cruel enemy, the devil; a thing which I cannot think or speak of without great sorrow and pain.
2. For this cause, O my God, I, a sinner most vile and worthless in thy sight, offer up, for the glory of thy name, and for the salvation of the whole world, the merits of all the elect who have been, are, and ever shall be, to the end of the world. And if, for thy love and honour, I alone could support all the pains, all the torments, which all thy servants have suffered; if, by such endurance, 1 could but effect that none should ever again offend thee, then, with my whole heart, I would pray and implore thee to give me this grace. Nay, more, for thy love, if thou art so pleased, I entirely renounce all my merits and good works, if it so happen that I have any in thy sight. And if I have ever done anything really acceptable to thee, I offer that also to thee, the eternal Father, in union with the merits of thy Son, for the conversion of the whole world; that so thou mayest be honoured equally by all, as well on earth as in heaven.
And if all the stripes which are due to others for their sins could be laid upon me, in order that they might be spared, and might profit by the merit of this my punishment, I would ask even this of thee. And if it is good to do so, I now humbly pray thee, in return for this my service, whatever it may be worth, to bestow upon all the grace of serving thee most perfectly; and of so loving thee, that none may ever offend thee more; but that all may ever praise and bless thee no less than all the saints and angels do in heaven.
3. So highly do I prize thy honour and glory, that I would choose rather to remain for ever in hell, and to suffer every torment, than that thou shouldst be deprived of thy honour, even for a single moment. For to thee all honour is due; but to me, all pain, trouble, and disgrace. And that thou mayest not be defrauded of thy due honour, let me, I beseech thee, be subjected to every trouble, misery, and insult.
And if this is not enough for thy honour, let all the ms of soul and body befall me, except sin; and let them be such, and so great, as thou knowest are to be found either in hell, or on this earth, or in purgatory; and, if possible, even greater and heavier than these. But meanwhile, O my love, forget me not; but give me grace and fortitude to endure them, as I am cheerfully prepared, for the sake of thy love and honour, to accept them.
