upon and honoured by thousands; to-morrow, he will be dead, despised and hated by all. In a word, honours, pleasures* and riches, must all end in death. O my God! make me sensible of the immensity of thy goodness, that I may love nothing but thee.
II. Death deprives man of whatever he may possess in this world. What a sad sight, to behold a rich man, after death, carried out of his palace, to return thither no more! how sad, to behold others taking possession of the estates which he has left, of his wealth, and of whatever else he so lately enjoyed! His servants, after having accompanied him to his grave, abandon him, and leave him there, to be devoured by worms; no one esteeming him, no one flattering him. Formerly every one obeyed his nod, but now no one takes the least notice of his orders. How wretched have I been, O Lord, in having, for so many years, gone after the vanities of the world, and left thee, my sovereign good! But from this day forward, I desire to possess thee as my only treasure, as the only love of my soul.
III. Dust and ashes, why are you proud? Man, says the Almighty, seest thou not that in a short time thou wilt become dust and ashes? and on what dost thou fix thy thoughts and affections? Reflect that death will soon rob thee of every thing, and separate thee from the whole world. And if, when thou givest in thy accounts, thou be found wanting, what will become of thee for eternity?
I give thee thanks, my Lord and my God. Thou speakest thus to me, because thou desirest to save me. Let thy mercies now prevail. Thou hast promised to pardon such as repent of their offences against thee. From the bottom of my heart do I repent, grant me therefore pardon. Thou hast promised to love those who love thee: above all things
