay, immediately. They clearly indicate that
besides the future punishment of their crimes, the
wicked will suffer for them even in this world. Hence
the many calamities which they endure. Hence the
incessant trials, anxieties, fatigues, and
necessities, of which they are keenly sensible, and
which, in their blindness, they regard as the
inevitable conditions of nature rather than the
punishment of their sins. For as they do not
recognize natural advantages as benefits from God,
and therefore do not thank Him for them, neither do
they regard the calamities which overtake them as the
marks of His displeasure, and consequently receive no
benefit from them. Other misfortunes, such as
imprisonment, banishment, loss of fortune, come upon
the wicked through God's representatives upon earth,
the ministers of justice. Dearly bought, then, is the
pleasure of sin, for which they pay a hundredfold
even in this life. Man's irregular appetites and
passions are another and inexhaustible source of
afflictions. What, in fact, can you expect from
immoderate affections, inordinate sorrow, groundless
fears, uncertain hopes, unreasonable solicitude, but
violent shocks and continual anxieties which take
from man all freedom and peace of heart? Living in
the midst of tumult, he scarcely ever prays, he knows
not the sweets of repose. From man himself, from his
uncontrolled appetites, spring all these miseries.
Judge, then, what happiness is possible under such
conditions. Were there only bodily sufferings to
harass us, we would not have so much reason to fear.
But the world is full of dangers that are far more
terrible, because they menace the soul. Of these the
prophet spoke when he said, "He shall rain snares
upon sinners." (Ps. 10:7). How numerous must be these
snares which the holy king compares to drops of rain!
He expressly tells us that they shall rain upon
sinners, for they are so indifferent in watching over
their hearts and guarding their senses, so careless
in avoiding the occasions of sin or providing
themselves with spiritual remedies, that they rush
into the very midst of the flames of the world, and
therefore cannot but encounter a thousand dangers.
Snares exist for them everywhere � in youth, in old
age; in riches, in poverty; in honor, in dishonor; in
society, in solitude; in adversity, in prosperity; in
the eyes, in the tongue, in all the senses. Were God
to enlighten us as He did St. Anthony, we would see
the world covered with snares like a network, and we
would exclaim with the holy solitary: "Who, O Lord,
can avoid all these?" Behold the cause of the
destruction of the many souls who daily perish ! St.
Bernard said with tears that there was hardly one
ship out of ten lost on the sea, but on the ocean of
life there is hardly one soul saved out of ten. Who,
then, will not tremble in the midst of so many
perils? Who will not seek to avoid the treacherous
snares of this world? Who will venture to go unarmed
into the midst of so many enemies? Who will not fly
from this Egypt (Cf. Ex. 7), from this Babylon (Cf.
Jer. 25), from the flames of this Sodom and Gomorrha?
(Cf. Gen. 19). "Can a man," says Solomon, "hide fire
in his bosom, and his garments not burn? Or can he
walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be burnt?" (Prov.
6:27-28). "He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled
with it, and he that hath fellowship with the proud
shall put on pride."(Ecclus. 13:1). The blindness
and darkness which prevail in the world render these
snares still more dangerous. This blindness of
worldlings is represented by the Egyptian darkness,
which was so thick that it could be felt, and which,
during the three days it lasted, prevented everyone
from leaving the place in which he was or beholding
the face of his neighbor. (Cf. Ex. 10:21-23). The
darkness which reigns in the world is even more
palpable. For could there be greater blindness than
to believe what we believe and yet live as we are
living? Is it not a blindness equal to madness to
pay so much attention to men and to be so wholly
regardless of God? To be so careful in the observance
of human laws and so indifferent in the observance of
God's laws? To labor so earnestly for the body, which
is but dust, and to neglect the soul, which is the
image of the Divine Majesty? To amass treasure upon
treasure for this life, which may end tomorrow, and
to lay up nothing for the life to come, which will
endure for all eternity? To live as if we were never
to die, wholly forgetful of the irrevocable sentence
which immediately follows death? If his life were
never to end, the sinner could scarcely act with more
unbridled license. Is it not absolute blindness to
sacrifice an eternal kingdom for the momentary
gratification of a sinful appetite? To be so careful
of one's estate and so careless of one's conscience?
To desire that all we possess should be good except
our own life? The world is so full of such
blindness that men seem bewitched. They have eyes,
and see not; they have ears, and hear not. They have
eyes as keen as those of the eagle in discerning the
things of this world; but they are as blind as
beetles to the things of eternity. Like St. Paul, who
could see nothing, though his eyes were open, when he
was thrown to the ground on his way to Damascus,
their eyes are open to this life, but utterly blind
to the life to come. In the midst of such darkness
and so many snares, what can worldlings expect but to
stumble and fall? This is one of the greatest
miseries of life, one that should inspire us with
strong aversion for the world. St. Cyprian, desiring
to excite in a friend contempt for the world, makes
use of this argument only. (L. 2 Ep. 2 ad Donat). He
goes with him in spirit to a high mountain, whence he
points out to him lands, seas, courts of justice,
palaces and public places, all defiled with the
abominations of sin. At the same time he shows his
friend, from this spectacle, how justly such a world
merits his contempt, and how great should be his
gratitude to God for having rescued him from all
these evils. Imitate this saint, and, rising in
spirit above the world, gaze on the scene laid before
you. You will be overwhelmed by the sight of so much
falsehood, treachery, perjury, fraud, calumny, envy,
hatred, vanity, and iniquities of every kind, but
particularly by the total forgetfulness of God which
prevails in the world. You will see the majority of
men living like beasts, following the blind impulse
of brutal passions, and living as regardless of
justice or reason as if they were pagans, ignorant of
the existence of God, and knowing no other object
than to live and die. You will see the innocent
oppressed, the guilty acquitted, the just despised,
the wicked honored and exalted, and interest always
more powerful than virtue. You will see justice
bribed, truth disfigured, modesty unknown, arts
ruined, power abused, public places corrupted. You
will see knaves, worthy of rigorous punishment, who,
having become rich through fraud and rapine, are
universally feared and honored. You will see
creatures like these, having little more than the
appearance of men, filling high places and holding
honorable offices: You will see money worshipped
instead of God, and its corrupting influence causing
the violation of all laws, both human and divine.
Finally, you will behold in the greater part of the
world justice existing only in name. Then will you
understand with how much reason the prophets said,
"The Lord hath looked down from heaven upon the
children of men, to see if there be any that
understand and seek God. They are all gone aside,
they are become unprofitable together; there is none
that doth good, no, not one." (Ps. 13:2,3). "There is
no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no
knowledge of God in the land. Cursing, and lying, and
killing, and theft, and adultery have overflowed, and
blood hath touched blood." (Osee 4:1-2). Moreover,
if you would know the world still better, consider
him who governs it. As Jesus Christ tells us that the
devil is the prince of this world � that is, of
wicked men � what must be a body with such a head, a
commonwealth with such a ruler? What must it be but a
den of thieves, an army of brigands, a prison of
galley slaves, a nest of serpents and basilisks? Why,
then, will you not long to leave a place so vile, so
filled with treachery and snares; a place from which
justice, religion, and loyalty seem banished; where
all vices reign; where honesty counts for so little
among friends; where the son desires the death of his
father, the husband that of his wife, and the wife
that of her husband; where the majority of men of
every station rob one another under plausible
pretexts, and where the fires of impurity, anger,
cupidity, ambition, and every other passion
continually rage?
Who would not fly from such a world? "Who will give
me in the wilderness a lodging place � and I will
leave my people," says the prophet, "because they are
all adulterers, an assembly of transgressors." (Jer.
9:2). All that we have said on this subject applies
to the wicked, for there are good men in all ranks of
life, for whose sake God bears with the rest of
mankind. Judge, therefore, by the picture we have
given you how much reason you have to hate a world so
full of corruption, where evil spirits and crimes are
more numerous than the atoms we behold in the rays of
the sun. Nourish and increase the desire to fly, at
least in spirit, from this world, saying with David,
"Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly
and be at rest?" (Ps. 54:7). These miseries
inseparable from worldly happiness should suffice to
show you that it contains more gall than honey, more
bitterness than sweetness. Nor have I described all
the wretchedness that accompanies the pleasures of
this life. In addition to its shortness it is impure,
for it reduces men to the level of the brute, and
raises the animal above the spiritual part of their
nature. It is intoxicating, clouding the mind and
distorting judgment. It is inconstant, and makes men
the same. It is treacherous, for it abandons us when
we need it most. But there is one of its evil
characteristics of which I must speak � that is, its
delusive appearance. It pretends to be what it is
not, and promises what it cannot give. In this way it
allures men to their eternal ruin. As there are real
and counterfeit jewels and true and false gold, so
there are real and counterfeit virtues and true and
false happiness. Aristotle says that as falsehood
sometimes has more appearance of truth than truth
itself, so many things which are evil appear more
fair than others which are really good. Such is the
happiness of the world, and therefore the ignorant
are allured by it, as fish are drawn to their
destruction by a glittering bait. It is the nature of
worldly things to present themselves under a bright
and smiling exterior which promises much joy. But
experience soon dissipates our illusions; we feel the
sting of the hook almost as soon as we take the bait.
Take, for example, the happiness of a newly married
couple. In many cases how brief it is! How soon it is
interrupted by troubles and anxieties; by the cares
of children; by sickness; by absence; by jealousy; by
misfortunes; by grief; and sometimes by death itself,
which suddenly changes it for one or the other into a
desolate widowhood! How smilingly the bride goes to
the altar, seeing only the exterior of what is before
her! Were it given to her see the weight of
responsibility which she takes upon her that day,
tears would replace her smiles. Eagerly as Rebecca
desired children, when they were given her, and
fought for mastery over each other, she exclaimed,
"Why was my desire granted me?" How many have uttered
the same cry when they found the realization of their
hopes so far below what they promised! And honors,
dignities, preferments � how attractive they appear!
But what anxieties, what jealousies, what passions,
what hardships their false splendor conceals! What
shall we say of unlawful love? How pleasing is the
prospect which it presents to the senses! But once
the sinner has entered this dark labyrinth he finds
himself astray, the victim of � thousand harrowing
torments. This forbidden tree is guarded by a furious
dragon. With the sword of an injured parent or a
jealous husband he frequently deprives the sinner, by
one blow, of his reputation, his honor, his fortune,
his life, and his soul. Study also the covetous man,
or the worldling whose aim is glory to be attained
through arms or the favor of the great. How often do
their lives form a complete tragedy, beginning with
prosperity and ending in ruin! Truly the cup of
Babylon is golden without, but filled with
abominations. (Cf. Apoc. 17:4). What, then, is
human glory but the song of the siren which lures men
to destruction, a sweet but poisoned cup, a viper of
brilliant colors breathing only venom? It attracts us
only to deceive us; it elevates us only to crush us.
Consider, moreover, what a return it exacts for all
that it gives. Grief at the loss of a child far
exceeds the joy of its birth. Loss gives us more pain
than profit gives us joy. The affliction of sickness
far exceeds the pleasure of health. An insult wounds
us more than honor flatters us; for nature dispenses
joys and sorrows so unequally that the latter affect
us much more powerfully than the former. These
reflections manifestly prove the delusiveness of
worldly happiness. You have here, dear Christian,
a true picture of the world, however contrary it is
to what the world appears to be. Judge, therefore, of
its happiness, so brief, so uncertain, so dangerous,
and so delusive. What is this world, then, but a land
of toil, as a philosopher has wisely said, a school
of vanity, an asylum of illusions, a labyrinth of
errors, a prison of darkness, a highway of thieves, a
stream of infected water, an ocean of perpetual
storms? It is a barren soil, a stony field, a thorny
wood, a meadow whose flowers conceal serpents, a
garden full of blossoms but yielding no fruit, a
river of tears, a fountain of cares, a deceptive
poison, a perfect fiction, a pleasing frenzy. Its
good is false, its evil real, its peace is restless,
its security unfounded, its fears groundless, its
labor profitless, its tears fruitless, its hope vain,
its joy false, its grief real. Behold what a
striking representation of Hell the world affords.
Hell is a place of sin and suffering, and in the
world these evils also abound. "Day and night
iniquity shall surround it upon its walls, and in the
midst thereof are labor and injustice." (Ps. 54:11).
These are the fruits the world produces, labor and
injustice; these are the merchandise in which it
traffics. On every side we behold sin and its
punishment. Hence St. Bernard said that were it not
for the hope of a better life, there would be little
difference between this world and Hell. (Serm. 4 de
Ascen.) It now remains for us to prove that true
happiness can only be found in God. Were men
convinced of this, they would cease to pursue the
pleasures of this world. My intention is to prove
this important truth less by the authorities and
testimonies of faith than by arguments drawn from
reason. It will readily be granted that no
creature can enjoy perfect happiness until it has
attained its last end � that is, the highest degree
of perfection of which it is capable. Until it has
reached this it cannot enjoy rest, and therefore it
cannot be perfectly happy, for it feels the want of
something necessary to its completeness. Now, what is
man's last end, on the attainment of which depends
his happiness? That it is God is undeniable; for
since He is our first beginning, He must necessarily
be our last end. As it is impossible for man to have
two first beginnings, so it is impossible for him to
have two last ends, for this would suppose the
existence of two Gods. God, then, is man's last
end, and consequently his beatitude. For since it is
impossible for him to have more than one last end, it
follows that in God alone can his happiness be found.
As the glove is only made for the hand, and the
scabbard only for the sword, so is the human heart
created only for God, and in God only will it find
rest. In Him alone will it know happiness. Without
Him it will be poor and miserable: The reason of this
is because as long as the understanding and the will,
the noblest faculties of the soul and the principal
seats of happiness, are unsatisfied, man cannot be at
peace. Now, it is evident that these faculties can
only be completely satisfied in God. For, according
to St. Thomas, the understanding can never be so
filled that it will not desire to grasp more while
there remains more to be learned; and the will can
never love and relish so much good that it will not
desire to possess more, if more be possible.
Consequently these two powers will never know rest
until they have attained a universal object
containing all good, which, once known and loved,
leaves no other truth to be known, no other good to
be desired. Hence no created thing, were it the whole
universe, can satisfy man's heart. God alone, for
whom he was created, can do this. Plutarch tells of a
man who, having risen from the rank of a simple
soldier to that of emperor, was accustomed to say
that he had tried all conditions of life, and in none
had he found happiness. How could it be otherwise,
since in God alone, man's sole supreme end, can he
find supreme rest? Let us illustrate this by an
example. Consider the needle of the compass. God has
given it certain properties which cause it invariably
to turn to the north. Change its direction and you
will see how restless it becomes until it resumes its
normal position. Man, in like manner, naturally turns
to God as toward the pole of his existence, his first
beginning and last end. Let his heart be directed to
any other object, and he becomes a prey to trouble
and disquiet. The possession and enjoyment of all the
world's favors cannot give him rest. But when he
returns to God, he immediately finds happiness and
repose. Hence he alone will be happy who possesses
God, and therefore he is nearest to happiness who is
nearest to God. For this reason only the just, who
ever draw near to God, and whose joy is unknown to
the world, are truly happy. To understand this
more fully, remember that true happiness does not
consist in sensible or corporal pleasures, as the
disciples of Epicurus and Mahomet assume. In the same
class we may place bad Christians whose lips deny the
doctrines of these men, but whose lives are entirely
in accordance with them. For do not the majority of
the rich, who spend their lives in the mad pursuit of
pleasure, tacitly acknowledge with Epicureans that
pleasure is their last end, and with Mahometans that
sensual delight is their paradise? O disciples worthy
of such masters! Why do you not abhor the lives of
those whose teachings you profess to condemn? If you
will have the paradise of Mahomet, you must expect to
lose that of Christ. True happiness is not to be
found in the body nor in corporal advantages, but in
the spirit and in spiritual goods, as the greatest
philosophers have asserted, and as Christianity
confirms, though in a far more elevated sense. The
possession of these blessings will afford you more
peace and happiness than the kings of the earth know
amidst their power and splendor. How many of them
have testified to this truth by joyfully forsaking
their crowns after tasting the sweetness of God's
friendship! St. Gregory, who reluctantly left his
monastery to ascend the papal throne, never ceased to
sigh for his humble cell as ardently as a captive
among infidels sighs for liberty and his native land.
As St. Augustine says, it is not merely the
possession of goods, but the gratification of his
just desires and the attainment of his real wants,
that make man happy. These are to be found only in
God. Whatever else man possesses, he knows not the
blessing of peace. Aman, the favorite of Assuerus,
and powerful by his wealth and influence, was yet so
disturbed because Mardochai did not salute him that
he declared he found no comfort in all he possessed.
See how small a thing can poison all the happiness
which prosperity gives.
Observe further how much more accessible man is to
misery than to happiness in this life; for but one
ungratified desire suffices to make him miserable,
and so many things are required to make him happy. Is
there, then, any prince or potentate sufficiently
powerful to have everything according to his will and
thus free himself from contradictions? Even could he
bend men to his will, what would protect him from the
infirmities of nature, bodily pains, and the
anxieties and groundless fears to which the mind is
often a prey? How can you expect to find immunity
from suffering and contradiction, which the greatest
monarchs, with all their power, have never attained?
Only that which contains in itself all good can give
you happiness. Why, then, will you seek it so far
from God, who is the supreme Good?
If these reasons be insufficient to convince you,
listen to Solomon, than whom no man had a greater
share of worldly happiness. What are the words in
which he tells us the result of his experience?
"Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities, and all is
vanity." (Eccles. 1:2). Do not hesitate to accept his
testimony, for he speaks from experience. Do not
imagine that you can find what he could not discover.
Consider how limited anyone's knowledge must be
compared to his; for was there ever a wiser, a
richer, a more prosperous, a more glorious monarch
than this son of David? Who ever enjoyed a greater
variety of amusements? All things contributed to his
pleasure, yet he gives this result of his almost
unlimited prosperity: "Vanity of vanities, and all is
vanity." Can you, then, expect to realize what
Solomon found impossible to attain? You live in the
same world, and your resources for happiness are
certainly not better than his, His pursuit of
pleasure was constant, but in it he found no
happiness, but rather, as St. Jerome supposes, the
occasion of his fall. As men more readily accept the
lessons of experience than those of reason, God may
have permitted Solomon to drink so deeply at the
fountain of pleasures to teach us how worthless they
are, and to save others from a similar misfortune.
How long, then, O sons of men, will you be dull of
heart? Why will you love vanity and seek after lies?
(Cf. Ps. 4:3). Wisely does the psalmist term them
vanity and lies, for if there were nothing in worldly
things but vanity, which signifies nothingness, their
evil would be tolerable. But their most dangerous
characteristic is the false assurance with which they
persuade us to believe that they are what they claim
to be. In this, the world manifests its excessive
hypocrisy. Hypocrites endeavor to conceal the faults
they have committed, and worldlings the miseries
under which they groan. Some who are sinners would
pass for saints. Others who are miserable would pass
for the favorites of fortune. But draw near to them,
study the pulsations of their restless hearts, and
you will see what a difference there is between
appearances and reality. There are plants which at
a distance appear very beautiful, but touch them and
they give forth a disagreeable odor. So it is with
the rich and powerful of this world. When you behold
the dignity of their position, the splendor of their
dwellings, and the luxury of their surroundings, you
would suppose them the happiest of men; but draw near
to them, search the secret recesses of their souls,
the hidden corners of their homes, and you will find
how false is much of the happiness they seem to
enjoy. O children of men, created to the image of
God, redeemed by His Blood, destined to be the
companions of angels, why do you love vanity and seek
after a lie? Why do you seek in false blessings a
peace which they cannot give? Why do you leave the
table of angels to feed with beasts? Will not the
calamities with which the world visits you determine
you to break the chains of this cruel tyrant?
Reason and experience clearly prove that the
happiness we seek is to be found only in God. Is it
not madness to seek it elsewhere? "Go where you
will," says St. Augustine, "visit all lands, but you
will not find happiness until you go to God." As
we have now arrived at the conclusion of our
arguments in favor of virtue and in praise of its
rewards, let us briefly resume what we have said. As
there is no good which is not included in virtue, we
must regard it as a universal good, comparable only
to God Himself. God contains in His Being all
perfections and all good. In a certain manner the
same may be said of virtue. All creatures have each
some characteristic perfection. Some are beautiful,
others honest, others honorable, and others
agreeable. Those among them that possess the greatest
number of these perfections have most claims to our
love. What, then, is more worthy of our love than
virtue, in which all these perfections are combined?
If we seek honesty, what is more honest than virtue,
the root of all honesty? If we look for honor, what
is more honorable than virtue? If beauty attracts us,
what is more beautiful than virtue, of which Plato
said that were its beauty only seen the whole world
would follow it? If we desire profit, what will we
find more profitable than virtue, whose hopes are so
exalted and whose reward is the Sovereign Good?
"Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left
hand riches and glory." (Prov. 3:16). If we seek
pleasure, what is comparable to the pure pleasures of
a good conscience, of peace, of charity, of the
liberty of the children of God, of the consolations
of the Holy Spirit which always accompany virtue? Do
we desire renown? "The memory of the just is with
praises; and the name of the wicked shall rot." (Prov.
10:7). If we aspire to wisdom, the greatest of all
wisdom is to know God and to understand how to direct
our life to its last end. If we would have the esteem
and affection of men, nothing will secure it more
effectually than virtue; for, to use a comparison of
Cicero, as the corporal beauty we admire results from
the regularity and symmetry in the members of the
body, so from the order and regularity of a good life
results a beauty which is pleasing not only to God
and the angels, but even to the wicked and to our
very enemies.
Virtue is an absolute good; it admits of no alloy of
evil. For this reason God sends to the just this
short but glorious message: "Say to the just man that
it is well." (Is. 3:10). In all things, even in pain
and toil, he shall find good, and therefore
happiness, because "to them that love God all things
work together unto good." (Rom. 8:28). Though the
elements war upon him, and though the heavens fall,
he can hold up his head without fear, for the day of
his redemption is at hand. He shall be delivered from
supreme evil, which is the company of Satan, for God,
the Supreme Good, will be his portion. God the Father
will adopt him as His son; God the Son will receive
him as His brother; and God the Holy Ghost will dwell
in him as His temple. Having sought first the kingdom
of God and His justice, every blessing has been given
to him. From all things he has drawn profit. Every
creature has been an aid to him in serving God. Will
you, then, be so cruel as to deprive yourself of a
help so powerful and so profitable? As
philosophers tell us, good is the object of our will,
which is the seat of love. Consequently the better a
thing is, the more deserving it is of our love. What,
then, has so corrupted your will that it rejects this
incomparable good? Why will you not imitate David,
who, though he had the care of a kingdom, tells us
that he had the law of the Lord in the midst of his
heart? (Cf. Ps. 39:9). He put all other
considerations aside, and gave to virtue the noblest
place, the center of his heart. How different is the
conduct of worldlings, who give vanity the first
place in their hearts, and God's law the lowest!
Do you desire any other motive to persuade you to
follow this wise example and embrace so great a good?
If you consider obligation, can there be any greater
than the obligation which binds us to serve God
because of what He is in Himself? We have already
shown you that all other obligations compared to this
are as if they did not exist. If you can be moved by
benefits, what benefits are comparable to those you
have received from God? Besides the grand benefits of
creation and redemption, have you any good of soul or
body that is not from Him? If interest be your aim,
what greater could you have than to avoid eternal
misery and gain eternal joy? If you aspire to
happiness in this life, what happiness equals that of
the just? The least of the privileges of virtue which
we have described affords more true happiness than
the possession of all the treasures of the world. If
you reject these evidences in favor of virtue, you do
so in willful blindness, for you close your eyes to
the light of truth.
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