These meditations were originally composed in the 18th century by St. Alphonsus Liguori(1696 - 1787), a Catholic bishop from the Naples region in Italy. They first appeared in English in 1886 in Eugene Grimm's (1835-1891) "Complete Ascetical Works of Saint Alphonsus de Liguori: The way of salvation and of perfection." The meditations are aimed at awakening the reader to the sharp realities of life, and the transient nature of the passing world around us, by focusing on the last four things: hell, heaven, judgment and death. Included at the end are some spiritual reflections and a condensed version of St. Liguori's Rule of Life. This version of these meditations uses contemporary English and includes images of icons and artwork of the Biblical events and people mentioned in the text.