Page:MeditationsOnTheMysteriesOfOurHolyV1.djvu/208

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trample it under foot. I gave thee the sacrament of baptism, making thee a member of my Church, and thou profanedst it, living with scandal therein. I offered thee the sacrament of penance to restore to thee my grace, and thou choosedst to remain in sin. I invited thee to the banquet of my body and blood for thy sustenance, and thou despisedst it for the flesh-pots of Egypt. I called thee with many inspirations, and thou wast obstinately rebellious unto them. I threatened thee with chastisements, I recalled thee with benefits, and I encouraged thee with promises of great rewards; and of all these thou madest no account O wretched man, what could I do more for thee than I did? And thou, what couldest thou do more against me than thou didst, esteeming more thine own honour than mine? O angels and ministers, judge you and see, ' what is there that I ought to do more to this vineyard, and have not done to it? Was it that I looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it hath brought forth wild grapes [1] Pondering all this, I will with great feeling pronounce those words of David, "O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy indignation, nor chastise me in Thy wrath," [2] but correct me in Thy mercy, whilst yet there i6 time for my amendment.

3. To this reprehension of Christ our very guardian' angels will add theirs, alleging how much they did to divert the wicked from their evil life, and yet with what rebellion the wicked contradicted them. The just likewise " ho are present shall accuse them — some because they rejected their counsel; others because they received from them great wrongs; and others for the peril in which they saw themselves through their evil example. All this the wretches shall hear and see in the' interior part of their soul and o their unhappy conscience, which (as the apostle saith) shall be the most terrible accuser of all; [3] for being convinced with

  1. Isa. v. 2.
  2. Ps. vi. 8.
  3. Rom. ii. 10.