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to bear patiently the deceit of wicked men; as CHRIST patiently bore the treacheries of His betrayer. 3rdly, We must not hate our calumniators, or wish them evil; but we should reprove them with love and tenderness.

See also Williams, pages 39-58.

Meditations.

Consider now, O my soul, the boundless love of thy Saviour. Behold how He thirsts to redeem thee. O Gracious JESU! the only solace of my heart! Where is now the fear, which not long since oppressed Thee? Where the anxious trembling? Where the dread of death? When Thine enemies were as yet far from Thee, Thou wert sorrowful even unto death, and didst sweat Blood; but now, when they are in sight, rushing like lions to shed Thy Blood, Thou fearest not, neither tremblest. Thy betrayer comes with a band of sanguinary men, and Thou goest to meet them. 0 Blessed JESUS! O Gracious Lover of men! how is this? What love fills Thy Heart, that Thou thus goest in the way of Thy enemies, as though they were friends? O most Gracious GOD! what heart is not inflamed by this great love? Who am I, that Thou, the LORD of lords, the King of heaven, the Ruler of the Universe, that Thou shouldst so willingly offer Thyself to death, and into the hands of Thy cruel enemies, for me a vile sinner, and worm of the earth?

The LORD addresses the Traitor with the most gentle words, saying, "Friend, wherefore art thou

come?" As though He had said, "Wherefore do I deserve this of thee, Judas? Wherein have I sinned against thee? In washing thy feet? in bending before thee and showing thee all love and tenderness ? Why hast thou esteemed Me of less value than thirty silverlings? Why art thou turned from Me, Who have honoured thee with the office and title of an Apostle, fed thee with delight, and carefully instructed thee as My own son? Wherefore hast thou forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, and art joined to the service of the devil? Why hast thou turned aside thy heart to avarice, and relinquished Me, the Chief and eternal Good, selling, for a vile sum, Me, Who have in Myself all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge, with which I enrich and fill heaven and earth! Friend, look into thy own heart, I pray thee, and see what thou dost worship, and consider what thou hast done."

Who can observe this great and ineffable benignity of JESUS towards His Betrayer, without tears of compunction for his own sins and ingratitude? Let us pray the Divine goodness never to abandon us, lest our malice so get the upper hand, that we convert good into evil, and the means of our salvation become the instruments of our destruction. Who dare, henceforth, despair of the compassion and mercy of GOD? O Gracious Saviour! if Thou wast so kindly affected to the Traitor, if so amiable to an enemy, so faithful to a wicked and unfaithful servant, as to labour to recall and save him, what, therefore, wilt Thou not do for Thy beloved friends, who desire, seek, and love Thee with all their hearts ? O my soul, art thou im

patient, angry, and thirsting for revenge? or art thou easily moved, with a little word, to anger and reproachful words ? O consider that JESUS did not disdain to salute His betrayer, and most wicked enemy, and to call him "Friend:" whereas, thou, indeed, wilt pass by thy neighbours, disdaining to speak to them, and by this thy disdain thou wilt provoke them to hatred and envy, and so destroy the souls of those whom thou mightest have moved to charity by an amiable countenance, and have pleased with kind words.

Let us observe the virtue of the word, "I am He.” It is undoubtedly a great consolation to the saints, when after invoking Him in prayer, He comes to them as to the Apostles, and says, "Fear not, it is I." It is I your FATHER, your Protector, your Wisdom, Sanctification, and Redemption. I am, to those who serve Me, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is I, Who have the fulness of life, and by Whom thou only canst be eternally happy. Terrible is this word to the wicked; for if a word uttered by the Saviour in His humiliation was so powerful, what will it be when coming in His majesty He shall say, "Depart from Me ?" It will be as a whirlwind, which will not merely strike them to the earth, but sweep them into the abyss of hell. Seek then thy Saviour, O my soul, in humility, for if thou seekest Him in pride, it will be to thy destruction.

Prayer.

See the prayers, page 268 and 272.

THE LORD GIVES HIMSELF UP TO HIS ENEMIES. 259

II. JESUS GIVES HIMSELF UP TO THE MULTITUDE.

Gospel Harmony.

S. Matt. xxvi. 50-54; S. Mark xiv. 46, 47; S. Luke xxii. 49-51; S. John xviii. 10, 11.

When they which were about Him saw what would follow, they said unto Him, LORD, shall we smite with the sword? Then Simon Peter having a sword, drew it, and smote the High Priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said JESUS unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the Cup which My FATHER hath given

Me, shall I not drink it? for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My FATHER, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels? but how then shall the Scripture be fulfilled, that thus it must be? And He touched Malchus' ear, and healed him.

Reflections.

From the consideration of this we may learn: 1st, That as the LORD, for love of us, surrendered Himself a Prisoner to the Jews, so should we bring all our senses and members into captivity to the obedience of CHRIST; (2 Cor. x. 5;) that is to say, our eyes must be turned from all unlawful sights, our ears from hurtful sounds, our tongues from hasty and evil speaking, our hands from wicked deeds, and our feet from wandering in vain and sinful ways. We ought so to bind

ourselves as not to be led captive by the concupiscence of the flesh, and the desire of sensuality drawing us into sin. Our hearts should also be restrained from evil dispositions; our intellects from false judgments and erroneous opinions; and our wills from everything which is contrary to the Divine will. 2ndly, We may also learn another lesson from this, viz. that we ought to surrender ourselves willingly to CHRIST, since, in this life, we are in a state of warfare, and unless we are the servants of the Merciful LORD JESUS, we shall be overcome by our enemies, and consigned to eternal slavery. See also Williams, p. 59-74.

Meditations.

Who can bear to think of the ignominy, affliction, and contempt which was inflicted on Thee, O most Gracious LORD, by these monsters ? Consider now, O my soul, thy LORD and Creator, Whose excellence the angels admire, how exceedingly He is abased and humbled for thy sins! Behold His most exalted Majesty abased to the very dust for love of thee. O how great was that love which made Him willing to suffer thus for sinful men! O remember with shame thy hardness and dissoluteness of heart, which suffers thee to sin without fear or compunction, when JESUS has redeemed thee with such labours and dreadful anguish. Meditate on His sorrows and Passion until thou art moved to contrition and love. O Divine Master, pardon our ingratitude; have pity on our

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