piness! In peace in the selfsame I will sleep, and I will rest. For thou, O Lord! singularly hast settled me in hope.-Ps. iv. 9, 10. 0 that those miserable people had never laid snares against thee, but for drawing thee to them; how many graces wouldst thou have bestowed on them? What pleasure wouldst thou have taken in discovering thy divine secrets to them, had they only examined thy words to penetrate into the depth of them! How willingly wouldst thou have allowed thyself to have been deprived of all, had they sought only thy blessings! It is thy custom, O Lord! to do so. I call thee, and thou comest; though thou knowest I shall soon forsake thee. I beg thy pardon, thou grantest me it, and acceptest my resolution of sinning no more; though thou knowest I shall sin again. Thou consentest to the covenant I make with thee, though thou seest I am soon to break it; and thus thou reliest on me, because thou continually expectest the hour when I shall at last give myself to thee, never to forsake thee more.

VI. But who hast used most stratagems, O divine Jesus! men for surprising thee, or thou for gaining them? How miserable am I is it possible for me to be so weak a creature, and that thou shouldst use so many endeavours for subjecting me to thee? The Jews, miserable and terrestrial as they are, presume to attack thy divine virtue, against which they cannot prevail: and thou, O Lord! being what thou art, why dost thou not subdue me at once, me who am but dust and ashes? How can I escape the nets of thy charity, which I find spread on every side for catching me! There are so many of them in tribulation, in temptation, in thy instructions, in the menaces of thy justice, in the gifts of thy mercy, upon earth, in heaven, and in hell: and I avoid them all. Break my bonds, O Lord! that I may fall into thine, and then I will sacrifice to thee the sacrifice of praise, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. Ps. cxv. 17. But how can they be broken, O thou salvation of my soul! It is true thou layest snares for me everywhere: but thou wouldst have me fall into them voluntarily, because thou wilt not have constrained love; and when it is constrained, it is not love. Break thou thyself, therefore, O my God! the chains which keep me bound to the flesh and to the world; and I will freely sacrifice to thee, and love thee with all my freedom.-Ps. liii. 8. For though I freely love the things which separate me from thee, the habit of loving them forms in me so strong a chain, that even when I see good and approve it, I depart not from evil. I desire thee, O Lord! but I do not desire thee perfectly; because I desire something with thee, which I desire not for thee. Nothing but thy grace can break this chain, deliver me from myself, and transform me into thee. Accomplish thy work, and grant that I may become for ever the slave of thy divine love.

A THANKSGIVING TO CHRIST

For the Truths he taught us whilst his enemies were laying snares against him. I. I return thee a thousand thanks, O source of all blessings! not only because thou offerest me all those thou possessest, but also because thou drawest good out of evil itself for my salvation. Mayest thou be blessed eternally for that infinite love: which instead of punishing thy enemies for all the snares they have laid for thee, became for me a source of heavenly consolations, salutary instructions, and divine truths; for enlightening me, and drawing me to thee. Grant, O Lord! that I may comprehend them, and adore them: imprint them in my heart, that I may love thee with all its strength, O my only and sovereign good.

II. I adore thee, O peaceable King! who wouldst neither govern me by the wisdom of Solomon, nor terrify me by the threatenings of Jonas, nor dazzle me by the splendour of any worldly grandeur; but hast drawn me by a most divine wisdom, by infinite riches, by an eternal kingdom, and by the charms of thy love. Thou art more than Solomon, because no earthly affection can make thee change, and the interior peace thou givest, is full of a most heavenly consolation. Thou art more than Solomon, because thy treasures are inexhaustible, and thy glory immortal. Thou art truly more than Jonas; the vanquisher of death; since it was only by thee that he appeased the storm, converted sinners, and received the penitents. Permit not those graces, O Lord! to be instruments of my condemnation; grant that I may love them, be faithful to them in this life, and receive the recompense of them in the other.

III. I adore thee, O most pure Lamb! spouse of chaste souls, wean my heart from earthly affections, that I may love that angelic purity, and because I cannot arrive, but by the gift of thy grace, at a happiness to which thou hast said all do not attain, do thou thyself oppose my enemies, kindle in me the fire of thy charity, draw my heavy and earthly heart by those spiritual chains, purify it from every low and mean desire, and make it worthy of thee.

IV. I adore thee, O Prince of peace! guide and Saviour of sinners! because thou hast vouchsafed to be their pastor. Infinite thanks be given to thee for having opened to publicans and sinners the entrance of thy kingdom; I am of that number, O Lord! leave me not behind, but bring me to thee, and separate me from myself. May I love thee, embrace thee, and acknowledge thee for my sovereign Lord, and only happiness.

V. I adore thee with all my heart, O Father of the world to come! but with a sincere faith, and not with the artifice and dissimulation of the Pharisees. I acknowledge thee for the master of pure truth, for the divine light which conducts us to God, and

for the faithful spouse of our souls, who, without respect of persons openest thy heart to all those that are willing to enter into it. Teach me to give to the world, to Cæsar, and to my neighbour, what thy law prescribes: and to thee, O my happiness! this soul upon which thou hast engraven thy image; as it was made only for thee, it ought to be wholly thine. Deliver me from the unjust tributes which I would willingly have paid to thy enemies; that I may no longer depend on any but thee, O my God! who art my lawful Lord.

VI. I adore thee, O true spouse of my soul! do not suffer it ever to abandon itself to other loves. Thou art my whole happiness and glory; I ought to love nothing but thee. And I desire only thee. Give me that wedding robe, wherewith thou requirest those to be clothed that come to the nuptials of the Lamb. Hide not thy face from me. Let my ears continually hear thy call; that I may never hear the serpent's voice, that seeks to corrupt my fidelity.

VII. I adore thee! O divine wisdom! who hast taught me that good and evil come from the heart. Thy most pure eyes are never deceived by appearances, they penetrate the bottom and truth of all things. Create a clean heart in me, O God! and renew a right spirit within my bowels.-Ps. 1. 12.-This is as easy to thee as it is difficult to me; thy goodness is greater than my obduracy, and thy light stronger than my blindness. Shine, O divine sun! in the dark cell of my heart, and make that fountain of living water spring up therein, which ascends unto thee.

VIII. I adore thee, O merciful Father! always ready to receive thy fugitive and prodigal children. I am not worthy to look up to heaven, nor to be received into the number of thy children: allow me to be the lowest of thy domestics, and I shall be content.

IX. I adore thee, O shepherd of strayed sheep! which thou seekest in their flight with so much trouble. I am gone further astray than others, give joy to heaven, by bringing me back again, and saving me. O faithful companion of sinners! enter into this poor cottage, that salvation and peace may enter into it with thee; show it thy mercy, since thou lovest mercy better than sacrifice.

X. I adore thee, O certain refuge of the miserable! As thou softenedst, by the sweetness of thy words, those that came to apprehend thee, and madest them confess, that never man spoke like thee (John vii. 46), so change the bad dispositions of my heart, that I may know thy truth; and since thou didst not condemn the adulterous woman when she was brought before thee: receive me also, O Lord! for I know that with thee there is nothing to be found but pardon, comfort, salvation, grace, and love.

XI. Let thy enemies lay for me what snares they please; let

them employ whatever the blackest malice can invent for hurting me; I am sure it will be my own fault if thou dost not turn it to the profit of my soul. What have I then to fear, O my God and my strength! even when I am assaulted with temptations, when I feel the resistance of corrupt nature, and when I abhor the renouncing all things, for following thee with more freedom? Shall I find any one that can and will convert all things for me into good, as thou dost, O divine Jesus! No evil was done thee but what became for me a source of blessings; thou sweetenest what was most bitter therein; made water issue out of the rocks; calmed the most enraged sea; and drew life from the very bosom of death. I cannot, therefore, fear anything but from myself. Dilate this heart, O eternal charity! that I may cast myself, with confidence, love, and resignation, into that ocean of mercy, which opens its bosom for me; that I may abide in the paternal arms of that loving providence which governs me: and that I may repose therein, possess thee therein, and be for ever possessed of thee therein.

O most pure Mother, dispensatrix of heavenly treasures; you whose consolation and life was the Lord, and who ascended by him to that degree of perfection and glory, which you now possess; draw me to you, fortify me in his love, since he is my hope and happiness. Blessed spirits! satiated with the delights of God's house, procure me some drops of those celestial waters, to sprinkle the dry and barren ground of my heart; that having once tasted of those rivers of pleasures, I may continually sigh after the fountain, till I possess it at last with you, for all eternity. Amen.

TWENTY-FOURTH SUFFERING OF CHRIST.-The ingratitude of the Jews.

I. There is so great a connexion between sins, that every vice seems to be the origin of all others. Hence it is, that the saints say sometimes, that pride is the root of all evil, sometimes that it is disobedience; there are some that affirm it is the irregular love of ourselves; others that it is envy; and some that it is ingratitude. St. Bernard calls this last vice, "the enemy of the soul, the destruction of merits, the dissipation of virtues, and the loss of all graces: a burning wind which dries up the fountain of piety, the dew of mercy, and the channel of divine communications.' Thus it is he attributes all evils to ingratitude. But though the Jews had many others, one of which alone was capable of ruining them, it is certain that ingratitude was one of the most dangerous; since it was fortified by all others, and since it rendered them at the same time more odious and incurable. However it be, we may affirm, that it gave our Lord, for many years, such pains as required an invincible patience.

II. It is easy to comprehend at first view, how troublesome it is to meet with nothing but bad treatment, from those we have heaped benefits upon. The priests and chiefs of the people, were not only the most ungrateful, but lest it should be thought that they were obliged to him, they defamed him everywhere, and their hatred increased in proportion to his favours. Others that followed him in view of some temporal advantage, withdrew when he spoke not to them according to their desires; as those did whom he had miraculously fed with five loaves and two fishes. For having designed to make him king, in hopes of living pleasantly under his reign, they abandoned him, whenever they heard him speak of that heavenly bread, which he was to give to the world. Some, after having been healed, not only did not thank him for it, as the nine lepers; but many even of those who had followed him, became his persecutors.

In fine, these miserable people, whom he had prevented with his favours, after having received him with great rejoicings and acclamations, and having acknowledged him as sent from God; after having wished to touch only the hem of his garment for their cure, and having met together in a crowd about him, from all parts adjacent, they joined his enemies, preferred to him a murderer, required that he should be crucified, and led him themselves to the place of execution.

But what can never be sufficiently admired is, that our Saviour knowing their intentions, and foreseeing their ingratitude, ceased not to instruct them in his divine truths, and to bestow on them a thousand blessings, so far as to give Judas himself, that betrayed him, the marks of his tenderness, and to restore to Malchus, that was come to seize him, the ear which St. Peter had cut off.

III. Human laws declare that ingratitude is a lawful cause to parents for disinheriting their children, and to masters for refusing a reward to their servants. It destroys ancient friendship in such a manner, that those who are afterwards reconciled to one another, give no other reason for it, but that it is the nature of virtue to forget evil, and to do good even to those who are most unworthy thereof. For nothing can excuse ingratitude, the more one endeavours to justify it, the more insupportable it becomes; and the best excuse is to acknowledge that we have none. But whatever may be done, human friendships are almost continually weakened thereby; and there is nothing but the divine love wherewith Christ was filled, that can increase by ingratitude: for far from being extinguished thereby, or changed into hatred, as it commonly happens amongst men, it became the more ardent in him. The ingratitude of the Jews, instead of shutting up the heart of Jesus, made the treasure of his wisdom and mercy flow with greater abundance; and those who afterwards acknowledged their fault,