Colloquy. — O God of immense majesty, how is it that I am not beside myself, considering this device of Thy infinite charity! Elias and Eliseus contracted their dimensions, joining themselves to a dead child to restore him to life; [1] but Thou constrainest Thyself much more to a morsel of food to join Thyself to me, and to raise me again to a new and fervent life. It had been sufficient that with Thy word Thou hadst commanded what Thou wouldst, and presently it had been done; or that some servant of Thine, like Giezi, [2] had touched me with Thy "staff" that I might live, but Thou wouldst not, but comest in person to heal me, to revive me, and to reclaim me. Come, then, O my Saviour, and delay not! Come, and dissolve the miseries of Thy servant, awake Thy omnipotency and come, that Thou mayest presently save me! "0 that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and wouldst come," that with Thy coming " the mountains" [3] of my passions might dissolve, and all my bowels might " melt" themselves in Thy love! " Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour!" [4] O most sweet Saviour, come to my soul that longeth to receive Thee, take from her all impediments to Thy entrance, exercise in her the offices Thou purposedst by Thy coming. Join Thee speedily to me, for I desire to see myself united with Thee my only chief good, world without end! Amen.
3. This kind of fervent desires is much to be exercised in this point; for Christ our Lord will be received with desire and hunger of His coming. And this food, the greater the hunger with which it is eaten with so much the more profit it enters. And in this we shall be aided with other places of divine Scripture like those which have been produced, in which the holy fathers declared the fer-
