the present time alone you have for doing good. S. Bernard warns us, saying, " Wherefore do you presume upon the future, O miserable one, as if the Father had put the times in thy power." And S. Augustine asks, " Do you reckon upon a day, who canst not reckon upon an hour?" How canst thou promise thyself the day of tomorrow, if thou knowest not whether one more hour of life will be thine? S. Teresa thus concludes, and says, " If thou art not ready to die today, thou oughtest to fear lest thou shouldst die an unhappy death!
Affections and Prayers.
O my God, I thank Thee for the time Thou art giving me to atone, as far as I am able, for the sins of my past life. If at this moment Thou shouldst cause me to die, one of my greatest griefs would be to think of the time I have lost. Ah, my Lord, Thou didst give me the time to spend in loving Thee, and I have spent it in offending Thee. I deserved to be sent to hell from the first moment I turned away from Thee, but Thou hast called me to repentance, and Thou hast pardoned me. I promised never more to offend Thee, but since then, how many times have I not again offended Thee, and Thou hast again pardoned me? for ever blessed be Thy mercy. If it were not infinite, how could it thus have borne with me? Who else would have shown such patience towards me as Thou hast? How much I grieve for having offended a God so good! My dear Saviour, the patience alone Thou hast shown towards me ought to have inspired me with love for Thee. Ah, never more allow me to be ungrateful to the love Thou hast borne for me. Separate me from all things, and draw me wholly to Thy love. No, my God, I will no longer waste that time which Thou hast given me to atone for the evil I have done; I would spend it all in serving and loving Thee. Give me strength, give me holy perseverance. I love Thee, O Thou Infinite Goodness, and I hope to love Thee in eternity.
Second Point.
There is nothing that is more precious than time, but yet
