Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1904-04-14

IL IS pOSSlDie, 1nOeeO, InaC IL you QeSplSo
and reject His grace now, you may never
have the opportunity Of returning to Him
again. "Now is the acceptable time, now
is the day of salvation The promises Of
God are annexed to the performance of
present duties. To-day is the day of mer-
cy; the future holds the day of justice and
of judgment. cit is a horrible thing to
fall into the hands of the living God.'' If,
withstanding your present conversion
to God, your freedom from sin, your en-
joyment of the possession of grace, you
should forfeit that grace, belle your pro-
fessions of amendment and return to wal
low in the mire of iniquity and then close
your eyes IN death an enemy of Coda
frightful fate awaits you. For death in
from God, an utter and irreparable fail
ure to attain the destiny for which God
created you; the forced companionship Of
demons who labored hard for your de-
struction and who will gloat over your
ruin and finally never-ending pains in
hicted by the omnipotent hand Of an an
CRY God.
But this is melancholy thought. God
has other motives than fear to deter us
from sin and to inspire us with the reso-
luton to persevere in His grace: And it
is pleasure to turn from the thought Of
punishment to that of reward.
The first effect of good life that can
not fail to impress you strongly is the
cheerfulness and joy Oorn of the testimony
of good conscience. Instead of the de-
pressing and overpowering sense Of guilt
produced by. sin, you now experience a
light heartedness and buoyancy which
tells you plainly that terrible weight
has been lifted from your soul. The DOM
inant note of your life now is peace, that
peace which surpasseth all understand
ing" the peace that enables you to look
the world in the face unconscious of pub
lie offense or secret deflement. You were
strangers to this Deace while you were
aware that you were not in the friendship
of God. Now that it is yours you will
guard it against all attacks and never
again forfeit it by sin. You will not allow
and feeting pleasures OF the moment You
will be brave and loyal and steadfast in
temptation and remain true to your God
and grateful for His mercies. Evermore
you will keep before your minds the prom
ise of our Lord: ''Be faithful until death
and will give thee the crown of life"
And when, at last, the struggle is about
from your sight, with the smile Of God
sweetly beckoning you on, you will be able
to lay down your weary heads in peace
and resignation. You will take courage
from the declaration of Christ: "He that
perseveres unto the end, he shall be
saved Death will have no terrors for
you because you will be able to regard it
as the gate through which all must pass
to enter upon the rewards of eternal life.
The inspired words of Holy Scriptures:
BLESSED are the dead who die in the
Lord" will find their fulillment in your
case, for you will go cheerfully with the
seal of faith to the sweet repose of ever
lasting peace.
Whittier? To God and HIS heaven. Let
us consider our reward. Let us try to
pierce the skies and eaten glimpse of the
joys awaiting us. Our mental vision
ranges over the myriads C. angels and arch
angels, patriarchs and prophets, apostles
and martyrs, confessors and virgins, who
bask in the sunshine of the presence of
Cod Our souls are transported beyond
the bounds of the material Dody when we
| think that we, too are called to join in
| the praise of God, with the nine choirs Of
| angels. Our hearts expand with JOY when
| we behold those now rejoicing who, like
| us, have battled with .ne enemies of their
| fight, they have finished their course, they
have kept the faith. Now they are enjoy
| ing the crown of justice which God, the
| just Judge, has awarded them for their
| fidelity. They are placed beyond the
reach Of tribulation, for in heaven God
| shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and death shall be no more, nor mourn
l
more, for these things have passed away"
How clearly does their happy state ex-
emplify the apostles words: "The suffer-
| ings OF the present time unworthy OF
being compared to the. glory to come
| which shall be revealed to u.s.
And to think that the b!essedness Of the
saints is the destiny which VI God has
vocation to which God has called you.
Listen to St. Paul: "You are come" says
| he, "to the Mount Of Zion, and to the city
of the living God, the heavenly. Jerusa-
lem, and the many thousands of angels,
and the church of the first born who ;sree
All, and Jesus the Mediator of the New
Testament" Has earth any joys compared
to these? Is there anything under God
which can justify us in forfeiting this i'm
mortal happiness? Where shall we find a
more loving father than God, sweeter
friend than Christ, kinder mother than
Mary, nohler brothers and sisters than the
apostles, martyrs ana virgins already re.
joicing before the throne of God? Oh,
what humiliation it must cause us to feel
/ ourselves so sin stained and unworthy,
! and yet to know that we are called to as
sociate with such purity and splendor!
Who are we that we should aspire to. the
we done that with them we should gaze
forever on the blissful vision of God, that
we should intone the canticles of adora
!, ton with the quiring seraphim, that we
should kneel as children at the feet o1
the Immaculate Mary, that we should con
sort with such saints as Pet and Paul
that we should proclaim the ,ly Of the
Lamb of God with John the Baptist, that
we should sing His praises with Holy
!, | David, that we should repose in peace anG
rest with the victorious martyrs, that we
, should attend in the train Of Christ with
/ spotless virgins, that we should behold the
: bright radiance of eternal truth and beau
: ty with St. Augustine and St. Thomas
: All this and unspeakably more is the lo
of those who are numbered among th'
saints. And yet it is to this that Coo
9 invites us, calls us and entreats us.
E Let us listen to His voice and let our
, thoughts and affections dwell in heaven
' and let us serve God as the saints served
f Him. Strive heroically, consistently ant
;, steadfastly with your passions. Follow
] | faithfully the means of perseverance point
: ed out to you in the holy tribunal Of pen
8 ance. Keep in sight the crown Of glor.
4 | laid up for you. And although your name
: may not be registered among the canon canon
r lied, nevertheless a recurrence OF thu
e happy day will find you reigning in bliss
q The storm will be past, the haven reached
i the inheritance secured. Happiness un
u speakable! for sfeye hath not seen, nor ca
e heard, neither hath it entered into tn
o heart of man, what things God hath pre-
}, | .o-o1 CO. 4boao xxyho love Him. Nav vol