Page:Meditations For Every Day In The Year.djvu/158

 be digged;  but  briers  and  thorns  shall  come  up;  and  I will  command  the  clouds  to  let  fall  no  rain  upon  it." Meditate  on  the  misfortunes  that  all  these  evils  would entail  upon  you,  and  resolve  to  avert  them.

III. Nothing ought  to  be  wanting  to  convince  you that it  is  your  duty  to  prepare  for  His  visit. Prune away all superfluities  by  salutary  mortification. Discover the nature of  the  soil  of  your  soul  by  a  thorough  self-knowledge. Destroy the  briers  and  growing  weeds  of  passion, and let  the  tears  of  compunction  fertilize  the  aridity  of your  soul. In fine,  "  let  your  vineyard  be  before  you, and  it  will  bring  forth  its  fruits  in  due  season." (Cant, viii. 12;  Ps.  i.  3.)

I. Christ  with  good  reason  complains,  that  after  having suffered so  much  for  men,  He  still  finds  them  ungrateful and forgetful. " I  looked  for  one,"  He  might  truly  have said during  His  passion,  "who  would  grieve  together with  Me,  but  there  was  none;  and  for  one  who  would comfort  Me,  and  I  found  none." (Ps. lxviii.  21.)  "The just  perisheth,  and  no  man  layeth  it  to  heart." (Is. lvii. 1.)  Meditate  on  this  pitiful  state  of  your  Jesus;  tell  Him that you  will  not  leave  Him  alone;  that  you  will  sympathize with  Him;  and  that  the  just  one  shall  not  perish without your  notice  and  condolence.

II. We can  do  nothing  more  pleasing  to  our  Redeemer than to  meditate  frequently  on  His  passion. He invites all mankind  to  this  holy  exercise  by  the  mouth  of  His prophet: "  O  all  ye  that  pass  by  the  way,  attend,  and  see if  there  be  any  sorrow  like  to  My  sorrow." (Lament, i. 12.)    He  calls  the  attention  of  all  mankind  to  His  suffer-