directly put to Him, 'Are there few that be saved?' refused to answer. He gave a practical and personal answer,' You must strive.' All the texts quoted to prove it appear to me to prove the opposite. Many are called, but few chosen '; this comes at the end of the householder who hired labourers, and the parable shows only one class lost-even those called at the eleventh hour saved. It is impossible, therefore, that the deduction from the parable is meant to contradict the parable itself. And therefore the words Many are called,' etc., must mean something else, perhaps the rejection of the majority of the Jews. Remember, the sorrow that comes from fear is good, so far as it goes. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.' You must try to let the sense of fear lead you on-ask God for the grace of true contrition. It is good to remember that contrition is not necessarily accompanied with feelings of sorrow; sin is the turning of the will from God, repentance the turning the will to God. If with all your heart you turn from sin, however constantly old temptations may return, and long to be truly sorry, you have contrition-let it lead you to bear the results of sin patiently, that is the best of all. When the memory of the past makes one patient, slow to judge others, ready to accept troubles, one has indeed then very deep contrition if one feels as cold as ice. It will be a help to remember that as sin is an act of the will so is repentance-' Turn ye unto Me.' Conversion is the turning round of the will Godward. Do not allow yourself to feel that God can turn from a soul that desires to approach Him. The fear of hell, remember, is good, but whenever you think of it try to picture Our Lord standing at the door of hell saying, None need enter here who only ask My help and believe that I can help them.

I think God has shown you wonderful love and helped you in ways that others do not seem to have been helped, and I am sure this illness comes from His mercy.

The following letter is a characteristic instance of Father Maturin's imaginative grasp of the Apostles' lives and characters, which made those who heard him preach feel they were constantly getting to know intimately these friends of the preacher. And what a note of comfort it strikes for one on the threshold of old age!

33

January 17, 1902.

I always think of St. John as the wonderful type of people who may have their chief work to do when it seems to them as if their work was done. He faced death and came back and lingered on with his strength seemingly gone and the thunder silent, and yet the work he did in his last years is the work we know him by better than that of his earlier years. It all seemed useless to him no doubt; it would have been better that he had died at the Latin gate than lived into weakness and solitude. Yet all that went before was the preparation for what he did in the end. And so no doubt with those who have been near to death and looked it in the face and come back again to life : there is some need in oneself, and some need for others, and no doubt these two go hand in hand, but be sure one will not be very conscious of it. One will only know that God is using the discipline to tame and discipline and sanctify one. All healthy deepening is gradual, habits form slowly under the old habits like the chrysalis, and are only visible as the old drop off

to give place to the new, but the power of one's life goes out from one's inner struggles to illuminate and draw others on.

II

Most of the letters that follow are concerned with questions of faith, and are written in answer to correspondents who were in difficulties either as to any belief in the Christian Church, or as to where was to be found the seat of that Church's authority.

It is interesting to see from these letters, written at very different dates, that Father Maturin never changed in his view or the general line of his advice to those hesitating between Anglicanism and Rome. To those who consulted him he always answered, even before he himself had left the Church of England: 'If you are convinced of the claims of Rome, go.' On the other hand, even after he was himself a Catholic, he would say: 'If you are not clearly convinced, stay where you are for the present.' And he would always add: Try to get nearer to God, use the spiritual helps that you have, and God will show you His will in His own good time.'

The first set of these letters was written to a lady who had doubts as to the Christian Revelation, but was attracted to Theism.

The earlier letters were written from Cowley, the later when Father Maturin was himself a Catholic, and these latter deal with the question of the Church's claims. His correspondent passed from Theism to

Anglicanism, but at the date of Father Maturin's last letter to her had not reached faith in the Catholic and Roman Church.

34

April 1, 1891.

I sent you a volume of Liddon's Sermons which I happened to have with me, as I thought some of them might help you. I am sending you Salmon's book to-day. If you don't find it readable please don't read it, but it struck me as being one of the most convincing books I know. I shall often remember you in my prayers, and shall continue to believe— unless you prove it otherwise that all will yet come right with you. I think it will, for I believe you to be sincere, which I am afraid a good many in a like condition of mind are not. You will not, I hope, hesitate to write to me at any time that you think I can help you.

35

To the Same

April 7, 1891.

I should be glad if I could in any way be the means of clearing your mind of some very false impressions of what is involved in Christian faith. Did I not know you, and feel quite sure of your earnestness from the tone of your conversation with me, I should have gathered from some things in your letter that you were prejudiced against, and liked to press things hard against, the Christian system. I do not attribute such motives, but I think I can trace very plainly in what you say the teachings of Voysey, who I am bound to

say, from what you sent me of his, does not leave upon my mind a pleasing impression either of integrity or of temper. There are difficulties in the Christian system, but he has not stated them; and when a man gets angry and bitter towards his opponent I always have the feeling of a loss of confidence! Certainty of being in the right can afford to be patient with those who are known to be in the wrong.

Now, first as to one or two things you say. You speak of God eternally tormenting men for their ignorance, and you instance Shelley; and then His rewarding some ignorant man who had no wish to lead a pure life because he believed in Christ.' Surely you don't really think that such a doctrine is Christian? Our Lord says distinctly, 'That servant which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.'

Therefore, as a Christian, I should say that a man who lived up to his lights and wanted to believe all that was true, and was faithful to conscience, will have a far happier eternity than a man who knew and firmly believed, and did not try to live up to his faith-' If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them,'' Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifyeth.' It's possible for men to be serving Christ even without knowing it. 'Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered and fed Thee?' said those on the Right Hand-and the answer,' Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.' You were serving Me in serving men. They were better than they knew. Be just to what our Lord does teach. Don't overstate the case for your side, for that looks like prejudice, and a little prejudice, we know but too well, may keep one back from the very best