Christian folitude requires, moreover, in every state, fome degree of interiour and exteriour recollection, with certain times of retirement in the day for pious reflection and prayer. This ought to be prolonged in Advent with greater attention to feafon our exteriour employment, and converfation with devout fighs and afpirations; "He fhall fit "folitary, and hold his peace," is the Christian's motto, at this holy time.

In the ferene air of folitude, the facrifice of our prayer will be more pure, more fervent, and more acceptable to God; in the filence of our fenfes, and interiour faculties, we shall liften to the voice of the Holy Ghoft, who will speak to our hearts in a language hitherto unknown to us, will give us a new knowledge of fpiritual things by his interiour lights, and will moreover fully penetrate our hearts, by his holy motions, ftir up in us fervent and pure defires, holy refolutions, unutterable fighs and groanings, with sweet flowing tears of divine love, compunction and prayer. Now we must say to importunate diffipating companies, idle amusements, and tumultuous clamours; "Go your way, for I "am left alone; I have put off the robe of peace (or carnal "joy) and have put upon me the fackcloth of fupplications, "and I will cry to the Most High in my days (34)."

Above all other exercises we must in this devout recollection, earnestly defire upon all the powerful motives of holy love in this mystery, to be united to our God and Redeemer, filled with his graces and animated with his fpirit, that he be fpiritually born in us, and we be spiritually incorporated in

him.

This love which infpires the foul with an earnest defire of the closest union with her beloved, her God and Redeemer, feeks this not only by converfing with him, and entertaining her affections, and all her powers and faculties with him, but also by the most intimate union with him in the holy facrament of his love, which he inftituted only to communicate himself to us, and incorporate us with himself, that we may be made one with him, live by him and his fpirit, and be enriched with all his gifts and graces. S. Charles Borromæo, in feveral provincial and diocefan councils, and in paftoral charges to his clergy, feverely commands all rectors of parishes, curates, and others, who have charge of fouls, earnestly to warn and exhort the faithful to receive the holy communion in Advent and Lent, at least every Sunday, if

H 2

(34) Baruch, iv. 19, 20.

not

not ofter. He repeats the fame charge to the laity, in feveral pastoral instructions which he addreffed to them. The facramental union of the loving foul with her Spouse and Saviour, though infinitely fublime and wonderful, being under veils, does not perfectly fatiate her love. It is, indeed, her chief comfort, fpiritual strength and fupport, her viaticum in her mortal pilgrimage; but with the increase of her love it kindles in her more longing defires of the perfect union and reign of her God, and his love in her, by beholding him face to face, and poffeffing him in his glory. From the vehement defires of being perfectly delivered from all our fpiritual evils and miferies, and being united to, and poffeffing him in his grace and love, and in the holy facrament of his precious body and blood, our hearts are raised by strong defires after our eternal and perfect transformation into him in his blifs. S. Auguftine fhews (35), from that petition of our Lord's prayer, " Thy kingdom come," that this defire is the continual figh and prayer of every faithful pilgrim foul on earth; this earnest love and defire of Chrift's coming to us, and uniting himself to us in his glory, the Holy Ghost infpires into the heart of his spouse with continual fighs and groanings."The fpirit and the bride," (or faithful foul animated by the holy fpirit), "fay come (36):" S. John adds," and let him who hears this, fay come." What can be more natural, or more reasonable in religion, than for a loving spouse to defire earnestly to be with her beloved, or a creature made for God, to figh continually to enjoy him her centre and her laft end, her fovereign, eternal, and only good; for one who is held captive with impatient longings, to wait for liberty, for a foul enflaved and befieged by vanity and dangers, to long for a glorious immortality, where fin and the devil will have no power over her, and God will be to her all in all. This is fo regular an effect of divine charity in us, that S. Paul calls thefe fighs after our perfect redemption and deliverance, the fruit of our adoption (37). It would be an intolerable prefumption for any one to think himself fit to die; as no Chriftian can think of appearing before his judge, who is infinite fan&tity, without being feized with just dread and trembling. But with compunction he has recourse to the divine mercy, fears by living to encrease his debts, confiders life as an infinite mercy, by affording means to do more perfect penance, and after all accepts

(35) S. Aug. in Pf. xcvii. in Pf. cxlvii. et ep. 199. ed. Ben. &c. (36) Apoc. xxii. 17. (37) Rom. viii.

cepts life as a mercy and bleffing, yet with fubmiffion to the divine will, fighs to be with God. Moft grievous will be the punishment of those who let flip these penitential times of mercy, by an abuse, perhaps more criminal than that of the Jews; who, by being deaf to the divine call in the days of mercy, deferved to be caft off by God, and found him not, even when he was in the midst of them.

The church, in her office, teaches us to employ our devotions in Advent on each of the four comings of Chrift; the first, when he was born in the flesh for us, that we praise and thank him for this incomprehenfible mystery; the fecond, by which he invifibly vifits our fouls, and is fpiritually born in us by his grace and dwelling within us; the third, when he will visit us invisibly to take us to himself at the hour of our death; the fourth, when he will come vifibly to judge the world, and crown his elect at the end of time. These comings of our Lord are the object of our earnest defires, and we pray that they may be accomplished by the divine mercy in our favour; efpecially, the fecond, or his fpiritual birth in us, by which the redemption and deliverance of our fouls from the flavery of fin and the paffions is completely confummated, and his reign of love perfectly established in us. -Our share in this grace of his invisible spiritual birth will be the measure in which we shall be partakers in the happiness and joy of his coming, both at the hour of our death, and at the end of the world: This we especially afk and defire, with the most ardent fighs and prayers.

Pope Innocent III. explains this doctrine in the following terms (38), we read of four comings of Chrift, two visible and two invifible. The first vifible coming was when he came to redeem the world: The fecond will be when he shall come to judge it. His firft invifible coming is that by which he vifits the foul of the juft man by grace; of which he fays, "We will come unto him, and will take up our dwel

ling with him (39)." The fecond invifible coming will be at the death of every just man, of which S John writes, "Come Lord Jefus (40):" Whence the church prays, that at the Chriftian's death, Christ may come forth to meet him. These four comings of Chrift, the church represents in the four Sundays of Advent, not only in the number, but also in part, in certain prayers and leffons of her office.

(38) Innoc. III. 1. de miferiâ Hominis poft. S. Bern, &c. (39) John xiv. 23. (40) Apoc. xxii, 29.

The

The four Sundays of Advent are to be fanctified with particular devotion, viz. by longer devout prayers, by frequenting the facraments with more than ordinary fervour, by affifting at fermons and catechetical inftructions, which are more frequent during the whole time of Advent. See the inftructions of S. Charles Borromeo, and his councils in the acts of the church of Milan, which the apoftolic fee has justly tiled, the treasure of ecclefiaftical difcipline. The third Sunday of Advent in its office, holds forth the near approach of the world's Redeemer, by redoubling our fervour in our fighs, ftirs us up afresh to compunction and fpiritual joy. The Greeks keep before Christmas a feast of the ancient holy patriarchs and prophets (41), in honour chiefly of their ardent fighs, and expectation of the world's Redeemer.

The last week of Advent is celebrated with a more folemn office, as a more immediate preparation to the great festival of Christ's birth (42).

B

The Ember days of DECEMBER.

ESIDES the general motives of this ancient homage

of prayer, alms and fafting in each of the four quarters of the year, were particularly inftituted, as S. Leo the great (43) obferves, in thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth, after all are gathered in, with a facrifice of fevere abftinence and temperance: For what can be more powerful or profitable, fays this holy pope and doctor, than a wholefome faft, by which we draw near to God, by difarming the devil, fubdue our paffions, and vanquish the blandishments of vice. Fafting is always the nourishment of virtue, from it come forth good thoughts and defires; by it the flesh dies to its carnal appetites, and the fpirit is renewed and ftrengthened in all virtue. But as the fpiritual health and vigour of our fouls is not maintained by fafting alone, our abftinence must be made agreeable to God, by concomitant liberal alms-deeds: Let all be given to virtue, which we take "from fenfuality; let the abftinence of our faft be a feed"ing of the poor; let it be our care to protect and provide "for widows and orphans; to comfort all that mourn; re"concile

⚫ (41) Sudelange in Gloffar. Græc. v. Пponaτepes. (42) See Theoph. Raynaudus de Hebdomada Præparationis ante Feftum Nativitatis, T. vii. Oper. p. 454. (43) S. Leo in Serm. 2. de Jejunio decimi Menfis,

et Collectis.

"concile all who are at variance; entertain poor ftrangers; "affift the oppreffed; clothe the naked; relieve and cherish "the fick; that by offering to God from our labours, this "facrifice of piety to him, who is the giver of all things, "we may receive of him the reward of the heavenly king"dom; let us therefore faft the Wednesday and Friday, "and likewife on Saturday watch the night in prayer, at "the tomb of the bleffed apoftle S. Peter, that affifted by "the fuffrages of his merits, we may obtain what we ask through our Lord Jefus Chrift."

On Wednesday, the office of the Incarnation, in thankf giving for the accomplishment of the fighs of the ancient faints, and of God's merciful promises by this holy and incomprehenfible mystery, was formerly celebrated with the utmost pomp and folemnity, and fung by the abbot in every monaftery, and by him who prefided in all cathedral and collegiate churches. It was called from the first words of the gospel on it; miffus eft Angelus Gabriel. For feveral years, S. Bernard preached the beautiful and pathetic fermons, intitled on the miffus eft. The learned Dom Martenne (44) fays of this moft folemn office, that if any other feast, though of the first and highest rank, fell on this day; it gave place to this office, and was deferred to the next day, that on it, even the fick arose at midnight, and assisted at Matins, and the whole office, if they had ftrength. The homily of venerable Bede was first read, but after S. Bernard, another was instituted from his fermons on the gospel of this day. The great anthems or the O's at vefpers are fung double with folemnity, beginning on the 17th, during seven days before Christmas. Formerly an 8th anthem was fung on the 16th day of the month, as may be seen in the breviaries, or books, of the divine office of that antiquity, and is mentioned by Amalarius (45).

On the last week of Advent, the monks formerly kept their fast much more fevere (46), as in holy week before Eafter, on the eve of S. Thomas, unless it happened to be a Sunday; their beards were fhorn for Christmas, and the bath was allowed to those who chose to make use of it (47), neither of which was permitted in times of compunction and penance, till near the end, that they might be neat and fweet

(44) De Antiquis Monachor. Ritibus, 1. iii. c. 2. p. 271. (45) Amalar. de ordine Antiphon. c. 13. Martenne 1. iii. de ant. Monachor. ritibus. c. 2. (46) Regula Magiftri apud Holftem, &c. (47) Lan

trancus in Statutis, &c.