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 And if  God  spared  not  His  beloved  Son  defiled  by  the sins of  others,  will  He  spare  us  laden  with  our  own? If the  fire  of  God's  vengeance  so  fiercely  devoured Christ, the  green  wood,  will  not  we,  the  dry  wood,  be utterly  consumed? If Christ's  Passion  be  the  measure of God's  hatred  of  sin,  who  shall  deny  that  hell  exists and is  eternal? But here  we  must  acknowledge,  too, Christ's boundless  goodness  for  that  He  saved  us from  a  fearful  doom,  for  by  sacrifice  of  self  He restored  the  earthly  paradise  and  reopened  heaven. Wherefore it  is  that  every  tongue  should  confess  the Lord Jesus,  and  every  Christian  imitate  His  virtues. While adoring  the  dead  cross  of  Christ,  let  us  not  forget our  duty  regarding  the  living  crosses  of  our  lives. In sinning  our  guilt  was  more  than  that  of  merely having looked  on  sin,  and  our  expiation  calls  for  more than merely  looking  on  Christ  crucified. Like St. Paul,  we  ought  to  be  fixed  to  the  cross  with  Christ, we ought  to  live,  not  we,  but  Christ  in  us. We ought, like St.  Francis,  to  bear  in  our  bodies  the  stigmata, or, like  St.  Clare,  have  the  cross  imprinted  on  our hearts. Mary and  John  were  dearest  of  all  to  Christ because nearest  to  His  cross,  and  we,  if  we  imitate them, shall  be  by  Him  exalted  unto  the  glory  of  God His Father.