thy benefits for satisfying my passions? How many times have I thrown away thy graces for earthly pleasures? How many times have I preferred the favour of men to thy divine entertainments ? How many times have I sold thee for things of no value, without hearkening to thy inspirations, having regard to thy law, or being touched with thy bounties? Pardon me, O infinite mercy! my past infidelities, and the little confusion I have for them at present; and never permit me to fall therein again. Hast thou not too many like Judas, O my God! without my being also the companion of his perfidy?

IV. I cast myself at thy feet, O my Saviour and master! I acknowledge before thee, how unfaithful I have been to thee. Satisfy thyself, O Father, justly provoked! punish this perfidious wretch as thou pleasest; but permit me not to lose thy love, as Judas did, since I return to thee. Remember, O Lord! what thou didst for softening the hardened heart of thy apostle; how thou labouredst, though all in vain, for bringing him back again: and how greatly thou wast concerned at his loss. Have the same love for me as thou expressedst for him, since thou hast the same for all sinners; and make my heart sensible of it this very moment, in which I confess my infidelities before thee, and submit to all the satisfations thou shalt require of me.

I can no longer bear the state I am in. I have been too long unfaithful to thee. Change me, O Lord! make of me what thou pleasest, provided thou receivest me into thy friendship. If I have been one of those that betrayed thee, let me be now of the number of those that love thee sincerely. The triumph of thy love is to render sinners saints, and traitors faithful. Convert me, therefore, O divine love! and grant I may be faithful to thee until death.

V. But why, O king of glory! didst thou permit Judas to sell thee as a slave? Why didst thou give him power to treat thee with such indignity? O goodness! O love! Thus it is thou dealest, O sweet Jesus! thou givest thyself without reserve; and when thou hast once given thyself to a soul, it treats thee as it pleases. Unhappy is the man who thus abuses thy love! happy is he, on the contrary, who embraces thee, possesses thee, and regards thee as his treasure.

If thou knewest, O faithless disciple! the worth of him whom thou sellest, and the immense riches which he possesses, thou wouldst have sold thyself to have bought him; but if thou art resolved to sell, sell him to me, I will buy him at the price of everything I have, and of everything I am. The Jews shall not take him from me, I will hide him in my soul, there to serve and adore him. How is it, O my Saviour! that I hasten not with all my might to purchase thee, seeing thou art exposed to sale?

Thou wilt not have me to possess anything that is more my own

than thyself, who art my only good. Thou art my father, brother, friend, treasure, and nourishment: and if I may presume to say it, my slave: for in fine, thou madest thyself a slave, for procuring my liberty; and thou wast pleased to be mine, by all the titles which give a man right to anything. How rich am I in possessing thee, O my God! Thou alone art instead of all things to me. I receive thee, therefore, O divine Jesus! as my happiness, embrace thee, as my treasure, and desire that for the future, thou mayest be all my beatitude, renouncing for the love of thee everything that is not in thee.

What does he desire for whom thou art not sufficient, O thou ife of my soul! is it possible for him to find anything that can satisfy him? The soul that delights not in thee, and that seeks out of thee wherewith to satisfy itself, is either very sick, or already dead. With thee I am rich, without thee I am poor; with thee I am replenished with everything that is good, without thee I am in want of everything. Come into my heart, O divine Jesus! that I may love thee, possess thee, and never forsake thee more. Reign thou in me, and may I live in thee, O my happiness, my love, my joy, and my beatitude.

Thou

VI. Thou knowest, O faithful friend of my soul! how the too great attachment we have for our friends, weakens our love of thee, stops thy communications and most sacred inspirations! and because thou art desirous of being the only friend of our souls, thou permittest them when they return to thee, to experience immediately the inconstancy and infidelity of human friendships. knowest how sensible this pain is, and art not ignorant of the pleasure we enjoy in the confidence of a faithful friend. Thou commandest me therefore to be faithful in regard of all, but to be fixed to none but thee; and to place in thee alone my hope, my comfort, and all the pleasure of my life. I desire it, O my God! with all my heart; but since thou hast suffered for my love the treachery of a perfidious friend, give me strength to bear patiently whatever befals me of the like; and grant that I may never allow myself to be either too much delighted with the affection of men, or dejected by their infidelity.

VII. If it be thy will that they should hate and persecute me. let thy will be done: grant only that I may also have the same will. Possess my heart, show me thy countenance, and fill me with thy love. Teach me not to complain, nor take revenge; but to do good for evil, to treat even those as friends, who are unfaithful to me; in a word, to be like thee, and to wish for nothing more. How dare I complain of my friends? How can I desire, O my God! that every one should love me, and that none should fail in the strictest duties of friendship towards me, when I behold thee receiving him at thy table, who betrayed thee, and calling him thy friend, even when he delivers thee up to thy enemies?

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TWENTY-EIGHTH SUFFERING OF C

O thou faithful friend of my soul! there is that is solid, constant and true; and I give without regret for meriting it. Pluck from my hatred that hinders me from conversing with interior eyes, O divine light! and show me th soul that is forgotten, despised and persecuted all earthly affections, can find thee alone, lo liberty, be intimately united to thee, and call t confidence, my Father, my God, and my o moment! happy hour! wilt thou never come spend my whole life in this love, in this uni embraces ?

O Queen of angels, faithful handmaid, sin Saviour, mother and refuge of sinners! obtain well-beloved Son, and destroy in me all othe spirits! who live by the love of God, and love impart to me a share of those precious chains, w ever bound to him. AMEN.

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUFFERING OF CHRIST.-His Garden of Olives.

I. The first effect of Judas's treachery, was th Saviour in the Garden of Olives. That traitor ha shame, appeared at the head of the soldiers, as undertaking. We must not wonder that an apos saken God, was fallen in a short time into such gr experience teaches us, that there are no men m those, who after having been enlightened, have purity of the faith, and the perfection of an evang they have once despised the house of God, and Lord's yoke, they no longer observe any measures at the fountain of living waters, they go to drink able greediness in the poisoned rivers of the flesh and we might rather be much more surprised at do not commit, than at those they do.

Thus it was that Judas, after having shut his ey light, and his ears against the words of eternal li extinguished the love of God in his heart, delivere the devil, and became in a few hours, from an ap the leader of those who sought to put him to de advised them to lead him away with great precaution escape from them.

II. As he knew our Saviour was accustomed t evenings into the garden of Gethsemani, and there the night in prayer, he judged that the time and pla

for the execution of his design. He therefore went secretly out of the town with some Pharisees, and a great number of armed soldiers; and because he foresaw that all precautions, and force itself would be unavailable, if Christ did not vouchsafe to allow himself to be taken, he put them in mind that he should be discharged from his promise, provided he delivered him into their hands, whatever should happen afterwards.

But there was also another inconvenience to be feared: it was, that many among them knew not Christ, and that even those who knew him might be mistaken in the dark; so he walked before them, telling them that the man whom he would kiss, was he whom they were to seize. Behold what were Judas's thoughts and views whilst that meek Lamb, with his eyes bathed in tears, quite covered with a bloody sweat, and burning with love even for him who betrayed him, was treating with his eternal Father about the salvation and remedy of mankind.

III. Our Saviour, seeing that his hour was come, and that he was going to fall into the hands of sinners, was pleased to give his disciples, who were not far from thence, an illustrious example of the constancy wherewith they were one day to suffer great labours for his love, and of the submission they ought to have to the orders of God, how difficult soever they might appear to them. Thus, without waiting for Judas and the soldiers, whom that traitor brought with him, Jesus went to meet them with an undaunted countenance, and asked them whom they sought for.

Although he had resolved to let himself be taken, he judged that it was necessary first to manifest his divine power to his apostles, yet weak in faith, and by them to teach the whole world, that human malice could not prevail against him of itself: that he was faster bound by the chains of his charity, than by those of his enemies and that his Passion was the effect of his love, rather than the violence of men.

In fine to render those inexcusable that were come to apprehend him, to force them to own the weakness of their endeavours, to induce them to acknowledge the crime they committed, and to repent thereof; when they had said they sought Jesus of Nazareth, he answered them, I am he. And these words were so powerful that Judas, the Pharisees, the soldiers, and the officers of justice, were overthrown thereby, as if they had been struck down by a thunderbolt.

Christ might then have very well retired, if he had pleased, or have still wrought some other miracle; but being content with having made them feel his power, he permitted them to rise again; and after having a second time asked them whom they sought, and answered them that he was the man, he forbade them to touch any of his apostles; and that divine shepherd, even in the midst of his

own danger, did not abandon the care of his flock. So that indeed the apostles received no bad treatment; they were not so much as threatened to be seized; which ought to appear extraordinary on such an occasion. But none can hurt those whom our Lord pre

serves.

IV. Neither did Christ permit them to load him with chains so soon; he would first speak, with his ordinary meekness, to the chief of the Pharisees, and the priests, whom he saw mixed with the soldiers, in an action so unworthy of their character. He asked them why they came to take him in the night-time, as a thief, with swords and clubs, since he had been daily in the temple, where he taught publicly. They knew not what answer to make our Saviour, neither durst they lay hands upon him: when Malchus, a domestic of the high-priest, having advanced with more boldness than the rest, Peter asked Christ's permission to make use of the sword, and without waiting for an answer, struck Malchus, and cut off his right ear; but our Saviour immediately restored it to him, and forbade Peter to use violence.

The chalice which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it! How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled (Matt. xxvi. 54), and what shall become of mankind, if I redeem them not by my death? Put up again thy sword into its place, and remember, that all those that take the sword, shall perish by the sword.-52. If I were willing to employ any external power for my defence, thinkest thou that I cannot ask my Father, and he will give me presently more than twelve legions of angels?-53. Then Peter retired, and all the other disciples fled. This flight was not only an effect of their weakness; but also a disposition of the eternal council, which had decreed that Christ should suffer alone.

Then turning towards the Pharisees, he permitted them to do what they would, by saying to them: this is your hour and the power of darkness.-Luke xxii. 53. And immediately Judas coming up to Jesus, said: hail Rabbi: and kissed him.-Matt. xxvi. 49. Thus it was that friends were accustomed to salute one another in Palestine; and our Saviour having received this traitor into the number of his disciples, rejected him not; but said to him with his ordinary goodness: friend, whereunto art thou come?-Matt. xxvi. 50. Dost thou betray the Son of man with a kiss, and makest use of this testimony of friendship for delivering him up to his enemies?-Luke xxii. 48.

It is difficult to say here which of the two is most admirable, whether the obduracy of the human heart, when it has once forsaken God, and become obstinate in sin; or the mildness and tenderness of our Lord, even towards those to whom he forsees it will be unprofitable. But it is also a great subject of fear and humiliation to us; since as we are all descended from the same mass of corruption, so we are capable of the same infidelity.