Even  now  throughout  all  the  earth,  among  all  lan-
guages, people,  and  tongues,  the  penitent,  and  weary,
and  broken  in  heart  are  pressing  in  under  the  shadow
of  his  throne :  even  now  they  are  gathering  within
the  folds  of  his  pavilion :  in  the  sanctuary  of  his
unseen  presence :  and  he  is  comforting  them,  and
binding  up  their  wounds,  and  revealing  to  them  his
own  pierced  side,  and  the  crown  of  thorns,  and  the
tokens  of  his  life-giving  passion,  the  emblems  of  his


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incarnate  glory,  working  in  them  compunction  and
cleansing,  and  consolation,  The  mystical  number  of
the  penitent  and  the  purified  is  ever  growing  to  its
fulness  :  and  the  end  of  all  things  is  at  hand ;  our  life,
each  one,  is  fast  running  out,  the  day  of  salvation  to
our  land,  it  may  be,  is  far  spent.  Our  provocations
have  been  many,  our  sins  of  omission  exceeding  great.
What  are  we  now  doing  for  those  for  whom  the  Son
of  God  shed  his  blood  upon  the  cross  ?  Let  us  redeem
the  time  that  remains :  and  strive  with  sevenfold
strength,  by  prayers  and  alms,  by  pureness  and
charity,  by  persevering  efforts  both  in  word  and  deed
"  to  seek  for  Christ's  sheep  that  are  dispersed  abroad,
and  for  his  children  who  are  in  the  midst  of  this
naughty  world  that  they  may  be  saved  through  Christ
for  ever."1

1  Office  for  ordering1  of  Priests.
PRINTED    BY   JOHN    HILL,    VOKK.
