Notes on Doctrinal and Spiritual Subjects

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1866 edition. Excerpt: ...how infinitely dear! our past lives are something quite terrible in the clearness of its magnifying light. Nay, there is sometbing so fearfully unholy, even in our best deeds, that we must shut our eyes, and fall blindly into the lap of His compassion, and cry, 0 Father! Father! mercy, eternal, boundless mercy! 6. THE EXCELLENCE OP FEAE. It peoples heaven, it makes death easy, and it is the only solid happiness on earth. "Thou hast made his strength fear." I. Its place in the spiritual life. 1. It increases and widens our faith. 2. It gives vigour and activity to our hope. 8. It deepens our love and is its safeguard. 4. It leads with gentle compulsion to mortification. 5. It goes nearest of all graces to ensure perseverance. II. Practices of holy fear. 1. To be slow and measured in what we do. 2. Specially with God's own things, such as sacraments. 3. Outward reverence both to show and to cause inward. 4. To meditate on the revealed terrors of God. 5. To cultivate abiding sorrow for sin. III. The joys of holy fear. 1. Because of its safety--and the feeling of safety is one of the most calming of graces. 2. Because of its fervour--and it has the gift of making us fervent without exciting us. 8. Because it makes us do all things well and carefully, and this gives an elastic cheerful feeling to our souls. Fs. lxxxviii. 41. 4. Because of the power which it gives us over life, and over self, and over temptations, and over all external unhappin esses. 5. Because it is a supernatural joy in itself, and so partakes of the infinite Miss of God. The grander God is, the more is He an object of adoring fear: but the grander He is, so much the grauder will be our blessedness when we possess Him to all eternity; and the more we fear Him now, ...