Vol. 2

522 ST. LUKE.ing us amends for whatever we can lose for his sake;and as if it were not sufficient to be owned by him asjoint-heirs, and called to possess his inheritance togetherwith him." 9. But he that denieth me before men, shall bedenied before the angels of God."What despair must be the portion of that soulwhich Jesus Christ denies and renounces ! Towhom can it belong but to the devil, whom it chosefor itsmaster, when it refused to acknowledge Christfor its Lord and its God? Every age has its propermanner of confessing or denying Christ, as every agehas its proper way of persecuting those who do confesshim. The disposition whereby we are ready togive up our life and our blood, is requisite at alltimes; and when a man has it, he sits very loosefrom every thing else. The less we lose at present,the more culpable are we, if we areunwilling, whenoccasion requires, to relinquish it for the sake ofChrist." 10. And whosoever shall speak a word againstthe Son of man, it shall be forgiven him : but untohim that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, itshall not be forgiven."To what remedy can the sinner have recourse, ifhe reject theHoly Ghost, who alone calls him to repentance,and gives him the grace and the will toperform it. He who through fear renounces Christ,is not far from speaking against him :but to renouncethe faith through infidelity, and to call every thingwhich the Spirit of God has done by Christ and hisapostles a mere illusion, this is a blasphemy out ofwhich men seldom or never recover, because the root