Page:Thecompleteascet02liguuoft.djvu/50

 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