Page 126 - Third Book of Reading Lessons

READING LESSONS. 125
ered as men or not; the Church, by pouring on their heads the water of regeneration, put to silence, as far as in her lay, these shameful discussions, and de­ clared them to be brethren in Christ Jesus; men called to partake of his inheritance. fore than this, Catholic morality even removes those causes, that
opposed an obstacle to the l lment of these two great duties, the hatred of error, and the love of men; r she rbids all pride, attachment to earthly things, and all that tends to destroy charity. She also rnished us with the means of l lling both ; and these means are all those things that lead the mind to the knowledge of justice, and the heart to
1 the love of it; meditation on our duties, prayer, the sacraments, distrust in ourselves and con dence in God. The man who is sincerely educated in this school, elevates his benevolence to a sphere r be­ yond all opposition, interest, or o ections, and this per ction, even in this life, receives a great reward. To all his moral victories there succeeds a consoling calm; and to love, in God, all those who we would
,, hate according to the reason of the world, becomes, ' to a soul that was bo to love, a sentiment of ine a­
ble delight.
2. He who gave the rst example· of this was cer­ tainly higher than the angels, but was at the same time a man, and in his designs of mercy, he desired that his conduct should become a model r every one of his llowers to imitate. The Redeemer
j prayed r his murderers as he was expiring. That generation still continued, when Stephen entered the rst on that career of blood, which the God-man had opened. Stephen, with divine wisdom seeking to il­ luminate his judges and the people, and to call them
I to saving repentance, oppressed with blows, and 11-