it; I am sorry for having despised Thee, my sovereign good. I will rather die than offend Thee any more,
2. Thou hast broken my yoke; thou saidst, I will not serve.1 The sinner, when tempted to commit sin, hears indeed the voice of God, saying to him, " My son, do not revenge thyself, do not gratify thyself with that infamous pleasure; relinquish the possession of that which is not thine." But by yielding to sin, he replies, " Lord, I will not serve thee. Thou desirest that I should not commit this sin, but I will commit it."
My Lord and my God, how frequently have I, not by my words, but my deeds and my will, thus daringly replied to Thee! Alas! cast me not away from Thy face.2 I am now sensible of the wrong I have done Thee in parting with Thy graces for the gratification of my own wretched desires. Oh that I had died rather than ever offended Thee!
3. God is the Lord of all things, because he has created all. All things are in Thy power, because Thou hast made heaven and earth, and all things that are under the cope of heaven.'3' All creatures obey God; the heavens, the earth, the sea, the elements, the brute creation; while man, although he has been gifted and loved by God above all other creatures, obeys him not, and is heedless of the loss of his grace!
I give Thee thanks, O God, for having waited for me. What would have become of me, had I died in one of those nights in which I went to rest under Thy displeasure? But as Thou hast patiently waited for me, it is a sign that Thou art desirous of pardoning me. Pardon me then, O Jesus! I am sorry above every evil for
