<aaint jfvantin of ^HUinu 165 



CHAPTER XL. 



0/ the Miracle which God performed when 

 Saint Antony, being at Rimini^ preached to 

 the FiJJies of the Sea. 



OUR Bleffed Lord and Saviour Jefus 

 Chrift, defiring to fet forth the great 

 fandlity of His moft faithful fervant Saint 

 Antony, how devout a thing it was to hear 

 his preaching and his Holy Do6lrines, He 

 reproved the folly of heretics and infidels 

 through unreafoning beafts, notably the 

 fiflies, as of old in the Bible He chid the 

 ignorance of Balaam through the mouth 

 of the Afs. Hence, Saint Antony being 

 at Rimini, where there was a great mul- 

 titude of heretics, defiring to bring them 

 back to the light of the true faith and 

 to the ways of virtue, for many days did 

 preach and fet forth to them the faith of 

 Chrift and of the Holy Scriptures : but 

 they, not only confenting not to his Holy 

 Words, but even like hardened and obfti- 

 nate finners refufing to hearken unto him. 

 Saint Antony one day by Divine Infpira- 

 tion went forth to the banks of the river, 



clofe 



