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Full text of "St. Vincent Ferrer, his life, spiritual teaching, and practical devotion, tr. by T.A. Dixon"

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ST. VINCENT FEERER,

OP THE ORDER OF FRIAR PREACHERS :

HIS LIFE, SPIEITUAL TEACHING, AND
PRACTICAL DEVOTION.

BY THC

Rev. Pr. ANDREW PRADEL,

or TKK SAUE ORDBS.

Cranslttttb from t^c ^xtmh

Ifi THE

Bev, Fr, T. a. DIXON, Oed. Pb^d.

3;onb0n :
E. WASHBOURNE, 18 PATERNOSTER ROW.

210.

1876.

"599.

APPROBATIONS.

Hayino at the reqnest of the Very Beverend Father Provinoial,
read the work entitled, *' St. Vincent Ferrer, of the Order of Friar
Preachers: his Life, Spiritual Teaching, and Practical Devotion,"
we have found nothing therein but what is conducive to the edifi-
cation of the faithful.

Fb. J. M. MONSABBti, Obd. Pbjed.
Fb. T. BOUBABD, Obd. Pbad. L.S.T.

Hayino seen the above approbation, we sanction the publication of
the work entitled, *'St. Vincent Ferrer," etc.

Fb. a. N. SAUDBEAU, Obd. Pbjbd.

Provincial of the French Province,

Imprimatur :

A. DE pons,

Viear-Qeneral.
Toulouse, the 9th of October, 186B.

Nihil obstat.

Fb. BAYMUNDUS PALMEB, Obd. Pbjed.

Censor Deputattu.

Iinprimatwr:

+ HENRICU8 EDUABDUS,

Card, Arehiep, Westvwnoit,

, TO HIS

BBETHBEN AND SISTEBS IN ST. DOMINIC,

SPREAD THROUGHOUT
ENGLAND, IRELAND, AND AMERICA,

^iB motk

RENDERED INTO ENGLISH

IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED BT THE

TRANSLATOR.

St. P£TJCB*s Fbiory, Hzncklxy,

FeoMt of 8t. Dominie, August 4t%, 1875.

PREFACE.

-♦♦-

DESCRIPTION of the marvellous influence exer-
cised by St. Vincent Ferrer on his age, is not the
principal design of the work which we ofifer to the public.
In an admirable biography of this great man, the Abbe
Bayle has traced out the most salient points in his charac-
ter ; to reproduce therefore in the following pages the picture
which he has drawn, would be foreign to our purpose.
Our intention, then, is rather to initiate the pious public,
and especially the Dominican family, into the intimate
life and heroic virtues of the man of God, in order that
they may imitate him, according to the degree of perfec-
tion to which each soul is divinely called. It would, in-
deed, be a strange illusion to imagine that there was mucli
more to be admired than imitated in this remarkable life.
We can, on the contrary, mould ourselves in many ways
on this model, especially when it has reference to interior
dispositions.

Vlll PEEFACE.

After giving a summary idea of the life of St. Vincent
Ferrer, we were desirous to repeat fully his spiritual teach-
ing, and to supply to souls who, walking in his footsteps,
aspire moreover to honour him, the most useful means
of ofifering him the worship which he desires. Hence the
division of the work into three parts. The first is his-
torical. The abridged picture of the life of the Saint
which we present to our readers, embodies in it all that
we consider suitable to edify souls. The second part treats
of the secrets of the interior life unveiled by the Saint in
his ** Treatise on the Spiritual Life," as well as of the
particular methods which he taught, of sanctifying the
essential acts of a Christian. The third part contains the
principal exercises which may be performed in honour of
St. Vincent Ferrer : viz. those of the Fridays before and
after his Feast, those of his Novena, and some special
prayers.

Father Teoli, a Eeligious of our Order, who hved in
the last century, and wrote the most complete and ac-
curate life of our Saint, has furnished us with the basis of
our work. We have besides, reproduced his opuscule of
the Fridays, by inserting herein some of the examples and
prayers, in order to adapt them to the devotion for the
seven Fridays before and after the Saint's Feast.

Following the example of this praiseworthy writer, we

ti*

PREFACE. IX

have not hesitated to relate certain traits well calculated
to lead us to admire the stupendous and supreme power of
working miracles which God sometimes accords to His
Saints. It should be well borne in mind that the facts
which we reveal, rest on documents worthy of belief and
respect, and that we address ourselves to pious readers.
But this class admits the divine marvels the more readily,
in proportion as they who compose it are less carnal and
more pure. We moreover willingly repeat, with Father
Teoli, that, in the facts here recorded, as well as in the
title of Blessed, which we have applied to certain person-
ages, whose worship has not yet received the formal sanc-
tion of the Holy See, our intention is not to speak as
though we had authority in the Church ; we merely propose
them with the guarantees of a purely human authority.

May our pubhcation be serviceable to you, dear reader !
Should it produce any good in you, be pleased, in return,
to remember us in your prayers to the Saint whom we
shall have venerated together. And you will crown this
charity which we hope for from you, if you will join to it
a particular intention in favour of some pious persons who
have afforded us useful and friendly help in the accom-
plishment of this work.

CONTENTS

-•♦-

PART THE FIBST.
Life of St. Vimcemt Febbeb.

SECTION THE FIBST.

Fbom the Saint's Bibth to ms Beugious Pbofbssion.

1850-1868.

CBAP. PAOK

I. PBODiaiES WHICH PRXCEDED THB BIBTH OV BT. VnCCEITT
FBBRBB — HIB BAPTISM — INVAMOT AlfD CHILDHOOD OF
BT. YINCXNT 1

n. ST. TnVCENT FXBBBB BECXITXS THB HABIT OF .THE FBIAB

PBBACHBB8 — HIS MOVICIATB AND PBOFESSION .. .. 8

SECTION THE SECOND.

Fbom the Saint's Belioious Pbofession to his call to a
MntAcuLous Apostolate. — 1868-1898.

UI. STUDIBS OF ST. TINCBBT FEBBXB — HIS FBOFOUND LEABNINO
— HIS OBBAT PIBTT DUBINQ HIB C0UB8B OF STUDIES
AND SCHOLASTIC LABOUBS 16

IT. FIB8T PBBACHINOS OF ST. YINCENT FEBBEB — CONTINUATION
OF THB saint's PBEACHINO UNTIL HIS DEFINITIVE CALL
TO AYIONON 23

XIV CONTENTS.

CHAP. PAOB

VI. ON THE MINKEB OF BEQULATINa THE BODT 162

VII. BULEB TO BE OBSEBVED IN BEQABD TO DBINK .. .. 164

VIU. BUUSS TO BE OBSEBVED AT TABLE 164

IX. ON THE MEANS OF PEBSEVEBINO IN BOBBIETT AND ABSTINENCE 168
Z. BULES TO BE OBSEBVED IN BEQABD TO SLEEP, WATCmNQ,

STUDY, AND CHOIB .. .. 170

XI. ON PBEACHINQ 179

XII. BEMEDIES AGAINST CEBTAIN SPIBITUAL TEMPTATIONS .. 180

XUI. BEMEDIES AGAINST FALSE BEVELATI0N8 184

XIV. MOTIVES TO EXCITE US TO PEBFECTION 188

XV. ELUCIDATION AND APPLICATION OF THE MOTIVES PBOPOSED

IN THE FOBEOOINO CHAPTEB 192

XVI. HOW TO ESCAPE THE 8NABES AND TEMPTATIONS OF THE

DEVIL 195

XVn. ON THE DISPOSITIONS WHICH WE OUGHT TO HAVE IN BEGABD

TO OUB NEIGHBOUB 199

ZVin. ON THE PEBFECTION WHICH IS NECESSABY TO HIM WHO

SEBVES GOD IN THE SPIBITUAL LIFE 202

XIX. INSTBUCnONS ON VABIOUB SUBJECTS 204

SECTION THE SECOND.
Devout Pbactiges taught by St. Vincent Ferrer.

I. DAILY BULE OF LIFE 207

II. ANOTHEB DAILY EXEBCISE TAUGHT BY THE SAINT .. .. 209

III. EJACULATOBY PBAYEBS OF ST. VINCENT FEBBEB •• .. 212

IV. A DEVOTION BEOOMMENDED BY ST. VINCENT TO OBTAIN A

HAPPY DEATH 213

V. A PB0TE8TATI0N ACCOBDING TO THE SPIBIT OF ST. VINCENT

TO SECUBB A HAPPY DEATH 216

VI. DEVOUT PBAYEBS ACCOBDING TO THE SPIBIT OF ST. VINCENT

TO BE PBESEBVED FBOM SUDDEN DEATH .. .. 219

VII. A DEVOTION FOB THE FEAST OF OUB LOBD'S NATIVITY TAUGHT

BY ST. VINCENT 220

Vin. PBAYEBS WHICH ST. VINCENT FEBBEB MADE USE OF TO

BESTOBE HEALTH TO THE SICK, AND TO PEBFOBM

OTHEB MIBACLES 221

IX. PBACnCES OF DEVOTION TAUGHT BY ST. VINCENT TO OBTAIN

THE BLESSING OF FECUNDITY 223

CONTENTS. XV

PAOK
X. BElfEDIES OB PRACTICES OF DBTOTION AOAIK8T TEMPESTS

TAUGHT BT ST. VINCENT 225

XI. OTHER PRATERS AGAINST TEMPESTS 227

XII. DEVOTION TO THE GUARDIAN ANGELS 229

XIII. THE BLESSING OF FOOD 230

XIV. THE MANNER OF SANCTIFYING THE FAST OF LENT .. .. 282
XV. RULES PRESCRIBED BT ST. VINCENT FOB LIVING PIOUSLY .. 234

XVI. PIOUS REFLECTIONS COMPOSED BY ST. VINCENT, AND USED
DURING THE TIME OF DISCIPLINE, TO EXCITE SINNERS TO
REPENTANCE ; DRAWN PROM THE PROCESS OF HIS CANON-
ISATION 235

PART THE THIED.
Fbactical Devotion of St. Vincbnt Ferrer.

SECTION THE FIRST.

Fridays dedicated in honour op St. Vincent Ferrer.

first friday before the feast of st. vincent .. .. 240

second friday before the saint^b feast 243

third friday „ „ 246

fourth friday „ „ 261

fifth friday „ „ 264

sixth friday „ „ 258

seventh friday „ „ 262

Feast of st. vinoent ferrer 267

FIRST FRIDAY AFTER THE SAINT'S FEAST ., .. .. ,. 271

SECOND FRIDAY „ „ 276

THIRD FRIDAY „ „ 280

FOURTH FRIDAY „ „ 285

FIFTH FRIDAY „ „ 289

SIXTH FRIDAY „ „ 295

SEVENTH FRIDAY „ „ 298

XVI

CONTENTS.

SECTION THE SECOND.

A NovENA IN Honour of St. Vincent Ferrer for the Nine
Dayb which precede the Saint^s Feast, the Fifth of
April, or follow the Translation of his Belics, the
tiixTH OF September.

PAGE

.. 303

.. 310

.. 317

.. 324

.. 331

.. 339

.. 346

.. 363

.. 361

FIRRT DAY. — TnB FEAR OF OOD'B JUDGMENT
8M00ND DAY. — THE VICE OF PRIDE ..
THIRD DAY. — THE YIOB OF AVABIOB ••
FOITWTH DAY, — THE YIOE OF IMPURITY
FIFTH DAY. — THE VICE OF ANOBR ..
BIXTH day. — THE VICE OF GLUTTONY
HKVKNTH DAY.—TRB VIOB OF ENVY ..
EIGHTH DAY. — THE VICE OF SLOTH ..
NINTH DAY.—THB YIRTUE OF PENANCE

SECTION THE THIBD.
Divers Prayers in honour op St« Vincent Ferrer.

I« A DEVOUT PRATER TO OBTAIN THE PROTECTION OF THS QLORIOrS
8T« YINOSNT FERRER, TO BE SAID ON ALL THE TRIDAYS OF
m;> DETOTION, DURINQ THE NOTBNA WHICH PRSCEDBS HIS
FKA!$T, AND IN ALL WANTS AND NBCBSSITIB8 •• .. 369

n. A PRAYER WRIVH MAT BE SAID ON EACH OF THS SSTBN FRIDAYS
BBIKVRS AND AITBR THE FEAST OF ST« TINCXNT FBBRBR,

t\^ ORtAlN 90XS PABnCTLAR GRACE 371

m« THE IKXLLV^WINO PRAYERS MAT RE SAID ETBRY FRIDAY ., 373

1T« UTANY V>F SX« TINCSNT lERRSR « 375

T« ANIKYHER UTANT OF STs YXNCSNT FEBRSR 379

ST. VINCENT FEKKEK.

PART THE FIRST.

LIFE OF BT. YINCENT FERREB.

SECTION THE FIRST.

From the Saint's Bibtr to his BsLiaious Pbofbssiok.

1850-1868.

CHAPTER I.

prodigies which preceded the birth of ST. VINOEMT FERRER
— ^HIS BAPTISM — INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD OF ST. VINCENT.

|N the middle of the fourteenth century there

dwelt at Valencia, in Spain, a pions couple,

who were not less distinguished hy hirth than

by the virtues which adorned their lives. These were

William Ferrer, a descendant of an ancient Catalonian

family, and Constance Miguel, the daughter of a naval

officer and kinswoman of the Bishop of Valencia. They

had already been blessed with two children, when a

third was bom to them on the 28rd of January, in

the year I860.

2 ST. TINCENT FEBBEB.

History affirms that certain remarkable signs preceded
the birth of this child of benediction. One night while
the £ftther slept, he dreamed that he entered the chorch
of the Dominicans at Valencia, when one of that Order
was preaching to the multitade from the pulpit, and that
the preacher, taming towards him, addressed him in
these words : '* I felicitate yon, William ; in a few days
you will have a son who will become a prodigy of learn-
ing and sanctity ; he will be the object of your delight
and the honour of your house ; the world will resound
with the fame of his wondrous deeds; he will fill heaven
with joy and hell with terror ; he will put on the habit
which I wear, and will be received in the Church with
universal joy, as one of its first Apostles." Then it
seemed to him that the people, who had attentively
listened to what was said, thanked God with a loud
voice for the marvellous news, and offered him their
felicitations likewise. Delighted at these consoling
predictions, he joined his thanksgiving to that of the
multitude. When he awoke, he related to his spouse
all that had transpired in the course of his dream, and
they resolved to confer with their kinsman, the Bishop*
To William's account of what had occurred Constance
added two things equally singular, which she had her-
self experienced ; the first was that from the commence*
ment of her pregnancy she had felt none of the pains
which usually accompany that state; and the second, that
she frequently fancied she had heard the child, which
was near its birth, give utterance to cries like to the
barking of a little dog, —a circumstance much resembling

THE saint's BIBTH. 8

the vision of the Blessed Jane of Aza^ the mother of
St. Dominic.

The prelate clearly understood the meaning of these
mysterious signs, and said to them : ** Rejoice in the
Lord ; the child which you are ahout to bring into the
world will be a worthy son of St. Dominic, and will be
called to do much good among the people by his preach-
ing. Take great care of him, and educate him holily,
that he may correspond to the singular graces with which
.God will endow him." *

As if to confirm the high opinion which was con-
ceived of this child, God was pleased to work, while it
was still in the maternal womb, by its mediation, a re-
markable prodigy. Constance went one day to visit a
blind woman on whom she was wont to bestow a
monthly alms, and having given it to her as usual, she
added, " My daughter, pray God that the child which
I bear may arrive safe." The blind woman bent her
head on the mother's bosom and said, '^ May God be-
stow that favour on you ! " At the same instant her
material blindness left her, and being suddenly illumi-
nated in her soul with prophetic light, she exclaimed,
*^ Madam, it is an angel you have, and it is he who has
cured me of my affliction." The child, like another
John the Baptist, applauded the words of the poor
woman by leaping in the womb, and the mother herself
gave testimony of it. ^

Such were the signs that preceded the birth of Vincent

' Banzano, apud Bolland^ April, To Ji. i.
« Teoli, Ub. i. Tratt. i. c. 1.

4 BT. VINCENT FEBBEB.

Ferrer. This birth was an event for the whole city.
The principal inhabitants made it a point of daty to
accompany the new-bom to the baptismal font. Besides
a municipal deputation, three of the chief magistrates
were present; and as they could not agree on the name
that was to be given to this predestined child, the priest
who administered the sacrament was divinely inspired
to name him Vincent, a name that was in every way
adapted to his future destiny, inasmuch as he would
one day attack so vigorously and conquer so gloriously,
sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Constance was unwilling that her son should be com*^
mitted to the care of a strange nurse. This child was
too precious to allow any one but herself to bestow on
him the cares which tender infancy requires, cares which
are doubtless wearisome, but nevertheless always sweet
to a mother's heart. She was amply rewarded for this
devotedness on her part, for the little Saint gave her but
small trouble. Seldom did he cry, and he would remain
tranquil wherever his mother placed him. When not
asleep in his cradle, he was peaceful and almost recol-
lected. His open eyes would search eagerly for his
mother, without being moistened with tears. Nature
exhausted her gifts in his behalf. To a charming dis-
position, with which she endowed him, he joined also a
countenance that was so sweet, well-shaped, and sym-
pathetic, that all delighted to gaze upon him and to
caress him. '

An extraordinary event coqtributed not a little to

* Banzano, apud BoUancU

INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD. 6

isorease his renown in the city. Vincent was yet in
his cradle, and had hardly begun to lisp, when Valencia
was desolated by a continued drought. Public prayers
were offered up to obtain a refreshing rain, but not 4
cloud appeared in the sky. The whole population groaned
under the calamity, and Constance shared the com-
mon affliction, when, one day, expressing her uneasiness,
she heard the child in swathing clothes distinctly pro-
nounce these wordj3 : '' If you wish for rain, carry me
in procession, and you shall be favourably heard."
Cheered as well as surprised at these miraculous
words, Constance hastened to the city magistrates to
impart to them her message ; the latter, considering on
the one hand the probity and good sense of the mother,
and on the other the marvellous signs which had already
drawn public attention on the child, decreed that the
procession thus indicated should take place. The little
Vincent was carried triumphantly, and scarcely had the
procession terminated than the sky became suddenly
overcast, and copious rains fell for several hours upon
the parched earth.' This, and other miracles, bore
Vincent's name to the court of the King of Aragon.
Queen Eleanor, coming to Valencia, caused him to be
taken to her palace that she might see him and caress
him.

In learning to speak, the child learnt also how to
pray, and was instructed especially in the mysteries of

> Immemorial tradition of the inhabitants of Valencia, confirmed by
two learned Masters in Theology at the General Chapter of the Friar
Preachers held in Bologne, 1725. Teoli, lib. i. Tratt. i. c. 3.

6 8T. VINCENT FEBBEB.

faith. These instractions were imprinted on his soul as
upon soft wax, but when once they had taken root they
attained the solidity of bronze. There was no need to
teach him twice the same lesson on religious matters.
This sacred seed bore in his heart its salutary fruits.
Penetrated with a sovereign fear of God, and animated
with a great desire for good, he carefully avoided every-
thing that could, in the smallest degree, tarnish his
innocence.

From his fifth year be showed an intelligence far
above his age, which inspired his companions and others
with singular veneration for him. He began to study
when only six years old, and his masters discovered in
him a keen intelligence and a soul full of ardour, which
enabled him in a short time to make rapid progress in
the knowledge of grammar and letters.

At the age of seven years Vincent entered the clerical
state, and was even provided with an ecclesiastical bene-
fice. At twelve his mind was so fully developed as to
enable him to penetrate into the difiQcuIties of philo-
sophy, and he devoted two years to that abstract study.
In fine, he commenced in his fourteenth year his theo-
logical course, and applied himself to this latter science
till the time when he began seriously to think of deter-
mining the state of life to which the voice of God called
him. At this period of his life the virtues of the youth
had in nowise slackened. Their growth, on the contrary,
was visible, for grace is never weakened in a soul which
faithfully responds to its advances. It was his custom
to assist daily at Mass, and his greatest delight was to

INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD. 7

serve the priest. His prayers were long and fervent.
He bad a tender devotion to our Lord's Passion. He
said habitually the Little OfiQce of the Cross, to which
he added that of the Blessed Virgin. He fasted regularly
on Wednesday and Friday every week. His tender-
ness for the poor led him into a thousand kinds of good
works which charity suggested to him. But what we
wish chiefly to remark in our Saint are the dispositions
which he manifested from bis earliest years for his future
calling to the Apostolate.

When yet a child Vincent would commit to memory
the leading points of the sermons at which he assisted,
and repeat them to his family round the domestiq
hearth. Frequently drawing away his schoolfellows
from their games, he would gather them around him,
then mounting a hillock or fence, would recite to them
with earnestness, grace, and unction, whatever his
recollection inspired him with, imitating the gestures
and movements of the preachers whom he most ad-
mired. He continued the same practices as he grew up.
Thus, during the years of bis boyhood, he accomplished
much good among the youth of his own age, by speak-
ing to them of God, of the soul, and of heaven. His
example stamped on them a living impression. All
looked upon him as a saint, so much did the grace of
miracles appear to increase with bis years. Many
essayed to imitate bis virtues and to walk in bis foot-
steps, whom he lovingly directed by his good counsels.'

* All the Saint^B biographers.

8 ST. TINOBNT FEBBER.

CHAPTER II.

8T. TINGKNT FBBBEB BEOBIYES THB HABIT OF THE FBIAB
PREACHEBS — ^HIS NOVICIATE AND PBOFESSION.

|UB Saint haying now attained his eighteenth
year, the moment had arrived when it hehoved
him to decide on the sort of life that should
best suit his own tastes and the inspirations of grace*
His father forestalled him in this by the following
proposal : ** My son," said he, ** I leave yon full and
entire liberty; and be assured of this, I shall oppose
no obstacle to the accomplishment of your will. Never*
theless," he added, *^ I would counsel you to embrace
the religious life in the Order of the Friar Preachers ;
for such, in effect, seems to me to be God's Will,
when I reflect on the signs that preceded your birth/'
And at the same time he related to him in detail the
marvellous testimonies that had been manifested, and
the interpretation which their relation, the Bishop, had
put upon them. Vincent replied, without a moment's
deliberation, ** My father, you have anticipated my
wishes, and I thank our Lord for having inspired you
with the thought to propose that which is the most
agreeable to me. I have no longing after the riches and
pleasures and honours of this life ; my love, thoughts,
and resolutions are centred in God. I am, therefore,
determined to follow His divine call to the Dominican
family; and now I desire nothing more except my
mother's consent and your joint blessing, that I may

HIS NOYICUTE AND PBOFESSION. 9

go in peace to serve God in the retreat which His
voice clearly indicates to me." At these words his
&ther embraced him with tears of tender compassion,
and nnder the influence of that sweet emotion they went
to find Constance, who also shed an abundanoe of tears,
not of sorrow, but of holy joy. ** My beloved child,*'
cried she, ** what you are about to do is what I have
always longed for on your part. I have frequently
asked this fieivour of God, and now He has heard me.
Oh ! happy event for you and for us« We ought to
congratulate each other ; you, because you are about to
withdraw yourself from the miseries of this life, we,
because we have obtained from our Lord the accomplish-
ment of our most cherished desires. May God fill you,
my child, with every blessing. As for mjrself and your
father, we most willingly give you ours to the end of
your life."

On the morning following that happy day, William
Ferrer himself conducted his son to the Convent of the
Friar Preachers at Valencia. This was on the 2nd of
February, in the year 1867. The Prior of the convent
was apprised that same night, by a miraculous vision,
of the precious conquest which the Order was about to
make. St. Dominic appeared *to him, holding the
youthful postulant by the hand. It seemed to him that
Vincent, all inflamed with fervour, said to him, "Father,
behold me at your feet to become one of your religious."
At the same time, his conductor added, " Receive him ;
he shall be your brother and my son." The Prior,
recognising St. Dominic by the star which shone on his

10 8T. VINCBNT FERBEB.

forehead, threw himself at his feet, when instantly all
disappeared. There remained in his heart an ardent
wish to see the speedy accomplishment of the vision
with which he had been favoured, and he was fully
consoled when, on the following morning, our Saints
accompanied by his father, cast himself at his feet, and
humbly asked to receive the holy habit, affirming that
his sole motive of the step he was taking was to obey
the voice of God, Who called him to serve Him under
the glorious standard of St. Dominic' Who shall
describe the joy felt by the man of God to whom this
demand was addressed, when he heard a young man
so accomplished imploring, with such earnestness and
humility, the habit of the Friar Preachers ? His Con-
vent and the whole Order were about to be enriched
with an incomparable treasure. He experienced then a
sentiment akin to that of the holy and aged Simeon,
whose high privilege it was to receive in the Temple, in
the name of the Almighty, the presentation of the Child
Jesus, made by Mary and Joseph. This was on the day
of the solemnity commemorative of that mystery.
There was, then, a striking similarity in the offering.
Vincent offered himself spontaneously to the sacrifice
of the religious life, while his parents accompanied the
pious victim. There was even a likeness in the recep-
tion. For as the angels, the ministers of the sanctuary,
the widows of the Temple, and the holy people of Jeru-
salem shared the divine joy of Simeon, so also may it
be said that the religious of the convent, the friends of

» TeoU. Ub. i. Tratt. ii. c. 1.

HIS NOVICIATE AND PROFESSION. 11

tbe Saint, his family, and the entire city of Valencia
were associated in the joy of the venerable head of the
community, and united with him in thanksgiving to God
for this inestimable benefit. We may well imagine that
there would be but one voice for the admission of the
postulant.

The day of his clothing was fixed for the 5th of
February, the Feast of the glorious virgin St. Agatha—
a day worthy of eternal memory to the inhabitants of the
city. It was one hundred and twenty-eight years after the
Convent of St. Dominic had been established. The Order
was then governed by a Vicar-General, Father Elias of
Toulouse. The Dominican province of Aragon had at its
head Blessed James Dominic de Collioure, and the
Prior of the Convent of Valencia was the Venerable
Father Beranger de Gelasio.'

From the first moment of his noviciate, Vincent felt
so forcibly the grace which God had bestowed upon him
in calling him into religion, that he ceased not to thank
heaven, and to kiss with ardour and indescribable con-
tentment the white woollen in which he was clothed. In
the Convent which he had entered were many religious
whose lives might well have served him as an example.
But his generous soul chose a model even more perfect.
He resolved to make his. life a close imitation of that
of St. Dominic ; and that he might the more readily
understand his actions, he commenced to read, with
singular interest, the life of the great patriarch. It was
then especially that he learnt to distinguish the true

' All the Saint^B biographers.

12 ST. TINOENT FERRBB.

character of the Friar Preacher — as he afterwards ex-
plained in his sermons — a character which consi^s in
angelic parity, perfect ohedience, and divine poverty;
not to remain in a monastery in a state of immobility,
shut np in a cell like the anchorites of old; but to go,
after the example of Christ, the Apostles, and the holy
Founder of the Order, to preach the Gospel throughout
the world. *' For it s for this/' added he, ^^ that the
Order of the Friar Preachers was instituted.*'

Vincent penetrated in a wonderful manner the deep
meaning of each of the characteristics of the life of the
blessed Father* As a proof of this, we need but cite the
interpretation which he gave of the celebrated vision, in
which St. Dominic appeared crowned with glory, and
ascending to heaven by means of two ladders. *^ Our
Order," he observed, ^'does not lead its subjects to
heaven by the ladder of the contemplative life alone, nor
by that of the active life only, but it enables tbem to
ascend to the conquest of Paradise by means of both.
They who are in the simple monastic state reach heaven
by the ladder of contemplation ; and it is by ascending
that of the active life that the military orders arrive at
the possession of their country ; but the children of St.
Dominic must have a foot on each, by uniting the exer-
cises of prayer and study to the work of apostolic
preaching." This fact alone enables us to judge with
what clearness of mind our Saint knew his destiny, and
the duties which it involved. The young novice was
ever faithful to this light, and to the day of his death he
reflected in his person the perfect image of St. Dominic.

HIS NOVICIATE AND PROFESSION. 18

During the course of his noviciate Vincent applied
himself exclusively, according to the spirit of the rule,
to the exercises of the interior life. Never did he omit
any of the prayers or mortifications which he imposed
on himself. And though the Dominican Constitutions
do not bind under sin, yet he observed their smallest
details with as great exactitude as if he had been bound
to their fulfilment under pain of grievous sin. At choir
and at recreation he was the first ; nor did he ever absent
himself from any of the common duties to satisfy his own
particular devotion. He obeyed every one with profound
humility. His sweetness and modesty rendered him
amiable to all, and the afiiability of his character caused
his conversation to be sought by every member of the
noviciate. He was the youngest in the Convent, but
was already looked upon as the first in sanctity.

Three months of his noviciate had now elapsed, when
a trial, painful to the heart of a son, beset his vocation.
Vincent was called upon to resist the tears of his
own mother. Constance Miguel, going to the convent
one day, asked to see her son. When he appeared she
' repreaented to him, with tears, the following consider-
ations : she could not live without him ; it was easy for
him, her son, to sanctify himself among the secular
clergy '; besides, his family stood in need of the revenues
of his ecclesiastical b^iefice, which obliged him to
renounce his religious profession. He must therefore
leave the convent and return to the world. Sorrowfully
afiected by these plaints, Vincent nevertheless answered
his mother vdth invincible firmness: ^' You were willing

14 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

that I should enter the cloister, and you gave me your
blessing when I left you. Why then shall I go back ?
I shall ever remember the saying of St. Bernard : * He
who leaves the convent to return to the world, quits
the company of angels to join that of the devil ! ' I
conjure you, then, my dear mother, to return to your
first sentiments ; let us view the things of this world
with the eye of faith, and let us value them now as
we shall wish to have valued them at the hour of
death. One thing only is necessary, and it behoves
each of us to accompUsh his salvation in the manner
that God ordains.**

These words affording to Constance no hope of per-
suading her son to renounce his vocation, filled her with
sadness, and she returned to her home in great grief.
But Ood did not abandon her in that trying circum-
, stance. As she approached her house she saw a poor
person, who, saluting her courteously, said, *^ Madam,
why are you sorrowful ? Have you forgotten the mira-
culous barkings which you heard when you bore Vincent
in your womb ? Has your husband's prophetic dream
passed from your memory ? Do you not remember how
the Bishop of Valencia interpreted those mysterious
signs, and how you predicted that your son would one
day be a Friar Preacher? Would you now frustrate
the accomplishment of the Divine Will ? " These words
consoled Constance, and drew forth her tears. Ere
long she recognised in that poor person a messenger
from heaven ; for, going into her house to get an alms,
to recompense him for his good words, she no longer

mB NOVICUTE AND PBOFESSION. 15

found him on her return either at the threshold or in
the street.

The year of probation passed over without fiirther
interruption. Then the young novice, who had been
the edification of the community, was unanimously
admitted to the solemn profession of his tows. He
pronounced them in the hands of Father Matthew
Benincasa, who that year was Prior of the Conyent of
Valencia. Such was the joy of the brethren, that every
year afterwards, till the destruction of the Convent, they
celebrated the anniversary of that happy day.'

> All the Saint's biographers.

16 St. VmCBNT FBBBSB.

SECTION THE SECOND.

Fbom the Saint*8 BsLiaions Profession to his call to a
MnuLCULOUs Apostoults. — 1868-1898.

CHAPTER in.
studixb of ST. ynroxiiT fbbrbb— -his pbofound learmikq — his

QRBAT PUBTT DUBINa HIS COUBSB OF STUDIES AND SCHOLASTIC
LABOUBS.

|AD St. Vincent died in his noviciate or shortly
after his profession in religion, he would doubt-
less have merited to be venerated on the altar,
like the Blessed Peter of Lnxembnrg, who died at the
age of eighteen, and the yonthfol confessors Alojrsius
de Gonxaga and Stanislaus Kostka, who are the gloiy
and ornament of the Society of Jesus. But Divine
Providence was pleased to increase in a high degree,
by a long life of merit, the beauty of the crown of
f^ory reservod for him* Vincent bore the sacred yoke
of the ^^Iigioua and apostolic life for more than fifty
yeai3% Durii^ that long space of half a century he
wiiled with pi^rfect fidelitv and undaunted constancy
the ausleritiivs of the dcasttur with the fiitiguea of the
ttuiisli?^ of «iiOuls% We misjudge hence ot the merits
i»^^m'alV^V^l by this inti^pid WH)tkiiian, and ot the

STUDIES OF ST. VINCBNT. 17

immense harvest of glory which he gathered to the end
of his career. From the moment that he saw him-
self irrevocably engaged in the Order of Preachers, he
resolved to apply himself without relaxation to three
things: assiduous prayer, the study of theology, and
Holy Scripture. These form the triple duty of a Friar
Preacher who desires to labour fruitfully for the good of
souls. For without prayer he can neither sanctify him-
self nor others; without the study Of theology and of the
Scripture he lacks the knowledge which is indispensable
to his occupying the pulpit with becoming dignity.

There exists in the Order the admirable custom that
students in whom is discovered a more than ordinary
capacity should be employed in teaching others as soon
as they have finished their own studies. This pro-
fessorial employment is even necessary to enable them
to advance in the order of academical degrees, which»
despite a searching examination, cannot be obtained but
upon that condition. One can readily understand that
such a system is well suited to form solid preachers; for
an accomplished student who has spent ten, fifteen, or
twenty years, whether in studying or in teaching philo-
sophy, theology, and Holy Scripture, ought to be, at the
end of that term, trained to all the difficulties of science,
and admirably qualified to explain to the people the
truths of dogmatic and moral teaching. SL Vincent
passed through all those difierent stages till he reached
the highest grade of all, that of Master in Theology.

On leaving the noviciate his superiors put him to
teach logic and philosophy in the same Convent of Valen-

18 8T. YINCENT FEBREB.

cia, and be acquitted himself of that duty to the satis-
faction of the students who attended his lectures. Many
students from the city were desirous to become his
auditors^ that they might listen to a professor whose
science was only surpassed by his sanctity.

Three years later Vincent was sent to Lerida to teach.
He remained there two years, and his lectures bore the
same fruitful results as at Valencia. When his superiors
judged him to be sufficiently versed in the subtleties of
metaphysics, they wished to apply him to the special
study of the Holy Scripture, and for that purpose
assigned him, in the year 1372, to the Convent of
Barcelona, where he resided three years. Here he de-
voted himself with incredible ardour to the study of the
Sacred Writings ; and that he might increase his
knowledge of the Old Testament he learned Hebrew.
St. Baymund of Pennafort, the third General of the
Order, had instituted in Spain many] schools of that
language for the sake of the Jews, who were numerous
in the country, and to succeed in whose conversion a
knowledge of the Hebrew tongue was indispensable.
He had too great a zeal for the salvation of souls not to
enter into the views of St. Baymund* He acquired such a
perfect knowledge of the Hebrew that he was able to
quote to the Jews every text of the Old Testament, and
to refute the absurd doctrines of the Talmud, and the lying
stories with which that book abounds. It is thought
that he also knew the Greek and Arabic tongues.
Three years were devoted by the Saint to the exclusive
study of Scripture ; and one year more to teaching

mS STUDIES, 19

physics in the same Convent of Barcelona. In the year
1876 he returned to Valencia, where he renewed his fer-*
Your by means of a spiritual retreat. Then, in the year
1877, he was sent by the chapter of his province to
Toulouse, and in the following year to Paris. In both
cities he continued to perfect himself in the divine
sciences by teaching them to others. His sojourn at
Paris lasted but a year, after which he returned again
to Valencia, and took charge of the theological course
during six consecutive years. In fine, in the year
1888, his superiors sent him to Lerida, to receive the
degree of Doctor of Theology in the celebrated univer-
sity of that city. When they laid this command upon
him he humbly submitted himself to it, not to gratify a
vain ambition, but to render himself capable of doing
greater good in the Church. He was then in his thirty-
eighth year, and had been a priest only seven years.
While he stayed at Barcelona he composed two trea-
tises, one on Dialectical Suppositions, the other on the
Nature of the Universal. His contemporaries speak of
them with much praise, but these works have not been
transmitted to our times.'

Study and teaching are rocks tbat are sometimes
fatal to the piety of those engaged in them. St. Vin-
cent knew how to avoid those perils. Making the
science of perfection his first care, he suffered not the
fervour which inflamed his soul to grow cold in the
midst of scholastic speculations. Study was to him a
continual exercise of devotion ; not only did he refer it

> Banzano, and all the Saint's biographers.

22 8T. VINCENT FERBEB.

God. To noderstisiDd his sublime sentiments respecting
the sanctity of the state which he had embraced, the ob-
ligations of the religious life, and the virtues of the soul
which, renouncing the world, desires to live only for God
and the salvation of its neighbours ; to gain an insight
into the numberless secrets which the Saint discovered
in order to accomplish in the highest degree of perfection
the commonest acts of life, such as repose, sleeping/
eating, conversation, and recreation ; it suffices to read
his " Treatise on the Spiritual Life," one of his few
works that have escaped the wreck of time. There we
shall find the living portraiture of him who wrote it. St.
Vincent has painted himself therein, and has, doubtless^
given us a true idea of his own perfection. The author
first lays down a number of general rules, then he enters
in detail into the daily exercises which fill up the life of
a religious ; he next enumerates the various motives
which ought to engage him to tend without ceasing to
true perfection. Poverty, silence, and purity of heart
are, according to him, the necessary foundations of a
spiritual life. He further explains, with charming sim-
plicity, the manner of regulating the body at table, in the
dormitory, and at choir. The advice he gives, how to
avoid in the various practices of mortification softness
and excess, displays a remarkable depth of wisdom. As
to the labours employed in the acquisition of science,
we ought, he says, to study as becomes Christians, to
transform, so to speak, study into prayer. In the sam^
work will be found useful advice on the subject of false
revelations which ensnare spiritual men. In fine, he

■

FIBST PBEACHINOS. 23

prescribes a method of preaching, recommending, above
all, simplicity, and even a sort of naivete which the
preacher may indulge in with a view to rendering him-
self more intelligible to his auditory. All these different
counsels were the fruits of St. Vincent's own reflections,
experience, and daily practice*

The evil spirit tempted him in a thousand ways to
lead him into grievous faults, or at least to relax the
ardour of his zeal in regard to good. We find a record
of two apparitions of Satan in the '^ Spiritual Instruc-
tion " for the second Friday before the Saint's Feast, and
in that for the eighth day of his novena. But the Saint
always victoriously escaped the plots of hell.

CHAPTER IV.

FIRST PREACHINGS OF ST. VINCENT FERRER — CONTINUATION OF
THE saint's PREACHINQ UNTIL HIS DEFINITIVE GALL TO
AVIQNON.

|T was while he sojourned at Barcelona — from
the year 1372 to 1375 — that our Saint com-
menced to preach publicly to the people. He
was then only in deacon's orders. Such was the fervour,
unction, and eloquence of his discourses, that the mul-
titude was deeply moved. Numberless conversions
signalised his first feat of arms in the apostolic warfare.
People flocked not only from the neighbouring cities, but
from more than ten leagues round, that they might hear
him. So great was the concourse of people that the
largest churches were insufficient to hold them ; and to

24 BT. YIKC£NT FBBBEB.

satisfy their deyotion, Yincent was obliged to preach to
them in the public squares.

A remarkable incident occurred which tended greatly
to establish his authority among the people. For a
whole year Barcelona was desolated by a frightful famine ;
the wheat failed, and efforts were made on every side to
supply the deficiency, but in vain. Human succour was
no longer available. The inhabitants had recourse to
public prayers and processions to obtain of Qod a deli-
verance from the plague. One day, in the beginning of
the spring of 1875, a numerous procession arrived in one
of the city squares, and Vincent addressed to the multi-
tude a fervent exhortation to repentance. He represented
to them how a forgetfulness of the divine law brought
upon Christian people the terrible scourge of famine;
then he exhorted them to place their confidence in God,
who would not permit His children to perish in the
midst of the evils which He sent upon them to correct
and sanctify them. Then he suddenly exclaimed :
" Have courage and be glad, my brethren, for this very
night two vessels will arrive in this port laden with
wheat, which will supply you with abundant provisions."
But on that particular day, and for many days previously,
the sea was so terribly agitated, that it seemed impos-
sible for any vessel to live in so great a tempest. Few
only of his hearers believed in the prophecy : the greater
number murmured against the preacher, taxing him with
imprudence, boasting, and vainglory. His own brethren,
to whom these complaints were made, cautioned

-^ to be more guarded in his speech for the future.

. A PROPHECY. 25

Yincent received the admonition with sincere humility ;
then, without losing his serenity of soul, spent the rest
of the day at the foot of the altar, beseeching Ood to
pardon the want of faith in the people, and not to with-
hold from them the succour which He destined for them •
Great, indeed, was the surprise of those whom the
Saint's words had irritated, when, towards eyening, two
yessels freighted with wheat entered the port of Baroe*
lona, which were followed in a few days by twenty others,
bearing similar cargoes from the ports of Flanders. At
the sight of such an abundant supply of provisions, they
acknowledged the truth of the Saint's prophecy, repented
of haying murmured agjainst him, and sought to repair
the injury done to him, by listening to him in future with
perfect docility.*

According to his biographers, the man of God, during
his stay in Paris in the year 1879, was not content with
instructing the young religious committed to his care,
but he also announced the Divine Word to the people.
His preaching in the French metropolis bore the same
marvellous fruits which accompanied it in Spain. His
unrivalled eloquence was not only listened to with keen
admiration, but with compunction of heart and tears of
repentance. Each of his discourses was followed by
numerous conversions.

Valencia, which gave him birth, was, however, the

principal theatre of his success at this period of his life.

An eager multitude thronged around his pulpit, and he

wrought in souls prodigies of grace and sanctification.

^ Banzano, and other biographers of the Saint.

26 8T. YINCEKT FEBBEB.

When he was promoted to the priesthood his success
increased still more. He was immediately permitted to
nse the faculties which he received to ahsolve from sin*
Having begun then to hear confessions, he reaped him-
self in great part the fruit of the Gospel seed which he
had sown for a long time by his preaching. In this
useful ministry he consolidated marvellously the im-
mense good which he had begun in his public preaching.
Moreover, the inhabitants of Valencia were not content
with seeing in him an enlightened guide in the path of
Christian perfection, a skilful physician of souls ; but they
considered him a universal adviser and the refuge of all
who were afflicted. All classes of persons had recourse
to him. The people and the nobility equally consulted
him as an oracle, and obeyed with docility his decisions,
which were replete with tact and justice.

It was then that, jealous of his success, hell invented
many scandals against the Saint, which we reserve for the
present, and shall relate only the following.

One night, a wicked old man went to the house of a
person of ill fame, disguised in the black mantle of the
Friar Preachers. He made great promises to her, adding
that his name was Vincent Ferrer; but the woman
never saw him again. She then carried her complaint
to the warden of the city, who happened that year to be
Boniface Ferrer, brother of the Saint. The warden on
hearing her complaint suspected it to be a monstrous
falsehood inspired through hatred or envy. The
Dominicans were to traverse a part of the city in
recession, Boniface, accompanied by several witnesses.

SCANDAL AGAINST THE SAINT. 27

stationed himself with the plaintiff, in a house, where
they could see all the friars pass. He then asked her to
point out to him the individual of whom she complained.
She could not distinguish him. He pointed to his own
brother. " Is he the person ? " he asked.

" Oh ! " she exclaimed, ** he is a saint, I have some-
times heard him preach."

" That saint is Vincent Ferrer," he said, " and I am
his brother ; you haye been imposed upon, in order to
calumniate him."

Still Boniface could find no rest until he had discovered
the guilty person. He then summoned him before
several judges, and obliged him to ask pardon of the
Saint. This is the old man of whom mention is made
in the '' Spiritual Instruction " for the fifth day of the
novena.'

St. Vincent had been a Master in Theology two years,
and was engaged in preaching to the inhabitants of
Valencia and other cities of Aragon, when Cardinal
Peter de Luna passed through that city. This prelate
had been canon and provost of the cathedral. The
Church was at that moment, unhappily, divided between
the Popes of Avignon and those of Bome. Peter de Luna
went into Spain in quality of Apostolic Legate, to induce
that country to accept the authority of Clement VIL, then
Pope of Avignon. He had already heard Vincent spoken
of, and was not surprised at the unanimous praise which
his countrymen heaped upon him. He had himself
occasion to judge how much the Saint merited the high

' Banzano, and other biographers of the Saint.

28 BT. TINCBNT FERRER.

esteem which snrrouDded him, and resolved to attach him
to himself daring his legation in Spain, then to present
him at the court of Clement Vll. at Avignon. Venerating
in his person an Ambassador of the Holy See, Vincent
consented to accompany him, and followed him to
Salamanca, where the King of Castile then was. In his
journey, his zeal did not allow him to remain silent, and
he preached in the various cities through which he passed.
This was not without its fruit; for in Valladolid he
converted a Jewish Babbin, who, being promoted to
the priesthood, afterwards became Bishop of Carthagena.
He brought also to the faith, or to a reformation of life,
a multitude of Jews, infidels, and bad Catholics. When
Peter de Luna had terminated his legation, he invited
Vincent to accompany him to the court of Clement VII. ;
but the Saint, not considering himself bound to yield to
his desires, and seeing that he could accomplish greater
good to souls, preferred to continue his preaching in
Castile.

On his return to Valencia, he was nominated, contrary
to his wishes, confessor to Violante, Queen of Aragon,
consort of John I. He directed this princess with extreme
prudence. She was a woman of a lively disposition and
of varied talents, but imperious, greedy of power,
and desirous of having the whole world at her feet;
she governed her royal spouse, whose whole conduct was
the result of her counsels. Yet she submitted with
docility to the enlightened direction of St. Vincent, who
essayed to inspire her with a contempt of the world and
a love of heavenly things. The veneration which she

CONVERSION OF JEWS. 29

conceived for her holy director was doubtless the means
which Providence made use of to improve her. Vincent
was not a cowardly flatterer in her regard, always ready
to close his eyes to the faalts of his penitent. An
example related in the "Spiritual Instruction" for the
seventh Friday before the Saint's Feast, shows that he
knew how to reprimand her when she deserved it.

On the 1st of July, in the year 1891, the Jews of
Valencia were led, by divers miraculous circumstances,
to ask to be instructed in the Christian faith. The
Bishop of that city appointed Vincent to instruct them.
The greater part were converted, and their synagogue
was transformed into a church dedicated to St. Chris-
topher.

Shortly after this harvest of souls, Vincent returned
into Catalonia, and repaired to the court of John I. who
resided for a time in that province. He was made a
Councillor of State and Grand Almoner to the King of
Aragon, besides being confessor to the Queen Consort.
He remained at court till the death of that prince, which
occurred in the year 1896. These new honours were no
bar to the Saint's apostolic zeal. He preached daily,
and with equal success, in different places, including
Cordova, whose inhabitants conceived so high a veneration
for him, that they cut in pieces his religious mantle, and
shared them with each other as sacred relics.

But while he thus exercised the ardour of his zeal in
Aragon, Clement VH. died. Peter de Luna was elected
Pope by the Cardinals of Avignon, and took the name of
Benedict XTTT. Two years following his election to the

/80 ST. VINCENT FEBREB,

Supreme Pontificate, Benedict nominated his confessor,
the Carmelite Jerome of Ochoa, to the Bishopric of Elne,
in Roussillon, and chose Vincent to replace him. He
despatched messengers with letters to request him to
repair without delay to Avignon. The Saint obeyed,
without replying to so formal an injunction, and hastened
whither he, whom he regarded as Pope, called him.
While journeying thither, he ceased not to preach to the
people in the cities where he was obliged to stay.

Arrived at the court of Avignon (this was in 1896),
St. Vincent was surrounded with the most flattering
marks of esteem. Benedict, desirous of attaching the
Saint to himself by other titles than that of Confessor,
nominated him Master of the Sacred Palace, Grand
Penitentiary, and his own private chaplain. In the
midst of these exalted honours, the humble religious
interrupted not his customary exercises of piety, his
assiduous study of the Sacred Writings, and his preaching
to the people. His exemplary life added great weight
to his words. Amidst the luxury of the Papal Court,
he practised the same austeritieB as if he had been in a
regular convent, observing the same fasts, and prolonging
equally his prayers and watchings. He preached less
frequently, doubtless on account of his functions, but it
was always with the same abundant fruit. At his voice,
a crowd of sinners, weeping over their past iniquities^
pommenced a life of sincere penitence, and repaired with
edifying piety the scandals they had given to the world.'

I All the Saint*B biographers.

SECTION THE THIRD.

. The Misactjlous Apostolatb of St. Vincent Febbeb.

1898-1419.

CHAPTER V.

OHBIST MnUOULOUSLT CALLS THE SAINT TO AN EXTRAORDINARY
APOSTOLATE IN THE CHURCH — STATE OF CHRISTIANITY AT THE
EPOCH WHEN ST. VINCENT RECEIVED HIS DIVINE MISSION.

10 sooner had he been installed in his new
dignities, than the Saint sought, by every
means at his command, to bring about a
union of the faithful under one Supreme Head. He daily
implored his illustrious penitent to reUnquish his claims
to the Papacy, so as to do away with the monstrous
phenomenon of two heads over one body. At his
instance, a large council of prelates, theologians, and
canonists was gathered together to discuss the relative
claims of the contending parties. With fair speeches
Benedict showed himself well disposed, but artfully
eluded all negotiation that was likely to terminate the
difficulty ; in consequence of which a number of his
own cardinals abandoned his cause. Seeing that hiijt
efforts were useless to induce the Pope to lay aside the
tiara, St. Vincent was seized with deep sorrow. H^

82 ST. VIKCENT FEBREB.

could no longer witness the eirils that were crashing the
Church without heing moved to tears. His residence at
the pontifical court was now a tax upon him, and he
obtained permission to retire to a convent of his Order
at Avignon. Such was his sorrow that he fell grievously
ill; no remedies could diminish the intensity of the
fever that consumed him, and for twelve days he lay at
death's door. On the eve of the Feast of St. Francis,
October 8rd, 1896, a crisis ensued which greatly alarmed
those who surrounded his bed of suffering, for they
believed that his last hour had come. But God was
at that moment pleased to verify in His servant what
He had spoken in the book of Job, chap. xi. 17: "When
thou shalt think thyself consumed, thou shalt rise as the
day-star." Suddenly the Saint's cell was flooded with
a celestial light. Our Lord, accompanied by a multi'*
tude of angels and the glorious patriarchs, Domini6
and Frauds, presented Himself to the sufifensr, saying !
*' Arise, and be consoled ; the schism shall soon be at
an end, when men have ceased from their iniquities.
Arise, then, and go to preach against vice ; for this
have I specially chosen thee. Exhort sinners to repent-
ance, for My judgment is at hand." Then our Lord
promised him three favours: That he should be con*^
firmed in grace ; that he should be victorious over all
the persecutions raised against him ; and that in all his
conflicts the Divine assistance should never fail him,
and that after having preached the judgment through^
out the greater part of Europe, with immense fruit to
souls, he should terminate his life holily in a distant

HIS MIRACULOUS CALL. S3

coantry. Finally, He instructed him in all that re-
lated to the exercise of his apostolic ministry. His
biographers have not supplied us with details, but it is
easy to conceive them from the admirable order in-
variably followed by the new Apostle in his miraculous
calling. Ceasing to speak to the Saint, our Lord, in
token of His love, touched him on the face with His
right hand, and said to him a second time, "My
Vincent, arise ; " then He disappeared. The Divine
touch produced its effect. Vincent suddenly felt himself
cured, and his heart was filled with ineffable consolation.
This marvellous apparition, recorded by the oldest
biographers of the Saint, is all the more worthy of belief
inasmuch as St. Vincent himself confirmed it in a letter
which he wrote to Benedict XEEI. fifteen years later.
Writing to him in the third person, he says : '' A
religious was grievously ill, and he lovingly besought
Grod to cure him and to enable him to preach His
Divine Word frequently and ardently as he had been
wont to do. While he was in prayer and fell asleep,
St. Dominic and St. Francis appeared to him, praying
at the feet of Jesus Christ and earnestly supplicating
our Lord. After they had finished their prayer, Jesus
Christ appeared with them to the religious, who lay
stretched upon his bed of pain. He touched him on
the cheek with His sacred hand as if caressing him, and
at the same time made him clearly understand, in words
which the soul alone heard, that he should traverse the
world, preaching as an Apostle, as St. Dominic and St.
Francis had done, and that his preaching before the

34 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

coming of Antichrist would be to mankind a merciful
occasion of repentance and conversion. At the touch
of our Lord's hand this religious was completely cured
of his malady. He at once joyfully undertook the
apostolic legation with which he had been divinely
entrusted. Divine Providence was pleased to confirm
his mission not only by many miracles, as He had done
that of Moses, but also by the authority of Holy Scrip-
ture, as in the case of St. John the Baptist, because he
had need of these powerful helps, on account of the
difficulty of his enterprise and the weakness of his
own testimony." * The cell in which St. Vincent
received so remarkable a favour and such a miraculous
mission was converted into a chapel, which became the
object of great devotion. It was destroyed in the
revolution, together with the convent which enclosed it.
On the morning following his miraculous cure, Vin-
cent presented himself before the Pope to obtain per-
mission to leave the city for the purpose of preaching
the Gospel throughout the kingdoms of Europe. But
Benedict, unwilling to part with one whose popularity
would doubtless benefit his own cause, still detained
him at his court. The Saint humbly obeyed, well
knowing that particular revelations ought always to be
submitted to the control of God*s Church, and deferred
to a more favourable opportunity the execution of his
project. For two years longer he discharged the duties
of Master of the Sacred Palace, and served with an
heroic patience and exemplary fidelity him whom he

* Banzano, and aU the other biographers of the Saint.

COMMENCES HIS NEW APOSTOLATE. 85

looked upon as the veritable Yicar of Jesas Christ. To
secure for the fature his attachment to the caase of the
Popes of Avignony the Bishopric of Lerida and a
Cardinal's hat were offered him. These honoars Vincent
courteously, but firmly, declined, saying, " It behoves
me to execute the order which I have received from
God, for God has commanded me to preach the judg-
ment to all nations." One day, feeling sad at the
resistance which Benedict still offered to his ardent
desires, he prayed in tears before his crucifix and offered
to God the sorrow of his soul. Our Lord consoled him
with these words : ** Vade adhuc expectabo te.*' He
clearly understood that he should no longer resist His
solicitations. The Pontiff then allowed him to set out
on his apostolic mission throughout Europe, and for
that purpose granted him the fullest powers, which were
afterwards confirmed by the Council of Constance, and
by Pope Martin V..

St. Vincent commenced his new apostolate at
Avignon, on the 25th November, 1898.

The Church of God had at that time a pressing need
of the voice of an apostle, the voice of a saint, to rescue
it from the deplorable state in which it existed. There
arose, in the year 1878, a schism which divided the
allegiance of the faithful between two contending Pon-
tiffs, and, as if to complete the evil, a third rival sprung
up in 1409, who asserted an equal claim to the supreme
dignity of the Papacy. These unhappy divisions cooled
by degrees the fervour of Christian people, and en-
couraged others in the commission of every species of

4 *

86 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

crime with the hope of impunity. The wickedness of
men had reached its summit. *^ No, I do not believe/'
exclaimed St. Vincent in one of his discourses, *' that
there ever existed in the world so much pomp and
vanity, so m^ch impurity, as at the present day; to
find in the world's history an epoch so criminal, we
must go back to the days of Noe and the universal
deluge. The inns in the cities and villages are filled
with persons of abandoned character ; they are so
numerous that the entire world is infected by them. • ^
Avarice and usury increase under the disguised name of
contracts* Simony reigns among the clergy, envy
fimong the reUgious. Gluttony prevails to such an
extent in every rank of social life that the fasts of
Lent, the vigils and Ember-days, are no longer observed.
... In a word, vice is held in such great honour that
those who prefer the service of God to that of the world
are held up to scorn as useless and unworthy members
of society."

But the womt feature of all in this unhappy state of
affairs was that the pastors of souls, drawn from the
path of duty by the schism and its consequences, no
longer laboured with the necessary vigilance to reform
their people. The Mahometans and Jews, especially in
Spain, instigated by the spirit of evil, made frightful
havoc among souls by infecting the country parishes ad
well as the cities with their superstitions, errors, and
wicked example. The devil let loose upon the earth
numerous heretics : Wycliffe and his noxious disciples ;
John Hus and Jerome of Prague, who were so justly

8TATB OP CHMSTXANITT, 87

condemned by the Council of Constance. Idolatry
even ventured to raise its head once more on the shores
of Europe, and threaten to bear off in triumph its
deluded followers. There were but few preachers of
the Gospel, while men versed in spiritual science were
rarely to be met with. St. Vincent regarded this dearth
of apostolic labourers as one of the greatest calamities
of the age, and bitterly laments it in his '^ Treatise on
the Spiritual Life.*' Naturally drawn into a state of
indifference and evil, what was there to prevent men
from becoming more and more corrupt, when they more
frequently heard the voice which led them into depravity
than the voice which ought to have incited them to
good ? The heretics profited by these evil dispositions
to sow broadcast their errors among the faithful ; the
mountainous districts, into which preachers seldom
went, became the principal theatres of their fatal
exploits.

Sin had acquired so strong a hold upon the world, the
fervour of the good had become so relaxed, the crimes
of the wicked had risen to such an excess, that God's
patient forbearance with His creatures was well-nigh
,wom out. The only remedy that could stem the torrent
of iniquity was an universal repentance, capable of ap^
phasing the Just and Sovereign Judge. Hence as the
liord sent of old the prophet Jonas to Nineve to convert
its inhabitants by threatening them with God's anger,
80 at this epoch He sent His faithful servant Vincent
^nto the whole world that he might preach the near
approach of the terrible judgment; that, filling souls

98 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

with a wholesome fear, they might open their eyes to
see their danger, abandon their evil habits, embrace the
yoke of penance, and thns avert the just chastisements
of Heaven which their crimes merited.

It is in this light that Pope Pius 11. exhibits St.
Vincent Ferrer to our view in the Bull of his canoni*
sation. We read therein these remarkable words : " In
the countries of the west the number of Jews and
infidels increased, who by their wealth and their culture
of letters exercised a fatal influence. The last day, the
terrible day of judgment, was almost forgotten, but
Divine Providence was pleased to restore and beautify
His Church by illustrious men. At a favourable mo-
ment He sent into the world, for the salvation of the
faithful, Vincent of Valencia, of the Order of Friar
Preachers, a skilful professor of sacred theology. He
professed all knowledge of the eternal Gospel. Like a
vigorous athlete, he rushed to combat the errors of the
Jews, the Saracens, and other infidels ; he was the
Angel of the Apocalypse, flying through the heavens
to announce the day of the last judgment, to evangelise
the inhabitants of the earth, to sow the seeds of salva-

tion among all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues,
and to point out the way of eternal life."*

"These words," observes Father Teoli, "perfectly
express what St. Vincent Ferrer was during the last
twenty years of his life — an Apostle,* and a great
Apostle." The celebrated Lewis of Grenada boldly
affirms of him : " After the first Apostles, Vincent is,

} Bull S. Ord. Prffid., T. V. « Teoli.

HIS MODE OF LIFE. 89

of all apostolical men, he who has gathered most fruit
in God's vineyard." His contemporaries assert that he
frequently had eighty thousand anditors.' He was
already forty -nine years old when our Lord named
him His legate to reform the world ; and for the space
of twenty years he acquitted himself of that sacred
charge, traversing the whole of Europe, and converting
to the faith in each city Jews, infidels, heretics, and
sinners, hy thousands.

CHAPTER VI.
ST. Vincent's mode of ufk durino his maiicuLous aposto-

LATE — THE METHOD EMPLOYED BT THE SAIST IN PBEACHINQ.

ILTHOUGH provided with the fullest authori-
sations on the part of the Sovereign Pontiffs,
St. Vincent would nevep preach in any place
without the blessing and consent of the Bishop of the
diocese, and the permission of the local Superiors of his
Order. He imposed on himself the inflexible rule to
travel always on foot, despite the distance, the difficul-
ties of the route, and the severity of the seasons. It
was only towards the latter years of his life that a pain-
ful wound in one of his legs obliged him to ride. But
even in this he observed the spirit of simplicity and
poverty. He refused the use of a horse, and chose
rather to ride on a mean ass, that he might the more
resemble the Saviour of men.

1 Ban zano, Nicholas de Cl^mangiB : " Mnltoties in sua priBdieatione
erat nomeniB audientiom octingentoram millia hominom." Accord-
ing to Fathers Jerom, Borselli, and Engelgrave, there were even more.

40 ST. YINCENT FERRER.

Before entering into any city be cast himself on his
knees, then, raising his eyes towards heaven and shed-
ding abundant tears, he prayed for the people to whom
he was about to preach the judgment. His entry was
ordinarily attended with much solemnity. The Bishop,
clergy, magistrates, nobility, and a numerous crowd of
people, came out to meet him. They conducted him
under a canopy with honour equal to that of a royal
personage, or rather of an apostle or an angel. They
chanted with indescribable enthusiasm hymns, psalms,
and sacred canticles. In the place where they met him
a cross was planted to perpetuate the memory of that
happy event. So great was the concourse of people at
times that it was necessary to erect a wooden barrier to
protect him from the multitude who eagerly pressed
around him to see him, and even to touch him. In
the midst of these wondrous triumphs, his humility
remained ever the same ; at such moments he had
incessantly in his heart and on his lips those words
of the Psalmist : *' Not to us, Lord, not to us, but
to Thy Name give glory" (Psalm cxiii. 1).

On arriving at any place his first care was to visit the
principal church, to pour forth his fervent supplications
before the Blessed Sacrament, and to commend to God
his preaching; then turning to the people he would
humbly ask them to afford hospitality to those of his
company who might not be able to obtain a lodging at
the public inns. When there was a convent of his
Order in the city he always retired to it, unless the
Bishop desired him to go to his palace, where he might

HIS MODE OF LIFE.

be of greater use to the people. But in Tillages where
his Order had no existence he chose to reside in a
monastery of friars or with the cur6. On his way to
his lodgings he chanted with his companions the litany
of the Blessed Virgin or some pioas prayers.

Notwithstanding the fatigues of the journey, the Saint
gave himself hut little repose in the house where he
abode. He continued his exercises in their accustomed
order ; he fasted, abstained, prayed, and read the Holy
Scriptures. We have already observed that the Rule of
the Friar Preachers does not bind under the penalty of
sin, and we shall further add that, outside the convents,
it admits of an almost general dispensation from the
observances which constitute the monastic life ; yet our
Saint availed himself of no dispensation whatever, but
adhered to the Rule with the fidelity of the most fervent
novice. He observed all its austerities, and even added
others. Thus he constantly wore a rough hair shirt;
every night, before taking his collation, he disciplined
himself to blood, and when too feeble to do this himself,
he implored one of his companions, in the name of our
Lord's Passion, to render him that service and not to
spare him. He allowed himself only five hours' sleep;
his bed was ordinarily the hard ground, or a few bundles
of twigs ; a stone, or a volume of the Holy Scriptures,
served him for a pillow.

At daybreak, St. Vincent rose, confessed, and recited
a portion of the Divine Office on his kness ; then he
went with his companions to the church to sing Mass.
At the close of that solemn function, ascending the

42 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

pulpit, which was surmounted by a canopy to protect
him from the burning sun, and at the same time enable
his voice to reach the extremity of his auditory, he
yielded himself to the ardour of his zeal, and expounded,
with irresistible power and divine eloquence the great
truths of religion*

After the sermon he remained some time at the foot
of the pulpit to bless tbe sick who were brought to him
in large numbers, and whom he often miraculously
cured. A bell summoned the people at that moment,
and was called the Bell of Miracles,

When he had finished this work of charity, he retired
with the priests, his companions, to hear the confessions
of those whom he had converted, and remained thus
occupied till midday, the hour of his repast. He spent
the time between his frugal meal and vespers in spiritual
reading, or meditating in silence; and after vespers
preached again. The rest of tbe day was spent in
hearing confessions, or in preaching to monks, nuns, or
priests, wherever the Divine inspiration led him. To-
wards evening he told one of his companions to ring the
Bell of Miracles, At that well-known sound the sick
re-assembled in the church to receive their health.
Evening closed in with a procession of penitents, who
gave themselves publicly the discipline, and with that
ceremony St. Vincent terminated the daily exercises of
his ministry.^

This prince of preachers was endowed with every
oratorical quaUty capable of impressing the multitude.

' Banzano, Nider, Antist, Bazzi, Diago, Yittoria, Mignel, <feo.

HIB ELOQUENCE. 43

A pleasing exterior also weighed in his favonr ; he was
of middle statnre, well-proportioned, easy and dignified
in manner, and of handsome countenance ; his tonsure
was formed of rich . flaxen hair, which became slightly
mixed with grey towards the end of his life ; his fore-
head broad, majestic, and calm ; his large dark eyes
shone with the light of intelligence and modesty ; in his
youth he was of florid complexion, but his long mortifi-
cations imparted to his features an austere paleness, an
unmistakeable sign of his penitential life. His appear-
ance alone, when in the pulpit, sufficed to inspire all
hearts with compunction, for his face was resplendent
with sanctity and the virtues which accompanied it.

His expressive gestures were full of grace and energy,
and corresponded naturally with his words. His voice,
which was sonorous as a silver trumpet, adapted itself
with marvellous efiect to the necessity of the moment.
Did he declaim against vice, his voice became loud and
piercing, and struck terror into the hearts of his hearers.
Did he exhort them to a love of Ood, the practice of
virtue, or the desire of heaven, it immediately assumed
a sympathetic accent, a tender sweetness which melted
them to tears. When he spoke of our Lord's Passion,
the sorrows of His Blessed Mother, or the souls in purga-
tory, that sad plaintive voice, broken at intervals by
sighs, inspired deep reverence and lively compassion.
The commencement of his discourse was usually marked
by a grave, penetrating tone, capable of riveting the
attention; while he finished in a tone that was most
sweet and full of love. Frequently his countenance

'44 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

appeared as if on fire, but towards the end it became as
white as snow.

These exterior gifts were worthily matched in our
Saint by the qualities of his mind. We have already
remarked in these pages that for a long space of time
St. ^Vincent taught the sciences of philosophy and
theology in the public schools ; thanks to these
occupations, and to the natural brightness of his
intellect, he had laid up a large store of doctrine,
and acquired a powerful mode of reasoning. His
happy memory crowned his facility of fi^ech ; he
knew the whole of the Scriptures by heart, while the
opinions of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church
were most familiar to him. He fertilised this precious
ground by meditation while passing from city to city,
and daring the night prepared his discourse in a manner
still more immediate.

But it was especially in prayer that the great Apostle
of the fifteenth century found his sublime ideas, his
tender sentiments, and that divine unction which
inflamed his words. One of his auditors, being one
day enraptured by the profound doctrine which he had
expounded with as much clearness as warmth, asked
him from what book he drew the marvellous erudition
and original ideas of his discourses. St. Vincent
showed him the crucifix : *^ See," he said, *' the book
whence I gather all that I preach, and in which I study
my sermons." Indeed, profane literature never provided
the Saint with matter for preaching. It was only the
Scriptures, explained by the Fathers of the Church;

METH09 ElfPLOYED IH PB^ACHIK0. 49

Seldom did the examples and authorities of pa^an
authors rise to his lips. Jesus Christ has said :
** Preach the Gospel ; " but nowhere has He said :
" Preach Ovid, or Virgil, or Horace." Such were his
principles, and they were established on reason ; for as
a fountain cannot rise higher than the source which
feeds it, so pro&ne teaching, coming as it does from the
earth, cannot rise above the level of the earth ; while
the Qospel enables both those who preach and those
who receive it to ascend to heaven.

His clearness of style was, moreover, one of the
Saint's greatest merits. It occurred to him sometimes
to have to explain points of doctrine that were most
abstruse and far removed beyond the ordinary intelli-
gence ; yet he did it with such a happy choice of words,
that they who listened to him marvelled at finding that
they understood in its naked sense what before appeared
to surpass their intellectual capacity. An admirable
appropriateness reigned in his expressions ; they were
elevated or simple, to suit the understanding of his
hearers ; by this means he pleased the educated and
instructed the ignorant. When he addressed himself
to the poor people, his language was wonderfully
adapted to their turn of mind. He generally cited for
their interest facts from the lives of the saints, or from
the Fathers ; in this way he secured their attention,
while he also confirmed his own words by the authority
of example. He would sometimes relate to them what
he himself had witnessed, what he had done ; and as it
was impossible to doubt his testimony, he never brought

46 8T. VINGENT FEBREB.

himself on the scene without exciting their interest to
the highest pitch.

He usually chose for his subject the last judgment, and
the practical conclusions which he drew therefrom were
repentance, the reformation of conduct, and a new life.
One point on which he strongly insisted was the love of
enemies. At that period hereditary hatreds not unfre-
quently armed whole cities and families against each
other, which oftentimes resulted in cruel death. St.
Vincent would not believe that he had done anything
until he had publicly reconciled those whom enmity
divided. His sermons were sometimes prolonged to
an unusual length, for he would interrupt himself to
give vent to the sighs and lamentations which his
impassioned eloquence elicited from his audience. He
paused at times to weep himself, and to calm his
emotion ; at other times to foretell some event, or to
work a miracle. In a word, these interruptions were
often caused by his ecstasies, and when the rapture had
ceased he would take up the thread of his discourse as
if nothing had occurred.

Such was St. Vincent Ferrer when in the pulpit.*

' All the Saint^s biographers.

HIS FOLLOWEBS. 47

CHAPTER VII.

THE COMPANY WHICH FOLLOWED ST. YINCBNT FBBBBB IN THB
GOUBSB OF HIS MIBAOULOUB APOSrOLATB — BXTBAOBDINABY
FRUITS PRODUCED BT THE SAINT IN PIOUS SOULS DURING
THAT PEBIOD.

OVED by the miracles of our Lord, and desirous
to hear His doctrine, a great multitude followed
His footsteps to traverse Judea and Samaria,
whither He went to preach the kingdom of God. It
was a feeling akin to this that drew around St. Vincent
certain persons, happy to follow him and to walk under
his guidance in the path of salvation. The Saint felt it
his duty to allow those persons to attach themselves to
him. Their numbers failed not to increase ; so that,
in the course of time, there were thousands of devout
pilgrims who associated themselves vdth him in his
apostolic journeys.

But as all those who formed the retinue of our Lord
in the days of His public life were not attached to His
Divine Person in the same degree — for there was at first
the Apostolic College, composed of twelve members ;
then the disciples to the number of seventy-two, with
the holy women, who were not less devoted to the Son
of God ; and, finally, the rest of the multitude. Even
so the followers of our Saint comprised three principal
categories : the first consisted of religious of the Order

of St. Dominic, seldom less than twelve ; the second
was composed of Tertiaries belonging to the same
Order; and the third embraced a host of penitents.

48 ST. .VINCENT FEBBEB.

whose numbers sometimes swelled to the enormous
figure of ten thousand. The first class, which
responded so exactly to the College of the Apostles,
was a sort of movable convent ; with their holy master
at their head, these religious formed, as it were, a
system of spiritual stars of which he was the centre,
and which revolved with him round the earth, shedding
floods of light and warmth, making the flowers to
blossom and the fruits to ripen for eternal life. To this
first division were added many religious of divers
Orders who had obtained permission of their Superiors
and of the Holy See jbo accompany the Saint. There
were also those of the secular clergy. The whole
numbered about fifty coadjutors, whose learning and
solid virtues were usefully employed for the salvation of
souls. These priests and religious supplied the Saint's
place both in the pulpit and the confessional when he
was ill; they also assisted him in administering the
sacrament of Penance to the people whom he converted*
Moreover, to each one was given the sort of employ-
ment for which he was best suited. One wrote the
letters, another catechised; this one was charged with
the reconciliation of enemies, that with the direction of
the pilgrims. A treasurer was also appointed to receive
the alms of the faithful, with which he provided for the
wants of the company, and the rest he distributed
among the poor.

The second class, which consisted of large numbers
of persons of both sexes whom he had clothed with
the habit of the Third Order of St. Dominic^—witli

OBDEB OF THE PILGBIMS. 49

the sanction of the Holy See and the Superiors of
the Order — answered to the seyenty-two disciples and
the holy women. The third comprised the other laity ,
men and women, and represented the rest of the
mnltitude who followed our Lord. Like the pilgrims of
that period, all were clad in sombre garments as a sign
of repentance and humility. They were* arranged in
two distinct bands, male and female, and maintained
that order at all times both during the missions and on
their journey. They travelled on foot, and with stayes
un their hands. The men were preceded by a picture of
the Crucifixion, the women by a banner of the Blessed
Virgin. The religious and secular clergy, separated
from the laity, grouped themselves around the Saint,
Their march was announced by the ringing of a bell,
the same that gave the signal for the working of
miracles. St. Vincent also took with him notaries
public, whose duty it was to draw up forms of agree-
ment between enemies whom he reconciled.

As soon as they entered a city, which was always done
with perfect recollection and becoming order, the men
charged to provide for the material wants of the com-
pany sought out the families who were willing to receive
one or more of the pilgrims, then they conducted the
latter to the house where they were to receive hospitality.
They applied only to ladies of irreproachable character.
Generally speaking, the directors of the company in seek-
ing lodgings for the pilgrims were embarrassed in their
choice. The people contended who should, afford them
shelter, for their edifying life seemed to bring a blessing

50 8T. VINCENT FEBBEB.

on the house which received them. They paid all their
own expenses ; bnt frequently their hosts would receive
nothing from them, esteeming themselves abundantly
recompensed by their good example and holy conversation.

Indeed, the heroic virtues practised by these devout
pilgrims was a sight which spoke to the eye with as
much unction and eloquence as the sermons of the
Saint did to the ear ; for it embraced both the precept
and example of Christian piety. This numerous staff
accelerated the religious movement. Some instructed
the ignorant, others gave to each one in particular the
counsel which St. Vincent gave to all in general. They
incited all to a prompt imitation of their example, and
imparted to the great exercises of religion a pomp and
enthusiasm which gradually won the heart by its salutary
touch.

The Saint prescribed wise regulations both for the
admission of the faithful into this holy company, and
for their knanner of life. Persons of doubtful reputation
were rejected. Public sinners were required to have
performed beforehand the most rigorous public penance,
and that they should still form a section apart from the
rest, and be called Diaciplinants ; among these were to
be found many who had once been notorious sinners,
but who now expiated their crimes by edifying austerities.
Confession and communion were customary at least once
a week. This double practice contributed to unite hearts
to God by the closest ties, and to bind together the
members of society with the cords of Christian charity.

This numerous baud, ten thousand in all, was com-

HIS COMPANIONS. 51

posed of persons of every rank in life ; the noble and
plebeian, the learned and ignorant, priests, and people
of different nationalities, different ^tastes and tempera*
ments. Yet there reigned among them snch perfect
peace and charity, that they exhibited to the world a
faithful picture of the primitive Church. It might have
been said of them that they had but one heart and one
soul. The example of St. Vincent bound together this
great brotherhood ; the great supported the little with
admirable patience, while the latter requited their con-
descension by their profound respect. The heads of the
different divisions of the community put aside their own
individual interests, and had but one desire — the well-
being of all.*

The wonderful preaching of the Saint produced im-
mense fruit in the world, both among the good and the
wicked. The one became more holy, the other were con-
verted. When St. Vincent died, the state of souls in
the Church had undergone a complete transformation.

Among the virtuous souls whom our Saint led to the
summit of perfection we may cite, in the first place, the
companions and coadjutors of his apostolate. The prin-
cipal were :

1. Blessed Antony Fuster, of our Order. This man
had a remarkable talent for appeasing enmities. St.
Vincent having preached at Vich, in Catalonia, to a
population torn by faction, left this Father there, who
happily terminated the work begun by himself. Blessed
Antony compelled the inhabitants of that town to re-

I All the Saint*8 biographers.
5*

52 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

nounce their projects of vengeancei and nnited in mn«
tual affection those whom anger separated. Shortly
after this general reconciliation he went to receive in
heaven the reward of his apostolic labours.

2. Blessed GeofiErey of Blanes, of the same Order.
This blessed Father was possessed of great eloquence.
Many Bishops and Archbishops, in order to attract
the faithful to his fruitful preaching, accorded divers
indulgences to those who should assist at his sermons
or his Mass. History exhibits him as having a tender
devotion to the Blessed Virgin, who frequently appeared
to him. In life, and after death, he wrought a great
number of miracles. He died at Barcelona, in the
year 1414.

8. Blessed Peter Cerdan, also of the Order of Friar
Preachers. When he joined the company of the Saint
he was simple and illiterate. But when his spiritual
master died he seemed to have inherited his eloquence.
He preached with such talent and animation, that he
astonished all those who knew him. He died in 1422,
in the city of Graus, in Catalonia. At the moment
when he expired on his bed of vine-branches, his usual
couch, the bells began to ring of themselves, and a
heavenly light surrounded his sacred remains. His
body was carefully kept, and several solemn transla-
tions of it took place. He was always honoured with
public worship in the church of his Order, and the cure
of many sick persons is attributed to his intercession.

4. Blessed Blase of Auvergne, who generously re-
nounced his rich patrimony to enter the Order of Friar

HIS COMPAKIONS. 53

Preachers. He made great progress in virtue under
the guidance of our Saint. God even favoured him with
great miracles. He died after the canonisation of his
master. His relics were preserved in the Convent of
Sisteron, in Provence, where the worship of the saints
has always heen rendered to him.

5. Blessed Peter Queralt, another Dominican. He
shone with great glory in the company of St. Vincent.
His life was prolonged till the year 1462. His body,
having been buried in the Convent of Lerida, in Spain,
remained entire until the wars of 1708, when it was
cut in pieces by the soldiers.

6. Blessed John of Alcoy, and Peter of Maya, also
of the Order. They were the first to join St. Vincent
Ferrer. Thus were they his most dear disciples ; they
replaced him when he was ill; they were penetrated
with his spirit, excelled in preaching, and both rose to
the highest degree of sanctity.

7. The Ven. John of Gentilpr6. He studied at Ton*
louse in 1417, when, won by the Saint's preaching, he,
with two others, took the habit of the Fiiar Preachers
and joined his company. He asked of God the grace
to preach daily, and to die preaching. On the day of
his death, the religious and several seculars surrounded
his bed ; he summoned all his strength, spoke to them
of the kingdom of God, and died in the middle of this
last exhortation.

8. The Ven. Martin of Vargas, a Cistercian, the re-
former of the Convent of Pi^tra, and of most of the
jjQonasteries of his Order in Spain.

54 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

9. Blessed John Gilabert, of the Order of Mercy.
Obedience to the Saint's command caused him to leave
his company ; on arriving at the gate of the monastery
to which he was assigned, he gave up his soul. His
death was revealed to St. Vincent, who offered the Holy
Sacrifice for him. and preached a panegyric on his virtues,

What especially merits our attention is, that a great
number of those who piously followed the Saint in his
apostolic journeys entered the Order of Friar Preachers
or other religious Orders. Abandoning the world and

their riches for the love of God, they peopled the
monasteries of men and women. Schools and families
suffered from these multiplied vocations. The impulse
was universal — all desired to enter the cloister.

St. Vincent did not neglect the religious communities
in the course of his apostolate. After his public discourses
he preached to the inmates of monasteries. It would be
impossible to describe his zeal for regular observance and
the perfection of their state. Every time that he returned
to Valencia, for example, he never failed to visit the
Convent of the Sisters of St. Dominic, where he had a
a great number of spiritual daughters, and each time
animated them by his discourses to redouble their fervour
in the service of God.

We shall crown this chapter with the names of four
illustrious personages whom St. Vincent Ferrer inspired
with a distaste for the world and the love of God, and
who, embracing the perfect life in the cloister, sanctified
themselves therein. The first is the Saint's brother^
Blessed Boniface Ferrer^ who, becoming a widower.

HIS ENEBGY IN THE PULPIT. 55

entered by his advice the Order of the Chartrenx; he
merited by his virtues to be elected General of the Order,
and was esteemed a saint. Then there is St. Bernardino
of Sienna, whom» in an interview, St. Vincent advised to
join the Order of St. Francis, and whose fatnre success
in regard to souls he publicly foretold. There is also
Blessed Margarite, Princess of Savoy, whom the Saint
received to the habit of the Third Order of St. Dominic,
and whose sanctity has been recognised by the Church*
And lastly. Blessed Agnes of Moncada, a poor florist,
whom one of his sermons determined to vow perpetual
virginity to God, and who, following a special inspiration^
like Magdalen retired to an unknown grotto, where after
her death God manifested her sanctity by striking
prodigies.^

CHAPTER VIII.

THE UNIVERSAL CONVERSION WHICH THE MIRACULOUS APOSTO-
LATE OF ST. VINCENT FERRER PRODUCED IN THE CHURCH —
ITS ABUNDANT FRUITS AMONO HERETICS AND JEWS.

'mi

OD alone knows the number of souls whom our
Saint led from sin to penance by a daily course
of preaching extending over a period of twenty

years. But if we may judge by the exterior signs which
everywhere accompanied his presence, we can easily
conceive that there would be very few persons, who were
privileged to see and to h^ar him, and could still resist
the efficacy of his influence on their souls.
\ The Saint's biographers, especially Teoli, lib. ii. Tratt. ii. c. 1, 2, 3.

56 ST. VINCENT FERREIU

And how was it possible to remain insensible to his
touch? He preached with such energy, such vivacity
and vigour^ that he no longer appeared an old man
broken down by age and infirmity, but a youthful herald
of the Gospel fired with an impetuous ardour. He could
be heard at a great distance round ; and he was under-
stood by people of every nation, although he spoke only
the Valencian dialect. His sudden display of energy
during his preaching was as a miracle which enraptured
his hearers. On leaving the pulpit, he became feeble,
weary, and infirm; his countenance was pale, his walk
slow, and he had need of the assistance of some one to
support his steps. No one would have supposed him to
be the same individual, nor could it be doubted that the
Holy Spirit worked in him during his discourse to
reanimate his enfeebled body, and to produce in him
this marvellous energy.

Another cause of success was the gift of miracles,
which he possessed in a rare degree. They were of daily
occurrence. Wherever he went he restored health to a
great number of sufferers whose bodily cure was despaired
of. We may well imagine then the impression which this
wonderful spectacle so often lepeated would everywhere
produce. He moved rapidly from place to place, so great
was his eagerness to evangelise the whole of Europe ; but
the prodigies which he daily accomplished left indelible
traces in the hearts of all. The procession of Disci'
plinants was, moreover, capable of itself of softening the
most hardened souls. It took place every evening, at
sunset, notwithstanding the state of the weather, in rain^

UNIYEBSAL CONVEBSION. 57

snow, wind, and tempest. It consisted of persons of
every condition, the nobility and the common people,
great and small, even children from fonr to five
years old, who were not afraid to scourge themselves, in
order to expiate the sins of the people. They walked two
and two with naked feet, their faces veiled, clad in sack-
cloth, and their shoulders bared in snch a manner as not
to ofiend against modesty. Each penitent scourged him*
self with a discipline, meditating on the Passion of our
Lord. Their blood flowed, and, carried away by the im*
petuosity of their fervour, some even went so far as to
cut their flesh in pieces by the violence of the blows.
And yet, strange as it may appear, none of these austere
penitents ever suffered in their health at the close of
this exercise. The Saint himself alluded to it, in order
to show how agreeable to God was this sensible display
of penance ; in the space of twelve years, not a single
death occurred among those who formed the special
company of Disciplinants.

While this procession traversed the streets of the city,
women of disreputable character assembled in the church,
and one of St. Vincent's companions preached to them
on sin, repentance, and hell. Few of these unhappy
women resisted the pressing exhortations that were
addressed to them. They were seen on the following
day to break asunder the ties which bound them to vice,
and to take part in the procession of public penance.

What was the result of all this ? This : that from
the moment of St. Vincent's entry into a city, it
immediately wore the appearance of Nineve when Jona^

58 8T. VINCENT FEBBEB.

preached penance to it. People wept when they heard
the Saint's Mass, hat their tears were most abundant
when he exhorted them to repentance. It was then that
sighs, groanings, and lamentations filled the air. It
might have been thought that each one mourned the
death of a first-horn, or of a father or a mother.
The squares and the plains which were covered by his
auditory gave an idea of the universal judgment; it
was, in fact, like the future tei*ror and lamentation
of all the tribes of the earth gathered together in the
valley of Josaphat. But, as Nicholas de Clemangis, an
eye-witness, observes, the most lukewarm souls, and
hearts of stone, were softened, and gave vent to their
sorrow in tears and accents of the bitterest anguish.

We may moreover picture to ourselves the extraordinary
confluence of people. The Saint's auditory was not com-
posed solely of the inhabitants of the city where hd
preached. There were frequently gathered around his
pulpit more than fifty thousand people, even when he
preached in small villages. They gladly went several
leagues to hear him. During his sermon all the artizans
abandoned their labour, and the merchants their ware-
houses. In cities where there were schools the masters
suspended their lectures. Neither the inclement season,
wind, nor rain prevented the multitudes from collecting
in the public squares where the Saint was to preach.
The sick who had sufficient strength to walk left the
hospitals, others were carried ; all hoped tbat their bodies
as well as their souls would be cured at the same time,
and this hope was frequently realised.

UNIYEBSAL CONVERSION. 59

We may form some idea from the following fact, of
the eagerness with which he inspired the people for
penance : wherever St. Vincent went, the squares and
other public places were invaded by pedlers whose
commerce consisted solely in disciplines, hair-cloth,
iron chains, sackcloth, and other instruments of mor*
tification.

We shall relate in the " Spiritual Instructions'' which
follow, many interesting examples of great sinners con-
verted. As to the general fruits of his apostolate, we
will quote from an authentic document, a letter written
by the Council of Orihuela to the Bishop of Carthagena,
in Spain : " The arrival of Vincent Ferrer has produced
immense good in this country ; it has been a grand oc-
casion of salvation to all the faithful. This city in
particular, at the close of his preaching, and by Ood's
grace, is delivered from every vice and public sin. There
is no one, great or small, who dares to swear by the
Holy Name of God, the Blessed Virgin and the Saints,
or to utter any other oath. Cards and dice are abolished.
... No one ventures to conjure, cast lots, explain signs,
or consult fortune-tellers and sorcerers. . • • All noisy
entertainments have been given up. . . . The people of
this city have never confessed so frequently as at the
present moment ; the priests are insufficient to hear the
confessions and give communion. On Sundays and
Feasts of Obligation all .... go to Mass with devotion
such as no one could believe, much less expect to witness.
Before the arrival of Master Vincent, the churches were
large ; now they are small. . . . There no longer exist in

60 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

this city either offences, or rancour, or enmity against
any one ; but each one. spontaneously, and for God's
honour, pardons the other. We have counted more than
one hundred and twenty-three reconciliations; sixty-
six deaths and a host of broken limbs have been
pardoned. Now every one lives in peace and concord.*
In the great city of Toulouse, all the women of aban-
doned character have renounced their disorders." *

In St. Vincent's time heresy took refuge in the high
valleys of the Pyrenees and the Alps. These were the
strongholds of the Albigenses, Yaudois, Cathari, and
the Paterini, who, compelled by the united power of the
Church and of the temporal princes to quit the cities and
plains, went forth to find in those inaccessible retreats
the fatal liberty of error. St. Vincent's zeal led him to
climb the mountains that he might carry the torch of
faith among the unhappy people who inhabited them.
In the process of his canonisation it is related that, at
the close of only one discourse at Perpignan, an incal-
culable number of heretics embraced the true faith. This
one fact alone gives us the measure of his success in the
Pyrenees. As to the Alps, we are told that he traversed
them in an almost incredibly short space of time. On
the French declivity he undertook the conversion of three
valleys in the diocese of Embrun, where heresy and the
corruption of morals had made the greatest ravages.
Accompanied by his faithful band of Disciplinants and
pious pilgrims he penetrated into these valleys, till then

»4 Mara, 1411. P. Vidal, "Vie du Saint," Uv. ii. c. 13.

»U17. IbicL, Hv. iii. 0. 2.

TJNIYEBSAL CONYEBSION. 61

rebellious to the Word of God. The Saint's renown and
the fame of his miracles brought crowds of heretics to
his sermons. A few days only sufficed to work a change
in their hearts and to soften their obduracy. There
were, however, many who viewed with bitter jealousy
this general enthusiasm, and sought to slay him. Three
times they attempted to execute their wicked design,
but three times also did the visible protection of God
shield him from their malice. Despairing then of
ridding themselves of the presence of the preacher, these
deluded people came in their turn to hear his sermons.
God's grace drew them thither ; they were more deeply
moved than the rest, and in a short time gave un-
equivocal signs of a sincere conversion. Wicked customs
and gross superstitions soon disappeared from those
valleys ; they embraced the true faith, and submitted
with 'docility to the Church's discipline. The most
criminal of them repaired so effectually the scandals it
had given, that it ceased to be called Yalpourrie,' and
was henceforth known only by the name of Yalpure.

Most of the valleys on the Italian descent of the Alps
were also inhabited by heretics, especially in the diocese
of Tarin. St. Vincent visite4 them in order, preaching in
each of them the Catholic truth, and attacking error with
vigorous and irresistible energy. By the mercy of God,
they each received the Divine Word with much ardour,
piety, and respect. The Saint's learning, his fervour,
and miracles opened the eyes of all. He observed that the
chief cause of error and heresy was the total absence of

' Yalputa.

62 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

preaching. He gathered from the iuhabitants of the
country that for thirty years no one had preached to them
except Yandois who came regularly among them twice a
year. In the vale of Loferio, he reclaimed the Bishop
of that poor erring flock ; in that of Angrogne he de-
stroyed the schools in which the ministers of error
were educated; at Val-du-Pont he led the Cathari
to renounce their abominations; at Yal-de-Lanz he
converted the descendants of the murderers of St.
Peter Martyr. He discovered in the diocese of Geneva
a gross and wide-spread error. It was customary to
celebrate every year on the day following Coi-pus
Christi, a feast in honour of the Orient, and confrater-
nities were established under the name of St. Orient.'
No preacher dared to declaim against this monstrous
error ; the religious and the secular clergy were threat-
ened either with death or the withdrawal of ofierings
and alms. But St. Vincent was above all such servile
fear, he spoke freely against this abuse, and effectually
put a stop to it. He found matters in a still more
lamentable state in the diocese of Lausanne, where the
peasantry were wont to offer an idolatrous worship to the
sun. He instructed them in the worship of God and
put to flight all such superstitious practices.

St. Vincent's mission was not less fruitful among the
Jews than among heretics. He converted an incal-
culable number of them. God seemed to have accorded
him a special grace for the conversion of a people who

1 There was a striking resemblance between the St. Orient of the
Albigenses and the Grand-Orient of modem Freemasonry,

CONVERSION OF JEWS. 63

are proTerbially hostile to the Christian name. There
was at that period a population of Jews both namerous
and powerful in Spain. The process of his canonisation
shows that in the space of thirteen months he converted
twenty thousand in Castile alone ; that in the year 1415,
within six months, more than fifteen thousand were led
to embrace the true faith in Aragon and Catalonia, and
that on another occasion in the same country over thirty
thousand were baptised at the close of his preaching.
The historians of the sect do not hesitate to confirm
these facts by their own testimony. In a work entitled
*^ Juehasin/' it is related that in the year 1412 a Friar
named Brother Vincent having preached to the Jews, the
latter renounced their law to the number of more than
two hundred thousand.

The Saint had an ardent zeal and tender love for these
unhappy wanderers. In the cities where he found them,
he took care that a place should always be reserved for
them, and after his exhortations he treated them with
much consideration. These acts fall of sweetness gained
their hearts. The learning of the great preacher com-
pleted their conviction, and they presented themselves
in a body to receive holy baptism. Thus at Perpignan
seventy families embraced the Christian faith. In other
places whole synagogues abjured their errors. Their
place of meeting was changed into a church. In Castile,
they were so unanimously converted that none remained,
and the Bishop of Palencia saw himself deprived of a
large revenue, produced by a special impost on them.
Among the Jews whom St, Vincent brought to the

64 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

Divine Messiah, many of them in their turn became the
apostles of their co-religionists. Thus one of them, who
was afterwards raised to the Episcopate, had the satis-
fjAction of making forty thousand proselytes among his
fellow-countrymen.

CHAPTEB IX.

THE APOSTOLIG SUCCESS OF ST. VINCENT FEBREB AMONG THE
FOLLOWEBS OF MAHOMET — THE PBINCIPAL COUNTBIES AND
CITIES IN WHICH THE SAINT PBEACHED IN THE COUBSE OF
HIS MIRACULOUS APOSTOLATE.

I HE Mahometans, like the Jews, were spread
throughout different parts of Spain, In pro-
portion as the noble-hearted Spaniards recovered
possession of theh: provinces which had been subjugated
by Saracen invasion, they re-established Christianity in
all its rights, and favoured by every means in their
power the conversion of the followers of Mahomet, who
dwelt in the country. There were many, however, who
resisted this influence. Like the Jews, they were pos-
sessed of wealth and industry ; it was necessary, there-
fore, to deal gently with them. St. Vincent laboured
with all his might to reclaim them from their unclean
errors ; he spared neither suffering nor fatigue to lead
them to the saving waters of baptism. And to this
end, wherever he preached he compelled the Mahometans,
by the king's order, to be present at his discourses, re-
servinsr for them, as in the case of the Jews, the most
t places.
' constrain such people to hear him, since the

CONYSBSiaN OF MAHOMETANS. 65

law of Mahomet especially forbids his disciples to listen
to Christian sennons? '^ This/' said the Saint, '^ is
one of the wicked artifices of this Antichrist, by which
he directly closes the door of salvation to his followers.
The Divine Word is the first condition of the success of
the Gospel. He who hears it is easily drawn as by a
kind of necessity to embrace the holy faith, provided it
be annoanced with becoming dignity."

The Saracen King of Grenada, Mahomet Aben-Baha,
moved by the renown of his miracles, was desirous to
see St. Vincent, and to afford him Uberty to preach in his
kingdom. He therefore sent ambassadors to him, as
to a prince, who informed him that he would have un-
restricted license to announce the Gospel throughout
the kingdom of Grenada. The Saint was then in the
neighbourhood of Genoa, in Italy. He forthwith set
out on foot to Marseilles, where a vessel was placed at
his service. A favourable wind soon brought him to
the port of Andalusia. On the morning following his
arrival at Grenada, St. Vincent commenced a course of
sermons in presence of the king, his whole court, and
innumerable people. The Mahometans, unaccustomed
to hear discourses addressed to a great multitude, were
filled with astonishment and admiration. Such was
the effect of his preaching that, after three sermons,
eighteen thousand Moors were converted to the Christian
faith. St. Vincent promised himself an abundant harvest
in this new field of labour ; but the enemy of mankind
sought to stifle its growth by sowing therein the seeds
of discord. Aben-Baha himself, with his whole court,.

66 8T, TINCEKT FEBEEB.

bad resolved to receive baptism ; bat the chiefs of the
Mussolman superstition, determining at any cost to
impede so great a good, menaced him ynth revolt, civil
war, and the subversion of his throne. ^^ If jou embraxse
the Gospel," said they, " your subjects who believe in
the Koran will never consent to be ruled by a prince who
has abjured the law of Mahomet to become a Christian."
Aben-Baha feared to lose a perishable crown of the
earth. Dismayed by the threats of those fanatics, he
called St. Vincent to him, and bade him depart from
his kingdom, assuring him of his own personal esteem
of him. '' Betum," said he, " into the countries of the
Christians, and do so speedily, lest you oblige me to
have recourse to violent measures against you. I should
do it with regret, but I cannot allow you to remain."
The Saint would gladly have exposed himself to perse-
cution and death ; the thought of martyrdom filled him
with joy ; but he was unwilling to excite the anger of
the Mussulmans against the new converts, or to expose
them to the danger of apostacy.

He, therefore, quitted the kingdom of Grenada, be-
seeching God to destroy in that country the reign of
the crescent, and to establish in its stead that of the
glorious Cross. A century later and the desires of the
Saint were accomplished. Grenada was in its turn
conquered, and the barbarous Mussulman was driven
back to the shores of Africa. We may not unreasonably
suppose that the band of converts formed by our Saint
increased as years rolled by, and that when the mis-
sionaries of the Gospel arrived in that country they

EFFECT OF HIS APOSTOLATE. 67

would find the hearts of its people better disposed to
embrace the great truths of Christianity.

St. Vincent's zeal did not slacken in consequence of
these accidents. Some time later, when an opportunity
occurred to him, he resolved to go into Africa to preach
to the people of Mauritania and to the Arabs of the
Desert ; but circumstances independent of his own will
interfered with the accomplishment of this grand pro-
ject. He, however, indemnified himself by labouring
with renewed ardour for the conversion of the Mussul-
mans who were established in Christian countries.
Banzano, one of the Saint's biographers, relates that
eighty thousand of those infidels were brought to the
true faith. This is a high figure, and far exceeds the
number given by Father Teoli, whose account appears
to be more reliable, since in comparing the number of
Jewish conversions with that of the Mahometans, the
latter is found to be considerably less.

But to resume the thread of our narrative. St. Vincent
was truly another St. Paul, sent by Ood to bring back
to the faith of Christ a multitude of Jews and Mahome-
tans, to convert innumerable sinners, and to harmonise
the faithful of every nation and condition of life in the
most perfect bonds of Christian fellowship. We are
thus able to see at a glance the general effect of the
miraculous apostolate which he received from Christ
Himself at Avignon. The Saint was not afraid to affirm
it with his own lips. In one of his sermons whiish he
preached in Castile, in the year 1411, we read thus :
" The end of the world cannot be far distant, and the

68 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

kingdom of Ood is at hand. Has not our Lord Himself
said that the bearing of the fig-tree foreshadows the
coming summer? Behold, then, the fig-tree of the
Christian people. Each day records its reconciliations,
and y^e witness souls forgetting and forgiving the
greatest injuries. The delicate, sensnal, and vicions
do penance. Obstinate sinners are converted, and ap-
proach frequently the Sacraments. Nor is the Jewish
^-tree any longer barren ; for we see it daily producing
its abundant and choicest fruits in every city in Spain."
He might have added heretics and Mussulmans likewise.
Truly, then, St. Vincent exercised in the Church an
apostolate such as never was witnessed since the esta-
blishment of the Gospel.'

St. Vincent having evangelised Avignon and the neigh-
bouring towns, set out on foot for Spain, preaching in
divers places where he was obliged to stay.

It was at Graus, in Catalonia, that he instituted the
procession of DisciplinantSy and laid the foundation of
that marvellous company of pious souls who accompanied
him in his apostolic joumeyings. Here also he left
behind him, as a souvenir, a crucifix which the in-
habitants begged of him, and which became the instru-
ment of many miracles.

From Graus, the Saint went to Barcelona, a city which
he frequently visited, and where he was always received
with extraordinary respect. On one of these visits he
beheld the guardian angel of the city, and on his

* See the Saint's biographers, but especially Teoli, lib. ii. Tratt. ii.
c. 4, 5, 6, 7, &i •

HIS APOSTOLIC JOUBNBTINaS. 69

relating the occarrenoe to the inhabitants, they con-
stmcted, near the gate where he had this vision, a
chapel dedicated to this heavenly protector.

While at Gerveva, St. Dominie appeared to Yincent
in his cell, to encourage him in the execution of onr
liord's commands. The Saint preached everywhere with
extraordinary success, God confirming his words by
striking prodigies.

In the beginning of the year 1400, our illustrious
preacher quitted Catalonia, and following the southern
coast of France, arrived in Provence. Aix and Mar*
seilles heard his voice. He announced in like manner
the good news of salvation in many small towns and
villages ; and that no one might be deprived of it, he
sent priests of his company into the places where he
could not himself go.

Having preached the Lent of 1402 at Marseilles,
Vincent went to Bomans for an interview with Father
John de Puynoix, General of the Order, to lay before
him the plans of his mission, and to solicit his paternal
blessing. The Father-General sanctioned his proceed-
ings, exhorted him to pursue his vocation till death,
and lovingly blessed so worthy a subject.

It was then that Vincent journeyed into the valleys
of the diocese of Embrun, and entirely transformed
them. He passed thence . from the side of the Alps
into Piedmont and Lombardy, then into the state of
Genoa. In 1408, he was in the Marquisate of Mont-
ferrat. Crossing again the Alps, he was at the close of
that year at Chambray, where he founded a convent of

70 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

•

Friars of his Order. In 1404, be preached the Lent at
Lausanne, towards the end of Angast he quitted
Switzerland. On the 6th September be was at Lyons,
where he preached for fourteen days with extraordinary
results. After traversing the whole of Lyonnais,
Vincent arrived in Lorraine, and passed from thence
into Flanders*

While preaching in the latter country, Benedict XTTT.
enjoined him to accompany him to Genoa, where he was
to hold a conference with the Italian cardinals, with
reference to putting an end to the schism. Vincent
obeyed his orders. But learning on the route that the
journey to Genoa was deferred till the spring of 1405,
he stayed in Auvergne. The city of Claremont heard
his exhortations during Advent and Lent.

In the month of May, 1405, he was at Genoa with
Benedict XIII. There Tie beheld with sorrow every
effort that was made to extinguish the schism rendered
abortive. Nothing remained to him then but to
evangelise the population, and he traversed the coast
of the state of Genoa. At Savone he received an em-
bassy of the Mussulman King of Grenada, who invited
him to preach the kingdom of God in his capital. We
have already related how he yielded to this request, the
extraordinary success of his preaching among the Ma-
hometans, the jealousy of the chiefs of the false religion,
and the obligation he was under of abandoning a harvest
already so ripe. These events occurred in the year 1406.

On leaving Grenada, St. Vincent pursued his apos*
tolic missions in Andalusia. The whole city of Baeza

HIS APOSTOUO JOUBKEYINOS. 71

was converted by his preaching ; Ezija and Seville pro-
fited no less thereby.

Thence he passed into Castile. Here he received
letters and ambassadors from Henry lY., King of Eng-
land, who entreated him to come into Great Britain to
evangelise its people. St. Yinoent, whose charity would
willingly have embraced the whole world, joyfully ac-
cepted the king's proposal, and arriving at San Sebastian,
a port in the Gulf of Gascony, he was conveyed to Eng-
land in a vessel sent expressly to bring him. He arrived
in the summer of the year 1406. The indefatigable
apostle remained over a year in these islands, preaching
throughout the kingdom, and producing the same results
as in his other missions. Having thus evangelised
England, Scotland, and Ireland, he returned into France
towards the autumn of 1407.

He would doubtless travel by sea to Bordeaux, since
historians speak of him as passing from England into
Gascony. He went thence into Picardy and Poitou* In
1408, he preached during Lent in Auvergne ; then he
crossed the Pyrenees to preach once more throughout
Spain. A record of that period notices that he journeyed
from one country to another on horseback. He had
then a wound in the leg which tortured him during the last
eleven years of his life. Yet his sufferings in no way
hindered him from pursuing his apostolate : the happi-
ness of labouring for the salvation of souls made him
forgetful of suffering. Having passed through the north
of Spain — where in CuenQa and Molina he was pained
at witnessing the barren effects of his preaching — he

72 ST. TINOENT FEBBSB.

arrived at Pierpignan, where Benedict XUI. had con*
Yoked a council. The obstinacy of Peter de Lnna
paralysed the good results of that assembly. Grieved at
the unhappy dispositions of the Pontiff, Vincent resumed
the course of his preaching till he reached Montpellier,
and after a fruitful mission, returned once more to Per-*
pignan* There he received letters from the King of
Aragon, dated the 22nd January, 1409, who called him
to Barcelona to confer with him on business of impor-*
tance. In obeying the summons of that prince, Vincent
availed himself of the opportunities which the journey
afforded him, to preach at Elne, Oirone, and Vich.
Arrived at Barcelona in the month of June, 1409, he
was not content with attending the king in council, but
continued his apostolic preaching, which produced mar-
vellous fruits. Towards the end of the same year a
vessel conveyed him into Tuscany. He travelled through
the dioceses of Pisa, Lucca, Florence, and Siena, every-
where converting sinners and reviving Christian piety.
At the commencement of the year 1410 he returned to
Barcelona, and traversed once more the whole of Cata-
lonia and Aragon. It was at this epoch that he insti-
tuted a university at Valencia, his native city. He came
thence into Castile. At Salamanca he raised a woman
to life, to prove to his auditory that he was himself the
angel precursor of the judgment, announced in the
Apocalypse. This miracle is related in detail in the
" Spiritual Instruction," for the fifth Friday before the
Saint's Feast. The succession to the throne of King
James of Aragon, who died childless, led him to return

JESUS CUBES HDT 09 HIS ILLNESS. 78

to Barcelona. He was constrained to occupy himself
with this affair, and after many negotiations full of
patience and wisdom, he turned it to the advantage of
his country. In 1418 St. Vincent evangelised the Bale-
aric Isles. In 1414 he went to Tortosa, where he
conyerted many Jews. Then he returned to Saragossa,
and remained there tiU the beginning of the year 1416,
preaching with much fruit. He was a second time
drawn by the Spirit of God towards central Italy, and
so great was the success of his apostolate, especially in
Bologna, that its inhabitants were pleased to accord
him the title of citizen. Returning thence into Spain,
he was speedily summoned to the Congress of Perpignan,
in which the obstinancy of Peter de Luna showed itself
more strongly than ever. St. Vincent was so deeply
afflicted that he fell grievously ill. The glorious con-
fessor, refusing medical succour, placed his entire confi-
dence in our Lord. Jesus Christ appeared to him,
consoled him, cured him, and announced to kim that he
should yet visit divers countries.

The Congress of Perpignan was fatal to Peter de
Luna. Through the advice of the Theologians, and of
St. Vincent in particular, the King of Aragon detached
himself from his obedience, and from that moment the
cause of the union was accomplished.

The king's edict was published on the 6th January,
1416.^

Our Saint spent the beginning of this year in travelling
through many provinces of Aragon to withdraw the people

1 Teoli, lib. i Trait, iii. per totum.

74 ST. VINCENT PEBRBR.

from obedience to Benedict XIII., and to attach them to
that of the Council of Constance, an undertaking by no
means easy, considering the long period in which those
countries had lived under the spiritual dominion of Peter
de Luna. But to all their prejudices the Samt opposed
solid reasons which carried conviction to every mind*
In a short time Spain, as well as Italy and the rest of
Christendom, awaited with submission the choice of the
Council of Constance, ready to acknowledge the elect of
the Council as the veritable Vicar of Jesus Christ.

The King of Aragon, well knowing how advantageous
to the interests of the Church would be the presence of
St. Vincent, entreated him to repair to Constance in
quality of his theologian. But the latter declined this
honour, believing it was better to follow the extra-
ordinary mission which God had confided to him. He
then went into Languedoc. At the end of January,
1416, history points to him at Carcassonne. From there
he went to Besziers and Montpellier; then retracing his
steps, he preached throughout Boussillon. In the month
of March he passed again into the diocese of Carcassonne,
and that year celebrated the Festival of the Annun-
ciation at Montolieu, where he wrought the miraculous
cure recorded in the '' Spiritual Instruction ** for the
first Friday preceding the Saint's Feast.

From Montolieu, Vincent journeyed onwards to Tou-
louse. Two Fathers of his Order awaited him at
Castanet. He entered the city on the Friday before
Palm -Sunday, amidst pompous solemnities, and was
received as an angel from heaven. In the evening of

HIS APOSTOLIC JOUBNEYINGS. 75

his arriyal a procession of public penance took place*
The number of those who took part in it was extra-*
ordinary. Besides the grown-up people, there were
three hundred little children, who scourged their tender
shoulders with the discipline.

We may judge, by those prognostics, of the immense
good which the preaching of St. Vincent Ferrer would
produce in Toulouse. There especially were realised the
marvellous fruits of which we haye given but a feeble
description in the seventh article of this section. The
sermons lasted a month ; but their results were as
abundant as though the Saint had preached a whole
year. The priests of the city, and the religious who
accompanied Vincent in his missions, hardly sufficed to
receive the confessions ' of those that were converted.
They who had enriched themselves by fraud and in-
justice restored their ill-gotten gains ; they who had
long scandalised the city by the publicity of their crimes
were desirous to ediiy it by public repentance. The
penances that were imposed on these great sinners did
not seem to them sufficient ; but they believed them-
selves bound to the severest expiation. All the women
of ill-fame abandoned their disorders, and gave une-
quivocal and consoling proofs of the sincerity of their
conversion.

The Saint left behind him in the city the greater part
of the pious women who had followed him till then.
They dwelt together in community, and observed the
rules which he gave them.

On the 8rd May, Vincent quitted Toulouse. He wad

7G ST. VINOENT FEBBEB.

accompanied as &r as Portet, where he gave a short
mission^ and then went on to Muret. Having held a
station in that town, he passed into the district of Cara-
man. From thence he repaired to QsSx and Castres.
In the latter city he received an express invitation from
the Fathers of the Council of Constance to join them ;
the invitation being transmitted to him by an emissary
of the King of Aragon. When this was notified to him,
he started in the direction of the city where the Council
was sitting, bat travelled by short stages in order to
preach to the people whom he might encounter on the
journey.

He reached Alby on the 28th May, 1416, and
preached there eight days. Then traversing the country,
he visited Gaillac, Cordes, Najac, and arrived on the
22nd June at Yillefiranche du Bouergne, where he gave a
mission of five days. After that he went to Bodez*
Tradition says he preached in a large meadow of the
Priory of St. Felix, which is not &r distant. He'passed
thence across the mountains of Auvergne to reach by a
direct route Puy-en-Velay. In the latter city he found
an ambassador of John YI., Duke of Brittany, who in*
vited him into his dominions. The Saint promised to
respond to the wishes of the prince; but was desirous first
to repair to Constance, and to preach in the neighbour-
ing provinces on the German frontier. He traversed the
eastern portion of Auvergne and Bourbonnais, and then
entered the Duchy of Bourgogne.

At Dijon, St. Vincent received a solemn embassy of
the Council of Constance with a cardinal at its head.

XHTBB8 BBITTAKY, : 77

Certain difficulties of grave importance "were proposed to
liim, which the man of God explained with such wonder-
ful lacidity that the ambassadors marvelled at the clear-
ness and solidity of his judgment. When the Fathers
of the Council were apprised of the Saint's answer, they
shared the admiration of their envoys, and accepted it
as an oracle. History does not inform us of the nature
of the questions at issue, nor of the solution given
thereto. But when the ambassadors withdrew, instead
of pursuing his journey to Constance, Vincent directed
his steps towards Brittany, either because he had been
dispensed from attending the Council, or because he no
longer considered his presence necessary after the answer
he had given to the questions which had been submitted
to him.

Leaving Dijon, he passed through Champagne. At
the celebrated Monastery of Clairvaux he dispersed the
pestilential fevers with which the community were
afflicted. Langres and many other cities of that
province enjoyed the privilege of seeing and hearing
him. He pushed on his course as far as Nancy, the
eapital of Lorraine, where he again received an embassy
of the Duke of Brittany, who implored him to hasten
into his dominions. The Saint, consideriDg himself
bound to yield to such pressing solicitations, quitted
Lorraine, and travelled towards Brittany by way of
Berry. The Archbishop of Bourges had conceived
certain unfavourable impressions of him, which dis-
appeared as soon as he had seen and heard liim ; and
from that moment he manifested the greatest goodwill

78 ST. VINCENT FBBREB.

towards him. Grossing Berry into Lorraine, St. Vincent
converted its capital, which was a Babylon of iniquity,
into a Jerusalem of peace and virtue. There a third
messenger from the Duke of Brittany rejoined him*
He then hastened his journey to that country through
Anjou. Preaching at Angers against the excessive
extravagance of the women, he effectually put a stop to
the scandal.

It was in the beginning of March, 1417, that St;
Vincent entered Brittany, where, two years later, he was
to terminate his career. '

CHAPTER X.

THB SAINT'S LAST APOSTOLIC JOUBNSTS IN BBITTANT — TO TRB
COUNCIL OF CONSTANGB — IN NOBMANDY — AND AGAIN IN
BBITTANT.

|HE first city in Brittany which St. Vincent
evangelised was Nantes. He preached there
twelve days following, morning and night, and
wrought so many conversions and miracles that the
inhabitants declared they had never before witnessed
anything like it. This city was steeped in every species
of crime, but at the close of the mission was com-
pletely changed ; religion was deeply planted therein,
and practised, and the morals of its people became holy
and pure.

From Nantes, the Saint proceeded to Vannes, where
the Duke and Duchess of Brittany resided. They gave

> Teoli, lib. i. Trait, iii. per totwn.

LIST iLPOSTOLIC JOUBNETS. 79

him a reception which equalled, if it did not snrpass,
that which was accorded him at Tonlonse. Many
wealthy lords invited him to lodge in their palaces;
but he refused those sumptuous abodes, and chose as
his residence a humble cottage belonging to a person
named Robin Scarb. His entry into Yannes took place
on the 20th March, the Saturday before the Fourth
Sunday in Lent. The text of the opening discourse,
which he preached on the following morning, was taken
from the gospel of the day : ** CoUigite qtus mperaverunt
fragmenta*' (Joan, id.) ; " Gather up the fragments that
remain." These words, as would appear, bore a pro-
phetic meaning ; they invited the Bretons to profit by
the last days of his preaching on earth, the last frag-
ments of God's Word, which he had so long distributed
to the multitude. The inhabitants of Yannes fully un-
derstood the Saint's appeal ; all sinners were converted.
While the mission lasted the law-courts were vacated
and the shops closed ; the only occupation of all was
to make their confessions, to do penance, to repair the
injustice done to their neighbours, and to be reconciled
to their enemies. So desirous were they to hear the
Saint, that neither the inclemency of the season, nor
the piercing cold, nor the rain, or the snow which fell
at that period, could deter the thousands of his auditors
from pressing round the pulpit. We must not forget
that St. Yincent always preached in the open air.

Among the graces which the Saint's prayers brought
to the ducal family of Brittany may be singled out the
blessing of fecundity, for we may justly attribute to the

do 8T. TINCBNT FERBEB.

merit of his prayers the birth of Duke Peter, -who in
after-times took an actiye part in the work and expenses
of the Saint's canonisation.

The Count de Bohan, having heard the renown of the
new Apostle, conceived a lively desire to have him in
his dominions. To satisfy his piety, St. Vincent went
to Josselin, a small town in the diocese of St. Malo.
He preached there with the usual happy results for the
space of eight days ; he then proceeded to Bonnes, and
thence to Dinan and Lamballe.

In the latter town our Saint received pressing letters
from the illustrious Chancellor Gerson, one of the Ughts '
of the Council of Constance. That great man once
more invited Vincent to repair to the august assembly
of the Universal Church, to aid it by his counsel, and
to edify it by his example. The learned Peter d'Ailly,
Cardinal Archbishop of Cambray, having added a post*
script to Gerson's letter, Vincent judged it fitting to yield
to their request ; he had, moreover, a particular interest
in explaining and justifying his conduct before the
Church. Whether through ignorance or from malice,
there were many who confounded the sect of FlageUa/nts,
who arose at that epoch, with the Disciplinanta of St.
Vincent Ferrer. Gerson gave him prudent and charit-
able advice regarding this. It behoved him, he said,
to contradict these false and injurious reports. St.
Vincent then hastened on his way to Germany, and
reached Constance some days before the last session
of the Council. His presence smoothed down the
difficulties that yet remained. On th^ 11th November,

LAST APOSTOLIC JOUBMBTS. 81

1417, measures were able to be taken to proceed to the
election of a Soyereign Pontiff, which ended in the no-
mination of Martin Y. After this great achievement^
St. Vincent deliyered a discourse in Latin, to thank
God for the re-establishment of onion and peace in the
Church.

Towards the close of the same year, or at the com-
mencement of the following, the holy Apostle thinking
that the election of the Sovereign Pontiff rendered his
sojourn at Constance no longer necessary, and desiring
to continue his preaching among the people whom he
had begun to evangelise, left Germany, and hastened
his return into Brittany* He spent the whole of the
month of April, 1418, in traversing the province of
Anjou, and gathering on every side most abundant
fruits. Wishing afterwards to fulfil a promise he had
made to the King of England, he proceeded into Nor-
mandy. He preached at St. Ld, at Caen, where the
king was staying, and in many other towns in the pro-
vince, instructing the people throughout, and reforming
their morals.

In the meantime the Duchess of Brittany informed
the Saint that she was about to give birth to another
child, and requested him to come to baptise it imme-
diately after its birth. St. Vincent obeyed the summons,
preaching on his journey in the Dioceses of Bennes,
St. Malo, St. Brieuc, Quimper, and Nantes. Arriv-
ing in the latter city towards the end of the month of
November, be preached the Advent, and thence directed
his steps to Yannes, at the close of the year 1419.

82 ST. TINCENT FSBBBB.

He rested on the way at the Cistercian Abbey of
Notre Dame des Pri^res. Here he was seized with
a grievous malady, the first symptom of his approach-
ing end. As soon as he could support the fatigues of
travellingy without, however, being completely restored,
he resumed his journey to Yannes, where he arrived
at the end of February. He was received with inde-
scribable enthusiasm. The Duchess would gladly have
lodged him in her own palace, but the Saint once mpre
repaired to the cottage of Bobin Scarb.

Unmindful of his sufferings and fatigue, he com-
menced immediately to preach ; but his bodily weakness
soon betrayed itself, and he was compelled to succumb.
He then exercised the sacred ministry in another way —
he instructed the children in Christian doctrine, which,
in the latter days of his life, was his most cherished
oceupation.

This brilliant star of the Church set at Yannes.
Before, however, recounting the circumstance of his
death, the glory with which God accompanied it, and
the devotion which has been paid to him even to our
own times, we may be permitted to give a feeble ouUine
of some of the virtues of this great Saint, and of the
extraordinary gifts with which God favoured him.

SECTION THE FOURTH.
The Vibtues of St. Vincent Febbbr,

CHAPTER XI.

the VntTUES OF 8T. VINCENT FERBEB IN THEIR RELATION TO
THE SERYICB OF GOD — THE SAINT*8 CHARITY TOWARDS HIS
NEIGHBOUR — HIS HEROIC DEVOTEDNESS TO THE TEMPOBAL
NECESSITIES OF HIS BBETHBEN.

|H£ heart of our Saint was for ever attached to
God by the sweet bonds of faith, hope, and love.
We shall comprehend the liveliness of his
faith by the vast number of miracles which he wrought
from the commencement of his life to the day of his
death. It is to faith that the Gospel attributes the
accomplishment of marvels. "If you have faith as a
grain of mustard seed/' said our Lord, '' you shall say
to this mountain, Remove from hence thither, and it
shall remove" (Matt. xvii. 19). The faith of St. Vin-
cent was doubtless very great, since every day of his
life, so to speak, was marked by the miracles which
flowed therefrom.

We have already stated with what care he learned
from his childhood the truths of religion. He inculcated
them to others with equal solicitude. One of the occa*

84 8T. VINCENT FEBREB.

pations of his ministry, to which he attached special
importance, was to teach the ignorant and children
the words and meaning of the Apostles' Greed. He
recommended all to recite, morning and evening, this
profession of faith as a defensive weapon against error.
He, moreover, earnestly exhorted Christians to conform
their practice to their belief. *^ The diamond," said he,
*' is easily lost in the dunghill, and the precious pearl
of faith is in great danger of being lost in a conscience
defiled with the filth of sin/'

The Saint's hope was even more lively. He made
daily use of the means of salvation instituted by Divine
Providence. He made his confession every day, and
received the Sacrament of the Eucharist ; he faithfully
accomplished the duties of his calling, and resisted
not the inspirations of grace. Few saints have been
favoured in the same degree ; we allude especially to
the assurance, which was on many occasions divinely
revealed to him, on the subject of his eternal salvation,
and of his predestination to great glory. The "Spiri-
tual Instruction,'' for the eighth day of the novena in
honour of the Saint, contains a touching proof of his
confidence in God.

But this sentiment was not confined to himself alone.
He felt it even in regard to others, as we read in the
Fifth Instruction after the Saint's Feast. We will cite
here another example : — ^A sick person at the hour of
death fell into despair at the sight of the crimes with
which he felt his conscience burdened. He refused
to purify his soul by sacramental confession, replying

HIS VIKTUJBS. 86

to the priests who exhorted him to this act, that
his iniquities were too great — the langaage of the
unhappy Cain. The Saint^ who was then in the
neighbourhood, being apprised of the dying man's
condition, and of the evil dispositions .which animated
him, hastened to him, and spoke tenderly to him.
But the latter answered him as he had done the others,
with words of despair. St. Vincent replied : " You
well know, however, my dear brother, that the good
Jesus died for you on the cross; why then despair
of His mercy ?'* These words, instead of softening
the miserable man, only incited his fury, and in a
paroxysm of impiety he exclaimed: ''It is precisely
on that account that I wish to be damned, to displease
Jesus Christ." The depth of this despair excited fur-
ther the hope of St. Vincent, who, full of confidence
in the mercy and omnipotence of God, turned his face
towards the dying man and said : ''I will save thee in
spite of thyself." He immediately invited those present
to invoke with fervour the Holy Virgin, mother of all
goodness, and to recite the Bosary. God was pleased
to show, by a miraculous manifestation, how pleasing
to Him was the heroic hope of His servant. Before
the Bosary was at an end, the sick man's chamber was
flooded with an immense light, and the Mother of God
appeared; she bore in her arms the Divine Child,
Who was covered with bleeding wounds. The despairing
sinner, witness of this spectacle, was totally changed.
Full of compunction, he asked pardon of God and
man for the blasphemies which he had uttered, and,

86 ST. VINCENT VERREB.

having received the Sacraments of the Church, shortly
afterwards expired, with his soul prepared to ascend to
heaven.'

Another sign of his unhonnded hope in God's pro^
vidence was the little solicitude which he evinced in the
course of his great apostolate, either for his own
personal maintenance, or that of the numerous com*
pany which followed him. His confidence in his
heavenly Father never failed him. Neither he nor his
companions were ever in want, and on one occasion our
Lord came miraculously to their aid, as may he seen in
the Instruction for the second Friday after the festival
of the Saint.

Who shall say how ardent was the love which con-
sumed the heart of St. Vincent FeiTer for his God, his
Creator, his Bedeemer ? He thought always of Him ;
he preserved a constant remembrance of His benefits ;
he glorified Him for ever in the depths of his soul.
His conversation, like that of his blessed Father St.
Dominic, was all in God. This love of his frequently
drew sighs from his heart and tears from his eyes.

What did he not do to procure God's glory, and the
extension of His kingdom in souls ? It was to con-
secrate himself entirely to this that he renounced the
delights of solitude, travelled Europe through and
through, crossed mountains and plains, suffered hunger
and thirst, cold and heat, and endured untold fatigue.
How generously he despised the riches and honours of

' " Si legge presso il P. Bayacini, autoremoltoYeridiooedacoarato."
TeoU, Ub. ii. Tratt. iii. c. 2.

HIS YIBTUSS. 87

the world ! He was sensitiTe only to what was offen*
sive to God. Seeing the iniquities which covered the
world in his day, he fell so grievoasly ill at Avignon
and Perpignan, that he was in imminent danger of
death. A heavenly hand restored him to health,
which he entirely devoted to glorifying God and saving
sonls.

This idea of God's glory completely absorbed him ; and
reasonably supposing that the esteem of which he was
the object among men, and the honour which was paid
to him, referred to the Divine praise, and not to him-
self, he yielded to them, not through feelings of vanity,
but out of pure love to God. He willingly allowed his
hands to be kissed, and pieces of his habit to be divided
among the people as relics* He knew by experience
that such was indeed the Will of God, and it was
notified in a remarkable manner to the whole of his
native city. Going on one occasion to Valencia, and
before entering the city^ he sent some of his disciples
to prepare the customary reception with the most
pompous solemnity. But the Duke of Cordova, who
that year resided at Valencia in quality of Viceroy,
attributing this triumphant display to pride, declined to
sanction it. Yet scarcely had he expressed his refusal
when all the bells in the city commenced to ring
without any visible impulsion. Tbe inhabitants under-
stood the meaning of tbe prodigy, and of their own
accord went forth to meet their illustrious townsman,
with all the pomp and magnificence which they could
command. The bells continued to sound forth their

88 ST. VINCENT FEBREB,

merry chimes trntil the Saint arrived at the convent of
his Order.*

Shall we speak also of the tender devotion of St.
Yincent towards the Blessed Virgin and the saints ?
Preaching, as he was wont, at least twice a day, he did
not allow a single day to pass without saying something
about the saint whose feast it was. He dwelt on their
glory and virtues, and inflamed all hearts with the
desire to honour and imitate them. A young man
of Barcelona having heard him on the Feast of St«
Margaret extol the triumphs of 'that young martyr over
the devil, burned with the desire to rush into combat
with the enemy of salvation. Meeting in the way a
poor old man who was deaf, and who uttered some
inarticulate words, he took him for Satan, and falling
furiously upon him, severely maltreated him. St.
Vincent stayed the death of the poor man until he could
Mceive the Sacraments with becoming dispositions; while
he also rebuked the imprudence of the youth. This
act, nevertheless, shows us the ardour which animated
him for the glory of the saints.

If faith and zeal for God's glory, and the desire to
render his ministry efficacious, induced St. Vincent
Ferrer to work wonders, it behoves us to add that
another motive also led him to beseech God to accom-
plish them ; this was the tender compassion which he
felt for the pains, sorrows, and sufferings of men.
Hence those sudden deliverances from inevitable danger,
those cures of every species of malady, those resuscita*

> Mi^el and TeoH, Hb. ii. TrM. iii. o. 15.

HIS CHABITT. 89

tions even from death, which he effected while liying.
When six years old he was taken to a child of his own
age, who was afflicted with a dangerous pnstule in the
neck. He was told to touch the affected part. Vincent
was not content with touching the wound, he kissed it.
From the moment that his lips came in contact with the
purulent flesh, the malady was instantaneously cured,
and the wound closed.^

We read in the Instruction for the first Friday before
the Saint's Feast how readily he cured a poor man at
Montolieu who importuned him. He often forestalled
the wishes of sufferers* Preaching one day at Lerida,
in presence of the King of Aragon and an immense
multitude assembled in one of the public squares, he
stopped in the midst of his discourse, and exclaimed
that he saw at the distance of half a league a poor
paralytic, striving with the utmost difficulty to reach
the city. He besought the king to despatch some of
his servants to his aid, and to bring him before him.
Two persons went off immediately, who found the
afflicted man making ineffectual efforts to proceed.
They took him in their arms, and brought him to the
Saint. As they were approaching the platform on which
he stood, raising his hand, he made the sign of the
Cross over the paralytic. At the same instant the
sufferer was completely cured, and ran to the Saint to
thank him. To express still more his gratitude, he
attached himself to the Saint for a long space of time.*

» P. Pontieri, P. Ferrarini. TeoH, Ub. ii. Tratt. iii. o. 16.
« TeoU, lib. i. Tratt. iii. o. 21.

90 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

On another occasion, a woman came in deep desola-
tion to see him. She had heen unfaithfal to her
marriage tows during the prolonged absence of her
husband, and was on the point of disclosing her shame
by an adulterousr childbirth. To complete her misery,
she received a letter from her husband announcing his
speedy arrival. She then went to seek aid and counsel
of the man of God. St. Vincent first exhorted her to
repentance, then encouraged her to have confi.dence in
God, and promised her that her husband*s arrival
should be delayed until there was no longer any danger.
The event proved the truth of his words, and the. effi-
cacy of his prayers. The husband put off his return
for an indefinite time. The woman was wholly
astonished at the delay, and, in the - interval, was
relieved of her embarrassment, without compromising
either her conscience or her reputation. When the
husband at length arrived, the woman said to him :
"You told, me in your letter that you would speedily
return ; why, then, have you tarried so long ? " The
man replied : "I was returning not far from hence,
when my mules, laden with goods, ran away. I was
obliged to go after them, and have spent many days in
consequence. At length I found them, and, thank God,
none of the goods which they carried have been lost.
The only injury that I have sustained is the loss of
the few days during which I went in pursuit of them."
The woman fully comprehended the providential reason
of the accident ; she was filled with thankfulness to
God and His servant ; and repaired also the injury

HIS OHABITY. 91

she had done, by leading thenceforth an irreproachable

Kfe.'

Thus did St. Vincent save a woman who was desery-
ing of infamy and death, and possibly even of eternal
damnation*

On another occasion he came to the aid of a woman
who was unjustly accused by her husband. She gave
birth to a child, and this man pretended, though he knew
better, that the child was not his own. His intention
was to separate himself from her, and he was desirous of
having some apparent reason for so doing. Conscioas
only of her innocence, the unhappy mother, a prey to
mortal anguish, went to confide her troubles to St.
Yincent, who, she was informed, never refused con*
solation to the afflicted. The Saint, indeed, gave her
great comfort ; then said to her : '* Come to my next
sermon, bid your husband mix with the audience, and
omit not to bring your baby with you.'* The woman
faithfully obeyed the instructions given her. When St.
Vincent had opened his discourse, he, in presence of a
vast multitude, addressed himself to a little child only
a few days old : " Leave thy mother's arms," said he,
'' and go in search of thy father in the midst of this
great crowd of people." Wonderful to relate ! the
little child received in a miraculous manner the use of
its feet, and threaded its way through the concourse of
people unassisted, and, seizing the hand of its mother's
husband, it cried out : '* This is my father, I am really
his child." The. people were deeply affected at the

* TeoU, Ub. ii. Tratt. ii. o. 6.

92 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

sight of this prodigy. The unnataral father, thus
publicly convicted of his fault, sobbed aloud, asked
pardon of his wife for having calumniated her, and
made full reparation for his fault by the assiduous prac-
tice of every domestic virtue.

We will cite, moreover, the following example of our
Saint's ardent charity. A woman near the term of
pregnancy, who was in dread of suffering, sent for him,
and' implored him to deliver her frpm the agonies
which threatened her at the moment of childbirth. St.
Vincent exhorted her to patience, and observed that the
sufferings of that hour were the effect of God's Will, and
of a law which had been in force since the beginning of
the world. "Doubtless so," replied she, redoubling
her importunities ; " but He Who made that law can, by
a miracle, exempt me from it, and I hope He will do so
by the merits of your blessing." Seeing her confidence,
St. Vincent said to her, "Have courage, my good
woman, I will take the burden on myself, and you shall
not sustain anv harm at that critical moment." He
then blessed her and departed. The hour arrived, and
St. Vincent felt within himself physical suffering equiva-
lent to that of a woman in travail. As to the person
who had sought his help, she experienced neither
accident nor pain of any kind. Such is the charity of
the saints. They are not content with sharing the
sufferings of their brethren, but joyfully take the whole
on themselves. Thus the Seraphic Virgin of Siena takes
entirely on herself the pains of purgatory which her
father ought to suffer ; thus also does St. Michael-des*

HIS CHABITY. 98

Saints, of the Order of the Trinity, with God's permis-
sion, undertake a m9.1ignant fever from which a friend
of his is suffering. The Great Model of Saints gave
the first example of this. "Surely He hath bortfe
infirmities," saith the prophet, " and carried our
our sorrows" (Isaias liii. 4).'

St. Vincent left behind him lasting memorials of his
admirable charity. The number of hospitals, asylums, .
refuges, churches, and even bridges, which he founded
during his apostolic joumeyings, is almost incredible.
Haying at his disposal a considerable staff in the bands
of people who accompanied him, he availed himself of
their services to build hastily those edifices consecrated
to charity. He lefl; some of these in almost every
country through which he passed. One of his most
remarkable foundations was the oi*phanage at Valencia,
his birthplace, an establishment which has borne his
name even to this day.

St. Vincent de Paul gloried in St. Vincent Ferrer as
his patron ; and we can well conceive that the examples
of charity in the model would not be without their
influence on the holy priest who essayed to walk in his
footsteps.

' Teoli, lib. ii. Trait, iii. c. 5.

94 ST. TINCEMT FERREB.

CHAPTEB Xn.

XNGOHPABABLB ZEAL OF ST. YINCBNT FEBBBB FOB THE SALVA-
TION OF SOULS^OTHER VIBTUES OF THE SAIN?.

jHE principal object of the Order of Friar
Preachers is to labour for the salvation of
souls. Thus did the Saint comprehend it,
and to this end did he apply himself with such ardour.
His constant study was to find out every means possible
to withdraw souls from sin, to reconcile them to God,
and to conduct them in the paths of perfect sanctity.

While at Avignon he was informed of an ecclesiastical
dignitary whose life was not conformable to the holiness
of his state. He spent the whole night in prayer to
God for his conversion. At daybreak, being moved by
a Divine inspiration, he repaired to the prelate's palace
with a crucifix in his hand, and entering he pushed
his way into the chamber where he reposed. He im-
mediately opened one of the windows, and returning to
the prelate, who was in bed, addressed him thus : ** My
son," said be, ''behold the Divine Jesus, and consider
how good and full of love He is ! You fiy from Him,
but He comes with confidence to the very foot of your
bed to find you. Make then your peace, my son,
make your peace with Jesus. What does it avail you
to have so often ofiended Him? It is enough, it .is
enough; embrace your sweet Master and love Him."
Saying this, he pl&ced the crucifix to the lips of the
ecclesiastic, and hastily left him. Tbe prelate, stupefied

HIS ZEAL FOR THE SALVATION OF SOULS. 95

and ashamed^ entered into himself, and pressing the
image of our Lord to his breast, he got up ; then falling
prostrate on the floor, he wept bitterly over his past
disorders, implored pardon of God, and made a firm
resolution of amendment. Dressing himself in great
haste, he hurried off to the Saint, who was waiting for
him, and who was assured, by light from on high, of
his conversion. He made his confession, and thence^
forth practised the holiness and regularity of life befitting
his calling.'

The Saint was on another occasion preaching at
Pampeluna^ when he was suddenly enraptured in the
midst of his discourse. Returning to himself, he
informed his audience that God commanded him to
interrupt his preaching in order to put a stop to a
grievous oflence that was being committed in the city.
He immediately descended from tbe pulpit, and, followed
by a group of persons surprised and curious to see what
would happen, bent his steps towards a sumptuous
palace. The doors were closed. He touched one of
them with his hand, and it immediately opened of itself.
When he entered he declaimed with great energy against
the impure vice while traversing the halls and chambers.
They who followed him saw no one, but they distinctly
heard the voices of the wretched people who were the
victims of their sinful passion. St. Vincent implored
them to desist, but they persisted in their sin. He
threatened them with terrible chastisements; but they
derided him all the more. Then God avenged Himself

» TeoH, Ub. il. Trati i. o. 4.

96 ST. TINOENT FEBHEB.

on their crime — they were changed into statned <^
marble. The Saint entered the chamber, and disclosed
to the bystanders the terrible way in which divine
vengeance had chastised the crimes and obstinacy of
those unhappy people. Nevertheless, being touched
with compassion, he approached the statues, and breath-
ing into their mouths, restored them to life. This act
of charity also changed their hearts of stone into hearts
of flesh. They acknowledged their guilt, and made
their confession one after the other. Hardly had they
received sacramental absolution, than the vehemence of
their contrition brought death a second time, for they
expired at the feet of the Saint. God blessed the zeal v
of His servant by this wonderful conversion to show
how agreeable to Him was his charity, which never
shrank from any means calculated to save the souls of
his neighbours.^

So great was St. Vincent's love for souls that he
unhesitatingly accepted the most heroic sacrifices to
insure their salvation. When preaching in Spain, he
was one day called to a dying person older in sin than
in years. The latter was unwilling to be spoken to on
the subject of confession, and was resolved to crown
the wickedness of his life with final despair. Vincent
arrived, but all his advances were met by a steady
i^usal on the part of the sick man. Then the Saint
said to him, *' I assure you that Gk>d has pardoned you*
I have prayed for you, and have obtained mercy ; nay,
more, whatever merits I may have, these I have entirely

> TeoU, Jib, iL Tiatt lii. o. i.

« INSTANCE OF SINGULAR OENEROSITT. 97

made over to you." At these words, which marked
such singular generosity, the troubled soul of the dying
man was somewhat reassured, and he replied, ''I will
make my confession, but you must beforehand put in
writing both the petition for pardon and the promised
donation." '* With all my heart," said the Saint ; and
he immediately wrote with his own hand on a sheet of
paper a prayer to the God of mercy in behalf of thai
poor repentant sinner, and at the same time supplicated
the Divine Bounty to transfer to him all the merits
which he himself might have acquired throughout the
course of his life. He confessed the dying man, then
placed in his hands the written document. The latter
soon after entered into a sweet agony, and peacefully
expired. Scarcely had he drawn his last breath than
the document disappeared. It followed the soul to the
tribunal of the Supreme Judge. The Divine Majesty
was pleased to give it a public and authentic testimony,
in order that the isyci coming to the knowledge of
sinners, might inspire them also with obedience to the
word of His ambassador. While Vincent was preaching
in a public square to more than thirty thousand persons,
they beheld the sheet of paper which he had given to
the dying person descend from heaven, and it fell into
his hands. This was an object of general astonishment,
for no one was cognisant of the mystery. But their
surprise knew no bounds when Vincent, having read the
document, told the people that it was the petition
written with his own hand, given to the sick man who
had scandalised the city by his sinful conduct, and who

98 ST. VnCCEKT FEBBEB.

had reflolyed to die impenitent; that that man had
heard him, that he himself had confessed him; that
when dying he had taken that piece of paper and pte-
sented it at the tribunal of God ; that the Sovereign
Judge had accepted it, that he had signed its aathenti-
city, and that, finally, he had a perfect certainty of that
soul's salvation.' We can easily judge of the impression
which this surprising miracle would produce on the
minds of the multitude. As for ourselves, what excites
our admiration even more is the charity of the Saint,
who so completely forgot himself that he could only
think of others, and who joyfully relinquished all the
spiritual treasures of his life that he might insure the
eternal felicity of his neighbour. How could sinners
after this resist such sincere proofs of love and devoted-
ness ? We need not therefore be surprised at the
extraordinary success of St. Yincent Ferrer. If faith
removes mountains, we must not forget that love is
strong as death, and that nothing can resist it (Cant. viii.).
The Saint, formed in the School of the Blessed Domir
nic, possessed in the highest degree every moral virtue :
justice, obedience, temperance, chastity, poverty, morti-
fication, humility, sweetness, affability, generosity, mag-
nanimity, courage, constancy. Many examples of these
are to be found in the '' Spiritual Instruction," both for
the Fridays before and after his Feast, as well as in the
novena. For the edification of the reader, we will give
an outline of those virtues which are not to be met with

Teoli, lib. ii. Trait, iii. o. 4. Ferrarini: *<Ijo attesta la tradizione
eomune ohe ne oorre per la Spagna presso de flaTii."

PERFECTION OF HIS CHA8TIT7. 99

in the pages referred to, since lie would doubtless not be
willing that we should omit them in this chapter.

First of all, let us not pass oyer in silence the follow*
ing example, which shows the perfection of his chastity.
He was already a religious, when certain envious persons,
annoyed at the encomiums that were passed on his virtue,
and urged by diabolical inspiration, bribed with a large
sum of money a profligate woman to secrete herself in
the Saint's cell. They helped her to accomplish her
purpose one winter evening while he prolonged his prayer
in the Church. When Vincent opened the door and
found the miserable creature seated at the foot of his
bed, he thought at first it was an artifice of the devil,
who wished to tempt him under that seducing form. He
made the sign of the cross, and exclaimed : ** What doest
thou here, Satan, enemy of God ?** '' I am not Satan,"
answered the profligate, ** but a young woman who can
no longer resist the love she bears towards you." She
was about to continue, but the Saint interrupted her
in a brief and imperious tone: ''Go hence, wretch,"
cried he, " and be careful lest a sudden death overtake
thee by reason of thy Mghtful iniquity! How darest
thou attempt to sully my body and soul, which from my
childhood I have consecrated to Jesus Christ ? " Whether
from fright, or from excessive impudence, the unbappy
woman remained immovable. Then Vincent cast some
burning cinders from a brazier on the floor, and kneeling
upon them, he said: ''Come, if thou darest, oome and cast
thyself on this fire ; it is not so terrible as that of hell."
At this spectacle the woman became half-dead, weeping,

100 ST. VINCENT FERREB.

sobbing, imploring pardon of the Saint, and promising
him that she would entirely change her life. She dis-
closed to him the names of those who had led her to this
act. Yincent dismissed her, commanding her to conceal
the names of her accomplices. Bat she did not promise
silence. On the following morning she related all, and
covered with shame those who sought to calumniate and
dishononr the Saint. The sinner became sincerely con-
verted.*

Despite his gashing and ardent character, Vincent
Ferrer exhibited a patience that was proof against every
trial. From his childhood he strove to repress anger.
One day, a servant in his father's house blasphemed the
Name of our Lord. Yincent, following the first impulse
of his indignation, severely reprimanded him. The latter
did not profit by it ; he replied with injurious epithets,
and even struck the child. The young Saint, instead of
crying and complaining, changed his zeal to meekness,
and said to the man : ** Dear brother, I owe you much ;
in chastening me you have taught me the prudence which
it is proper to observe in correcting persons older than
oneself, and especially servants who are in anger. I shall
know it another time.'* The man, whose name was
Alexis Bafiet, was so astonished at this patience, this'
heroic sweetness and humility, that he cast himself at
the child's feet to ask his pardon, and implored him not
to mention to his father or mother what had happened.
Yincent threw himself into his arms, and, with a radiant
countenance, said to him, '* Do not fear, they shall know

* Banzano, Teoli, &o.

HIS PATIENCB. 101

BothiDg of what has passed. Only, my dear friend, do
not blaspheme in future.'* ^

When afSicted with great suffering towards the end of
his life, he underwent a surgical operation without
uttering the slightest groan. He only invoked tenderly
the sweet names of Jesus, Mary, or some saint. He
drank without dislike the bitter draughts that were ad-
ministered to him. He was frequently during the course
of his apostolate almost stifled by the people, and once
he remained as dead under the feet of the multitude.
He made no complaint, and on rising exhibited a placid
countenance, as though he had suffered nothing. When
his infirmities obliged him to the use of an ass, he from
time to time sustained severe falls, yet on these occa^
sions he never exhibited the least sign of impatience.
But, as his disciples remarked with astonishment, in
reward of this virtue, God never permitted him to
suffer any inconvenience from these accidents. Not only
did Vincent practise this virtue which renders man
amiable to those who live with him, but he also inculcated
it to others with great tact. One day a woman came to
him, complaining bitterly of the bad treatment she had
to endure on the part of her husband. *' Teach me, my
good Father,'* said she, '^an efficacious method of pre^
serving peace at home, in Qrder that my husband may
cease to ill-use me both by word and deed." The Saint
allowed her uninterrupted speech, well knowing the cause
of the evil for which she sought a remedy ; it was only
her loquacity, and petulance ; she irritated her husband

» Teoli, Ub. u. Tratt. iii. o. 16.

102 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

by her chattering and provoking answers. Then the Saint
qnietly said to her : *' If you wish to put an end to these
disagreeable scenes, go to the Brother Porter of our
Convent, and bid him give you a jug of water from the
well which is in the middle of the cloister. When your
husband returns home, take at once a mouthful of this
water without swallowing it, and retain it for a consider-
able time in your mouth. If you do this, I assure you
that your husband will no more be angry with you, and
will become as meek as a lamb.'* The woman imme-
diately hastened to execute the Saint's advice, seeing that
the remedy was by no means a difficult one. When the
husband returned home, and began to show symptoms of
irritation, she ran to the jug and filled her mouth with
water, which she retained as long as she was able ; the
result being that, meeting with no reply, the husband
himself was silent. He wondered at this, but said
nothing, and thanked God for having changed the heart
and closed he mouth whence proceeded all their disputes.
Having put this advice in practice many times, and
always with the same success, the woman returned to St.
Vincent overflowing with thanks to him for having taught
her so excellent a remedy. Then the Saint, speaking to
her with sweetness, plainly told her : '' The remedy
which I have taught you, my daughter, is not the water
from the well, as you suppose, but silence. By holding
your tongue, you have preserved peace between yourself
and your husband. He had scarcely entered the house,
when you irritated him by your troublesome questions ;
it wasVour own fault if this anger increased; your pro-

HIS PATIENCE. 108

Yoking rejoinders were the oaase of it. Be silent in
fatare, and you will always live in peace with your
husband." Hence the common proverb in Valencia;
when a woman complained of her hasband, she was
answered : '^ Fill your mouth with water, and what St.
Vincent said will come to pass." '

> Teoli« Ub. ii. Tratt. ui. o. 13.

104 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

SECTION THE FIFTH,

The Mabyellous Gifts which shone forth in St. Vincent

Febbeb.

CHAPTER XIII.

ST. VINCENT FEBBEB FAVOUBED WITH A MULTITUDE OF VISIONS,
BEVELATIONS, AND ECSTAGIES — THE SECRETS OF HEABTS
BEVEALED TO THE SAINT.

IINCENT FEKREK daily beheld in his private
prayers, and even in the course of his apostolic
preaching, either pious souls who still lived on
earth, or the souls in purgatory, or the saints in Paradise,
the angels, the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, and our
Lord Himself.

He was one day praying for the conversion of souls,
when he beheld a fervent nun of the Order of St. Francis
doing as he did ; her eyes were bathed in tears, and she
was prostrate at the feet of our Lord. He heard Christ
say to her : '* Thy tears. My daughter, are most agree-
able, and I joyfully hear thy prayers; but these ungrateful
and guilty people, who outrage the law, and blaspheme
My Name, have little claim on My pity; on the contrary,
they provoke My justice." At the same time our Lord
revealed to the Saint that this nun was Colette, the

FAVOURED WITH VISIONS. 106

illastrions saint who laboured with much frait for the
reformation of the Sisters of her Order. Vincent was
filled with admiration and delight at this spectacle.

On another day, while he celebrated Mass at Valencia,
on his return from one of his apostolic journeys, he saw
appear before him, and as it were over the altar, a
woman surrounded with flames, and holding in her arms
a little disfigured child. Astonished at such a vision, he
adjured the woman, in the Name of the Lord, to tell
him who she was, and what she wanted. She was one
of his own sisters, named Frances, who had been dead
some time. She had married a rich merchant. The
latter having been obliged to undertake a long journey,
the chief servant of his house profited by his absence to
constrain his wife to commit sin with him, under the threat
of death unless she consented. She was weak enough
to yield ; but, recovering from her fright, and being
covered with shame in her own eyes, she poisoned the
man to rid herself of his foul presence ; and as she had
conceived, she destroyed the offspring before it was born.
To complete her misery, she dared not avow these crimes
in confession, and added to these murders numerous
sacrileges. At length remorse filled her soul. She
made her confession to an unknown priest, with the
greatest sorrow for her crimes, and died three days
afterwards. God having condemned her to an expiation
of terrible duration, she addressed herself to her brother
to abridge its length. She indeed appeared again to St.
Vincent three days afterwards in glory, crowned with
flowers, surrounded by angels, and ascending to heaven;

106 ST. VINCENT FERREB.

thus did she disappear from his sight.' The rest of his
family gave him the purest consolations. He heheld the
souls of his father, mother, brother, and other sisters,
ascend to heaven without passing through the flames of
purgatory.

While he was one night sleeping in the Convent at
Cervera, in Spain, St. Dominic appeared, and the rays
of light which surrounded him were so bright that they
woke Vincent. ''My son," said the glorious Father,
** the Lord has commanded me to visit you to impart
to you most useful instructions which will redouble your
ardour, and enable you to pursue the course of your
apostolic preaching with much fruit. Yes, my son,"
added the Founder of the Order, ** persevere till death in
the path on which you have entered. Your works are
most pleasing to God. The fideb'ty with which you dis-
charge the duties of your profession shall merit for you
in heaven the same degree of glory which I myself enjoy.
You resemble me perfectly in the observance of the
rule, and in your personal holiness, virginal purity, and
zeal for the salvation of souls ; like me, you have been
sent by Christ to preach and to teach the gospel truth ;
only I am the root and trunk of the Order, you are one
of the most fruitful branches and fairest flowers engrafted
thereon. Persevere then in your way, so that, having
arrived at the term of your pilgrimage, you may reign
eternally with me among the happy citizens of heaven."
Vincent humbled himself profoundly, thanked the blessed
Father for his precious visit, and fervently commended

> TeoU, Ub. U. Tratt. i. o. 11.

ANGELICAL MANIFESTATION. 107

himself to his intercession. While this interview lasted^
the two Saints spoke so load that several of Vincent's
companions, who slept in an adjoining room, were
awakened. Peter de Moya, peeping through the chinks of
the door, saw in Vincent's cell a venerable religious, whose
counteuance was so radiant with light that the whole
place was illumined. On the following morning, his
disciples, conjecturing that their spiritual master had
received some extraordinary heavenly favour, asked him
what religious had appeared to him on the previous
night, Vincent was desirous of concealing from them
the favour he had received ; but they importuned him so
much that he related to them what had occurred,
requesting them to preserve a rigorous silence on the
subject of the vision till his death.^

One of the most interesting angelical manifestations
occurring to our Saint was that of the angel guardian
of Barcelona. On entering the city he saw, near the
gate, a young man resplendent with light, holding a
sword in one hand and a shield in the other. The Saint
asked him what he was doing with arms in that place.
^* I am the angel guardian of Barcelona," said he; ''this
city is under my protection." In the first sermon which
followed this remarkable vision, Vincent related what
had happened to him, congratulated the inhabitants of
Barcelona on their happiness, and exhorted them to o£fer
their thanksgiving to the angel who guarded them ; this
they did by building a small chapel on the very spot
where the angel appeared to the holy preacher.

* Banzano, and all the Saint's biographers.

108 ST. YINCENT FEBREB.

. Very freqaently also, when Vincent was in the pulpit,
the people saw the angels forming a crown around hi&
head.^

One cannot doubt that the visions of the Blessed
Mother of God to her faithful servant Vincent were also
very frequent. A sacred image of Mary was for a long
time preserved in the convent at Valencia, which, it is
said, spoke to him ; and St. Louis Bertrand being one
day asked if this were true, he gave this remarkable
answer : ''It spoke not merely twice or three times, but
continually, for Mary dealt with Vincent as the tenderest
of mothers."*

It is clear also that our Lord Jesus Christ frequently
appeared to him, as at Avignon and Perpignan, when He
Himself miraculously cored him. But Vincent's humility
concealed those graces so effectually, that they seldom
came to the knowledge of men. It was by pious stra-
tagem only that he was seen raised in the air in his cell,
and surrounded in the night with an immense light.
While staying in a Benedictine priory at Josselin in
Brittany, the monks frequently went in the night to
watch him in his cell through the chinks in the door ;
they beheld him sleeping on the floor, with his Bible for
a pillow, and his face beaming with a splendour which
illumined the cell. Amazed at this spectacle, the good
monks permitted the Count de Bohan to witness it, on
whose mind it made such a deep impression that he
from that moment became an example of sincere piety .^

' Banzano, and all the Saint*s biographers.

^ Teoli, lib. ii. Tratt. i. o. 12. ' The chief biographers of the Saint.

DISCEBNMEirr OF SPIRITS. 109

The Saint received these choice graces with deep
humility and a wise caution. He counselled his dis^^
ciples not to curiously desire them, and to wisely resist
them, seeing that the spirit of darkness, transforming
himself into an angel of light, may easily substitute
himself for God in these circumstances, when they were
not animated with the requisite dispositions.

The discernment of spirits was marvellous in the
Saint.

There was at Barcelona a person named Louis Gataldo,
who suffered severe pains in the head. This man had
no faith in the daily miracles of Vincent; but ex-
periencing no relief from any remedy, he went one day
in desperation to the church of the Friar Preachers ; and
at the moment when Vincent descended from the pulpit,
he said to him : *' Father, I have suffered frightful pains
in the head for two years ; I implore you to cure me."
The Saint replied : ^'I am neither God, nor a doctor, to
cure you.'' At this answer, the sufferer understood that
the Saint knew the secret thoughts of his incredulous
heart. But aided by God*s grace, and putting aside all
hesitation, he said to him once more: ''And yet I firmly
hope you will grant me this favour." "But do you
really believe it?" said the Saint. "Certainly, my
Father," answered the other. Then Vincent placed his
hand on Louis's head, saying, " Thou art already cured;
thank God, and believe that they who serve Him are
invested with great power." The cure was so complete,
that during the space of forty years which he li\ed the
man never experienced the slightest pain in the head.

110 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

Ono day a person named Gaja came to the Saint and
importaned him to admit him into his company. Vincent
was very willing to receive him, but told him to sell
beforehand all that he possessed, and distribute the price
of it to the poor. This man obtained fonr hundred gold
pieces by his sale. He secretly kept back two hundred
of them, gave the rest to the poor, and then went to
inform the Saint that he had executed his commands.
At these words Vincent, fixing his eyes on him, said :
'' Man of little faith, thinkest thou that the least thing
would be wanting to thee in my company? Thou
imaginest, perhaps, that I am ignorant of what thou
hast done ? Go, thou hast given only half of thy money
to the poor. I refuse thee as a member of my company, I
want not disciples of this stamp." At this reproof, so
unlocked for, the man cast himself at the Saint's feet,
implored his forgiveness, and promised to bestow on the
poor the sum which he had withheld. This promise
satisfied Vincent, who, seeing him resolved to obey^
tenderly embraced him, and admitted him into his
company.

One of the pilgrims who followed the Apostle of God
was interiorly disposed to doubt the miracles and con-
versions which he saw accomplished by the Thauma*
turgus. He watched his words and actions, in order to
turn them to ridicule, after the manner of the Pharisees,
whose eyes were always fixed on the Saviour of men with
a view to find fault. One day Vincent accosted him, and,
looking intently at him, began to lay open to him all the
thoughts of his heart, all the censures and criticisms

SECBETS OF HEJlBTS BEVEALED TO HIM. Ill

which weighed npon his goal in regard to his apostolic
doings ; he did it so truthfally and with snch energj,
that the disciple, confused and repentant, threw himself
on his knees and humbly besought his pardon. Vincent
readily accorded it to him, but at the same time gaye
him a paternal caution. ** Pay attention/' said he, '' to
what you do yourself, and not to what others do."

An Aragonian named Don Ferdinand belonged also to
the Saint's company. He was not sincere ; he affected
exteriorly a sanctity which he had not at heart, and was
all the more culpable, inasmuch as he removed himself
further from the true perfection taught by the holy
master, and generally praxstised by his companions.
This hypocrisy was so exquisitely refined, so artfully
concealed from the eyes of all, that, humanly speaking,
it was impossible to detect it. But celestial light never
failed St. Vincent in penetrating a secret. He once took
the person aside, and said to him : *' Beally if I did not
know that you would one day undertake great hardships
for my honour, I would chase you from my company,
for you are wicked." These words covered Don Ferdi-
nand with confusion, and filled him with remorse.
" Dear master," answered he, *' pray to God for me."
The Saint replied: "I have already done fio, and it
has been vouchsafed that you shall not be condemned*
You shall, moreover, prosper exceedingly on the earth,
and live for many years. Procure then the book
entitled, 'Du Mepris du Monde,' ' and read it." It

* This book, according to common opinion, is the " Imitation of
Jesus Christ.**

112 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

turned out as St. Vincent predicted. Don Ferdinand,
in fact, embraced a most virtuous life; he prospered
in his career, and even became chaplain to the king^
and Bishop of Telesia. In the year 1454 he was at
Naples, where he contributed to the canonisation of
St. Vincent, by rendering testimony to many miracles
which he had seen performed under his own eyes. He
left behind him so high an opinion of his virtues, as to
verify the latter part of his master's prophecy : " You;
shall not be condemned.''

When he heard the confessions of sinners, Vincent
miraculously assisted them in discovering the faults
which escaped their recollection. But what is still more
remarkable is, that, during his sermons, he would some-
times fix his eyes upon people whom he had never before
seen or heard, then be would enter on the subject of the
sins which they usually committed, laying open the cir-
cumstances so clearly, and with such precision, that the
people were accustomed to say : " This man is truly a
Saint, for he knows the most hidden secrets of our
hearts." Was it a usurer, an adulterer, a thief, an
assassin, a person guilty of the foulest crimes, the
Saint's words came home to him with such truthful
effect, that at the end of the discourse he succeeded, by
his close reasoning and an eloquence inflamed with love,
in converting them from vice to a life of justice and
penance. God exhibited to the prophet Ezekiel the.
abominations of His people at the time wherein that
prophet lived, that he might exhort them to repentance.
He bestowed the same lights on Vincent Ferrer. Wher-

HIS GIFT OF PBOPHECT. 118

ever he preached, he saw the sins of people and the
wounds of souls ; it was this that rendered his speech
so full of wisdom, so prudent and efficacious in correcting
vice.^

(•

;(

- *■

CHAPTER XIV.

ST. VINCENT FERREB ENDOWED WITH THE GIFT OF PROPHECY —
THE GRACE OF MIRACLES ACCORDED, WITHOUT MEASURE, TO
THE SAINT.

OD, of Himself, and through the instrumentality
of His saints, revealed to Vincent Ferrer his
own predestination, and the glory which would
surround his name in the Catholic Church. This was
not enough : He moreover willed that the Saint's own lips
should announce it to the people. On one occasion, there-
fore, when preaching at Alexandria in Piedmont, he thus
spoke to his auditory : '* My brethren, I have good news
to tell you : there is a young man among you who will
be the glory of the Seraphic Order and of Italy (he sig-
nified St. Bernardino of Siena). He will take my place
among you when I shall have returned to Spain. His
heavenly life and holy teaching will bear most abundant
fruits; he will become a great light in the Church,
which will honour him before it accords the same honour
to myself." The prophecies contained in these words were
literally fulfilled. Bernardino of Siena, having entered
the Order of St. Francis, preached in Italy, died in 1444,

1 TeoU, Ub. Tratt. ii. o. 5.
9

114 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

and was canonised in 1450, some years before Vincent
was himself canonised.

Preaching one day at Valencia, the Saint openly de-
clared that he shoald die in the odour of sanctity in a
country far away from his native land, and that his body
would perform a great number of miracles. The pro-
phetic spirit unfolded itself still further in him ; he even
specified many of the particular circumstances of his
canonisation, and especially the personage who would
render him that honour.

This occurred many times. The first was at the
Chateau de Canals, not far from the town of Xativa.
On passing the Chateau, he met a lady named Francina,
the wife of Dominic Borgia. She was a little advanced
in pregnancy, but was not certain of it. Vincent assured
her of this, and added : " The child which you bear will
one day be Pope.*' Some time afterwards, in the year
1378, say the historians, passing by the same place on
his way to preach at Xativa, Vincent saw Francina
holding in her arms a child which she had given birth
to only a few days before. " Take great care of this little
child,** said he, " it will be Pope and will canonise me.'*
Some months elapsed, and one day that Vincent was
in the company of some of the child's relations, it
chanced that his mother arrived with him in her arms.
The Saint embraced him ; then turning to the company,
he said : " Kiss the feet of this child, a time will come
when he will be created Pope, and when he will canonise
me." When the child was three years old, one of his
uncles again presented him to the holy religious, who

HIS GIFT OF PBOPHECY. 115

said : " Make him study well ; let him go to school, for
he will one day become Pope, and will render great
honours to me." In fine, towards the year 1400, when
preaching at Lerida, Vincent had among his auditors
this young man whose infancy he had blessed, and of
whom he had predicted so glorious a future. The
student was so much impressed by the preacher, that he
went to see him after the sermon, and said to him :
** You preach marvellously well, my Father ; you will be
a Saint ! " " And it will be you who will canonise me,"
replied Vincent. This prophecy, so often repeated, was
fully realised. Alphonsus Borgia became a learned theo-
logian, and a distinguished canonist ; he was Canon of
Lerida and Barcelona, cure of the parish of St. Nicholas,
Bishop of Valencia, and at last cardinal. When he had
been elevated to so high a dignity, he felt so certain, on
the Saint's assurance, of being one day elected Pope,
that he made a vow to pursue the Turks from the
moment he became Sovereign Pontiff. In 1455 he pro-
claimed the sanctity of him who had so often announced
his own glorious destiny.

To enumerate the Saint's prophecies would be impos-
sible. They had reference to individuals, communities,
cities, kingdoms, and the Universal Church.

Peter de Luna, abandoned by every one, still ob-
stinately persisted in his claims. ^' His ambition will be
punished," said Vincent Ferrer ; " this man will sink
into universal contempt, and his body will become the
plaything of children." • This latter circumstance was

verified at the time of the wars of succession in Spain at

9 *

116 ST. VINCENT FERBEB.

the commencemeiit of the eighteenth century. The
French being in possession of the Isle of Peniscola, some
children dag open the tomb of that obstinate man, and
took oat of it the bones, which served them as play-
things for several days.

Vincent gave at the Convent of the Friar Preachers at
Valencia some interesting sermons on the saints who
would floarish therein. This convent was traly a narsery
of saints. We may cite, among others, the Blessed
Dominic of Mont-Majear, Amateur Espy, John Micon,
and especially the illustrioas St. Louis Bertrand, with a
great number of his disciples.

We have spoken of the prophecy which the Saint
uttered at Barcelona, when the city was made desolate
by a terrible famine. He announced in the city of
Teulada, which was often ravaged by the Moors, that it
should be henceforth under cover of their incursions,
and he added that the plague should never touch them.
Both these prophecies were marvellously fulfilled.
Vincent loved his country. He foretold with tears the
revolutions which would disturb it; when they burst
forth, he made every effort to restore peace to the
State, and by his prayefs, prudence, and firmness,
succeeded therein. He, moreover, foretold the decisive
expulsion of the Moors from Spain. In less than a
century later, Grenada, their last bulwark, fell into
the hands of Isabella the Catholic.

But according to the Venerable Seraphin de la
Porretta, a most learned and holy religious of our
Order, the distinctive characteristic of Vincent Ferrer

HIS OIPT OF PBOPHBCY. 117

was the preaching and announcing of the last judgment.
Yes, Vincent was the Angel of the Apocalypse, as he
proved at Salamanca, by raising a woman to life. He
proclaimed that awful day as imminent and near.
Let us observe, however, that this prophecy was
comminatory, as was that of Jonas at Nineve. Had not
the world been converted by the preaching of onr Saint,
it would not have subsisted to the present hour. But
it changed as did the Ninevites, and like Nineve was
it saved, and its existence thus prolonged. God has
delayed the execution of that terrible sentence, according
to the expression of St. Ambrose, founded on Holy
Scripture: ^'God will know how to change His re-
solution, provided you amend your life." Otherwise,
considering the rapidity with which time flows by, one
might well believe in the proximity of the end of the
world, and of the judgment which will follow.

St. Vincent foretold that a society of apostolic men
would rise up in the latter times, who would be eminent
for their piety, and whose zeal would be extraordinary.
We flatter ourselves that this prophecy is being realised
in the Order of St. Dominic itself, as has been shown in
another work.^ An author writes : ** The life of St.
Vincent Ferrer was a standing miracle, whose object
was the living, the dead, persons in health, those who
were sick, the ed.rth, the air, and the sea ; in a word, all
the elements." * But what appears to us even more

1 <( Manuel du trds-Saint Bosaire/' 3e p. , art. zv., 13e Mardi avant la
f^te de Saint Dominiqne. Teoli, lib. ii. Tratt. i. o. 2, 8, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9.
' The Bey. F. Bamon, Piaster in Theology.

118 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

remarkable, is the facility with which the holy Thauma-
turgus wrought those wonders. It was as easy for him
to do this, says the Venerable Louis de Grenada, as it is
for us to lift the hand to the mouth. It was an habitual
gift of his, a gift which he possessed even before his
birth, as we have shown at the beginning of this work ;
a gift which accompanied his childhood, which increased
with his youth, and attained perfection in his manhood,
especially when commissioned by our Lord to eyangelise
the world during the latter twenty years of his life. It
was during that period that he regularly performed
them every morning after his preaching : " Ring the bell
of miracles,'^^ he was wont to say to one of his disciples.
He was sometimes interiorly inspired not to cure all
who presented themselves ; but when they returned at
the appointed hour, he always finished by restoring
them to health. Had he in the course of those years
performed but eight miracles a day, they would have
reached the extraordinary number of fifty-eight thousand
four hundred. But this calculation clearly falls far
short of the mark, since it is a well-attested fact that
the Saint wrought them not only in public assemblies,
and in the pulpit, but even while travelling, while rest-
ing on his journeys ; at every moment, so to speak.
Hence the common saying among his biographers : '' It
was a miracle when he did not work miracles, and the
greatest miracle was when he performed none at all." St.
Louis Bertrand confirms their testimony : " God," says

^ " Toean a milaore ** — ^the Saint's own words. Teoli, lib. ii.
Tratt. i. o. 20.

HIS GIFT OF MIRACLES. 119

this Saint, "sanctioned the teaching of Vincent Ferrer
by so many miracles, that there never was a saint since
the days of the Apostles to our own time who wrought
more. God alone knows their number, as He alone
knows the number of the stars that people the firma-
ment."^ We have already related many of these miracles,
and shall record others in the Third Part of our work ;
still, we may be allowed to instance here some which
deserve to be known and remembered.

On the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, a frightful
storm burst over the city of Barbastro, in Catalonia, at
the moment when the Saint was unvesting after Mass.
The rain fell in torrents, and the lightning flashed, and
thunder rolled with such terrific effect as to threaten
all around with instant destruction. The Saint, leaving
the church, made the sign of the Cross with holy- water,
when the storm was immediately appeased, and the sky
became serene. Ascending the pulpit, he exhorted the
people to return thanks to the holy Apostles for the
favour they had just received, and said that, unless they
had interceded with God, there would have remained
neither leaves on the trees, nor green herbs in the
country. He added : " Unless you beseech God to pre-
serve your goods, and promise to make a holy use of
them, next year another tempest will devastate the
entire land." Eleven months later and a terrible storm
literally accomplished this prediction.*

St. Vincent was one day preaching at Berga, in

' Teoli, Ub. ii. Tratt. i. c. 21.
^ Banzano, and other biographers.

120 ST. YINCENT FEREEB.

Catalonia, with great fervour and nnction, on the most
Holy Name of Jesus. A violent rain, which had been
expected for many hours, at length fell with great im-
petuosity. His audience hastily dispersed to find shelter.
Some fled to the house of a Moorish smith, and sought
refuge in a workshop built of dry wood. A good woman
said to the smith : "Why do you not come, as we do, to
hear the sermons of the holy Father ? " At these words
the Mahometan became furious* " Cursed be your holy
Father ! " cried he ; and with the sparks from his forge
setting fire to the dried wood that was arranged around
the workshop, he added, " We shall now see what use
you make of those sermons." The fire rapidly com-
municated itself to the numerous materials that lay
about, and the unfortunate people were speedily sur-
rounded with flames. In their danger they invoked the
Holy Name of Jesus. " sweet Jesus," said they,
" your preacher. Master Vincent, told us that your Name
is the help of Christians, deliver us from this pressing
danger ! " In an instant the flames were extinguished,
and the wood even ceased to smoke. This miracle
astonished the Mahometan ; he was converted, and three
days later St. Vincent baptised iim.^

On another occasion, the Saint crossed the Ebro to
Tortosa with all his company in boats that were too
small to contain, without danger, the number of persons
who filled them. The water soon got into the boats,
and they were on the point of sinking. Cries of distress
were heard on every side. They implored the Saint to

» TeoH, lib. ii. Tratt. iii. c. 16.

HIS GIFT OF MIRACLES. 121

save ihem. He made the sign of the Gross on the
river ; in an instant the boats ceased to take in water,
and reached the shore in safety.

Often did he miraculously multiply bread and wine
and other victuals. We shall give a remarkable instance
of this in the Instruction for the second Friday after the
Saint's Feast.

Wonderful, indeed, were the ways in which he mani-
fested his gifts. Well-attested documents show that
multitudes of people have witnessed him in the middle
of his discourse suddenly assume wings, and fly off to
console and encourage some suffering person who sought
his help ; and having performed that act of charity, he
would return in the same manner to continue his preach-
ing. It is on this account that, like the angels, St.
Vincent is represented with wings.'

God accorded the Saint the gift of languages. Into
whatever country he entered, although he preached in
the Yalencian idiom, he was perfectly heard and under-
stood ; and in conversation, he spoke in French, Italian,
English, and German, according to the country he was
in, with the ease and fluency of his mother-tongue.'

St. Vincent exercised a wonderful power over the devils.
His word caused them to fly from the bodies of the
possessed. It was frequently sufficient for him to touch
those who laboured under their dominion, to deliver
them ; even his very presence constrained them to de-

» Teoli, lib. ii. Tratt. i. c. 6.

^Banzano wonders how the Bretons espeoiaUy, whose language
bears no affinity to the Latin, understood so weU the discourses of this
Thaumaturgus. Lib. iv. ap, BollandUt.

122 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

part. But what is stiUmore remarkable, is that, in order
to put the evil spirits to flight, it was enough to lead
those who were possessed to the different places where
«ie Saint was in his journeys ; and in places where he
was not, they had only to pronounce his name in order to
obtain the same result.

It is useless to dwell on the Saint's power in regard to
physical maladies and bodily infirmities. He wrought
miraculous cures by thousands. His power was so
supreme in this respect, that he communicated it to
others, and even to inanimate objects which he had used.
Frequently when people came to ask these sort of favours
of him, he would turn to one of his companions and say :
*' I have wrought sufficient miracles to-day, and am tired.
Do yourself what is asked of me ; the Lord Who works
through me will also work through you." The Prior
of the Convent of Lerida one day invited him to visit a
lady, who was a great benefactress to the Order, and who
was grievously ill. " My Father," said the Saint, " you
ask me to go and see this person that I may cure her by
a miracle ; why do you not do it yourself? Go, I give
you my power, not only for this infirm person, but also
for all whom you may meet on the way." The Prior
went to see the invalid, and on his way came across
five individuals who were suffering from divers wounds.
He cured them ; then going to the dwelling of the bene-
factress, he restored her to perfect health, in the name of
St. Vincent. By the divine favour, he imparted the
power of working miracles to another Prior of his Order,
throughout his whole life. As with St. Paul, so now

HIS GIFT OF MIRACLES. 128

with St. Vincent, God commnnicated the gift of healing
eyen to articles of his dress. One of these was given
to a poor hnt pious woman. The placing of this relic
on the heads of the sick cured them, and their alms
enabled her to live in comfort.^

The Saint resuscitated more than thirty persons
during his lifetime. We have related twO of these
marvellous resurrections in the "Spiritual Instructions "
for the fourth and fifth Friday before his Feast. We
might instance others as extraordinary, but we must
confine ourselves within reasonable limits.

» TeoH, Ub. ii, Tratt. i, c. 20.

124 ST. VINCENT F£BB£B«

SECTION THE SIXTH.

Death of St. Vincent Ferbee (1419).

CHAPTER XV.

THE SAINT DEES AT VANNES, IN BBITTANY^HIS BURIAL —

CANONISATION — HIS RELICS.

UEING a period of sixty-nine years the great
Apostle of the fifteenth century fought the pain-
ful battle of life ; for fifty years did he bear the
austere yoke of the religious life ; and in the course of
twenty years he travelled throughout Europe, proclaim-
ing, like another St. Paul, Christ's kingdom on earth,
and producing in the souls of men a salutary change, a
holy and a happy revolution. It was but just, then,
that the athlete should be recompensed, that the warrior
should rest, that the conqueror should receive the palm
of victory. Brittany was the land chosen, and Vannes
was the city predestined, to receive the last breath of the
man of God, and to preserve his mortal remains.

When St. Vincent became seriously ill, his disciples,
seeing his strength rapidly decline day by day, earnestly
besought him to return into his own country. They were

HIS LAST ILLNESS. 125

in hopes that the climate of Valencia woald he favonrahle
to him, and were, moreover, deeply interested in securing
for his own country the possession of his relics. St.
Vincent was unwilling to pain the companions of his
labours by opposing their wishes. Towards the end of
March, in the year 1419, taking leave of the Dake of
Brittany and the consuls of the city, he quitted Vannes
in the night, in order to avoid popular excitement But
God's designs were clearly manifested to the Saint and
his companions. It was revealed to him that he should
die in the city which he was leaving ; and on the follow-
ing morning, the company, after a night's journey, were
astonished to find themselves, at daybreak, at the gates
of Vannes. The Saint, turning to his companions, said :
** My brethren, let us not speak of returning into Spain ;
you clearly see that it is God's Will that I should end my
days here." They answered him only with tears. Then,
entering by the gate out of which they had passed the
night before, he exclaimed : ^*Hac requies mea in saculum
sceculi ; " " this is my rest for ever and ever " (Psalm
cxxxi.). The people were not slow in discovering who it
was that had passed into the city ; they ran to meet the
Apostle whom they expected never more to behold ; while
the bells joyfully proclaimed his welcome return. The
Duchess of Brittany met him, and conducted him to the
house of a gentleman named Preulin, in order that he
might be more conveniently lodged than with Bobin
Scarb. The Saint would not listen to the proposal. In-
stead of exhorting the people to repentance, as he was
wont to do, he merely told them that he should soon die.

126 ST. VINCENT FERBEB.

and commended himself to the prayers of all. This an-
nouncement plunged the city into desolation and sorrow,
and the multitudes hastened to pour forth their supplica-
tions to God that He would prolong the days of His
servant.

The holy Apostle was meanwhile ordered to lie down
on a hed ; he who, until then, had never slept otherwise
than on bare boards, or on the broken branches of trees.
He humbly obeyed. A consuming fever, accompanied
with violent pains, soon tormented him. He suffered
in every member of his body, and seemed on the point of
breathing his last. The physicians omitted nothing to
save so precious a life, but St. Vincent declared all their
remedies useless. He refused everything that could
reUeve his suffering condition ; and it was only at the
repeated solicitations of his friends that he could be in-
duced to lay aside a hair shirt which he had worn for
many years.

The Saint was joyous amidst his sufferings. His
cheerfulness of heart was painted on his tranquil and
serene countenance. Pain never troubled this heavenly
peace ; nor was he ever heard to complain, or to show the
least sign of impatience ; on the contrary, he esteemed
himself most happy to resemble his sweet Saviour cruci-
fied. He consoled his disciples, who wept around his
bed of pain, and exhorted them, for the last time, to
charity, union, simplicity of heart, penance, and Christian
mortification, zeal for spiritual progress, and persever-
ance. He also told them that he would pray for them.

Ten days before his death, the Bishop of Yannes and

HIS DEATH, 127

the consuls of the city came to ask his blessing. He
received them coarteoasly, and with a smiling coante-
nance. This was on the 25th March. He then blessed
them, and promised them his protection in heaven.
From that time he devoted himself to silence, recollection,
and prayer. He made frequent acts of contrition, as
though he had been a great sinner. On Monday in
Passion-week, he received the last Sacraments and the
Plenary Indulgence for the hour of death. Having re-
ceived the Holy Viaticum, he desired to be left alone for
some hours, that he might entertain himself more freely
with his Divine Lord. On Tuesday his suflferings be-
came so intense that he could scarcely speak. They then
inquired of him where he desired to be buried. ** If
there had been a Convent of St. Dominic at Vannes,"
said he, ''I should have wished to be buried at the feet
of my brethren ; but as there is not, I leave the matter
entirely in the hands of the Bishop and the Duke of
Brittany." The fever increased so much in the course
of the night, that on the following morning he could not
articulate. Ho made signs to a religious to inspire him
with holy thoughts, and to read to him the Passion of
our Lord, while he pressed his crucifix to his breast with
greater love than ever. Then followed the recommenda-
tion of the departing soul, in which the Saint joined
with deep devotion. Jii the close of that solemn act, his
features were suddenly transfigured ; his forehead beamed
with holy joy, and a divine light shone in his countenance
and in his eyes : Paradise was open to his view, and he
beheld the King of Glory, the Immaculate Queen of

128 ST. VINCENT FEBBER.

heaven, angels clothed with dazzling splendour, and
his own beloved Patron Saints coming forth to meet him.
He joined hishandsas in prayer, and imprinted on his era-
cifix a parting kiss ; then, raising his eyes to heaven, he
murmured forth these words : " In mantis tuas^Dominey
commendo spiritum meum;*^ "into Thy hands, Lord, I
commend my spirit " (Psalm xxx. 6) ; and gave up his
soul to God. This occurred on Wednesday evening in
Passion-week, the 5th of April, 1419,

As soon as his soul took its flight to heaven, his body
assui;ned an appearance so beautiful, so serene and radi-
ant, that it seemed the reflection of eternal glory ; his
flesh, so long macerated by fasts and disciplines, hair
cloth, and the fatigues of the Apostolate, became fair
and luminous, as though it were living. So far from
inspiring the natural horror which a corpse usually does,
his smiling face filled those who looked upon it with
sentiments of love and holy envy. What tears were
shed over those sacred remains ! The whole city was in-
consolable at having lost its treasure, and came to vene-
rate the Saint's body ; they kissed the hands and feet,
and touched his forehead with pious objects ; his praise
was on the lips of all.

At the moment when the pure soul of our Saint was
leaving his body, the windows of the room in which he
expired suddenly opened of themselves, and a flock of
small birds were seen to enter; they were not larger
than butterflies, very beautiful, and whiter than snow ;
they filled not only the chamber, but the whole house.
When the Saint drew his last breath these little birda

BUBIAL OF HIS BODY. 129

disappeared, but left the place scented with a delicious
perfume. All were of opinion that these were the
angels, who had come in that form to meet the Saint,
and conduct his soul in triumph to Paradise.

Another prodigy was witnessed at the same moment.
John Liquillic, of Dinan, had in his possession several
candles which had been used at the Saint's Mass, and
which he carefully preserved in a case in his room,
under lock and key. On the second of Februarv, 1419,
being desirous to light them in honour of the Blessed
Virgin, he went to get them, but they were nowhere to
be found. All his efforts to discover what had become
of them were of no avail. But what was his astonish-
ment when, on the 5th of April of the same year, he
found all the candles in the case, where they were
miraculously lighted! He called his wife to witness
the marvel, but neither of them at the moment un-
derstood its meaning. When it was afterwards known
that that was the very day on which St Vincent died,
the prodigy was easily explained.^

Grave discussions arose when there was question of
deciding who should be privileged to possess the Saint's
precious remains. The religious of his own Order wished
to transport them to the convent of Valencia, to which
he belonged, or at least to one of their houses that was
nearest to Vannes, for there was no establishment of the
Order in that city. The Franciscans, on the other
hand, reclaimed against this proceeding, saying, that,
as the union of the two Orders of St. Francis and St.

' All the Saint's biographers.
10

180 ST. VINCENT FERRER,

Dominic obliged them to afford mutual hospitality in all
places where one or the other of them had no monastery
of their Order, it devolved on them to give a place of
sepulture to the Saint, inasmuch as there was no Domi-
nican Content in Vannes. But the Bishop— aware of
the answer that St. Vincent, before his death, had given
to Father Ives of Millereu respecting himself — and the
Duke of Brittany, decreed that the Saint's body should
be buried in the Cathedral. He therefore ordered that
the house in which the sacred remains lay should be
closed, and a guard of soldiers set to watch it, and that
the burial should take place at the hour of sunset. A
solemn procession, consisting of the Bishops of Vannes
and St. Malo, the secular and regular clergy, the nobility
and people, accompanied the Saint's body to the Cathe-
dral. It was exposed in the centre of the choir, the
face and hands being uncovered. On the following
morning, when the solemn obsequies had been per-
formed, the Bishop of Vannes deposited with his own
hands the precious remains in a marble vault, opposite
the episcopal throne and near the hiigh altar.

Numerous miracles soon proclaimed the glory of this
holy man. In the evening of the day on which the
obsequies took place, a leper, prostrating himself on the
slab of the Saint's tomb, was suddenly cured. Multi-
tudes of invalids followed his example, and returned
cured. *' Four hundred persons," says Guyard, " re-
covered their health by merely lying on the bed where-
on the Saint died." The sculptor who carved the tomb
drew from the Saint's gratitude a marvellous recompense.

HIS MIRACLE8 AND CANONISATION. 181

His leg was dangerously wounded, and no human remedy
could heal it, although he had tried everything. He at
length had recourse to St. Vincent. " Friend of God,"
said he, " good Father Vincent, pray to God for me ! "
He had scarcely said these words, when the pains in his
leg suddenly left him, and in a few days the wound
closed, and he was perfectly cured. These favours in-
creased the devotion of the people ; and to satisfy it
they constructed an altar over the tomb. Other altars
were erected in his honour in several of the Dominican
Churches. The process of his canonisation soon fol-
lowed, but various circumstances conspired to retard it.
At length. Pope Calixtus III., whose elevation to the
Supreme Pontificate he had so often foretold, together
with the honours which he himself would receive from
him, proclaimed the sanctity of the servant of God, on
the 29th of June, 1455, and fixed the celebration of his
Feast on the 5th of April, the anniversary of his death.
The successor of Calixtus III., Pius II., published the
Bull of canonisation.

The canonisation was celebrated at Vannes with
indescribable solemnity. The Saint's body was taken
from the tomb wherein it was buried ; it was still entire
as on the day of his death. It was placed in front of
the altar to be exposed to the veneration of the faithful.
Many miracles which were accomplished on that day
increased their confidence and devotion. A year after-
wards the relics were translated to another tomb more
costly than the first, and more fitting to contain them.
Grand fStes were celebrated on the occasion, and a

10*

182 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

considerable number of distinguished personages took
part in them.

The inhabitants of Yannes were more than once
exposed to the danger of losing St. Vincent's body.
Towards the middle of the sixteenth century, a Spanish
corps, sent by Philip II., haying effectually protected
the city against the attacks of the heretics, the Cathedral
chapter were desirous of testifying their gratitude to the
commander, Don Juan d*Aguilar, and offered him a
large fragment of one of the rib bones. But the soldiers
had conceived the design to carry off the whole body.
Happily the canons were apprised of it in time. In
the night they concealed the shrine which contained the
relics, and did it so secretly that it remained unknown
from the year 1590 till 1687. It was discovered at this
date by the Bishop of Yannes. The holy relics were
then verified, and a second translation took place on the
6th of September, a day which has been annually
observe^ ever since to commemorate that event.

During the years of revolutionary trouble and disorder
which stained the decline of the last century, the people
of Yannes were fortunate enough to recover the relics of
St. Yincent Ferrer from the hands of the sacrilegious
robbers, who profaned the churches and altars to enrich
themselves with the sacred spoils. St. Yincent's body
was always regarded as a precious treasure in the
Cathedral of Yannes. Time has not lessened the de-
votion of Brittany towards its great Apostle and glorious
Patron. On the first Sunday of September, the Saint's
relics are annually carried in procession through the

GENERAL DEVOTION TO HIM. 183

streets of Yannes, escorted by the civil, military, and
judicial aathorities, and followed by an immense crowd
of the townspeople. In times of public calamity espe-
cially these venerable relics are borne in solemn proces-
sion through the city to reanimate the hope and piety
of its people. Priests osly have the honour of carrying
them. The houses before which they pass are hung
with white draperies. During the cholera of 1857, a
similar procession took place in Yannes, which was
desolated by the epidemic, which bad until then spared
it ; and this pious ceremony lessened the intensity of the
plague.'

CHAPTER XVI.

DEVOTION OFFERED TO ST. yjNCENT FERRER BY THE PEOPLE AND
BT HOLT PERSONAOES — EXTRAORDINARY FAVOURS WITH WHICH
THE SAINT REWARDED THE DEVOTION OF HIS CLIENTS.

I ANNE S is not the only place where the worship
of St. Yincent Ferrer flourished. The city
which gave birth to the Saint is also distin-
guished by its devotion to him. In 1460 the inhabitants
of Yalencia erected in the church of the Friar Preachers
a magnificent chapel, dedicated to their fellow-country-
man, into which they translated the bones of his father
and mother in the year 1472. In accordance with the
Saint's prophecy when yet a child, they transformed his
house into a sanctuary, and placed in it a statue carved

> '' Vie de Saint Yinoent Ferrier/* par M. TAbb^ Bayle, c. 29.

184 BT. VINCENT FEBBEB.

in cypress, commemoratiye of the future destiny which
the miraculous child had foretold. This was not
accomplished without a miracle. When search was
made in the timber-yards for the trunk of a tree pro-
portioned to the object proposed, none could be found
that was large enough. It was at length suggested to
take the trunk of a cypress that had been cut down in
the garden belonging to the Saint's house. When this
piece of timber got into the carver's hands, it miracu-
lously increased to the height and size of an ordinary
man.

In 1625, the Canons of Yannes bestowed some of the
Saint's bones on the Uominicans at Valencia. These
relics were received with extraordinary solemnity; on
which occasion a young girl, blind from her birth, and
afiSicted with a consuming fever, instantaneously received
her sight and recovered her health.

In 1555, the centenary of the Saint's canonisation
was celebrated in the same city with great pomp and
magnificence. In 1665, when a Provincial Council
prescribed a liturgical reform, the Archbishop of
Valencia wished to reduce the Feast of St. Vincent
Ferrer to the rank of an ordinary feast not of obligation.
But the inhabitants of Valencia appealed to the Holy
See, and St. Pius V., who then occupied the Pontifical
Chair, sanctioned their petition by declaring the Feast
of St. Vincent to be of precept, and confirming the
celebration of its octave.

In 1694, Clement VIII. ruled that this Feast should
be solemnised on the first Monday after the octave of

GENERAL DEVOTION TO HIM. 185

Easter, when the requirements of the rubrics did not
admit of its being kept on the 6th of April.

In 1600, Uon Juan d'Aguilar, who had obtained from
the Canons of Yannes a rib of St. Vincent, gave it
to the Cathedral of Valencia, where it was received
with due reverence and becoming dignity ; on this
occasion also, an infirm woman, who for nine months
had been unable to move without the aid of crutches,
was suddenly cured of her ailment by recommending
herself to tho Saint. A person born dumb also received
his speech.

The piety of the faithful was not satisfied with merely
keeping St. Vincent's Feast and making it one of
obligation, they, moreover, celebrated every year the
special circumstances of his life with great solemnity.
In January, the memory of his baptism is honoured in
the parish of St. Stephen with all the attendants of
religious pomp. On the 5th of February,- it was
customary to hold a service in the Saint's cell, which
was turned into a chapel, to commemorate the anni-
versary of his religious profession. On the 7th of April,
he was honoured for the miraculous cure of Dona Blanca,
which he performed on that day. At the end of June,
the confraternity of the twelve associates of St. Vincent
solemnise the anniversary of his canonisation. This
confraternity was established by Blessed John Micon;
each of the members were charged to keep in order for
one month the sanctuaries of Valiencia dedicated to St.
Vincent. In the episcopal seminary of that city was
preserved with pious care the Saint's doctoral cap, one

186 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

of bis capuces, the font at which he was baptised, tbd
Bible which he constantly used, with marginal notes in
his own handwriting, and one of his cappas with the
black capnce. Statues of St. Vincent were multiplied at
the corners of the streets, and in the public squares ;
the name of Vincent was commonly given to children.
In short, this city spared nothing to glorify the most
illustrious of its sons.

Blessed John of Pistoia, a Dominican who was cele-
brated for his preaching and miracles, spread devotion
to our Saint in Tuscany, throughout the rest of Italy,
and in Dalmatia. It was in consequence of this that,
at Prato, between Pistoia and Florence, Blessed Silves-
ter of Marradi, conjointly with Blessed Raphael of
Faenza, founded, at the commencement of the sixteenth
century, a Convent of Sisters of the Third Order under
his protection, and it was in this convent that the
glorious St. Catherine of Bicci flourished.

Another Beligious spread the worship of the Saint in
Sicily. He was from Vannes ; when he was fourteen
months old, his mother, seized with a fit of madness,
cut him in pieces. His father, full of faith in St.
Vincent, gathered up the different portions of the body,
and carried them to the Saint's tomb. His child was
miraculously restored to him, and it was this same
child who, out of gratitude having entered the holy
Order of St. Dominic, spent his whole life in propa-
gating devotion to the Saint, who resuscitated him in
so marvellous a manner.'

* Francisoa Gastilione, apud BoUanditt. April, Tom. L p. 512.

GENEBAL DEYOTION TO HIM. 187

Among the holy personages of our Order who have
shown particular devotion to the great Apostle of the
fifteenth century, we may single out Blessed Catherine
Lenzi, Blessed Golumba of Bieti, Blessed Lucy of Narni,
Blessed Magdalen of Panatieri; Blessed John Micon,
Blessed Alexander Capocchi ; the holy Pontiff, Blessed
Benedict XTTT., who, on joining the Dominican Order,
took the name of Vincent ; but especially St. Louis
Bertrand, like him a child of Valencia, the great
Thaumaturgus and Apostle of Central America. The
latter received from his parents the tender devotion
which animated them towards St. Vincent Ferrer.
When the moment arrived which was to decide his
vocation, love of solitude drew him to the Chartreux ;
but his love for St. Vincent was stronger, for it was
through love of him that he desired to enter into his
Order. Having been appointed Master of Novices, he un-
ceasingly explained to his disciples the Saint's ** Treatise
on the Spiritual Life," and profited by the examples it
contained to lead them on in the practice of every virtue.
''Let us see, my children," he would say at the con-
clusion of his discourse, '' let us see which of us shall
be the imitator of this great man, whose equal is not to
be found in the world." When he was elected Prior,
St. Louis consulted our Saint, who bid him accept the
post, and even embraced him by means of one (^ his
statues, at the same time promising him his protection.
It is well known with what success St. Louis Bertrand
used the prayers of St. Vincent Ferrer in curing the sick.*

* Teoli, Ub. iii. Tratt. i. o. 13.

188 BT. VINOENT FERRER.

Outside the Order, we may instance especially Blessed
Nicholas. Factor, a Franciscan, and the great St. Vincent
de Panl, among those who professed a special devotion
to the Saint. Blessed Nicholas Factor employed, after
the example of St. Louis Bertrand, the prayers of St.
Vincent Ferrer in healing \he infirm. One day, a
Franciscan lay-brother, who accompanied him on a
visit to the sick, humorously asked him why he, a
religious of the Seraphic Patriarch, did not exhort the
sick to have recourse to St. Francis and St. Antony of
Padua, rather than to St. Dominic and St. Vincent
Ferrer, of another Order. "Hold your tongue, you
blockhead," answered the holy man ; " in heaven the
saints are not jealous of one another ; there we shall
all be of one Order, and there will be no distinction of
habit. All will be clad in the same garments of glory."

St. Vincent de Paul acknowledged St. Vincent Ferrer
as his own special patron. He made his life a daily
study, and had constantly in his hands the " Treatise on
the Spiritual Life," in order that he might conform
thereto not only his own heart and actions, but also
those of the priests of his institute.'

In his life of St. Vincent Ferrer, the pious Father
Teoli devotes numerous pages to the recital of the
favours obtained by those who invoked the Saint, and
have done honour to him, either in venerating his
statues by burning lamps before them, or promising to
celebrate his novenas and to practise the devotion of the
Fridays dedicated to him. We shall record some of

> Teoli, lib. iii. Tratt. i. o. 14 ed 15, Ao.

OENEBAL DEVOTION TO HIM. 189

the most remarkable of these, in order to incite oar dear
readers to have recourse to this good Father in their
spiritual or temporal needs.

Valencia, the cherished city of St. Vincent, never
forsook him, and he relieved it in all its necessities.
It was he who, by his intercession, procured for it so
many holy religious, who, in the course of ages, have
laboured for the maintenance of the Catholic Faith in
its bosom, and for the reformation of its morals. He
has, moreover, averted from it the visible punishments
of divine vengeance, which at times threatened it by
reason of its sins.

In the year 1651, Valencia suffered from a dearth of
provisions, which affected the entire population. At
the moment when want was most keenly felt, there were
at Cagliari, in Sardinia, some corn-merchants who were
ready to put out to sea with three vessels laden with
com. While they were debating among themselves
concerning the port to which they should sail, they
arrived at the convent of St. Dominic, and were accosted
by a strange religious of gentle and dignified bearing,
who said to them, '^ I am a native of Valencia, in Spain.
I would counsel you to ship your provisions thither;
you will dispose of them to great advantage, for the
inhabitants of that city are at this moment visited with
a terrible fiftmine." They promised to follow his advice.
On the morning before setting sail, they deemed it
expedient to see the religious of that city, in order to
pay their respects to him and receive his commissions.
They inquired of the brother porter, who could give

140 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

them no information, **for," said he, "we have never
seen a religious from Valencia." They then retired;
bnt when they had gone a few paces, they perceived in
a niche a statue of St. Vincent Ferrer, which perfectly
resembled the religious who had spoken to them on the
previous evening. Arrived at Valencia on the 17th of
January, they failed not to acquaint its inhabitants with
what had happened to them; and the latter doubted
not that the solicitude of their holy Patron had induced
him to come to their assistance by appearing to those
merchants. Valencia was, fifty years afterwards, sub-
jected to a great drought. Penances and public prayers
were offered up, but without any result. There was at
that moment a child of eight years old, named Vincent
Villarasa, who was suffering from malignant fever, and
was on the point of expiring. His father and mother,
not having courage to witness the death of their child,
retired from the room, leaving him to the care of one of
his aunts. But at the moment when the latter thought
the child had breathed its last, she suddenly heard him
call to her. " Aunt," said the child, " the Saint ! "
"What do you say?" she replied. He repeated the
same words, "Aunt, the Saint ! " Hearing this colloquy,
the relations and other persons who were in an adjoin-
ing room hastened to his bedside, and inquired of the
child who the saint was who appeared to him. " It is
a saint," answered he, " clothed in black and white ; he
holds his hands pointing towards heaven, and bears
on his head a bright flame." From these words they
gathered that he spoke of St. Vincent Ferrer, towards

GENEBAL DEVOTION TO HIM. 141

whom the child's father had great devotion. All present
knelt down on the side of the bed where the child said
the Saint had appeared to him. The father then
inquired] if the Saint had really spoken. *'Yes/' said
the little Vincent; '^he told me that I am already
cured, and that it will rain to-morrow." This twofold
promise was accompUshed. On the foUowing morning
the parents conducted their child to the Church of St.
Dominic to offer their thanksgiving to St. Vincent^ and
on that very morning a copious rain fell, which lasted
three days, and revived the hopes of a good harvest.
This fact was authentically attested in a public act.
Thus the inhabitants of Valencia, mindful of the con-
stant protection of their heavenly citizen, have, from
time immemorial, supplicated their esteemed Patron by
the following antiphon : —

Hio est qni preyalnit amplificare
Giyitatem, qoiqne adeptOB est gloriam
In oonyeriatione gentis, glorioBiiB in
CcDlis, et Pater noBter, Yinoentiiis. Alleluia.

This is he who preyaUed to enlarge the city, and obtained glory
in his coQYersation with the people, and is now clothed with glory
in heaven, our Patron, Vincent. Alleluia.

The religious of the Dominican Convent at Valencia
frequently had the consolation of seeing St. Vincent
descend from heaven, join in their holy exercises,
accompany them to the refectory, the dormitory, and
the church. '* During the greater part of the night,"
observed Blessed Dominic Anadon, ''we have St.
Vincent in the dormitory, on the side of his old cell.

142 ST. VINCENT FEBRER.

We ought," he adds, " to cover that part of the convent
with gold and precious stones."^

St. Vincent appeared to Blessed Columba of Eieti,
who ardently desired to enter the Third Order of St.
Dominic, and, assuring her that her desires were
granted, he exhorted her to carefully prepare herself
for it. He also announced to Blessed Magdalen of
Panatieri, her approaching death ; and on leaving her,
he left her cell filled with a celestial perfume.

He, on one occasion, introduced St. Catherine of
Bicci into heaven in presence of our Lord, and showed
her the particular glory which the saints and blessed of
the Order enjoy ; during her agony, the Saint invoked
him, and obtained through his powerful intercession the
gift of final perseverance.*

St. Vincent loaded St. Louis Bertrand with his
favours. The latter being once grievously ill, was visited
by his great friend, Blessed John Bibera, Archbishop of
Valencia. In the course of the prelate's visit, a Dominican
entered the chamber, and seating himself on the side of
the bed, began to console St. Louis with kind words.
The sufferer, forgetting the presence of the Archbishop,
who was at the other side of the bed, turned his back
upon him to listen to the religious. The latter having
disappeared some moments afterwards, St. Louis, per-
ceiving the fault he had committed, said to the Arch-
bishop : '^ Do not take amiss, my Lord, what I did ;
the religious who conversed with me is St. Vincent
Ferrer, I am quite sure of it ; he has announced to me

> TeoH, Ub. ui. Tratt. i. c. 11. « Teoli, o. 12.

GENERAL DEVOTION TO HIM. 148

the happiest news I could possibly desire — the hour of
my passage to Paradise is at hand." At that last
moment St. Vincent, with the Son of God and His most
holy Mother, assisted him.

St. Louis was one day invited by the same prelate to
spend some time in the country. Not being able to
go himself, he sent another religious of his Order to
take his place, assuring the prelate that the conversation
of the latter would be of great spiritual profit to him.
The Archbishop, indeed, experienced an extraordinary
sweetness in conversing with this religious, and at each
of his words felt the fire of divine love enkindle in his
heart in the most lively manner. When the religious
departed, he left his host filled with consolation and
astonishment ; never, not even with St. Louis Bertrand,
had he experienced such an abundance of heavenly
favours. When the prelate returned to Valencia, his
first care was to repair to the Convent of St. Dominic
to renew the conversation he had with the religious who
had been with him in the country. He then asked St.
Louis to let him see him again, saying that he had .
been consoled by him more than he could possibly
describe. "I can well believe it, my Lord," said St.
Louis, " for that religious was St. Vincent Ferrer, who
was pleased to favour your Grace with that visit, in
order to recompense and confirm, at the same time, the
devotion which you profess towards him."^

A nun of the celebrated Convent of Prouille, being
grievously ill, was miraculously cured by commending

» TeoH, Ub. iii. Tratt. i. c. 13.

146 .ST. VINCENT FERRER.

PEEFACE.

PUEPOSE giving in this treatise, salutary
counsels drawn solely from the writings and
expressions of the holy doctors of the Church ;
yet to carry out my design, I shall not cite any of the
Fathers in particular, nor the testimonies of Holy Scrip-
ture ; for I wish to use but few words, and to address
myself to the humble and simple of heart, whose only
desire is to accomplish what may appear to him to be
most available for rendering himself pleasing to God.
I shall therefore set aside proofs, my desire being not to
dispute with the proud, but to instruct the humble heart
which is already convinced.

He who would become a useful guide to souls, and
edify them by his speech, must first of all possess in him-
self the virtues which he is desirous to inspire in them ;
without this he will accomplish little. His words will
have no effect, unless he appears to practise what he
teaches, and to be gifted with even a greater personal
sanctity than that which he exacts from others.

ON POVEBTY. 147

CHAPTER I.

ON POVERTY.

E who aspires to be the director of others is
bound to despise all earthly goods as so much
dross, to accept of nothing but what a rigid
neces^ty allows, and to suffer some inconvenience for
the sake of poverty. A certain author observes : '' To
be poor is a thing which in itself merits no praise ; bat
what renders it meritorious is the fact of loving poverty,
and of suffering with joy, for Christ's sake, whatever
wants poverty entails on us."

Unhappily, there are many who glory only in the
name of poverty, who embrace it merely on the con-
dition that they shall want for nothing. They desire to
pass for the friends of poverty, but strenuously shun its
daily accompaniments, viz. hunger and thirst, contempt
and humiliation. Such is not the example given by
Him Who, being sovereignly rich, became poor for our
sakes. Such is not what we discover in the acts and in-
structions of the Apostles ; neither is it the model that
we find in the life of our Father St. Dominic : this
requires no proof.

Ask nothing of any one, except when absolute neces-
sity obliges you; neither accept the presents which
people offer you, unless it be to distribute them among
the poor. By acting thus, both they whose gifts you
refuse, and they who hear of your disinterestedness, will

11 *

148 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

be edified ; thus will yon the more easily lead them to
despise the world and to relieve the poor.

All that is implied in the term necessary, may be re-
duced to a frugal diet and plain clothing, without caring
to provide for the future, but having only what is need-
ful for the wants of each day.

I do not include among necessaries a goodly store of
books; since, under this pretext, avarice not unfre-
quently lurks. The books of the community, and
those that may be borrowed, are sufficient to instruct
you. He who would qualify himself in study, ought
first of all to practise, with a humble heart, the lessons
that have been taught him. If contrariwise, he coptra-
dicts these by a spirit of pride, he will never acquire the
light of intelligence. Jesus Christ, who has taught us
humility by His own example, conceals His truth from
the proud, and reveals it only to the humble.

CHAPTER II.

ON SILENCE.

AVING laid the soKd foundation of poverty in-
culcated by Jesus Christ Himself when, seated
on the mountain, he said : ^^ Blessed are the
poor in spirit ; " it behoves us to strive vigorously to
repress the tongue. This organ ought only to be em-
ployed in useful speech, and never to become the instru-
ment of vain and idle words. In order the better to
restrain the tongue, accustom yourself to reply rather

ON SILENCE. 149

than to express an opinion, and then only in answer to
some nsefnl and necessary question ; all frivoloas ques-
tions will be best answered by silence. Yet, if you
should sometimes indulge in a little pleasantry, by way
of recreation, regulate your tone and manner in such a
way as not to wound the sensibilities of others. Avoid
everything that would lead people to regard you as
singular, severe, or as one who exceeds the bounds of
piety. Should they complain of you, or blame your be-
haviour, it will then be needful to redouble your prayers
for such persons, that God in His goodness may chase
from their hearts all that is an occasion of trouble or
annoyance to them. Nevertheless, speak whenever a
pressing necessity invites you, such as charity to your
neighbour, or the obedience which you have promised to
your Superior. In such cases, think beforehand what
you ought to say, and express yourself in few words,
and in a gentle and respectful tone, which will indicate
the humility of your heart. You should also observe
the same rule when any one questions you. If you re-
main silent for a time, it should be done with a view
to edify your neighbour, and to foresee what may be
conveniently said when the moment for speaking shall
arrive. Beseech God to supply your silence, and to in-
teriorly make known to others that the obligation you
are under of subduing the tongue prohibits you from
speaking to them.

150 ST. VINCENT FERREB.

CHAPTER III.

ON PURITT OF HEART.

HEN by voluntary poverty and silence you have
banished from your heart the useless cares
and vain alarms which prevent virtue from
taking root and fructifying therein, as in a fertile soil,
it remains for you to establish in your soul the virtues
that are necessary to enable you to attain the degree of
purity spoken of by our Lord in His gospel, that degree
by which you will be interiorly enlightened, and enabled
to contemplate the things of God. It is by this divine
contemplation that you will acquire tranquillity and
peace, and that He, who makes His habitation in
peace, will Himself deign to dwell within you. You
will clearly perceive that I purpose not to speak here of
that purity which excludes from the heart those criminal
thoughts that are interdicted to all ; but of that strict
purity which separates man, as far as it is possible in
this mortal life, from all frivolous thoughts, and allows
him to think only of God, or what will lead him to Him.
But, in order to obtain this gift of celestial purity, worthy
of being styled Divine, since he who attaches himself to
God becomes one and the same spirit with Him, hearken
to what appears to me to be absolutely necessary.

First, it behoves you to deny yourself, according to
Our Lord's precept : " If thou wilt come after Me,
deny thyself" (Matt. xvi. 24). The meaning of these
words is, that it is necessaiy to mortify oneself in every

ON PURITY OF HEABT. 151'

particular, to trample under foot, so to speak, our own
will, and to contradict it in everything, by sweetly sub-
mitting oneself to that of others, provided that what
,they exact of us is just, permissible, and within the
rules of decorum. But a general rule in all things
temporal, and which have reference to the wants of the-
body, is that of never following our own will when we
perceive it to be in opposition to that of others. Suffer
every kind of inconvenience to preserve an interior
tranquillity of soul, too frequently disturbed by these
contradictions, when, by adhering to your own judgment
and conceits, you engage in useless disputes.

It is not only in temporal matters that it is fitting
not to follow our own will ; but even in things spiritual,
or what is akin thereto, it is more advantageous to rule
oneself by the will of another, provided it be good,
although our own judgment may appear better and
more perfect ; for contentions and disputes cause us to
lose much more, by weakening humility, tranquillity, and
peace of heart, than we should be able to gain by the
most perfect exercises of virtue, when in this we pursuo
our own will in opposition to the will of another. I speak
here of those persons who, united with you in the exer-
cises of virtue, are aspiring like yourself to perfection,
and not of those who call evil good, and good evil, and
who show greater diligence in examining and condemn-
ing the words and actions of other people, than in cor-
recting their own unruly ways. I do not counsel you to
be guided by the judgment of every sort of person in
spiritual matters ; but in temporal concerns, it is differ-

152 ST. VINCENT FBBREB.

ent : here it will be always more to your advantage to
submit to the will of another, than to follow your own.
But should yon meet with opposition in the performance
of good works, whether for your own advancement, for
God's glory, or the benefit of your neighbour, or even
should you be absolutely hindered therefrom, be this on
the part of your superiors, your equals, or inferiors, do
not dispute with them about it; but hold your peace,
and attaching yourself more closely to God, say to Him,
" Lord, I suffer violence, answer Thou for me." Grieve
not, for in the end this will infallibly turn to your own
and others' advantage. I say more : that which you see
not now, will one day be visible to you ; that which
appears an obstacle to your designs, will be the very
means that will lead to their final accomplishment. I
might instance here examples gathered from the fruitfal
field of Holy Scripture, as that of Joseph, and many
others, but I wish not to swerve from my purpose of
avoiding quotations. My own experience itself affords
sure testimony of the accuracy of my words.

When you are prevented from labouring for God's
glory, either by reason of bodily infirmity, or from some
other cause which marks His Divine pleasure, be not
grieved ; but cast yourself with confidence into the arms
of Him who knows what is most to your advantage; and
who draws you to Himself in proportion as you firbandon
yourself without reserve to His direction. Let your
chief concern, under these circumstances, be to preserve
peace and tranquillity of heart. Be afflicted only on ac-
count of your sins, and the sins of others, and whatever

ON PUBITY OF HEART. 158

is calculated to lead you into sin. I repeat once more, be
not distressed at the accidents that befall yon ; neither
allow yourself to be inflaenced nor sarprised by move-
ments of indignation at the faults of others ; but show
affection and pity to all, ever bearing in mind that, un-
less Jesus Christ sustained you by His grace, you would
doubtless be guilty of greater excesses than they. Be
ready to suffer opprobrium, harsh and disagreeable
things, and every sort of contradiction for Christ's
sake ; for without this you can never be His disciple.

Should TOin desires or lofty ideas spring up in your
heart, under whatsoever pretext of charity this may be,
stifle them at their birth, crush with the Cross of Christ
this head of the infernal dragon. To this end, call to
mind the deep humiliation and the excessive sufferings
of the Man-God. Treasure up this thought always :
Jesus despised the honours of royalty, and chose volun-
tarily the punishment of the Cross, by despising the
ignominy and shame attached thereto.

Fly with care the praises of men, hold them in abhor-
rence as you would a mortal poison ; but rejoice when
you are slighted, being convinced in the depth of your
heart that you are worthy of being despised and
trampled under foot by all. Never lose sight of your
sins and defects. Endeavour, as much as possible, to
penetrate their enormity. Be not afraid of making them
appear greater than they perhaps are. But as for the
shortcomings of others, strive not to see them, and to
cast them, so to speak, behind you. If you cannot
avoid seeing them, endeavour at least to lessen them.

154 ST. TINCENT FERREB.

and to excuse them as much as you are able, and, thus
filled with compassion and indulgence for your neigh-
bour, do all in your power to help him. Turn away
your eyes and thoughts from the sight of others, that
you may the more attentively consider yourself. Ex-
amine into your own acts, and judge yourself without
indulgence. In all your thoughts and words, and in
your spiritual reading, strive to rebuke and correct
what is amiss in you, and to discover in yourself sub-
jects of sorrow and compunction ; calling to mind that
the good you do is very defective, that it is never per-
formed with the fervour that God requires, and that
consequently it is corrupted by an infinity of faults and
negligences, so that it might be justly compared to the
most defiled thing in this world. Be careful, then, to
rebuke yourself severely before God, not only for the
faults and negligences, which creep into your words and
actions, but also for the thoughts that are not only bad,
but useless : reputing yourself more vile and miserable
than all other sinners, whatever may be their sins ; being
persuaded that if God dealt ^ith you according to His
justice, instead of His mercy, you would merit the
severest punishment, and to be excluded from the joys
of eternal life; since having bestowed on you many
more graces than He has given to multitudes of others,
He finds nothing in you but ingratitude.

Again, call often to mind, with fear and trembling,
that whatever disposition you have for good, whatever
grace and desire to acquire virtue, it is Jesus Christ
Who, in His mercy, gives it to you ; that this in no way

ON PURITY OP HEART. 165

comes from yourself, and that it was in His power, had
He chosen, to bestow the same grace on the most
criminal of mankind, while He might have left you
in an abyss of filth and misery.

Be always more and more strongly persuaded that
there never was a person burdened with crime, who did
not serve God better than yourself, and who would not
have been more thankful for His benefits, had he re-
ceived from Him the same graces which, by a gratuitous
mercy. He has heaped upon you, in which your own
merits have no share. You will, then, without delusion,
be able to consider yourself the most miserable of men,
and to dread, with reason, being rejected from the pre-
sence of Jesus Christ, on account of your ingratitude
and sins. Still I do not say that this sentiment ought
to induce you to believe that you are without God's
grace, and in a state of mortal sin, or that there may
not be an infinity of sinners who commit numberless
sins. But, in examining others, we frequently pass an
uncertain and mistaken judgment, both, because there
are many things which are hidden from us, and because
God may have at any moment touched our brother's
heart, and given him the grace of true contrition.

When you humble yourself in this sort before God,
by contrasting yourself with other sinners, it is not
fitting that you should enter in detail into their sins.
It is sufficient to consider them in general, in order to
compare them with your own ingratitude. If, however,
you closely inspect the sins of others, you will be able,
in some measure, to appropriate them, and to reproach

156 BT. VINCENT FERRER.

yourself with them. This person, you will say, is a
murderer : am not I one also — I, who have so often
brought death to my soul ? That other is impure, an
adulterer : what more am I — I, who have scarcely done
anything else but daily commit spiritual adultery, by
turning my back upon God, and yielding myself to the
suggestions of the devil ? You will be able in like
manner to survey every other sin. But, should you
perceive that, by these reflections, the devil tempts you
to despair, then occupy yourself no longer with them ;
reanimate yourself with the confidence you have in God,
reflect on His goodness and great mercy, which have
already prevented you by so many benefits, and be as-
sured that He will accomplish in you the work ivhich
you have begun. Ordinarily speaking, no one who has
made any progress in the spiritual life, and who is at
all acquainted with the ways of God, need have any fear
of falling into despair.

These few reflections with which I have supplied you,
will form in you this excellent virtue, which must be re-
garded as the source, the mother and guardian of all
others : I mean humility ; a virtue which, purifying the
heart from all vain and useless thoughts, opens the eyes
of the soul, and adapts them to the contemplation of
the Majesty of God. For^ when a person enters into
himself with a view to discover his corruption, to despise
himself, and bewail his miseries — when he attentively
examines the workings of his own heart— he Ughts upon
so much that intimately concerns himself, that he can
no longer think of anything else. Thus, forgetting and

ON PUBITY OF HEART. 167

driving far from him every image of what he has seen
and heard, and even of the exterior acts that he has
performed, he begins to enter into a state of recollection,
to come nearer to the innocence of childhood, and to
participate in the purity of the blessed spirits. Thns,
totally occupied with reflections on himself, his eyes are
opened to view the things of God; while he gradually
disposes his heart to rise to the contemplation of what is
most sublime, whether it be in the angels, or in God
Himself. The soul is by this means inflamed with a
love of celestial goods, and looks upon those of the
earth as of no account. Then, perfect charity begins to
burn in the heart, and its divine heat consumes therein
all the rust of sin. But when charity is thus in posses-
sion of the soul, vanity no longer finds access to it. All
its thoughts, words, and acts are produced by the move-
ments of charity. It can then instruct others without
the fear of vainglory. For, I have already said that
vainglory can never gain entrance to a heart that is
under the complete dominion of charity. Could it
tempt, with the bait of temporal gain, him, who de-
spises it as dirt ? Gould the desire of praise move him,
who, before God, esteems himself far beneath the vilest
thing, a most unworthy, miserable sinner, liable to fall
at any moment into the grossest crimes, unless the help-
ing hand of his Creator continually sustains him ? How
can he be puffed up at the thought of his good works, when
he clearly perceives his inability to perform the smallest
good, without being incited, and, as it were, pushed on
every moment by the grace of an Omnipotent God ?

158 ST. VINCEKT FEBBER.

How can he take credit to himself for his good works,
who has a thousand times experienced the inability to
do any good, great or small, by his own power, even
when he desires it ; and who on the other hand, when
he has no such inclination, when he gives himself no
concern about it, and is intent upon something else, is
suddenly roused by the help of God to perform what his
own fruitless efforts had previously attempted? God,
indeed, permits that these impossibilities in man to do
good should endure for a long period, in order to teach
him to humble himself, to abstain from seeking his own
glory, and to refer all that he does to Himself, not
through mere habit, but with all the affection of his
heart : it is then he perceives without a shadow of doubt,
that not only can he not perform any act, but that he is
even incapable of pronouncing the Name of Jesus
except by the Holy Spirit, and unless He, who has said :
" Without Me ye can do nothing," gives him the power.
It behoves him to testify his thankfulness to God, and
to say, " Lord, .... Thou hast wrought all our works
for us " (Isaias xxvi. 12). And let him further exclaim
with the royal prophet : " Not to us, Lord, not to us;
but to Thy Name give glory" (Psalm cxiii. 1). They, then,
who are intent upon God's glory and the salvation of
souls, have nothing to fear on the part of vainglory.

I have expressed in few words the dispositions that
are requisite in him who would lead a perfect life, and
whose only aim is to labour for the salvation of his soul.
What I have said will suffice for him who has acquired
a knowledge of the things of God, and who has long

ON BPIBITUAL DIBECTION. 159

habituated himself to the exercises of the spiritual life ;
for all the practices of perfection may be reduced to the
principles which I have laid down in an abridged form.
When he has faithfully observed the three rules which
I have given, viz. poverty, silence, and the interior
exercises which lead to purity of heart, he wUl easily
judge in what manner he ought to perform his outward
actions. But as all are not equally capable of under-
standing what is said in few words, we shall examine
somewhat further in detail the particular acts of virtue.

CHAPTER IV.

PEBFBOTION IS MORS EASILY ATTAINED THROUGH THE HELP
OF A DIRECTOR THAN BY OUR OWN UNAIDED EFFORTS.

|T is very certain that he who would arrive at
perfection will attain it more easily and in a
shorter space of time by the assistance of a
director, who will guide him in everything, and to
whom he must be obedient in the smallest matters, than
if left to himself, however great may be the spirit of in-
telligence with which God has gifted him. Nay more :
Jesus Christ ^ill never bestow His grace — ^without which
we can accomplish nothing — on him who, having a guide
at hand, neglects this means, by persuading himself that
he is well qualified to strike out for himself a path that
will lead him to salvation. Obedience is the royal road
by which man can reach, without obstacle, the summit
of that mystical ladder whereon the Lord is seen to rest.

160 8T. VINCENT FERSEB.

It is the road traversed by the Fathers in the Desert ;
and those, who, in a short time, have attained perfection,
knew no other. If God, however, by a special grace,
has Himself deigned to guide certain sonis who were
destitute of the means of direction, it was only to
supply, by His bounty, the external helps that were
wanting to them. He deals thus with souls who are
united to Him with a humble and fervent heart. There
are, doubtless, few to be found in these lamentable times
to lead souls in the way of perfection. While, on the
other hand, there are many who seduce from the path of
virtue those who are desirous to follow it, but who have
no one to direct them. It is needful, then, to have re-
course to God with their whole soul, and to entreat Him
with earnestness and humility to act towards them the
part of a guide. Yes, they must throw themselves
trustfully into the arms of His mercy, that this God
Who desires not that any one should perish, but that all
should attain a knowledge of His truth, may in His
clemency, receive them as orphans who have no father
but Himself. To you, then, who yearn in the fulness of
your hearts to find God, to you I address myself: to
you, who ardently sigh after perfection with a view to
serve your neighbour; to you, in whom no guile is to
be found, but who seek after God in the simplicity of
your hearts ; to you, who aim at what is most perfect
in virtue ; to you, in short, who desire to arrive at
eternal glory by the path of humility ; to you, once
more, I address myself.

ON OBEDIENCE. 161

CHAPTER V.

ON OBBDIENGB.

HEN he who enlists in the army of Jesus Christ
shall have established in himself the two prin-
cipal foundations of virtue, viz. poverty and
silence, of which we have spoken, he must prepare him-
self to follow in everything the road and rule of obedi-
ence, to abide immovable therein, and to accomplish,
with all the exactitude possible, the rules, constitutions,
and rubrics, in every place, and at all times, in and out-
side the refectory, in the dormitory and in the choir, to
observe faithfully all the prescribed inclinations and
prostrations ; in a word, he must have by heart every-
thing that our Fathers have prescribed, frequently
reminding himself of those words of Jesus Christ:
''He that heareth you, heareth Me, and he that de-
spiseth you, despiseth Me." In short, he must rule
his exterior in such a way, that every action and move-
ment of his body may express entire obedience to Jesus
Christ, and that in the observance of regular discipline
there may reign in him a certain decorum resulting
from the regularity of his conduct ; for he will never be
able to suppress the irregularities of his heart, without
having first subjected the body to a course of discipline
so exact, as to deter him, I will not say from acting, but
from even the slightest movement, which is not in strict
accordance with order and decorum.

162 BT. VINCENT FEBBEB.

CHAPTER VI.

ON THX MANNER OF BEGULATING THE BODY.

|0 regulate the body, yon must first strive toB
resist, with energy and perseverence, intem-
perance in eating and drinking; for unless
you are victorious over this irregularity, you will labour
in vain to acquire other virtues. Observe then what I
have to tell you. Be content with the usual fare that is
given to your brethren, and avoid seeking anything
special for yourself. Shuold any one outside the con-
vent be disposed to send you something out of the usual
course, take nothing for yourself ; but if they should be
willing to bestow it on the Community, let this be done.
When you are invited by your brethren to dine outside
the refectory, do not yield, under any pretext whatsoever,
but stay always in the refectory, observing therein all
the fasts which the rule prescribes, so long as it shall
please God to preserve your health. For, when you are
sick, it will be permitted to treat you according to your
needs, asking nothing, and being content to receive with
thanks whatever is given to you.

But in order not to exceed in eating or drinking,
examine attentively your bodily temperament, and see
what you have need of for your support, so that you may
justly distinguish between what is necessary and super-
fluous. A general rule to be observed in this particular
is, to take at least as much bread as is requisite for your

ON THE HANMEB OF BEGULATING THE BODY. 168

support, according to your bodily requirements, especially
on fasting days ; and listen not to the suggestions of the
devil, who would persuade you that you should not eat
bread.

You may thus discover what is necessary for you, and
what is superfluous, by the following test : Do you ex-
perience, on days when two meals are taken, a drowsi-
ness after None,' and feel in the stomach a certain heat,
which hinders you from being able to pray, read, or
write ? This comes ordinarily from some excess. Do
you feel in a similar condition after Matins, on days
when you have supped, or even after Compline, on days
of fasting ? Be assured that the same drowsiness pro-
ceeds from a like cause. Eat then, especially bread,
according as you have need, so that after the repast you
may be in a condition to read, write, and pray as before.
If, however, you feel less disposition to these exercises
during those hours than at other times, provided you do
not experience the drowsiness to which I have alluded,
you need not consider that a sign of excess.

Examine then, by this or other means, what is neces-
sary to sustain you, and beseech God with simplicity
that He would deign to instruct you in this* Be faithful
in adopting the means with which He will inspire you.
Always esteem what is served to you at table as coming
from His hands; and when, by negligence, you have
been guilty of any excess, omit not to impose on your-
self a penance proportionate to the fault.

> It was customary in St. Yinctnt's time to recite None about an
hour after the first meal,

12*

l&l ST« TI5CEST FECfiEB.

CHAPTEB YIL

BULES TO BB OBSKBTED IB BEGABD TO DBI5K.

T is difficalt to lay down precise rules on this
point, unless it be to retrench something little
by little every day, yet in snch a way as not to
suffer too much from thirst, either by day or during the
night. You will easily be able to stint yourself to a
small quantity of drink when you partake of soup;
nevertheless, it is needful to drink sufficient to aid the
digestion of food. Drink not out of meal-times, except
at eventide on fasting days, or when exhausted with the
fatigue of a journey or lassitude, and then with modera-
tion. Diminish or increase what you take, according as
the Lord shall inspire you.

CHAPTEB VIII.

BULEB TO BE OBSERVED AT TABLE.

HEN the bell rings to summon the Community
to meals, having washed your hands with
gravity, station yourself in the cloister till the
other bell invites you to the refectory. Then, bless the
Lord with all your strength, and let modesty appear in
your exterior and in your voice. Take your place at
table according to the rank which you hold in the Com-
munity. Dispose yourself also to listen to the lecture

BULES TO BE OBSEBVED AT TABLE. 165

that is read during meals, or, in its absence, to meditate
on some pious thought, in order that you may not be
altogether intent on eating, lest while you nourish the
body the soul should be entirely deprived of its food.

Haying seated yourself at table, adjust your habit
with becoming decency, and arrange the cappa a little
over the knees. Make it a rule never to look at those who
sit with you at table, but only at what is set before you.
Be in no hurry to begin immediately after taking your
seat, but wait till you have said a Pater and an Ave for
the souls in purgatory, who are in most need of help.

Strive, as a general rule, that in all your acts and
movements modesty may appear. Should seveml kinds
of bread be placed before you, eat that which is nearest
you, choosing that for which you have the least relish,
and which will minister less to sensuality. Ask for
nothing while you are at table, but wait till some one
else asks for what is necessary for you ; and should he
omit to do so, bear it with patience. Best not the
elbows on the table, and let your hands be thereon only
with a view to serve you. Neither stretch out your legs
nor place your feet one upon the other. Accept not of
two portions, nor anything but what is given to each of
the other religious. Eat nothing that has been specially
put before you, but conceal it as skilfully as you can
among the rest, and leave it on the plate.

It is a custom most pleasing to God to reserve a little
of one's soup to be given to Jesus Christ in the persons
of the poor. The same may be done with regard to
bread ; preserve the best for Jesus Christ, and eat the

166 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

rest. Be not anDojed when any one complains of
this practice, provided your Superior be not opposed to
it. Usually bestow upon the poor Jesus some portion
of your foody and let not this be the worst, but the best.
There are people who give to Jesus Christ the very
worst of what they have, and thus treat Him, if I may
so speak, as they would the animals. Supposing that
with one of the portions served to you, you eat a su£Scient
quantity of bread, the other may be given to Jesus
Christ ; and thus, with His grace, yon will be able to
practise an abstinence that will be most pleasing to Him,
and at the same time unknown to men.

Should that which is served to you appear insipid
and without relish — through want of salt, for example,
or some other seasoning ^" leave it as it is, without
wishing to season it yourself; call to mind on such
occasions the vinegar and gall which Jesus Christ was
pleased to drink. liesiskt sensuality, and secretly deprive
yourself of all condiments, whose properties are only to
excite pleasure in eating.

When something agreeable to the taste is brought
to you at the end of the meal,, deprive yourself of it
for the love of God. Act in like manner with regard
to cheese, fruits, and such things as liqueurs, and better-
flavoured wines; in a word, with everything which,
not being necessary to health, may be calculated to
injure it« For it not unfrequently happens that what
is pleasing to the palate is hurtful to health. If you
abstain from these things for the love of Jesus Christ,
He will doubtless Himself nourish you with the sweets

BULEB TO BE OBSEBYED AT TABLE. 167

of Bpiritnal consolation, and you will find all other
foods agreeable with which you content yourself for
the love of Him.

In order the more easily to abstain from what you
have resolved not to eat, imagine when you are at
table, that, on account of your sins, you deserve to
eat dry bread, and to drink nothing but water. Thus,
regard bread as your sole nourishment, and the other
food which you take beyond this, as a means only to
enable you to eat with less difficulty. If you have
the thought of your sins deeply at heart, and the mor-
tification which is necessary for their expiation, it will
seem to you that you are treated with great indulgence
when anything better than bread is given to you.

Take only a moderate quantity of soup on your plate,
and be satisfied with mixing bread with it. When you
are without a portion, you may eat the whole or half
of your bread. On days when two meals are allowed,
partake of what is necessary for your sustenance, should
nothing else be offered you.

There are many like acts which it is difficult to point
out, but which Jesus Christ will Himself teach you if
you have recourse to Him with your whole heart, and
place your entire reliance on Him. It is impossible
to express the numberless means which He will make
known to you, if you hearken attentively to Him.

Be not of the number of those who appear never to
finish their meal ; on the contrary, cease eating as soon
as possible, yet with becoming decency, in order to
bestow your whole attention on the reading that is

168 ST. VINCENT FERREB.

going on. When you leave the table, return thanks
with your whole heart to the All-powerful Lord, Who
has made you a sharer of His bounty, and has given
you the grace to overcome sensuality. Spare not your
voice in praising and blessing, as soon as possible.
Him, Who so liberally dispenses His benefits. Think,
my dear brother, that there is an infinity of poor people
who would esteem it good cheer to have only the bread
that God has bestowed on you, without the other kinds
of food. Be assured that it is Jesus Christ Who has
given you all that was served to you, and that it was
He who waited on you at table. See, then, what mo-
desty, what respect and gravity, you ought to have in
a place where you know that God Himself is present !
What a happiness it would be for you, were it given
you, to witness all these things with the eyes of your
soul ! You would then behold the Son of God Himself,
followed by a multitude of saints, entering the room
wherein you take your repast, and filling it with His
august Presence.

CHAPTER IX.

ON THB MEANS OP PERSEVERING IN SOBRIETY AND ABSTINENCE.

N order to continue in abstinence and sobriety
live always in fear, remembering that this virtue
comes only from God ; and beg of Him grace to
persevere in its practice. If you would be upheld therein
without faili^re, neither judge nor condemn others ; stifle

ON SOBBIETT AND ABSTINENCE. 169

the movements of indignation which you feel against
those who observe not the necessary rules in regard to
eating. Pity them, pray for them, and excuse them as
much as you are able. Bear in mind that you are no
more than others in this respect ; that it is Jesus Christ
Who upholds you by His grace, not in consideration of
your merits, but solely by His mercy.

You will remain firm, if you cherish these thoughts.
For, why have so many, who courageously began and
made great progress in abstinence and other virtues,
fallen into bodily dejection and weariness of spirit ? It
is because presumption and pride made them confident
of themselves, and filled them with indignation against
others whose judges they constituted themselves, and
whom they interiorly condemned. Hence, God with-
drawing from them the gifts of His grace, they lost their
primitive fervour ; and falling into the opposite extremity
and into a state of indifference, they have become sick
and infirm ; so that in the end, by striving to recruit
their health, they have exceeded in this the bounds of
strict moderation, and are become more deUcate and in-
temperate than those whom they previously condemned.
I have known many such who have fallen into this mis-
fortune ; God permitting, as usual, that they who rashly
condemn others should fall into the same faults which
they reprove, and sometimes even into much greater.
Serve then the Lord with fear and trembling ; and when
you are elated at the remembrance of His bounties which
He has bestowed on you, reprehend and correct yourself,
fearing lest He be irritated against you, and you perish

170 ST. VINCENT FERREB.

by departing from the right path. Act thus, and you
will remain firm and stable; for these are the means
most agreeable to the All-powerful Lord, whereby you
can resist intemperance.

CHAPTER X.

RULES TO BE OBSERVED IS BBGABD TO SLEEP, WATCHING, STUDY,

AND CHOIB.

E must endeavour not to fall into excess
touching the matter of sleep and watching. It
is difficult, I admit, to observe a just measure
in this ; for both body and soul are in great peril when
they exceed the limits of discretion, either by too great
an abstinence, or by excessive watching. It is not so in
the exercise of other virtues where excess is not so much
to be feared. The reason is, that when the devil perceives
a person in great fervour of spirit, he uses all his craft to
induce him to watch much and to practise great absti-
nence. He thereby causes him to fall into such a state
of bodily weakness, as to be unfit for anything, and in
the end it is necessary, as I have already observed, that
he should eat and sleep more than others. Now, no such
person will ever venture to return again to the exercises
of fasting and watching, knowing that these have occa-
sioned his illness ; and the devil unites in persuading
him to avoid them, and inspires him with the notion that
there is no other cause of the malady, although it may
not be precisely the result of either fasting or watching,
but of the excess to which they have been pushed.

ON SLEEP, WATCHINO, STUDY, ETO. 171

An inexperienced person, who knows not the deceits
of the devil, is ever in great danger of being surprised ;
for, under the false garb of piety, the tempter says to
him : " Thou who art guilty of so many sins, how wilt
thou be able to make satisfaction for them without extra-
ordinary penance ?" Or if he be not conscious of serious
faults, he will represent to him the excessive austerities
and mortifications which the Fathers of the Desert have
undergdne. This inexperienced person is incapable of
persuading himself that such thoughts, clothed with the
appearance of good, could not but come from God. Thus
he is under a serious misapprehension when he fails to
have recourse to God, by fervent prayer accompanied
with a humble fear ; for, if he prayed, the Lord would
hear him, and would Himself guide him when there is
no one to whom he can apply for direction. He who
lives under the rule of holy obedience, and is constantly
instructed by a director, is free from all such illusions,
even should the director himself be mistaken, by not
observing the rules of prudence. God will in that case
give him grace, by reason of his obedience, that all may
turn to his profit. We might instance this by many
authorities and examples.

This, then, is what may be observed with regard to
sleep and watching. In summer, when the bell gives
the signal for silence after dinner, it is well to repose
awhile, for one is less disposed at that time to attend to
the exercises of piety, and more inclined to watch at
night, having rested at that hour. But, as a rule, on
all occasions, when you go to rest, endeavour to have a

172 ST. VINCENT FERBER.

psalm or some pious thought in your mind, which may
be present to the imagination when sleep is broken.
Be also careful to retire to bed at night in good time,
since sitting up late interferes much with devotion and
attention at the Office of Matins ; being oppressed with
sleep, we are unable to fix the mind on the Office, and
sometimes even obliged to absent oneself therefrom.

Habituate yourself before going to rest to say some
short prayers, to read some spiritual book or pious
meditation. Among the meditations that you may
make, I should prefer before all others those that relate
to the Passion of our Lord, should devotion incline you
thereto. Dwell especially on what Jesus suffered during
those hours wherein you take your repose. Such is the
advice of St. Bernard. It is needful, however, to follow
in this the inspirations of God, for devotion is not the
same in every one, but is stirred up in some persons by
one thing, in others by something else. It is sufficient
for some, in their simplicity, to dwell in the holes of
the rock, which are the wounds of Christ, as the Scrip-
ture saith. But whatever be the superiority of mind
with which they are endowed, they ought never to omit
what will conduce to devotion ; and while they read and
study, they should from time to time address themselves
to Jesus Christ, entertain themselves with Him, and
ask of Him the light and intelligence of which they have
need.

It will be well sometimes to put aside your book, to
close your eyes in holy recollection, to hide yourself for
a time in the wounds of Jesus Christ, and then resume

ON SLEEP, WATCHINO, STUDY, ETC. 173

the thread of your study. Be careful also, when you
leave off study, to kneel down and say some short and
fervent prayer. Do the same when you go from your
cell to the church, into the cloisters, to the chapter-
room, or into any other place. Follow in this the
movements of God*s Spirit ; and with ejaculatory prayer
invoke the Name of the Lord, pour out your soul in His
presence, offer Him your desires, and implore the help
of the saints on what you are ahout to do. This holy
intercourse may be carried on at times without the aid
of psalms or pronouncing a single word ; at other times,
by using certain versicles of the psalms, or passages from
Scripture or the Fathers ; God interiorly inspiring us at
such moments with what we believe to be the work of
our own thoughts and desires.

When this fervour of spirit, which ordinarily lasts
but a short time, shall have passed away, you will the
better remember what you have shortly before studied ;
and it is then that the Spirit of God will more clearly
enlighten you. After this return again to study, and
finally to prayer. Do these alternately, for by thus
varying your exercises you will be more fervent during
prayer, and your intelligence keener at study. But
although this devotional fervour may indifferently occur
at any time, according to the pleasure of Him who
** disposeth all things sweetly," it will, nevertheless, be
more ordinarily felt after Matins than at any other time.
Hence sit not up at night, if this can be avoided, in
order to be in a fitter state to apply yourself to prayer
and study after Matins.

174 ST. YINCBNT FEBBEB.

When in the night you hear the clock strike, or any
other signal given for Matin s, shaking off all sloth,
leave your hed with as much promptitude as you would
if it were on fire. Then cast yourself on your knees,
and offer up a short and fervent prayer ; say at least an
Ave Maria, or some other prayer calculated to stir up
your spirit of fervour. You will not only rise with
facility, hut even with delight, if you repose on a hard
bed and in your habit.

The servant of God should carefully avoid all soft-
ness and whatever conduces to bodily ease, without,
however, exceeding the limits of discretion. Use, there-
fore, a straw mattress, and the harder it is, so much the
more agreeable let it seem to you. Make use of one or
two coverlets, according as the season or necessity may
require ; let straw serve you for a pillow, regardless of
any inconvenience to the ears. Avoid placing the
sheets close to your face or round the neck, unless it be
in the summer nights on account of perspiration. Man
has no need of all these precautions, which luxurious
habits have introduced.

Sleep attired as in the day ; put off your shoes and
loosen the girdle. If you observe what I have said, so
far from it being painful to rise, you will, on the con-
trary, do it with pleasure.

When the Office of the Blessed Virgin is of obliga-
tion,* remain at the door of your cell to say it, without

> It is a custom in the Order of St. Dominic for the religions to
recite Matins and Lauds of the Blessed Tirgltiin the dormitory when
this Office is a choral obligation.

ON SLEEP, WATCHINO, STUDY, ETC. 175

leaning upon anything, but standing erect on your feet.
Then recite the Office with great attention, with a
distinct voice, and with as much fervour as though the
Blessed Virgin herself were visibly present. When the
Office is finished, and you have nothing further to do in
your cell, go to the church, or into the cloister, or to
some place most favourable to devotion. It is not
becoming a servant of God to be interiorly unoccupied
when leaving or returning to his cell ; but he should
always revolve in his mind some psalm or pious
thought. You may, nevertheless, enter the choir
before the commencement of the Office and forecast
what is to be said, in order to join in the chant more
attentively and with greater devotion.

When the signal has been given for Matins, and the
inclinations or prostrations, according to the time, have
been made, stand erect, without reclining in any way,
and sing the psalms ; being thus in the presence of
God, let your body do homage to Him as well as your
soul. Sing His divine praise with joy, thinking of the
presence of the angels, and of the obligation you are
under of showing the utmost respect to them who
continually behold the face of your heavenly Father,
^hich you are only permitted to see in this life, as it
were, " through a glass darkly." Spare not your voice
in singing ; yet let it be regulated with exact moderation^
Omit no portion of the Office, neither psalms, versicles,
words, syllables, notes, or anything which ought to be
sung. If your voice be not so strong as that of others,
sing in a low tone ; but use, as often as possible, a

178 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

Let not your feet rest upon each other, nor the legs
he crossed or stretched out ; hut let your whole person
hreathe forth an air of modesty befitting the presence of
God.

Guard against picking the nose ; there are many who
amuse themselves with this unseemly habit, who are led
into it by the devil, in order to withdraw their attention
from the Office, and so render them guilty of great
indevotion.

There is an infinity of such like things, which it is
impossible to particularise ; but if you have humility
and a perfect charity, the unction of the Holy Spirit
will teach you how to comport yourself in everything.

And here I must caution the reader not to attach
himself too much to the practices which I have set
forth, and which may be varied in many ways accord-
ing to circumstances, such as censuring another mode
of acting, as for example, when some odc speaks in choir,
when a fault is committed which it becomes an older
religious to correct. It should ever be borne in mind
that it is unbecoming a servant of God to dispute in
choir. It is, as I have said, a lesser evil to patiently
allow a fault to pass unnoticed than to engage in dis-
edifying contentions, which distract the attention and
trouble the peace and tranquillity of the soul. In like
manner, when I observe that it is fitting that we should
always sing or recite the Office in choir, I do not conceal
from myself the fact that there may be certain moments
when the spirit of fervour is such, that the chant
would have the effect of retarding it ; in such cases it

ON PREACHING. 179

would be better to say one's Office quietly, especially
in communities where the brethren are sufficiently
numerous to sustain the chant. The same may be said
with regard to many other things which the Most High
will teach you better than I, if, having despised all
things to cleave to Him, you consult Him in the depth
and simplicity of your heart. But we ought not easily
to apply to one's own individual case what is here
spoken of with respect to departure from the usual
customs of the community, unless, through a long
practice of every virtue, we have acquired the spirit of
discretion.

CHAPTER XL

ON PREACHING.

SE simple and familiar words in preaching and
exhortation, to explain in detail what you
mean ; and, as far as possible, illustrate what
you say with some examples, in order that the sinner,
finding his conscience guilty of the same sins which you
reprehend, may feel as if you were speaking only to
himself. Do this, however, in ^ch a way, that your
words, so to speak, may appear to come from the heart,
without being mixed with any movement of indignation
or pride, and to spring from the bowels of charity, from
the tender love of a father, who is grieved at the faults
of his children, who weeps when they are ill, and who
is broken-hearted when they fall over some frightful
precipice ; of a father, I say, who strains every nerve to

13*

180 ST. VINCENT FEBRER.

withdraw them from these perils, and even of a mother
who uses every means for their preservation, who
rejoices in their advancement, and in the hope that they
'VTill one day have part in the glory of eternity.

It is hy this sort of preaching that you will render
yourself serviceahle to your hearers ; whereas they will
be little moved when you content yourself with merely
speaking to them in general terms of vice and virtue.

Adopt the same means in the confessional, when it is
needful to encourage timid souls, or to alarm those
whose hearts are hard and unimpressionable. Let it be
seen that you speak with the solicitude of a father, so
that the penitent may feel in your words the breath of
pure charity. It is, therefore, fitting that words of
charity and sweetness should always take the place of
sharp and reprehensive language. You, then, who
desire to benefit others, begin by having recourse to
God in the fulness of your heart ; ask Him with
simplicity to impart to you this divine charity which
embodies in itself the other virtues, and which will
enable you to accomplish what you desire.

CHAPTEB XII.

REMEDIES AGAnrST CERTAIN SPIRITUAL TEMPTATIONS.

SHALL teach you, in the Name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the remedies against certain
spiritual temptations which are very common
in these times, and which God permits for the purpose
of purifying and testing His elect. And although they

REMEDIES AGAINST SPIRITUAJi TEMPTATIONS. 181

do not appear to attack faith directly, yet they who care-
fully examine them cannot fail to see that they destroy
the chief dogmas of religion, and set up the throne of
Antichrist. I shall not explain what these temptations
are, so as not to he an occasion of sin or 'Scandal to
any one ; hut I will show with what prudence you
should act, in order not to he overcome hy them.

These temptations, then, are of two kinds : the first
is the suggestion of the devil, who causes man to fall
and to estrange himself from God and the things that
have reference to Him; the second is the corrupt
teaching of certain persons, and the pernicious example
of those who have already yielded to such temptations.
I shall teach you how to comport yourself towards God
and in all that relates to Him, that you may be secured
against these temptations. I shall afterwards show you
how you should act in regard to men, touching their
doctrine and manner of life.

The first remedy against the spiritual temptations
which the devil plants in the hearts of many persons in
these unhappy times, is to have no desire to procure hy
prayer, meditation, or any other good work, what are
called revelations, or spiritual experiences, beyond what
happens in the ordinary course of things ; such a desire
of things which surpass the common order can have
no other root or foundation but pride, presumption, a
vain curiosity in what regards the things of God, and,
in short, an exceedingly weak faith.^ It is to punish

^ Have not these words of St. Yincent a direct bearing on those
who profess to hold intercourse with the souls of deceased persons

182 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

this evil desire that God abandons the soul, and permits
it to fall into the illusions and temptations of the devil,
who seduces it, and represents to it false visions and
delusive revelations. Here we have the source of most
of the spiritual temptations that prevail at the present
time ; temptations which the spirit of evil roots in the
souls of those who may be called the precursors of
Antichrist, as we shall see by what follows.

Be thoroughly persuaded, then, that true revelations,
and the extraordinary means by which God's secrets are
known, are not the result of the desire of which we
have spoken, nor of any diligence .or effort on the part
of the soul itself; but that they are solely the effects of
the pure goodness of God communicating itself to a
soul filled with humility, who respectfully seeks for
Him and sighs after Him with all its strength.

Nor ought we even to exercise ourselves in acts of
humility, and in the fear of God, with a view to being
favoured vrith visions, revelations, and extraordinary
sensations ; for this would be to fall into the very sins
to which such desires lead.

The second remedy is to dispossess the soul when at
prayer, of consolation, small though it be, if perchance
you perceive that it engenders in your heart sentiments
of presumption of of self-esteem. This would insen-
sibly lead you to abuse what is termed honour and
reput&tion, and would induce you to believe that you
merit to be honoured and applauded in this world, and

and with the angelic spirits ? This is precisely one of the evils of the
present day, even among those who pride themselves in being religious.

REMEDIES AGAINST SPIRITUAL TEMPTATIONS. 183

to have a share in the glory of heaven. The soul that
attaches itself to these false consolations falls into very
dangerous errors ; for God justly permits the devil to
have power to augment in it these kinds of spiritual
tastes, to repeat them frequently, and to inspire it with
sentiments that are false, dangerous, and full of illu-
sions, but which the misguided soul imagines to be true.
Alas ! how many souls have been seduced by these
deceitful consolations ?

The majority of raptures and ecstacies, or, to call
them by their proper name, the frenzies of these fore-
runners of Antichrist spring from this cause. Hence,
the only consolation you should admit into your soul in
time of prayer, is that which is produced by the con-
sciousness of your nothingness and misery ; a conscious-
ness which will preserve you in humility, and inspire
you with profound reverence for the grandeur and
majesty of God, and the desire that he may be honoured
and glorified. Consolations such as these cannot
mislead you.

The third remedy is to have a horror of every
thought and sentiment, however elevated they may be,
which gives indications of a desire to penetrate into the
secrets of God when you perceive that they are capable
of wounding any article of faith or morals, especially if
they are contrary to humility and purity, for, doubtless,
such can come only from the devil. Fay no attention,
therefore, to visions that afford no certainty that they
are from God, or that they lead you to what is pleasing
to Him.

184 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

The fourth remedy is not to attach yourself to any
person, notwithstanding the apparent sanctity of his
life, or the capabilities he possesses, when you have
reason to doubt that his advice is not according to God,
that it is not regulated by real prudence, that it is not
in harmony with what the law of God prescribes, or
with what is proposed to us for imitation in the life of
Jesus Christ and His saints, or taught us by the Holy
Scriptures and the Fathers. Fear not to sin by pride
or presumption when you despise such counsel, for such
is due to zeal and to the love of truth.

The fifth remedy is to shun all intercourse and
familiarity with those who sow broadcast, so to speak,
the temptations of which I have spoken ; with those
who uphold or commend them. Neither listen to their
words, nor be desirous to witness what they do ; for the
devil will avail himself of that curiosity to captivate
you by the sublimity of their speech, and by their
outward show of perfection, that you may thence be led
to adopt their evil principles.

CHAPTER Xin.

BEMEDUSS AOAINST FALSE BSVELATIOKS.

SHALL further instruct you in the remedies to
be adopted in regard to those who propagate, by
their lives and teaching, the temptations to
which I have referred above.

BEMEDIES AGAIN6T FALSE BEYELATIONS. 185

First, then, take little account of their visions, their
extraordinary sensations, their ecstacies and raptures,
and should they assert anything contrary to faith, Holy
Scripture, and morals, deSpise their visions, look upon
them as pure follies, and treat the ecstacies and raptures
of such people as the results of a diseased imagination.
If, however, their sentiments and language are in
perfect accord with the dogmas of religion, with what we
are taught in the sacred writings, and there is nothing
in them that is offensive to morality, then we must not
despise them, for this would be to despise the things of
God ; yet it will be well not to entirely rely on them,
since it frequently happens, and especially in spiritual
temptations, that falsehood is concealed under the
appearance of what is good and virtuous. Ofben does
the devil avail himself of these appearances in order to
deceive, and diffuse more easily his fatal poison, when
there is less reason to suspect him. I am of opinion
that, on such occasions, it will be more pleasing to God
not to pass judgment on these extraordinary matters,
despite the appearance of truth with which they are
clothed, and to leave them for what they are worth,
unless they occur to persons whose probity, prudence,
and humility, are so far beyond the reach of suspicion,
that we have every reason to suppose that they can
neither fall into illusion, nor be misled by the spirit of
the devil. Even then, though we may approve of the
visions and supernatural sentiments of such persons, it
is not absolutely necessary to credit them on account of
all these qualities which distinguish them, but only

186 ST. VINCENT FERBER.

because of the conformity of these facts with Catholic
faith, morals, the words, and teachings of the saints.

2. Let us suppose that you are interiorly led by some
revelation or feeling, whatever it may be, to enter upon
an important undertaking in which you have had no
experience, and that you are uncertain as to whether
or not it is pleasing to God ; on the contrary, you have
good reason for doubting it ; in that case, take time to
examine the act, weigh well all its circumstances ; above
all, see what its end is, in order to discover if it be agree*
able to God. I do not, however, say that you may judge
of it yourself ; but apply to it, as far al8 is possible, the
rules that are given to Christians in the Holy Scriptures,
and in the lives of the saints whom you can imitate. I
say, whom you can imitate ; for, according to the opinion
of St. Gregory, there are saints some of whose examples
should not be imitated, although they were good in rela-
tion to them, and which we must regard with respect
and veneration. But, if you are unable of yourself to
discover whether or not the thing you desire is pleasing
to God, consult persons of approved learning and piety,
who cannot be doubted ; their advice will enable you to
discover the truth.

8. If you are exempt from the temptations to which
I have alluded, cither because you have never experi-
enced them, or because, having been tempted, you have
happily been delivered from them, be careful to raise
your heart and soul to God, and not to attribute to your
own strength, your wisdom, your merits, and the regu-
larity of your life what you owe simply to the grace and

REMEDIES AGAINST FALSE REVELATIONS. 187

pure goodness of God, to Whom you ought continually
to render humble acts of thanksgiving. Do not imagine
that you were delivered from these temptations by mere
chance. According to the teaching of the saints, it is
chiefly with a view to punish such thoughts that God
withdraws His grace from man, and permits him to
yield to the temptations of the devil, and to be miserably
deceived by the spirit of lies.

4. Never be influenced by your own will to take in
hand any important matter to which you are unaccus-
tomed, while you are actually under these sort of temp-
tations, which place you in doubt; but repress the
desires of your heart, waiting with humility, fear, and
respect, till God shall enlighten you by His divine
light. For acts begun under such circumstances could
hardly be expected to lead to any good result. I speak
here only of such acts as are of importance, and out
of the common run, which should never be undertaken
while we are in a state of temptation and doubt.

5. If, on the other hand, you have begun some good
work before being assailed by this temptation, let it not
prevent you from fulfilling it ; especially omit not prayer,
confession, communion, the fasts and acts of humility
which you are wont to perform, although you may find
neither sweetness nor consolation in them.

6. When troubled with these temptations, raise up
your heart and soul to God, humbly beseeching Him to
turn them to His greater glory, and to your salvation,
supporting the temptations as long as it shall please
Him, and imploring Him to grant you grace never to
offend Him.

188 ST. VINCENT FEBBER.

CHAPTER XIV.

MOTIVES TO BXCITB US TO PERFECTION.

VIEW with so much pleasure your happy com-
mencement to do good, and your special desire
^ to honour God, that I long not only for your
perseverance, but also for your daily progress in the
exercise of good works, or, at least, that you should
desire it with your whole heart. I shall therefore put
before you certain motives calculated to excite you to
something more perfect than what you have already
begun. Do not, however, imagine that you can accom-
plish this by your own strength.

1. Consider how God deserves to be loved and
honoured on account of His goodness, wisdom, and His
numberless other perfections. By this you will easily
understand that what you conceived to be of importance
in your eflforts to serve Him, was, in truth, little or
nothing compared with what ought to be done in regard
to His divine perfections, and in order to be pleasing to
Him. I lay this down as the first reason, because in
all our acts we should have principally in view God's
honour, His fear, and His love ; He alone deserving of
Himself to be loved by all His creatures.

2. Eeflect on the contempt, the ignominy, the poverty,
the sorrows, and the bitter Passion which our Lord was
pleased to suffer out of love for you. If you love and
honour Him in this light, you will easily perceive that

MOTIVES FOR PERFECTION. 189

all that you can do to testify your love and respect for
Him is but little in comparison of what is due to Him.
This is a higher and more perfect motive than the rest,
although I have placed it second in order.

3. Consider the purity of life and the perfection to
which the law of God, which is so perfect, obliges you,
and how this law exacts, with an entire exemption from
every vice and sin, the plenitude of virtue, included in
the precept of loving God with all our heart, with all
our mind, and with all our strength, and you will at
once see your weakness, and how far you still are from
the innocence and perfection that is required of you.

4. Call to mind the infinite multitude of God's
benefits, the temporal and spiritual blessings which He
dispenses to His creatures, and to you in particular, and
you will soon be persuaded that all that you do, or all
that you can do for God in the future, is nothing com-
pared with the benefits and favours which He has
bestowed on you with infinite liberality and goodness.

5. Endeavour to penetrate the magnificence of the
reward and glory promised and in store for those who
honour God by the holiness of their lives, and to under-
stand that this glory will be measured by their justice
and piety. You will thereby see that your own merits
bear no proportion to so great a glory, and you will
strive, with all your heart, that your works shall in
future be more virtuous and perfect than they have
hitherto been.

6. Consider how great and noble virtue is in itself,
how it elevates the soul which it adorns ; and, on the

190 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

contrary, how vile and dishonourable vice is. This
thoaght will lead you to make every effort to cultivate
virtue, and to shun every occasion of vice.

7* Beflect on the sublime and perfect lives of the
saints, and the number and excellence of the virtues
which they practised, and you will feel the languor and
imperfection of your own works.

8. Penetrate, if you can, the number and enormity
of the sins you have committed against God, and you
will acknowledge to yourself that all your works, how-
ever good in themselves, are little in comparison with
the satisfaction that you owe to the justice of God.

9. Remember how you are surrounded on every side
with danger and temptation, how the devil, the world,
and the flesh seek to compass your destruction; and
endeavour to resist them by practising virtue in its
highest perfection, that you may be more safely
guarded against these temptations.

10. Think of the severity of God's judgment, and of
what is needful to prepare you to appear before Him :
and you will be convinced that the acts of virtue and
penance which you have performed up to this moment
fall far short of what is due from you.

11. Meditate on the shortness of life: on death,
which will surprise you at an hour when you least expect
it ; and think that, after death, you will no longer be in
a condition to merit the pardon of your sins. Such a
thought will surely incite you to practise virtue with
greater fidelity, and will lead you to do more rigorous
penance than you have hitherto done.

MOTIVES FOR PERFECTION. 191

12. Observe that to whatever holiness of life you
have aspired, to whatever degree of virtue you have
striven to rise, you have not entirely succeeded in avoid-
ing pride and presumption, any more than negligence
and sloth. Now, a person who finds himself in contact
with these evils is in great danger of falling into spiritual
sins, of which I could give numberless proofs, did time
permit. I shall content myself with saying that, in
order to be free from such evils, and to place yourself
in a more sure position of defence against them, you
should never dwell on the good you have already done,
but should make every effort to attain the highest state
of perfection. St. Bernard, explaining the psalm, Qui
Habitat, and speaking of those who were fervent in the
beginning of their spiritual career, but who, fancying
themselves to be something, became faint-hearted and
tepid, says to them, " Imagine that there is very little
good in you, and that even this little would soon be lost,
did not He ^Nho gave it you preserve it by His grace."

13. Bear in mind the terrible judgments of God on
those who, having for a long time persevered in great
holiness and perfection, have at length shamefully fallen,
through our Lord abandoning them because of some
secret sin of which they did not imagine themselves to
be guilty. This thought will doubtless serve to advance
you in the path of virtue, and at whatever degree of per-
fection you may have arrived, it will induce you to aspire
still higher, to purify your heart from sin, and to be-
come more and more perfect, lest God, finding in you
some hidden sin, should justly abandon you.

192 8T« YINGENT FERBEB.

14. Gall frequently to mind the torments and pains
of the damned, and those that are prepared for all sin-
ners. This reflection will enahle you to look upon the
labonrs, the penances, the humiliations, the poverty of
this life — in a word, all that you can endure for God, as
light indeed. The fear and danger of falling into these
torments will rouse you to greater efforts to avoid them,
and to tend more and more to a more holy and perfect
life.

CHAPTER XV.

ELUCIDATION AND APPLICATION OF THE MOTIVES PROPOSED IN

THE FOBEGOINa CHAPTER.

HAVE merely touched on the motives which
conduce to perfection rather than explained
them, in order that you may be able to apply
the mind to the little that I have said. Each of the
above reasons should furnish you with ample food for
meditation and reflection. To give practical effect to
these motives, you should not content yourself with
simply passing them over in the mind, but you should
moreover strive to identify them with the affections of
the heart, and the movements of the will. And to make
them more clear, I will repeat in few words what I have
already said, so that you may discover whether these
motives produce any tangible results in your soul.

As to the first motive, it will act powerfully on the
souls of those who are sensible of the grandeur, the per-

ELUCIDATION OF THE MOTIVES. 198

fectioD, and the majesty of G-od, and who endeavour to
love and honour Him as He deserves.

The second motive will touch those who have a keen
appreciation of the charity and infinite hounty of Jesus
Christ, of which He has given us striking proofs hy
suffering and dying for us ; it will, moreover, excite in
them an ardent desire to testify, hy every means in their
power, their thankfulness to Him.

The third motive will be of use to those who compre-
hend the extent of the perfection which God requires of His
creatures, and who, to fulfil His commands, are animated
with a lively desire to attain to this degree of perfection.
The fourth motive will influence those who are pene-
trated with the excellence of the benefits and graces
which they have received from God, and who make every
effort to serve Him with the fidelity which such favoqrs
exact.

The fifth motive will affect those who sigh after the
glory of heaven : who comprehend, so to speak, the
greatness of this glory, and who, with a lively faith and
a firm hope, seek to possess it by every kind of meritorious
act.

The sixth motive will be efficacious in regard to those
whom sin inspires with horror, and who, on the con-
trary, have an intense love for the perfection of justice,
and who truly appreciate the inestimable gift of God's
grace.

The seventh motive will influence those who have a
singular veneration for the acts of the saints, and are
desirous to imitate them, especially those who are the

194 ST. TINCENT FEBBEB.

most perfect, as the Blessed Virgin, St. John the Bap-
tist, St. John the Evangelist, the Holy Apostles, and
other saints, whom it would be too long to mention by
name.

The eighth motive will strike those who feel the bur-
den of their sins, and who long with all their heart to
satisfy God's justice by every sort of good work.

The ninth motive will produce its effects in the soul
that is conscious of its infirmity, the burden that weighs
it to, the earth, the danger which it runs of falling into
the temptations which beset it on every side. This fear
will stimulate it to use the necessary precautions to
preserve God's grace, and to shun the occasions of
offending Him.

The tenth motive will impress the soul which, know-
ing its sins, is penetrated with the fear of the judgment
that will be pronounced at the Last Day on impenitent
sinners.

The eleventh motive will weigh with those who, fear-
ing death, strive to prepare themselves for it by a life
full of merit.

The twelfth motive will be useful to those who are
persuaded that, notwithstanding the holiness of the life
which they have entered upon, and their sincere desire
to tend to perfection, it is scarce possible that pride and
negligence should not, in some degree, be mixed up with
it ; that thus they cannot do too much to remedy these
evils, and that, being placed in proximity to these two
dangers, it behoves them to strain every nerve to avoid
them.

HOW TO ESCAPE THE SNABES OF THE DEVIL. 195

The thirteenth motive will act on those who, being
carefnl of their salvation, fear above all things to lose
the friendship of God.

The fourteenth motive will move those who meditate
on the punishments which God will inflict on sinners in
hell, who are conscious of how much they themselves
merit them, and who, doing penance, strive to escape
them.

Two things should follow from what we have said : —
the one is to know our own imperfection, our misery,
and nothingness ; the other is to renew our endeavours
to lead a more perfect life ; so that the desire of perfec-
tion may never lose sight of our misery, nor the con-
sciousness, of our misery be separated from the desire of
perfection.

CHAPTER XVI.

HOW TO ESCAPE THE SNARES AND TEMPTATIONS OF THE DEVIL.

E who would escape the snares and temptations
of the devil, particularly at the close of his life,
should convince himself of two things. First,
let him consider himself a corpse, full of worms, and a
prey to corruption, a corpse from which those who
approach it turn with disgust from the sight of so loath-
some an object, and strive not to encounter the stench
that exhales from it. It is thus, my dear brother, that
you and I should always esteem ourselves ; but I ought
still more than you to be convinced of this, for I feel
with truth that I am nothing but corruption of body and

196 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

sonl ; that there is nothing in me bnt the stench of my
sins and iniquity, which inspire horror ; and what is still
more trying, I feel, from day to day, this corraption
renewed and increased within me. .

The faithful soul should have this opinion of herself.
It behoves her to humble herself in the presence of God,
Who beholds all things, and to regard Him as a severe
Judge, Who will demand of her an exact and rigorous
account of her whole conduct. She will not then ex-
perience too great a sorrow for having offended Him,
and for having lost the grace which He bestowed on her
in baptism, wherein she was washed and purified in the
very Blood of Jesus Christ.

It is not enough that the soul should acknowledge
her corruption before God, and that she should herself
be persuaded of it ; it is besides requisite that she should
be willing to afford this spectacle not only to the angels
and saints, but to all mankind ; and consequently ready
to accept their contempt of her, their separation from her
as from an offensive object, and her own exclusion from
among them as one who is dead, with whom they have
no wish to associate, who is no longer of their society,
and who is to them something more loathsome than a
leper ; and this as long as it shall please God.

She ought, moreover, to be persuaded that men. do
her no wrong in this, but treat her as she deserves, even
should they pluck out the eyes, cut off the hands, and
inflict every species of evil on a body which has served
to offend the God who created it.

The second thing is to desire to be humbled and

HOW TO ESCAPE THE SNABES OP THE DEVIL. 197

despised, and to suffer not only with patience, but even
with great joy, calumnies, injuries, ignominy — in a
word, all that is most painful and humiliating.

It is, besides, necessary to have a great distrust of
herself, of the virtuous acts she has performed, and of
her whole past conduct ; to turn herself wholly to Jesus
Christ; to cast herself into the arms of this Divine
Saviour, Who reduced Himself to extreme poverty. Who
suffered every species of opprobrium, contempt, and
humiliation, and a most cruel death for love of us.

Die, then, to every human sentiment and affection,
that Jesus Christ crucified may live in you, and that
being transformed and, as it were, transfigured,, you
may have no other feeling in your heart, you may no
longer hear nor see any object but your Lord attached to
the Cross, and dying for you, following in this the
example of the Blessed Virgin ; so that, being entirely
dead to the world, your soul may breathe no other life
than that of faith, thus, waiting that happy resurrec-
tion, when the Lord will fill you with spiritual joy and
the gifts of the Holy Ghost; you, I say, and all mankind
in whose conduct the fervour of the apostolic age should
be renewed. Be attentive, then, to prayer, meditation,
and pious affections, that you may obtain the gifts and
graces of God.

Our dispositions towards God may be reduced to
seven, which are : First, to love Him with an active and
ardent love; second, to fear Him above all things ; third,
to render to Him the honour and respect which are due
to Him; fourth, to have a persevering zeal in His

''y

198 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

service. Joined to these are, fifth, thanksgiving ; sixth,
a prompt and fervent obedience in all that He commands
us, and in as far as we are able ; seventh, a reUsh for
heavenly things, saying to Him incessantly, '' Lord
Jesus, grant that by Thy grace my mind, my heart, and
even the very marrow of my bones, may be penetrated
with fear and respect for Thee ; that I may bum with
an ardent zeal for whatever concerns Thy glory ; that
this zeal, my God, may inspire me with a lively
horror for all the outrages that have been offered to
Thee ; and let this horror increase in me, seeing that I
have been so unhappy as to insult Thee, or that others
have done so on my account. Grant that I, Thy crea-
ture, may adore Thee with profound humility, as my
God and Sovereign Lord. Let me be penetrated with
gratitude for all the graces and numberless benefits
which Thy mercy has bestowed upon me, and let me be
unceasing in my thanksgiving to Thee. Vouchsafe that
I may for ever praise and bless Thee with a heart over-
flowing with joy, and that, obedient to Thee in all
things, I may one day taste of the infinite sweetness
of Thy eternal banquet, in company with the Angels,
the Apostles, and all Thy Saints, however unworthy I
am of so great » favour by reason of my ingratitude."

Having shown you what ought to be your dispositions
in regard to God, I shall point out seven others, which .
intimately concern yourself. The first is, to humble
yourself at the sight of your faults and imperfections ;
second, to weep with bitter sorrow over the sins you
have committed, and by which you have unhappily

ON OUB DISPOSITIONS TOWABDS OUR NEIOHBOUB. 199

offended God, and defiled your soul ; third, to long to
be despised, humbled, and trodden under foot by all
mankind, as the most miserable and corrupt of crea-
tures ; fourth, to subject your body to the most rigorous
mortifications, and to desire to inflict on it still greater
austerities, if possible, regarding it as sin itself, or, if I
may use the expression, a sink or sepulchre which
encloses within it every species of horror ; fifth, to bear
an irreconcilable hatred to sin, and the sources and evil
inclinations from which it springs ; sixth, to watch
unceasingly over your senses, all your actions, and the
powers of your soul, that you may be always disposed to
virtue and good works, without ever losing this attention
and vigilance ; seventh, to observe in all things the rules
of that perfect moderation which knows how to discrim-
inate between excess and defect, too much and too little;
to retrench what is superfluous without encroaching
upon what is necessary, so that there may be nothing
but what is in accordance with propriety and order.

CHAPTER XVil.

ON THB DISPOSITIONS WHICH WE OUGHT TO HAVE IN BEOABD TO

OUB NEIOHBOUB.

[iE should strive to cultivate in ourselves seven
other sentiments or dispositions towards our
neighbour. The first is, by a compassionate
generosity, to sympathise with him in his afflictions and
misfortunes, as if they were our own. The second is,

200 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

to rejoice in his prosperity as our own. The third is
to calmly bear with his defects, to suffer patiently what-
ever is disagreeable in him, and to pardon readily the
offences which he may have committed against as.
The fourth is, to act with sweetness and affability
towards all men, to wish well to them, and to show by
our words and acts the sincerity of this desire. The
fifth is, to prefer others to oneself, to have a humble
and sincere regard for our brethren, and cheerfully to
submit to them as our lords and masters. The sixth
is, to live in peace and concord with all mankind, as far
as we are able, and according to God, so that there may
be, so to speak, but one feeling and one will among us.
The seventh is, to be ready to lay down our life for the
salvation of our brethren — to labour day and night, by
prayer and good works, to make Jesus loved by men,
and to render them worthy of being loved by Him.

From what has just been said,^ we must not conclude
that we ought not to shun the company of disorderly
people. Indeed, nothing can be more dangerous than
to associate with them. Such intercourse could not
fail to be an obstacle to our perfection, an occasion of
at least retarding it, and of lessening the fervour of
good works. We should fly from it as we would fly
from contact with poisonous matter. For as a burning
coal is never so hot but that it may be cooled and
extinguished in water, so neither is it so indisposed to
light as not to bum when cast into the midst of burning
fuel. But when there is no question of danger, let as
simply close our eyes to the defects of others, or, if we

ON OUR DISPOSITIONS TOWARDS OUR NEIGHBOUR. 201

cannot altogether avoid seeing them, let ns compassion-
ately bear with them.

In order to afford you profitable advice in regard to
things temporal or eternal, four 4iLspositions are requi-
site.

The first is, to consider yourself a strange? on the
earth, so that whatever you possess therein may appear
to you to belong to others rather than to yourself, that
you may feel no more attachment to them than you
would to the possessions of a person who lives far from
you.

The second is, to regard a superabundance of things
for your own use as hurtful to you as the subtlest
poison, and to view it with as much alarm as you would
a rocky sea on which it is difficult to escape being ship-
wrecked.

The third is, to accustom yourself, in the use of
things that are necessary, always to feel the effects of
poverty and want, poverty being the mysterious ladder
by which we safely ascend to heaven, to be possessed of
eternal wealth.

The fourth is, to shun the pomp of the rich and
powerful ones of the earth, without, however, disdaining
them, and to let it be your glory to associate with the
poor, your joy to remember them, to see and converse
with them, however denuded of everything, neglected,
and despised they may be, since, by these very circum-
stances they are the living expression of Jesus Christ ;
they are kings, whose society should be to you a special
honour and a subject of great joy.

202 ST. TINOENT FEBBEB.

CHAPTER XVIII.

ON THE PERFECTION WHICH IS NECBSSABT TO HIM WHO
SEBVES GOD IN THE SPIBITI7AL LIFE.

jHEBE are fifteen degrees of perfection which
are indispensable to him who desires to serve
God in the spiritual life.

The first is a clear and perfect knowledge of oar
faults and weaknesses.

The second consists in courageously doing battle with
our evil inclinations, and all that can incite in us
feelings contrary to reason; in a word, every unruly
passion.

The third is a great fear for the sins we have
committed against God, since we know not whether we
have fully atoned for them by penance, nor whether we
are truly reconciled to God.

The fourth is a constant dread of our frailty, lest we
fall into the same disorders or even greater.

The fifth is to subject all our bodily senses to an
exact and rigorous discipline, in order that the body
may be submissive to the soul in all that relates to the
service of Jesus Christ.

The sixth is great fortitude, and an invincible patience
in temptation and adversity.

The seventh consists in courageously shunning the
society of persons, and whatever else may be to us an
occasion, not only of sin, but even of imperfection or
want of resolution in the spiritual life.

ON PERFECTION IN THE SPIBITUAL LIFE. 203

The eighth is to bear in oneself the Gross of Jesus
Christ, on which I recognise four arms : the first is
mortification of the passions ; the second is renounce-
ment of all temporal goods ; the third is no longer to
love one's relatives with the affection of mere flesh and
blood; and the fourth is to despise oneself, to abhor
and humble oneself as much as possible.

The ninth is to preserve a constant remembrance of
all the benefits that we have received from Grod, through
our Lord Jesus Christ, from the moment that we came
into the world.

The tenth is to pass the day and night in prayer.

The eleventh is to continually experience the holy
delights which are found in God.

The twelfth is to burn with an ardent desire for the
exaltation of our holy faith ; that is, to desire that
Jesus Christ may be known, loved, and honoured by all
mankind.

The thirteenth is to feel for the necessities of our
neighbours with all that goodness and mercy which we
should wish others to have in our regard.

The fourteenth is to render perpetual thanks to God
with our whole heart, to glorify Him in all things, and
to praise for ever our Lord Jesus Christ.

The fifteenth is that, having done all that is here
prescribed, we should esteem it little, indeed, and say to
Jesus Christ: "Lord, my God, I am nothing, I am
capable of myself of nothing but evil; I have never
served Thee as I ought, and I confess that I am but an
unprofitable servant " (Luke xvii. 10).

204 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

CHAPTER XIX.

INSTRUCTIONS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS.

VANGELICAL poverty is of a threefold charac-
ter : first, it consists in an effectual and sincere
renouncement of whatever legitimately belongs
to us ; second, an exact and rigorous temperance in the
use of temporal goods ; third, an habitual practice of all
that poverty exacts of us.

There are three things which specially belong to
abstinence : the ^rst is to weaken and debilitate, if I
may use the word, the desires of the flesh, and what
the Scripture calls the solicitudes for the necessaries of
life ; second, not to trouble oneself about an abundance
or sufficiency of food, much less about, what is pleasant
and agreeable to the taste ; third, to use with great
discretion whatever is served to us.

It behoves us chiefly to avoid and to dread three
things : first, the exterior distractions which are in-
separable from business ; second, the desire to be
advanced to some higher post, and every feeling of
pride ; third, an inordinate affection for temporal bene-
fits, and every sentiment which is below the dignity of
our calling.

There are also three things to which we should
particularly accustom ourselves : the first is to despise
ourselves, and to desire that others should humble us
and think little of us ; second, to have a tender com-
passion towards Jesus Christ crucified ; third to be in a

INSTRUCTIONS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS. 205

diBposition to suffer every species of persecution and
even martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ and His
Holy Gospel. These are things to be meditated on
every moment of the day, and to be made the object of
our unceasing supplication to God.

There are, moreover, three other subjects on which
we should love to dwell: first, Jesus Christ crucified,
and all His other divine mysteries ; second, the lives of
the Apostles, and those of the saints who belong to our
own Order, and who should be the special object of our
imitation; third, the life required of those who are
destined to preach the Gospel, the virtues which become
them, their poverty, simplicity, humility, sweetness,
the charity which should bind them together, consider-
ing that they ought to see nothing, speak of nothing,
desire nothing but Jesus Christ only, and Him crucified ;
that they should have a contempt for the things of
earth, a forgetfulness of themselves ; that they should
fix their eyes on the majesty of God and the glory of
the blessed, sighing from the depth of their hearts after
this glory, aspiring daily after death, and saying with
St. Paul': I desire to be delivered from the bonds of
this body, that I may be with Jesus Christ ; I long to
have part in the inexhaustible treasures of heaven, to be
plunged in that ineffable source of eternal delights, and
to be satiated with their infinite sweetness. We should
represent to ourselves the blessed singing with inde-
scribable joy the canticle of the angels, and offering
their hearts to God as instruments consecrated to His
glory. Nothing can more effectually produce this ardent

206 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

desire in us than this representation. It will illumine
onr minds, allay all our doubts, and dissipate the clouds
of ignorance. Garry always, then, in the midst of your
heart, this God crucified, that He may one day admit
you to a participation of His eternal glory. Amen.

207

SECTION THE SECOND.

Devout Praotiges taught by St. Yingent Febbeb.

I.— Dailt Bule of Life.

]N his sermons the Saint frequently recommends
to his hearers a rule of life, which every Chris-
tian ought to practise in the morning as soon
as he rises, and at night when he retires to rest. He
suggested to them to make the sign of the Cross on their
foreheads, to devoutly kneel down morning and evening,
and to recite those prayers which are commonly in use,
such as the Lord's Prayer, the Angelical Salutation,
and the Apostles* Creed. The Christian, he observed,
who daily practises this short and easy exercise is sure
to pass a happy day. He moreover earnestly exhorted
them to recite after the Creed, a prayer to obtain a
happy death. The Saint accustomed himself to this
prayer daily, and he repeated it at the moment of his
death. It is to be found in the Boman edition of the
Office of the Blessed Virgin, according to the rite of the
Friar Preachers.

In order the better to comprehend the value and
importance of this daily exercise, it will be well to quote

210 ST. YIKCENT FEBREB.

with the sign of the Cross, then purify his heart by
making an act of true and sincere contrition, and after-
wards say the first Our Father. Passing to the second
Divine perfection, he should meditate on the wisdom
and knowledge of God, by which He sees and knows all
things without anything being concealed from Him.
After this consideration he should repeat the second
Our Father. He must consider in like manner the
great goodness of God, who created all things through
His love for man, although He had no need of either
heaven or earth, or of any creature whatsoever. He
shall then recite the third Our Father. Coming thence
to consider the fourth Divine excellence, which is the
creation of all thiugs in nature, the visible, such as our-
selves and all corporeal beings, and the invisible, which
are the angels, the Saint explained how each were
adorned with inexplicable beauties and transcendent
virtues. And having said an Our Father^ he commenced
to meditate on the great vigilance with which God
governs the world, and His providence, which supplies
life and raiment to all, remedies in time of sickness,
which sends tribulation to humble our pride, and pros-
perity to console us. The Saint then recited the fifth
Our Father. These first five meditations over, he
contemplated in like manner the other Divine perfec-
tions, and said an Our Father after each of them.
Following the Saint's advice, we should meditate on
redemption, by which the same God became man, and
was pleased to be crucified on the wood of the Cross, in
order to deliver His children from hell. We may also

ANOTHER DAILY EXERCISE. 211

reflect on the glorification of the elect in heaven, where
they will live for ever happy, both in body and soul. It
is, moreover, fitting that we think of the condemnation
of the reprobate, who will be justly punished for their
crimes in the eternal fire of hell. Nor should we forget
the condition of the souls of the just detained in purga-
tory, who, passing out of this life in friendship with
God, have, nevertheless, to expiate certain faults in
those purifying flames. Last of all, we ought seriously
to reflect on the last terrible Judgment, in which the just
and the unjust will be arraigned before God, to receive
the recompense or punishment which will be awarded to
their works.

The Saint terminated this exercise, saying that it was
enough for us to know that St. Bartholomew was accus-
tomed to make one hundred genuflections throughout
the course of the day, and as many at night, in order to
stimulate us to perform the same act at least ten times
in the morning, and again at night, since the works of
the saints are proposed for our imitation. St. Vincent
added that the reward attached to his practice of prayer
is to obtain the Divine mercy ; for St. Augustine, com-
menting on these words of David: '^ Blessed be God,
Who, in His mercy to me, hath not rejected my prayer,"
explains that he would say, ^* Separate not thyself from
prayer, and God's mercy will not forsake thee."

Among the numerous daily exercises which St. Yin-
cent recommended in his sermons, we have selected ,
these two only, with a view to give an example of what
the holy apostle was wont to inculcate. Besides, he

15*

212 ST. VINCENT FEBHEB.

never intended to oblige any one to observe precisely
this or that practice, without being at liberty to apply
himself to others. But he taught in a general way that
whoever was desirous to lead a truly Christian life ought,
according to his condition, capacity, and strength, to
choose a certain number of prayers, to fix on certain
fiEusts, and fervently to persevere therein.'

III.— Ejaculatobt Pbatebs of St. Vingent Febbeb.

NKINDLE, my God, in the midst of my
heart the fire of Thy love !

I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise
shall be for ever in my mouth (Psalm xxxiii. 1).

Withdraw from me whatever impedes my approach
to Thee. Behold, I know not what to say nor what to
do, unless Thou, my God, help me !

Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew
vi. 10).

Grant, my Jesus, that I never offend Thee !
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me ; for
my soul trusteth in Thee (Psalm Ivi. 2).

' St. Yinoent does not here propose the Bosary, for the simple reason
that in his time the whole Bosary was said without interruption, and
because he was desirous of affording ordinary Christians a short and
easy exercise. At the present day, as the Church authorises the
division of the Bosary into three parts, and even into as many
separate decades as there are mysteries, it is easy to fulfil the Saint^s
object by reciting one decade of the Chaplet morning and eyening,
and accompanying it with meditation on one of the five mysteries of
our Lord and the Blessed Virgin.

DEVOTIONS FOR A HAPPY DEATH. 213

Jesus ! I desire to do only Thy holy Will.

Wipe out, Holy Spirit, the stains of my soul !

Blessed Virgin, obtain the grace for me always to
remember you !

Through Thy sacred Passion and Death, Lord,
blot out mine iniquities !

Holy Trinity, One and True God, have mercy on
me!

Jesus Saviour ! Jesus, preserve my heart !

Pity, pity. Lord ; mercy, my God ! pardon, oh,
pardon, my Jesus I

When shall I leave this miserable body that I may
enjoy the unhidden sight of my God, my love !

Create a clean heart in me, God ; and renew a right
spirit within my bowels (Psalm 1. 12).

Remember not my offences, my Saviour !

Thou art the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John
xiv. 6).

Virgin and Mother, Mother and Virgin, Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, pray for me to your Divine Son Jesus.

rv.— A Devotion recommended by St. Vincent to obtain

A Happy Death.

HE Saint, preaching in Catalonia, taught a most
pious practice of prayer to implore of God the
grace to die holily. This practice was faith-
fully recorded by the notary-public, in order to per-
petuate its memory to posterity. It consists in reciting

214 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

certain verses of the Psalms, with a prayer which follows
at the end.

Prayer to obtain a Happy Death.

Have mercy on me, God, and hear my prayer
(Psalm iv. 2).

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak ; heal me,
Lord, for my hones are trouhled (Psalm vi. 3).

Have mercy on me, Lord ; hehold my humiliation
which I suffer from my enemies (Psalm ix. 14).

BEave mercy on me, Lord, for I am afflicted ; my
eye is trouhled with wrath, my soul, and my helly
(Psalm XXX. 10).

Have mercy on me, God, according to Thy great
mercy (Psalm 1. 8).

Have mercy on me, God, for man hath trodden me
under foot : all the day long he hath afflicted me, fight-
ing against me (Psalm Iv. 2).

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me ; for
my soul trusteth in Thee (Psalm Ivi. 2).

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I have cried to Thee
all the day. Give joy to the soul of Thy servant, for
to Thee, Lord, I have lifted up my soul (Psalm
Ixxxv. 8, 4).

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us ; for we
are greatly filled with contempt (Psalm cxxii. 8).

Glory he to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Ghost ; as it was in the beginning, is now, and
ever shall he, world without end. Amen.

DEVOTIONS FOR A HAPPY DEATH. 215

Let U8 Pray.

Lord JeRUB, who desirest not that any one should
perish, and Who art never invoked without the hope of
mercy, for Thou hast declared with Thy sacred and
blessed lips, " All whatsoever you shall ask in My Name
shall be given to you ; " I beseech Thee, Lord, for
Thy Name's sake, to grant me at the hour of my death
the full use of my senses and of speech, a lively
contrition for my sins, a true faith, a firmly established
hope, and a perfect charity, that I may be able to say to
Thee with a pure heart : ** Into Thy hands I commend
my spirit ; Thou hast redeemed me, God of Truth,
Who art blessed for ever." Amen.

This pious practice is most efficacious for obtaining
the grace of a happy death, for we observe that in each
of the above verses the holy king David constantly
invokes the Divine mercy by the words. Have mercy.
It seems, moreover, that the Saint's intention was that
these prayers should be recited by each one as though
he were already in his agony, oppressed with the
anguish of death, moved by the fear of sins committed
against the Divine justice, and assailed by the most
violent temptations of despair suggested by the devil at
that terrible moment* To prepare oneself thus for
death is to desire to die holily, for we may reasonably
hope for a holy death after so holy a preparation.

In order not to lead simple-minded people into error
on this subject, it is necessary to guard them against
two things : the first is, that in asking of God, through

216 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

this holy practice, the grace to die well, they should not
content themselves merely with imploring this great
favour, hut they should, moreover, strive to live as
becomes Christians, because, ordinarily speaking, a good
death is the consequence of a good life ; the second is,
to persevere to the end. To die in God's grace is a gift
of His liberality which we do not of ourselves merit ;
but we can by our prayers obtain it of the Divine mercy,
and to gain this great gift St. Vincent recommends the
above prayers, in which the mercy of God, which is the
supreme and special cause of a happy death, is many
times invoked.

v.— A Protestation according to the spirit of St. Vincent

TO secure a Happt Death.

THIS day, for the last moment of my life,
adore Thee, my God, One in Essence and
Three in Persons, Omnipotent God, full of
wisdom, infinitely good and holy, supreme and infallible
Truth, my Creator and my Lord, my only good : I
desire to die in Thy service.

First, I believe all that Thy Divine Majesty has'
revealed, and all that our holy Mother, the Catholic,
Apostolic, and Boman Church, has declared ; and I
oflFer my blood, my life, and my very death, to protest
and confess the holy Catholic Faith.

Second, acknowledging myself, without Thy grace,
destitute of every good, I confide in the bouxity and
merits of Jesus Christ, and in the intercession of the

DEVOTIONS FOR A HAPPY DEATH. 217

Immaculate Virgin Mary, and of all the Saints. I hope
for eternal life, and the means necessary to attain it, and
I declare that I desire to live and die in this hope.

Third, I am, it is true, a most vile creature; but
because Thou hast commanded me, and because Thou
art infinitely amiable, I love Thee, O my God, above all
created things, and I desire that Thou shouldst be loved,
praised, and honoured by all creatures. I wish, also,
that all my sighs and my last breath should be an
irrevocable protestation of my pure and sincere love
towards Thee.

Fourth, I detest with my whole heart my sins,
because they have displeased Thee, and I prefer to
suffer a thousand deaths and every imaginable pain,
rather than offend Thee, my dear Saviour !

Fifth, I most humbly thank Thee for all the benefits
which I have received through Thy mercy and infinite
bounty.

Sixth, I offer myself to endure voluntarily all the
anguish and sufferings of life, infirmities, and death, in
satisfaction for my sins, in union with the sorrowful
martyrdom of Jesus agonising, and of my Sovereign
and Mother Mary standing and afflicted at the foot of
the Cross.

Seventh, I ask pardon of all troin. the depth of my
heart for my many bad examples, for the pain that I
have caused them, for the injuries that I have done
them ; and with all the sincerity of my heart I pardon
those who have offended me, that Thou, my Lord,
mayst deign to grant me the pardon of all my sins.

218 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

Eighth, I hDmbly supplicate my relations, friends,
and acquaintances, to remember my poor soul in their
prayers, that it may be speedily delivered from the
pains of purgatory, through the merits of our Lord
Jesus Christ and the prayers of the Church, should the
infinite mercy of my God render me worthy of it.

Lastly, acknowledging what I am, a creature destitute
of every good, and burdened with a multitude of sins,
I desire before dying to be worthy to receive the Sacra-
ment of Penance, the Holy Eucharist, and Extreme
Unction. But lest by accident I should be prevented
from receiving them at the moment of my death, I ask
for them with all the fervour possible, repenting of all
my sins, solely because they have offended Thy Divine
Majesty. I unite myself spiritually to Thee, my
Sovereign Good, with the affections of an ardent
charity ; vouchsafe that the oil of Thy mercy may
fortify all the powers of my soul and body against the
attacks of the infernal enemy.

And the more effectually to ratify these my promises,
I sign this protestation, and will carry it always about
me, that all may know my last and irrevocable will.

I declare in truth and sincerity all that I have said
above, and it is in these dispositions that I wish to live
and die.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I this day give you my
heart and my soul, throughout life and at my death.
Amen.

DEVOTIONS FOR A HAPPt DEATH. 219

VI. — Dbvout Pbayebs, accordino to the spirit of St. Vincent,

TO BE FSESEBVED FROM SUDDEN DeATH.

First Prayer*
EECIFUL Jesus, I beseech Thee by Thy tears,

Thy agony, Thy bloody sweat and death, to
deliver me at all times from a sudden and un-
provided death.

Second Prayer.

Most amiable Jesus, I humbly implore Thee by Thy
ignominious Scourging, Thy Crowning with Thorns,
Thy Holy Cross, Thy Sacred Passion, and by all Thy
Goodness, not to permit me to pass out of this world
without having received Thy most holy Sacraments.

Third Prayer.

most amiable Jesus, my Lord and my God, I entreat
of Thee from the depth of my heart, I implore Thee
with my whole soul, by all Thy weariness and sorrow, by
Thy Precious Blood, Thy Sacred Wounds, by those last
words which Thou, my sweet Jesus, didst utter : " My
God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me ?" — I beseech
Thee also by that cry : " Father, into Thy hands I com-
mend My Spirit," — ^yes, I implore Thee thus not to
snatch me out of the world by a sudden death. Grant
me, I pray Thee, time to do penance. Vouchsafe that
I may happily die in Thy grace, in order that I may
love Thee with my whole soul and with all my heart,
and that I may praise Thee and bless Thee for ever.

220 ST. YINGENT FEBREB.

Last Prayer.

My Lord Jesus ! by the Five Wounds which Thou
didst receive on the Cross for love of us, help Thy ser-
vants, redeemed by Thy most Precious Blood.

VII. — A Dbvotion fob the Feast op que Lobd*s Nativity,

TAUGHT BY St. ViNCENT.

|T. VINCENT FERRER, preaching on one
occasion on the eve of Christmas, proposed to
the people the example of a merchant of Yalen-
cia, who each year, to honour the birth of our Lord,
invited to his table a poor old man, an indigent woman,
and a little child, in whom he was pleased to contem-
plate the most holy Virgin, with her Divine Child Jesus,
and St. Joseph, His adopted father. ** This pious prac-
tice," said the Saint, '' was so pleasing to God, that the
merchant, being at the point of death, beheld the holy
Virgin, with her Child, and the patriarch St. Joseph,
appearing to him ; and these Divine personages told him
that, as he had received them into his house, they had
come likewise to invite him into their dweUing, the king-
dom of heaven, thus confirming the gospel saying, * What
you do to one of My brethren you do unto Me.* " The
Saint further remarked, " What you spend on pleasure,
bestow, for the love of God, on the poor, after the
example of the merchant of Valencia. The poor, who
are unable to give alms, may recite as many Ave Marias
as there are days, weeks, or months during which the

PBAYEB8 FOB HEALTH. 221

Blessed Virgin bore the Holy Child Jesus in her vir-
ginal breast."

This advice of the Saint embodies in it two sublime
devotions : one for the rich, who may receive three per-
sons on Christmas-day, an old man, a woman, and a
child, treating them with great charity, and inviting
them to dine in their house, in memory of Jesus, Mary,
and St. Joseph. The other is for the poor, who, having
nothing to bestow on the needy, may salute the Virgin
Mary Mother of God in the manner prescribed, in order
that the Divine clemency of the Word Incarnate may
communicate to them, through the merits of His most
Holy Mother, the grace and mercy of God.

VIII. — Pbayebs wmcH St. Vincent Febbeb hade use of to
Bestobe Health to the Sick, and to pebfobm otheb
hibacles.

HE prayers which St. Vincent was accustomed
to use before working miracles consisted of

^ certain words drawn from the holy Gospel, in
order to excite faith, or else other prayers, such as the
following : —

Signa antem eos qui crediderint hseo seqaentnr : super segros manns
imponent, et bene habebont. Jesus, MarisB filius, xnundi Salus et
Dominus, qui te traxit ad fidem cathoUoam, te in ea conservet, et
beatum faciat, et ab hac infirmitate liberare dignetur. Amen.

These signs shaU follow them that believe : they shall lay their
hands upon the sick, and they shall recover. M&y Jesus, the Son
of Mary, the Saviour of the world, Who hath brought thee to the
Catholic faith, preserve thee therein, and make thee blessed, and
vouchsafe to deliver thee from this infirmity. Amen.

222 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

This prayer was afterwards brought into use by St.
Lewis Bertrand, who drew it up in the form in which it
is used by the Holy Order of Friar Preachers to bless
the sick, after the example of these two saints. It runs
thus :—

Super segros manus imponent, et bene habebont. J^sns, MarisB
filiuB, mundi Salus et Dominus, qui te traxit ad fidem oatholicam, te
in ea conserret, et beatom faciat, et mentis Beatse Marise, et Beati
Dominici, Patris nostri, et Beaii Yinoenti et omnium Sanctorum, te
ab hac infirmitate Uberare dignetux. Amen.

They shaU lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover.
May Jesus, the Son of Mary, the Saviour and Master of the world,
Who hath brought thee to the Catholic faith, preserve thee therein,
and make thee blessed ; and may He, by the merits of Blessed Mary,
and of Blessed Dominic, our Father, and of Blessed Vincent and aU
the Saints, vouchsafe to deliver thee from this infirmity. Amen.

The number of sick persons, and especially those who
were aflSicted with fever, who recovered their health by
means of this short prayer, is known only to God. It is
not necessary to speak of them ; for daily experience
suflSciently proves its eflScacy. Our object here is, not
to speak of the Saint's miracles, but only to reveal the
pious practices taught by him, and of which he himself
made use.

Besides the prayer which he recited over the sick, he
used another almost similar to it to restore the dead to
life. It is as follows : —

Signa autem eos qui crediderint hsec sequentur : Jesus, MarisB filius,
mundi Salus et Dominus, qui hujus animam ex nihilo fecit, eam in
hoc corpus restituat, ad laudem et gloriam Sui Nominis.

These signs shall foUow them that believe : May Jesus, the Son of
Mary, the Saviour and Master of the world. Who formed the soul of
this person out of nothing, restore it to his body, for the glory and
praise of His Name,

DEVOTIONS FOR FECUNDITY. 228

Sometimes, in particular cases, or to perform some
striking miracle, the Saint made some slight alteration
in the ahove prayers, as was the case when he restored
to life the little child which was killed by its mother.
On that occasion he added certain words to the prayer
we have been speaking of.

The prayer which he recited over persons possessed
was as follows : —

Signa autem eoB qui orediderint hseo seqnentnr : In Nomine Meo
dsBmonia ejioient. Jesns, Marisa filius, mnndi Salos et Dominus, qui
te trazit ad fidem oatholicam, te in ea oonservet, et beatmn faciat, et
corpus tuum a dsamone liberare dignetur. Amen.

These signs shaU follow them that believe : " In My Name they shall
cast out devils.*' May Jesus, the Son of Mary, the Saviour and Master
of the world, Who hath brought thee to the Catholic faith, preserve
thee therein, and make thee blessed, and vouchsafe to deliver thy body
from the devil. Amen.

In this way did St. Vincent excite faith and devotion
in himself and in those who were desirous of miracles,
rendering glory to God, and effecting the salvation of his
neighbour. He left to posterity the formula of these
prayers to obtain the health of the sick.

IX. — Fbacticss of Devotion taught by St. Vincent to

OBTAIN THE BLESSINa OF FECUNDITY.

jHEN persons whose marriages were unblessed
with offspring had recourse to St. Vincent to
obtain through him this blessing, the Saint
would receive them with much kindness, and knowing
the right and legitimate desire which they had to behold

224 ST. YINGENT FERRER.

their union fruitfally blessed, he animated them to con-
fidence in the Divine power, which would console them
by bestowing on them the blessing which they desired.
Not only did he bless them and pray God to comfort
them, but he moreover wished them to unite with him
in prayer. He taught them how to pray in order to
obtain that grace, and instructed them, in the first
place, to live in the holy fear of God, and carefully to
keep the marriage vow. He likewise enjoined them to
recite morning and evening the Our Father^ the Hail
Mary, and the Apostles* Greed ; not to pass a single day
without saying the holy Bosary, and before taking their
meals, to bless themselves with the sign of the Cross
and with Holy Water. The Saint also recommended
them to say the Psalm, Beati omnes qui timent Dominum;
he counselled those who could not read to engage some
one to recite it devoutly for them, and to listen to it at-
tentively. He, then, assured them of the speedy realisa-
tion of the desired favour, provided it should be necessary
to the salvation of their souls.

According to the testimony of grave writers, a great
number of women obtained this singular favour, by means
of this short and easy devotion. Father de Valdecebro
attests that in his time the pious Countess of Oropeso
being fourteen years without children, and having
abandoned all hope of having an heir, had recourse to the
Saint's intercession, recited and did all that he enjoined
to obtain the joy of maternity. She had the happiness
of being heard, and brought into the world the fruit of
the blessing for which she had so ardently longed. The

DEVOTIONS AGAINST TEMPESTS. 225

same Father adds that the number of miracles wrought
by St. Vincent Ferrer to obtain heirs to noble families,
is almost as great as that of the cares which he performed
in favour of the sick. We also can affirm that even in
our own day the intercession of St. Vincent is so effi-
cacious in obtaining similar graces, that he merits to be
styled the Patron Saint of the unprolific.

X. — Remedies, ob Pbactices of Devotion, against Tempests,

TAUGHT BY St. ViNCENT.

HE holy Apostle preaching at Chinchilla, a
country that was frequently devastated by
storms, left to the people of that coast and to
others also, some spiritual practices and prayers to be
used against tempests, telling them that these were of
two kinds, namely : one which proceeded solely from the
earth, for example, the insects and worms which eat and
destroy the plants. Against this evil the Saint recom-
mended, as the most effectual remedy, the use of Holy
Water, according to the formula of the Church ; sprink-
ling the ground with it, and invoking the Holy Name of
Jesus. And as the plague is a scourge of the same
nature, he observed that the same remedy might be used
against it, and that a pious ecclesiastic should be invited
to go through the streets and houses, to asperse them
and to recite the prayers prescribed by the Church,
especially the following :

Ut qaidqaid in domibus, yel in locis fidelinm h»o tinda resper-
serit, careat omni immunditia, liberetur a noza ; non illic resideat
spiritas pestilens, nee aura corrompens.

226 8T. VINCENT FEBBEB.

The other kind of tempeBt, added the Saint, proceeds
from the atmosphere, namely, hail, thunder, the winds,
heavy rains, and such like things. To remedy these, he
suggested the recital of the Psalm Detis in adjutorium
meum intende^ the Litany of the Saints, the Athanasian
Creed Quicumque vult salvua esse, and finally the
Apostles' Greed. He recommended also the prayer,
JesiiSf Maria filing, etc., mentioned above, changing
certain words according to need :

Jesas, MariflB filias, xnundi Sains et Boxninns, qui nos traxit ad
fidem catholioam, nos in ea conservet, et beatos faciat, et ab hao
tempestate liberare dignetur.

Lastly, the Saint observed that before reciting these
prayers, each one should fortify himself with the salutary
sign of the Gross, conformably to the practice of the holy
Roman Church. " They," said he, "who are Priests,
•should, before invoking the Divine aid, make the sign of
the Cross against the clouds ; " but he enjoined the laity
io simply invoke many times the Holy Name of Jesus,
each time making the sign of the Cross upon themselves.
He, moreover, counselled the laity, and with reason, to
make the sign of the Cross upon themselves, and not
upon the clouds, as the ritual prescribes, since he could
not teach them to do what alone belongs to priests.

We should bear in mind that, after having performed
all these prayers against storms and other calamities,
should the evil still continue, we must not lose confidence
in God, Who knows how, and is able, by other means, to
provide for our wants and to succour us in our necessities.

St. Vincent Ferrer, speaking of the prayers that are

DEVOTIONS AGAINST TEMPESTS. 227

oflFered up in times of drought to procure rain, such as
the Litany of the Saints chanted in the public processions,
warns us, in asking for a cessation of the calamity,
against imitating rude and ignorant people, who declare
and hold for certain that in default of rain they will lose
their harvest ; this is a want of confidence in God, Who
can produce the grain and the wheat not only in the
fields, but even in the very granaries, and in abundance.
" God," said he, " often will not hear prayers because of
the little confidence that is placed in Him." In proof
of this, the Saint related that at Valencia, the wheat
being greatly in want of rain, public processions took
place, and the saints were invoked through their litanies,
without, however, the gi-eat drought ceasing. Neverthe-
less, though the grain remained small, by reason of the
want of moisture, the crops were so abundant, that no
one in Valencia ever remembered to have seen so rich a
harvest. The ears were full of grain, and there was ex-
ceedingly little straw.

XI.— Other Prayers against Tempests.

HEN robbers and enemies ravage and pillage
the possessions of a people, the latter have re-
course to the Prince to aid and succour them ;
'*even so," observed St. Vincent, *'when the devils,
who are our enemies, seek to tempt us, by inciting storms
to rob us of the produce and to destroy the shrubs and
vines, we should have recourse to God, and implore His

16*

228 ST. VINCEOT FERRER.

Divine help. Also when we see the dark clouds gather
and hear the thander groan, it is customary to ring the
bells and to expose the Cross ; Christians prostrate them-
selves before God, and address their supplications to
Him. These practices are most fitting. The Church
bells are trumpets whose sound frightens our enemies,
and each one should prostrate himself before the Cross
in prayer.

These prayers should be performed in four ways :
The first is the recital of the litanies, or we may invoke
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the Blessed
Virgin, and all the Saints. This prayer belongs
specially to clerics, since many of the laity do not know
the litanies. The second is to recite the Creed Qui-
cumque vult salvus esse, etc., signing ourselves with the
sign of the Cross, to drive away the tempest. It is be-
yond question that by reciting these prayers on bended
knee, and prajdng with true devotion, the noxious clouds
are dissipated or disappear, by going into some desert
place where they can neither hurt people, nor the crops,
and the heavens become clear and serene.

The third consists in saying the Creed, which all
should have by heart, and at each article should form on
themselves the sign of the Cross against the tempest.
The fourth and last method which every one may adopt,
is to kneel down at the commencement of the storm,
and make the sign of the Cross, invoking three times the
most sweet Name of Jesus, and by this means driving
away the devils and the storms.

DEVOTION TO GUABDUN ANGELS. 229

XII. — Devotion to the Guardian Angels.

T. VINCENT took special care to inculcate to
the people -devotion to the Guardian Angels.
He said that we should strive by means of
prayer to make them our friends. He recommended
them to say on their knees, morning and evening, the
following prayer in their honour :

Angele Dei, qni cnstos es tnei, me tibi commissnm pietate snpernfi,
illnmina, cnstodi, rege et gnbema. Amen.

Angel of God, whom God bath appointed to be my guardian,
enlighten and protect me, direct and govern me. Amen.*

Its meaning is, as the Saint explains in one of his
sermons : " Enlighten me with the holy light of the
Christian faith ; protect me against the evil inclinations
of my nature, the snares of the devil, the attractions of
the world, and the impure delights of the flesh ; direct
and govern me in the practice of good works."

In order to engage each one to venerate his Guardian
Angel, the Saint explained in the pulpit the great benefits
that we receive from them, since they are our defence
against our enemies. *' It is they," added he, " who
comfort us in our troubles and temptations, who support
us lest we fall. And if unhappily, refusing to hear their
voice, we fall into grievous faults, they excite us to a
true and sincere repentance. It is they who enlighten

* This prayer, as it would appear, is very ancient. Was it St.
Vincent who composed it, or was it anterior to him T We are unable
to decide this question. The Church has attached precious Indul-
gences to this practice : one hundred days each time, and a Plenary
Indulgence once a month. Pius YI., Pius YII., 15th May, 1821.

230 ST. VINCENT FERREB.

oar understanding to know the things of faith ; it is
they who, as onr advocates, pray incessantly for as, and
rejoice with exceeding: snreat ioy in heaven with the other
blessed spirits each tL that we do penance. In a
word, it is they who will conduct us to glory, when we
shall have finished our earthly course/'

But what especially encouraged people to devotion to
the Guardian Angels, was to hear from the Saint's lips
that these spirits fulfil this office towards us with such
joy and delight, that, when they receive from God the
command to help us, they regard this as a special favour,
and thank God with a most lively gratitude. And that
the faithful might thoroughly realise this benefit, the
Saint showed them the example of a master, who,
having sheep in the desert, sends shepherds to guard
them, that they may not be devoured by wolves. " God,"
said he, " acts towards us in like manner. We are His
flock in the desert of this world, and He sends His
angels to watch over us, that we may not be devoured
by the infernal wolves, agreeably to what is written :
'Angelis suis mandavit de te ; * * He hath given His
angels charge over thee'" (Psalm xc. 11).

• XIII. — The Blessing of Food.

MONG the practices of piety which St. Vincent
taught the faithful, he recommended to them the
blessing of food before meals, and grace after-
wards. In a sermon preached on the Fourth Sunday in

THE BLESSING OF FOOD. 231

Lent, he related to his hearers a terrible chastisement
which God inflicted on a man who was in the habit of
taking his meals without asking the Lord to bless his food.
The Saint affirmed that he had seen in Lombardy a man
who was possessed by five hundred devils, of whom he de-
manded the reason why they had entered that man's body.
"It is," they answered with an awful voice, "because we
have been commanded by God to punish him for having
eaten and drunk without ever saying a prayer, or even
making the sign of the Gross." In his sermons, the
Saint never prescribed any prayer to be said before and
after meals ; but contented himself with exhorting them
to this duty : to invoke God, and to say some prayers
of praise to thank Him for His benefits, leaving to each
one the choice of prayers which he should recite. *' You
ought always," said he, " before and after meals, to give
thanks to God for the gifts that He has bestowed upon
you, by pronouncing at least the Name of Jesus."

The blessing which he taught the people consisted of
verses of the Psalm cxliv.

Oouli omnium in te sperant, Domine, et tn das Ulis escam in tem-
pore cpportuno. Aperis manom tuam, et imples omne animal bene-
dictione. Gloria PatrL Eyiie eleison. Pater noster.

The eyes of all hope in Thee, Lord : and Thoa givesi them meat
in due season. Thou openest Thy hand, and fiUest with blessing
every living creature. Glory be to the Father. Lord have mercy on
us. Our Father.

And the thanksgiving afterwards, are those other
words of David :

Memoriam fecit mirabilium suoram misericors et miserator Do-
minus: esoam dedit timentibus se. Gloria Patri. Kyrie eleison.
Pater noster.

282 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

He hftth made a remembrance of His wonderful works, being a
meroifol and graoions Lord : He hath given food to them that fear
Him. Glory be to the Father. Lord have mercy on us. Oar
Father.i

He proposed to them the example of onr Lord, Who
was wont to act thas with His disciples. '' And on
that account/' he observed in conclusion, " we should
inviolably observe this custom."

XIY. — The Manner of Sanctiftino the Fast of Lent.

]MONG the practices of devotion which this great
Saint was accustomed to teach, was that of
sanctifying the fast of Lent, in order that
Christians might not only fulfil the precept of holy
Church, but, still more, that they might attain their
sanctification through it. He observed that we should
all, at that holy time, imagine ourselves to be out of
the world, and in the society of Jesus in the desert,
according to the condition of each one.

First, he said, in regard to religious and priests, that
they should live in the desert with Jesus, by applying
themselves more than ever to the recital of the divine
Offices. As to artisans, he exhorted them to leave their
homes from time to time, to assist at the holy Mass
and the sermon, in order to hear the divine word ; after
which they might apply themselves to their occupations
for the support of their families.

The Saint requested the rich to rise at daybreak,

• Every pions Christian knows the Benedicite and the grace after
meals. It is an excellent custom to add the Our Father to these.

ON THE PAST OF LENT. 233

and to address fervent prayers to God. They were to
assist at the solemn Mass and sermons ; after which
they shonid recite the Psalter, so that in this manner
the morning might be occupied till mid-day. To those
who could not read, he prescribed the visit of the
churches, monasteries, and hospitals, that they might
gain the Indulgences attached to these works. He per-
mitted a short recreation after the repast ; but obliged
them thence to assist at the divine Offices, or at the
recitation of the seven Penitential Psalms. ** In this
way," said he, " every one can be in the desert, far
away from worldly amusement, in order to acquire
merit for heaven, and to be freed from the rebellion
and evil inclinations of the flesh, as well as from all
the disorders of the age."

At other times, the Saint would compare the time
of Lent to Mount Thabor, a high, desert, austere place,
in opposition to the time of carnival, which resembles
the low and delightful valleys. " In the latter time,
which is a season of folly," he observed, " many walk
in the broad path of perdition, but during the holy
time of Lent, devout Christians ought to climb the
mountain of penance, leaving behind them luxuries,
pleasures, pomps, and worldly display, in imitation
of the Prophet Isaias : ' Come, and let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord,' that is, let us go to the
mountain of penance (Isaias ii. 3). On that mountain
Jesus Christ is transfigured, and, though He be a
rigorous Judge, yet He will appear full of mercy towards
us by reason of our penance. Therefore it is that the

284 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

Royal Prophet expresses himself thus : * Thoa shalt
arise and have mercy on Sion ; for it is time to have
mercy on it, for the time is come"' (Psalm ci. 1^).

XV. — Rules prescribed by St. Vincent for Living Piously.

HE Saint was wont to give to the simple people
four rules, to enable them to live piously. The
first was, every day to perform attentively the
morning exercise of which we have already spoken ;
then having said the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the
Creed, and the Scdve Regina, they should make the
sign of the Cross, and for the sake of brevity, make
the following protestation : '' My Lord Jesus Christ,
I declare my desire to live and die in the holy Catholic
faith."

The second rule was to hear Mass on Sundays, and
Feasts of Obligation ; and at Mass to offer loving acts
of thanksgiving to God for having created us, redeemed
and preserved us to this day.

The third rule was to confess every month ; for
although the Church obliges her children to this act
only once in the year, " yet, for the good of the soul,
it is most useful," said the Saint, '' to do it once a
month."

The fourth rule was to receive Communion with the
requisite dispositions. But, in order to receive worthily
the Eucharist, he laid down four other rules : first, to
make an entire confession of our sins before approaching

BEFLECTIONS FOB TIME OF DISCIPLINE. 235

the holy table ; secondly, to renew our sorrow for past
sins, to detest them, and to make acts of contrition for
them ; thirdly, to form a resolution never to separate
oneself from Ood by a single mortal sin ; and, fourthly,
to determine to make satisfaction by true penance for
the sins of our past life.

XVI.— Pious Reflections composed by St. Vincent, and

USED DURING THE TIME OF DISCIPLINE, TO EXCITE SiNNERS

TO Bepentance ; drawn from the Process op his Canon-
isation.

IBT us reflect tenderly and with deep attention
on the sufferings of Jesus in His Passion, how
He was abandoned by the Apostles, and seized
and bound by the wicked Jews, that we might all be
delivered from the bonds of our sins. Will there be one
of us who will hesitate to scourge himself severely with
the discipline when he thinks of Jesus so delicate, but
so cruelly maltreated for us ?

" holy Virgin, how were you loaded with blessings
in your conception, you who attracted this envoy of
heaven, who delivers us from the terrible punishments
and from the bonds of eternal damnation ! "

By this simple and pious reflection the holy apostle
sought to imprint sweetly on the hearts of people a
tender compassion towards Jesus crucified, '' a compas-
sion," said he, " which we should continually have in
our soul ; for, if we reflect on the contempt and the
oatrages, the poverty, the sorrows, the sufferings

286 6T. VINCENT FBRREB.

endured with so much bitterness by the Son of God
for love of us, that He might thereby incite us to love
and honour Him, we shall understand how little we
have done to love and honour our Lord, compared with
what we ought to do/'

237

PART THE THIRD.

PRACTICAL DEVOTION OF ST. VINCENT FERRER.

SECTION THE FIRST.
Fridays dedicated in bonoub of St. Vincent Ferrer.

TO THE PIOUS READER.

HERE is nothing in my opinion that is better
calculated to move a soul devoted to St.
Vincent Ferrer, than the fifteen degrees of per-
fection taught by the Saint himself in his '' Treatise on
the Spiritual Life." ^Be not alarmed, dear reader, at
the sound of this word perfection ; for if it were so
diflBcult as we picture it to ourselves, our Lord Jesus
Christ would never have recommended it to the multi-
tude when he said, ''Be you therefore perfect, as also
your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. v. 48). The
practice of it is, doubtless, somewhat difficult, I do not
deny ; but virtue is so transcendent a good, that to
acquire it, it behoves us to surmount every difficulty
that surrounds it. Moreover, if you seek to attain it by

288 BT. TIKCENT FEBBEB.

the royal ladder erected by the Saint, you will find this
exercise so sweet, that yoor sonl will appear to ascend
to heaven by a path planted with roses.

The Saint, yoar adyocate, has acted in this as a tender
mother acts in regard to her little child, who, in order
to accustom it to eat bread, cuts it into morsels for it : to
afford the bread of perfection, this food so strong to the
weak and to those young in virtue, he has divided into
fifteen degrees what is here proposed to you on these
Fridays. It is, then, a most useful exercise for acquiring
conjointly with the protection of so great a Saint, perfec-
tion itself.

The following is the order to be adopted. Firstly, you
should read a short lecture on each of the succeeding per-
fections, taken word for word from the eighteenth chapter
of the Saint's " Treatise on the Spiritual Life." For
the benefit of simple people, the text is accompanied by
a short, but solid explanation. Secondly, a prayer is
offered to the Saint, to obtain through his intercession
the degree of perfection which he teaches you. And
lastly, in order to animate yourself to place your confi-
dence in him, you should read a short instruction on
some of the miracles wrought by him. The exercise is
then concluded with devout prayer, namely, seven Our
Fathers and seven Hail MarySy or the Litanies of the
Saint.

At all seasons of the year, the Fridays may be kept
in honour of St. Vincent, according to the spiritual and
temporal needs of each one. But they who have a
special devotion to this Saint, are accustomed to cele-

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 289

brate also the seven Fridays before and after his Feast.
They should visit, if possible, every Friday the chapel,
or some statue of the Saint ; it will be well also to fast
on the same day, if this can be done ; or, when this is
impracticable, some pious work may take its place, in
accordance with the advice of one's confessor.

Confession and Communion are enjoined on the same
day, in order to gain the Indulgences granted by the
great Pontiflf Benedict XIII., and renewed by Pius VII.^
We should, moreover, devote half an hour to mental
prayer, either at one time, or by dividing it into a
quarter of an hour morning and evening. We should
meditate on the explanations and practices of the per-
fections of the spiritual life, proposed by the Saint. And
lastly, we should recite seven Our Fathers, seven Hail
Marys, and seven Glory be to the Fathers in honour of
the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost with which St. Vincent
was so abundantly enriched. We should add, as far as
we are able, prayers to the Saint, or his Litanies which
are appended to this work.

Besides the exercise of the seven Fridays before and
after the Saint's Feast, I shall propose another both
short and profitable : on every Friday which is observed
in his honour, choose one of the virtues practised by
him, and excite it in you ; for example : charity,
humility, meekness, obedience, modesty, chastity,

1 A Plenary Indulgence on Fridays at each one's choice ; seven
years and seven forty days' Indulgence on other days. The same may
be also gained on the seven Fridays after the Saint's Feast. Pius
Vn. ad augendum 16th of February, 1808.

240 ST. TINCSNT FERBER.

patience, resignation, &c. ; and this not in a light
and passing way, bat in snch a way as to excite
yourself to practise effectaally the same virtue ; exercise
yourself, for instance, in patience until you possess it,
and by degrees you will acquire each of the other virtues.
In this consists true devotion to the Saint : the imita-
tion of his virtues.

First Fbioat before the Feast of St. Vincent.

Text. — Nine perfections are necessary to him who
would serve our Lord Jesus Christ in the spiritual life.
The first is to have a clear and perfect knowledge of his
shortcomings and defects.

Explanation. — This, says St. Vincent, is the first
step to be taken by a soul that wishes to walk in the
path of perfection : it behoves him to know himself.
The knowledge of oneself is the foundation of humility,
which produces the fear of God. To know and to weep
over one's own miseries is the principle of salvation. St.
Jerome assures us of this (chap. xv.).

Practice. — The means for acquiring this knowledge
consists in a frequent examination of our conscience, in
willingly receiving fraternal correction, and even desiring
to be told of our faults ; in never thinking of the defects
of others, but in watching over ourselves, as the Apostle
exhorts us : " Take heed to thyself,'* etc. (1 Tim. iv. 16).

Prayer to the Saint. — great Saint, my soul is in
dreadful agony ! If I view my interior, I am unable to
support myself; and yet, if I reflect not on myself, I

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 241

cannot possibly know myself ! When I consider what
I am, I am terrified ; and instead of correcting myself,
I almost despair, seeing that I am burdened with so
many sins and defects ! Bat if I neglect to examine my
interior, I might perchance imagine myself to be in the
path of salvation, and go blindfolded into hell ! What
shall I do ? 1 will have recourse to you, my protector,
glorious apostle of the fifteenth century, great St.
Vincent. When on earth, you ardently sought after
sinners, that you might inspire them with true repentance
by the knowledge of their iniquities, and then, with un-
speakable kindness and joy, you received them into your
heart. Behold me, great Saint, prostrate at your feet ;
I confess my misery and the gravity of my offences, but
I do notlsee t^em as clearly as I could wish. Obtain
for me, I beseech you, one ray of heavenly light, by which
I may truly know myself as I am. Let this light comfort
me with the hope of pardon, let it animate me to correct
my faults, and amid the assaults of my passions, let me
remain stedfast in the path of virtue. You have obtained
this grace for thousands of sinners whom you delivered
out of the darkness of sin, converted to God, and led to
perfection. Can I hope for as much ? Oh ! yes, I do
hope for it, because I know how powerful your interces-
sion is. Amen.

Spiritual Instruction. — Among the innumerable pro-
digies wrought by the Saint at Valencia and elsewhere,
the cure of afiSicted eyes, and the restoration of sight to
many blind people, are particularly noticed. To interest
you, I shall relate one such fact. Listen to what hap-

242 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

pened to a merchant who had lost his sight. This man,
named Seuchier, who lived in the borough of Bram, in
the department of the Aude, hearing that St. Vincent
Ferrer was at Montolieu, immediately caused himself to be
conducted thither that he might receive from him the
cure of his infirmity. The amiable Saint went to meet
the merchant on the steps of the Benedictine Abbey,
where he had chosen to lodge ; and when this person
was apprised of the Saint's presence, he cast himself on
the ground before him, saying : " Master, since you are,
as I believe, a true disciple of Jesus Christ, I pray you
to restore to me my sight which I have lost for the space
of three years." St. Vincent making on his eyes the
sign of the Cross, completely cured him, and the mer-
chant suddenly recovered his sight.^

Becognise here yourself the great goodness of the
Saint, who runs to meet those who come to him to
obtain favours. Observe his promptitude in satisfying
the wants of his neighbour, for hardly has the blind man
asked him for his sight than he immediately bestows it
on him. How happy are you in having chosen as your
advocate a Saint so good and so prompt to succour those
who invoke him ! If he shows such great liberality
towards one who is deprived of his bodily sight, how
much more will not he exercise it in regard to your soul,
alas ! afflicted with spiritual blindness !

Seven Our Fathers^ seven Hail Marys, seven Gloiy
be to the Fathers, the prayer of the Saint, Quisque, or
the Litanies at the end of the book.

1 Banzanoi apud Bolland,, et alii ex processu canonizationis.

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 243

Second Friday before the Saint's Feast.

Text, — Th^ second perfection is a generous and con-
stant resistance to evil inclinations and desires contrary
to justice.

Explanation, — Many persons place the difference
which separates the servants of God from those who do
not serve Him, in the absence of evil inclinations. In
this they are mistaken ; for to serve God, does not con-
sist in never being tempted, but in never consenting to
evil tendencies and to corrupt passions. Thus, the holy
man Job defines the life of man to be a constant warfare.
" The life of man upon earth is a warfare " (Job
vii. 1). "God," says the Dominican Cardinal Hugo
of Saint-Cher, "has placed us here below, in order
that, combating our evil inclinations, we may gain an
immortal crown."

Practice, — Do not excuse yourself by saying : " I have
an evil nature." God has given you this nature that you
may subdue it, and thus acquire a great recompense in
heaven. Neither accuse your passions of being the
cause of your falls ; but rather blame yourself, who neither
know how nor desire to curb them. When your passions
are excited, remember that you are bound to overcome
them if you wish to attain perfection, for it is written :
" He also that striveth for the mastery, is not crowned
except he strive lawfully " (2 Tim. ii. 6).

Prayer to the Saint — Great Saint, you who have
shown so rare a fidelity to grace, by repressing within
you the evil instincts which we have all inherited from

17*

244 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

our first father, I beseech you not to suflfer my soul to
flatter its cowardice or to sanction the difiBculties of virtue
that it may live in forgetfulness of its duties, in a shame-
ful connivance with the senses, in an unworthy bondage
of the passions. I am kneaded with corruption. A
fatal experience only convinces me more and more of
this : " I was conceived in iniquities ; and in sins did
my mother conceive me " (Psalm 1. 7). There is with-
in me the man of spirit, when I am virtuous ; but there
is also the man of flesh ; and the latter is powerful, bold,
tyrannical ; he insolently rebels against the other ; he
strives for the mastery, he desires to rule over him, to
stifle him. Great Saint, assist me in the ardent struggle

that is going on. What shall I do, what will become of
me if you abandon me ? With God, be you my strength,
I beseech you. Then shall I exclaim with the Apostle :
" Of myself I can do nothing, but I can do all things in
Him who strengtheneth me; ** I can do all things in God,
I can do all things in Vincent, His servant. With the
help of God, with the help of Vincent, my beloved pro-
tector, I will boldly encounter the interior enemies of
my salvation, I will resist their murmurings, their re-
bellions, their unreasonable demands, their assaults ;
I will make myself master over them, and like you,
glorious Saint, I shall merit the eulogy of the victorious.
Amen.

Spiritual Instruction. — From his youth, St. Vincent
Ferrer frequently spent the night in prayer. Meditat-
ing on one occasion before the altar of the most holy
Virgin, the tempter appeared to him in the guise of an

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. .245

ancient Father of the Desert, having a beard which
reached to his girdle. Approaching the Saint, he said,
" Brother Vincent, I am come from heaven, to visit
thee, on account of the affection and compassion that I
feel towards thee, that I may give thee some advice that
will be useful to lead thee in the path of heaven without
wearying thyself in the course of the journey. I am
one of the celebrated anchorites who peopled the soli-
tudes of Egypt. In my youth I led a dissolute life, and
yielded myself up to the pleasures of sense. Afterwards,
fearing to be surprised by a sudden death, I resolved to
change my life, and retired into the desert, where,
already satisfied with the enjoyments of the world, and
aided by God's grace, I entered on the life of an ancho-
rite. I obtained pardon of my sins, and buried myself
in that retreat, where I occupied myself only in pleasing
God. If, then, thou wishest to attain the summit of
perfection, and to end thy life in a holy manner, follow
t^e advice that I am about to give thee. Do not afflict
thy body in the flower of age, nor practise such great
mortifications. No one can live without sooner or later
yielding to the demands of his passions, and it is better
to do it in youth than at a more advanced age. When
we reach the period when it is fitting that we should
fear death, then, by fervent prayer and sincere repent-
ance, we can easily obtain the pardon of the carnal
pleasures that we have tasted of in youth, and gain
heaven, there to enjoy its pure delights in the company
of the angels and of so many other penitent saints.'*
Hardly had the angel of darkness, transformed into

246 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

an angel of light, delivered himself of these last words,
than he helieved that he saw St. Vincent Ferrer tempted
against the constancy and perseverance in the entei-prise
of mortification through which he had resolved to pre-
serve his haptistnal innocence until death. But the
valiant soldier of Jesus Christ, arming himself with the
sign of the Cross, and pronouncing the sweet names of
Jesus and Mary, exclaimed, "I have consecrated to God
my youth and my old age, because I wish to give Him
my whole life." Then the devil, seeing himself dis-
covered and vanquished, fled in confusion, howling
frightfully, and leaving behind him a fetid and insup-
portable stench.'

In imitation of the Saint, let us courageously repel the
perfidious insinuations by means of which Satan would
prevent us from shaking off the yoke of concupiscence
to embrace the law of the spirit.

Seven Our Fathers, seven Hail Marys, seven Glory
be to tlie Fathers, the prayer Quisque, or the Litanies
of the Saint.

Thied Friday befobe the Saint's Feast.

Text. — The third perfection is a constant fear of the
sins which we have committed against God — sins in
regard to which we are unable to know if we have made
satisfaction, and whether or not God has pardoned us.

Explanation, — There are many persons who, having
confessed their sins, think no more of them than if

* Banzano, and other biographers of the Saint. Teoli. lib. ii. Tratt.
iii. c. 14.

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 247

they had never committed them, and who do no penance
for them. Such persons have a pressing need to ac-
quire the third degree of perfection taught by St.
Vincent. Thus, after having confessed his sins, and
having striven to amend his life, he who would be
perfect, and have an assurance of pardon, should have,
moreover, a fear of past sins, and never cease to weep
over them with a compunction that pierces his heart.
He is certain of having oflFended God, but he is un-
certain whether or not he has obtained pardon.
'* Blessed is the man that is always fearful,'* saith the
Holy Spirit (Prov. xxviii. 14).

Practice, — The way to exercise oneself in this holy
fear of God is, to make frequent acts of contrition, and
to have recourse to our holy intercessors, that they
may appease the just anger of God. Besides, he who
really trembles for the sins of his past life, who ac-
knowledges that he has offended God by forbidden
pleasures, should abstain even from those that are
allowable, in order to satisfy for his past faults. It is
St. Gregory who teaches us this (lib. ix. ep. 89).

Prayer to the Saint. — Having oflFended God as I have
had the misfortune to do, it is but just, holy pro-
tector, that I forget not the evil of which I am guilty,
and that I should humble myself unceasingly before
God, as you have taught me. you, who by your
words of eloquence inspired sinners who heard you with
sentiments of contrition so lively and so perfect, con-
tinue, in my behalf, this ministry, so efficacious.
Vouchsafe that I may ever have in view the terrible

248 ST. VINCENT FERBER.

judgments of God, that the memory of my past iniqui-
ties may never be effaced from my mind. Like the
penitents whom you converted, grant that I may be
able to say with them, as with the repentant prophet,
" My sin is always before me ; it is ever present to my
sight. Day and night I deplore it ; I abhor it ; I detest
it ; I implore pardon of God for it.*' Yes, sweet St.
Vincent, may this be the cry of my soul, the abiding
sentiment of my heart. May I exclaim, without ceas-
ing, " Mercy, my God, mercy ! We have acted unjustly
towards Thee ; we have committed iniquity ; we are
ungrateful; our prevarications are without excuse "^
(Psalm cv.). Yes, sweet refuge of penitent souls, receive
these words which the memory of your life inspires me
with, so holy in comparison with my own, which is so
despicable. Avert the justice of God, that being inte-
riorly changed, I may be able to repeat confidently, all
the days of my life, this consoling assurance of King
David, " A contrite and humble heart, God, Thou
wilt not despise " (Psalm 1. 19). Amen.

Spiritual Instruction. — When St. Vincent Ferrer was
in France, there was at Beziers a man who had com-
mitted many grievous crimes, and, still worse, he almost
despaired of the Divine mercy. The Saint, having gone
to preach in the town where this unhappy man dwelt,
the latter went to hear him, and he was so thoroughly
penetrated with the unction of his words, that he, com-
pletely humbled and contrite, cast himself at his feet
to accuse himself of his sins. Indeed, he confessed
with such lively contrition, that St. Vincent, having

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 249

imposed on him a penance of seven years, he exclaimed,
" What, my Father ! so light a penance for such griev-
ous sins ! " ** Yes, my son," replied the Saint, " I will
even lessen it. Your penance shall not he a fast of
seven years, hut only of three days on hread and water."
The sorrow of this true penitent increased on hearing
the Saint diminish thus a penance which appeared to
him already too easy, and he answered, "But, Father,
is it possible that for such grave oifences you can im-
pose so light a satisfaction on me ? " At these words,
St. Vincent answered with a holy resolution, " Go, my
son ; I will not impose on you any other penance than
this : the recital of the Our Father three times." The
penitent, sincere and submissive, humbly inclined his
head, and began to recite his three Our Fathers. But
his sorrow was so great, his contrition so perfect, that,
without being able to finish his penance, he fell dead at
the feet of his holy confessor. On the following night
the glorious soul of this penitent appeared to St.
Vincent. " By the great mercy of God," said he, " and
by reason of my perfect contrition, the Lord granted me
His complete forgiveness, and I have entered paradise
without passing through the flames of purgatory." ^

In another place, a woman who led a scandalous life
went to the church to hear the holy preacher. But as
she had gone there through other motives than the desire
of hearing the Divine word, she sought out a conspicu-
ous place, in order to be better seen by her admirers.
The man of God ascended the pulpit, and commenced

» Teoli, Ub. u. Tratt. ii. c. 4.

250 ST. VINCENT FERBER.

to preach against the vain ornaments of women and
against sins of the senses. He forcibly exhorted his
hearers to despise them as so many offences that were
most grievous in the sight of God. admirable
power of the Divine word ! the Saint's exhortation
penetrated the heart of the anhappy woman to such a
degree, that the contrition with which she was seized
caused her to shed an abundance of tears of repentance ;
her sorrow, indeed, was so great, that she was suffocated
by it, and fell dead upon the ground in the sight of
the assembled multitude. All they who were present
were the witnesses of her sorrow and her tears, yet they
trembled for the salvation of her soul. Seeing her die
thus suddenly, they regarded her death as a chastisement
of God, and deplored her ruin which would be eternal.
But the holy orator promptly consoled them. ** My good
people," said he, ''fear not for the salvation of this
woman, for her perfect contrition has saved her. Pray
for her." At these words, the preacher was interrupted
by a voice that came from heaven, which said : ''There
is no need to pray for her, for she is already in heaven."
Thus was the fact confirmed which the Saint had an-
nounced, that perfect contrition had saved this woman,
and that she was already wearing the crown of glory
among the souls of true penitents who people heaven.
May these beautiful examples animate you to conceive
for your sins a lively hatred and a sincere repentance.*

Seven Our Fathers, seven Hail Marys, seven Glory
be to the Fathers, the prayer Quisque, or the Litanies.

» Teoli, Ub. ii. Tratt. ii. c. 4.

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 251

Fourth Friday before the Saint's Feast.

TeA^. — The fourth perfection is a constant fear lest
our frailty should occasion us fresh falls similar to the
past oneS; and perhaps greater.

Explanation. — In this degree the Saint shows us that
the nearer a soul approaches perfection, the more ought
she to dread new falls. Thus she will do well to root
herself in a holy and filial fear of God. This fear is as
a rock which will preserve the soul from future sins ; for
if she leaves it, she will inevitably expose herself to irre-
parable disasters, according to what we read in the book
of Ecclesiasticus : " If thou remainest not in the constant
fear of God, thy edifice shall speedily fall." These
words have reference to the edifice of perfection, which
each one must endeavour to build up.

Practice. — The most efficacious means for preserving
oneself in the filial fear of God, is to avoid small faults,
and venial sins. These things offend God. He who
contemns small faults, infallibly falls into great ones.
" They who fear God," says the Wise Man, " neglect
nothing, but take account of everything" (Eccles. vii.).

Prayer to the Saint. — Alas ! on whichever side I turn,
I find myself beset with danger. If I reflect on rhy
past life, then I seem to behold hell ready to engulph
me in its flames. If I consider my present life, I imme-
diately see myself in the world as in an abyss of vice.
Had not I an angel who tempers this great fire, like him
who quenched with a refreshing breeze the flames of the
furnace of Babylon into which the three children were

254 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

show you that he is most faithful and prompt in coming
to the aid of souls who invoke him.

Seven Our Fathers, seven Hail Marys, seven Glory
be to the Fathers, the prayer Quisque, or the Litanies.

Fifth Friday before the Saint's Feast.

Text, — The fifth perfection consists in keeping all the
senses under an exact and rigorous discipline, in order
that they may he submissive to the soul in the service of
our Lord Jesus Christ.

Explanation. — The fifth degree is truly necessary.
Listen to St. Ambrose : " Jacob, being on a journey and
wishing to rest himself, laid his head upon a hard stone."
Thus, says the great doctor, they who are in the path
of perfection should resolve to lead a rigorous sort of life,
that is, to deprive themselves of whatever is delicate ; to
choose a hard couch, coarse food, and such like things.
This is an important rule of spiritual strategy to which
the soul should subject herself from the moment that she
enters on the rock of the holy fear of God, to follow her
Head and Guide, Jesus, Who was crowned with thorns.
*' Under a head pierced with thorns, it is not fitting that
the members should be delicate," says St.. Bernard
(Serm. v.).

Practice. — Call to mind the sort of life that St. Vincent
led when yet a child. He fasted twice a week without
ever failing, on Wednesday and Friday, and always on
bread and water. He gave, with his parents' permission,
all that he was able to the poor, and particularly to

PRACTICAL DEYOTION. 255

religious. He had great devotion to our Lord's Passion,
for he recited daily the Office of the Holy Cross ; and
every time that he met with the sign of our Redemption
on his journey, he saluted it with great piety. He had
an equal aflfection for the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom
he had recourse in all his needs. Copy, as far as you are
able, the example which the Saint, your advocate, affords
you, and in imitation of him, lead a pious and mortified
life, which will conduct you to the perfection which you
desire to attain.

Prayer to the Saint. — Make me feel, St. Vincent,
that my crudest enemy is myself; let this conviction
be deeply imprinted in my soul, which should animate
every Christian with the necessity of mortifying his
body. Oh, how truly did you say, with the Apostle St.
Paul, ** I chastise my body, and bring it into subjection :
lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself
should become a castaway ** (1 Cor. ix. 27). Alas ! I
am far from this beautiful model. You see before you a
miserable sinner, plunged in flesh and blood : a sensual
soul, who dreads the least restraint: who flies from
penance : who ardently runs after unworthy pleasures.
In following my perverse inclinations, can I reckon on
my salvation? No, I cannot. Is not the wisdom of
•the flesh death ? (Bom. viii. 6.) Is it not the enemy of
God ? (Bom. vii.) Can flesh and blood possess the
kingdom of God ? (1 Cor. xv. 60.) Is it not, on the
contrary, the characteristic of a Christian to crucify his
flesh (Gal. v. 24), to repress its desires ? (Bom. viii.)
To you, then, my beloved Patron, St. Vincent, I have

256 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

•

recourse; through you I ask for this Spirit of God,
which is opposed to the spirit of the flesh. You pos-
sessed it so abundantly yourself; let one salutary ray of
it fall upon me. I have confidence, great Saint, that
by your powerful intercession ray instincts will be
changed. Leaning on your merits, I desire for the
future to destroy what I have worshipped, ' and to wor-
ship what I have destroyed. Obtain for me, I beseech
you, the realisation of this desire, which I present to the
Lord through your hands. '* Create a clean heart in me,
God, and renew a right spirit within my bowels "
(Psalm 1. 12).

Spirittial Instruction. — Great is the devil's craft in
leading us to believe that it is impossible for us to
walk in the footsteps of the saints. He discourages us ;
he places our weakness before our eyes, and it appears
to us so truly great, that we imagine we can accomplish
none of the things which so many others have done
before us. But if we attentively consider the conduct of
the glorious St. Vincent, who always observed a rigorous
life, even in the midst of the greatest labours, what
shall we think of our tepidity and cowardice in practising
mortification, which the Saint practised to so high a
degree.

He was of noble blood ; consequently he was of a less
robust constitution than many other men. And yet
hardly had he become a religious, when he fasted almost
every day of his life. He was constantly travelling. He
accomplished his journeys on foot, with a staff in his
hand, or on an ass when his age or infirmities obliged

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 257

him to use it. He would never eat meat, nor did he
omit the discipline which he was accustomed to take
every night, after having preached twice or three times
in the course of the day. Here is a most striking
miracle apropos of his abstinence.

The Saint was one day received into the house of a
certain burgess, who left orders witt his wife to prepare
dinner for the Saint in the forenoon. He recommended
her, among other things, to serve him with fish only.
The wife was subject to periodical fits of madness. It
so happened that she was seized with one on this very
day, and suflfered so cruelly, that she killed her little
child, who was of a tender age, cut it in pieces, and
prepared out of it a horrible dish, with the intention of
setting it before the Saint.

The husband returned home as soon as the preaching
was over, and asked if dinner was ready. His wife
answered, "Yes;" and added, ** I have prepared for the
holy Father Vincent an exquisite dish, with the best
and most delicate meat." " But," answered the burgess,
'* did not I not tell you that Father Vincent never eats
meat ? " " It is true," said the wife ; " but I wished to
mix the flesh of our little child with the fish. I have
therefore killed it and cut it into pieces, that Father
Vincent may see that we give him the best we have."
Saying this, she showed her husband the bloody pre-
parations for the feast which she had raved about.

We can easily conceive how deeply grieved the poor
father was at the sight of this horrible accident ; he would
have died of grief, had not the Saint arrived at the house at

258 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

that moment, and consoled him in a marvellous manner.
In effect, seeing the innocent child killed and treated in
the way described, St. Vincent was moved with com-
passion. He then, without loss of time, collected
together the fragments of this little body; then he
united them together with his own hands, and having
said a short prayer, accompanied with the sign of the
Cross on the child, he restored it to life. It was thus
that he returned it, sound and well, to its father, who
received it, as we may well suppose, with unutterable
consolation.'

After so striking a miracle, we can comprehend, dear
reader, how acceptable to God are the penances and
mortifications which we practise with a view to subdue
our mortal flesh. Consider how pleased God is to
honour the abstinence of the Saint, since He wrought
so wondrous a prodigy. Continue to supplicate your
advocate to obtain for you the strength to be able, by the
mortifications and holy rigours of penance, to attain
perfection. Ho is so powerful, he will obtain it of God.

Seven Our Fathers^ seven Hail Marys and Glory be
to the Fathers, the prayer Quisque, or the Litanies.

Sixth FRmAY before the Saint's Feast.

Text. — The sixth perfection is great strength, and an
invincible patience in temptation and adversity.

* This prodigy, related by Banzano (vide Bolland, April, Tom. I. p.
502), is one of the eight hundred and sixty that were alleged for tb.e
canonisation of the Saint. Mention is made of it in the Antiphon. of
Lauds, of the Office of St. Vincent Ferrer, in the Dominican Liturgy.

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 259

Explanation, —The Saint expresses himself thus :
** However regular a person mfiy be in his conduct, he
Devertheless will not be without struggles, temptations,
and adversity." Thus it is that he strongly recommends
to you the sixth degree. It consists in the strength with
which a soul should be endowed in her struggles with
temptation, according to the advice of the Wise Man :
**Son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand in
justice and fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation ''
(Eccles. ii. 1). But strength is not sufficient, if it be not
united to patience, by which we overcome the adversities
and persecutions which usually happen to those who aspire
to perfection, according as St. Paul observes : " All that
will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution "
(2 Tim. iv. 12).

Practice. — If you desire to attain to this degree, have
recourse to God whenever you are tempted, saying, with
the woman of Canaan : " Have mercy on me, Lord,
Thou Son of David " (Matt. xv. 22) ; and He will grant
it to him who well knows his weakness, and who implores
His divine assistance. The most effectual means for
exercising yourself in patience is to call to mind in your
afflictions and troubles that you merit much more on
account of your sins ; and in persecutions to think that
the saints were persecuted in the world, and that our
Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. These considerations
will comfort you, and instead of being dejected because
the world hates you, you will rejoice, because this will
be a sign that you are not of the world, but of God, as
our Lord Himself declared to His Apostles (John xv. 19.)

18*

260 ST. VINCBNT FERREB.

Prayer to the Saint. — ^Inyincible hero of the Church,
St. Vincent, you who from the tenderest age were
resolved to lead a rigorons life, and who addicted your-
self to constant prayer, fasts, and penances, to acquire
the perfection to which you so happily attained ; you
who vigorously repelled the assaults of the world and of
the flesh, and who endured with indescribable patience
every kind of persecution, behold me prostrate at your
altar, deploring my misspent life. The ruin of my soul
is great, because I have lived without regulating my
conduct ; or, if I have sometimes made resolutions, the
least breath of temptation or contrariety sufficed to make
me lose pourage, and to abandon all. I this day resolve
to serve with my whole heart till death the God whom
you served so faithfully ; and the rule that I purpose to
follow is, to imitate, as far as my duties permit, your
most holy life, by combating, after your example, the
devil, the world, and the flesh. But how shall I effect my
purpose, unless you give me the shield of your patience ?
Obtain for me, most glorious Saint, these two virtues
so necessary to conduct the enterprise of perfection to a
happy issue : the path beaten only by strong and per-
severing souls, who suffer with patience and resistance to
the end. great Saint, deign, then, to teach me this
degree of perfection ; obtain for me also those arms of
strength and patience with which to do battle, that in
the end I may receive, like you, the crown of eternal
glory. Amen.

Spiritual Instruction, — ^Among the conversions wrought
by St. Vincent Ferrer, the most remarkable were those of

PRAOTIGAL DEVOTION. 261

women of abandoned character, inhabiting the public
inns, and who, after having ministered to the destruc-
tion of souls, became true models of the most sincere
repentance. This general conversion greatly displeased
the debaucl^ees who acted as their panders. They
were enraged against the Saint, who, by this change,
the fruit of his zeal, deprived them of a considerable
income from this infamous trade. In Spain they one
day resolved to take the life of the Saint, saying that he
had robbed them of their bread. As he was leaving
Lerida to go to Balagiftr, these unhappy men lay in
ambush, in order to assail liim on the way. St. Yin-
cent, apprised of their criminal design, said to the
companions of his journey, *' They who come before us
are the panders of the women of abandoned life who
are converted, and they are coming to me with a firm
resolution of killing me." The companions of the man
of God immediately offered to defend him ; but he said
to them, '* I have no need of you ; go on before, and
leave me alone with these men." They no sooner saw
him alone and separated from his ccnnpanions than they
surrounded him, and drawing their swords, were pre-
pared to slay him. But St. Vincent, turning towards
them, and making the sign of the Cross, said, ^^ Per
signum crucis de inimicis nostris libera me, Domine ; "
** By the sign of the Cross, deliver me from our enemies,
Lord." The assassins suddenly stood iminovable, with-
out power to raise their swords : they became as statues.
Then the Saint began to preach penitence to them ;
and when he discovered that they were all repentant,

262 8T. TINCBNT FERBEB.

and resolved to change their liveSy he allowed them to
depart. At these words motion was restored to their
bodies. They cast down their arms^ and prostrating
themselves at the Saint's feet, implored of him, besides
pardon, the favour of being received into his company,
to do public penance for their scandals, and to lead a
Christian life. The holy master admitted them among
his followers with much kindness, and they lived in that
heavenly company, giving to all great examples of
edification.'

Seven Our Fathers, seven €Iail Marys, seven Glory
be to the Fathers, the prayer Quisque, or the Litanies.

Seventh Fbidat before the Saint*s Feast.

Text. — The seventh perfection consists in carefully
avoiding all persons and things which would not only
draw us into sin, but which would even be to us an
obstacle in overcoming imperfections.

Explanation. — Form a generous resolution to serve
God by leading a mortified life, and by arming yourself
with strength and patience, even as the Saint has
counselled you. The other degree which he teaches us
is the prudence with which we should carefully fly not
only the occasions of ofiending God, but also all con-
versations and concerns which might have a tendency
thereto. It is moreover necessary to shun intercourse
with persons who, by their words and bad example,
might lessen in you the fervour of spirit. The soul

> Teoli, Ub. i. Tratt. iii. o. LI.

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 268

that enters on this kind of spiritual warfare, becomes
formidable to the devil.

Practice. — ^We may exercise ourselves in this degree
by conversing little with the world and much with God.
Thus avoid conversations, evening parties, entertain-
ments, balls, in order to arrive at perfection ; you will
never acquire it without purity of life and holiness of
speech; two things so difficult to preserve in conver-
sation and intercourse with the world.

Prayer to the Saint. — most learned master of the
spiritual life, St. Vincent' Ferrer, you have taught us
both by word and example, to what degree a soul should
strive to render itself pure. Enlighten, then, I beseech
you, my mind on the important doctrine, the secret of
which you have this day taught me. I have great need
of your assistance, plunged as I am in spiritual dark-
ness, and what is worse, embarrassed with a multitude
of vain and useless affections which retard my union
with God. I moreover acknowledge, and doubtless I
owe it to the prayers you have offered for me, — I acknow-
ledge the frailty of my soul. It is weak, impotent,
diseased, and this chiefly through its own fault ; for
knowiug how fatal to its advancement an inordinate
attachment to creatures is, it nevertheless persists in
this blind affection. It is here, great Saint, that I have
need of your special help. I humbly beseech you to
impart light to my mind, and an energetic will to my
heart. Let me clearly see the vanity and nothingness
of all that is not of God ; inspire me with a holy
disrelis for the things of this world : pour out bitter-

264 ST. VINCENT FERREB.

ness plentifully over all that would distract my heart
from God ; obtain for me the love of silenoe, retirement,
solitude. Ah ! may I be able like you to be a stranger
in the midst of the tumult of human society ! May I
be able like you, to have in the depth of my heart an
interior cell, impenetrable to the noise of earth ! Then
God will not forget me ; he will speak to me in the
secret of my soul, and my conversation, like yours,
shall be in heaven. Amen.

Spiritual Instnictioa, — When St. Vincent Ferrer re-
turned for a time into his own country. Queen Violante
placed herself under his direction. The Saint addressed
to her instructio^s so full of the unction of divine love,
that the Queen, feeling within her such veneration for
the man of God, was desirous of visiting him in his
cell. She asked this favour of him at different times ;
but inY from granting it, the Saint expressly forbade her
to enter where he was ; this only excited the Queen's
curiosity the more. Casting aside all obedience, she
went to the Convent followed by her court, choosing a
moment when she supposed her holy confessor would
be absorbed in prayer. The door of the cell was opened
by the Religious ; they found the Saint on his knees at
prayer ; but, wonderful to relate, it was impossible for
the Queen to see him, although he was before her.
The Beligious, thinking that he was buried in contem-
plation, imagined that he was not aware of the Queen's
visit, and apprised him of it, that he might rise to
compliment her. "What! compliments," rejoined the
Saint ; " know you not that women cannot enter our

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 266

cells ? She has come in without my permission ; she
shall not see me till she leaves it.*' The Queen stood
astonished at hearing the voice of the Saint whom she
sought in vain to discover ; she asked him where he
was. " I am here," he answered, and he again added
that, until she left his cell, she should not see him.
The Queen at length left the cell, St. Vincent followed
her, and when she was about to depart, he made him-
self visible to her, but with a severe countenance.
Armed with a holy zeal, he cautioned her never more
to come to his cell, or she would pay dearly for it.
" God would have severely punished you," he said,
'* but for the ignorance and thoughtlessness which led
to this fault." The Queen humbly received the ad-
monition, and besought pardon ; but she was not
entirely cured of her curiosity. A few days afterwards
she again returned to the Convent to see her holy
master at prayer. But arrived there, she dared not,
as on the former occasion, enter his cell. She did not
even ask them to open it, but contented herself with
merely looking at him through a chink in the door.
She beheld the Saint absorbed in deep contemplation.
His face shone with rays of light which illumined the
whole chamber. The Queen turning, then, to her
ladies, said : *' Let us go, let us go, this man is far
more holy than we think." The Queen's veneration for
her holy master increased to such a degree, that every
time she spoke to him, she prostrated herself at his feet,
as though he were an angel from heaven.^

» TeoU, Ub. i. Tratt. ii. c. 6.

266 ST. YINCENT FERRER.

The following miracle was wrought by the Saint at
Valencia, his beloved city.

The Princess Jane of Prades, sister of Qaeen Mar-
garet, the widow of Martin, King of Aragon, assisted
one day at the preaching of St. Vincent Ferrer, which
took place in the timber-market. Without any one
knowing whence it came, a heavy stone was seen to tear
asunder the hangings that were intended to shade off
the sun, and it fell with great force on the head of the
Princess. She was struck to the earth by the violence
of the blow, and every one thought her dead. The
assembly were greatly moved at seeing their Princess
reduced to sach a state. But the holy preacher en-
couraged them not to be alarmed, because the stone, he
said, did not fall to kill the Princess, but only to knock
down the tower which she carried on her head, meaning
the extravagant ornament of her hair. Then the Saint
turning to the Princess, said : '* Princess Jane, rise
up." At these words, and to the astonishment of the
assembly, she got up sound and well, miraculously
preserved from death and completely cured of her vanity.
She so well knew how to profit by this blow from
heaven and the advice of the holy preacher, that she
clothed herself in modest garb, and never afterwards
went beyond the requirements of her rank. Tlius, at
Valencia it was well understood that the fall of tbi^
stone was a mark of Divine Providence whicli was
pleased to afford the Saint an opportunity of correcting
this great Princess of her love of superfluous ornaraents

»f/

.a^'

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 267

and fine clothing, which are frequently causes of scandiiil
and ruin to indiscreet youth.'

Seven Our Fathers^ seven Hail Marys, seven Glory
be to the Fathers, the prayer Quisqiie, or the Litanies.

Feast of St. Vincent Ferbbr.

Text. — The eighth perfection for the servant of God
is to hear in himself the Cross of Jesus Christ ; and this
Cross has four arms — the first is mortification of the
passions ; the second is a complete ahandonment of all
that passes away with time ; the third is the renounce-
ment of all carnal affections for relations and friends ;
and the fourth is contempt, hatred, and self-denial in
the highest degree.

Explanation. — Up to the present the holy doctor has
conducted the soul through the purgative way ; hut in
this eighth degree, he commences to lead her in the
illuminative way. The cross of self-denial is that
spoken of by our Lord when He says : " If any man
will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross daily, and follow Me " (Luke ix. 23). The
soul is enlightened by this cross, which destroys the
four principal causes of spiritual blindness, namely :
the passions, self-interest, inordinate affection for re-
lations, and unruly self-love. On the cross of sclf-
<Jenial, vice is at first destroyed by mortification ; then
by the renouncement of the passing things of time, the
eternal is preferred to the temporal, and the soul re-

> Teoli, Ub. i. Tratt. i. c. 17.

268 ST. TINCENT FEBBER. ^

cognises that it is better to lose the goods of the world
than to forfeit God*s grace, according as our Divine
Master has said : " What doth it profit a man, if he
gain the whole world, and safifer the loss of his own
soul ? " (Matt. xvi. 26.) By detachment from relations
the mind is purified from all the maxims dictated by
flesh and blood. In short, by self-contempt we recog-
nise the need we have of the grace and mercy of God,
and the things that are necessary to enable us to attain
perfection; then the desire to acquire it at any cost
burns more and more in the soul.

Practice. — To embrace this cross of abnegation and
of self-contempt, it behoves you to do all in your power
to be freed from every habit of vice. Call especially to
mind that the holy Fathers of the Desert, being desirous
of attaining perfection, began by conquering the vice of
the tongue. If you desire to be detached from the
inordinate aflfection of yourself and your relations,
meditate often on these words of Christ : ** He that
loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy
of Me " (Matt. x. 37). And on another occasion • He

said : '' If any man come to Me, and hate not

his own life also" — that is, will not contradict his
passions and subdue his evil inclinations — *' he cannot be
My disciple " (Luke xiv. 26).

Prayer to the Saint. — Besplendent sun of virtue,
mirror of sanctity, St. Vincent Ferrer ; unless a ray
of your light comes to disperse the darkness of my soul,
how shall I embrace the cross of constant self-deuial,
blind as I am, and consequently knowing not lio'w to

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 269

appreciate either the merit or the abundance of the
heavenly graces ^hich are inclosed within this cross ?
I thank yon for this precious instruction, for without
the cross I can never reach the port of Christian per-
fection. But on this perilous ocean of the world, how
can I sail without your aid and assistance ? Be then,
glorious Advocate, the prudent pilot of my soul. Be
to me the star which shall direct my steps in the great
path of perfection ; deliver me from the numberless
perils which I encounter on this voyage. Yes, I hope
in you who wearied yourself on earth with teaching the
world the* way of salvation ; in heaven where you are,
you will obtain for me, through your powerful inter-
cession, the grace to practise what you so frequently
taught both by your preaching and writings. Amen.
Spiritiuil Instruction. — One of the most beautiful
virtues that adorned the great soul of St. Vincent was
that of poverty. It was one of his most cherished
delights when he encountered the cross of self-denial.
He valued what the great Bishop of Hippo says, that
he who should be possessed of all that the world has,
and yet be without God's grace, would have nothing.
On this account, he desired nothing that belonged to
the earth. He moreover understood what St. Augustine
adds, that whosoever has nothing on earth, but is in
possession of God's grace, has everything. And for
this reason, leaving all things, he made it his sole study
how to enrich his soul with the wealth of grace, which
are virtues. His soul was so rich in this poverty, that God
w;as pleased to perpetuate the testimony of it by a miracle.

270 ST. yiNCSNT FEBRER,

Poor and hambley the holy Beligious went on his
missions and everywhere on foot, until^ fifteen years
before his death, having a wound in his leg, he was
obliged to ride. The poor one of Jesus Christ con-
tented himself with an ass, the meanest and most abject
of animals. He accepted it as an alms, for he had not
the money with which to purchase it ; his poverty was,
moreover, so great that he had not even wherewith to
get it shod. He one day took it to a farrier begging
him in charity to be so good as to shoe his beast. When
the job was over, the farrier not at all thinking of
working for charity, asked the Beligious for the price
of his labour and of the shoes. '' I have nothing to
give you,'* said the Saint, '* but God will recompense
you for your charity." '* Oh, Father ! " answered the work-
man, '' I cannot work merely out of charity. I am, you

see, burdened with a family Pay me," he

added, " or I will not restore to you your ass." The Saint
again importuned him, exhorting him to bestow this
alms on him ; but the faiTier once more said : '' I
cannot afiford it, and you shjiU neither have the beast
nor the shoes until you have paid me." Then the
Saint — unheard-of prodigy ! — turning to the beast, said
to it : '* This man will not give the shoes which he has
put on you, because I cannot pay him, restore them to
him, and let us go." At these words, the animal, as
if it understood what was said, shook its feet one after
the other, and miraculously cast off the shoes which the
farrier had put on it. At the sight of this miracle the
workman, stupefied, fell on his knees before the Saint,

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 271

besought him to pardon his obstinate avarice, and
shoeing the ass again, he bestowed the shoes and his
labour on it out of charity. He was content with
humbly recommending himself to the prayers of the
Religious, acknowledging that if so great a Saint prayed
for him, his intercession would benefit him far more
than all the gold and treasures of the world.^

Seven Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glory be to the
Fathers, the prayer Quisque, or the Litanies,

FiBST FamAY aftee the Saint's Feast,

Text.-^The ninth perfection is to have a constant and
lasting remembrance of the benefits received from God
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Explanation. — We will suppose the soul exercised
in all the virtues necessary to render her conformable to
our Lord Jesus Christ, which are : obedience, poverty,
charity, and self-contempt. Now follows the ninth
degree, which consists, says the Saint, in the remem-
brance of the benefits and graces received from God.
By this remembrance, your soul acknowledging its
ingratitude, will detest it, and by this means you will
practise self-contempt. You will increase marvellously
in the knowledge of God. The sight of His liberality
and goodness to you will inspire you with a salutary
confusion. You will humble yourself, considering all
the favours which He has bestowed on so wretched a
creature. God says to the soul by the mouth of the

> TeoU, Ub. u. Tratt. i. c. 16.

272 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

Prophet, " Remember thyself." And He gives to His
servant Abraham, so desirons of perfecting himself in
what is good, this means : the remembrance of God, by
which He draws his mind continually towards his
Benefactor, adding that there he will find the true path
of perfection : " Walk before Me, and be perfect" (Gen.
xvii. 1).

Practice, — In order to have this remembrance of God's
benefits, it will be well to observe the following means.
When yon look upon a crucifix, call to mind immediately
the benefit of Redemption. When you see infirm people,
reflect on the blessings of health which you enjoy.
When you meet the poor, think that you would be even
more indigent, were it not for the temporal advantages
which God so liberally dispenses to you. In short, w hen
you hear of the defections of others, think that you would
be far worse, if God did not hold His hand over yonr
head. Such are the means to enable you to call un-
ceasingly to your mind God, your great Benefactor.

Prayer to the Saint. — What a perfect model of thank-
fulness your admirable life presents to me, St. Vincent !
You received choice graces from heaven ; you rendered
yourself worthy of them by your correspondence to them.
Your fidelity in testifying a firm and sincere gratitude
for them, incessantly drew new favours upon you. And
now, when I consider my spiritual poverty in presence of
the marvellous gifts which Divine Providence was pleased
to bestow upon you, I ask myself whence is the source
of such deep misery. Your teaching, great Saint,
reveals it to me ; it is very clear, my indigence comes

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 273

from my ingratitude ; no, I do not sufficiently think of
God's benefits to me. If I considered them attentively,
my heart would melt with love within my breast, I
humbly beseech you then, sweet Protector, to obtain of
the Divine Mercy the grace to have ever before my eyes
the care which the Infinite Bounty has of me, both in
the temporal and the spiritual order. What benefits
accumuUte on my head ! Goods of the body, goods of
the soul, preservation from a multitude of unknown
dangers, vocation to Christianity, lights of faith, secret
impulses of grace, promises of help, a sure expectation
of unending happiness provided I am faithful to the
sweet commandments of my God : this is an abridgment
of the favours which the Lord has accorded me. " Thou
art good, God of Israel" (Psalm Ixxvii.). Thou art
bounteous towards Thy children ! After the example of
Thy holy preacher, ** Thy mercies I will sing for ever "
(Psalm Ixxxviii.)- "I will bless the Lord at all times,
His praise shall be always in my mouth " (Psalm xxxiii.).
No, my God, I will never more be unmindful of Thy
benefits, and I will ardently celebrate the memory of
them until the last day of my life. Amen.

Spiritual Instruction. — At Valencia, which was the
theatre of the most wonderful miracles of our Saint, it
happened that, passing one day through a certain street,
St. Yincent heard clamorous voices and cries of rage
proceeding from a house, accompanied with oaths,
blasphemies, and horrible imprecations. The Saint,
entering the house, on seeing the head of the family
leave it choking with rage, found the wife, who con-

274 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

tintied to curse her husband and to vomit forth execrable
blasphemies. St. Vincent immediately undertook to
appease her. He asked her why she was so furious, and
for what reason she uttered such shameful blasphemies.
The woman sobbing, answered : ** Father it is not only
to-day, but every day and every hour of the day, that
this wretched man, my husband, persecutes me, and
always ends by craelly beating me and bruising me with
blows ; this is not life, my Father, it is a constant death,
damnation of the soul, and a hell worse than that of the
devils." ** No, my daughter, you must not speak thus,*'
said the Saint with extreme sweetness ; *' this anger will
profit you nothing, except to offend God still more
grievously. He Who for love of you suffered on the Cross
on Calvary. But pray tell me why yoar husband per-
secutes and maltreats you in this manner." ''It is
because I am ugly," the woman replied. '' And is it
for that," said the Saint, '' that he offends God so ex-
ceedingly?" Then raising his right hand over the
woman's face, he added : " Gt>, my daughter, now yon
will no longer be ugly ; but remember to serve God, and
become holy." At that same moment the unhappy
creature became the most beautiful woman in Valencia.
After that the man of God seriously exhorted her to serve
God most faithfcdly and to become holy, assuring her
that for the future her husband would never have occasion
to ill-use her on account of her uncomeliness. He then
departed, gratified at having removed from that house an
occasion of offending God so grievously, and having
remedied the eternal lot of the husband who treated his
wife with such cruelty.

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 275

This miracle became so celebrated in Spain, that even
to this day, when any one meets a deformed woman, it is
said : " This woman has great need of the hand of St.
Vincent."^

We shall offer here a necessary observation in con-
nection with this great miracle. Corporal beauty in
itself is not an occasion of sin, it is a gift of God. But
it becomes matter of sin when women, for example, make
it a subject of pride and vanity, when they seek lo enhance
it in an immoderate degree by their fine clothing, and for
a guilty purpose, as St. Vincent himself has warned us.
Thus, in giving to the aflflicted woman the beauty
necessary to please her husband, he told her that she was
to become holy and to remember to serve God faithfully ;
that is, not to be puffed up with this gift that she had
received, not to make a show of it to please others, but
to reserve it only for her husband. In this manner the
beauty of the body and that of the soul can be perfectly
united in the same person, as we see them in St.
Catherine, Virgin and Martyr, St. Cecilia, and so many
other holy virgins. But, as St. Vincent Ferrer teaches,
the beauty of Divine grace preserved in the interior of the
heart greatly increases the comeliness and beauty of the
body, in the same way that a crystal lamp, beautiful in
itself, receives the greatest beauty and splendour when a
light is placed in it, the reflection of which is to increase
the brilliancy of the crystal. Let us be virtuous, and the
expression of our countenance will even be improved
thei'eby.

» Teoli, lib. ii. Tratt. i. c. 17.

19*

276 ST. VINCENT FERBEB.

Seven Our Fathers, Seven Hail Marys, and Glory
he to the Fathers, the prayer Quisque, or the Litanies.

Second Fbidat after the Saint's Feast.

Text. — The tenth perfection is to remain day and night
in prayer.

Explanation. — To be mindful of the various benefits
of God, the soul should pass to the exercise of almost
constant prayer ; and this consists in the union of the
soul with God, by exerting itself as much as possible to
holy and pious considerations. " They," says a holy
doctor, " who receive gifts from God, without ever
raising their heart and mind towards Him, resemble the
unclean animals that eat the acorns which their owner
casts to them from the tree, without raising their heads
to see who it is that throws them." Thus do we act,
when, tasting of the gifts of God which continually flow
from heaven upon us, we forget to raise our head, and to
look upon God, Who with such liberality and love favours
us without ceasing. Think, then, always of God, for this
is to pray always.

Practice. — This prayer taught by the Saint, is not
difficult for those who will understand it. He does not
mean that we are to be always on our knees at prayer ;
but that we should often raise the mind and heart to
God. And surely, if we truly loved God, nothing
would be more easy than to turn ourselves towards Him,
and to thank Him ; for wherever our thoughts are,
there our love is also. The way to practise this prayer

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 277

consists in ejaculatory prayers, sometimes expressed in
the heart, at other times uttered with the lips.

Prayer to the Saint. — most glorious Saint ! who
in your heavenly contemplations was constantly visited
by the holy Patriarch Dominic, the holy Angels, the
Queen of heaven, Mary Mother of God, and even by her
Divine Son Jesus, Who by His sacred Presence delivered
you from evil, and caressed you by touching your face
with His divine hands in token of love ! great Saint !
who, by your perseverance in conversing with God
during whole nights, acquired such splendour that your
countenance shone with light, as though it were a sun !
Ah ! if I could receive but one particle of that hea-
venly nourishment which you found in prayer ! If one
ray of your light illumined the darkness of my soul,
then I should be able to meditate on the grandeurs of
God, I should understand the importance of prayer,
and I should be able to reject and despise all the vain
consolations of earth. Enlighten me, my Advocate
St. Vincent ! you who are so enlightened by God. I fix
the eyes of my soul on you, and I trust in your powerful
intercession. Amen.

Spiritual Instruction. — The holy preacher had almost
always an infinity of persons who followed him in his
apostolic journeys. This company was composed of
people whom he had converted, and who were desirous
of attaining Christian perfection. They spent all their
time in prayer, and in prayer with their holy Father
they found helps in their greatest necessities. One day,
as this multitude followed him through a vast plain.

278 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

the Saint, perceiTing that all were fatigued with the
journey, and were suffering greatly from hunger and
thirst, began at first to recommend them to God in a
short prayer ; then, full of confidence in Divine Provi-
dence, he returned to the companions of his travels and
encouraged them. ''Not far hence," said he, ''is a
hillock,'* and at the same time pointed to it with his
finger; " but a little further on we shall find a lodging
where we shall be kindly received, and where we shall
be able to recruit our strength." Indeed, they had
scarce passed the hillock, when they discovered a
sumptuous palace on the plain. They all entered
therein. They were received by a number of young
people so beautiful and fair that they might have sup-
posed them to be angels ; and these were, in reality,
the heavenly spirits. There they found exquisite wines,
bread, and other delicate viands, which seemed to them
the food of Paradise. Having recruited their strength,
and thanked God, the travellers offered a thousand
thanks to their hosts, and set out again with their holy
preacher. But observe the confirmation of the prodigy.
When the Saint had gone the distance of a league,
knowing that in his company there was a man who had
little faith in his miracles, he was resolved to with.-
draw him from his error. He called him, and said : "I
have left my kerchief at the inn from which we have
come ; go and fetch it. I left it on the table." The
incredulous disciple obeyed, and went to the place where
they had been received ; but he sought in vain on every
side. He could not discover in the place which they

PBACTIGAL DEVOTION. 279

had but lately left either the palace or any trace of a
house. It was a bleak plain, in the midst of which was
a huge stone, and on the top of it lay the Saint's
kerchief. Astonished, the disciple thought that this
palace where they had been received could only be a
habitation miraculously prepared by angels ; and reason-
ing thus, he approached the Saint. He immediately
sunk on his knees, and asked pardon of him for his
incredulity. The Saint readily accorded it to him, but
forbade him to make known the miracle. The disciple,
however, unable to contain himself, proclaimed it on alL
sides, saying that the angels, wishing to honour St.
Vincent, had descended from heaven, and miraculously
prepared a habitation to receive him and his companions,
and that they had been served by the hands of angels.^
Learn from the Saint to have recourse to prayer, and
even in the midst of your occupations omit not this holy
exercise. Regard it as the most important afifair of
those who, in imitation of the Saint, are desirous of
acquiring perfection. Learn, moreover, from St. Vincent
to conceal, as far as you are able, the graces which God
gives you. But, after the example of the faithful dis-
ciple, you should publish, for God's glory, the Saint's
miracles, as if those words of the angel had been
addressed to you: ''Bless the Lord, and relate His
wonderful works " (Tobias). You will do this by read-
ing the life and believing the miracles of St. Vincent.
You will bless the Lord Who has glorified him in this

I Bauzano, apud Bolland,^ April, Tom. I. p. 504, Mignel-Antist.
Teoli. lib. ii. Tratt. i c. 17.

280 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

manner, and you will make known to others the astound-
ing miracles with which God enriched this new Apostle
of Spain.

Seven Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glory he to
the Fathers, the prayer Qiiisque, or the Litanies.

Third Friday after the Saint's Feast.

Text. — The eleventh perfection consists in a constant
relish and desire of the Divine sweetness.

Explanation. — The soul being already exercised in
virtue, and disposed especially by the two preceding
degrees, the Saint commences now to lead her in the
unitive way, which consists in the exercise of the holy
love of God. By the memory of the Divine benefits,
he teaches the soul to prepare the matter, or, as Cardinal
Hugo of Saint-Cher says, " The fuel of this heavenly
fire are the gifts of God." By the following degree
prayer communicates the breath, under the action of
which the fire of charity is lighted up. At present it is
fitting to treat of the admirable efi^ects of this fire of
love. Souls arrived at this degree live, so to speak, in
a continual fire. For as the hotter the iron is, the more
it participates of the fire, so the more the soul thirsts
after Divine love, the more is the fire of charity lighted
up within her. And in the same manner as iron, when
it is glowing with heat, becomes malleable under the
hand of the workman, so likewise souls that are inflamed
with Divine charity do not repine when adversity and
infirmities come upon them, but support them with an

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 281

heroic patience. Nay, more, they receive stripes from
the hand of God with great joy, because they do in all
things the Will of God. They love sufferings, and desire
to suffer, in order to perfect themselves in the love of
God, and to acquire the greatest amount of merit for the
next life, as it is written of the seraphic Father St.
Francis, who said, " The prize which I await is so great
that suffering is to me a delight."

Practice, — Cardinal Hugo of Saint-Cher^ explaining
this verse of the thirty- sixth Psalm, "Delight in the
Lord, and He will give thee the requests of thy heart,"
asks, "Who are they who have thus the happy lot to
rejoice in God ? " And be answers, " They who despise
the world." The Prophet Isaias teaches the way to do
it, saying, "Cast from you concupiscence, carnal plea-
sures, riches,, honours ; despise your will, and seek in
all things God's pleasure ; repress your tongue ; avoid
vain and dangerous discourse : then you will experience
those divine consolations which fill with incomparable
delight the souls that taste of them." If we experience
not these consolations so pure, or if we feel them but
rarely, let us own, with the author of the " Imitation,"
that it is because we have not compunction of heart, and
because we know not how to detach our affections from
the vain and dangerous consolations of the world.

Prayer to the Saint. — The sweetness of God, the
hidden manna, the consolations of the Holy Spirit, oh,
how you understood all these by experience, great St.
Vincent ! and how you sighed after them as the hart
pants for the living springs, and ecstasies of heavenly

282 ST. TINGENT FERBEB.

love were the just recompense of your desires. Alas ! I
experience not, as you did, the taste of the Divine
sweetness. My soul is tepid and languishing, cold and
indifferent to the caresses of the Divine Spouse. I
know its cause, great Saint. It is because I am not
sufficiently detached either from myself or from crea-
tures. The Lord is a jealous God ; He exacts a sincere
renouncement of everything that is not of Himself ; and
if we offer Him a heart that is divided. He refuses it,
and refusing it. He deprives it of the intimate com-
munications of His sweetness. Fatal loss ! worthy of
being wept over with tears of blood ! My sweet Pro-
tector, give me a right understanding to know this truth.
Through your powerful intercession, shining light of
the Church ! let me comprehend my true interests.
Moisten the dryness of my soul, the aridity of my heart,
that I may bid an everlasting farewell to the world and
to myself; for if I despise temporal joys, those of heaven
Mrill be accorded me. Why should I hesitate between
two states of bliss so unequal ? No ; I will balance
them no longer. My choice is made. I have chosen
my portion. I belong to God, and all that is in me has
no claim either on the world or on myself. Ratify the
vows which I pronounce in your presence. Offer them,
I beseech you, to the Lord, in my name. It is you who,
by your example, have inspired me with them. You
will, then, receive them with that admirable goodaess
which is never wanting in you. Under your august
patronage they will reach the throne of divine mercy.
Your suffrage will render them pleasing to God ; and

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 283

then, great Saint ! the consolations of the mind will
re-animate me, will encourage me, will fortify me, in
order that I may apply myself to good works with
unbounded ardour and perseverance. Amen.

Spiritual Instruction, — Among the miracles wrought
by the Saint may be cited one which the Bishop of
Lucera and Father Jerome Borselli relate.

The Saint preaching in the kingdom of Valencia, a
certain Eeligious was present at his sermons. The
latter reflecting on the zeal of the holy apostle in
saving souls, and attentively considering the example
of his heroic virtues, felt himself animated with an
ardent desire to follow him. He therefore asked per-
mission of his Abbot, who refused to grant his request.
The Eeligious was consequently obliged to return to his
Monastery; but the desire of hearing the sermons of the
Saint burned more and more in his heart. One morning
when, according to his calculation, the Saint went to
preach, he ascended an eminence near the Monastery,
and restraining his breath, strove from that place to
hear the sermon. He obtained grace to hear so clearly
and distinctly, although he was forty miles distant from
the Saint, that he could write down the whole discourse
without omitting a syllable. The holy apostle, who saw
in spirit this marvel, remarked, at the close of his dis-
course : ** My children, I exhort you who have been
present at my sermon not to forget my words, for there
are many who would wish to be present and cannot.
Among them is a religious of a monastery many miles
hence, and whose ears all my words have reached."

286 ST. yiNCENT FERBEB.

tliemselveSy bat be of the few who, with a sincere heart,
seek God's glory.

Practice. — A true and sincere desire for God's glory
should be accompanied with an ardent zeal, because the
greater the desire of honouring God is, the greater
ought to be the zeal of the soul in preventing, with all
its power, what may offend Him. But as God is
offended in three ways — ^by thought, word, and deed, so,
if you sincerely love Him, you should apply your
thoughts, words, and acts to His glory, and to the
destruction of sin. By your thoughts, seek seriously
every means calculated to promote the glory of God and
the good of souls, according as our Lord shall supply
you with opportunities. To this you join prayer. In
your prayers, pray specially for the conversion of un-
believers to the Catholic Faith, and for the return of
sinners to penitence, by supplicating Him to hear yaa
for His own glory, and for the salvation of souls. By
your words, strive, in your charitable conversations, to
reclaim sinners, in order to gain them to God ; ani if
you have children or servants, teach them the Christi«tTi
doctrine. As to works, be not afraid either of fatigt:ie
or inconvenience when there is question of rescixxne
souls from sin, reminding yourself that, in order to sswve
souls, our Lord Jesus Christ was pleased to die oxx tlie
Cross.

Prayer to the Saint. — Most glorious Saint, to
ought I always to have recourse unless to you^
advocate who may obtain for me zeal for the bono

God and the salvation of souls? Were not yo\x i*v

I ■

> ''

PRACTICAIi DEVOTION. 287

Daniel, a man of desires ? Who does not know that
your heart was continually consumed with love, through
the ardent desire which you had for the conversion of
sinners ? Oh, you who, filled with the heavenly fire of
God's love, never delaying, but going everywhere to
enkindle it in the hearts of all, grant, Seraph of love,
that one spark of this heavenly fire may inflame my
heart so cold, that it may incessantly burn with holy
desires for God's glory and the salvation of souls.
Obtain for me an increase of these desires, and grace to
witness their accomplishment in me. Amen.

Spiritual Instruction. — The holy King David says in
the Book of Psalms that God satisfies the desires of the
heart of him who serves Him faithfully. We see the
fulfilment of these words in St. Vincent. Seeing that
among unbelievers the Jews are the most perfidious, he
was on that account most desirous of their conversion.
It was granted to him to lead a considerable number of
them to the Catholic Faith. We shall instance here
the conversion of a whole synagogue.

St. Vincent was one day introduced into a synagogue
at Salamanca by an Israelite, with whom he was leagued
in friendship for that purpose. He entered with the
crucifix in his hand, which caused confusion and
dismay among the assembly. But the Saint tranquil-
Used them by saying that he had come to speak to them
on a matter of the utmost importance, for he knew of
no affair that was more important than that of salvation.
At the word " affair of importance," the Jews then ima-
gined that he was about to speak to them of some

288 ST. YINCKNT FSBBEB.

matter of public interest, and they listened to him with
great attention. Then, in soft and gentle words, he
began to speak of the holy Christian Faith, and particu-
larly of the Passion and Death of the Son of God.
While the holy preacher strove to persuade the un-
believers of the glories of the Gross of Christ, the
Redeemer of the world, there appeared a large number
of crosses on the dress of each one assembled in that
celebrated synagogue. But what is even more wonder-
ful, is that the crosses which appeared outside the
garments of men and women, penetrated invisibly to
their hearts, and, moved by Divine grace, they all
became Christians. The Saint's consolation was so
great in this vast conversion, that he was pleased to
baptise all with his own hands. Then he consecrated
the synagogue into a church, which was called the True
Cross.^

Such are the fruits of the holy desires of St. Yincent
Ferrer. Bless God for having bestowed on this great
Saint the favour of seeing so many unbelievers con-
verted, and reflect that, if you lead a holy life, you will
be able by it to convert a great number of sinners, for
though holiness of life be the most modest, yet it is the
most efficacious preachings and produces great fruit in
souls.

Seven Owr Fathers, seven Hail Marys, seven Glory
be to the Fathers, the prayer Quisque, or the Litanies.

* Miguel, Bzovius, Michael Pio. Teoli. lib. i. Tratt. iii. c. 19.

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 289

Fifth Friday after the Saint's Feast.

Text. — The thirteenth perfection is to have, under
all circumstances, that mercy and compassion for our
neighbours which we would desire others to have in
regard to us.

Explanation. — The love of our neighbour preserve
the love of God, and if the soul be cold in its love and
charity to its neighbour, it is a sign that it has little
love for God, inasmuch as the love of our neighbour
springs from the love of God, and because by the love
of our neighbour, the love of God is strengthened, as
St. Gregory affirms. St. John also assures us of the
same: ^' If any man say, I love God, and hateth his
brother, he is a liar" (1 John iv. 20).

Our Saint recommends both the love of our neigh-
bour and its effect, that is, mercy. He who truly loves
his neighbour, succours him in his necessities and
miseries, even as St. John expresses it in the same
epistle. This, then, is the degree of perfection which
St. Vincent proposes to you. If you really love God,
you ought surely to love your neighbour, made in the
likeness of God. The more the love of God increases
in you, the more will love,- mercy, and compassion
towards your fellow-men also increase ; for you will call
to mind those words of Jesus Christ, that whatever you
shall do to your neighbour. He will regard as done to
Himself (Matt. xxv. 40).

Fractice of Charity to our Neighbour. — Do you
earnestly desire to be closely united to God ? It

290 ST. VINCENT FERREB.

behoves yon, then, persevering in the exercise of per-
fection, to clothe yourself with the garment of charity,
by applying yourself to the exact observance of this rule :
Do not to others what you would not wish others to do
to you. Thus, if you are a creditor, you will not wish
that others should be remiss in paying you. Do, then,
what was said to the young Tobias by his father:
** If any man hath done any work for thee, immediately
pay him his hire, and let not the wages of thy hired
servant stay with thee at all " (Tobias iv. 15). If you
should be placed in necessity or affliction, you would
not wish to be abandoned, but helped. You ought,
then, to observe this other advice, given to the same
Tobias : " Turn not away thy face from any poor
person, for so it shall come to pass that the face of the
Lord shall not be turned from thee " (Tobias iv. 7).
Lastly, you would not wish others to judge rashly of
your actions, or to speak evil of you. Observe, then,
this commandment of our Lord : '' Judge not, that you
may not be judged " (Matt. viii. 1). No, never judge
the acts of others, nor slander them, and keep from
murmuring against them. We may, moreover^ practise
this degree of perfection by praying for our enemies,
blessing those who revile us, doing good to those who
persecute or in any way injure or affront us. We ought
to practise Christian perfection by especially guarding
against rendering to any one evil for evil, as oar Lord
Jesus Christ has Himself taught us.

Prayer to the Saint. — glorious Saint, how admi-
rable was your charity towards your fellow-men ! AH

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 291

tlie unbelievers baptised by you, all the sinners con-
verted, the sick healed, the poor and afflicted succoured
in their necessities, are striking proofs of the ardent
love which you bore to your neighbour. It might be
said of you what the Apostle St. Paul said of himself :
'' I became all things to all men that I might save all "
(1 Cor. ix. 22). Thus, in your admirable life, you were
for more than forty years indefatigable in the exercise
of charity to your neighbour, unmindful either of the
inconveniences of long journeys, or bodily indisposition,
or old age, or want of sleep, or -your occupations so
numerous. Always prompt to solace the afflicted, you
went in search of them as soon as they called for you.
Give me, glorious Advocate, one particle of that fire
of charity which burned so ardently in your breast ! I
have recourse to you in all humility. I earnestly im-
plore you, and I trust in your intercession to obtain for
me so great a love of God that, after your example, I
may consecrate my life to the service of my neighbour,
and assist him in all his needs, that I may enjoy, like
you, the glory promised to charitable and merciful
souls. Amen.

Spiritual Instruction. — The charity of St. Vincent to
his neighbour was so heroic that it might be truly said
of him what the holy man Job said : " From my infancy
mercy grew up with me ; and it came out with me from
my mother's womb " (Job xxi. 18).

From his childhood, in fact, St. Vincent gave all that
he possessed to the poor. He clothed them as well ai^
he was able, and frequently washed their feet. But

20-^

292 ST. YINCENT FEBREB.

what is most admirable is that, from his tenderest
years, in order to solace the afflicted, he besought God
to work miracles. Among the Saint's innumerable
prodigies, we shall cite two, which are truly wonderful,
and which will give a just idea of his great charity to
his neighbour.

The first was wrought in his childhood ; he at that
time with great simplicity, and while amusing himself,
raised the dead to life. The second was when he sup-
plicated the most Holy Trinity to obtain the pardon of a
public sinner, if she would confess her sins. These facts
happened as follows.

The young Thaumaturgus had a school-fellow of his
own age, nine years old, who was in the habit of calling
him at the hour of school. But this young child one
day suddenly died. He went according to custom to call
him, when he heard weeping and lamentation in the
house of his friend. He hastily ascended the stairs, and
found the child's mother in the greatest desolation. He
inquired of her the caude of her affliction. " My son is
d^ad ! " she replied, sobbing, " My son is dead ! " Vin-
cent was moved at this sorrowful news, and to console
the mother, after the example of Jesus who said to the
chief of the synagogue : *' Thy daughter is not dead,
but sleepeth," he smiled and said to the mother : " Let
us go, my friend is not dead, he is sleeping. Let us go
to see him." Vincent approached the bed, and taking
the cold and rigid corpse by the hand, he exclaimed :
•'Get up; it is time to go to school." And at the
sound of his voice, as if he were waking from a profound

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 293

sleep, the young boy opened his eyes. He restored him
alive to his mother, who was in the utmost astonishment.
Vincent made him dress himself and took him along
with him to school. Such were the first-fruits of his
charity.^

The other trait is as follows. The Saint passing to
Pampeluna, and his sanctity being well known to all the
inhabitants, they besought him to interest himself in
behalf of the spiritual needs and conversion of a person
of notoriously bad character, who would continue im-
penitent to the last day of her life. The charity of St.
Vincent, which desired nothing so much as the salvation
of souls, drew him promptly and with joy into the pre-
sence of this poor sinner. He unhappily found her com-
pletely hardened. She was obstinate and so despairing
of her salvation that she exclaimed, blaspheming : '' It
is impossible for me to be saved ; God cannot pardon
either the multitude or the enormity of my sins.** The
Saint began, then, with all the energy of his soul to
offer her powerful reasons which might encourage her to
hope for a generous pardon from God. But it was use-
less, that soul was hardened in evil. Seeing this, St.
Vincent raised up his heart to God, made a short prayer,
and led by a divine inspiration, he promised the sinner
that her absolution should come in vn*iting from heaven,
if she would promise to make her confession. The
wretched woman began to ridicule a pledge so extraordi-
nary and which appeared to her impossible ; yet she
said to the Saint : ** If it be so, I am very willing to

» TeoU, Hb. ii. Tratt. i. c. 18.

294 ST. TINOENT FEBRER.

confess." Then, the Saint procured pen and paper, and
wrote these words : " Brother Vincent Ferrer beseeches
the most Holy Trinity to grant the sinner here present
the absolution of her sins." He then folded the paper,
and cast it into the air ; the document flew out of the
house ; but some minutes afterwards it returned folded
and closed. Wonderful to relate, on opening it, St.
Vincent found the following promise written in letters of
gold : "We, the most Holy Trinity, at the request of
our Vincent, grant the sinner of whom he speaks, the
pardon of her faults; We dispense her from all the
punishment which she ought to undergo ; and if she
confesses, she shall be carried to heaven in half an hour,
where she shall reign eternally with us . . From heaven
• . . We, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." St. Vincent
read the answer, and without delay the happy woman
made her confession ; in half an hour afterwards her
soul took its flight to heaven. Oh ! happy sinner P
If so extraordinary a favour was obtained for this great
sinner at the prayer of our Saint, while he was yet living,
what ought not we ta expect from him — great sinners as
we are, but who are devoted to him — now that, consumed
with charity, he rejoices in God Whom he beholds face
to face, and who being near to Him, continually intercedes
for those who have recourse to his prayers !

Seven Our Fathers, seven Hail Marys, and Glory be
to the Fathers, the prayer Quisque, or the Litanies.

» " Vieille Chronique de Saint- Vincent," Ferrarini, Teoli, lib. ii.
Tratt. iii. o. 2.

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 295

Sixth Friday after the Saint's Feast.

Text. — The fourteenth perfection is to render thanks
to God in all things, and to praise and glorify our Lord
Jesus Christ.

Explanation. — Ingratitude dries up the fountain of
God's bounty ; but gratitude causes the stream of the
Divine favours to flow back to God through thanksgiving,
and they return to us multiplied, and clothed with still
more abundant graces.

Practice of Thanksgiving. — The Apostle St. Paul com-
mands us to show forth our gratitude when he says :
" Be ye thankful." We are thankful in words, when we
recite with devotion and affection the Divine praises.
St. Antoninus, Archbishop of Florence, says that the
Blessed Virgin Mary has always on her lips these sweet
words, " Deo gratias.** Let us imitate our Mother. We
should, moreover, show our gratitude by works, and that
by living in such a manner as not to lose the grace of
God. Oh! how ungrateful are they who voluntarily
lose the gifts received and who render evil for good ! If,
then, you acknowledge that God has bestowed on you an
infinite number of spiritual and temporal graces, remem-
ber these benefits must not be requited with offences,
The Saint observes that it behoves us to thank God in
all things ; and they who truly love our Lord will not
content themselves with thanking Him for the favours
which He bestows, but will, moreover, thank Him in
their afflictions and sufferings, well knowing that it is
by an effect of His infinite love that God sends infirmi-

296 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

ties, poverty, and other tribulations. Whence it follows
that in all the dispositions of His Providence, God de-
serves to be praised, blensed, and loved. The Apostle
therefore exhorts the Thessalonians to this universal
gratitude, when he says, "In all things give thanks"
(1 Thess. V. 18.)

Prayer to the Saint. — Oh ! if, like you, I could but
have this sublime gratitude for God's benefits, glorious
Saint, you who read in all creatures, as in a book, the
end for which God created them ; recognising what is
to my profit, in order that by it I may arrive at the happy
conclusion that God is my only good ! For God, says
the prophet, '^ gave them the lands of the Gentiles ; and
they possessed the labours of the people ; that they
might observe His justifications, and seek after His laws"
(Psalm civ. 46). Yes, like you, my glorious advocate, I
will join the three children of Babylon in inviting all
creatures to bless the Lord, and I will say to them :
"All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise
and exalt Him above all for ever " (Daniel iii. 57).
This is the favour that I implore, glorious Saint I
Deign to cloth me with your sentiments of gratitude,
that I may never more mistake the means for the end,
by abusing creatures to oflfend God, Who has given me
all to love and serve Him. I hope for this grace
through your efficacious protection. Amen.

Spiritiml Instruction. — St. Vincent passed one day
through the city of Zamora, where he had fonnerly
wrought miracles, and among others had converted two
young debauchees by preaching on the vice of impurity.

PBACTICAL DEVOTION. 297

The Saint was received at a convent where the Ee-
Hgious treated him with great politeness, and when he
was on the point of leaving them, they asked him to
leave behind him some token of remembrance. The
Saint, who was amiable towards all, and especially
to those who had done him any good, said : " Most
willingly ; I will leave you our bell. Take care of it,
and treat it with respect, for it will serve a great, noble,
and agreeable purpose.'' The Beligious did not com-
prehend then what this noble and agreeable purpose
meant. They placed the Saint's present in a place apart,
where they kept it with much respect, as a precious relic
of a great saint. It was not long before they discovered
the end for which St. Vincent had left them hitf bell.
This was to announce the approaching death of some
Beligious, as was really the case ; for the bell sounded
of itself some days previous to the death of any one
among them. Such was the Saint's gratitude towards
that Beligious Community, and this miracle continued
until the year 1660. The bell sounded for the last time
at the death of Father John of St. Dominic. It was thus
that our Saint requited the charitable hospitality of those
good Fathers. This prodigy resembles that of the bell of
St. Thomas, at the convent of Salerno, which continues
to this day to sound miraculously in order to announce
the death of a Beligious. All who persevere in devotion
to the Saint, may expect similar graces, and even greater.'

Seven Our Fathers^ seven Hail Marys, and Olory be
to the Fathers, the prayer Quisqtie, or the Litanies.

> Teoli : le vii. Yenerdi.

298 ST. YINCEKT FBBBEB.

SsvENTH Friday after the Saint's Feast.

Text — The fifteenth perfection, after having practised
all that we have said, is to repeat within ourselves, by
truthfully acknowledging : "Lord Jesus Christ, my True
Ood, I am nothing, I can do nothing, I can boast of
nothing. I serve thee imperfectly, and I am in all things
an unprofitable servant.''

Explanation. — Humility is the fuel by which the fire
of the love of God and our neighbour is kept alive. And
even as the lily springs up white and beautiful, but never-
theless always bends towards the earth, so does an humble
soul. The more she rises in perfection and whitens by
the purity of her conscience, the more beautiful she be-
comes by the graces and gifts of the Holy Ghost, the
more does she humble and abase herself, being incapable
of blotting from her memory her nothingness and misery.
" He that shall humble himself,'' says our Lord, *^ shall
be exalted" (Matt, zslii. 12). Thus, the more the
soul humbles herself, the more she concentrates herself
in her own nothingness, the more does she rise to this
sublime degree of perfection face to face with God, Who
exalts the humble.

Practice of Humility. — Tobias taught his son the
practice of this virtue in these words : " Never BuSei
pride to reign in thy mind or in thy words " (Tobias iv.
14). That is, according to commentators, we should
not only exclude all vanity, pomp, and pride from our
works, but that our thoughts, words, and all our acts
should breathe nothing but humility. Nay more, should

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 299

these works themselves he of a nature to elicit the praises
of men, we ought to chase from us, as so many unholy
suggestions of the devil, every thought of vainglory and
desire to he praised. Think seriously, not of the little
good that you have done, but of your faults, and of all the
virtues which you lack. Think how little you love God
in comparison with the love which St. Vincent bore Him,
when he was on earth, and with that which he bears
Him now in heaven, where he is united with the other
Saints. In view of these considerations you will feel an
extraordinary fervour enkindled within you, a great love
of God which will excite you to persevere in good, to
perform great and heroic works, and to love God and
serve Him ever more.

Such, pious readers, are the exercises of virtue taught
by the great St. Vincent Ferrer for the attainment of
perfection. They are proposed to you on these seven
Fridays before and after his Feast, which are consecrated
in his honour. You will, moreover, do well to fast, to
confess and communicate with fervour. All these acts
will greatly assist you to acquire the Christian virtues.
Thus disposed, and under the protection of the great
Saint, may you be enabled, by studying the degrees of
perfection which he teaches you, to lay hold on them
more easily and to put them in practice ! Yet remember,
that after having performed all that is here laid down,
you should still say from the depth of your heart what
our Lord Jesus Christ taught His apostles to say : *' We
are unprofitable servants."

Prayer to the Saint. —Oh ! glorious St. Vincent,

800 ST. VINCENT FEBREB.

would that I could have, in the midst of my miseries,
but one particle of the humility which you had in the
midst of your great perfection and glory ! Alas ! my
poor soul is far from the humility which shines forth in
you ! You humble and working miracles, I haughty and
proud, and doing nothing but sin ! You humble and
illumined with the gift of prophecy, I proud in the dark-
ness of intellect which dims my soul ! You humble and
holy, I a sinner and haughty ! Most humble Saint, un-
less you procure me humility, I am lost, and shall never
be able to build up in my heart the edifice of perfection
which you have taught me. Let me understand that to
desire to accumulate virtue without humility, is to east
dust to the wind which scatters it in a twinkling of the
eye. Grant that I may never be forgetful to this cardinal
virtue. Amen.

Spiritual Instruction. — One of the greatest marvels
that shone forth in St. Vincent, was his profound humi-
lity in the midst of honours. When he entered a city,
he was usually greeted with the ringing of bells. The
secular clergy and religious walked before him in pro-
cession, clad in their sacred vestments and bearing the
cross. Joined to them were the guilds of laymen^ the
artisans, each with its standard or banner. When the
news of his approach was known, all the people of the
neighbouring towns came forth to see him, as if lie had
been an Apostle of the first ages. The nobility went be-
fore to meet him. The grandees of Spain recmved him
with uncovered heads. The sovereigns of Aragon, Spain,
and England followed him on foot, and often received

PRACTICAL DEVOTION. 801

him on bended knee. The Bishops and other ecclesias-
tical prelates were so anxious for his arrival, that they
went long distances to meet him. When he entered
the cities on a vile beast, in imitation of Jesns Christ,
he was surrounded with a large circle of iron, in order
not to be oppressed by the multitude. At other times
arriving on foot, he was conducted under a canopy to
the Cathedral where he made his first visit ; on other
occasions he was borne on the shoulders of men, as the
statues of the saints are borne in* procession, and all
chanted : ^' Blessed is he who cometh in the Name of the
Lord." The devotion of the people was such, that all
strove to get him to touch either their chaplets or their
handkerchiefs.

Being one day conducted in this manner into Valen-
cia, his native city, a Religious of the Seraphic Father
St. Francis, a great friend of the Saint, observing all
this, advanced near the crowd and cried out to the
Saint: "Brother Vincent, how is pride at this mo-
ment ? " St. Vincent replied : " It comes and goes,
but never stays with me.** He knew that the people of
the towns to wliich he went would wish to receive him
with like honours ; so it was his custom before entering to
kneel down with his companions and to recite the words
of the Psalmist : " Not to us, Lord, not to us ; but
to Thy Name give glory ** (Psalm cxiv. 1).^

This admirable humility in the niidst of such great
honours might be ranked among the prodigies which we
have seen in this work, and which constitute but a small

' Teoli : le vii. Venerdi.

802 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

portion of the innumerable miracles which God has
wronght and still continues to work by means of the
powerful intercession of our Saint. You will experience
all their effects if you render yourself worthy of them
by imitating the virtues of our august Advocate, and
by persevering in the path of perfection which you have
entered on under his powerful protection throughout
the course of these Fridays which precede and follow
his Feast.

Seven Our Fathers, seven Hail Marys, and Glory be
to the Fathers, the prayer Quisqiie, or the Litanies.

803

SECTION THE SECOND.

A NOVENA IN HONOUR OP St. ViNCENT FeBBEB FOR THE NiNB

Days which precede the Saint*s Feast, the Fifth of
April, or follow the Translation of his Eelics, the
Sixth of September.

FIRST DAT.

the fear of god's judgment.

'* Oonfige Hmore too carries meas : a judiciis enim tuis timui ; '*
** Pierce Thon my flesh with Thy fear, for I am afraid of Thy judg-
ments " (Psahn oxTiii. 120).

MEDITATION.

I. — How Tbbbiblb will be the Account to bb bendbbed at the

Judombnt-sbat ov Gob.

|E cannot niter a word, nor conceive a single
thought, nor feel a disorderly movement within
us, which the Supreme Judge will not write in
the book of life and death to be used as the matter of His
examination and the motive of His sentence. '' All
things are naked and open to His eyes" (Heb. iv. 18).
'' Thou hast observed all my paths, and hast considered
the steps of my feet " (Job xiii. 27). Why is the Divine
justice so rigorous with regard to a feeble creature like
man, corrupt in his thoughts, and drinking-in iniquity
like water? Lord, if Thou didst exercise this rigour

804 8T. VINCEKT FERRER.

towards the celestial intelligences enriched with sublime
perfections, there would he some room for astonishment ;
bat as for a feeble being like myself, kneaded with
nnruly inclinations, Thou dost not tolerate an idle word
that is spoken, nor the briefest moment that is wasted :
this, terrible God, is what exceeds my comprehen-
sion ! And, nevertheless, it is true ; Thou hast solemnly
declared it. " But I say unto you, that every idle word
that men shall speak, they shall render an account for
it in the day of judgment " (Matt. xii. 86). If we
must answer for a word that injures no one, what must
be said of unbecoming words ? — what of impure
thoughts, murders, adulterous glances, a whole life
prostituted to works of iniquity ? If this be so — and
who shall doubt it ? — will not all that we can conceive
of the rigours of that judgment fall far short of t^lie
reality ? Great God ! what fear will take possession of
man when, in the sight of heaven and earth, he 811.811
hear himself reproached with having, on such a ^av,
spoken words that had no profitable meaning? But
what confusion will especially cover the face of the
sinner, when he shall behold those shameful actioxxs of
his which he so carefully concealed in the privacy of "his
home, the turpitude of his early life, the secr^is of
his conscience laid open to the gaze of the Q^ni^v'or'se "^
Who is the man whose purity of soul is so pe^x^^et as
not to feel himself covered with shame ? The ctoonsa-
tion of faults under the inviolable seal of cc^xxf^s^i^j.
sometimes appears so humiliating that the XixxYxam^v
sinner prefers to groan under the weight of his 1>r'e'va^*'

SOS

csdois lEliher ihui relieve his consdenoe l«T dedaiinj;
iLem in the sMtxei tribnnsl of penuce. All! irhat will
l»e }uE oonfasioii when he shall see his consdextce laid
hsaie in the sight of God txti of all generations pa$t,
present, and to eome! This confasion will be $)0
lemble, bstb the Prophet, that the sinner, in his
despair, will "call npon the mountains to eoTer him
and the hills to £aU npon him, to hide him from that
i&ightfol ignominy " (Osee x«)*

JLSem Twwwtwfw wujl ve tr Ssstsscx or tbx Srrmsxs Jx'r<^K.

This sentence will resound with the noise of thv.iiaor
in the ears of the wicked. "Depart from Me* y<^^^
enrsed," the Son of Gk)d will say, " into CTerlasting tiro,
wfaidi was prepared for the devil and his angels " (M**-^*
XXV. 41). Aks ! says holy Job, " if we cannot support
the least of His words, who shall be able to behold t^^*^
thunder of His greatness ? " (Job xxvi.) This sentence
will be of such effect that the earth will, at that v<>^>
^l instant, open and engulph in its bosom all those volnp-
^ tuous persons who consumed their hearts in tho cnj<^ •
^ , ment of proDdne and criminal delights. But wn*^
*: the torments of hell ! There the body of tho sinn*'^
f shall be a prey to devouring flames which shall ^^^^^^^
^\ be extinguished, and his soul to the worm that will S^^*^^^
^\ his conscience without ceasing. There eternal t^a^^^
»^^ shall flow, there the frightful gnashing of teeth sha
> ; heard, which the Holy Scripture tells us of in bo *^* .^^
l^ places ; there the unhappy reprobate, mad with dosp

»^; 21

806 ST. VINGENT FERREB.

shall turn his rage against God and himself ; he shall
devour his own flesh, he shall force oat his entrails by
the violence of his groanings, he shall tear himself in
pieces, and seem, as it were, to consume himself with
hiasphemies against the Judge Who cast him into that
place of vengeance. Then each one will curse his own
miserable lot, and the day which gave him birth.
unhappy sinner ! thy tongue shall for ever utter blas-
phemies, thy ears shall be for ever greeted with groan-
ingg. thy eyes shaU behold nothing but suffering and
sorrow around thee, thy soul shall find no refreshment
amid the flames that will for ever devour it !

Behold, such is the result of a life spent in criminal
delights. Alas ! what torments of bitterness that drop
of honey has produced! Then will they understand
the vanity of sensible pleasures, the deceits of the
enemy of salvation, the deplorable facility with which
they fell into his snares. Fool, that I am," will the
hopeless sinner exclaim, " I have erred from the way of
truth, and the light of justice hath not shined unto me,
and the sun of understanding hath not risen upon me.
I wearied myself in the way of iniquity and destruction,
and have walked through hard ways, but the way of the
Lord I have not known " (Wisdom v. 6, 7). Useless re-
grets, barren repentance ; weep, weep on without ceasing,
ungrateful sinner, the time of merit is at an end !

in. — Pbateb.

my God, the most illustrious solitaries tremtled at
the hour of death, although their lives were so pure and

MEDITATIONB. 307

penitent ; what reason then have I to fear the rigours of
Thy judgment, I who have always lived in sin and im-
penitence ? If the just can hardly he saved, what shall
hecome of the unjust and sinners ? King of terrible
Majesty, what answer shall I give when Thou passest
sentence upon me ? What shall I be able to say to Thee
before Whom the just shall scarce be found just when
Thou shalt rigorously examine them and judge them
without mercy ? I beseech Thee, just Avenger of the
wbrld's iniquity, to let me experience the salutary eflfects
of Thy mercy before I appear in Thy presence to give
an account of my whole life. No, the source of Thine
infinite goodness is not yet dried up, nor is the time of
Thy rigorous justice yet come. God, my Saviour, I,
this day, implore Thy merciful forbearance. I repent,
I detest my sins. Thou hast never despised, good
Jesus, Thou never wilt despise a contrite and humble
heart. Pardon then, Lord, pardon a heart bruised with
the keenest sorrow. Withdraw not Thy hand from me,
but deign to confirm me in the twofold sentiment of
confidence and fear, especially that salutary fear which
will securely work out my salvation. " Pierce Thou my
flesh with Thy fear ; for I am afraid of Thy judgment "
(Psalm cxvii. 120).

EXAMINATION.

I. Have I ever seriously reflected on the rigours of

God's judgment?

II. Has this fear been efficacious or barren ? What
evil have I avoided by its impulse ? What good have I

21*

808 ST. VINCENT FERREB.

ftccomplished ? Am I not sunk in the mire of sin ? Am
I not nnder the yoke of my passions? Is mine the
strait path to heayen, or the broad road that leads to
the abyss ? Am I not too loath to be converted ?

m. Have not I neglected the inspirations of God,
His lights, graces, and consolations? Have not I
omitted the rales of life that I imposed on myself?
What frnits have I drawn from my exercises of piety, my
confessions, commnnions, and other good works ? Do
not I resemble the foolish virgins?

IV. Have I had an exaggerated confidence in God*s
mercy?

y. Have not I, on the contrary, to reproach myself
with too great amistmst, dejection, and faintheartedness
in the affair of salvation ?

Conclusion. — ^Fear sin more than death.

Spiritual Instruction. — St. Vincent Ferrer must have
possessed, in a high degree, the fear of God in his
heart since he so effectnally inspired his hearers vidth
it. No one can impart to others what he does not him-
self possess. The words of the Saint were traly a
devouring fire, a hammer which broke the stones in
pieces, that is, hard and nnpliant hearts. From his
month came forth "the blast of the mighty," -which
the Scripture compares to " a whirlwind beating against
a wall " (Isaias xxv. 4). His voice was truly " the voice
of the Lord which breaketh the cedars," "which divideth
the flame of fire " (Psalm xxviii. 5, 7). His radiant coun-
tenance, his voice of thunder, his animated gestures,

MEDITATIONS. 809

his language fall of force and energy, his zeal, his
ardour, all combined to subdue the souls of men, in-
spiring them with sentiments of fear, which are the
beginnings of salvation, and disposed them to embrace
a life conformable to the law of God. Besides the
wonderful conversions which the Saint accomplished by
his preaching, some of which have been already re-
corded, we shall instance two others which show the
marvellous power that he possessed over the hearts of
men. The first is that of Olivier Kouger, who, at the
first preaching of the Saint at Bennes in Brittany, was
completely changed. He was so struck by the piercing
words of St. Vincent that he embraced a life of penance
and spent the rest of his days in compunction, in tears,
and in the constant practice of works of mortification.
The second is that of a person named BercoU, at Perpig-
nan. This man, well known throughout the country
for his wealth and his shameful mode of life, was seized
with so lively a repentance at the close of one of the
Saint's discourses that, in order to expiate his past mis-
deeds, he was not content with long fasts and scourging
himself to blood ; but sold his possessions, distributed
his money to the poor, despoiled himself of everything,
retired into solitude, and passed the rest of his life in
a grotto, in prayer and mortification.^ May you also,
by the powerful intercession of St. Vincent, be touched
with sorrow at the remembrance of the terrible judg-
ment of God, and sincerely embrace a life of penance !
Litanies of the Saint at the end of this volume.

» Teoli, Ub. ii. Tratt. ii. e. 4.

810 BT. VINCENT FEBBEB.

SECOND DAY.

THE VICE OF PBIDB.

" Superbiam nunqiuim in tuo sensUy aut in tuo verho dominari per-
mittas : inipta enim iniHum rumpsit omnis perditio ;" " Never suffer
pride to reign in thy mind, or in thy words : for from it all perdition
took its beginning" (Tobias iv. 14).

MEDITATION.

I. — DiSOBDEB OF PaiOE.

PROUD person is one who believes in an
excellence which he does not possess, and
takes complacency therein. Now, there is
nothing less grounded than this absurd pretension.
For what is man in a physical point of view ?
A little dust, a mass of corruption; dust fit to be
trodden under foot, fetid corruption which inspires
disgust. " Why is earth and ashes proud ? " asks the
Prophet (Eccles. x. 9). And what is man in his moral
aspect ? A being conceived in sin, living in the obscure
darkness of ignorance, inclined to evil from his infancy,
without virtue, without grace, destitute of strength, a
child of wrath, rebellious to his master, a traitor to his
God, guilty of a multitude of prevarications. Consider
thyself well, man ; compound of evil qualities, thou art
sunk in every species of disorder. Far from glorying
in thyself, ought thou not rather to humble thyself to
the lowest abyss ? Know thyself well : " Abonainable
to God and unprofitable on the earth, is the man who
drinketh iniquity like water ** (Job xv. 16).

He glories in a fortune. Is it his own? Cannot

MEDITATIONS. 311

an accident despoil him of it ? Do riches impart virtue,
health, or happiness ? The rich man dies like other
men. He goes more easily to hell than others. The
praises that surround him are not sincere, the pleasures
tlat he has abused render him more conteipptible.

Others are puffed up with their knowledge. But the
science of this world is a mere vapour. What purpose
does it serve without the science of salvation ? True
science is the knowledge of one's duties.

There are some men who make virtue and good works
a subject of pride. " Yet, what hast thou that thou
last not received ? And if thou hast received, why dost
thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?** (1 Cor.
iv, 7.) We are totally ignorant of the merit of our
works before God. How many vices disguise them-
selves under the garb of virtue ! How many actions,
good in themselves, are corrupted by vainglory ! How
frequently it is that what appears light to us, is only
darkness in the eyes of God ! The infallible judgments
of the Sovereign Arbiter are very different from ours.
" Woe," says St. Augustine, " to the most virtuous life,
if God judges it without mercy ! " It is true, my God,
the evil that I do is always evil without any admixture
of good ; and the good that I perform, when I do per-
form it, is but too often accompanied with evil by the
defects which I mix therein.

II. — The Chastisements op Pride.

The punishment of the proud angels is a terrible
example of the horror which God bears to this vice ; in

812 ST. YIKCENT FEBREB.

an instant they were precipitated from the highest
heaven to the lowest hell. Blemished with this stain,
he who eclipsed by his brightness the most brilliani
stars of the firmament, became horrible as darkness ; he
was by the snblimity of his nature above the angeh
themselves, and he became a devil, the most hideous,
the most horrible ot the devils. If God therefore uses
such severity towards creatures so noble and so perfecu,
how will He act with regard to man, who is but dust
and ashes ? God is never in opposition with Himself,
and in man, as in the angels, pride angers Him, and
humility pleases Him.

" God resisteth the proud," says the Book of Proverbs
(ch. iii). How does He resist them ? By sensible, terrible
chastisement^. Thus did He resist the angels by
chasing them from Paradise and condemning theni to
the ignominies of hell; thus did He resist the first
man by dispossessing him of His favours and ^ving
him up to the innumerable miseries of this life. Thus
did He resist Pharao by engulphing him with his
whole army in the sea ; Dathan, Core, and Abiron, by
casting them alive into hell ; Nabuchodonosor, by
changing him into a beast; Sennacherib, by miracu-
lously putting him to flight in the sight of Israel, and
permitting him to be slain by the hands of his own
children; Aman, by disposing events in such a way
that he was himself hanged on the very gibbet prepared
by his own orders for the humble Mardocheus ; King
Herod, by smiting him by the hand of an angel at the
moment when he yielded to the thought of pride, for

MEDITATIONS. 818

being speedily devoured by worms, he expired. But
God also resists the proud in a secret, hidden, and alas !
most terrible manner ; that is, by withdrawing His grace
from them. " He giveth His grace to the humble ; "
He refuses it to the proud. What shall man do, aban-
doned to his own strength and destitute of help from
above ? Will he not necessarily fall into every species
of disorder, and will he not surely end in perdition ?
The wind extinguishes the light and withers the rose ;
pride is the breath of hell which quenches the light of
wisdom and withers the rose of grace. Its result will
be tears, flames, and confusion, which will have no end ;
and these tears, thes^ flames, this confusion^ will be
proportionate to the degree of pride which the soul has
exhibited in life. " As much as she hath glorified her-
self so much torment and sorrow give ye to

her " (Apoc. xviii. 7). Contemplate with terror, my
soul, the chastisement which thou hast thyself merited
by thy pride.

III. — Prayeb.

. I confess, my God, that pride is one of my vices ;
it is my deepest wound. I am born in sin, nothingness
is my origin ; I am poor, miserable, and in want ; this
body which I treat with so much care will soon become
a prey to worms and corruption ; yet, folly, I exalt
myself, I imagine myself to be something, and I am
desirous that others should esteem me. Yes, my God,
to Thee alone belong honour and glory ; our heritage
is shame and confusion. All that I have, I owe to Thy

314 ST. YIKCENT FEBREB.

liberality ! all that I am is dae to Thy mercy ; to Thee
alone I owe entire homage, and cannot claim for my-
self the glory which belongs to Thee. Let it be entirely
Thine, my God ! and woe to me if I desire to appro-
priate the least particle of it to myself! Even the
benefits which Thoa hast accorded me, far from in-
spiring me with pride, are to me a subject of humilia-
tion, on account of the bad use I have made of them.
How many others would have profited by them more
than myself ! Abandon me not, Lord, to the spirit
of pride. Grant me humility, that virtue so precious in
Thy sight, that virtue by which' I shall be pleasing to
Thee, and to which Thou canst refuse nothing. Amen.

EXAMINATION.

I. Have I felt in my heart an excessive longing for
the esteem and praise of men ? Have I desired their
admiration and applause ? Have I acted with a view to
draw their notice, approbation, and praise upon myself?
Have I sought, by a secret movement of pride, to appear
better than I really am, carefully to conceal my defects,
and to afiect virtues which I have not ?•

n. How have I received the flatteries that have been
addressed to me personally ? Was it with eagerness —
did I earnestly court them ? If refused me, am I not
sharp, irritable, passionate ?

in. Have I despised my neighbour? Have I
shown disdainful airs, or fierce looks towards him ?
Have I spoken haughtily to him ? Have I reproached

MEDITATIONS. 815

him with his physical defects? Have I wounded and
coDtradicted him without reason ?

IV* Have I been disobedient to those who are
placed in authority over me ? Have I been obstinate
in my own opinions ? Have I received with a bad grace
the counsel and advice that have been given to me?
Have I been ambitious to command ?

V. Do I, on the contrary, esteem myself as nothing,
as the mere refuse of the world, unworthy to live in
the company of Christian men ?

VI. Have I sacrificed my conduct, my speech, my
apparel to the tastes and whims of the age ? Have I
incurred useless expenses to please the world ? Have I
offended against the rules of modesty, simplicity, and
humility, in my behaviour?

VII. How have I regarded humiliations, contempt,
obscurity ? Do I sincerely delight in them ?

Conclusion. — ^Frequently beseech God to grant you
the virtue of humility.

Spirittuil Instruction. — The great St. Vincent pos-
sessed humility in a very eminent degree. The proof
of it is in his " Treatise on the Spiritual Life," where,
speaking of himself, he considers himself a mass of rot-
tenness and corruption, a masterpiece, so to speak, of
wickedness and mahce. His letters bore the signature
of " Brother Vincent, a sinner." " The contempt which
he had of himself was incredible," says Flaminius.

Hence, an ardent desire to know his own faults. He
fervently besought his brethren and companions to point

818 BT. VINCENT FEBREB.

Thus, the Apostle calls avarice an idolatry (Eph. v. 5).
Forgetfulness of God is always accompanied with in-
difference to our soul's salvation : the goods of eternity
appear to the avaricious as nothing compared with those
of time. Hence it comes that many, according to the
Apostle, by yielding to this passion, " have made ship-
wreck concerning the faith" (1 Tim. i. 19).

The love of riches also inspires hardness of heart and
insensibility to the miseries of the poor. God, the
Sovereign Arbiter of the world, in the distribution which
He has made of the goods of life, has, like a wise father
of a family, so regulated the use of wealth for those who
possess it, that a portion of it ought always to be set
aside for the poor. But the avaricious man reverses
this law of Divine Providence. He wrongs the poor,
by withholding from him his bread ; the naked, by
denying him covering ; the miserable, by refusing him
the money which is due to him. He is without mercy.
Thus, according to the wise man, he fills up the measure
of his wickedness (Eccles.).

Finally, avarice is the parent source of deceit, in-
justice, robbery, and violence. He who is a slave to this
passion, no longer regards good faith, honour, or right.
He employs every means at his command, even the most
criminal, to increase the treasure upon which he has set
his heart. And what is more lamentable still, is that
this passion grows and strengthens with the growth of
years. Beflection and age tend to weaken the other
passions ; but avarice appears to be reanimated and to
acquire new strength in proportion as life advances,

MEDITATIONS. 819

my God, how cruel is the passion of avarice ! It has
no pity for the soul, no pity for mankind, no pity for
conscience.

n. — Punishment of Atabice.

Our Lord compares riches to thorns, and with reason,
for they produce many more torments than joys. They
lead man into a multitude of temptations and unceasjing
cares. They rob him of tranquillity and repose. What
hardships to acquire them ! What cares to preserve
them ! What bitter regrets when he loses them ! But,
Lord, one of the most terrible chastisements whereby
Thou punishest this vice of cupidity, is the consequent
blindness which renders it incorrigible. Alas ! for those
who are tainted with this evil, they will not admit they
are its slaves. They justify themselves on the ground
of necessity or prudence. Sometimes it is to raise a
family to rank and respectability, at other times it is a
fanciful future, whose chances may be fatal, and against
which it is needful to provide. Avarice is a devouring
fever, so much the more insensible the more violent it
is. Moses beheld the sacred fire burning the bush
without consuming it ; on the otHer hand, the profane
fire of cupidity consumes and devours the avaricious
person, without appearing to burn him, at least in his
own eyes.

And yet at the hour of death, what will remain to
him of all the riches that he has accumulated with such
great care ? Nothing, absolutely nothing. He was
born poor, he will die poor. Death will relieve him of

820 ST. VINCENT PERBER.

all temporal goods, and will leave him only his good or
evil deeds. He will carry with him nothing else. And
will he not forfeit the treasures of heaven, if he has
occupied himself only in acquiring those of earth?
" What doth it profit a man," says our Lord, " if he
gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own
soul ?" (Matt. xvi. 26.) Miser, thou wilt lose thy soul.
Wretched man, hast thou not sold it to the devil during
thy lifetime ? — ^well, hell will not part with it at thy
death. "The rich man died," says the Gospel — the
rich man, that is, the covetous man, the man devoured
hy the love of riches — " and he was buried in hell "
(Luke xvi. 20).

What folly, my God, to place one's affections in
perishable goods, to multiply them without measure, to
make one's happiness consist in them, to hoard them
up without enjoying them ! Is not a man truly blind,
not to see how shameful and unreasonable this passion
is ? Alas ! Lord, I may fall myself into this excess,
since others fall into it ; I should not be less gailty
than they, if Thy grace did not preserve me therefrom.
Deign to grant me this grace, my God ! If Thou
bestowest riches upon me, permit me not to set my
heart upon them. Suffer me not to abuse them, by
employing them to gratify my passions, living in soft-
ness and delights. It is Thy Will that they should be
serviceable to my salvation, by becoming in my hands
the resource of the poor; vouchsafe that I may cor-

MEDITATIONS. 821

respond to the desires of Thy Providence by relieving
their miseries; and to detach my heart efficaciously
from them, grant that I may frequently call to mind
the frightful maledictions spoken of in the Gospel
against the rich who make not a holy use of Thy
benefits^ and the glorious recompense promised to those
who employ their riches in alleviating the distressed*
Amen.

EXAMINATION.

I. In what light have I till now viewed the things of
this world ? Is it as a secondary means for accomplish-
ing the providential object of my life, or as the chief
end towards ^hich all my efforts converge ? Have I
regarded the kingdom of God and His justice as the
principal, and the things of the world as the accessary ?
n. Have I been wanting in confidence in the Provi-
dence of God, which feeds the birds of the air, clothes the
lilies of the field, and promises to supply the necessities
of every human creature ? Have I sighed after immo-
derate riches, fabulous treasures, vast possessions ? Do
I not amuse myself with dreams of unlimited wealth ?

m. Have I been guilty of sordid meanness, un-
seemly parsimony, with a view to increase my pros-
perity ? Have I refused to the poor what my fortune
and position prescribed me to give to them ? When I
liave shared with them God's gifts, have I done it
reluctantly, with repugnance, without delicacy ?

IV. Have I neglected to pay my debts through
avarice ? Have I been wanting in fairness in buying

822 BT. VIKCENT FEERER.

or seUing ? Have I tried to deceive my neighbour to
his prejudice? When I have found any article, have
I carefally sought to discover the owner? Have I
restored what I knew belonged to another?

y. Have I regretted to have Masses said for the
deceased members of my family, or for the souls in
purgatory generally ? What sacrifices have I made for
the propagation of the Faith and other pious works of
Catholic charity ?

Conclusion. — ^Practise almsdeeds from early child-
hood. Accustom yourselves early, and teach those
whom you direct, to practise Christian liberality.

Spiritual Instruction, — God endowed St. Vincent
with a great and generous soul, which led him at once
to despise the goods of earth, and to pour them freely,
when he could, into the lap of the poor. When quite
a little child, he obtained in his family permission to
distribute the alms, and he acquitted himself of that
duty with a joy, prudence, and liberality very rare
indeed. When he embraced the religious state, he
joyfully abandoned his whole patrimony in favour of the
poor. In his sermons he thundered with energy against
avarice. "With St. Paul," said he, "we should count
the goods of the earth as dung" (Phil. iii. 8).
" Dung and other odours," added he, " become fatal
if shut up, for they corrupt the air, and breed pestilence
among the inhabitants ; whereas, on the other hand,
if spread on the fields, they become useful by com-
municating fertility to the land. Hoard up riches,"

MEDITATIONS. 323

he concludes, " hoard up dung, and they will only serve
to infect your soul by the irregular love of perishable
goods. Cast them on the dry and barren soil, that is,
dispense them to the poor, and they will bring forth, to
your profit, the fruits of eternal life."

St. Vincent also preached strongly against injustice,
the common root of cupidity, as will be seen by the
following miracle, which ha wrought in the Isle of
Majorca.

While he sojourned in that island, a tavern-keeper
one day went to ask him to preach on the obligation of
the payment of debts; "for," said he, "I have given
credit for several measures of wine, and cannot recover
payment." " Very well," answered the Saint, "I shall
say how guilty those are who keep what belong^ to
another ; but first of all I should like to know what the
wine is like which you sell." The man went for a bottle
of wine to show him, and said : " Taste it, Father ; you
will see that it is of excellent quality." " Pour it on
my scapular," said the Saint. " But I shall spoil your
holy habit." " That concerns me ; do what I tell you."
What was the tavern-keeper's astonishment when he
saw the contents of his bottle separate into two parts ;
that which was wine ran upon the ground ; the other,
which was water fraudently mixed with wine, remained
on the scapular.

" My brother," exclaimed St. Vincent, " you desire
that others should pay you what is due ; but have not
you injured many persons by selling them an adulterated
article ? and ought not you to repair that injury ? "

22*

824 ST. YINCBNT FESREB.

The taTorn-keeper being greatly confased, confessed
his fault, and made reatitation to each of his cnstcmers
whom he had OTercharged. He speedily renounced his
trade for ever, aud entered the company of ]>enitents
who followed the Saint in his apostolic journeys.'
Litanies of the Saint.

FOURTH DAY.

THE TICS OF DCPUBITT.

"Hoc e$t voluHta$ Dei, $an€tifieatio vestra, ut abstineatis voa a
fomieatione : ut iciat unmqiatque vestrum vas suum possidere in
sanetijicatione et honore, non in pastione dinrderii^ sicut gentes qucB
ignorant Deum ; " ** This is the WiU of Qod, your sanotifioation : that
you shoald abfltain from all fornication ; that everyone of yon should
know bow to possess his vessel in sanctification and hononr ; not in
the passion of Inst, like the Gentiles that know not God " (1 Thess.
iv. 8-^).

MEDITATION.*

I. — Thb Bxsobdxb 07 THX Yicx^ or Impubity.

imS abominable yice defiles in an instsnt both
the soul that is purified by the Blood of the
Son of God, and the body in which Jesns
Christ deigns to repose in person as in a sacred
tabernacle. Bat if it be an enormous crime to profane
a material temple, what must it be to profane the Hying
temple wherein God dwells substantially ?

The sin of impurity is full of turpitude ; it is even
called by that name ; it is the shameful sin. There is
no vice which exhales a more offensive odour, or which
is more hateful even in the eyes of the world, than this.

> Teoli. lib. i. Tratt. iii. o. 26.

MEDITATIONS. 825

The very discourses which are preached on this subject
can scarce escape the defilement of its foul breath.
What, then, must be the effects produced in the soul
and body by th^ sin itself ? man ! let thyself be
overcome by this paspion, and thou mayest well blush
with shame to find thyself on a level with the unclean
beasts, the friend and equal of swine.<

There would appear to be an almost necessary con-
nection between an impure soul and every other vice ;
all are, so to speak, ready to obey his orders ; all are
prepared to serve him. To attain his impure purpose,
the murderer sheds the blood of his rival ; the perfidious
wretch prepares his poisons ; calumny is ingenious in
inventing crimes ; injustice is all-powerful in soliciting;
the perjuror forswears himself; the sacrilegious hand
is laid upon that which is most holy. It is the source
and cause of a thousand horrors.

In fine, what fills up the measure of its malice is the
scandal which frequently results from it to our neigh-
bour — a sad circumstance which singularly aggravates
the load that is on the conscience at the moment of
death, " Whosoever shall scandalise one of these little
ones that believe in Me," says our Lord> " it were better
for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck>
and he were cast into the sea'* (Mark ix. 41).

II. — Punishment op the Vicb of Impurity.

The infected breath of this infamous passion leaves
nothing intact in man. It robs him first of honour, the

826 ST. TINCEKT FEBBEB.

most precious of all temporal blessings. It then de-
bilitates his bodily strength^ dalls the freshness of
beaaty, enfeebles temperament, rains health, engenders
cmel disorders, withers before its time the flower of
yoath, and brings on unseasonably a precocious and
ignoble old age. It blunts the vigour of the soul, and
impresses it with a sort of brutishness ; it dries up in
the heart the source of yirtuous sentiments, it imparts
to it a disrelish for noble exercises ; by it youth is pre-
cipitated into folly, and old age is filled with misery and
shame.

St. Bonaventure discovered an anticipated hell in souls
addicted to this ignominious vice. A raging fire devours
them, — it is concupiscence; a horrible stench accompanies
them,-it is the infamy, which cannot be concealed at
least from itself, although it may be dexterous enough
to divest it of its turpitude in the eyes of the multitude.

The vice of impurity is its own punishment by reason
of its insatiabih'ty. In vain does man sacrifice his
thoughts and feelings to it, it only renders the passion
more unquiet, more exacting. The more he abandons
himself to voluptuousness, the less satisfaction does he
feel. It is a food which irritates the desires instead of
appeasing them. It is an unquenchable fire ; it slackens
only to be soon reanimated with fresh ardour.

Reflect well on this, my soul ; the pleasure which is
drawn from this poisoned source is short, the punish-
ment which will follow it, will be eternal. How often
has not our Lord struck with sudden death, while in the
very act of this crime, the unhappy people who comniit

MEDITATIONS. 827

it! Oh, "how frightful a thing it is to fall (in that
state) into the hands of the living God " (Heb. x. 31).
Cruard, then, sinner, against exposing thyself to this
peril by continuing to live according to the flesh, and
not according to the purity of God's law. For a mere
gliding enjoyment, expose not thyself to interminable
punishment. For one hour of miserable voluptuousness,
sacrifice not the joy of a good conscience on earth and
the glory of victory in heaven.

ni. — Pbayeb.

Have pity on me, Lord, have pity on me. I know
that purity is a special gift of Thy goodness. Despite
my unwoi-thiness, " God of my fathers, and Lord of
mercy, Who hast made all things with Thy word**
(Wisdom ix. 1), I venture to ask it of Thee. "0
God, come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to
help me ** (Psalm Ixix). " Lord, save me, I perish *'
(Matt. viii. 25). Suffer not that anything should
tarnish the purity of my body and soul ; attach me
inviolably to this beautiful virtue which makes us re-
semble Thee, which unites us to Thee, God of purity !
Yes, whatever it may cost me, I desire to recover, I de-
sire to preserve, and henceforth to inviolably guard this
treasure so precious ; I desire carefully to avoid all that
may threaten it, all that may place it in danger. With
Thy grace, God, shall I not be able to do what so
many innocent souls do who glorify Thee in their bodies
by repressing their passions ? I will invoke Thee then,i

828 ST. TIKCENT FEBREB.

dear Lord, I will unceasingly implore Thee either to
screen me from temptations, or to give me strength to
sarmoant them. Inspire me, I beseech Thee, with a
salntary fear, and render impotent the efforts of the
enemy of my salvation to destroy me. Grant that I
may use the means, which Thy holy law teaches me, 16
fight this arduous battle, and to come out of it yictorioiB.
Amen.

EXAMINATION.

I. Have I distrusted myself ? Have I feared my in-
stability ? Have I Bed the occasions of evil ? Have I
on the contrary, sought after them ?

II. How have I acted in temptations that relate to
this deUcate matter ? Have I, as soon as an unchaste
thought has risen in my mind, striven to repress it?
Have I had recourse to humble, attentive, and fervent
prayer, to rid myself of it ? Have I delighted in those
foul imaginations ? Have I voluntarily tasted of a
guilty pleasure ? Have I forgotten the presence of Grod
and His angels ? Have I suffered myself to be enslaved
to evil ?

m. Have I put a restraint upon my looks, my words,
my conversation ? Have I been led by prurient curiosity
to attend immoral lectures, to frequent doubtful localities,
or to pay dangerous visits ? Have I exposed my soul by
assisting at balls, dancings, and the assemblies of world-
lings ?

IV. Have I contracted any fatal friendship calculated
to lead me to destruction ? Have I shunned the com-

MEDITATIONS, 829

pany of persons of the opposite sex ? Have I, on the
contrary, loved to freqnent it ? In my necessary rela-
tions with them, have I kept within the limits of prudent
discretion ?

V. Have I frequently entertained myself with thoughts
of my last end ? Have I always employed myself in some
useful occupation ? Have I been temperate in my meals^
attentive to repose, moderate in the use of the things of
life?

VI. Have I frequently approached the Sacrament of
Penance ? Have I humbly and modestly accused myself
of my faults ? Have I reaped therefrom a lively horror
of evil, and an exact vigilance over my conduct ? Have
I appreciated the immense benefits of Holy Communion,

. and taken sufficient measures to receive it as often as
possible ?

Conclusion. — Watch and pray that you enter not into
temptation, or that you may conquer.

Spiritual Instruction. — Our amiable Saint was truly
an angel of purity. We have seen the great love he
manifested towards this virtue and the admirable battles
which he victoriously fought in its defence. We shall
briefly advert to a remarkable victory of which we have
hitherto had no occasion to speak. A wretched woman,
who conceived an unholy passion towards the Saint,
feigned to be ill ; and having sent for him, attempted to
entice him to sin. St. Vincent came out of the conflict
victoriously ; but in punishment of her attempted sacri-
lege, the woman became possessed by the evil spirit.

8S0 ST. VmCBNT FSSBEB.

The SAint deliyered her from her obsession and inspired
her with a sincere repentance. In his sermons, in order
to show the enormity of the vice of impnritj, he nsually
made ase of the following comparison : *' It would be,"
he observed, " an execrable crime to cast a picture of
Christ oar Lord into the mire. Yet, they who are
addicted to impurity are guilty of no less a wickedness
by sinking into the slime of carnal passions their souls,
which are the images of God in a more perfect manner
than are the paintings which represent the Saviour of
man.*'

During his public life, modesty shone forth in a
special manner in the whole exterior of our Saint. And
it possessed, observes his biographer, three singular
prerogatives. The first was a celestial odour which
exhaled from his virginal body. One of his disciples
deposed in the process of his canonisation, that having
for some time enjoyed the privilege and honour of help-
ing him to mount and get off the humble beast which
bore him from place to place, he had smelt a delicioas
fragrance from his hands, which was incomparably
sweeter than any earthly perfume. He attributed this
odour to his inestimable purity, and it was so powerful,
so penetrating, that he perceived it not only as soon as
he touched the Saint's hands, but even for many days
afterwards on his own body.

The second prerogative was that the simple touch of
his hands or even his religious habit cured the sick,
imparted sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech
to the dumb, and motion to the paralysed.

MEDITATIONS. 831

The third and the most beautiful was that his look, like
that of the Immaculate Virgin, put to flight unchaste
affections in the hearts of those who beheld him. It
was enough for him to fix his eyes on those who were
affected by this vice, to inspire them suddenly with a
marvellous love of purity and an extraordinary horror of
everything contrary thereto. The process of his canonisa-
tion supports this beautiful truth. His mere glance, his
grave and modest looks, were fiery darts which inflamed
corrupted hearts with a love of this angelic virtue, and
effectually won them to a complete change of life.^
Frequently contemplate in spirit this prodigy of purity,
and you will likewise be inflamed with a desire to prac-
tise this sublime virtue.

The Litanies of the Saint.

FIFTH DAY.

THE VICE OF ANGEB.

- ** Ne sis velox ad irascendum, quia ira in sinu stulti requiesdt ; **
" Be not quickly angry, for anger resteth in the bosom of a fool "
(Eccles. xvii. 10).

MEDITATION.
I. — The Disobdeb of Anoeb.

ET US, my soul, distinguish anger from indig-
nation. The latter sometimes leads man to
reprehend with severity what sweetness is unable
to correct. Such is the anger of a father or a master at
the sight of disorders which he is obliged to oppose.

> TeoU, Ub. u. Tratt. iii. o. 10.

882 8T. VINCENT FBBBEB.

Our Lord Himself was moved by this anger when He
ehased fix>m the temple those who violated its sanctity.
Bat anger, which is a mortal sin, is very different ; con-
sider this well, my sonl. It is an impetnous movement
of the heart which impels it to repulse what is displeas-
ing to it.

The malice of its principle is the proof of its excess.
Whence springs anger? From a tyrannical and dis-
ordered passion which is ronsed by encountering im
obstacle. The proud man, for example, flies into a
passion against that which wounds his vanity or his am-
bition : the avaricious man is irritated when an accident
deranges his project of gain ; the voluptuous man is in-
dignant when his pleasures are traversed. Is this sen-
timent according to God? Is it according to right
reason ? Clearly not. It brings trouble to the soul,
and the disorder which it produces therein, is painted
on the countenance and the whole exterior of him who
yields to it. The eyes are inflamed, the voice is op-
pressed, the whole body trembles, he no longer knows
himself, he is not in possession of his reason, he cares
for nothing. How can a passion which thus troubles
the serenity of heart and body be excusable ?

Anger, if not promptly repressed, ends by changing
man into a ferocious beast. Then, his mouth vomits
forth abuse, outrage, slander, calumny, imprecations^
blasphemies. Nothing is sacred to his impious tongue.
From words he passes to violence ; the most revolting
cruelties hardly suffice to satisfy his vengeance, to quench
his rage.

MEDITATIONS. 888

Let us early accustom ourselves to master this passion.
For unless we know how to bridle it, it will revolt
figainst us, and drag us on to excess, of which we shall
one day have reason to repent. What is most lament-
able in it, is that it scarce leaves us room to perceive
the evil which we do under its influence. To an angry
man, every kind of vengeance appears just ; his reason
is sometimes so obscured by it, that he mistakes for the
zeal of justice what is the simple effect of anger, and
vice is adorned in his eyes with all the colours of virtue.
What Solomon says in regard to wine upsetting the
reason of wise men, might also well be said of every
vehement passion. Like treacherous liquors, anger
blinds the reason, without any excuse to him who yields
to it.

II. — ^Punishments of Anoeb.

Let US consider how mischievous this vice is to the
soul and body of him who does not check it. It in-
flames the blood, agitates the heart, shocks the nerves
and brain. This momentary folly, if not carefully re-
pressed, will sometimes result in chronic disorder. Its
paroxysms destroy the mind and even life itself.
" Envy and anger shorten a man's days," says the wise
man (Eccles. xxx. 26).

Let us further consider how destructive this vice is of
the tranquillity of families, societies, and people. It
engenders a multitude of quarrels, lawsuits, resent-
ments. Harshness gains nothing among men ; it
wounds, it repels. Do we not carefully avoid contact

884 8T. VINCENT FEBREB.

with thorns and thistles? Is the hedgehog caressed?
Does not sweetness, on the contrary, gain conquest over
the hearts of men ? Does it not evoke sympathies, kind
words and deeds ? — " A passionate man stirreth up
strifes : he that is patient appeaseth those that are
stirred up " (Prov, xv, 18), " Blessed are the meek,"
says our Lord, ** for they shall possess the land " (Matt.
V. 4) ; that is, they shall be the masters of reasonable
creatures.

Let us, in fine, consider how our Lord detests this
vice. The emotions of anger drive Him from the hearts
of those who are its victims. While hatred dwells in a
*souI, it cannot offer Him an agreeable sacrifice. '^If
therefore thou ofier thy gift at the altar, and there thou
remember that thy brother hath anything against thee ;
leave there thy ofiering before the altar, and go first to
be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt
offer thy gift " (Matt. v. 23, 24). Thus speaks our Lord.

At the judgment - seat of God, the vindictive and
passionate man shall be severely punished, *' Whoso-
ever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the
judgment. .... And whosoever shall say, Thou fool,
shall be in danger of hell-fire" (Matt. v. 22). This
Divine Preceptor frequently repeats to us that the
manner in which we act towards others will be the
measure and rule that will be applied to ourselves, and
that if we have not dealt mercifully towards our brethren.
He will show no mercy to us. Let all these considera-
tions then break down the unruly movements of anger
in our hearts, and inspire us with Gospel meekness.

MEDITATIONS. 886

m. — Pbateb.

I acknowledge, my God, that I frequently abandon
myself to impatience, that I revolt at the least contra-
diction ; by yielding so often to anger, I run the risk
of contracting the habit of this dangerous passion.
Yes, I feel the necessity of overcoming my natural im-
petuosity, and forming in myself early habits of pa-
tience. I have my faults, and I am pleased when others
bear with them ; it is but just, then, that I also should
support those of my brethren. "Why should I, my
God, feel such repugnance in observing a law which
Thou hast taught me both by Thy word and example ?
Why should I be so sensitive to a slight contempt when
I behold Thee suffering the blackest calumnies, the most
cruel outrages with an unalterable patience, and submit-
ting without the least plaint to the frightful punishment
of the Gross ? Jesus, God of peace ! Jesus, meek
and humble of heart ! Thou commandest me to imitate
Thy meekness, help me to reform my impetuous nature.
Grant that I may never render evil for evil ; and that
after Thy qxample, I may remain silent when injurious
words are uttered against me. Thou declarest those
blessed who are meek. Thou callest them children of
God who love and counsel peace. Impart to me,
God, this peaceful character, this meek and gentle dispo-
sition, which Thou desirest to find in all Thy children.
Amen.

836 8T. YINOENT FEBREB.

EXAMINATION.

I. How do I receive contradictions ? Do they disgast
me ? Do I at once express the sadness which fills my
heart ? Do I, on the contrary, give way to mormurings,
resentment, anger, bitterness, impatience ?

n. Have I easily pardoned the annoyance that others
have caused me ? Have I treasured in my heart a re-
membrance of the injuries they have done me ? Have I
entertained feelings of coldness, ayersion, spite, anger,
bitterness, revenge against those who I suppose have
offended me ?

III. Have I made known to others the contradictions
that I have suffered ? Do I complain of such to them ?
Have I manifested my discontent and annoyance very
often?

rV. Have I done all in my power to avoid what was
likely to lead to contention and dispute ? Have I been
desirous of deferring to the opinions of others rather
than contradict them ? If perchance, I have felt it my
duty to resist, have I always done it with suitable dis-
cretion ?

V. "When ridiculed by others, have I indulged in rude
and satirical repartee, or even used threatening words
and gestures ?

VI. Have I suffered myself to be overcome by feelings
of antipathy against persons with whom I am obliged to
live ? Have I repulsed them ? Have I willingly listened
to them ? Have I received them kindly ? Have I dis-

MEDITATIONS. 337

missed them without hayiog satisfied them when it was
in my power to do so ?

VII. Have I spoken harshly when correcting and re-
proving others, and is this manner of acting habitual
with me ? Have I always been kind, meek, polite,
affable, obliging, always ready to do a service, bearing
with, lessening or excusing the faults of others ?

Conclusion. — ^Live in peace with all men by bearing
with their defects.

Sjpiritual Instruction. — The meekness of St. Vincent
Ferrer was ever unalterable. He was attacked on every
side by persons who were jealous of his popularity.
They treated him as a hypocrite, a false prophet, a
preacher of fables and foolish things, a vagabond. They
declared that he had entered on the work of his wonder-
ful apostolate only to bid adieu to the solitude of his
cell, to withdraw himself from obedience to his supe-
riors, that he might gain access to the courts of princes,
and be venerated by peoples. He carefully concealed all
these calumnies ; he patiently bore them with calmness
of heart and countenance, and never alluded to them in
his discourses. This meekness and patience might
have seemed to belong to his natural disposition rather
than to virtue, if, on the other hand, he had not dis-
played the energy of his character by the vehement
denunciations which he hurled at vice from the pulpit.

It was by this forgetfulness of himself that he suc-
ceeded in converting an old man who was sunk in the
mire of impurity. In vain had he frequently sought to

388 8T. VINCENT FEBREB.

indaoe this man to change his life, who, instead of
correcting himself, became his enemy and unrelenting
persecutor. He availed himself of every means to
calnmniate and blacken his repntation. The Saint's
patience shone forth so much the more the longer that
the anger and vexation of the other lasted. But thanks
be to Qod, what the Saint failed to obtain by his exhor-
tations and prayers, he gained by his meekness. In
the end, the old man, astonished at so much mildness,
was converted ; and, what rarely happens, he abandoned
in his old age the vices of youth, which ^had grown old
with him.

Whence came this heroic patience of St. Vincent ?
From the idea which he had formed of contradictions.
He viewed them as occasions of merit sent by God
Himself. An ingenious parable, which he sometimes
used in his sermons, gives us an insight to this.

" A certain king," said he, " imprisoned two persons
who owed him a large sum of money. As they had
nothing wherewith to pay him, he one day threw a purse
of gold at one of them, which struck him on the back.
The latter, irritated at the blow he received, took no
notice of the purse and its contents. Then the king
threw a similar purse at the other prisoner, hitting him
on the arm, without causing him pain. He immedi-
ately seized the treasure which was given to him,
thanked his benefactor, and with the sum thus supplied
him paid his debts and left the prison. The first
person," continued the Saint, " is the impatient and
irascible man ; the second is he who is meek and patient.

MEDITATIONS. 889

We are all in this world as in a prison, and are debtors
to God, on account of our sins. Unable to pay our
debts, God, in His mercy, sends us the gold of patience
in the purse of contradiction and tribulation. He who
knows not how to profit by it, runs the risk of failing
to discharge his debts to God ? while he who, on the
contrary, avails himself of it by sweetly submitting to
what is unpleasant, pays his debts, frees himself from
the prison of this life and all its miseries, present and
future, and attains, moreover, to eternal glory.*' ^ Medi-
date on this beautiful exhortation, and put it in practice.
The Litanies of the Saint.

SIXTH DAY.

THE VIGE OF GLUTTONY.

" Attendite vohis, ne forte graventur corda vestra in crapula et
ehrietate; " *' Take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be
OTercharged with surfeiting and drunkenness " (Luke xxi. 34).

I. — ^DisoBDEB OF Gluttony.

S it forbidden to feel pleasure in eating or
drinking ? No. By a wise foresight, God has
imparted a relish to what is necessary to sus-
tain life. Unhappily, we abuse this benefit when we
seek only the pleasure it affords. Beason itself tells us
that it is needful to eat and drink in order to live,
and not to gratify sensuality. Besides, the satisfaction
which is felt in food and drink should be regulated with

» TeoU, Ub. ii. Tratt. iii. c. 16.

23*

840 BT. VINCENT FERRER.

a view to our bodily strength, in such a way that we may
be enabled to fulfil oar duties and to serve God, accord-
ing to these words of the Apostle, " Whether you eat or
drink . . . do aU for the glory of God." To have any
other motive in view, to seek merely the pleasure of the
senses, is to be guilty of gluttony ; it is, according to
the same Apostle, to make a god of one's belly. It is
a vice unworthy of man. What a dishonour, then, to
a rational being, to allow himself to be governed by
sensuality, instead of repressing its unruly movements !
If such a vice be unworthy of man, it is still more so
of a Christian, who should regard food as medicine, and
not as a means for gratifying the sensual appetite. He
should imitate the mortifications of his Divine Master,
Who, apart from His fast in the desert, submitted His
Sacred Flesh to painful conflicts, not only to heal our
evils, but also to serve us as a model.

See, my soul, how dangerous a vice this is. It begets
contempt of the laws of the Church, for when a person
is under its dominion, he is but little disposed to
observe the fasts and abstinence prescribed by eccle-
siastical authority. He is incapable of mortifying him-
self ; certain privations appear to him an insupportable
burden ; he labours to find out pretexts for being dis-
pensed therefrom ; and in the end is led not only to
violate the precept of fasting, but even to use without
scruple foods that are strictly prohibited.

What must we think of the vice of intemperance in
drinking ? This, alas, is a disorder which we blush to
name, which destroys reason, that essential attribute of

MEDITATIONS. 341

humanitj — a horrible excels which debases man, and
lowers him beneath the condition of the beast.

11. — Punishments op the Vice op Gluttony.

This vice clouds the soul, degrades the mind, bru-
talises the heart, ruins tbe health, and shortens life.
" Gluttony," said an ancient writer, " kills more people
than the sword." Strange result ! that which was in-
tended to maintain health, becomes the means of its
destruction.

Gluttony exposes its slave to the danger of being
abandoned by God at the hour of death. He will be
surprised by the stroke of death without being prepared
for it. For the sake of a pleasure which is as short in
its duration as it is limited by the organ which it affects,
man suffers himself to be plunged headlong into the
abyss of hell, where all the organs of the body must
expiate the disorders of one. The sensual man
exhausts himself to saturate with delights a body that
will shortly become the food of worms. Unhappy man !
he allows his soul to languish through want, which must
one day appear at the tribunal of the Most High, where
it will find itself necessarily shorn of virtue and merit.
Will its reprobation be less because the body has been
glutted with the daintiest food? And will the body
itself escape punishment ? Created for the soul, will
its lot be different from that of the soul ? Will it not
share its chastisement ? By flattering the less noble of
the two substances which constitute thy being, man !

842 ST. VINCENT FEBBER.

thoa exposest thyself to lose both. Thoa becomest the
murderer of thy own flesh, which was given thee to
serve the soul ; thoa makest it the instrument of its
death ; thon snbjectest both to the same punishments
by making them the accomplices of the same disorders.
Call to mind poor Lazarus. He would have gladly
contented himself with the crumbs that fell from the
rich man's table ; but there was no one who would
bestow them on him. He died, and was speedily borne
by angel hands into Abraham's bosom. The rich volup-
tuary, clothed in purple and fine linen, also died, and
he was buried in hell. In vain did he cry out for a
single drop of water to quench the thirst that devoured
him. That drop of water was refused him ; it will be
denied him to all eternity ! (Luke xvi.) But sensuality
and abstinence cannot share the same lot: at death,
misery succeeds pleasure, and pleasure succeeds misery.

m. — ^Prayzb.

It is to Thy paternal goodness, my God ! that we
are indebted for all the necessaries of life, and Thou
bestowest them on us to sustain and repair our strength.
If Thou attachest a cei-tain pleasure to the use of food,
it is only a wise condescension on Thy part. Thou
doest this that we may feel no repugnance for the
nourishment of which we have need. But to use it
solely for the pleasure which it affords, to exceed the
bounds of necessity and decency, is a crying abuse ; for
we thereby turn Thy benefits against Thee, and employ

MEDITATIONS. 343

in offending Thee that which ought to excite our grati-
tude. Permit not, my God ! that I should ever be
guilty of this crime. Grant that I may use, as becomes
a Christian, the food which Thy Providence hath pro-
vided, by never yielding to excess, nor seeking to please
the palate, but only to find therein what is suitable to
the wants of life. Preserve me from being* seduced by
the gross vice of gluttony. Suffer not sensuality to
assume the voice of nature, that it may the more easily
deceive me by seeming to solicit only what is legiti-
mately and indispensably necessary. Keep me always
on my guard against the attractions of pleasure. Make
me faithful in the exact observance of the laws of Thy
holy Church, which she prescribes for her children in
regard to fasting, abstinence, and mortification of the
senses. In a word, let my flesh be ever submissive to
my soul, and my soul always subject to Thee. Amen.

EXAMINATION.

I. Do I frequently entertain myself with the thought
of what I may eat or drink, in order to gratify sensu-
ality ? Have I felt a pleasure in calling to mind the
delights of the table which I have experienced on former
occasions ? Am I fond of speaking of such things with
others ?

II. Have I eaten or drunk out of meals, without
necessity or reason, solely for the sake of pleasure?
Have I also done this before the hour of repast, without
any other motive ?

844 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

III. Have I shown a daintiness in, or repagnance to,
certain kinds of food? Have I eagerly sought after that
which was agreeable to the taste ? Have I eaten too
qaickly ? Haye I exceeded the bonnds of moderation ?
Have my excesses been attended with injury to my
health ?

lY. Haye I, by a spirit of immortification, disregarded
the laws of fasting and abstinence imposed by the Church
on her children ? Have I never been deceived on this
point? Have I employed unworthy means to obtain
certain dispensations ? Have I made amends by alms-
deeds, prayer, and other good works, such as are usually
imposed on the faithful ?

y. Have I been careful to sanctify my meals with
prayer, before and after ? When drinking even a cup
of cold water, have I been observant in making at least
the sign of the Gross ?

VI. Have I taken care during my meals, to raise
from time to time my heart towards God ? Have I
thought of leaving a portion of my food for our Lord in
the person of the poor ?

ConcluMon. — Never allow a Friday to pass without
practising some act of mortification at meals.

Spirittuil Instruction. — St. Vincent was always an
example of moderation in his meals. We do not speak
of his life in the Convent, where the rule of the Order
is already so severe. Let us admire rather his extra-
ordinary mortification in the midst of his missions,
notwithstanding the fatigues of his apostolate.

MEDITATIONS. 345

The Saint took but one meal a day, and that at mid-
day. He was satisfied with one dish only, the first that
was put upon the table. It was not that provisions
were wanting ; for his hosts were ever eager to serve
him abundantly ; but he was pleased to content him-
self with a little, and caused the rest to be given to the
poor.

He never ate flesh-meat. Fish and vegetables were
his sole diet. When these were wanting, he was satis-
fied with a little bread, and water scarcely coloured with
wine.

At night when it was not a fast, he ate only a few
leaves of lettuce.

He was careful to have the Holy Scriptures read to
him by one of his companions or disciples during the
repast.

Despite those rigorous fasts and abstinences, our
Saint lived to a ripe old age. Thus, did he verify in
his own person the doctrine which he preached. " The
rich," said he, " live but a short time, because they eat
too much; the multiplicity of the foods which they
indulge in is injurious to their health. Of two persons
of equal condition, the one mortified, and the other
sensual, the first will live considerably longer than the
second." To show this he alleges the following reason.
" The food which we take, as for example bread and
wine, is corruptible ; consequently the body, already
corruptible by its nature, receives a fresh degree of
corruptibility by the assimilation of food. It follows,
thence, that persons nourished with a superabundant

846 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

and laxarioas diet, corrupt their bodies and die very
much sooner." ^

Imprint these maxims of St. Vincent on yonr memory^
and let them animate you to live in temperance and
sobriety.

Litanies of the Saint.

SEVENTH DAY.

THE VICE OF ENVY.

** Invidia diaholi man introivit in arbem terrarum : imitantur
autem ilium, qui nmt ex parte illiua ; '' " By the envy of the devil,
death eame into the world : and they follow him that are of his
side '* (Wisdom ii. 24, 25).

MEDITATION.

I. — ^DlSOBDBB OF EnVT.

HAT is envy? A sorrow that is felt at the
sight of the gifts and good-fortUne of others.
The envious person is an enemy of his
superiors, because he cannot equal them ; of his in-
feriors, because they desire to rise to his level ; of his
equals, because they claim to take precedence of him.
It was envy that animated Saul against David; that
stirred up the Pharisees against our Lord, even to put-
ting Him to death ; for such is the rage of this monster
that it pardons no one, however high and exalted his
position. Alas ! this is one of the vices whose empire
is spread far and wide. It moves noiselessly in secret^

» TeoU, Ub. ii. Tratt. iii. o. 16.

MEDITATIONS. 347

heaping up ruins, sparing nothing, respecting nothing,
and striving by preference to persecute the good, their
talents, and their virtues. And can anything be con-
ceived more odious than envy?

The envious, says the Holy Spirit Himself, resemble
the devil. Like him, they are less desirous of acquiring
the advantages they are jealous of, than of seeing others
deprived of them. They regard the good that results
to others as an evil to themselves, the success of others
as a loss which they sustain, the good repute of others
as a stain which tarnishes them. Miserable beings !
they are made worse by that which renders their neigh-
bours better, they aggravate their poverty by that which
increases the wealth of the latter.

Envy is essentially opposed to charity. Charity
shares a neighbour's suflferings, envy rejoices and
triumphs over them. Charity conceals a neighbour's
defects, envy defames him by calumniatory speech. It
strives to obscure his reputation ; it lessens, as far as
in it lies, the good that is said of him ; it maliciously
interprets all his actions ; it turns the purest virtues
into vices. Charity, far from injuring a neighbour,
strives to serve him by every means in its power. Envy
does just the contrary. From words it proceeds to acts ;
it thwarts all his designs ; it resorts to a thousand ways
to give him pain, to prevent him from attaining the
object of his desires, or to deprive him of it, if he has
already gained it. It is capable of the greatest excess,
of the utmost violence.

848 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

n. — ^Ptjnishmxnts of Entt.

There is no passion that is more directly the instm^
ment of its own punishment than that of envy. It
consumes the heart, dries up the flesh, torments the
mind, disturbs the peace of conscience, embitters life,
and banishes from the soul every joy and contentment.
Like the insect that gnaws the tree which has engen-
dered it, envy becomes the torture of the heart that has
conceived it. But it soon also exhibits its ravages from
without, and the expression of the countenance clearly
indicates the deep wounds within. Envy has not a more
severe judge than itself; hence some of the Fathers call
it ELJmt passion ; not that there is any rectitade in it, for
it is an infamous vice, but because it is its own execu-
tioner, executing justice on itself. The Holy Scripture
gives us clearly to understand how fatal are its effects
on the soul and body, when it says : " Envy is the
rottenness of the bones " (Proverbs xiv. 80). St. Bona-
venture says that it is to the soul what the worm is to
the wood and the garment, and rust to steel. St.
Basil compares it to an arrow which, shot against a
rock, rebounds and strikes the archer with his own dart ;
he also likens it to the offspring of the viper, which tear
the mother's entrails in giving them birth.

Now, if the Son of God will one day act with such
severity towards those who have refused merely the
ordinary helps of life to their neighbour, how will He
deal with the envious who have been hostile to their
brethren ? What you did to the least among men, He

MEDITATIONS. 849

will say, you did unto Me. You were jealous of Me,
by your calumnies you defamed Me, you opposed Me,
you ruined Me, you put Me to death. Children of
Satan, whose rivals and imitators you have been, depart
from Me, Who am charity and love itself; you shall
have no place in My kingdom, which is the assembly of
hearts that are united by the bonds of love. Go into
everlasting fire, you who burn with the infernal flames
of envy ; go into that fire which was prepared for him
who is the demon of envy. As you have imitated him
in his sentiments and acts, so now take part with him
in his punishment.

ni.— Prayeb.

Preserve me, my God, from envy, that vice so
odious in Thy sight, and so fatal to him who yields
himself to it. Yes, I detest and renounce it for ever. By
the help of Divine grace, I will endeavour to stifle its
first movements when they rise within my breast. I
will give place in my heart to sentiments that are con-
formable to reason and faith ; the blessings and mis-
fortunes of my brethren shall be common to myself and
to them, I will share their joys and their sorrows. Far
from depreciating the good qualities that they possess,
my heart shall be moved only to a worthy emulation ; I
will strive to imitate whatever is good in them. The
sight of their talents shall excite me to cultivate those
with which Thou hast gifted me ; the virtues which I
discover in them shall animate me to practise them

850 ST. TENCENT FKBBEB.

myself. If they succeed better than I, I will not be
grieyed, for Thou reqoirest only the effort on my part,
not saccess. I will eyen rejoice therein, because, by
sharing the happiness of my brethren, I shall draw
down Thy blessing on my endeayonrs, and shall myself
merit some saccess. Make me understand, my G^od,
that there is no loss to me in the merits of my neigh-
hour, whatever they may be, and that, on the contrary,
his advancement is my gain, seeing that Divine grace
renders the treasure of good works and merits common
to all Christians. Amen.

EXAMINATION.

I. Envy proceeds from pride and ambition. Have I
an exaggerated notion of my personal worth ? Have I
aspired to any superiority ?

II. Another source of envy is a disorderly affection
for the things of this world. Have I preferred the
heritage of heaven and spiritual wealth to the goods of
fortune ? Have I viewed without pain my neighbour's
prosperity? Do I rejoice in the blessings which
Providence has bestowed upon him ?

m. Self-love, in fine, is the secret root of envy.
Have I to reproach myself with feelings of egotism ?
Have I carefully suppressed them when they sprung up
in my soul ?

IV. Have I never manifested a spirit of envy in my
conversation, by lowering the merits of others ? Have
I never shown ill-will towards those who display a

MEDITATIONS. 351

greater genius, more talent, more virtue than myself,
and who meet with greater sympathy from those with
whom we live ? Have I never adroitly alluded to their
defects in order to gratify the resentment caused by the
praise that is bestowed on them ?

V. Have I gone even further, by forming rash
judgments, spreading false reports, undermining their
reputation, using a thousand indirect, equivocal, and
criminal means to injure their interests ?

VI. Have I, through envy, wished evil to my neigh-
bour ? Do I rejoice in his misfortunes ? To what
degree does my dislike of him carry me ?

Conclusion. — ^Bear not envy towards any one, but
strive to imitate those who distinguish themselves by
their estimable qualities.

Spiritual Instruction, — Instead of opening your heart
to this detestable vice of jealousy, make every effort to
plant therein the opposite virtue, that is, a Christian
affection, which will render you sensible to the blessings
and misfortxmes of your fellow-beings, and enable you
to participate in them. This is charity, that virtue
which the Gospel so strongly inculcates. The amiable
St. Vincent possessed it in an eminent degree. He
identified himself with his neighbour, rejoicing with
those who rejoiced, and sorrowing with those who were
aflBicted. He exhibited an extraordinary sweetness,
benignity, and affability towards all. God endowed
him with a heart so tender, that he could not restrain
his tears and emotion at beholding the misfortunes of

852 ST. VINOENT FERREB.

others. The words of compassion which fell from his
lips were so touching, and the expression of his coun-
tenance was so sympathetic, that the mere sight of him,
or the sound of his voice, was enough to tranquillise
troubled souls, and to dispel sorrow from their hearts.

But if the Saint himself never yielded to the vile
passion of jealousy, there were those who became its
victims on his account. Yet, Providence failed not to
avenge the contradictions which that unquiet spirit
stirred up against him.

St. Vincent, preaching one Easter-day in the
Cathedral at Toulouse, said that the Saviour of the
world, on rising from the tomb, appeared first to His
glorious Mother, an opinion which is commt)nly held by
the Fathers. Another preacher, hearing these words,
disapproved of the Saint's doctrine, saying that he
affirmed as true what was mere conjecture, and that he
onght to confine himself to the bare text of the Gospel.
He went even further : in his false zeal and presumption,
he announced that he would preach in the evening, to
refute publicly what St. Vincent had said. This gave
rise to a grave scandal in Toulouse. At the appointed
hour a crowd of persons assembled to hear the sermon
which had been announced with so much vanity; but
when the rash preacher ascended the pulpit, he was
unable to utter a single word. The people saw in this
unexpected silence the just chastisement of God. He
descended from the pulpit covered with such confusion
that he was obliged to quit the city of Toulouse.

Another preacher, as ill-disposed as the formeri was

MEDITATIONS. 853

neyertheless better inspired than he. His defiance was
speedily changed into admiration. He recognised in
the language of St. Vincent that of the Holy Spirit.
" For otherwise," said he, " it would be impossible for
this man to touch the hearts of his auditory so effica-
ciously, and to explain with such lucidity the intricacies
of speculative theology." ^ Let us divest ourselves of
self-love, and show forth in our intercourse with men
goodwill and friendship towards them.
Litanies of the Saint.

EIGHTH DAT.

THE VICE OF SLOTH.

** Multam malitiam docuit otiositas; ** ** Idleness hath taught muoh
eyil" (Eooles. xxziii. 29).

MEDITATION.
I. — DisosDSB OF Sloth.

LOTH is an indolence, a weariness which
unnerves us for work, and especially spiritual
works.

It is an ogre which devours hy pure waste, time, that
precious treasure which God has commanded us to im-
prove during the short space of our trial on earth. There
is not in this vast universe a single heing that should he
in a state of repose. Li the heavens, the sun and moon
and stars and all the luminous hodies incessantly per-
form their diurnal revolution for our use ; on earth the

^ Valdecebro, Peroin Teoli, lib. i. Tratt. iii. o. 30.

854 ST. VINCENT FERRER.

trees and plants labour without relaxation for their
nutrition and development. The ant stores up in
summer the grain that is to sustain its existence during
the inclement season; the bee composes its honey-
comb : in a word, all that has life and movement is in
labour and activity. What a dishonour, then, for man.
endowed with reason, to live in a state of idleness and
sloth, which all creatures, by the simple instinct of their
nature, have a horror of !

What follows from this ? The most sacred duties are
neglected. The laws of religion are not complied with ;
prayer is omitted or imperfectly performed ; the sacra-
ments are abandoned or received without due preparation.
The obligations of one's state are no better discharged ;
nothing is done that is prescribed, or it is done badly,
without attention, without application.

This is not all : activity being an essential character-
istic of our nature, if not applied to what is good and
useful, will necessarily conduce to evil ; evil inclinations
will assume the empire over it. " Be always doing
something," said St. Jerome, ** that the devil may ever
find you occupied." " Idleness," adds the Angelic St
Thomas, "is the chief hook with which hell fishes for
souls." Thus, an uncultivated soil naturally brings
forth thorns and thistles." *' I passed by the field

of the slothful man and behold it was all

filled with nettles, and thorns had covered the face
thereof, and the stone wall was broken down (Prov.
xxiv. 80, 81).

The field of the slothful man is his own soul; the

MEDITATIONS. 855

Boxioas weeds are bad thoughts, evil instincts, repre-
hensible acts ; the thorns are sinful deeds ; the broken-
down wall is the door of the soul, open to all the
temptations of the devil, the world, and the flesh. Let
us then carefully avoid the vice of sloth*

U. — Punishments op Sloth.

Besides the ignominy, poverty, and distress, which it
frequently engenders in the temporal order, this vice
even exposes the soul to the loss of God's friendship,
and renders it so hateful to Him, that He is con-
strained to cast it from His presence and to deprive it
of all His gifts. A striking proof of this is the Bishop
of Ephesus, to whom our Lord said by the mouth of St.
John: ''I have somewhat against thee, because thou
hast left thy first charity. Be mindful, therefore, from
whence thou art fallen : and do penance, and do the
first works. Or else I come to thee, and will move thy
candlestick out of its place " (Apoc. ii. 4, 5). Another
example is that of the Bishop of Laodicea, to whom our
Lord spoke thus : "I know thy works, that thou art
neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot,
but because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor
hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of My mouth " (Apoc.
iii. 15, 16). The misfortunes of a tepid and slothful
soul need not surprise us. Sloth is an imperceptible
worm which gnaws by degrees every virtue in the soul.
The same thing occurs to a tepid soul as to rotten and
worm-eaten wood, which to all appearance is sound, but

24*

866 ST. YiNCEirr febbeb.

which is fireqaently broken by the first pressure that is
put upon it.

Woe to the tepid, slothful soul at the hour of death !
It will be beyond the reach of succour. *' Because of
the cold the sluggard would not plough/' says the Holy
Spirit, that is, he would not apply himself to virtue, be-
cause of the difficulties that surround it. '' He shall beg
therefore in the summer," namely at the hour of death,
in the heat of fever and anguish. ^* And it shall not be
given him " (Prov. xx. 4) ; God and His angels will
withhold from him every assistance, despite his en-
treaties. Is not this the very extreme of misfortune ?

Not having produced, not even at the hour of death,
any fruit worthy of eternal life, the barren soul, after a
rigorous judgment, shall be cast, like a withered and
unfruitful tree, into eternal flames. " Every tree that
bringeth not forth good fruit," says our Lord, " shall be
cut down, and shall be cast into the fire" (Matt. vii. 19).
Elsewhere it is said : " The unprofitable servant cast ye
out into the exterior darkness. There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth " (Matt. xxv. 80). Strive, my
soul, to escape that terrible lot, by diligently applying
thyself to thy duties.

m. — Pbayeb.

Lord, Thou hast commanded man to labour, and he
swerves from the order which Thou hast established when
he yields to sloth and spends his time in idleness or in
frivolous amusements. Thou hast aci^orded him this

MEDITATIONS. 857

time solely that he may employ it profitably, and Thou
wilt one day demand a rigorous account of the use he
shall have made of it. Woe to the barren tree ! Woe
to the unprofitable, indolent, slothful servant ! Permit
not, Lord, that I fall into this deplorable misfortune.
Grant me grace to spend the years of my life from this
moment to the end in the faithful observance of Thy
law. Make me diligent in the performance of my duties,
with a view to please Thee, and to work out my salva-
tion. Preserve me, my God, from weariness of spirit
and a dislike for spiritual things. Facilitate my appli-
cation to what is good, that I may find a relish and
sweetness therein. Sustain my courage, suffer me not
to lose one moment of time so short and precious which
Thy Providence bestows upon me. Grant me the dis-
positions of that holy man, who said each time that he
heard the clock strike : '' Lord, my God, one hour more
is passed, of which I shall have to render Thee an
account as well as of all those which Thou hast still in
store for me." Yes, grant me, God, these happy dis-
positions, for he who shall persevere to the end shall be
saved. Amen.

EXAMINATION.

I. Have I regarded the graces which God has heaped
upon me as a talent which He has confided to me, and
which I ought to have turned to a profitable account ?
Have not I, like the servant in the Gospel, hid this
talent, by receiving grace into my soul without producing
fruit therein ?

858 ST. TINGEKT FEBBEB.

n. Have I never resembled the barren fig-tree which
bore only leaves, by contenting myself with the mere
external fulfilment of the duties of my state, without
either fervour or zeal ?

m. When I have been moved to correct some fault,
to advance in the practice of virtue, to perform my
religious exercises with fidelity, have I not neglected
those good inspirations? Have I not also heedlessly
resisted the interior warnings which invited me to avoid
certain aclte, to withhold such and such words, to over-
come this or that fault ?

lY. In what manner do I approach the Sacraments ?
Have I received them tepidly, through custom, without
deriving from them any fruit for my spiritual advance-
ment?

V. When God's spirit has moved me to lead a more
perfect life, have I adopted the most suitable means for
carrying out my good resolutions ? Do I not speedily
fall back again into the same habits, by not doing
sufficient violence to my evil propensities in order to
correct them ?

VI. Have I a rule to live by ? Have I deliberately,
and through my own fault, omitted any point of it?
Have I never neglected what appears to me of little
importance, or what is not to my taste ? Have I never
retrenched some portion of the time consecrated to
prayer, spiritual reading, and the other exercises of the
interior life ? Has not a repugnance to these led me to
seek pretexts for dispensing myself from them ? And
when I do perform them, is it not with languor,
indifference, and through mere custom ?

MEDITATIONS. 859

Vn. Has my fidelity to them been constant and
generous, especially when grace was less sensibly present
within me, and when it required a greater effort of the
will to persevere in the accomplishment of my duties ?

Conclusion. Let us examine every evening how we
have observed our rule, and impose on ourselves a
penance for the faults committed.

Spiritual Instruction. Let us admire the faithful
correspondence of St. Vincent Ferrer to all the graces
which our Lord bestowed upon him. He preserved his
baptismal innocence ; he obeyed the voice that called
him to a state of perfection ; he scrupulously observed
the rules of his Order, not only in the Convent, but
outside, and that for more than fifty years, without ever
failing; but, on the contrary, increasing daily in
regularity, piety, detachment, prayer, charity, humility,
progressing without ceasing in every virtue. Li cities,
among peoples, in his cell, on his journeys, in preaching,
consoling the afflicted, devotiug himself so lovingly to
the good of souls, he was ever calm, peaceful, faithful
to his duties, always holy. It was because he made an
oratory of his heart, wherein he incessantly conversed
with God, without experiencing the least interruption in
his occupations. '' He was on the one hand absorbed in
God," observes Gomez, one of his biographers, '*as
though he were far removed from the conversation of
men, and, on the other, he applied his mind so vigorously
to his transactions with the world as if he had never had
any intercourse with God."

860 ST. VINCENT FERBEB.

It was ihns that the Saint accomplished the resolutions
of his jDath. One night while he prayed hefore the
crucifix in the church of his Convent, the devil appeared
to him in the shape of an Ethiopian, deformed and
horrible to behold. " I will plot so much against thee,
and draw thee into so many snares/* said Satan, '' that
thou shalt be miserably enchained, and precipitated into
evil." " And I," replied the Saint, " hope that Divine
grace will assist me." ''Not always," rejoined the
tempter; "very few persevere in grace. When Christ
shall abandon thee, thou wilt then know what my
power of drawing thee into vice is." " But," answered
Vincent once more, '' Ood does not forsake those who
put their trust in Him, and as He has given me grace to
begin, I hope that He will still grant me that of
perseverance in His service." With these words,
followed by the sign of the Cross, the Saint put the
lying spirit to flight.'

May Ood impart to you the generosity of this great
model ! May your resolutions be firm and efficacious to
the end !

Litanies of the Saint.

>P. AntUt. Nyder.

MEDITATIONS. 861

NINTH DAY.

THE YIBTUE OF PENANCE.

** Poenitentiam agite : appropinqiutvit enim regnum ccelorum ; " "Do
penance : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand '* (Matt. iii. 2).

MEDITATION.
I. — ^What we Lose by not Pbactising Penance.

E lose immense benefits^ treasures infinitely
precious, namely : pardon, grace, merit.

We lose pardon. " A contrite and humble
heart God will not despise" (Psalm 1. 19). However
great man's wickedness may be, however numerous his
crimes, if he repents, if he does penance, God imme-
diately pardons him; for He Wills not the death of
the sinner, but that he should be converted and live.
" Should a person," observes St. Vincent Ferrer, '* have
slain the twelve Apostles, should he have sinned with
all sorts of people, and even crucified with his own hands
the Lord Jesus, if he were sincerely repentant, and
asked pardon> of God, God would pardon him without
delay, and restore him to His favour." But alas ! if we
have no regret for evils committed, if we do not humbly
confess them, if we have no desire to correct them, if
we do not purpose to avoid sin and to embrace the
salutary exercises of penance, we can no longer count
on God's pardon. His indulgence, and mercy. We
close against ourselves the bowels of Divine goodness.
See, my soul, the great danger thou incurrest, by refus-
ing to do penance.

862 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

We lose grace, grace which gives life, which purifies
the soul, which renders it white as snow, fragrant as
a garden filled with flowers, Uke to God, the spouse of
the Holy Ghost, the august temple of the Trinity, the
true kingdom of the Most High ! And with grace we
lose at the same time peace of heart, the consolation
of a good conscience, the inebriating caresses of the
King of Heaven, light and joy ! In fine, we lose merit.
When grace is received, it becomes in the soul a foun-
tain of water, springing up to life eternal. It animates
every action with its own spirit ; even those which, by
their nature, are indifferent, become meritorious of end-
less glory ; and as grace is the seed of glory, in pro-
portion as grace increases, so does merit also increase.
*' The path of the just, as a shining light, goeth for-
wards, and increaseth even to perfect day*' (Prov. iv. 18).
But if we are without grace, can we lay claim to the
smallest merit ? No. Whatever good we may do will
be of no avail.

Si scires donum Dei ! *' my soul, if thou didst
know the gift of God " (John iv. 10). If thou didst
know the value of penaUce, the supreme glory, the rich
crown that is reserved for thee in heaven : ah ! thou
wouldst find no difficulty in embracing this virtue, in
renouncing sin, in loving God, in observing His com-
mandments, in living in the practice of good works;
no, thou wouldst not experience any repugnance ; on
the contrary, penance would be thy delight.

MEDITATIONS. 863

n. — ^What we Gain by not doing Pbnancb.

We lay up for ourselves hateful, fatal treasures, a
terrible gain! These are the treasures of sin. The
just man, despite his prayers, his vigilance, and every
other precaution that surrounds him, frequently falls ;
and he sighs over his weakness, his frailty, his inability
to do good, his deplorable facility in doing evil. What,
then, shall the impenitent sinner do, who delights in
iniquity, who nurses his passions, who daily supplies
them with fresh food, who roots himself in his criminal
habits? He shall heap up abominations one upon
another; his heart shall be a sink wherein the most
odious crimes shall rot with age ; perhaps adulteries,
impurities without number, blasphemies, detractions,
mortal hatreds, treacheries, vengeance, thefts, and count-
less injustices ; profligacies, nameless debaucheries,
frightful impieties. And these treasures of sin, alas !
form, at the same time, an accumulation of wrath and
vengeance. 0, patience of my Ood, how formidable
art Thou! When God supports with so much meek-
ness, sweetness, and forbearance, the sinner who offends
Him, His first purpose is to lead him to repentance*
Thou heedest it not, prevaricator of the Divine law,
and thou multipliest daily thy sins, shamefully abusing
the plan of grace ; but art thou aware that God's second
purpose, if thou refusest the first, is to allow thee to
heap up wrath and punishment for the great day of His
anger? The miser, who is continually adding to his
treasure fresh pieces of gold and silver, without keep-

866 BT. YINOENT FERBEB.

lY. Have I never delayed to return to Ood under the
pretence of His being good, patient, merciful, contrary
to the advice of the Holy Ghost : *' Delay not to be
converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day.
For His wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time
of vengeance He will destroy thee " (Eccles. v. 8. 9).

Y. Have I never deferred my repentance, by flattering
myself that it would be more easy at another time, or
that the difficulties would be less, and grace more abun-
dant ; a false notion, and a fatal delusion, since, on the
contrary, the difficulties increase with the delay, while
the latter weakens grace, hardens the heart, and draws
down upon us the scourge of Divine justice ?

VI. On determining to lead a new life, have I resolved
to abandon my mind to troubles, my heart to sorrow and
my body to su£fering till the moment of death ?

YII. Do I voluntarily submit myself to all the afflic-
tions which our Lord sends me to enable me to expiate
my offences,— such as interior trials, aridity, weariness,
bodily infirmities, physical indisposition, inclemency of
the seasons, the fatigues of my employments ?

Conclusion. — Forget not that the kingdom of heaven
suffers violence, and that the narrow gate of penance can
alone afford us access to it.

Spiritiuzl Instruction. — Carry yourselves back in spirit
to the happy time when the earth was privileged to
hear the preaching of St. Yincent Ferrer. Bepresent to
your mind that procession of public penance, when the
crowd of people, converted by that apostle of later times,

MEDITATIONS. 867

scourged themselves with disciplines, and expressed by
these signs their deep contrition and lively compassion
for 4ihe sufferings of Jesns Christ, Picture to yourselves
the tears of pity v^rhich flowed from the eyes of the be-
holders, and the salutary effects produced in their souls
by this admirable display of penance. Were your hearts
harder than stone, the sight of such a spectacle should
soften them and dispose them to repentance ; it might
possibly be necessary even to modify the desire that
would draw you to works of Christian mortification. The
same thing might happen to you that took place in
regard to a sinner whom St. Vincent converted at Lyons.
This was a soldier whose conscience was burdened with
many crimes. Having sincerely confessed to a priest of
the Saint's company, the latter imposed on him, on ac-
count of the enormity of his offences, a penance to assist
at the procession of disciplinants which took place every
evening, and to scourge himself with his own hands.
The soldier refused to accept this public and severe
penance. Then, the priest, unable to overcome his
reluctance, asked his permission to refer the matter to
St. Vincent. This he granted. The Saint adopted a
middle course, which showed his extreme kindness.
" You will tell your penitent," he said to the confessor,
''to go in the procession of disciplinants, but without
obliging him to take the discipline."

The penance having been very much lessened, the
soldier accepted it. He walked in the procession with-
out any instrument of penance in his hand. But when
he saw the generosity with which other sinners less

868 ST. VIMOKNT FEBBEB.

guilty than himself scourged themselyeSy when he heard
the groans of repentance whick escaped from their
breasts, his soul was keenly moved; he regretted not
having provided himself with a discipline like the rest ;
he eagerly asked for one, he received it with joy, and
commenced to flog himself with all his might, weeping
and sighing. It became necessary to restrain his fer-
vour, and to prevent him endangering his life.'
The Litanies of the Saint.

> Teoli, Ub. u. Trait. iL c. 5.

869

SECTION THE THIRD.
DivEBS Pbayebs in honodb of St. Vincent Febber.

I. — ^A Devout Pbayeb to obtain the pbotection of the
OLOBious St. Vincent Febbeb, to be said on all the
Fbidats of his Devotion, dubing the Novena which
pbecedes his Feast, and in all wants and necessities.

GLOEIOUS Apostle of Spain, merciful St.
Vincent, behold me at your feet, miserable as I
am, supplicating you to take me under your
powerful protection. This day and for ever, I choose
you as my special advocate. Obtain for me of the
Divine Clemency, the grace to enrich myself by the imi-
tation of your virtues.

I desire to have in mv heart a love which will conse-
crate me entirely to God and render me faithful in loving
Him supremely, and serving Him with my whole heart.
I desire that this love should lead me to devote myself
to the service of my neighbour, to assist and solace him
in all his necessities.

I desire to be endowed with humility which will
enable me to submit myself to all, and while enlighten-
ing me in my misery, may dispose me to place myself
beneath all. ' I desire to possess patience which will

870 ST. VINCENT FEBBEB.

\ •

render me strong in adversity, hamble amid offences,
tranquil in calamities, patient in infirmities, and resigned
in all things to the Divine Will.

I desire to have a true zeal by which, in working as I
ought, for the salvation of my soul, I may guard against
being an occasion of sin to others.

Obtain for me, dear St. Vincent, all these virtues and
others which are necessary for the perfect fulfilment of
the duties of my state, in order that, imitating in part
your innumerable vii*tues, I may be enabled, through
your intercession, to remain faithful to my God. I re-
commend to you, as my Protector, my entire being. I
place under the eyes of your compassion, all my spiritual
and temporal wants, and those of my relations, friends,
and enemies, as well as of all those who confide in God
and in you. Oh ! most powerful Saint, obtain for us to-
day and for ever, the grace which you know to be the most
necessary for our spiritual advancement, and that which
will best enable us to attain eternal beatitude. Strengthen
us against the snares of the devil, defend us against the
enemies of our salvation, deliver us from the dangers of
soul and body, and obtain for us grace to live with God
on earth, that we may arrive at the enjoyment of Him
with you in heaven. Amen.

DEVOUT PRAYEBS. 871

II. — ^A Prater which may be said on each of the Seven
Fridats before and after the Feast of St. Vincent
Ferrer, to obtain some particular oracb.

INCE God the Eternal, to manifest His power
and grant mercy to them who ask it of Him
with faith, has deposited in you, my Pro-
tector, an inexhaustible treasure of grace, your interces-
sion is even more powerful than when on earth, now that
you are in heaven. Full of confidence, I therefore cast
myself at your feet, and recommend to you all my neces-
sities and those of my family, relations, friends, and bene-
factors. But I beseech you in particular {Express here the
grace which you desire to obtain). Gracious Saint ! vouch-
safe that my confidence in you may not be disappointed.
Offer to the Divine Majesty your supplications and prayers
in my behalf, and obtain the salvation of my soul. Let
tribulations and sorrows increase, I will rejoice in them,
provided my patience increases more and more in pro-
portion, and that I save my soul. Amen.

872 ST. VINCEKT FEBBEB.

IIL—Ths following Pbatebs mat be said evert Fbidat.

First Prayer.

MOST faithful St. Vincent, yon who with so mnch
zeal extended the faith of Jesns Christ, grant, I
pray yon, that uniting my works to my faith, I
may have, like you, a living faith ; that till the last moment
of my life, I may desire to live and die in the faith which
you had, and that, like you, I may he ahle to say to my
Lord : " I helieve, Lord, I helieve."

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory he to the Father.

Second Prayer.

most amiahle St. Vincent, grant that after your ex-
ample I may unite my hope to my faith, resting solely
on the bounty of the Lord. And though I own myself
unworthy, on account of the numberless sins which I
have committed, yet I nourish in the depth of my heart
a firm hope of being able to bless and extol throughout
eternity, the mercies of my God.