THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY From the collection of James Oolllns, Drumoondra, Ireland. Purchased, 1918. last breath a prayer. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I offer yon my heart and soul. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, assist me in my last agony. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you. “Eternal rest grant to her 0 Lord, And let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.” — 300 days* Indulgence, Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. University of Illinois Library Ae.^^ 4 ^^ /Sf^jiAtA /A^^ ^ ^(3^^, >f -A^: - f f ?■ ft- - • -f... .' ' ■ v;, ^ iSV: ;- Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funcling from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates https://archive.org/details/ardentloverofjesOOunse THE ARDENT LOVER OF JESUS ; OR THE SOUL ELEVATED TO JESUS IN THE atforable i'acrament : WITH A DEVOUT METHOD OF HEARING MASS CONFORMABLY TO THE MYSTERIES OF HIS SACRED PASSION. 6ECOXD EDITION, REVISED BY THE AOTHOR. LONDON : PRINTED BY KEATING AND BROWN^ 38 , Duke-slreet, Grosvenor-square. 1820; Of MRS. HARRIET MADDEN, Belict of the late Dr E. E. Madden, anthor of many works and formerly Colonial Secretary of Western Australia. The twenty-first and last surviving child of the late JohnElmslie Esq., of Berners St. London, and Surge Island, Jamaica. Bom in London, August 1801; married at Cheltenham 1828; Converted to the Catholic Faith in Cuba in 1837 ; died at Booterstown, Dublin, the 7th of Fehruarj’, - 1888. On whose soul Sweet Jesus have mercy 1 Amen. A woman of rare intellectual culture and mental en- dowments that endured unimpaired to the end of life ; a devoted and good wife; a most unselfish and untiring- ly loving mother ; of unmurmuring resignation to the Holy Will of God in all the bereavements and trials with which it pleased Him to visit her ; most charitable and generous to all but herself ; scrupulously unfail- ing in the performance of every duty of life, she died as she had lived, her mind unclouded, her last action an effort to make the sign of Eedemption, and her last breath a prayer. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I offer you my heart and soul. Jesus, Mary, Joseph, assist me in my last agony, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you. “ Eternal rest grant to her O Lord, And let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.”— 300 daj/s’ Indulgence, BZ ‘K, V| aL4-,0lb Ar^X APPROBATION, Having perused ti Manuscript, called . The Ardent L&ver of Jesus, or the Soul ^Elevated to Jesus in the Adorable Sacra- ^ment, with a Devout Method of Hearing Mass, conformably to the Mysteries of his Sacred Passion, I have not found any thing contrary to the Doctrine of the Ca- tholic Church, or the sentiments of the Holy Fathers and other pious writers. On the contrary, I have recognized therein an abundant and apposite application of pas- sages from Holy Scripture, and the in- flamed affections of a St. Teresa and a Thomas of Jesus.* Should there be suf- flcient encouragement from the Catholic Public for committing this work to the press, I make no doubt of its proving equally acceptable and beneficial to the Ardent Lovers of Jesus, in the Mysteries of his Holy Passion and his Adorable Sa- crament. ^ JOHN MILNER, Bp.ofCastab. V. A. Wolverhampton, Jan. 29, 1818. ♦ The Yenerable author of the work entitled, The Sufferings of Jesus.** 435783 Page A Method of hearing Mass conforma-- blij to the Mysteries of his Passion 7 defections and Prayers which may serve as Entertainment in Presence of the Blessed Sacrament 43 Devout Prayers in Honour of the Seven Dolours of the Blessed Virgin 125 V To THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, and her glorious Spouse St. Joseph. O Amiable Mother of God ! animated with the most lively conlidence in thy maternal tenderness, and ])enetrated with gratitude for the many favours I have already received through thy powerful intercession, I come to offer thee a book which is solely intended to extend the em- pire of Him whom thou so ardently lovest. O Queen of the seraphim ! sacred Victim of love’s purest flame ! thou knowest what it is to love, for thy mortal life Was an uninterrupted exercise of all that is most sublime in the heavenly virtue of divine charity, — thy death was an effect of its sweet violence, — and thy pure soul, for eternity, will never cease to glow with such trans- ports as are reserved to thyself alone. ~ Ah ! can it be possible that thy heart, so loving and so beloved, could be insensible to the misery and blindness of those who live strangers to the divine consolations that spring from the exercise of perfect charity ? No; though thou hast no ex- perimental knowledge of their misfortunes, yet thy compassion for their misery is pro- portioned to thy zeal for the glory of thy di\ine Son.— Thou art happily aware of the infinite treasures of mercy and grace hidden in the cross and passion of a Man God : — thou knowest more clearly than the most enlightened spirits, how worthy of unbounded love is the su])reraely adorable mystery, wherein the memory of that pas- sion is renewed ; and which, alas ! though sovereignly amiable, is too generally aban- doned. — O thou, whose influence is bound- less over the heart of thy Son, remedy, I beseech thee, so great an evil ; take under thy special protection this little book, and by the powerful assistance of that interior grace which thou canst without difficulty procure from the Source of all grace, pro- mote thyself the end for which it is written, since that end is also the object dearest to thy own fervent heart. And thou, O glorious St. Joseph! whose hidden and perfect life on earth, so faith- fully imitated that of thy Creator in the Sacrament of his love, obtain that the altar and the cross may become the continual object of adoration and love to all those who read this book, and that they may be so sincerely devoted to the sacred passion and mystical death of their Saviour, as to obtain an abundant share in the blessings purchased by both. 7 A METHOD OF HEARING MASS, CONIORMABLY TO THE MYSTERIES OF THE PASSION. THE following prayers have been expressly arranged to facilitate tlic most perfect method of assisting at the adorable Sacritice of the Altar. As they comprise the detail of our divine Redeemer’s suf- ferings, they have necessarily exceeded the usual length of praN^ers for mass. It may not therefore be useless to remind those, who adopt the form here prescribed, that it is not at all requisite to run through the entire. A single stage of the passion may often suffice to occupy the mind, and enkindle the various affections of faith, divine love, compas- sion and confidence; — whenever this is the case, and the pious reader happily inclined rather to mental than vocal prayer, devotion should not be restrained, but full scope given to the feelings of the iieart, always preterable to verbal forms. , A Prayer before Mass. O Divine Jesus ! only Begotten of the Father^ f ull of grace and truth ! (St. J ohii i. 14.) sacred Host and Victim of our sins ! Lamb Avithoiit spot, ^vhose precious B 2 8 blood has abundantly flowed for the re- demption of mankind ! O infinitely mer- ciful Redeemer, to what excessive lengths hast thou carried the incomprehensible love of thy adorable heart, in favour of wretched sinners ! Not content, O Love of my soul \ with offering thyself on the cross a bloody sacrifice for our transgressions, thou daily immolatest thyself, the unbloody Tictim of thy own love, on our altars. In this adorable sacrifice, (the invention of thy ineffable charity,) thou renewest in a real, tho’ mystical manner, the life-giving sacrifice once offered on Mount Calvary, and appliest to our souls the superabun- dant graces then purchased for us. O give me, my Lord and sovereign Good ! give me, through the merits of the sufferings I am about to commemorate, those senti- ments of faith, hope, lively and ardent love, gratitude and contrition, which should fill my soul in contemplating thy torments — and teach me, O Master of eternal truth ! to render to thy Father, by thee, and with thee, the homage I owe to his adorable Majesty— teach me to satisfy for my innumerable offences — to acknow- ledge the inestimable blessings I daily receive — and to draw on myself and all mankind, the graces and benefits most liecessary for salvation. 9 AT THE CONFITEOR. The Agony of Jesus in the Garden^ o Lamb of God ! the never*ending delight of the blessed ! I throw myself at thy divine feet, and overwhelmed as thou art with anguish and sorrow, I acknowledge and adore thee as the joy of heaven ; the support of the weak ; the divine strength and sweet hope of all who suffer for, or with thee, O heart of my Redeemer, penetrated with fear, sorrow, and mortal anguish ! why dost thou refuse to thyself one ray of those divine consolations, of which thou art to all others an exhaustless source ? Ah ! it is for my love,— it is to teach me the enormity of my offences, — it is to shew me the insufficiency of my contrition, and to supply for all that is wanting therein. O my adorable Love! prostrate then on that earth, which is now profusely moistened with thy life-giving blood, permit me to join niy regrets to the deadly anguish which fills thy soul. O how can I exist when I reflect that I am the cause of thy torments ? why do 1 not expire with grief at the view of thy mortal agony ? But, my most merciful, most afflicted Jesus ! I see, that thou wiliest not B 3 10 the death of a sinner; (Ezech, xviii. 32.) that thou art about to purchase my life by the sacrifice of thy own ; that thou desirest nothing* more ardently than to see me profit of thy sulFerings, live by thy death, be re- joiced by thy sadness, strengthened by thy weakness, exalted by thy humiliation, and enlivened by thy depression. O let me then begin at this moment to correspond with thy mercy, with thy love, for it was the foresight of my ungrateful abuse thereof which wounded thy tender heart, O wash my soul in that adorable blood which streams with such abundance ; ah ! it is dearer to me now than in any other stage of thy bitter passion, for it now flows solely from an effort of the purest, the most ardent love ; whereas on other occasions inhuman cruelty and malice will be thy executioners. O Love ! invisible agent in the cruel catas- trophe of ray Redeemer’s passion ! let me learn from thee to detest with unbounded horror those enormities, which he now bitterly deplores ; teach me, after sinning against my Saviour, to rejoice in suffering with him, and never to desire or seek for consolation, but in that divine heart which for my sake was sorrowful even unto death, (St. Mark xiv. 34.) Adorable Treasure of my soul ! 1 ask but the grace to love thee 11 ardently and perseveringly ; to be in all things submissively^ joyfully resigned to thy divine will ; and to be in future pre- served from the misfortune of offending thee, by the least wilful infidelity. O my God ! let me never more feel the bitter anguish which springs from sin ; let that chalice pass from me^ (St. Matt. xxvi. 39.) I most earnestly conjure thee, but in all things else 1 say from the bottom of my soul, not mu will hut thine be done, (St, Imke xxii. 42.) AT THE KYRIE ELEISON. The Seizure of our divine Lord in the Garden of Olives, Thou preparest now, O adorable Jesus ? to drink that chalice destined for thee by the decrees of thy eternal Father. Be- trayed by him whom thou hadst cherished, whom thou hadst chosen to be the com- panion of thy labours, the partaker of thy treasures, the witness of thy miracles, thou art about to be led like an innocent lamb to the slaughter, (Isa, liii. 7.) to be deliver- ed into the hands of sinners. Ah ! whereto are they come with swords and clubs ? (St, Matt. xxvi. 50, 47.) Senseless as they are they seek to confine that immensity which. 12 fills the universe, to restrain that omnipo- tence which no power can resist, to bind those divine hands which support the hea- vens, to destroy him who had healed their sick, enlightened their blind, and raised their dead. They see not in thee the Be-- deemer of Israel^ (Isa. xlix. 7.) the Desire of the everlasting hills ^ (Gen. xlix. 26.) the mighty One of Jacob, (Isa. xlix. 26.) O beloved of my soul ! thou art now bound, but not by exterior force. The willing captive of thy own infinite love, thou art in chains only that thy children may be released from bondage, that they may be delivered from the galling yoke of iniquity, and freed from the never-ending pains of hell. But, my divine Lord ! they need not come to seek thee; pressed by thy exceed- ing charity,, (Eph. ii. 4.) thou anticipates! their approach, thou goest forward to sur- render thyself a willing victim for my trans- gressions. Thou consentest to be bound, that thou mayest burst every tie which attaches us to sin ; and in embracing even the traitor Judas, thou receivest to thy arms, in his person, all sinners who have unhappily strayed from, and betrayed thee. O God! who ai t rich in mercy ^ (ibid.) have tnercy on me, the most wretched of all, have ^ercij on me according to that great mercy y 13 (Ps. 1. 3.) which causes thee to embrace my miseries, to wear my chains, and become the reproach of meuy and the outcast of the people, (Ps, xxi. 7.) O if thou hast broken my bonds, by thy efficacious capth ity, why am 1 still enslaved ? why, my adorable Liberator ! why do I value any thing but thee ? why do I acknowledge any master but thjself ! O sacred bonds ! sufficiently powerful to captivate a God ! I earnestly desire no other liberty than that which is found in thee. O Beloved of my soul! I deserve not the happiness, the honour of being thy slave, or of suffering for thy love ; yet, I conjure thee, by the bowels of thy mercy^ (St. Luke i. 78.) to bind me so in- dissolubly to thee, in the chains of the most ardent love, that neither tribulation^ nor distress, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor danger, nor persecution, nor the sword may separate me from thy charity, (Rom, viii. 36.) or interrupt for a moment my union with thee, my strength 1 my life ! my Redeemer and only Good ! AT THE EPISTLE. The Stffferings of our divine Lord during the Night of his Passion. O eternal J ustice 1 how is it possible that (:hou condescendest to appear as a criminal 14 before those whom thou kiiowest are about to fill up the measure of their iniquities by declaring thee worthy of death ? Art thou not He who has received all power in hea- ven and on earth ? He, by whom the princes of this world are already judged ? He, who will come in great power and majesty to render to all men according to their works ? Yes, my God, thou art ; and yet meek, si- lent, resigned, and submissive thou stand- est before those iniquitous judges whose eternal destiny is in thy hands — thou re- raainest dumb in their presence, as a lamb before his shearer, (Isa. liii. 7.) O silence of Jesus! visible triumph of innocence! admirable effort of divine patience ! ador- sible miracle of boundless love 1 when shall I imitate thee ? when shall I embrace with delight contempt and abjection ? when shall I rejoice at being accounted worthy to suffer reproach for thy adorable namCj (Acts vi. 41.) instead of seeking excuses for sin in that fund of pride where they usually originate ? O adorable Model of sublime perfection, destroy in me this vain, groundless apprehension of human cen- sure, and let me not be so blind, so mise- rable as to esteem that which thou hast despised. But, my God ! my Mercy ! my sovereign Lord ! permit me to prostrate at 15 thy feet, and to deplore with the bitterest anguish, the cruel insults thou now receiv- est — Ah ! who is the wretch that dares to strike that divine face which is the light of the heavenly Jerusalem, the joy of the blessed, the seat of every adorable charm? Who is he that veils that lovely counte- nance after Avhich the angels sigh ? Alas ! for my sake, thou art afflicted and humbled exceedingly^ thou art become miserable^ and boned down even to the end, (Ps. xxxvii. 9, 7.) O eternal love of my soul ! hide me in the secret of that divine face, which for my redemption thou didst not turn away from those who rebuked thee, and spit up- on thee; (Isa, 1. 6.) shew me that sacred face which has now neither beauty^ nor comeliness — that face which is, as it were hidden and despised^ ivhereupon they teemediXxce^ not, (Ibid. liii. 2, 3.) ; shew it to me, and I shall be saved, for, my adorable treasure ! I know thee, I love thee; — disfi- gured as thou art, I acknowledge thee, as 7ny Lord and my God, Though insultingly veiled, as well by thy love, as by the cru- elty of thy persecutors, yet thou beholdest me, and all things are naked and open to thy divine eyes. (Heb. iv. 13.) Thou art like a jealous spouse who standeth behind 16 the wally looking through the lattlce^^ (Cant. ii. 9.) and seest without being seen^ 0 my dear and Sovereign Love ! through thy profound humiliation, I conjure thee^ open my eyes to my own nothingness and misery, and deign to cover them so closely with the bandage of love, that they may be for ever shut to every object but thee — that 1 may be justified by thy calumniation, and healed by thy wounds: — that I may see thee, know thee, love thee in all creatures, and deplore, with thy penitent Apostle, for the rest of my life, the misfortune of having denied and offended thee. AT THE GOSPEL. Jesus mocked and derided at the Court of Herod. I now sec, O divine Lord ! how vain, contemptible, and worthless is the esteem of men, since, even by the rulers of Israel, by iho^e professing themselves wise^ (Rom. i. 22.) thou art despised and insulted. O increated Word ! I feel that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with (1 Cor.m. 19.) that there is no true greatness but in being contemned and humbled for thy sake. 17 Ah ! how deepj how universa], how inv€*- teratOj must have been the wounds inhict-- ed on our souls by pride, since to heal them it was necessary thou shouldst be treated as an imaginary king, thy hea- venly doctrine regarded as folly, and thy adorable person cloathed in a robe of igno- miny and derision. O iiow clearly do I now see the great opposition between my pride and thy humility, my impatience and thy meekness, my indocility and thy obedience. O eternal Truth ! despised for my sake, give me understanding and I will search thy law ^ and 1 will keep it with my whole heart . (Ps. cxviii. 34.) Thy ene- nies, animated with infernal fury, are de- termined on destroying the only hope of their salvation ; but the more thou art condemned, the more dear thou art to me; — thy words ?ive despised, but I will hide them in my hearty that I may not sin against thee, (Ibid. 11.) Shew then, my adorable Guide ! shew me thy waySy and teach me thy paths ^ direct me in thy truths for thou art Gody my Savi-- our, (Ps. xxiv. 4, 5.) — Thou art my sovereign Love, and only Good, and tho'* all men shall be scandalized in theey I will never y with the assistance of thy grace, he scandalized, (St. Matt. xxvi. 43.1 I am C 18 read if toyo tilth thee both into prison^ and to death, (8t. Luke xxli, 33.) AT THE OFFERTORY. Jesus criiellt/ Scourged. O my God ! O victim of such prodigi- ous love as is beyond expression! Avhy ‘dost thou deliver thyself up to the power of the wicked ? why dost thou submit to a torment which is far above thy natural strength, and which thy omnipotence alone could enable thee to survive. O innocent Lamb ! will not the cruel sacrifice which is to terminate thy sacred life, satisfy that love which consumes thy adorable heart, and which is truly stronger than death, and more jealous than hell. [Cant,y\\\. 6.) But 1 see that thou art ready for scourges ^ and that my sins, the true cause of thy is continually before thee^ {Ps, xxxvii. 18.) — thou alone knowest the enormity of our offences, and thou hast offered thyself to ex])iate them, therefore the Lord hath laid on thee the iniquity of tis all, (Isa. liii. G.) — Eternal God! Ma-^ jesty of heaven and earth ! it is /, I am he that have sinned ; I have done wickedly ; let thy handy 1 beseech theCy be turned against wCy (2 Kings xxiv. 17.) — I know 19 that for my sahe this great tempest is it port him, {Jon. i. 2.) that lor my iniquities thou hast struchhim and reputed him rvith the wichedj (Isa. liii. 8, 12.) ; O take me then, and cast me into the sea ! ( J on. i. 12.) into that ocean of blood, which streams in torrents from the mangled body of my suffering Jesus, who is now, as it were^ a.- leper ^ and as one struck by God and af- flicted. (Isa. liii. 4.) O let me be healed by his bruises ; let his sacred blood sprin- kle me, and I shall be cleansed ; let it wash me, and I shall be inadeivhiter than snow. (Ps. 1. 9.) And thou, O most adorable Jesus ! the true friend and Saviour of my soul, on whom is now the chastisement of peace! (Isa. liii. 5.) how shall I thank thee? how shall I testify my ardent, fervent desire to partake in thy pangs, and, above all, to burn with that love which consumes thy too merciful heart ? O my Saviour ! ray Redeemer! my only Sovereign Love ! who w ill grant me my desire of dying for thee ? (2 Kings xviii. 33.) Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of teat's to my eyes, that I may weep day and night, (Jer. ix. 1.) and refuse to be comforted ? Who will pierce my heart with such wounds as may ever bleed afresh at the recollection C 2 20 of thy cruel suffering's ? O divine Love of my sou], art thou not now satisfied? Is not this the baptism with which thou wert to be baptized, and for which thy soul so passionately sighed? [St , Luke 50.) Is not this the remedy prepared from all eternity in the designs of thy love, for the miseries of thy servants ? O that all sin- ners would now approach this pillar, to which love has bound their Redeemer, and lay all their offences at his sacred feet, to be for ever drowned in the redeeming- streams which flow for their expiation ! O that they would all draw near, wash their robes, and make them white in the blood of this divine Lamb ! [Apoc. vii. 14.) Ah ! ray Lord ! teach all, 1 conjure thee, to profit of thy unspeakable mercy — that mercy which is magnified even to the hca- rens^ (Ps. Ivi. 11.) ; and as for myself, dearest Jesus ! (myself the most guilty, the most ungrateful of all sinnes), the only favour I ask is, that thou wilt imprint on my heart so lively a sense of the torments thou hast suflered in this stage of thy pas- sion, that i may unceasingly and sincerely lament and detest those sins which have caused thy pangs. ^21 AT THE LAV ABO. Jesus crowned with Thorns^ Alas ! my God, ray Saviour ! when will liuman cruelty towards thee have a term, or rather, when will thy infinite love be fully satiated ? Must thou be examined bif flew outrages and tortures^ that ne may kiunv thy meekness and try thy patience ? .) — Let us weep, not only over our suffering Lord, but over ourselves, our ingratitudes, and the offences of all man- kind, More sensible of our happiness than Simon of Gyrene, let us embrace, with de- light, the cross that has been sanctified by the blood of a God, and take the chalice of suflering and salvation, not only with resignation, but praising and blessing his sacred name. AT THE ELEVATION.. The Crucifixion of our Divine Lord. This is our Redeemer, whom infinite love once offered on the cross — whom in- finite charity now offers on the altar whose glories are now veiled by frail forms of bread, as they once were by the humiliations and miseries incident to our weak nature. O my soul ! dear bought purchase of a Saviour’s blood ! sinners, men of all descriptions, once children of wrath, but now raised to the adoption of the sons of God I lift up your eijes on hiyhj andr behold your God, (Ibid. xl. 9, 26.) ^ behold him who hath not committed sin,, but has been n ade a propitiation for our offences, — behold the adorable agonizing 30 Victim of universal cruelty and divine justice — his sacred head resting on the hard wood of the cross, tortured anew by his thorny crown ; — his immaculate body suspended between heaven and earthy transfixed with immeasurable anguish his life-giving blood gushing in torrents from every pore ;--his merciful heart pierc- ed by as many darts as we have committed sins ; — his dying groans — his patience — his mercy — his love — all, eloquently plead the cause for Avhich he dies-— the great cause of man’s redemption. O let us all approach — let us witness the tragical scene — let us dwell on, and con- template every circumstance thereof, that we rriay all see and hnow^ and consider^ and understand^ that the hand of inexorable justice and infinite love hath done this^ (Ibid. xli. 20.) --0 God of ray heart! how can I endure the thought, that for my otFences thou art sacrificed---that by my hand thou art immolated---for me thou sleepest in sorrows! {Isa.\, 11.) Ah! adorable Spouse of my soul ! Spouse of blood ! [Exod. iv. 25.) what shall I say, and what can I answer thee, since I my- self have done it ? Yet, nevertheless, O infinite Love ! why should I not hope in thee ? art thott not here, before my eyes. 31 the God, the hope of my salvation ? Yes, I firmly believe thou aft offered on this altar, as really as thou wert on that of Calvary, and that thou hast descended from thy immortal throne to apply to my soul the infinite merits of thy saving pas- sion. This is therefore the acceptable time^ (2 Cor. vi. 2.), the long-desired moment of mercy and compassion. Lis- ten to my sighs, 1 conjure thee ; let thy adorable blood stream on my guilty soul ; let thy divine voice ascend to heaven in my favour : it is not less powerful, less persuasive now, than when it once im- plored our pardon on the cross : blot out my iniquities as a cloud, and my sins as a mist — receive me into thy extended arms, for thou hast redeemed me, {Isa, xliv. 22.) AT THE SECOND CANON. Jesus prays for Ms Enemies. Thou art now present on this altar, O Master and Model of our souls ! It is no less a chair of truth than the cross, whence thou teaches! to thy children, and to all men, those sublime lessops of heavenly wisdom, self-denial, abjection, and love of the Cross, so little known, generally abhorred^ and first practised so perfectly P2 32 by thyself. Hitherto, O my crucified Love ! in the course of thy sacred pas- sion thou hast held thy peace, thou hast kept silence, thou hast been patient, {Isa. xlii. 14.) ; but, O Lord, speak now, for thy servants hear — speak, and discover to us the feeling's of thy divine heart in the midst of thy torments. Ah ! thou art not silent; thy dying* accents, thy bleeding wounds, eloquently implore raerc^^ for all men, and first for those who most cruelly tormented thee. Thou art that book within and without , (Ezeeh. ii. 9.), now exposed, and open to the universe, contain- ing the divine science which thou hast de- scended from heaven to inculcate. O who will grant nw that thy words of eternal life may be written in my heart ? who will grant me that they may he marhed with my blood in the centre of my soul ? {Job xix. 23.;) O my adorable Lord and beloved Master ! thou hast prepared thy arrows, and made them hot in the furnace of thy love, {Ps. vii. 14.) ; deign then to pene- trate my heart so deeply with that love, more piercing than any two-edged sword, that I may embrace, cherish, and delight in the cross, as my refuge, treasure, and only solid good. But, my divine Jesus ! I know that on the cross thou wert a pub- S3 lie Victim^ and that thou art no less so oa this new Calvary — that thy precious blood was shed, not solely for one, but for many, to the remission of sins ; nor is it less a universal remedy on this altar. Tiiou hast promised, when thou s^hoiildest be raised up, to draw all tilings to thee, {i&t. 32.); do I not behold thee here , elevated in this sacred Host, raised up between heaven and earth to unite both. Q if there be a heart here insensible to that tender cha- rity, which prompts fhee thus daily and hourly to renew the great sacrifice by which Ave were redeemed, attract it ^todhee by those divine charms which the ignominy of the cross, or the sacramental veils, can- not hide from tiie eye of faith. Call to thee all who labour, that thou mayest re- fresh them ; all who thirst, that tiiey may jiow drink at the fountains of the Saviour, f Isa. xii. 3.)---all Avho are are weary, that in thy sacred heart they may find r.estr-^-aU who tremble at the rigours of divine jus- tice, that they may :fiiul sheiter in the clefts of the rock, and confidently trust in that mergy, Avhich now 'flows with thy blood on the children of men : let the light of thg mercies (Eccles. xxxvi. 1.) shine on those souls who sufler in the flames of pnrgutory. i) God of all ! have mercy on ^\[---Jift D 3 34 thy hand over' the strange nations^ that they may see thy power ; that they may / r^now thee^ as we also have hnown^ that th^reAs no God beside thee^ O Lord, (Ibid, i. 3, s'.) Have mercy on the Church, O good Pastor ! on the city thou hast sanc- tified, the city of thy t*est ; — and as for all unhappy sinners, who steel their hearts to the influence of thy grace, or who having been once saved by thee, have fallen off from their first fervour ; who forgetful of thy sufferings, and thy love, offend thee anew ; for all these, O my God, permit me to plead in thy own divine words. Father^ forgive them^ for they know not what they do. (St. Luke xxiii. 34.) But do thou enlighten them, O Saviour of men ! touch their hearts as effectually as thou didst that of the good thief, and grant them, through the superabundant merits of thy bitter passion, a place with thee one day in paradise, AT THE PATER NOSTER. Jesus saith to his Mother^ Woman^ behold thy Sony and to St. JohUy Behold thy Mother. O my beloved, crucified Lord ! thy strength is now nearly exhausted — thy sacred humanity, hitherto supported by omnipotence, will soon sink under accu- mulated sorrows. A little while, and we shall see thee no more — a little while, and thou shalt cease to suffer for, or from un- grateful men. But, O my God ! most merciful and compassionate Creator! thoii will not leave us orphans. During thy sacred life thou hast dignified us by the appellation of thy brethren, and hast given us a right to address, as our father, HixM, whose Word and Wisdom thou art. About to depart from this valley of tears, thou hast committed us to the care of Her, who is thy own beloved mother, the most per- fect of thy creatures, a miracle of thy grace, and the constant companion and partner of thy sufferings. O discover to all men, adorable Jesus ! the immense value of the blessing thou hast bestowed, in giving us such a mother, such a mediatrix, such au assured refuge in life and death ! And thou, O most sacred Virgin ! Queen of martyrs ! Model of the saints ! and Ad- miration of the angels 1 to whom shall I now liken thee^ or to what can I compare thee ? Thy anguish is great as the sea, (Lam. ii, 13.) — thy sorrow is above all sorronj^ (Jer. viii. 18.) — thy sacred heart, pierced with as many swords, as the body 36 thy Son is covered with wounds, is fas- tened to the cross by the nails of the most ardent love, heroic patience, and unexam- pled fortitude. O 3Iother of God ! thou •art likewise my mother— my soul was com- mitted to thy care by thy expiring Son ; look on me then with those eyes, which, drowned in tears of the bitterest anguish, witnessed every insult, and contemplated every wound received for my sake, by thy dearly beloved Son. — Receive me into those arms which embraced his mangled body, when taken from the cross ; — let me experience so powerfully the effect of thy intercession, that I may draw such abun- dant fruit from the adorable sacrifice at which I assist, that, in happiness or misery -—in consolation or trial, I may do what’- soever he shall say to me, (St. John ii. 5.) and implicitly follow the dictates of his holy Jaw. AT THE COMMUNION. Jesus living on the Cross. At length, adorable Victim ! after hours of silent anguish and sorrow 1 hear thee complain, — not of the torments thou en- durest, nor of the unrelenting cruelty of thy enemies,— but of the burning thirst which consumes thee. Lord ! 1 well know that it is not so much natural thirst which torments thee, as thy desire, thy impetu- ous, ardent thirst for my salvation. Alas ! there was ouce a time in which I ungrate- fully refused to grant thee the little 1 could give. O my God ! I seek not to conceal from thee my wretchedness and misery; — thou knowest my foolishness^ and my of- fences are not hid from thee. (Ps. Ixviii. 6.) — Ill thy extreme thirst for my salvation, I gave thee, with the Jews, vinegar to drink ; I olfered thee nothing better than tepidity, indidereiice, and sloth. O that I could blot out those years with thy blood ! O that I could efface their remembrance with my tears ! If thou desirest my salva- tion, O Life of my soul ! come thyself and effect it ; — come, take possession of a soul which never deserved thy love, but which, notwithstanding, thou art dying to pur- chase. O come, Lord ! my sovereign and only Happiness ! descend from that cross, and enter my heart, though harder than the wood which sustains thee come, that thy tears may soften, that thy love inttaine, and that thy blood may so pene- trate my soul, that it may hencefarth pro- duce worthy fruits of contrltiou and re- fientance. Come; for though hidden from 39 those who surround thee, I most firmly believe the^ to be Christ the Son of the living* God. I hope in thee, without diffi- dence or reserve, and, O my God ! should not my heart be insensible and hardened indeed, were not its aifections solely, en- tirely thine. Yes, Lord! thou knowest that 1 love thee^ (St. John xxi. 15.) ; but come thyself, for among all the gifts of heaven, and all the blessings of the earth, 1 desire but thee, and thee alone. 4T THE POST-COMMUNION AND LAST GOSPEL. The interior bufferings and Teath of Jesus. When, O adorable Lord ! when wilt thou pronounce thy sacrifice consum- mated ? When wilt thou consider as perfectly accomplished the great work for which thou art clothed with our miseries, and expiring on a cross ? O Love never satiated ! when wilt thou cease to torment this divine Lamb, by removing the princi- pal cause of his anguish, and subjecting to his amiable empire those cherished mortals for whom he dies ? O Lord, they have dug thy hands and feet ^ they have numbered all WxyhoneSy (Ps. xxi. 17, 18.) . from the sole of the foot unto the top of the head^ there is 39 no soundness hi iliu adorable body, (Isa. i. 0.) ; thy wounds and bruises are multiplied above the hairs of thy heady (Ibid — Ps. Ixviii. 0 .) and thy anguish is far beyond all human conception. Why then, my so-^ vereign Happiness ! my beloved, crucified Saviour ! why wilt thou not depart from an ungrateful world, which thou hast al- ready superabundantly redeemed ? Ah ! my God, thou wilt perfect thy work — thou wilt yet remain to teach thy followers how they are to support that interior anguish which is the most acute of all torments — how they are to bear the privation of all sensible consolation, and in the midst of affliction to hope against hope, (Rom, iv. 18.) and to lean upon God (Isa* 1. 10.) even when he appears to forsake them. O ador- able Victim ! which of those saints, puri- fied in the crucible of interior desolation, or plunged in the waters of tribulation and anguish, could ever boast of having suf- fered like thee ? O all ye that pass by the waijy attendy and see if there be any sorrow like unto the sorrow of Jesus, [Lam. i. 12.) — any agony like that Avhich he endures — any affliction or humiliation wanted to complete the measure of the most excru- ciating sufferings. O eternal God ! merciful, kind, compas- 40 sionatc Father ! why art thou immiiulftrl of the adorable Object of thy com)>iacency why hast thou forsaken him who is now abandoned by all r — Alas ! he looks^/b/* one that would (/rieve together with him, hut there is none^ and for one that would com- fort him, and he can find none. (Ps. Ixviii, 21.) Why then art thou far from him — thou, the hope, the sovereign consolation of the afflicted ? — Ah ! my beloved Saviour, I know it is thou thyself that art become thy own executioner thou hast plunged* thy divine heart, inaccessible to exterior force or cruelty, into a sea of anguish ; — thou art determined to drink even to the dregs the cup of divine wrath, that thy children may never drink it more. (Isa. xli. 17, 22.) O God of love ! let me not frustrate the designs of thy mercy ; may I, after thy example, be resigned to the salutary bitterness of interior desolation. Look on me now, I conjure thee, before thy divine eyes close in death., for I see thou art expiring — thy strength is spent — thy precious blood, which shall sprinhle many nations, (Ibid. lii. 15.), now distils in lessening drops the inci easing weight of thy adorable body enlarges thy wounds, and so multiplies thy pangs, that thou thy-- self proclaimest thy sacrihce eonsum- 41 mated, — tliou rccoinmendest thy divine soul into the hands of him who sent thee, -and full of grace and truths full of mercy, and consumed with love, thoiA expirest. — O Mercy! O Goodness! O in- finite, boundless Love ! how shall I thank thee ? how shall I detest my sins, myself, and a world which has crucified its Savi- our ? O may I never delight but in thy cross — may I be insensible to every com- fort but the solid joys that are found iii privation and suffering --and may I prove my love and gratitude, by dying to self, and to all that could separate me from thee, my beloved Lord. A Prayer after Mass* O My eternal Lover ! my sovereign Beatitude ! my divine, adorable Model i thou art at length taken away from dis-^ tress^ and from judgment — who shall de- clare thy generation ? (Isa. liii. 8.) thou art now triumphant over sin and hell ; thou hast led captivity captive^ (Ps. Ixvii. 19.) : the prodigies which accompany thy death, proclaim thy divinity, and announce thee to be truly the Son of God. O happiness of my soul ! it is for me thou wert sacri- ficed ; let me, at least, acknowledge thee E 42 for what thou art— for my God, my Model, my Love, my All : let my heart, harder than the rocks, be rent with them ; let me, with the dead who announce thy dissolu- tion, rise from the sepulchre of sin ; let my eyes be for ever rivetted on the image of thee, my crucified Lord, and may the remembrance of thy bitter passion so fill my heart, as to render all worldly pleasures hateful to my soul, and even irnbitter, in seasons of trial, those human consolations which thy law allows, but which, for my sake, thou hast refused to taste. May I depart from this sanctuary penetrated, as were the witnesses of thy crucifixion, with anguish, admiration, gratitude, and love, and abundantly enriched with the merits of thy sacred passion. O give me a place in thy love-wounded heart- --let me enter therein by the opening which a cruel spear has now' made — let me remain therein, and may I no longer live, but Jesus live in me, by nhom the norld is crucified to me^ and I to the world. (Gal. vi. 14.) 43 REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS, WHICH MAY SERVE AS ENTERTAINMENT IN PRESENCE OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. I. Jesus having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end, St. John xiii. 1. The love of God for man — the predilec- tion of the Creator for his creature, sur- passes all understanding, and is commen- surate with eternity itself. I have loved thee, says he, by the mouth of one of his prophets, with an everlasting love. (Jer. xxxi. 3.) Jesus as God, consubstantial with the Father, has loved us in the be- ginning, he has loved us in time, he has loved us to the end ; and has proved the solidity, the tenderness of his love, by the most adorable miracle which infinite wis- dom could devise — by the most precious gift which infinite goodness, and boundless love could bestow. O of what are we composed, if this God of love, this infi- nitely amiable, and only worthy object of our love, be not beloved ? How can we behold on our altars this divine Victim of E 2 44 his own ardours, without being animated to love him to the end as he has loved us ? Yet, great as are our obligations, we are incapable of loving our sovereign Benefac- tor independently of his divine assistance. Let us then approach this altar, the resting place, the dwelling of him who is the source, as w ell as the giver of every pei^fect gift, (James i. 17.) and while we deplore our coldness and infidelity, let us conjure him, by the love with which he has loved us, to fill our hearts with that sacred fire which he came, and remains on earth to enkindle, (St. Luke xii. 49.) and to render us the fervent and persevering adorers of this ever amiable mystery. O sacred Victim of love ! the eternal Lover of even those who love thee not ! the divine Hope, and faithful Friend of those who serve thee ! behold a soul who most earnestly desires to know thee as her only good, and to serve thee as her sove- reign Lord ! — behold her whom thou hast looked on from all eternity in the designs of thy mercy — whom thou hast chosen for one of thy own beloved flock-- -whom thou hast loved as such, and whose possession, support, and even nourishment thou ai*t in this adorable sacrament. O beloved of my soul ! pardon me then, if I address 45 thee with such confidence as thy love seems to authorize, and most powerfully attracts. It is not 1 who forget the immense distance between thy almighty greatness, and my contemptible nothing- ness— -it is thou thyself who hast over- looked, in my favour, the prerogatives of infinite majesty, and, anxious only to ob- tain my love, hast declared that thy delight is to be with the children of men, (Prov. viii. 31.) O how true it is, that having loved thy own who were in tho worlds thou hast loved them to the end^ and stretched thy love to such lengths as were never heard of until thou thyself hadst deigned to teach us how to love ! O why will not all learn from thee the divine science of perfect love ? why are not all convinced that should they even speak with the tongues of men^ and of angels^ and have not charity^ they are but as sounding brass ^ or a tinkling cymbal ? (1 Cor. xiii. 1.) For my part, O Life of my soul ! confused and humbled at my past indifference, I now come, and consecrate myself irrevocably to ihy love and service. 1 desire no other dignity, than that of a devoted adorer of this amiable mystery ; no other support, than this bread of life ; and no other hap- piness in this world, but that which is E 3 46 found by those favoured souls who most fervently love thee. Amen. II. All you that thirsty come to the waters ; and you that have no money j make haste^ huy^ arid eat ; — come ye^ buy wine and milk without money, and without price. Isa. Iv. 1. How many are there who sigh after that happiness which it is natural for the human heart to desire, yet who shall never be at rest because they seek for peace where it cannot be found — they pursue a phantom which eludes their grasp, and drink only of those muddy waters whose property is bitterness, whose effect is to disgust. And even among those who hunyer and thirst after justice, (St. Matt. v. 6.), those who seek the Lord in the sincerity of an upright will, how few are there found who gene- rously combat that self-love and self-seek- ing---that thirst for sensible consolation, which is the capital enemy of pure love ! How few are there who disdain to conta- minate the heart which aspires to the sweet communication of the Divinity, with the poisoned and insipid draughts of human consolations, and human tliough innocent 47 joys ! Yet, to those happy few, and to them alone, will the Lord impart those spiritual delights, which less resolute, less generous souls may desire, but shall never experience. Those alone shall he inebri^ ated with the plenty ^’his house ^ with the torrent of his pleasures^ (Ps. xxxv. 9.) ; they only shall drink so deeply of that water springing up into everlasting life, (St. John iv. 14.)? that every consolation, every enjoyment which is not divine, will be rendered tasteless and burdensome. O that all men would now attend to the voice of their Redeemer ! O that they would ap-r proach with humility, conlidence, and love, to this throne ol grace, where He resides, who calls, who entreats, who anxiously desires to enrich them ! Ah ! why should we remain in a state of wretchedness and poverty, when, without diSiculty, we may be filled with good things ? Why wall we faint with spiritual weakness, when this bread of heaven, this bread of life, which may be purchased without any price, is within our reach ? Why will we die, when we liave in the midst of us the principle of life? Ah! let us then approach, that we may be delighted in gladness, and be re- plenished with Him who is the true bread descending from heaven, and giving life to our souls. (St, John vi.) 48 Adorable Jesus ! inexhaustible source of *\veetness and delight ! thy divine voice, from the midst of this tabernacle, invites to thee all those who hunger and thirst, that thou mayest replenish them with the waters of life, and feed their souls with the manna of heaven. O my only Love! I come on thy invitation ; 1 am one of those who have long sighed and thirsted after the divine peace which is not found in earthly delights, and is only enjoyed by those who have learned to despise them, 0 thou who openest thy hand^ and Jillest every living creature with benediction ! (Ps. cxliv. 16.), send me not away fasting, lest I faint in the way. Assist me, for the eyes of all hope in tJiee^ (Ibid. 15.) ; feed my soul which sighs for this bread of hea- ven, and give me of that ivater spinnging ^p unto everlasting Ife^ that henceforward 1 may not thirst but for thee alone. (St. John iv. 14, 15.) But, Lord ! should not my spiritual poverty, my extreme wretch- edness, deter me from presuming to ap- proach thy altar, or from hoping to drink at the fountains of the Saviour ^ (Isa. xii.3.), in union with those who are thy cherished friends, and favourite servants ? How shall 1 presume to solicit favours and graces which thou hast often granted, but of ^hich 1 am now destitute, because I have 49 squandered and abused them ? How shall I purchase treasures, who am and have nothing ? Lord, in the sincerity of my heart 1 acknowledge that I deserve to be banished from this divine feast— to be deprived of this bread of heaven, which is only for those who have overcome the world. I deserve to suffer, without hopes of being refreshed, that mortal thirst which now consumes me, because thou wouldst long since have replenished my soul with the waters of life, had I sought but thee, and rejected, as I ought, every delight which is not found in thy love. Alas ! I have spent the treasure of those graces, hitherto received, for that 7ihich is not hread^ and laboured for that 7vhicJt doth not^ and cannot satisfy me:. (IsaA\. 2.) O my adorable Love ! and my only real Benefactor ! wilt thou pardon me ? wilt thou ag-ain receive, and strengthen me ? Yes; 1 feel that thou wilt.— Thou hast not called to send me away empty. — 1 have deserved to be abandoned, yet I am not- withstanding a soul sought after^ and not forsahen. (Ibid. Ixii. 12.) O give me then that bread of life and salvation, which thou mercifully offerest without price, but which, though poor of myself, I can pur- chase with the infinite treasure of my 50 Saviour’s merits : give me that winey my sovereign Love ! for which thou thyself hast laboured^ (Ibid. 8.), and may I drink it with such ardent love on earth, as will purchase for me the bliss of being inebri- ated with a torrent of delight for eternity. III. Let not your heart he dismayed^ be not afraidy do not give bach^fear ye them noty because the Lord your God is in the midst of you y and will Jight for you against your enemieSy to deliver you from danger, Deut. XX. 3 , 4 . > This consolatory promise was made by Moses, on the part of God, to the Israel- ites. We may justly consider the same as addressed to us ; for, though the Protect- or, and often the visible Leader of his chosen people, yet, never to them, nor to any other nation, has the Lord of Power manifested the riches of his mercy, or the ardour of his desire to be in person a helper and refuge to his creatures, as he does to Christians by remaining on their altars. The Lord our God is himself our leader y he has promised that he mill not leavCy nor forsahe us, (Deut, xxxi. 6.) — he beholds us from this tabernacle engaged in the 51 combat with the world, the flesh, and the devil, with ourselves, with our passions, temptations, and evil inclinations-- -he looks on with the tenderest concern for our safety, with as much solicitude for our success, as if his happiness depended on ours— and with the most ardent desire that we may be faithf ul until deaths and thereby merit the crown of life. (Rev. xi. 10.) — God then is for us — ala&! why is there any thing against us? Why are so many thousands sunk in the weaves of temptation ? — why are so many shipwreck- ed in the sea of tribulation ? — why are so many enslaved to that roaring lion^ who goeth about seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet. V. 8.) It is because we have no confidence in our Lord, but, on the con- trary, lean on our own prudence ; — it is because w e forget Him, who, full of mercy and love, resides in the very midst of us, and who, if confidently and earnestly in- voked, would direct all our steps, (Vrov. iii. 5, 6.) — it is because we forget that our divine Protector remains in this adorable sacrament, not only to shield us in the combat against sin and death — not only to preserve us from falling, but to be also the sovereign, the efficacious remedy of those wounds we may receive in the conflict. 52 O then let us resolutely strive against our passions, and be not dismayed when re- peatedly attacked by the enemies of God and our soul ; — let us combat with an as- sured hope of success, for the Lord has promised to fight for us, to support us, and to be himself the reward exceeding great (Gen. XV. 1.) of the short labours, the temp- tations, the interior or exterior tribulations by which he trieth us, that it mag appear whether or not we love him with all our heart and ivith all our souL (Deut. xiil. 3.) How is it possible, O my God! that men can be attached to a life in which they are daily exposed to the danger of meriting an eternal death ? — how can they tranquilly walk in the midst of the snares which surround them, and not tremble for the fate of their immortal souls ? O my God I my adorable Refuge ! terrified at my own weakness, covered with the wounds I have already received, solicited by innu- merable passions to offend thee anew, and tortured by the apprehension of being at this moment an object of thy just indigna- tion, 1 throw myself at the foot of this altar. O Lord ! thou, in whose sight the stars are not pure ! (Job xxv. 5.) cast me not away from thyface^ and tahe not thy holy spirit from me. (Ps. 1. 13.) I have often 58 and grievously offended thee —I know not whether thou hast pardoned me, or whe- ther I am worthy of love or hatred am engaged in a conflict, to which, of myself, I am unequal, and by the abuse of the favours thou hast hitherto granted, I have rendered myself unworthy of those special graces which are necessary to conquer such enemies as mine. Pursued by un- ceasing solicitations to offend thee, ray sovereign Good ! wearied by my evil in- clinations, and disgusted with the fund of depravity which lies lurking in ray heart, I too often doubt whether I may not have committed the evil which I sovereignly dread ; and am even on the point of wounding thy adorable heart, by despair- ing of that mercy which cannot be ex- hausted by ingratitude even greater than mine. O my God ! my only Love ! all my misery is before thee, and my conflicts are not hidden from thy sight thou hast not forbidden thy children to complain to thee — to lay their griefs at thy feet, and pour their sorrows into that paternal bosom, where the good and the weak find a secure refuge. Ah ! why have I so long delayed to seek thee, my divine Comforter ? why have 1 not always fled to thee in this most amiable sacrament, where thou art to all F 54 >vlio hope ill thee, a Helper, a Deliverer, a tower of strength from the face of their enemies, (Ps. lx. 4.) Behold me now, my God and Redeemer ! behold me at thy sacred feet, oppressed and pursued by in- veterate foes, whom thou alone canst put to flight. Arise, then, adorable Jesus [ arise, and judge thy own cause, xxxiv, 23.) — abandon not a soul which combats in thy name, and for thy love — be thoa unto me a God^ a Protector^ and let this august tabernacle be to me a house of re- fuge^ (Ps. XXX. 4.), where thou, my divine Master, wilt not only preserve me from grievous falls, but also instruct me in that sublime perfection which springs from humility of heart, and which teaches to detest sin, but at the same time to embrace the abjection which springs therefrom, and dwell with joy on the conviction which it creates of the innate misery of our weak nature. Ah ! why should I despond ? — am I not resolved to die a thousand deaths rather than offend ihce ? Yes, my adorable Treasure ! my sovereign Love ! I will, with the assistance of thy grace, resist all that is contrary, not only to thy law, but to the perfection of thy love ; and all the torments of hell itself I would infinitely prefer to the enjoyment of any worldly 55 delight which could separate me from thee. For these dispositions. Lord ! I most fer- vently thank thy boundless mercy ; they come not from myself, but are the effect of thy grace, which is with me notwithstand- ing my unworthiness. 1 will then confi- dently hope in thy assistance, in that mercy which is above all thy works, and once more cast myself, and all that I am, and have, into thy divine bosom : I commit my salvation to thy care, for I am well con- vinced that it is dearer to thee, than it can be to me, and that thou wilt never abandon a soul which thou didst not con- sider too highly purchased by the sacrifice of thy precious life. IV. If you love me^ keep my commandments, St. Johnxiv. 15. Here we learn from Jesus, the eternal Truth, what is the test of love — the best and only solid proof we can produce of our compliance with the great precept of the law. The happy few who are mindful of the commandments of the Lord to do thoHy (Ps. cii. 18.) are those alone who can presume to say, that they love God, not alone in word, nor in tongue^ but in 12 56 deedj and in truth. (1 John iii. 18.) O how deplorable it is, that Christians, the disciples of a God, who is himself a con^^ suminff Jire^ (Heb. xii. 29.) should so seldom profess, and still more rarely prove their love for a Saviour, who adopt- ed them as his cherished favourites, when expiring on the cross, more through ex- cess of love, than torment? How humi- liating, that we should tremble at imagi- nary difficulties in the cause of him, whom love for us has prompted to overturn, by innumerable miracles, every obstacle to his actual and personal residence in the midst of us ! But, if justice and gratitude be not sufficient motives for encouraging us to love, and observe the commandments of our divine and eternal Lover, let our own interest urge us to do so, for then we may have conjidence towards God^ and ap- proach with assured hope of success to the throne of love, and whatsoever we asky we shall receive of him^ because we keep his commandments ^ and do those thinqs that are pleasing in his sight. (1 St. John iii. 21, 22.) O most amiable Jesus! adorable Vic- tim of such love as no man hath ever shewn to his dearest friend ! how is it possible that thou still reinainest on our altars a 57 passive witness of our ingratitude ! — how canst thou behold, without indignation, the conduct of those who profess their love for thee, but whose actions contradict their words ! The pusillanimity of some, the insults of others, and the absolute for- getfulness of almost all, would long since have exhausted any love but thine, and forced thee to abandon, to its own ways, a world by which thou art so little known, and so imperfectly loved. Pardon, O Beloved of my soul ! pardon my past in- difference, my ingTatitude, my forgetful- ness, and abuse of thy mercies. O disco- ver to me the love which consumes thy own adorable heart: — give me entrance into its inmost recesses, that 1 may num- ber the pains, and contemplate the an- guish which my salvation has cost thee, and then blush at my own tepidity and re- serve. Let me learn, in that sacred fur- nace of divine charity, to consider all things easy and delightful, which are done for thee, my divine Lord, and to walk steadily in the thorny road where- in 1 can best prove my desire to love and imitate thee. Ah ! why should I he- sitate to brave' every difficulty, and even to lay down my life for a God whose love forme induced him to become ohedient un-^ F3 58 to deathy even the death of the cross, (Phil, ii. 8.) Alas, dearest Jesus ! I am my own enemy, whan I refuse to open my whole soul to the impressions of thy love, and to live, act, and suffer from motives worthy of that divine virtue. O had I always done so, had 1 cheerfully embraced the sweet yoke of thy law, had 1 always hearkened to thy commandments^ n)y peace would have been as a river,, and mij justice as the reaves of the sea ! (Isa. xlviii. 18.) But I have not loved thee, 1 have not lived for thee.:--inconstancy and tepidity have hi- therto marked my conduct, and without thy peculiar assistance I shall continue the same imperfect course of life. O come then, divine Love ! sacred, consuming* fire ! come, and enter my soul, take possession of all its powers, and destroy, without re- serve, whatever is unworthy of thee. Di- late my heart, that I may run in the way of thy commandments, cxviii. 32.) and prove by my actions, as well as words, that thou, O amiable Jesus, art my so- vereign, my only Love, and that the ac- complishment of thy adorable will is the ultimate object of my efforts in thy ser-? vice. 59 V. Turn^ O my soulj into thy r^st, for the Lord hath been hountful to thee, Ps. cxiv. 7. “ Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord !” exclaims St. Augustin, and our hearts cannot rest until they rest in thee.” Which of us may not say, with this fervent lover, that we have been rebellious to grace; that we have sought for repose in the tumult of worldly pursuits, and, per- haps too often, in the excess of forbidden pleasure ? But, alas ! how few are there among us, who acknowledge with his sin- cerity, that we have erred in seeking our God in the multiplicity of creatures ! — how few^ that deplore, with the love which purified and consumed his heart, the in- jury we do our Redeemer, in fleeing from his outstretched arms. Ah! let us imitate his fervour, that we may share the sweet peace by which it was rewarded ;---let us approach this adorable sacrament, and there we shall find that rest, repose, and solid content, which no creature can give, or take away. Ah ! why will we be our ow n enemies, our own tormentors ? Can we alledge, as an excuse for our 60 sloth, the pretended difficulties of return- ing to our God ? No ; for the kingdom of God is within us, (St. Luke xvii. 21.) and the Holy One of Israel is in the very midst of us. [Isa. xii. 6.) O Lord ! the everlasting repose and de- light of the blessed! the joy, the sweet consolation of all those who, wisely re- jecting all earthly gratification, seek for happiness in thy bosom alone! behold thy strayed sheep, who is now exhausted and wearied in pursuits oj)posite to those of thy love. 1 acknowledge at thy adorable feet, O my sovereign happiness ! that I have erred, and destroyed my own peace in forsaking thee, and thou knowest — thou from whom the inmost recesses of iny heart are not hidden — thou knowest that my folly has been its own punish- ment: Merciful to mein the midst of my wanderings, thou didst imbitter the vain joys in which 1 hoped to be delighted ; and saidst a thousand times' to my soul, that thou art her salvation, her God, her only solid good. Ah ! did I not well know that there is no secure road but that of thy love ?— hadl not often experienced that there is no peace but in thy service ? Why then was 1 so ungrateful as to stray 61 from thee ? O my God ! my adorable Love! I am firmly convinced that the heart made for thee, will be satisfied with nothing less than thyself. I consecrate myself for ever to thee in this august mys- tery, persuaded that the soul created to feast on thy adorable charms, can never be so happily, so profitably employed, as in contemplating the most wonderful miracle of thy mercy and love. Come then into my heart by the influence of thy grace, that I may enter into thine. Come, and by one sweet transport of thy love, con- centrate every power of my soul in thee. Teach me, my heavenly Spouse! to spare no exertion in thy service, to despise, and for ever renounce every gratification which this world can bestow, that I may deserve to repose in thy arras, to lean on thy bosom, with thy beloved disciple, and to taste and see how snjeet thou art. (Ps. xxxiii. 9.) Adorable heart of Jesus ! delicious abodes of the just, and secure refuge of sinners! receive me: — thou art my rest for ever and ever — in thee will I dwell, for I have chosen it. (Ps. cxxxi, 14.) 62 VI. Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb^ that they may have a right to the tree of life^ and may enter in by the gates into the city. Apoc. xxii. 14.) Who are those happy souls to whom the Almighty here promises a share in the joys of eternal life ? They are the innocent of JiandSy and clean of hearty who have not received their souls in vain^ (Ps. xxiii. 4.), in whose mouth is found no lie, and who are without spot in the presence of their God. [Afoc, xiv. 5.) Those are they who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord^ who shall stand in his holy place ^ (Ps. xxiii. 3.) who shall approach without fear to this aw- ful tabernacle, and prostrate with assured confidence beiFore the Lamb who resides therein, and who has the keys of life and death, (Apoc. i. 18.) — Blessed are the clean of hearty for they shall see Gody (St. Matt. V.8.) — they shall penetrate the mysterious veils with which love has clothed their Redeemer, and adore him with raptures of love and admiration in this most amiable sacrament. They shall no more hunger nor thirsty (Apoc. vii. 16.) but drink at the torrent of delights, and eat of the tree of 63 lifey (Gen. ii. 9.) to which God has given them, not only a claim, but even a right. Alas ! why are these privileged souls by far the lesser number, since they have no- thing which they have not received--since the adorable blood in which they have washed their robes, has been sited for all ? Why is not their happy lot ours also ? — cannot we ail approach to him who hath loved us all, and hath laid down his life for our salvation ? — to Him who desires nothing more ardently than to repurify our robes, to enkindle in our hearts the half- extinguished fire of charity, and to rank us aihong his beloved children, who, in heart and desire, serve him day and night in his temple? (Apoc. vii. 15.) I well know, O Lord ! that 1 have no claim to the blessings which thou promises! to the innocent and clean of heart. I deserve not a place among the happy few^, who have not dejiled their garments^ and who shall Tvalk with thee, because they are worthy, (Apoc. iii. 4.) No; my God! on the contrary, I feel that I am wretched and miserable^ and poor ^ and hlind^ and naked. (Ibid. 17.) O divine Lamb, who takest away the sins of the world, wert thou not rich as thou art in that mercy which is from eternity, and unto eternity, I should 64 flee from thy presence, lest the merited rigour of thy justice should crush me to nothing. But when I behold thee in the most sacred Host, the Victim for our sins, — not my Judge, but my Mediator, I be- gin to hope, that though I have not walked in innocence, yet thou wilt receive me with those who follow thee whithersoever thou goest. O my sovereign Good ! 1 know thou art willing to sanctify — I know that if thou wilt sprinkle me w ith the adorable blood which is actually present on this al- tar, I shall be cleansed, and that if thou wilt wash me, I shall be made whiter than the snow. 1. 9.) I know that if thou wilt thou canst make me clean, (St. Matt, viii. 2.) Ah ! remember. Beloved of my soul ! remember that this confidence I feel in thy mercy, must be thy gift, and that it is certainly thy will that I should act from its impulse. Reject me not then, my only Hope I receive me, not only into thy arms, but into thy adorable heart, and give me entrance into the wound of thy sacred side,— that opened door which no man can shnty (Apoc. iii. 8.) — that gate, through which all thy children may safely pass to those realms of bliss, where thou, O di- vine Lamb ! who art in the midst of this altar, shall rule theniy and shall lead them m to the fountains of the waters of lifey (Ib, vii. 17.) > ^'bere they shall feed on the en- rapturing view of thee, the uncreated and eternal Beauty, and receive from thyself a superabundant reward of all they shall have done, or sutfered fojr thy love. VII. As the Father hath loved me^ I also have loved you. Remain in my love* St. John XV. 9 . Our divine Lord, to manifest to us the infinite, the unspeakable tenderness of that love with which he has loved us, here makes use of a comparison which should fill us with astonishment, and penetrate our souls with the liveliest gratitude, and the most ardent charity. Jesus, beloved, clierished, begotten from eternity in the bosom of his almighty Father, expressly declares that his creatures are no less the dear objects of his eternal predilection, than he is himself the love and delight of Him who sent him. Astonishing as this truth is, it is more than sufficiently proved by the life, the death, the sufferings of our Redeemer, our Father, and our Vic- tim. Every circumstance of his sacred life concurs to demonstrate, that our eter- G 66 nal salvation, and even our temporal happiness, were the objects dearest to the heart of a Man- God. Filled with pa- ternal solicitude for our welfare, this true friend of our souls would not leave us or- phans, [St.Johnidy. 18.), but has deter^ mined, in defiance of insult, of ingrati- tude, or forgetfulness, to remain present on our altars, as really as he is on the throne of his glory, and in our hearts, as intimately as he is in the bosom of his Father. O Jesus ! beloved Spouse of my soul ! the God, the Model, the Victim of divine charity ! whence is it that eternally, essen- tially happy as thou art in the bosom of thy Father, thou hast descended on this altar, in the midst of men, always un- worthy, and too often unwilling to know, or to love thee ? O my sovereign Beati- tude, how prodigious are thy humiliati- ons ! how ineffable, how adorable is the miracle of love which detains thee here! Thou wilt prove to me, in a manner the most amiable and convincing, that the divine, immeasurable love, ^vhich links thee to thy almighty Father, binds thee also to me, fills thy adorable heart with the tenderest concern for n y happiness, and gives me a certain pledge of thy ear- 67 nest wish to receive me into thy parental arncis ; to open to me all the treasures of thy mercy and thy grace ; and to call me and treat me now, not as thy servant, but thy friend. {St, John xv. 15.) O my God ! the dear inestimable friend of my soul [ why hast thou not as many devoted ser- vants, as many ardent lovers, as there are men indebted to thy love? But, Lord, prostrate before this altar, the true thea- tre of thy mercy, I solemnly protest, that if all men cease to love thee, yet will I never sovereignly love any object but thee, or any thing out of thee, which I love not for thee. Thou, my divine Love ! who knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee, or at least desire most ardently to love thee ; but thou seest also the imper- fection of my charity, Alas ! 1 am not wor- thy to experience the heavenly sweetness which results from thy love. Yet, Lord! is not love the fire which best purifies the soul, and best prepares it to love still more ardently ? O plunge me then, ador- able Jesus 1 into the burning furnace of thy most sacred heart, for I well know that if once I enter there I shall abide in thy love, {Ib. 9.), and if my sins he as scarlet^ they shall be made as white as snoWy and if G 2 68 they he red as crimson^ they shall be white as wool. (Isa. i. 18.) VIIL What is there that I ought to do more to my vineyard^ that I have not done to it Isa. V. 4, At this affecting interrogation, which we may individually consider as addressed to ourselves, let us reflect seriously for a mo- ment on the multiplied mercies which have marked every instant of our existence — let us lift up our eyes, and behold in the midst of us a God eternal, infinite, immortal, who for our sakes has appeared visibly among men, was clothed w ith their miseries, was susceptible of their pains, and at length was immolated for their salvation. These prodigious efforts of divine goodness, would to us appear the utmost stretch of mercy, since greater love than this no man hath^ that he lay down his life for his friends, (St. John xv. 13.) But Jesus, w hose thoughts are not our thoughts, nor his ways our ways, [Isa. Iv. 8.), would love us ill a manner infinitely beyond the conception of created intelligence, and has, in the adorable sacrament, renewed 69 ami perpetuated the great sacrifice of mercy and love by which we were re- deemed. O it is truly on this altar that our divine Lord most emphatically de- mands of each of us iu particular, what is it Ire could do for us, which he has not done ? It is from this tabernacle that he enquires what he could give, which he has refused— what he could sutler, which he has not cheerfully endured ^ Ah! let us ask our own hearts the same question, and they will reply, that the blood, the mer- cy, the choicest graces of a God have never been withheld, to render themfruit- fnlin all virtue^ — but, ou tlie other hand, our ingratitude has frustrated the designs of his love. O let the moon blush, and the sun be ashamed, (7Z^. xxiv. 23.), when we compare the labours of our Redeemer with their elFect in our souls; and let us trem- ble, lest bringing forth nothing but wild grapes, the Lord may at length break down the wall of the vineyard he has him- self planted: withhold the divine dew of his grace from failing thereon ; and suf- fer it at last to become a desolate. {Ibid. V. 6.) O merciful Jesus ! the divine and adorr able Benefactor of my soul ! covered with f^oufusion, and penetrated with grief, I ap- (jr 3 70 proacli this altar, where I believe thee tru - ly present, not as my judge, but as my me- diator, not to avenge the neglect of the graces 1 have hitherto received, but even to add to and renew them all. O Mercy ! O liove! O adorable Abyss of divine compas- sion ! wert thou not truly infinite, I should long since have exhausted thy invalu- able treasures — I should have been alrea- dy trampled upon in thy indignation^ and trodden down in thy wrath, (Isa. Ixiii. 3.) But, Lord, though thou speakest justice, yet thou art a defender to save, (Ibid. 1.) This emboldens me to approach thy sacred tabernacle, and in the bitterness of my heart, to deplore the grievousness of my olFences. Deaf to thy divine voice, I have refused to listen to the inspirations of thy mercy, and made as little account of thy graces, as if they were not the purchase of thy blood, and the most precious pledges of thy will to save me. O my God ! my Sove- reign Good ! why have I not served thee as thousands have done, whom thou hast less favoured ? or what excuse have I for FiOt being already far advanced in the road of perfection which thy saints and elect have travelled and still pursue ? Can I presume to say that thy arm has been shortened (i/6. 1. 2.) in my regard ? Ah ! surely it is 71 not on the cross that I can accuse thee of forgetting me ; nor is it on this altar that I can complain of exclusion from the ten- derest of thy mercies. My adorable Re-r deemer ! on all occasions^ in all circum^ stances, my heart tells me thou couldst not do more than thou hast done for thy wretched servant. O that I could say in my turn that I have also done for thee, my sovereign Life ! the little 1 was able ! O that I had offered thee my heart as gene- rously, as unreservedly as thou requirest and meritest ! But I have brought forth far different fruits from those thou hadst rea- son to expect from the vineyard which thou hast moistened with thy blood, plant- ed with the choicest vines, and cherished with the fondest care ! O Lord ! let thy mercy alone judge between thee and thy vineyardy (Ibid. v. 3.)) for one glance of thy justice would banish me from thy pre^ sence for ever. Be not, I conjure thee, angry always, nor do not threaten for ever---l will enter into thy sacred wounds, and A/rfc myself a therein, mttil thy indignation pass away^ (Ibid. xxvi. 20.), and then I know that thou wilt receive me again, and in mercy everlasting thou wilt have mercy on me. 72 IX. As the hart panteth after the fountains of waters y so my soul panteth after thee^ O God. Ps. xli. 1. Thus should a soul, transported with love for her heavenly Spouse, sigh after the moment which would unite her to her Be- loved. ThusdidtheRoyalProphetthirsti{/*- ter the strong living God^ (Ps.xli.2.), tho’ never did that divine Being display to him, as he does to us, the infinite treasures of his mercy and love ; — never could he have appeared to hirxi as sovereignly amiable as he should to us in this divine and adorable mystery. O did we but know the immense riches contained in this sacred host ; had we beheld, for one moment, the eternal beauty, the irresistible charms of the Lamb without spot, who resides therein; with what impetuous ardours would we run in the odour of his ointments ! (Cant. i. 4.) — with what transports of love would we re- ceive his divine embraces ! — with what en- ergy would we praise his boundless mer- cy !— with what care would we labour to remove all that, on our part, might hinder in our souls the effect of his divine visit ! Were we sensible of the happiness within our reach, and of the earnest desire of our 73 heavenly Lover to give himself to us, our souls would thirst after him, and owv fleshy O how many ways ! (Ps. Ixii. 2.) — we should leave, in heart and desire, this de- sert landj where there is no way and no water ^ (Ibid. 8.), and sigh with inexpres- sible ardour for the happy moment in which our own hearts Avould become his sanctuary, the theatre of his power, and his glory, O God oftny soul ! how good^ how sweet is thy sjpirU in all things ! (Wisd. xii. 1.) — but how adorable, how iniinitely amiable is the spirit of love Avhich detains thee on this altar I Thou art every where great, omnipotent, magnificent ; but, in this most sacred Host, thou hast assembled and concentrated ali that is immense, power- ful, endearing and attractive in thy great- ness, thy omnipotence, thy beauty, and thy love. O why then should 1 not desire thee ? why should I not sigh after thee with more ardour than the hart panteth after the foantam^ o/ living water ? (Ps. xlL 2.) Those who have never beheld thee, as 1 do, immolated for man, have sighexi to appear before thy face,— and shall not I, to whom thou shewest thyself, desire thee, and tore thee by the sight and by the knowledge of thy great works. 71 (Eccl. i. 15.) Prophets and patriarchs who never viewed thee in the amiable light of their nourishment and their vic- tim, nevertheless sighed after, and earn- estly longed for thy appearance ; shall not 1, who behold thee annihilated for my sake, earnestly long for thy coming, and in expectation of thy divine presence^ Ian-- yulsh with Jove? (Cant. v. 8.) O come thou, my sovereign Love! my only Hap- piness 1 come into my heart, for all my comfort is to expect thee, and all ray bliss will be to possess thee for ever. Come, adorable fire of charity, and let not the snow and ice of my heart endure thy force without melting. [Wisd. icwi, 22.) Come, my dearest Beloved ! and let the fountain of living waters which run with a strong stream from this life-giving sacrament, {Cant. iv. 15.), replenish my heart, and sweep away every obstacle to the perfect reign of thy love in uiy soul. X, What is man, O Lord ! that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that ihou visitest him ? Ps. viii. 5. The angels who continually ascend and descend between heaven and earth to adore their Lord alternately on the throne of his glory, and on that of his love; are filled with astonishment in contemplating' the prodigious annihilation of their divine Mo- narch ; and this astonishment is heighten- ed in proportion to the knowledge they have of the infinite greatness, the adora- ble sanctity of Him, who, though above all praise^ (Eccl. xliii. 33. J., has become in the eucharist the food, the friend, the companion of man. Ah ! how profoundly should we humble ourselves in the pre- sence of this immortal King of ages ! — how deeply should we sink into the abyss of our wretched nothingness, when the Lordy who is terrible and exceedinglg great^ (Ibid. 31.) descends into our hearts ! What is man^ that he should approach the King his Maker f (Eccl.ii. 12.) What is man^ and what is his grace^ and what is his good ^ (Eccl. xviii. 7.), that liis sovereign Lord should become his guest ? Ah ! let us prostrate at his feet in humble, reverential awe;— let us adore him, praise him, magnify him — 7ve shall say muchy and yet fvant words ; but the sum of our words iSy He is ally (Ibid, xliii. 29.) and we are nothing. Come, O my soul ! let us prostrate be- fore our God, our Creator, andour Sove- 76 reign Lord; let us exedt him^ put forth all our strength^ and be not ireargy for vve can never go far enoughs (EccL xliii. 34.) fvhat shall I be able to da to gloidfg thee, [Ibid, 304r O iny God ! — how is it possible that thou sufterest me in thy presence? how c.uist thou permit me to offer my unworthy homage before this altar, — this throne which none should ap- proach but the clean of heart, the follow- ers of thy cross, and the seraphim of the earth, who live but by love ! Who am I thy servant^ that thou shauldst look upon such a worthless creature as I am (2 Kings ix. 3.) O angels of God ! pure and enraptured spirits ! you know what man-- ner of one is my tell him, I con- jure thee, that I languish with /ore, (Cant. V. 8, 9.) — that 1 burn with desire to praise him as he is from the beginning, and to make some suitable acknowledg- ment for his multiplied mercies. O Good- ness ! O Munificence ! adorable, asto- nishing condescension ! why should I not approach to thee myself? Were the an- gels ever favoured as highly as 1 am ? Yes ; Irvill speak to my Lord^ I w ho am but dust and ashes, (Gen. xviii. 27.) ; I will offer him a sacrifice of praise, for I am not destitute of a gift worthy of his ador- able Majesty, The Almighty himself is above all his worJis^ (Eccles. xliii. 30.), and he is at this moment my possession, my victim. Accept then, O most amia- ble Jesus ! accept thy own merits, thy own divine person to thank thee for thy mercies to me, and in union therewith, permit me to offer thee my heart, which ardently de- sires to honour thy des^radation on this al- tar, by the most profound humility, and the most perfect love. XI. Remhm in me^ and I id you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself^ unless it abide in the vine; so neither can you^ un- less you abide in me. St. John xv. 4. Many Christians penetrated, at the foot of the altar, with gratitude for tlie mercies of Him whom they behold immolated for their salvation ; and softened by the sweet dew of divine grace, which from this ado- rable sanctuary, distils on their souls as rain upon the fleece j and as showers falling gently upon the eaidhy (Ps.lxxi. 6.), de- part from thence, animated with zeal for their conversion^ and inflamed with, that love, which burns in this tabernacle as in H 78 its proper sphere. Why then are those souls, — ingrafted in Christ by faith in his actual presence on our altars, by Iw^pe in his merits, and love for his amiable perfec- tions, — at length cast forth as branches to wither and die ? {St. John xv. 0.) Why do so many leave their charity f (Rev. ii, 4.)— that sacred tire which has been enkindled in their hearts at the foot of the altar ? It is because, leaning not on their Beloved, but on their own pru- dence, they forget that all their svfficiencij is from Gody (2 Cor. iii. 5.); depending too firmly on the fervour which inflames their hearts, but which vanishes when re- moved from the furnace of divine charity, they think themselves something, whereas they are nothing, {Gal.y'i. 3.), and re- member not that it is God who worketh in us both to will and to accomplish y according to his good will. (Phil. ii. 13.) Let us then examine and rectify all that is defici- ent in our actual dispositions; and with humble diffidence in ourselves, place all our hope in Him, without whom we can do nothing, {St. John xv. 5.) trusting in the Lord we shall not be confounded, for as the earth bringeth forth her hudy and as the garden causeth her seed to shoot 79 fi^rthj so shall the Lord make justice to spring forth in the soul which abides in him. (Isa. Ixi. 11.) O my God ! how great is thy mercy and i\iy forgiveness to them that turn to thee ! (Eccl. xviL 28.) Thou hast received in this sanctuary a sinner who is unworthy of the least of thy mercies, and hast so in- flamed my heart with thy love, that I would joyfully sacrifice my existence at this moment, rather than depart from thee by a wilful transgression. I am become in thy divine presence as one jinding peace ^ (Cant. viii. 10.) —1 behold, 1 possess thee ; I feel that thou art my only good, my so- vereign treasure, and that all the joys this world can attbrd, can give no satisfaction to a soul who knows, by sweet experience, the delights which spring from one mo- ment’s communication with thee. But, O ray adorable Jesus ! this is not the first time thou hast penetrated my heart, and forcibly inclined my soul to be all tnine. Yet where is the fruit of those holy dispo- sitions, for which I was indebted to thy gratuitous mercy ? Alas ! how should I tremble, when 1 reflect on my own incon- stancy and ingratitude ! What could I have found out of thee, worthy of my love r My God ! 1 feel that 1 am weak, H 2 80 but ill making this acknowledgment, my soul is filled with consolation, because I know that when I am weak then I am strong, for in my weakness thy divine power will be perfected. (2 Cor. xii. 9.) Thou knowest, O Searcher of hearts ! that I confide not in the strength of my present resolutions, for Jiow coidd any thing en- dure^ ifthoufvouldstnot? or preserved if not called by thee? (Wis. xi. 26.) Call me then, O my only Love ! for I desire nothing so ardently as to hear thy sweet voice, and be deaf to every other sound : — place thyself as a seal upon my hearty (Cant. viii. 6.), and give me such ardent love, that each breath, sigh, or desire of my soul, may henceforward be so many acts of intimate union with thee in this in- effable and amiable mystery. XII, Now thou dost dismiss thy servant^ O Lordy according to thy word in peace; miise my eyes have seen thy salvation, St. Lukeii. 29, 30. St. Bernard justly remarks, that a soul who has once taken a near view of the adorable and enchanting perfections of the Divinity, closes her eyes, not only willing^ 81 ly, but even joyfully, to all that is most at- tractive in created objects. O that vfe could now make the same affirmation from a happy experience of its truth ! Why does not this divine Sttn of Justice^ (Mai. iv. 2.) entering into our souls by the holy com- munion, enlighten, and discover to us, be- yond a doubt, the vanity, the emptiness of all that this world can bestow ? When we possess, wholly and entirely, our sove- reign Good, — when we receive of his ful- ness^ (St. John i. 16.) in this ineffable mystery, what more can we desire, or what can we estimate which is less than God? Ah! let the bliss of actual union with our Beloved, teach us in what light we are to view every earthly gratification ; let the sweet communications of our hea- venly Spouse, fill us with disgust for all commerce with creatures, and even imbit- ter the most innocent friendship which has not God for its sole end and object. DJd we listen to the voice of grace, we would at length offer to our God an undivided sacrifice of a heart, purified from every thought, every desire which tends not to him alone : — we would sigh only for an eternal possession of our divine treasure in that happy land where the of Justice shall go down no more^ and the moon shall H3 82 not d€crease--for the Lord shall be unto us an everlasting lights and the days of our mourning shall be ended. (Isa. lx. 20.) O my God! my adorable Delight! the supreme and only happiness of my soul ! 1 possess thee now — I behold thee on this throne of thy love, entirely mine ; — thou hast fed me with the food of angels^ and hast given me hreadfrom heaven^ prepar- ed without labour^ and having in it all that is delicious in every taste, (Wis. xvi. 20.)— eyes have seen my salvation, (St. Luke ii. 3.) — my soul has found Him whom she loves, {Cant. iii. 4.)— my heart has received her treasure, the dear and only object of her aifection. O what more can I ask? what more can I ambition ? for what have I in heaven, and besides thee what do I desire upon earth ? (Ps. Ixxii. 25.) But, Lord, is not this ineffable sa- crament that bread of which he who eats shall still hunger ? — Ah ! thou knowest that I am not fully satisfied. Though I trust in thy mercy, that thou hast cast all my sins behind thy bach, (Isa. xxxviii. 17.), and clothed me with the garment of salva- tion, and the robe cf justice, (Ib. Ixi. 10.), in this life-giving sacrament — tho’ I repose in thy divine arms, and therein enjoy an anticipated heaven j yet still my soul sighs m for those happy mansioRS ^Yhere perpetual security precludes the possibility of oitend- ing thee. O receive me therein, most merciful Jesus! for I ardently lonj^ to be dissolved, and to be with thee. Skewme^ O thou whom my soul loveth ! where thou feedest in the mid-day ^ (Cant. i. 6.) — Shew me that city of God, whose blessed inhabi- tants can as little cease to love, as thou canst cease to be lovely^ adorable, enchant- ing-, and infinitely worthy of all their trans- ports. O that I could embrace thee this moment, without a fear of losing thee ; — for, alas 1 in this valley of wretchedness, the most intimate union with thee, is ex- posed to the fatal danger of being eternal- ly dissolved. What then have I not to fear from ray natural inconstancy, innate ma- lice, and wretched misery ? O Love of my soul ! 1 once more conjure thee to take me out of life, and condemn me to all that is most rigorous in the flames wliich purify thy elect, if thou foreseest 1 shall ever again have the unspeakable misfortune of losing tby grace* Still, as I know that the perfection of tliy love, and the secure road to thee is the accomplishment of thy always equitable will, shall hencefor- ward be my paradise. O call my soul from this moment thy pleasure in her^ (Isa, 84 Ixii. 4.), and in the heart thou hast sanc- tified by thy presence, njay thy will be for ^ver done as it is in heaven, XIII. Hear, O ye heavens^ and give ear^ O earths — I have brought up children and exalted them, hut they have despised me, Isa. i. 2. This reproach, full of mercy and love, was anciently addressed to a specially fa- voured, but most ungrateful nation — a na- tion chosen, beloved, protected by heaven, yet, notwithstanding, laden with iniquity, a niched seed, ungracious children, (Isa.i. 4.) O how deplorably striking is the re- semblance between that hardened race, and those who, in our days, may be justly de- nominated the people of God. These too have forsahen the Lord, they have bias- phemed the Holy One of Israel, (Ibid.) — these also have insulted the majesty, for- gotten the threats, and abused the mercy of that God who delights to dwell in the midst of them, {Prov, viii. 31.) It is true, this omnipotent Deity no longer appears in the splendors of increated glory — his sacred voice is no longer heard in thunder and lightning, in wrath and indignation 85 appears not as an avenging judge, but as a meek Lamb, a God hidden- --a God-Saviour, {Isa, xlv. 15.), powerfully inviting all, in the accents of mercy and love, to approach his throne. O hear then, ye deaf ; and ye blind y behold that ye may see^ (Ibid. xlii. 18.) Listen to the invitations of love, and open your eyes to the light of faith, all ye that refuse to be- lieve in the truth of this adorable, wonder- ful mystery -.—-approach all ye that believ- ing XheveiWy forsake your Lordy and have forgotten \\\% holy movnty (Ibid. Ixv. 11.): — approach all ye who, with insulting irreverence, have trodden down his sanc- tuary y{\h\ A. 18.), and only enter to provoke him to anger before his face y (Ib. Ixv. 3.) : — approach, returny as you have deeply revoltedy (Ibid. xxxi. 6.), and ex- piate with sighs and anguish the injury of- fered to your Redeemer. Delay no longer, for mercy abused will one day give place to inexorable justice, and this divine I^amb w ill at length appear, not as a Saviour, but as the Lord that rendereth recompense to his enemies, (Ibid.lxvi. 6.) O God of infinite majesty ! behold at thy sacred feet a sinner who has deserved to be eternally banished from this awful sanc- tuary behold the most ungrateful among 86 tliose who have abused thy mercy — the most hardened among those who have slighted thy promises, and been deaf to thy voice. O adorable Victim of thy own boundless love ! were it possible that a sen- tence ol death could proceed from this ta- bernacle, I would flee from thy presence, because I know that a thousand deaths would be insufficient to expiate the enor- mities I have myself committed against this adorable mystery, as well as the insults of all men, which I am come to acknowledge and deplore. But, Lord, miserable, guilty, undeserving as I am, yet, surely, I am one of thy own people, a child who will not deny thy presence {Isa. Ixiii. 8.) on this altar, or refuse my firm assent to all the myste- ries contained in this miracle of love. Hear me then a j^oor wretch making siip^ plication to thee^ and presiiming on thy mercy^ (Judith ix. 17.) Listen to me, O injured, but most mercifui Redeemer ! on behalf of all those unheliei ing people who walk in a way that is not good^ after their own thoughts., (Isa.lxv. 2.)--in behalf of all who w ound thy adorable heart, by fleeing from thy sanctuaries, and distrusting thy mercy. Yet, alas ! who am I to implore thy compassion on sinners, whose iniquities I Lave imitated, and whose ingratitude I 87 have exceeded? O that I could expiate their offences and my own ! O that I could offer thee as much fervent love, as muck lively contrition, as thou receivest con- tempt and insult, and art treated with in- gratitude and forgetfulness in this most amiable mystery ! I have nothing of my- self, I acknowledge, nor can 1 do any thing but sin, when abandoned by thee — still 1 am enabled by thy actual residence on this altar, in quality of my victim, to offer a satisfaction proportioned to all thou endurest for me. Accept then, divine heart of my Saviour ! the love with which thou art thyself consumed, to atone for the indifference of all men. Remember the tenderness with which thou hast loved them— the mercy with which thou hast redeemed them, — the patience with which thou hast waited for them ; — and then I know that for thy own sake tJioti wilt remove thy wrath far off yUnd for thy praise thou wilt have mercy on them, lest they should perish, (Isa.xlviii. 9.) XIV. Blessed are they that dwell in thy housty O Lordy they shall praise thee for ever and ever, Ps. Ixxxiii. 5. The happy few, who know what it is to 88 love purely and solely that adorable who is alone amiable, wrill surely join with the prophet in pronouncing those blessed^ whom eternal mercy has espoused for ever in justice and judgment^ and in loving^ kindness y and in tender mercies, (Osee ii. 19.) They will envy the happy lot of those whom the Almighty has taken from the ends of the earth — whom he has re- plenished with his spirit, and filled with the treasure of his graces — whom he has hidden in the secret of his sanctuary, that all their works may be as the sun in his sights and his eyes continually upon their ways, (EccL xvii. 16.) Rich in their poverty ; free in their subjection ; profusely recompensed for the deceitful pleasures they have aban- doned and despised ; they are, in truth, the manifest portion of God, (Ibid. 15.) They feed on the manna of heaven -they drink and are inebriated {Cant, v. 1.) with the torrent of delights which flows from the heart of their Beloved— their profes- sion is to love— their companion is a God, who resides among them in a tabernacle that cannot he removedy (Isa. xxxiii. 20.) --and their destination, for eternity, is to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, (Apoc. xiv. 4.) These indeed are blessed, the children of mercy, the beloved of the 89 Irord : but shall we be content with know« ing* their happiness, without an effort to share therein ? Ah ! if w e be umvorthy of permanent residence in that land which jioweth with milk and hone ij^ (Deut. xi. 9.)j let us at least remember that w^e have been all espoused to our God in faith. [Osee ii. 20.) O yes ; we cannot too often re- peat, or too seriously consider, that it is by faith in this most sacred mystery,— by lively, animated faith, working by charity in Jesus Christ, that we shall know he is the Lord, (ibid,) It is by the wa- ters of life drawn with faith and love from these fountains of the Saviour, {Isa, xii. 3.), that the land which was desolate and im^ passable^ shall be glad^ and the wilderness shall rejoice^ and shall Jiourish like the lily. (Ibid. XXXV. 1.) O my God! the wise and adorable Dis- tributor of thy own gifts ! permit me, at the foot of thy tabernacle, to praise thee in thy saints, and to extol thy power in the miracles of mercy thou hast so often wrought in favour of weak mortals ; --per- mit me, O Lord of majesty ! to glorify thy name for the graces bestowed on those who are solely devoted to thy love. O spotless Sanctity ! may thy happy spouses learn from thee, their divine Master and Model, I 90 to know, to appreciate, and to prolong their happiness, by living but for thee, who arttheir praise andtheir God, that hath done for them such great and admirable things. [Dent. x. 21.) Teach them, im- maculate Lamb ! to yield not to the angels in purity, to the seraphim in ardour, or to the cherubim in desire and in effort to know theirBeloved, who is chosen out of thousands ^ (Cant. V. 10.) ---let their eyes feast but on thy enchanting beauty— their ears be open but to thy divine voice — and their hearts be sensible alone to the inspirations of thy mercy and love. O my adorable Love ! blessed^ truly blessed, are they that see thee^ and are honoured with thy friendship! (Eccles. xlviii. 11.) Alas ! why am I not among them ? why have I not a place in that land which of all is most dear to thee ? (Wisd. xii. 7.) Ah ! 1 confess, in the sin- cerity of my heart, that 1 am not w orthy to be ranked among thy beloved children ; but still I feel that thou art the dear, ador- able Spouse of my soul, and that in this sanctuary of love, thou wilt reject none who believe in thee. O divine Mercy ! I believe in thee — thou hast espoused me in that saving faith, which is dearer tome than life ; — 1 hope in thee, and firmly trust that thou wilt now have mercy on her that de- 91 served to be without mercy, (Osee ii. 23.) O call me to thee this inomeiit, let me hear thee from this throne of love, naming me as thy child ; my heart shall for ever disclaim every pursuit but thy love, and shall answer, in transports of gratitude and praise, that thou art my God. (Ibid. 24.) XV. Come to me all you that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. St. Matt. xi. 28. Who among the poor or afHicted of this world would remain an instant plunged in poverty or anguish, were the riches of the earth within their reach, or had they ac- cess to a friend both able and willing to give peace to their souls ? Alas ! how true it is, that the children of this wmld are wiser in their generation than the children of light, (St. Lukexvi. 8.), for how many thousands do we see labouring and heavy laden with internal and external crosses, yet they are tossed in the tempest, without comfort, (Isa. liv. 11.), because they will not approach to the Lord, who is their Healer. [Exod. xv. 26.) How many, con- scious of the rigorous judgments they have deserved, tremble at the prospect of those eternal miseries from which infinite mercy 12 92 alone can deliver them, yet refuse to seek a refuge where it may surely be found. That God of mercy is come on this altar, and there is not a man to profit of his pre- sence, — he tails, and there is none that will hear. Is his hand then shortened and become little, that it cannot redeem ? or is there no strength in him to deliver ? (Isa. L 2.) Alas ! ungrateful as we are, this sovereignly merciful Saviour is to us no less ^Godhidden, (Ibid. xlv. 15.), than a forgotten benefactor. Long since should we have sunk under our load, fainted in the way, and expired from the multiplied wounds of our souls, had he not, unsought for, assisted our weakness, and granted us his grace independent of our entreaties. O too true it is, that he carries us in his arms, arid we have not hnown that he has healed us. (Osee xi. 3.) But, O ye sons of 'men, how long will you be dull of heart? (Ps. iv. 3.) how long shall we be deaf to the voice of a God whose essential happi- ness our misery cannot lessen, yet who burns with desire to impart rest to our souls ? O happy, thrice happy are they who shall listen to and obey the voice of their Redeemer ; — reposing in his arms, they shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun strihe them ; for 93 he that is merciful to them shall be their shepherd^ and at the fountains of waters he shall give them todrink^ (Isa. xlix. 10.) — but unhappy those who, seeking their peace elsewhere than in him, have reason to tremble lest he should swear, in his wrath^ that they shall not enter into his rest, (Ps. xciv, 11.) Come then all with- out exception — break forth and come all ye nations frow round ahout^ and gather yourselves together,, (Joel iii. 11.), at the foot of this tabernacle -let all be comfort- ed, and in presence of this sacred saving Victim, let the weak say^ I am strong. (Ibid, 10.) O eternal Majesty ! infinite, adorable Perfection ! is it possible thou desirest that I should approach thee? or can I be among the number of those to whom thou olFerest rest in thy sacred arms ? O my God ! though 1 am miserable only because I am faithless to thee — though 1 deserve not a remedy for the evils I have myself occasi- oned, yet I feel that I am not excluded from thy ancient mercies, and that 1 am invited, with all those who labour and are heavy laden, to seek refreshment and re- pose in thy divine heart. O why have I so long suffered without merit or consola- tion ?---was there no balm in Galaad?--ot 13 91 tJie?'e no physician there ^ (Jer, viii, 22.)-— did 1 imagine there was no pity in that heart which is tenderness itself---no compassion in that God whose very es- sence is goodness, and whose favourite attribute is boundless mercy? O divine mercy ! eternal inexhaustible mercy ! I see that it is not possible to tire, or force thee to abandon, while in this life, the objects of thy love. Thou hast called me with tenderness peculiar to thyself van- quished by thy love, allured by thy pro-r inises, I from this moment renounce the vain, empty gratifications with which I have sought to alleviate my sufferings, and lighten my cross. 1 leave all creatures for thy sake, and already am I abundantly recompensed, for when 1 had a little pass^ ed by them^ I founds Him tvhom my soul loveih. I held him^ and I will not let him go. (Cant. iii. 4. 1 have found in this most sacred mystery a Comforter who is sweet and mild^ and plenteous in mercy ^ (Ps. XXXV. 5.) -- -a God who is all compas- sion, --a Spouse who is all lovely^ all desir- able, all enchanting; and whose adorable perfections are infinitely beyond the con- ception of angels or men---yes; such is my Beloved, andhe ismy friend. (Cant. v. 16.) O Friend of my soul ! sovereign Remedy 1)5 of all my evils ! receive me-— open to me that divine heart which shall henceforward be the repository of every thought, every feeling, every sigh of my soul. Thou know- est, for thou art the witness of my most^e- cret movements, that 1 labour under the insupportable weight of many and griev- ous offences, --that I struggle against pas- sions which are unmortified and unsub- dued, --that I am exposed to ten thousand temptations which fill me with apprehen- sions, doubts, and anguish. Ah! Lord, thou alone canst relieve and deliver me : — but, my adorable Beatitude! by what heavenly charm hast thou already lighten- ed my load, and penetrated my heart with love for those trials from which 1 sought to be delivered? Ah! it is the angel of thy presence that has saved me— it is thy love and thy mercy which has redeemed me, that now carries me, and lifts me up to understand the value of a share in thy cross, and the combats of thy saints. {Isa. Ixiii. 9.) Complete thy own work, my sovereign Lord ---I ask not to be freed from my cross, but to be fastened for ever thereto by the bands of love — to suffer with thee, and in thy name ; for I now feel, from happy experience, that a soul • 1)6 united to thee by faith and resignation, will always find thy yoke sweet and thy bu7‘den light, (Matt, xi, 30.) XVI. I ivill draw them with the cords of Adaniy with the hands of love. Osee xi. 4. Had Jesus appeared on our altars array-' edin all the terriers of bis majesty, and the splendour of liis glory, he would have com- manded at least all our adoration and re- spect. But to this Victim of immeasurable charity, one sigh, one fervent movement of a heart touched with love, is more pleas- ing and acceptable, than the forced or ser- vile homage of thousands, who may fear to offend, but know not how to love. Solely intent on proving his eternal predilection for man, and anxious only to secure a re- ciprocal return, Jesus divests his divine person of all that could repulse or terrify, and appears in this most amiable mystery in the endearing and attractive characters of our Friend, our Redeemer, Mediator, and Father. Ah ! let us ask our own hearts what has he left undone to prove his un- questionable title to each of these appella- tions. How often, instead of punishing, 9T does he wink at the sins of men, to induce them to repentance- -how often does he profit of our most grievous transgressions, to open to us all the richest treasures of his mercy, that Israel may be caught in their own hearty with which they have parted from him, (Ezech. xiv, 5.), that they may experience his unmerited mercy with humble, penitent gratitude, and be confounded when the Lord shall be paci- fied towards them for all they had done. {Ibid, xvi. 63.) But, above all, with what irresistible tenderness does he often con- descend to the natural inclinations and imperfect desires of those who sincerely endeavour to be solely his, but who expe- rience with regret all the misery and frailty of their weak nature. To win their hearts by tho^e sensible consolations which they desire, often does he reward their least elforts, and bring upon them, as it were, a river of peace, (Isa. Ixvi. 12.), that he may first draw them with the cords of Adam, (Osee xi. 4.), and then for ever captivate them in the bands of more solid, but less sensible love. O who can resist his mer- cy ? — who can refuse to follow him con- fidently — to adhere to him inseparably, particularly in this sacred mystery of mer- cy and love ? Blessed are those that profit 98 of their very faults and miseries, to fly to their God Avith the tender confidence of a child towards a fond indulgent parent; for as one whom the mother caresseth^ so will he comfort them, and they shall be comforted, (Isa. Ixvi. 13.) O most amiable Jesus 1 the life and only happiness of my soul ! how is it possible that I should have so long, so obstinately ' resisted the powerful attractions of thy in- finite love! — by what miracle of ingrati- tude have I been so long deaf to thy voice, and insensible to thy infinite goodness ? Alas ! I have been ungrateful it is true, but, my sovereign, adorable Benefactor 1 I have not forgotten the innumerable occa- sions in which thou hast already pardoned iny sins, and received me, on my return, with more than paternal tenderness, and this encouraging remembrance is what now induces me to flee to thee with as much confidence as a child would to the best and most indulgent of parents. Ah ! why should 1 hesitate to do so P — hast thou not assured me, both by word and action, that though a mother should forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her Avomb, yet thou Avilt never forget me ? (Isa, xlix, 15.) How often hast thou taken occasion from my most grievous 99 transgressions to display the greatness of thy love, and to crown me more liberally with mercy and forgiveness ? How often have my feeble exertions in thy service been rewarded with a torrent of delight, which thou hast not always granted to those w^ho have borne the heat and burden of the day ? — my least sacrifices, my most wavering resolutions, have been recom- pensed with such sweet peace, as is due- only to the faithful, persevering followers of the cross. Thou hast given me a heart susceptible of love ; that heart thou hast made for thyself, and thou alone knowest how often thou hast endeavoured to gain entire possession of thy own inheritance ; — how often thou hast imbittered every earthly pursuit, that my natural thirst after happiness and repose may force me to seek them where alone they may be found : — how often thou hast infused into my soul a clear conviction, an intimate persuasion of thy transcendent beauty, and infinite perfection, that thou inayest win ray heart by its natural inclination to love what is amiable, beautiful, and perfect. All this thou hast done for me a wretched sinner, that having once tasted and seen how sweet is the Lord, fPs. xxxiii. 9.), I may be induced to follow thee for my own sake, 100 and to cleave to thee for thine. O Love ! at length thou hast for ever conquered, thou hast captivated my soul, thou hast subdued my whole heart, not by threats or reprehensions, but by the irresistible attractions of infinite goodness and con- descending mercy. Since my weakness, misery, and wretchedness, have not de- stroyed thy earnest desire of possessing my heart, why should they be obstacles to my approaching this altar, where thou art weak with the feeble, abandoned with the desolate, despised with those who are con- temned, poor with the indigent ; in fine, where thou art all to all, that thou mayest captivate all in the hands of love ? (Osee xi. 4.) O my everlasting Repose ! thou shalt in future be the remedy of my evils, as well as the source of all my good ; thou shalt be the comfort of my affliction, as well as the subject of my joy ; for I now clearly see that thou residest in this ador- able mystery, as well to bind ttp that which was hrohen, and to strengthen that which was weah ; as to preserve that which was strong, to feed thy saints with the manna of heaven, (Ezech, xxxiv. 16.), and to re- ward their exertions in tliy service with such ineffable joys as it is not given to man to utter. 101 XVII. Fear not ^ for I have redeemed thee^ and called thee by thy name ; thou art mine, Isa. xliii. Oiir divine Lord here reminds by the mouth of his prophet, of the greatest and most certain motive of our hope and confidence, that he may divest our peti- tions of that wavering diffidence which usually destroy their effect. He desires us to call on him without fear of his justice, because through love and mercy he has died to save us ; and it is surely in pre- sence of this adorable sacrament, instituted to shew forth his passion and death, (I Cor, xi. 26.), that he peculiarly desires wo should dwell with gratitude and love on the sacred mystery of our redemption. — But among the myriads whom the blood of a God has shed to save, how few are there who comply with his parting order of doing this in remembrance of him ? (St, Luke xxii. 19.) — how few approach the divine Ark of the new Covenant with that confidence and love with which it should inspire them. How many Christians even* assist at the awful sacrifice of our altars, without once calling to mind the bitter sufferings by which they were rescued 102 from perdition, without reflecting that oui* adorable Victim is the Lamb which wa^ slain from the beginning of the worlds (Apoc. xiii. 8.)j and offered for our sins on Mount Calvary in transports of love, in excessive agony, and universal contempts O that the insults, outrages, and ingrati- tude then endured by our divine Redeemer had ceased with the bloody sacrifice which terminated his mortal life ! But, alas ! they are too often renewed with increased malice by thousands, who, unlike the J e ws, acknowledge the divinity of Him who is daily immolated for their daily crimes, yet seem determined to forfeit their claim to his superabundant merits, by absolute for- getfulness of all that was done and suffered for their salvation. Ah ! let us not imitate those who crucify again the Son of God^ (Heb. vi. 6.), who forget the sufferings of Him by whose death they live :— let never approach this altar without endea- vouring to excite in our hearts those senti- ments of contrition, love, and compassion^ which would surely have filled our souls had we witnessed the tragic scene exhibit- ed on Calvary, and which, with increased mercy and love, is renewed, in a mystical manner, on our altars. Let us count it a folly to glory in any thing but the cross of 103 our Lord Jesus Christj (Gal. vl. 14.) ~ let us labour to advance so far in the love ol our crucified God, that our hearts may burn within us (St, Luke each time that we really and truly behold, in this sacrament, the sacred Victim who once bled for our transgressions. Let us henceforward confidently hope that we belong to him who has redeemed us, who has graven us in his hands, (Isa, xlix. 16.), aiid to whom our souls are far dearer than bis own liie and blood. O sacred Victim of my salvation ! how dear must my soul be to thee, since, not content with dying to purchase my eternal happiness, thou still continuest on this altar the life-giving sacrifice by which thou didst redeem the univer^. O adorable JliyJi-priest of our souls ! holyj innocent^ tUideJiledy separated from sinners y and made Jiiyher tfian the heavens ! (Ileb. vii. 26.), I most firmly believe that thou art present on this altar, the same Victim who once expired, for my sake, on Mount Calvary : — I believe that, in this most amiable mystery, ihou art always living to make intercession for us ; and that thou art ahley willing, and anxious to save for ever them that come to God by thee. (Ibid. 25.) I believe that the adorable blood which i04 gushed from every pore of thy sacred body, now flows on this altar as really, abundantly, and efficaciously as it once did on that of Calvary ; and that the love which consumed thy divine heart in the midst of thy torments, still burns with increased vehemence. O Spouse of my soul! beloved Companion of my exile 1 I know that thou wert once immolated on a cross for my sake ; thy divinity insulted and denied ; thy sacred body covered with wounds and blood ; — but when I behold thee equally exposed to contempt and insult on this altar, thy sacred humanity it- self concealed under the humiliating forms of bread and wine, I know not in which situation thou art most amiable, merciful, and endearing; — 1 know not where to adore thee most profoundly, to love thee most ardently ; for in both, thou art en- tirely, unreservedly sacrificed for my sal- vation. Ah ! my adorable Love 1 my crucified Lord j thou art here, as in thy passion, a meek lamb, a passive victim of insult and contempt; — thy divine heart is here more deeply wounded than on the cross, because pierced by those who are thy servants, whom thou hast chosen^ and not cast away^ (Isa. xli. 10.), and to whom die astonishing testimonies of thy love art 105 become exceedingly credible (Ps. xcii. 5.) by the lig:ht of faith. O why have I, with more than Jewish ingratitude, joined in their perfidy ! why have 1 slighted the mercy of a God by whom I was formed, redeemed^ and called by name, (Isa. xliiic 1.)— of a merciful Saviour who died on a cross, and resides on this altar from tlie excessive dove with which he has loved me ! Is it because thou art silent in this tabernacle, and as one that seeth not, that thou art forgotten ? (Ibid. Ivii. ll.) O God of my soul ! God hidden and insulted, both in thy passion and in this adorable mystery ! I feel that 1 deserve to be con- demned with the ungrateful multitude who refused to believe in the miracles wrought before their eyes yet, criminal as I am, I do not, and cannot fear, because thou hast redeemed me. My soul is filled with the tenderest, liveliest confidence, because thou art my liedeemer, from everlasting is thy name. (Ibid. Ixiii. 16.) — 1 hope in thee, because thou art not come on earth, still less on this altar, to judge the world, but to save. Save me then, O Jesus ! I eon - jure thee by thy cross and passion ; ami grant that I may lose every thing rather than the recollection of what thou hast done and still doest for my ^uke. Let thy K3 106 humiliations be my glory, thy cross my support, and thy amiable, adorable sacra- ment my treasure and refuge ; that I may be associated to the fellowship of thy suf^ ferings^ being made coyformable to thy deathy (Phil, iii, 10.), and that my sweetest comfort may be to weep at the foot of thy altars, not over thee, but over my own sins, and the offences of those for whom thou hast suffered. XVIII. With desire I have desired to eat thispasch with you. St. Luke xxii. 15. Although our sovereign Lord, in em- bracing our weak nature had given an iiiccnteslable proof of that solid love which tends to union with the object beloved, yet we learn from his own sacred lips that he ardently sighed for the moment wherein he had determined to institute that ador- able sacrament, by which, till the end of ages, he was to abide in man, and man in him. With desire he desired to eat that pasch with his beloved disciples : — with desire, with vehemence, with ardour, with tenderness, with love altogether incon- ceivable to created intelligence, he longed to distribute to his chosen followers that 107 life-giving bread which descended fron^ heaven, fSt, John vi, 51.) ; and until the moment arrived for incorporating himself really and truly with him, his divine soul was, as it were, straitened, his boundless love, in some measure, restrained. But when this prodigy of love was accomplish- ed — when this God of all majesty and glory was carried in his own hands, who can conceive^ the impetuous transports of love with which he distributed the adorable body that was about to be sacrificed, and the saving blood which was soon to be shej for the remission of sins ? (St, Matt. xxvi. 28.) Such were the dispositions of a God towards man, and such they still are ; for his continued residence on our altars, his daily, hourly repetition of the miracle of mercy which, at his last supper, astonished the heavens, emphatically assure us all, that with desire he desires to eat this pasch with us also that he is present in the adorable eucharist far less to be the object of our adoration and respect than to be the strength and nourishment of our souls, by a frequent communication of that life-giv- ing bread of which he who eats shall live for ever. (St. John vi. 52.) But shall Jesus alone wish for a union which to him is alone humiliating and degrading ; and 108 man blindly refuse or neglect a bless- ing which dignifies and elevates him above the angels themselves ? Shall this al- mighty Being stand at the door of our hearts, and knock, promising that if any one will open to him the gate, he will come in to him, and sup with him, (Apoc. iii. 20.) ; and shall man always persevere iu that cold indiiterence for the adorable Eucharist so detrimental to the interests of his soul — so little in unison with the ardours of his Saviour ? O let all who desire peace on earth, or happiness in heaven, approach this sanctuary where He resides who will bestow the one, and se- cure the other — let all who slothfully neg- lect tile regular and Christian life which frequent communion undoubtedly requires, rise from that sleep which will certainly terminate in death ; for as little can such souls survive the loss of the bread of life, as the body can sustain a total privation of corporal food. Where is wisdom, whei^e is strength, where is nnder standing, where is length of days and life, where is the light of the eyes and peace, (Baruch iii. 13.), if not in a frequent, fervent approach to that sa- crament, which contains not grace alone, but the author and giver of grace ? O blessed are those who are called to the marriag'e supper of the Lamh ; but, on the contrary, miserable are those self-excluded guests who decline that invitation full of mercy and love, and thus merit an eternal exclusion from his heavenly kingdom. O almighty Lord ! great in all things, and in all circumstances worfhy of praise! amiable, enchanting, and infinitely deserv- ing of love ! never didst thou appear more prodigal of mercy than in the institution of this most adorable sacrament — never didst thou prove thyself so truly a Saviour, a God willing to sanctify^ (Isa. xlii. 21.), as when thou didst invite all men to par- take in the sacred banquet of thy body and blood, by disclosing thy ejirnest desire to contract with them an intimate union of mercy and love. O omnipotent Majesty ! didst thou not sufficiently humble thy almighty greatness by a union with the miseries of human nature in the moment of the incarnation ? didst thou not espouse all men on the altar of the cross, and is not thy love satisfied? No, Lord! I know from thy own sacred lips that a less gift than thyself wilt not do justice to thy ardent desire of enriching, ennobling, and dignifying those cherished mortals whom thou lovest with such unexampled, such excessive tenderness. O infinite Goodr 110 ness ! eternal Wisdom ! I know that thou hadst me also in Yiew, when thou didst give thy flesh for the life of the world ; — it w as for me that thou veiledst thy glories under the familiar forms of bread it was to become my nourishment, my strength, my life, my all. I am firmly persuaded of all this, and it would be the most crying ingratitude to doubt the sincerity of thy desire to open to me also this superabun^ dant treasure of thy most precious g’races. But, Lord ! art not thou the Hiyh^ the Eminent^ that inhabiteth eternity f (isa, Ivii. 15.) — art thou not a God among whose saints none is found unchangeable^ and before whom the heavens are not pm e ? (Job XV. 5.) What is man that thou shouldst set thy heart upon hinn^ (Ibid, vii. 17.), and what am I, in particular, that thou shouldst assure me, with mercy and love peculiar to thyself, that thou desirest to eat this pasch with me ? Dost thou not know my heart? is there one of its miseries hidden from thee, or rather is not the deep abyss of its wretchedness known clearly to thee alone ? O Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world ! thou art now peculiarly necessary to me, and such is my unbounded confidence in thy immeasurable love, that I am resolved to approach thee, Ill notwithstanding my wretchedness ; firmly persuaded that by so doing I shall only second thy merciful designs, and satisfy the burning ardours which consume thy heart. Behold me then, Beloved of niy soul ! — thou desirest to eat this pasch with me, and, O Desired of all nations ! (Agg. ii. 8.), adorable Object of the enraptured love of the angels and saints ! thou know- est that I most fervently desire to give thee entire possession of my heart. Come, for us the hart panteth after the fountains of waters^ so my soul panteth after thee. (Ps^ xli. 1.) I desire thee, O Treasure of the blessed ! I long to be enlightened by thee,, O resplendent Sun of Justice! (Mai. iv« 2.) I languish to embrace thee, O en- chanting Beauty ! to pour out my whole soul with Magdalen at thy feet, and even with thy beloved disciple to lean on thy bosom, and learn from thee how to desire, how to love, how to cleave to thee alone. Ah ! give me thy adorable body — give it to me now — give it to me often ; — let the study of my life be to prepare thee a dwelling in my soul ; the summit of my happiness to receive thee ; and all my comfort to expect a repetition of thy mer- ciful visit. But above all, O beloved of my soul 1 let the fruit of my communions 112 be such a fervent increase of divine cha- rity, as may render every respiration of ray heart, and every movement of body and soul, an act of ardent lave and union with thee in this most amiable mystery. XIX. I am come to send jire on the earthy and fvhat will I but that it be kindled ? St. Luke xii. 49. The great object of our beloved Re- deemer’s mission on earth was to teach alL men that sacred science, wliichy in itself, includes the perfection of the law ; thus to open an easy, short, secure, and de- lightful passage to that sublime perfection which he commands, and which, divested of divine love as its motive, its life, its end, its sole object, may perhaps appear beyond the strength of weak nature. Je- sus desires our temporal peace — our eter- nalhappiness-— he therefore came on earth to secure both, by diffusing among all that consuming fire which burns in his own adorable heart. Every action of his mor- tal life, every circumstance of his bitter passion, and, in particular, every instant of his residence on our altars, sufficiently proves that in labouring to enkindle the ardours of divine charity, he did not con»- fine himself to precept alone. He has pursued us with g^races, loaded us with favours, and distinguished us with such astonishing, such stupendous instances of Godlike liberality, as should naturally tend to enkindle the fire of gratitude and love. With the noble generosity of a disinterest- ed Benefactor he has rejoiced over us in doing us good, and he lias himself declared that he bestows his benefits with all his heart, and all his soul. fjer. xxxii. 41.) But has our divine Lover yet succeeded in gaining our hearts ? Are we yet in- flamed with that fire which is actually cast on earth by the institution of this divine mystery, at once the furnace and source of the purest flames ? Alas ! so far from that lively gratitude, that animated love which unexampled tenderness and count- less benefits so justly merit, does not our conduct too strongly imply either igno- rance or forgetfulness of our immense obligations ? has not our amiable Saviour cause to reproach us from this tabernacle in these affecting words, I have loved you^ but you have said^ wherein hast thou loved us ? (Mai. i. 2.) Ah ! let us at length open our hearts to the all-reviving beams of this Sun of Justice, who is come to I. Hi inflame and consume all that is contrars to his love. On our altars ilte Light of Is^rael is as ajire^ and the Holg One thereof as a jlatne. (Isa. x. 17.) Ihe inanimate mountains themselves melt like max at the presence of the Lord^ (Ps. xcvi. 5.) ; who then can resist his heat? (Ibid, xviii. 7.) —who can be insensible of his love, or unmindful of his benefits ? O if there be an adamantine heart of that description, how should it tremble for its eternal doom, for he that loveih not ahideth in deaths (1 St. John iii. 14.), and the hope of the imthankfid shall melt auay as the minter's ice, (Wis. xvi. 29.) Amiable and adorable Jesus ! eternal Beatitude and only Treasure of my soul ! how is it possible that thou hast been so long a time with me, and that 1 have not Jinomn thee? (St, John xiv. 9.) How couldst thou have so long burned with love for me on this highy this glorious throne,^ which is truly and really the place of our sanetification, (Jer. xvii. 12.), without inflaming a heart wliich infinite love alone induces thee to ask or to accept ? O my most beloved Redeemer i God of charity ! first and noblest victim of that heavenly fire thou art come to cast upon earth ! if 1 am a stranger to the extatic joyr- which 115 those happy souls feel, whose sole delight and treasure thou art, 1 cannot alledge want of disposition on thy part, since the persevering tenderness and liberality of thy love towards me would long since have triumphed over any heart less obdurate than mine. O how can 1 reflect on all thou hast done to soften my hardened and insensible soul, without melting into tears of the deepest regret ! -^hovv can I remem- ber that love which chose me hi the furnace of poverty^ (Isa. xlviii. 10.), which drew me from an abyss of wretchedness and mi- sery to rank me among the most favoured of thy childreji, without being animated and inflamed with the liveliest gratitude ! Yes, my sovereign happiness ! thou hast spared neither graces, nor inspirations, nor entreaties to draw me to thee —and even when I had become more criminal by an abuse of all those precious means of salvation — wlieii I had made my heart as the adamant stone lest 1 should hear thy laiVy (Zach. Vii. 12.), far from reproaching or abandoning me as I deserved thou wert silent in thy love^ (JL^oph. iii. 17.), and, with unexampled forbearance, awaited my repentance. O dear and amiable Jesus ! adorable object of never-ending praise ! thou hast not done in tike manner to every h 2 116 nation^ and thy love thou hast not thus made manifest to them, (Ps. cxlvii. 20.) Alas ! I feel that I am unworthy to pros- trate before thee as my God, still less to address thee as my heavenly spouse; but how consolatory is the thoug^ht that they love most, to whom most has been remit- ted. (8t. Lvke vii. 47.) During' thy sacred life thou didst not forbid the greatest sin- ners to water thy divine feet with tears of fervent love ; never didst thou deny them the happy privilege of aspiring to all that is sweetest and most sublime in the exercise of that heavenly virtue. Behold me then filled with confidence in thee, who hast bowed the heavens to descend on this altar, for no other end than to inflame and consume all hearts, without excepting the least worthy. I approach to implore par- don for my past insensibility, and to ask for myself and all creatures the precious gift of perfect charity. O adorable, eter- nal Lover of mankind ! why art thou so little loved } if thou he a faitier^ where is thy honoiJfv ? if thou he a master j rrhere is thy fear? (Mai. i. 6.) if thou art a Re- deemer, a benefactor, a tender, merciful, disinterested friend, where is the love that is due to thy incomprehensible goodness } Alas ! I myself have been more guilty. 117 more ungrateful than all other creatures ; because, more favoured than thousands, thou hast been jealous for my soul with great jealousy^ (Zach. viii. 2.), and still I have resisted, But, O divine Lord ! at length I feel thy omnipotence, and am persuaded that it is in love thou art pecu- liarly all ruling and resistless — thou hast mercifully touched my soul and penetrated me with that sacred refining fire (Mai. iii. 2.) which thou art come on earth to enkin- dle. O complete thy triumph, take full possession of my whole soul — give me that enlightened love, which will withdraw me totally from all created objects, and irre- sistibly persuade me that thou art the most amiable, the most lovely, the most enchanting, the most beautiful above the sons of men, (Ps. xliv. 3.)— that penitent love, which will pierce my soul with an- guish and regret for my innumerable of- fences — that ardent love, whose rapturous transports will impel me towards thee, wdth more force and velocity than fire is carried towards its sphere — that patient love, which will sweeten every labour, that has thee, O sovereign Goodness ! for its object — that constant love — that resigned and uniform love, which will concentrate every thought and wish of my soul in the L3 118 perfect accomplishment of thy divine will. But, above all, O my supremely amiable and adorable Jesus ! give me that love of union — that actual, fervent love, which will teach me to cleave to thee incessantly in this most sacred host, where thou art peculiarly my possession and treasure, and where thy name and thy remembrance are the desire of souL (Isa. xxvi. 8.) XX. Jlie mercies of the Lord I 7vill sing for ever, Ps. Ixxxvii. 1. Were the infinite mercies of our God as sensibly felt, as gratefully acknowledged, as they are universally experienced, how many thousands would rapturously exclaim with tlie royal psalmist, that the mercies of the Lord would be the unceasing subject of their fervent praise— how many would crowd into the sanctuaries of their Saviour to lay open their wants before a God, who delights in no other title than that of the Father of Mercies^ (2 Cor. i. 3.), and to join with the happy spirits, whose heavenly songs will, for eternity, have no other theme than the eternal mercy of their great King ! O what sweet peace, what tender confidence, what ardent love, would result from a thorough practical conviction, that the God whom we serve is far less awful m his majesty, less tremendous in his jus- tice, less invincible itrhis power, than he is ineftahle in his love, atui j}lenteoi{s in his merctj, (Ps. cxUv. 80 Still, among all those whom infinite mercy has redeemed, preserved, pardoned, and daily loads with the choicest graces, how few are those whose confidence in their Creator and Father is in any respect in unison with the tenderness of his mercy towards them. On the contrary, how many victims are immolated to his justice, because, self- condemned, they will not have recourse to that mercy which is from generation to generation^ not oniy on those who fear and love him^ (St. Luke i. 50.), but even with boundless liberality on those who offend and abandon him. Thousands of infatu- ated sinners pine a\vay in their iniquities, or run blindly on in the road of perdition, imagining with Cain and Judas that their crimes are too great to be forgiven. O little do they know that heart of mercy which n ill cast off', and even if he hath cast \ will also have mercy according to the multitude of his ynercies^ (Lament, iii. 81, 32.) — little do they know the magni- tude of that raereV} which has covered 120 the body of their Redeemer with wounds, which has opened and exhausted his sacred yeins, and poured his adorable blood in torrents on earth, to cry to heaven for that mercy, which, through his merits, we have a right to claim. Ah ! How long will they be thus incapable of being cleansed ? (Osee viii. 5.) But, if the view of the cross be not sufficient to banish every shadow of distrust from the minds of all men, whe- ther sinners or just — if they still flee frou^ a God, who, so far from punishing, has himself promised to receive with an in- crease of tenderness the confident return of a sinner to his arms, assemble yourselves y be gathered together y O nation not worthy to be lovedy (Soph. ii. 1.), and behold this most sacred sanctuary, the miracle of love, and the treasure of mercy. It is here that the light of mercy shines forth with such dazzling brightness as even to astonish the angels of heaven — it is here that are opened the flood-gates of mercy, and a blessing found out even to abundance. {MaL iii. 10.) This is the sanctuary whose gates are open continually y and are not shut day nor nighty (Isa. lx. 11.), that in what- ever day the sinner shall repent, he may enter confidently, and reap at the mouth of mercy. O who can despair when we 121 contemplate in this life-giving host, a God, a Saviour who so ardently desires to ex- hibit the riches of his mercy in pardoning the most obdurate sinners, that he orders, not only his angels, but the inanimate works of his hands, to celebrate the day when he shall bind up the nound of his people^ and shall heal the strohe of their wound, (Isa. xxx. 26.) Return then, sin- ners of all descriptions, return with confi- dence to Him whose mercies are over all his worhs^ (Ps. cxliv. 9.) ; but delay not lest he be at length weary of intreating thee^ (Jer. xv. 6.), lest the harvest be passed, the summer be ended, and ye be not saved, (Ibid. viii. 20.) O my soul ! cherished object of a Savi- our’s love, purchase of his blood, and child of his tenderest mercies ! come now and give glory to him, because he is good, and his mercy endurethfor ever, (Ps. cxvii. 1.) 0 my soul’s dearest Love ! my Redeemer ! my sovereign Lord ! why have I not the voice of angels and men — why have I not the transports of the seraphim, and all the united ardours of the heavenly host, that I may sing to thee a new song of benediction and thanksgiving ? But, alas ! what shall 1 offer to the Lord that is worthy ? where- with shall I kneel before that God, (Mich* 122 vi. 6,), whose eyes are too jyure to behold evily and who canst 7iot look on iniquity. (Heb. i. 13.) O ray everlasting Love ! miserable as I am, I can make thee an ottering most worthy of thy goodness, and grateful to thy heart-— I can present thee with a soul loaded with more mercies than would suffice to sanctify any other but myself. O let thy own mercies then praise thee, let them give thee glory, {Ps. Iviii.), and let my preservation irom those tor- ments I have a thousand times deserved, he a standing memorial of thy paternal com- passion. With the most lively gratitude I acknowledge that it is thy mercy I am not consumed-- -thdi it is because thy tender mercies have not failedy (Lament, hi. 22.), I am still enabled to address thee as my Father, to hope in thee as my Saviour, and to love thee as the treasure, delight, and happiness of my soul. O why cannot I universally proclaim what 1 well know from my own happy experience, that even when thou art angry thou wilt remember mercy y {Habac. hi. 2.) — why cannot I per- suade all those, who, like me, have tram- pled on thy graces, thy blood, and thy love, to detest their iniquity, but to hope without wavering in that mercy where thy strength is hidy (Ibid. 4.)— to weep over 123 their crimes, but to flee without delay to a Saviour who never yet broke the bruised reed., (Isa. xlii. 3.), or trampled on a soul whom contrition and guilt had penetrated and confounded. For my part, I own, in the face of heaven and earth, that I have merited all the rigours of thy justice, — that so far from being treated as my sins deserved, I experienced even an increase of tenderness, and was spared by my Cre- ator, as a man spareth his son that serveth him. (Mai. iii. 17.) What then shall ever induce, what shall ever infatuate me to distrust thy goodness.'^ No; though I should fall again into that abyss from whence thou hast drawn me- --though I should relapse into those transgressions which I sovereignly detest, and dread more than hell itself; still would I rise without delay, and return to thee, firmly convinced that the united offences of all men are less than an atom compared with the magnitude of thy mercies ; I hnow that thou art a gracious and merciful God. patient and of much compassion^ and easy to forgive evil. (Jon. iv. 2.) But, O most merciful Jesus ! what is it that deters so many thousands from approaching confi- dently to a God wlio died for their salva- tion, and in whose divine arms they should 124 not fear, nor be confounded, but should forget the reproach of their youth, and remember no more the shame of their iniquity? fisa, liv. 4.) Surely thou hast offered thy mercies to all, and hast every where proved them to be over all thy works. Ah ! what are those wounds in the midst of thy hands (Zach. xiii. 6.) — what are those thorns which pierce thy head ? — what are those tears which flow from thy eyes, and the sighs which burst from thy adorable heart, but all so many incontest- able proofs of thy eternal, liberal, tender, compassionate, exhaustless mercy ? Yes, beloved Jesus 1 thou art mercy’s essence, and no where art thou more irresistibly attractive, than in this life-giving host, which is by excellence the gift of thy mercy, the good thing of the beautiful tiling^ the corn of the chosen ones and the wine which maketh virgins, (Ibid. ix. 17.) O ! it is in this sacred sanctuary, dropping with all the sweetness of mercy, and flow- ing with the milk of kindness and love^ that thou art truly and really a God who delighteth in mercy^ (Mich. vii. 18.), and the more firmly I believe thee to be such, the more ardently I long that all men should view thee in that amiable light, and profit of the superabundant mercy contain- 125 ed in this adorable sacrament. O divine Jesus ! let thy mercy be upon me accord- ing to my hope in thee, and do thou thy- self increase this hope and confidence in my soul. May this which has fol- lowed me all the days of 7ny life^ (Ps. xx. 6.) accompany me also at the hour of my death, and securely conduct me to that happy land where thy mercy shall be con- firmed upon me^ and thy truth remain for ever. (Ibid. cxvi. 2.) Amen, DEVOUT PRAYERS IN HONOUR OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. I. And Simeon said to Mary --thy own soul a sword shall pierce. St. Luke ii. 54, 35. O MOST sacred, most amiable and imma- culate Mother of God! living Temple of the Divinity ! Delight of angels, and Hope of man ! look with compassion on one whom thou knowest to be most specially M 126 and fervently devoted i6 thee, — ^ whose re- fuge and confidence is in thy poweri’iil in- tercession, and whose hope in life and death is in thy compassionating mercy. O incomparable Virgin ! thou art elevated to a sublime height of love, above the con- ception of created intelligence ; but thy solid glory does not so much consist ia that privilege, as in the resemblance be- tween thy pure soul and the crucified ob- ject of thy love. Thou art not inebriated with the torrent of delights which now overflow^ thy happy soul, without having been first plunged in a sea of sorrow ; thou art not clothed in the resplendent glories of thy dear Son, w ithout having deeply parti- cipated in the bitterness of his chalice, and the ignominy of his passion, l^ermit me, O most afflicted Virgin ! to commemorate the moment when, presenting in the temple the Light of the Gentiles^ and the Glorg of Israely (St. Luke ii. 32.), thy soul w^as filled ^Yith anguish by the inspired predic- tion, wdiich announced his sufferings, and thus foretold thine. It was not the sorrow prepared for thee which pierced thy soul - it was the anticipated view of the exces- sive pangs which awaited the adorable Babe thou didst bear in thy arms. But> O Model of true love, and perfect resig- nation ! with what joy didst thou acquit esce in the will of thy infant God ! with %vhat love didst thou offer thyself to share his ignominies, and be nailed by love to the cross on Avhich he w^as to expire! O by thy heroic dispositions on that occasion, obtain for me such perfect resignation to the trials of this life, as will liken me to thee, and endear me to thy Son. Amen, IL Arhe^ take the Child and his Mother^ and fly into Egypt, St. Matt. ii. 13. Incomparable Virgin ! Queen of angels ! far more mighty than they in all the ener- gies of love, more prompt in executing the w^ord of the Lord, and hearkenmg to the loiee of his orders! (Ps. cii. 20.), permit me to accompany thee in that painful jour- ney into Egypt, whither thou art con- strained to flee. — O how was thy mater- nal heart grieved by the fatigue and uni- versal privations to which thou wert oblig- ed to expose thy beloved Son, without time or abilities to alleviate the pains of an incarnate God, who, for our sakes, be- came subject to all the weakness and im- potence of childhood ! O Mother and per- fect follow’^er of that omnipotent Being, M2 12S who for men became obedient unto deaths even the death of the cross I (Phil. ii. 8.), thy sacred heart is dilated by love, there- fore dost thou run in the way ^all his commandments. (Ps. cxviii. 32.) Thou art, in thy flight to a foreign and idolatrous land, deprived of all human comfort; but thou art rich in the possession of heaven’s treasure— thou art the bearer of love — thou art borne by love, and art to all ages a perfect model of a soul purified in the obedience of charity. (1 Pet. i. 22.) O most sacred Virgin! 1 ardently conjure thee, by the promptitude, love, and cheerfulness of thy compliance on this oc- casion — by the tender compassion with which thou didst fold thy divine Babe in thy arms — by the love with which thou didst press him to thy inflamed heart, and labour to sliield his sacred body from the inclemency of the weather ; to obtain for me that perfect obedience which will speak victories {Prov. xxi. 28.) over my domestic enemies, and teach me, after thy example, to have no other food, de- light, or desire, than the perfect accom- plishment of the divine will. 129 III. The child Jesus remained in Jernsaleniy and his ‘parents knew it not. St. Luke iii. 43. Now it is, O sacred Model of suffering love, that the sword of sorrow begins to penetrate more deeply into thy soul, and to fill thee with far more bitter anguish than thou hadst hitherto experienced. Thou hast lost thy divine Son : — the Delight of thy soul, the Treasure and Beloved of thy heart, has turned aside^ and is gone ^ — thou seekest him, but findeth him not — thou callest, but he does not answer thee. [Cant. V. 6.) O most ardent and constant Lover ! thou art afflicted in proportion to the ardour of thy love— -the animated transports which impel thee towards the dear object of thy soul’s fondest affection, are now become so many agonizing darts, which transfix thy soul, and give ten-fold bitterness to the pangs of separation. Thou grievest for his loss — thou sighest with vehement desire to behold him once more , and tremblest lest some involuntary relaxation in thy usual care may have oc- casioned his departure, or may hinder his M 3 130 return. O most beautiful among women! (Cufit. V, 0.), how little cause hast thou to fear 1 thy heart, that consuming furnace where the llaine of love burns without a foreign affection to damp its ardours, must surely be that tabernacle which the Most Jligh has sanctified, {Ps. xlv. 5.), and destined for his own beloved sanctuary — thy soul, all lair and spotless, without a sliadow of imperfection to sully its imma- culate purity, is certainly the residence, repose, and delight of Him who feedeth among the lilies. (Cant.vi. 2.) Yes; most amiable Virgin ! Jesus is all thine ---he well knows that thou art languishing with love, [Ibid. v. 8.), and whether ab - sent or present his turning is towards thee. [Ibid, vii. 10.) But, unlike those who lose their sovereign Good by siii--- Avlio lose him without pain, who seek him without love, and consequently without success, thou beginnest a search which has the most ardent love for its motive and its object. Ah! I will accompany thee; 1 will seek him ivith thee^ (Ibid.v. 17;), that through thy powerful assistance and intercession I may find in him all that my soul desires. O Mother of f ah' Love! (Eccl. xxiv. 24.), by all the anguish thou 131 didst the purifying furnace of sepa- ration from thy dear Son, obtain for me that perfect love, which will unite me to him and to thee in time and eternity. Amen, IV. And Jesus, hearing his own cross, went forth to that place which is called Calvary. St. Johiixix. 16, 17. O first and most fervent Disciple of a crucified God! what mind can conceive, what tongue can express the agonising pangs of thy soul when the Man of son ows (Isa. liii. 3.) is first presented to thy view ? By what traces dost thou now recognize the Beloved of thy heart, the most Beau- tiful above the sons of men ! (Ps. xliv, 3.) Ah most sacred and afflicted Mother ! though covered with blood and wounds, thy heart tells thee who he is. In that de- jected object of universal insult — in the abused and mangled outcast of the people, (Ps.xxi. 7.) — in the destined victim of a cruel and ignominious death, thou recog- nizest thy own dear and only Son, the blessed fruit of thy womb, and divine cen- tre of all thy affections. O what torrents 132 of tears fell from thy eyes ! what unnum- bered sighs burst from thy heart ! Still, most perfect Model of heaYenly patience! though thy so7^row is above all sorrow^ and Ihy heart mouraeth wHliiti thee, {Jerem, viii. 18.), yet, far from complaint or mur- mur, thy anguish is submissive and silent as tliat of thy Son — thy heart beats in uni- son with his, and knows not a feeling con- trary to the tenderest charity and ihost lively zeal for the salvation of those who are the immediate cause oftliy immeasur- able w^oes. Filled with love, and armed 'with more than human fortitude, thouac- companiest the world’s Redeemer in the last sad journey of his mortal life ; and al- though forced by brutal violence to follow at a distance, yet thou w alkest in the track marked out by his adorable blood. He is exteriorly aided by Simon of Gyrene, yet thou art, in reality, his only assistant in carrying his overwhelmiiig load. O Mo- ther of that meek Lamb that is carried to be a victim^ (Jer. ix. il).), how eloquently does thy heroic example exhort all men to lighten his cross by unalterable patience in bearing their own ! ])ernjiit me then tp ac- company thee to Calvary, that I may team from thy example, and obtain by thy in- tercession, such ardent love of the cross. 133 as will continually animate me to love him without bounds who bore it for my sake, and by voluntary mortification to Jill up those tilings that are 7vanting of the suf~ ferings of Christ. (Col. i. 24.) V. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus^ his mother. St. John xix. 25. O Mary ! immaculate Virgin ! fastened by love to the cross of thy Son, pierced with the thorns, transfixed with the nails, and sprinkled with the precious blood of Christy as of a lamb unspotted and unde^ filed! (1 Pet. i. 19.), now it is that the martyrs of Jesus receive a model, a queen, a support in thee. O let the most tor- mented among those happy myriads, now approach and learn from thee to despise their pangs — let all that pass by the way^ attend^ and see if there be any sorrow like thy sorrow^ (Lament.!. 12.) — let Chris- tians remember thee and blush at their imaginary difficulties in the way of the cross. (3 sacred Object of heaven’s ad- miration ! the angels reverence in thee a faithful copy of thy suffering Son, the se- raphim behold thee and veil their faces, for one of thy impassioned sighs exceeds 134 in ardour all their love^ — yet, al^s! cruelly tormented, thou art deprived of everj spe- cies of consolation human and divine. Ah ! /^7/ocan heal thee? (Lament, ii. 13.), who can impart one ray of comfort to thy ago- nising’ soul ? O crucified Victim of love ! by what miracle art thou supported r by what invisible power art thou sustained at the foot of the cross ? Disclose to me the inmost recesses of that heart, where, un- perceived by men, the tragedy of Cal- vary is acted anew, that 1 may share in thy pangs by the tenderest compassion. The Jews, whose inhuman cries, shouts, and blasphemies torture ihy soul, know not what tliey do, but tliou knowest and feelest the extent of their crime — thou knov/est that they immolate an incarnate God, w^ho thirstsTor their salvation— that they pierce the heart which burns with love for its most inveterate tormentors* O Virgin, more than martyr ! thou wert instructed at the foot of the cross, and no interior deso- lation, or exterior insult, could force thee to dej)art one instant from that painful but salutary school of perfection ! I beseech thee, by the reiterated pangs which the dy- ing groans of thy Son caused in thy to obtain for me a tender solid devotion to bi'i adorable passion,^ that 1 may study to die daily to all created objects, and merit to live in Christ at the hour of my disso-* lutiofi. VI. And Joseph of Arimathea came^ and tooJi dowrt the body of Jesus. St. John xix. 38. O most amiable Virgin ! prostrate at toy feet, 1 adore Vfith ail the poirers of my soul the precious body of my Redeemer, now taken down from the cross and laid in thy arms. Ah ! why cannot I reverence that sacred deposit with all the tenderness and lively ardour of thy inflamed and afflicted heart ! Permit me at least, to commemo- rate the unspeakable pangs which rent thy soul, when looking on him whom they had pierced^ ihouAiAsi mourn for him ^ as one mourneth for an only son^ and grieve over him^ as one gxieyeih for the death of the first born. (Zach. xii. iO.) With what unutterable agony didvSt thou embrace his mangled limbs, number bis still bleeding wounds, and bedew them all with thy bit- ter tears. O most afflicted Virgin ! didst thou execratothe inhuman barbarity of his cruel tormentors ? didst thou accuse of his death the guilty race whose sins, thou 136 knewest, were his real executioners ? No; thy merciful heart is filled with far otlier sentiments — already dost thou look on mankind as the purchase of a Saviour’s blood, the objects of his eternal predilecti- on and dying solicitude. O most sacred Virgin ! I feel that, in committing us to thy charge, he has not left us orphans — we are authorized by his own divine words to look on thee as our mother, and conse- quently to expect the most precious graces from thy powerful intercession. Obtain for me then, 1 beseech thee, through the maternal tenderness thou didst conceive for all men at the foot of the cross, the in- estimablehappiness of frequent and worthy communion. May I, through thy power- t*ul intercession, and after thy example, receive that same adorable body which was lifeless in thy arms, and is deprived in the eucharist of all sensible motion, with the tenderest love, the most pro- found adoration, and such a lively remem- brance of his bitter passion, as will pro- cure for me an abundant share in his inex- haustible merits. 137 VII. A nd there was in the place where he jvas crucified^ a garden^ and in the garden a new sepulchre^ wherein they laid Jesus. St. John xix. 41, 42. O Queen of sorrows! thou didst not long enjoy the sad consolation of behold- ing Him, who, in life and death, was the sovereign and only object of thy love;-^- that immaculate body, which unnumbered wounds had rendered more dear, is now torn from thy arrns — it is laid in the se- pulchre, and with it are buried the joys and consolations which the view of the sacred humanity had so often infused into thy soul. O incomparable Virgin 1 now dost thou weep, and thy eyes run down 7cith water ^ because the comforter^ the re^ lief of soul is far from thee. {Lament. i. 16.) Thou hast beheld the sufferings of his divine infancy ; thou hast seen and adored the obscurity of his hidden life ; thou hast followed him in spirit through the laborious sufferings of his public minis- try ; thou hast witnessed with unspeakable anguish the cruel torments which termi- nated his blessed life— from his first infant cries in the crib at Bethlehem to his last N 138 sigli on the cross, thou hast borne his sor- rows, and carried his griefs. O sacred mo- del of heavenly fortitude, and divine pa- tience ! what is it that sustains thee now ? dost thou desire to suffer still greater pangs ? Yes, thou wilt resemble thy Be- loved in all things, — with him thou wert a victim of suffering through life, and like him thou wilt expire a martyr of love. O love ! most sacred flame ! in the person of Mary thou art truly proved to be stronger than death, {Cant, viii. 6.), for thou hast supported her in torments sufficient to de- stroy a thousand lives. O seraphic Spouse of the spirit of love! shall I presume to call thee my mother, or to implore that pro-^ tection of which my tepidity renders me most unworthy ? O Mar)" ! thou art to me the best gift of a dying Saviour ; and let my sins be what they may, my hope in thee is the last blessing I will relinquish. Ob- tain for me then, through thy seven sa- cred dolours, and through the abundant share thou hadst in my redemption, such ardent love of God, that I may no longer live, but that Jesus alone may live in me — such a spirit of prayer, and union with God, that my life may henceforward be hidden with Christ in God— and such ar- dent, solid, and practical devotion to- 139 %Tards thee, as may procure me the great gift of final perseverance, and a refuge in thy most sacred heart at the hour of my death. O Mary ! happy are they who confidently hope in thee, for the moun- tains shall be rnoved^ and the hills shall tremble^ — but the mercy of God shall not depart from those (Isa. liv. 10.) who are sincerely devoted to his ever blessed Mo~ ther. FINIS N2 in 18mo, Price 25. hound, by the Author of the foregoing Work, With the Approbation prefixed of the Rt. Rev. Dr. Milner, DEVOUT METHODS of HEARING MASS BEFORE AND AFTER COMMUNION .* With EFFUSIONS OF LOVE, OR FERVENT PRAYERS, Which may serve as Entertainment during Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, or as Preparation for, or Thanksgiving after Communion. Just published, i^mo. Price Sd, 6d, CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUTHS ADAPTED TO EVERY AGE AND CONDITION OF LIFE: Interspersed with impressive and edifying Examples, from historical and other authentic Sources. Translated from the French. To which is prefixed the Pastoral Letter of the Bishop of Besanyon to his Clergy, exhorting them to recommend it to the Perusal of Families and Scliools. i 4 Am' ■ '.1 RICHARD R. MADDEN, M.D., Formerly Colonial Secretary of Western Australia, Super- intendent of Liberated Africans, and Acting Judge Ad- vocate in the Havana, &c. Author of the ‘ Lives and Tiines of the United Irishmen,’ and many other Works. A man of varied talents, sterling piety, and unswerving rectitude. He was born in Dublin, August 20th, 1798, an|t4ep(^ed this life at Booij^stown, ^^ruary J'n 5th, 1886. . On whose souli' Sweet Jesus have mercy ! ^ He; hath# opgjied |iis hands to the needy, and ' stretched %ui^4i/]mnds‘tothet)oor. Pp.ov.xxi. ■■ '‘*>Ou]r life, ourMrv^tpo^^) our hope, to Thee We fly for refuge in our misery. Thy Son, our Saviour is with thee, and we That Saviour seek. In our lait momintis. Blessed Mary plead : For us,, poor Binners, deign to intercede, Jesus and Mary be these word! decreed, The last 1 speak. R. B. M.