thou do against Him? And if thou do justly, what shalt thou give Him, or what shall He receive from thy hand?"[1]
This great God, so rich and powerful, so free from all evils, Whose wisdom and possessions can neither be increased nor lessened, Who would be equally glorious in Himself whether men and angels praised Him for ever in heaven, or blasphemed Him for ever in hell; this great God, impelled by no necessity, but yielding to His love, came down from heaven to this place of exile, clothed Himself with our nature when we were His enemies, took upon Himself our infirmities, and even death, and to heal our wounds endured torments more terrible than any that had ever before been borne, or that ever again will be undergone.
It was for me, O Lord! that Thou wast born in a stable, laid in a manger, and circumcised on the eighth day after Thy birth. For me wast Thou driven from Thy country and exiled to Egypt. For my sake Thou didst fast and watch, shedding bitter tears, and sweating blood from every pore. For me Thou wast seized as a malefactor, forsaken, sold, denied, betrayed, dragged from tribunal to tribunal, buffeted, spat upon, bruised with blows, and delivered to the gibes of an infamous rabble. For me Thou didst die upon a Cross, in the sight of Thy most holy Mother, enduring poverty so great that even the consolation of a drop of water was denied to Thy burning lips. Thou wert abandoned by the world, and so
- ↑ Job xxxv. 6, 7.
