Vol. 2

;438 ST, LUKE.fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that hewould come into his house: 42. For he had oneonly daughter, about twelve years of age, and shelay a dying."Whenever we perceive our souls begin to growweak in piety, to faint in the performance of ourduty, or to be ready to fallthrough the violence ofany temptation, our only way is, to humble ourselves,to have recourse to Christ, and to invite and beseechhim by an humble and fervent prayer, that he wouldvouchsafe to come by his grace into the house of ourheart.The generality of persons, either hazard orneglect the salvation of their souls, as if each ofthem had several, and might venture one. We haveeach of us but one only soul : we must love it exclusivelyof all things else, and fear its loss as thatwhich is irrecoverable ; we must be greatly concernedfor it under all occasions of sin, which is its deathand often in its behalf fall down at Jesus' feet, whois its only physician." — (But as he went the people thronged him.43. 51 And a woman, having an issue of blood twelveyears, which had spent all her living upon physicians,neither could be healed of any,"Remission of sins is granted only whilst we arein the way, that is, during the time of this life.Concupiscence is a shameful, inveterate, and continualdisease, which proceeds from original sin, and isincurable, and not to be healed by any but JesusChrist.The law, philosophy, confidence in our ownstrength, and the presumption of free-will, do butinflame and increase it. Happy are we notwithstanding,if, after having experienced the insufficiency