cursed by all creatures, who cry out for vengeance on you; accursed in your souls, which were subjected to the flesh; in your bodies, which you petted so much and adorned so extravagantly to the scandal of others; accursed in your mind, your will, and all your outward senses; accursed in yourselves, accursed in your companions! You have loved the curse; it shall be with you forever! Depart from Me, you cursed! Away, ye demons, with those who belong to you; I know then, no more!
By all the elect. Ye heavens! is there no mercy then? Is there no one to show the least pity for those so miserably banished and condemned souls? No; not one! Angers, saints, the Mother of God; even parents, children, friends, relations among the elect, will all with biting laughter and exultant triumph cry out with one voice: Depart, you cursed! Away! ToheliVith you! So shall the father among the elect cry out to his reprobate child: Away with you, accursed son! So will children cry out with scorn and contempt to their parents: Away with you, accursed father and mother! So will the husband cry out to his wife; the wife to her husband; one friend and acquaintance to another: Depart, you cursed! Away with you to the depths of hell!
How terrible to bid adieu to the whole world, and be hurled into hell!
Thus abandoned by all, rejected, and banished, what will the unhappy ones have to do? asks St. Ephrem. What else but with despairing cries to take leave forever of all the just, of God, of heaven and earth? Farewell, all’ve just souls, we cannot have any part with you! Farewell, angels and heavenly spirits, you have left us! Farewell, ye apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins; we shall not see you any more for all eternity. Farewell, beautiful heaven, paradise of pleasure! thou wert created for us, and we in order to possess thee; and now we have lost thee forever! Farewell to thee also, Mary, the Mother of God! Alas, we are shut out from the eyes of thy motherly love for all eternity! Beauti ful sunlight, farewell; thou wilt never shine more for us; our dwelling is in everlasting darkness! Good-bye, earth, we are not worthy of thee; swallow us down into thy deepest abyss! Farewell, O God, and with Thee all that is good! Our dwelling must be among the demons in hell! We were created by Thee, O God, called by Thee, enlightened by Thee, supported by Thee, often fed with Thy own flesh and blood, preserved by Thee to the very end of our lives for no other purpose but to bless Thee in the eternal joys of heaven with Thy chosen children; but henceforth Thou shalt be the object of our fierce hatred, of our eternal curs-
