The New York herald., 1871-07-31
NEW JERSEY CHURCHES.
ST. PETERS CHURCH, JERSEY CITY.

Sermon BY Father Beauaevln, 9. 1.-the
Danger Of Relying ON Deaihhed
Repentance.
In 81. Peters church, Jersey City, q solemn mass
was celebrated at half past ten O'Clock by Father
McQuade. S. J. The sermon was preached BY Father
Beaudevn. who took for his text the Gospel of the
sunday setting forth the lamentaton OF Christ over
Jerusalem. The preacher applied the text to the
sinner who defers his conversion from day to day,
hoping to have time on his deathbed to make his
peace with God. The sinner must of necessity rely
upon time, and yet time is not his own. Is II not
madness to postpone our conversion to a day which
may never arrive We read in the Gospel that the
Son Of Man viii come wnen we least expect Him.
You may say that God has granted time to many to
do penauce. admit 1t. Can you build your hopes
on any such casess You know not at what moment
you may be
rKECIPIrATED INTO ETERNAL PERpITIoy.
And even II We should obtain time to DO penance,
I ask what kind OF repentance can that be, or,
rather, Is 1t time for repentance at alp What dis
position shall we be In to do penance theni There
Is time for mercy and there IS time for justice as
there is time for seed and another for harvest.
There is time when the faculties OF the mind Will
not be in condition 10 consider the very important
matter OF true repentance. ON. think Of
THE WARNING OF CHRIST,
when He said, "You shall seek Me and you shall
not ind Me- and you shall ole IN your sinsr' There
are times wnen Goa makes demands upon our
science. DO YOU not feel this within yourselves
many timer Have there not been times when you
felt some inspiration. some inward movement,
prompting you to return to God? Our Lord speaks
to US In many ways. 1t may be In book or It may
be In sermon. These are graces which are not to
lie neglected. They are like the winds which blow
past US. We know not whence they come or
whittier they 60, bit once past they are
GONE FOR EVER.
They are like the lightning which appears In
the east and Is seeu even In the west.
Why is It that Christ wept over Jerusa-
lemS Was II because lie was to suffer cruel tor.
mentS and an ignOmnous dcathS Was It because
He was to suner there ut the haods OF an ungrato-
fui peopey No; but because the day OF grace had
already passed; because, as Christ HIMSELF said,
they knew not the day OF their visitation. DO you
not
when you put on your convcrslonS Is it not say
ing 10 Him as long as this world mas attractions
ME You need not expect that Will devote my at
that even now he will have grace that Is Just sum-
ctent ana no more. And II lie does not profit by
that grace then Christ will weep over him as He
did over Jerusalem. What will he the manner OF
your death 2 Shall you
DIE SUDDENLY
or shall yOu have sufficient notice? And rememl her
that people often die in their beds and get die sud-
denly. And let us also remember That many men
find themselves chained down, even at the hour of
death. by their evil passions. The man who mas
lived In unchastiy will ind his old desires return TO
him. even though he knew that in
FIVE MINUTES MORE
ne would find himself beyond the pale Of this
world. Or he may die In despair or what Is worse
in presumption. He may go through the form OF
ton; but when he appears be ore the Eternal Judge
he viii md that sentence reversed and
REVERSED FOR EVER.
Remember then, that this Is the day OF grace this
Is the time for CONVERSION and you do not pront
by 1t the time may come and SCORER than you ina.
gine, when 1t Will be too late FOR conversion.