needful remorse. It was thou, O Peter, that didst buffet thy Master more than these Jews. It was to thee that He turned the cheek from them, to view him by whom He most smarted; He felt thee afar off, and answered thee with a look; such a look as was able to kill and revive at once. Thou hast wounded me, O my Saviour, mayest thou now say, Thine eye of mercy hath wounded my heart with a deep remorse for my grievous sin, with an indignation at my unthankfulness: that one glance of Thine hath resolved me into tears of sorrow and contrition. O that mine eyes were fountains, and my cheeks channels that shall never be dried! And Peter went out and wept bitterly.

O Gracious LORD JESUS! how happy are they whom Thine eyes thus look upon, and whom Thou dost enlighten with the brightness of Thy Divine Light, so that they are enabled to see the depths of their own hearts, and to know their sins! how quickly are they converted, how suddenly their cold and hard hearts are softened and inflamed with love, their tears flow, and they cry, "LORD, what wilt Thou have me to do?" It is indeed no wonder that S. Peter wept ; it is well that his heart did not burst with anguish, when the LORD made him to know his sins, and he saw what injury and contempt he had inflicted on his beloved Master. O who could bear thus, at one glance, to look into his own heart? LORD, cleanse us by Thy piercing light, and make us pure in heart, that we may see Thee, our GOD.

Draper.

O Thou, Who didst endure to be thrice denied by Thine Apostle Peter, and didst then graciously and mercifully look upon him, and move him to true repentance and holy sorrow, causing him to weep bitterly for his sins: Look upon me, I beseech Thee, with the eye of Thy mercy, that I may see, and weep for my sins, and never more commit them; and so help me with Thy restraining grace, that I may never deny Thee either in thought, word, or deed. Amen.

V. THE ADJURATION OF THE HIGH PRIEST.

Gospel Harmony.

S. Matt. xxvi. 62-65; S. Mark xiv. 60-63; S. Luke xxii. 66-69.

And the High Priest stood up in the midst, and asked JESUS, saying, Answerest Thou nothing? What is it these witness against Thee? But He held His peace, and answered nothing. Again, the High Priest asked Him, and said unto Him, I adjure Thee, by the living GOD, that Thou tell us whether Thou be the CHRIST the SON of God.

JESUS saith unto him, I AM;

and hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Then said they all, Art Thou then the SON of GOD? And He said unto them, Ye say that I am.

Then the High Priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?

Reflections.

From this imputation of blasphemy we should learn to be free from all blasphemy in respect of ourselves and others.

1st. Of ourselves-that we neither do nor say anything by which the Name of GOD may be blasphemed, which is done in many ways, as when a man expressly speaks ill of GOD, or His servants, or speaks contemptuously of the Sacraments. He blasphemes the HOLY GHOST Who despises the word of GOD.

2ndly. In respect of others.-Let no word of blasphemy or evil speaking go out of our mouths against any one. The wretched Caiaphas was a blasphemer, by his charging his Creator with blasphemy; and CHRIST might have answered him, Thou art the blasphemer, and not I. But for our example, the LORD would suffer no word of reproach to proceed out of His mouth.

See Williams, p. 140.

Meditation.

Now, O my soul, contemplate with inward sorrow the affliction and anguish of thy Saviour. See the LORD of Glory, the King of heaven, so shamefully treated by these wicked and unjust men. What wouldst thou have done amidst that multitude? Wouldst thou have heaped indignities on thy Saviour, or have poured forth words of sympathy and compassion? Remem

ber that thy sins brought this ignominy on thy LORD; and cry thou unto Him, O JESUS, my LORD and my GOD, my heart is filled with anguish, at the remembrance of Thy shame; O let me never forget Thy humiliations. O LORD JESUS, my Hope and Consolation, Whom my soul loveth, grant that I may suffer for Thee; for it is I, LORD, who have sinned, and not Thou. O most glorious among the sons of men, wherefore art Thou so defiled and insulted? It was

verily for my sins that Thou wast made the reproach of men, and an outcast of the people.

Blush at this, O ye proud men, who think yourselves to be something great, whilst ye are nothing but polluted dust and ashes. Behold the Son of GOD humbled for thy sins; through thee, the Glory of heaven is despised and esteemed a blasphemer.

Although thou art but a worm of earth, thou desirest to revenge all insults, and art inflexible, cruel, and impatient, whilst the LORD of lords patiently endured all His most grievous afflictions and insults from the hands of the meanest servants. In all His sorrows and reproaches, He utters no words of reproof, no frown or look of anger ruffled His loving Countenance; but thou, miserable man, canst not bear the least reproach for GOD, but immediately thou showest anger in words and looks; thy impatient soul breaks forth in murmurs and complaints, and thou art unwilling to bear the slightest cross which GOD lays upon thee. Thou desirest to have thy own will in all things, and to gratify thy sensual appetites, and every desire of the heart; so that if but one unpleasant word be spoken to thee, thou rebellest.

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If it behoved CHRIST thus to suffer, and so to enter into His glory, (S. Luke xxiv. 26,) thou wilt never enter into His kingdom if thou refusest to suffer with Him, for He said, "He that will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."S. Matt. xvi. 24.

Prayer.

All praise, glory, and honour be to Thee, O LORD JESUS CHRIST, Who, when adjured by Caiaphas, in the Name of GOD, didst declare Thyself to be the SON of GOD; and didst not refuse to be esteemed a Blasphemer. O make me utterly to abhor all offence or contempt of Thee, and truly and ardently desire Thy honour and glory. Give me grace to realize, and revere the Presence of Thy Divine Majesty in all places, that I may continually meditate on Thee, and worship, praise, and love Thee above all things. Amen.

VI. THE HOLY LORD IS JUDGED WORTHY OF DEATH.

Gospel Harmony.

S. Matt. xxvi. 66; S. Mark xiv. 64; S. Luke xxii. 71. What think ye? And they all condemned Him, and said, He is guilty of death.

Reflections.

From this we may learn to take heed, lest that word of the Jews, He is guilty of death, which sounded