Page:MeditationsOnTheMysteriesOfOurHolyV1.djvu/32

 He endured; at other times speaking to the Son of God, alleging unto Him the love that He bore us, the office that He holds of our Redeemer and Advocate, and the great price that we cost Him; at other times speaking to the Holy Ghost begging of Him the like, for the love that He bears to Christ Jesus our Lord, and for His merits. And here likewise we may make another litany of the virtues of our Redeemer, alleging His humility of heart, His poverty of spirit, His meekness, His obedience, His patience, His mercy, and His charity, with all the rest.

iii. Other titles there are on the part of our necessity and misery, alleging before our Lord, like David, that we were conceived in sin, that we have disordered passions, strong enemies, very great occasions and dangers, and that without Him we are able to do nothing; that we are His creatures made according to His own image and likeness, and that for this cause the Devil persecutes us to destroy us, and that therefore it appertains to Him to protect us. And in conclusion we may make another catalogue of our own sins and miseries, counting them before God, and exaggerating them very much with sorrow of heart; for the more we shall exaggerate them the more we excite God's mercy to remedy them.

Beside this, those men that are perfect may in some case allege with humility their fore-passed services in imitation of Holy King Ezechias, who asked of God the prolongation of his life, alleging to Him that he had "walked before" Him " with a perfect heart." And the like did Christ our Lord, when, after the sermon of the Supper, he prayed to his Father, as will be seen in its proper place.

These three kinds of titles may be mingled one with another, after the form that David said: " For thy name's sake, O Lord, thou wilt pardon my sin, for it is great."