Page:Thecompleteascet02liguuoft.djvu/32

 love anything  else  but  God? No, my  Jesus,  I  will  love none but  Thee. Thou hast  loved  me  too  much. Thou canst do  no  more  to  compel  me  to  love  Thee. I have obliged Thee  by  my  sins  to  cast  me  away  from  Thy face; but  Thou  hast  not  abandoned  me  forever;  Thou regardest me  with  tender  affection;  Thou  art  about  to call  me  to  Thy  love;  I  will  no  longer  resist. I love Thee, my  sovereign  good;  I  love  Thee,  my  God,  who art worthy  of  infinite  love;  I  love  Thee,  my  God,  who hast died  for  me. I love  Thee,  but  I  love  Thee  not enough; do  Thou  increase  my  love. Grant that  I  may forsake all  things,  and  forget  all  things  else,  to  please and to  love  Thee,  my  Redeemer,  my  love,  and  my  all. O Mary,  my  hope! recommend me  to  thy  divine  Son.

i. There  are  two  ways  by  which  the  devil  endeavors to deceive  men  to  their  eternal  ruin:  after  they  have  committed  sin  he  tempts  them  to  despair  on  account  of  the severity of  divine  justice;  but  before  they  have  sinned he encourages  them  to  do  so  by  the  hope  of  obtaining the divine  mercy. And he  effects  the  ruin  of  numberless souls as  well  by  the  second  as  by  the  first  artifice. " God is  merciful,"  says  the  obstinate  sinner  to  him  who  would convert him  from  the  iniquity  of  his  ways. " God  is merciful." But as  the  Mother  of  God  expresses  it  in her  canticle,  His  mercy  is  to  them  that  fear  Him. Yes, the Lord deals  mercifully  with  him  that  fears  to  offend  him, but not  so  with  the  man  who  presumes  upon  his  mercy to offend  him  still  more.

O God! I give  Thee  thanks  for  having  made  me  sensible  of  Thy  patience  in  bearing  with  me. Behold, I  am