who hast made the lonely and wild soul quiet and peaceable; who hast given thyself to it when thirsting after thy words; who didst quickly show thyself to it when about to die, and didst appear as law when sinking into lawlessness; who didst manifest thyself to it when overcome by Satan; who didst overcome its adversary when it took refuge in thee; who hast given it thy hand, and raised it from the Kingdom of Hades; who didst not leave it in the body; who hast shown it its own enemy; who hast given it a pure knowledge concerning thee, God Jesus, Father of the supernatural, ruler of the heavenly law of things ethereal, the course of things aerial, guardian of those on earth and fear of those under the earth, and grace of thine own people; receive also the soul of thy John, which is certainly deemed worthy of thee!
113. "Thou who hast preserved me also till the present hour pure to thyself, and free from intercourse with a woman; who, when I inclined in my youth to marry, didst appear to me and say, I am in need of thee, John; who didst prepare for me beforehand . my bodily weakness; who, in the third place,[1] when I wished to marry, didst prevent me at once, but didst say to me at the third hour, in the sea, John, if thou wert not mine, I would let thee
- ↑ Thus we render the Greek word triton, which may also be translated "a third time." The idea seems to be that John speaks of three impediments; one was the appearing of the Lord and call of John; the second his bodily weakness; the third the express prohibition of the Lord to John, with the declaration: "If thou wert not mine, I would let thee marry."
