Exclamations of the Soul to God

Exclamation I

I, Oh, life, life, how canst thou still exist, apart from Him Who is thy Life? How dost thou occupy thyself during such solitude? What dost thou do — thou, whose actions are full of faults and imperfections? What can comfort thee, O my soul, in this tempestuous sea? I grieve for self, and yet still more for the time when I felt no grief. How sweet are Thy ways, O Lord! yet who can travel by them without dread? I dare not abstain from serving Thee, yet my service contents me not, nor acquits aught of the debt I owe. Fain would I give myself wholly to Thy service, yet, looking on my misery, I see that I am incapable of good, unless Thou first give it me. Oh, my merciful God! what shall I do, not to render void Thy great graces? Thy works are holy, just, priceless, full of sublimest wisdom, for Thou, Lord, art Wisdom itself! Yet while my mind ponders over this, my will complains; it would have no hindrance to its loving Thee, for in such high matters the intellect cannot attain to its God, yet longs to enjoy Him, although it knows not how, while shut within the dreary prison of mortality. Now it impedes me, though, at first, meditation on Thy grandeurs was an aid, showing me more clearly my own immeasurable baseness.

2. Why do I say this, my God? To whom do I complain? Who hears me, but Thou, my Father and my Creator? But why speak, in order to tell Thee of my pain, since I see so clearly that Thou dost dwell within me? Behold my folly! But alas, my God, how can I be sure I am not separated from Thee?

3. Oh, my life! which must be passed in such vital hazard, who would wish for thee? The sole gain to be found or hoped for in thee is to please God in all -things, and even this is most uncertain and beset by dangers.

Exclamation II

I. Often do I think, O my Lord, that if aut can soothe a life apart from Thee it is solitude, wherein the soul restswith Him Who is its true repose. Yet, unable: as it is to enjoy Thee with full liberty, its torment often redoubles. Yet this is a delight compared with that of being forced to deal with creatures, and thus deprived of holding converse alone with the Creator. But how is it, my God, that rest wearies the soul which only seeks to please Thee?

2. O sovereign love of God, how different are thine effects from those of earthly love, which seeks no companion, fearing lest it should lose what it possesses! Love for my God increases on learning that others love Him, and its joys diminish at seeing that all men do not share its happiness.

3. Therefore, O my only Good, during Thy tenderest caresses and consolations, I grieve at remembering the many hearts which do not desire these joys, and still others who will lose them for ever. Thus my soul seeks company, gladly leaving its own delight, moved by the hope that it may incite souls to strive to attain it. But, O my heavenly Father! were it not better to defer this care for others until the soul enjoys less of Thy favours, and to yield myself now wholly to enjoying Thee?

4. Oh, my Jesus! how deep is Thy love for the children of men! The greatest service we can render Thee is to leave Thee, for the sake of loving and aiding them. Then do we possess Thee most entirely, for, though our will enjoy Thee less, yet love delights to please Thee, During this mortal life, all worldly delights are found to be uncertain even though they seem to come from Thee, unless the love of our neighbour bear them company.

Who loves not his brethren, loves not Thee, my Lord, for Thy blood, shed for us, bears witness to Thy boundless love for the sons of Adam.

Exclamation III

1. On reflecting, O my God! on the glory prepared by Thee for those who persevere in doing Thy will, and on the many labours and pains with which Thy Son purchased us this glory — remembering our unworthiness and our obligation to be grateful for this immense love, which, at so dear a cost to self, taught us how to love — my soul is wrung with anguish. How is it possible. Lord, to forget those mercies, as souls forget them when offending Thee?

2. O my Redeemer, how oblivious are men of their own interest! How excessive is Thy bounty! Thou Who art ever mindful of us, when by our fall we have struck Thee a mortal blow, dost forget it, and stretch forth Thy hand anew to preserve us, recalling us from our hopeless frenzy to petition Thee for health. Blessed be such a Master for His infinite mercy; may He be eternally praised for His tender compassion!

3. My soul, do thou for ever glorify so great a God. How can men rebel against Him? Do not the wicked stand condemned by His excessive mercies to them?

.1 Prov. xxjv.: Setie cadet Justus, et reurget,

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Redress this evil, my God! Oh, children of men, how long will you be hard-hearted, and steel yourselves against this most meek Jesus? What? Can our malice endure against Him for ever? No! for the life of man passes away like the flower of the held, and the Son of the Virgin will come at last to pronounce the terrible sentence. ' 4. Almighty God of mine, Who, though we will it not, must be our Judge, why do we not realise the need to propitiate Thee before that hour? Yet who, who indeed, would not desire to have so just a Judge? Happy the souls who, at that dread time, shall rejoice with Thee! O my God and my Lord! What help is there for one whom Thou hast raised from his sins, who, seeing how miserably he had lost all for the sake of a momentary pleasure, is now resolved with the aid of Thy grace to spend his life in pleasing Thee? Thou Treasure of my soul, Who never forsakest those who love Thee, and ever hearest those who cry to Thee — how can man live and stave on death, at the thought of all he lost by forfeiting his baptismal innocence? The happiest life for him is for sorrow to render his life a living death. Yet, how can the soul that loves Thee tenderly endure this?

5. What foolish questions do I ask Thee, Lord! I seem to have forgotten all Thy mighty works and mercies — how Thou camest into the world for sinners' sakes, didst purchase us by such a precious ransom, expiating our evil pleasures by agonising torments and scourging; Thou hast cured my blindness by the blindfolding of Thy sacred eyes, and healed my vanity by the cruel crown of thorns.

6. O Lord, Lord! all this does but embitter the grief of one who loves Thee! My only consolation is to think of the eternal praise that will be rendered to Thy mercy when my sins are revealed. Yet I know not if my grief will ever heal, until, on seeing Thee, all the miseries of this mortal life shall vanish,

Exclamation IV

1. My soul, O my Lord, finds some repose in thinking of the happiness in store for it if, through Thy mercy, it is one day permitted to enjoy Thee! Yet I long to labour for Thee first, since Thy labour won this joy for me. What shall I do, my Lord, and what wilt Thou do, O my God?

2. How late has my desire for Thee caught flame, but how early didst Thou seek to win me, calling me to give myself wholly to Thee! Hast thou ever, O Lord, rejected the wretched, or turned away from the poor mendicant who sought to draw near Thee? Are there limits to Thy power, or to Thy mighty works?

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3. O my God, Source of mercy to me! Now is the time indeed in which to prove so to Thy handmaid, for Thou art almighty. Now it will be shown whether my soul is right in believing, while recalling the wasted years that are past, that Thou, Lord, canst in an instant turn this loss to gain. I seem to rave, for men say that time once spent can never be recovered. Blessed be my God!

4. Lord, acknowledge Thy sovereign power. Almighty as Thou art, what is impossible to Thee, Who canst do all things? Do Thou only will it, O my God, do Thou but will it! Miserable as I am, yet I believe firmly that Thou canst do all Thou wilt. The more I hear Thy wonders spoken of, the better I know Thou canst perform still greater things: thus my faith and my confidence grow stronger that Thou wilt grant my request. Why wonder at what is done by the Omnipotent?

5. Thou knowest, O my God, that, in spite of all my faults, I ever recognised the greatness of Thy power and mercy; O Lord, may this one thing, in which I have not offended Thee, stand in my favour! Restore to me the time lost, giving me Thy grace, both now and in the future, so that I may appear before Thee in " wedding garments," as Thou canst do if it be Thy will.

' St. Matt. xxii. II,: Intravit autem rex ut videret discumbentes, et vidit ibi hominem non vestitum veste nuptiali, et ait illi: Amice, quomodo hue intrasti non habens vestem nuptialem? At ille obmutuit.

Exclamation V

I. O my Lord! after having served Thee so ill and known so little how to preserve past graces, how da-re I ask for more? How canst Thou trust one who has so often proved a traitor? What then shall I do, Consoler of the disconsolate and Refuge of all those who come to Thee for help? Is it better to say nothing of my wants in the hope of Thy relieving them? Not so, for Thou, my Lord and my joy, knowing how numerous would be our needs and what solace we should find in confiding them to Thee, didst bid us pray to Thee, for Thou wouldst not fail to give.

, 2. Sometimes I think of the holy woman Martha's complaint; she was not merely blaming her sister, but I am convinced that what she felt most keenly was the thought that Thou didst not care for her labours, nor wish to have her near Thee. Perhaps she thought Thou hadst less love for her than for her sister, which would have tried her more than labouring for the Lord Who was so dear that work for Him was but a pleasure. This seems clear, since she addressed Thee, and not her sister Mary: but. Lord, her love emboldened her to ask Thee why Thou hadst no care for her.

3. Thine answer shows that love alone gives value to our actions— that " the one thing necessary " is to possess a love so strong that it cannot leave Thee. But, my God, how can we obtain a love worthy of our Beloved, unless Thy love for us be united to it? Shall I make the same complaint as this saintly woman?

4. Ah, I have no cause for that, having ever found in my God greater and stronger proofs of tenderness than I have known how to ask or even to desire. — Were I to complain, it could only be that Thy mercy has borne with me too long. — What request can so miserable a wretch as myself make of Thee, save that of St. Augustine: " that Thou wilt give me what to give to Thee," to repay somewhat of the heavy debt I owe Thee: that Thou wilt remember I am the work of Thy hands, and wilt teach me to know Thee, my Creator, so that I may love Thee.

Exclamation VI

1. 0 my Joy, Lord of all things and my God! how long must I languish for Thy presence? What solace wilt Thou grant to one who has so little earthly comfort, that she may find peace while absent from Thee?

2. Oh tedious, oh painful, oh dying life! what lonely solitude! How hopeless is my case! How long, Lord, how long shall it endure? What shall I do, my sovereign Good, what shall I do? Shall I desire not to desire Thee?

3. O God my Creator! Who dost wound, yet dost not heal; Who dost strike but leave no wound; dost kill and give new life by it; in a word. Who art almighty, and therefore dost what pleaseth Thee; wilt Thou make such a wretched worm suffer these conflicting pains? Be it so, my God, since it is Thy will, for I only seek to love Thee." But alas, alas, my Creator, bitter anguish wrings this complaint from me, making me speak of that for which there is no remedy until Thou providest one! The soul, thus pent in bondage, longs for liberty, yet would not move one hair's breadth from the path Thou choosest for it. Do Thou, my Glory, either increase my pain, or cure it altogether.

4. Ah, death, death, I know not why men dread thee, since life is found in thee! Yet who that has not always loved God in the past would fear thee not? Since I am such a one, what do I desire and ask? Will death but bring the punishment my sins so justly merit? Permit it not, my sovereign Good, for it cost Thee dear to ransom me!

5. O my soul, submit to the will of thy God: this is best for thee: serve Him and trust to His mercy to ease thy pain, when by penance thou hast won some little claim to pardon for thy sins: seek not to rejoice until thou hast suffered!

6. Alas, my true Lord and King, I am incapable even of this, unaided by Thy sovereign power and majesty, but with these I can do all things!

Exclamation VII

1. O my hope, my Father, my Creator, my true Lord, my Brother! My soul overflows with joy at remembering how Thou hast said: " My delight is to be with the sons of men." O Sovereign of heaven and earth! after such words as these what sinner should despair? Canst Thou find no one else in whom to delight, that Thou dost seek out such a repulsive worm as myself? At the baptism of Thy Son, Thy voice was heard to say Thou didst delight in Him. Dost Thou, then, put us on a par with Him, Lord?

2. What infinite mercy! what favour, far transcending our deserts! Can we mortals forget all this? Call to mind, my God, our great misery, and look upon our frailty, for Thou knowest all things.

3. Ponder, then, my soul, over the great delight and love of the Father in knowing His Son, of the Son in knowing His Father, and the ardour wherewith the Holy Ghost unites with Them, and how none of the Three Persons can cease loving and knowing the others, because They are one and the same God. These Sovereign Persons mutually know, love, and delight in one another. Why, then, do they need my love? Why seek it, O my God? What does it profit Thee?

4. Blessed, oh blessed for ever mayest Thou be, my God! May all things praise Thee without end, O Lord, for Thou art infinite! Rejoice, my soul, that there is One Who loves thy God as He deserves. Who knows His goodness and perfections: thank Him for having given us on earth One Who knows Him as does His only begotten Son.

5. Under His protection, thou canst approach His Majesty and beseech Him, since He delights Himself in thee, to let no earthly thing prevent thy delighting in Him, and rejoicing in the perfections of thy God and in the thought that He deserves to be loved and praised. Beg Him to aid thee to further, in some small degree, the glory of His Name, that thou mayest truly say: " My soul doth magnify " and praise " the Lord! "

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Exclamation VIII

1. O Lord my God, truly "Thou hast the words of life," ' wherein men can find all they crave, if they but seek it! But what wonder is it if we forget Thy words, seeing the state of folly and disorder to which our sins have reduced us?

2. O my God! God! God and Maker of all Creation! What is all this creation compared with what Thou canst create, dost Thou but will? Thou art omnipotent: Thy works are incomprehensible. Permit not Thy words ever to become effaced from my mind: " Come unto Me all you that labour and I will refresh you." ■ What more can we desire or seek, Lord? Why are worldlings lost, save through seeking happiness?

3. Good God! Good God! How is it. Lord? How pitiful! What utter blindness to seek for happiness where it cannot be found. Have pity, Creator, on Thy creatures! Remember, we do not understand ourselves, or know what we want, nor do we ask aright! Lord, give us light! See! we need it more than did the man who was born blind, for he longed to see the light but could not, while we do not wish to see it.

4. Oh! ill past remedy, needing Thee to manifest both Thy power and Thy mercy. O true God of mine! How hard a thing I crave of Thee! No less than that Thou shouldst love those who love not Thee: shouldst open to those who do not knock — shouldst cure those who wish to ail, and who foster their maladies.

5. Thou didst declare, my Master, that Thou camest to seek sinners: these are the real sinners! Look not on our blindness, my God, but on the streams of blood shed by Thy Son for us. Let Thy mercy shine forth amidst such monstrous wickedness. Remember, Lord, we are " the work of Thy hands; " succour us by Thy goodness and mercy!

Exclamation IX

1. O compassionate and tender Sovereign of my soul. Who dost also say: "If any one thirst, let him come to Me, and I will give him to drink! " How parched with thirst must men be who are inflamed with covetousness for miserable earthly goods! Urgent is their need of this water, lest they be totally consumed.

2. I know, my Lord, that out of Thy bounty Thou wilt give it them. Thou Thyself hast promised it, and Thy word cannot fail — but alas! if from having lived long in this furnace of passion, they have become insensible to its flames, and are too careless to realise their great danger, what cure is there for them, my God? Thou camest into the world to remedy such ills; begin Thy work. Lord, for Thy pity is best shown in the most desperate evils.

3. See, Lord, Thine enemies grow bolder — have mercy on those so merciless to themselves, whose miserable condition prevents their wishing to draw near to Thee: do Thou come to them, O my God! I ask this in their name: I know that when they are enlightened and have returned to their senses, having begun to taste Thy sweetness, they will rise from the death of sin. V 4. O Life, Who givest life to all! refuse not this most delicious water, promised by Thee to all who desire it. Behold, I long for it, Lord; I ask for it, I come to Thee! Hide not this water from me: Thou knowest how I need it, since it is the only cure for a soul wounded by Thee.

5. O Lord, how many kinds of fever inflame men's hearts in this life! What cause have we for fear! Some of these ardours consume the soul, yet others purify it and prepare it to enjoy Thee for ever. V 6. O living waters, springing from the wounds of my God, how abundantly you ever flow to sustain us! Safely indeed, will he who drinks eagerly of this divine draught traverse the dangers of this wretched life.

Exclamation X

1. O God of my soul! how eager are we to offend Thee, yet how far more eager art Thou to forgive us! Why, Lord, are we so foolishly presumptuous, unless because, knowing Thy great mercy, we forget the strictness of Thy justice? " The pains of death have encompassed me." Alas, alas, alas! What a terrible evil is sin, which caused a death of such agony to God Himself! How Thy tormentors surround Thee still, my God! Where canst Thou turn to be free from them? From every quarter they deal Thee mortal blows.

2. Christians, it is time to defend your King and to rally round Him in His utter abandonment: few are His faithful subjects, and many the followers of Lucifer. Worst of all. His public friends betray Him secretly, so that there is hardly one whom He can trust.

3. O true Friend, how ill such traitors requite Thee! Weep, all faithful Christians, weep with your God, Who shed tears of pity not for Lazarus alone, but for those also who would never wish to rise to life, though He called them forth.

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4. O my supreme Good! all the sins I have committed against Thee were then before Thine eyes. Prevent me. Lord, prevent me and all men from sinning again! Raise up souls dead in transgression: call them with such power, that they may receive the new life they ask not for, and come forth from the grave of their luxuries. Lazarus did not beg to be restored to life — Thou didst recall him at the prayer of a woman who was a sinner: ' One far more guilty is now before Thee, my God: show forth Thy mercy! Wretch that I am, I pray for those who will not ask it for themselves. Thou knowest my anguish at seeing their indifference to the endless torments they will suffer unless they return to Thee.

5. Ye men accustomed to pleasure, luxuries and feasting, who indulge your will in every way, take compassion on yourselves! Remember, that always, for all eternity, you will be subject to the infernal furies! Reflect — the Judge Who will condemn you then is now your Suppliant; you are not sure of living here another moment: why do you not strive to live the true life for all eternity? Oh the hardness of men's hearts! Soften them in Thy boundless pity, m God!

6. " Good God! Good God! how I grieve at thinking of the feelings of a soul which has always been respected and loved, waited on, honoured and pampered, on clearly realising its eternal perdition and that it is useless to try to turn away its thoughts from the truths of faith as it did while on earth. It will find itself torn from its pleasures before it had begun to enjoy them, for truly all that ends with life passes like a puff of wind.

7. The soul sees itself among the hideous and merciless companions with whom it is to suffer for eternity, in the midst of a fetid pool of serpents, each of which strives to devour it more fiercely than thereat' a horrible darkness, revealing nothing but tormenting and hideous objects, surrounds it, and no light appears except a gloomy flame.'

8. Alas, this description falls short of the reality! Who so blinded the eyes of such a.man that he never realises these horrors, until plunged amongst them? '• O Lord! who stopped his ears from hearing the truths so often told him of the eternity of these torments? Ah, never-ending life! Oh, ceaseless tortures, ceaseless torments that last for ever! How is it, that men who fear the discomfort of sleeping on a hard bed, do not dread such anguish?

9. O Lord my God! I weep for the time when I ignored these horrors. Thou knowest my grief at seeing the multitude of men who turn their thoughts from eternal. punishment: let there be one, O Lord, at least let there be one who asks Thee to enlighten him, who is capable of leading many others to the truth! I ask not this favour for my own sake, Lord, for I do not deserve it, but beg it of Thee by the merits of Thy Son. Look on His Wounds, and forgive us as He forgave the men who inflicted them.

Exclamation XI

1. Why, O my God, source of all my strength, are we always cowards, except in rebelling against Thee? To this do the sons of Adam direct all their energies. Were not their reason blinded they would never dare to combine the strength of the whole human race in taking arms and waging war against Him Who in an instant could hurl them down the bottomless abyss. With minds obscured, they resemble madmen, who, bent on their own destruction, imagine they will thus gain new life; — in short, they are beside themselves.

2. What cure is there, my God, for such frenzy? Men say that madness increases strength. So it is with men who revolt against God: feeble as they may be, all their fury is spent on Thee, their greatest Benefactor.

3. O incomprehensible Wisdom! Thou needest all Thy love for creatures, to bear with such folly, and to wait until we return to our senses, whilst by a thousand arts and remedies Thou art striving to bring about our cure.

4. How marvellous, that though we lack resolution to conquer self in trivial matters, and persuade ourselves that even if we try, we cannot avoid some occasion of sin, or some danger by which we risk eternal perdition, yet we have the audacity to afíront such sovereign majesty as Thine!

5. How is this, my only Good? how is it? Who gives such strength? Is not the captain whom men follow in this war against Thee Thy vassal? And he, dwells in unquenchable flames — how can he rise up against Thee? How can the vanquished inspire courage? His poverty is extreme, for he is deprived of the riches of heaven; why, then, do men follow him? What can he give, who owns nothing but sufferings? How can it be, my God? Why is it, my Creator? Why do men cowed by the devil defy Thee?

6. Even if, O my Lord, Thou hadst not aided Thine own — even if we owed some debt of gratitude to this prince of darkness, should we not compare the joys Thou hast in store for us with the false and treacherous promises of the evil one? He has betrayed Thee — what will he do to ws?

7. Alas, what utter blindness, my God! what revolting ingratitude, my King! What hopeless madness, to use

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Thy very gifts to serve Satan! to requite Thy tender love for us by loving one who hates Thee, and will hate Thee to eternity! Thou sheddedst all Thy Blood for us; for us didst suffer stripes, and agony, and torturing anguish! And we, instead of avenging Thy heavenly Father for the flagrant injuries done to Thee, His Son — ■ for Thou Thyself didst take no vengeance on Thine enemies, but didst ever pardon them — yet choose, as friends and companions, the very men who treated Thee so barbarously, since we follow their infernal leader. Surely we shall be of their company and share their fate, unless Thy mercy bring us to reason and forgive the past, 8. Return, ye children of men, return to your senses! Gaze on your King, while yet He is meek; cease from such sin and spend your fury and your strength on him who wars against you to rob you of your inheritance. Return, return to your senses, open your eyes, and with strong cries and tears beg for light from Him Who gives it to all the world. For the love of God, reflect that you are aiming, with all your might, at slaying Him Who lost His life to save yours, Who is your defender against your enemies!

9. If this is not enough, let it suflice to know that you are helpless against His power — sooner or later you must atone for your insults and blasphemy in everlasting flames. Do you dare thus to outrage Him because you see Him helpless and fettered by His love for us? What more

98. did His murderers do, after they had bound Him, than deal Him blows and wounds?

:- 10. O my God! how Thou hast suffered for those who grieve so little for Thy pain! The day will come, Lord, when Thy justice will be made manifest, and men will discover that it equals Thy mercy. Mark that. Christians! Deeply as we may reflect upon it, never shall we realise how much we owe our Lord God and how magniñcent are His mercies. But, if His justice is as great, alas, alas! what will be their fate who deserve its being carried out and exemplified in them?

Exclamation XII

1. O ye souls free from all dread of ever losing your bliss, — you, who are constantly absorbed in the praises of my God, how blessed is your lot! How just it is that you should ceaselessly adore Him! How I envy you, who are delivered from the grief I feel at witnessing the hateful offences committed against my God in these unhappy days and the gross ingratitude of men's indifference to the multitude of souls Satan is dragging down to hell. -

2. O blessed souls dwelling in paradise! Relieve our miseries and intercede for us with the divine Mercy, that He may give us some little share of your felicity, and of the certain knowledge you possess. Grant us to understand, my God, what reward Thou givest to those who fight valiantly during the nightmare of this wretched life. souls inflamed with love, obtain for us grace to comprehend your delight at reflecting on the eternity of your bliss and your rapture at knowing it will never end!

3. Wretched creatures that we are, O Master mine! we know and believe these truths, yet our old-established habit of not reflecting on them makes them too strange for souls either to realise or seek to grasp them. And you, self-seeking, craving for pleasure and enjoyment, since you will not have the patience to wait but a short time, when you could enjoy them in abundance — to wait a year, or a day, or an hour, or perhaps no more than an instant — forfeit them all for the sake of some miserable and momentary gratification that offers itself.

4. Oh, oh, oh! How little do we trust Thee, Lord! far more precious riches and treasures didst Thou entrust to us — the three and thirty years of Thy Son's sufferings, His death and agony, and Thy Son Himself! And these didst Thou bestow on us centuries before we were born, knowing at the time that we should repay Thee nothing; yet Thou didst not hesitate to consign to us this inestimable treasure wherewith, if we augment its value by the aid of Thy Son, we can purchase eternal happiness from Thee, O compassionate Father!

T. Oh, blessed souls, so wise in knowing how to make good use of this loan — who bought with it the matchless prize of so joyful and eternal an inheritance, teach us how you gained through Him such endless bliss! Help us, you are so near the fountain-head! draw water for us who perish with thirst in this world.

Exclamation XIII

1, O my Lord, very God of mine! "He who knows Thee not, loves Thee not." How true this is, but woe, ah, woe! to those who seek not to know Thee! ' The hour of death is an hour of terror; but, alas, alas, my Creator, how terrific wül be that day on which Thy justice shall be executed! Often do I think, my Saviour, how beautiful are Thine eyes to those who love Thee, on whom Thou, my only Good, dost deign to gaze with affection. I think but one such tender glance, bent on those Thou boldest as Thine own, is recompense for many a year's service.

2. Good God, how hard it is to make this understood EXCLAMATIONS. lOI by one who has not " tasted and seen how sweet the Lord is." O Christians, Christians, reflect on your brotherhood with this great God! Realise it; think not lightly of it; for His gaze is as full of terror for His persecutors as of love for His friends.

3. Oh! we do not understand that sin is a pitched battle of all the senses and powers of the soul against God: the greater the sinner's power, the more does he scheme to betray his King. Thou knowest, my Lord, that the thought of seeing Thy divine gaze turned on me in wrath in that last terrible day of judgment has often terriñed me far more than all I have heard of the tortures and furies of hell, and I besought Thee of Thy mercy to save me from such misery, as I beseech Thee now, Lord! What evil could happen to me in this world approaching this? Give me all earthly ills, my God, but spare me this misery! ® Let me not lose my God, nor the peaceful contemplation of Thy beauty: Thy Father gave Thee to us, Lord; let me not lose so precious a Jewel!

4. I confess, eternal Father, that I have kept it negligently, but that may still be remedied. Lord, it may be remedied while I still dwell in this land of exile.

5. O brothers, brothers, my brethren, children of this God, courage! courage! for you know that if we repent, His Majesty has promised to remember our sins and wickedness no more.

6. Oh, what boundless mercy! What more could we desire? Would not anyone be ashamed of asking so much? Now is the time to accept what this compassionate Lord and God of ours gives us. He seeks our friendship: who would deny it Him Who refused not to shed all His blood and to lose His life for our sakes? See, this is nothing He asks from us, a mere nothing, and only what it is best for us to give Him.

7. Alas, O Lord! what hard-heartedness, what folly, what blindness! We grieve if we lose anything, — an arrow ' — a hawk which amuses but for a moment by its flight through the air — yet we care nothing if we forfeit this imperial eagle of the majesty of God, and a kingdom of endless joys. Why is it? Why is it? I cannot understand it. Put an end, my God, to such folly and blindness!

Exclamation XIV

I. Alas, alas. Lord! how long this exile lasts! What torture does it give me from my yearning to possess my God! Yet, Lord, what can the soul do, held fast in this prison? ■

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2. Ah, Jesus, how long is mortal life, though men call it short! Short, indeed, in which to gain eternal life, but very long and weary to the soul that desires to be in God's presence! What medicine hast Thou for such suffering? None, save to sufíer for Thy sake!

3. O sweet comfort of those who love my God, never desert thy lovers, for thou dost increase, yet solace, the pain caused by the Beloved in the soul that pines for Him! I desire, Lord, to please Thee, and well I know that I can find happiness in no human being, therefore, Thou wilt not blame me for desiring Thee.

4. Behold me here. Lord! if there is need for me to live to render Thee some service, like St. Martin who loved Thee so fervently,' I refuse no trials that may await me on earth. But alas, my Lord, he gave Thee works, while I only render Thee empty words, for I can do no more,

5. Let my words prevail in Thy divine presence, and look not on my feeble merits. May we all attain to the love of Thee, O Lord! Since we must live, let us live, solely for Thee, relinquishing all desires, all self-interest, for what can profit us more than to please Thee?

6. O my joy and my God! what can I do to pleasq Thee? My services are contemptible, however ■ many I may perform for my God! Why then should I remain in such utter misery? That the will of God may be done:— is there aught better than that? My soul, hope, hope on, for thou knowest not when the day or the hour will come. Keep constant watch, for all is swiftly fleeting, though thy longing makes thee doubt the inevitable, and lengthens the brief time. Remember — the longer thy battle, the more thou provest thy love for thy God, and the greater thy never-ending bHss and delight with thy Beloved.

Exclamation XV

1. O my very God and Lord! Greatly does it comfort the soul wearied by the loneliness of absence from Thee, to reflect that Thou art present in all things! Yet when the ardour of its love and the impetuous vehemence of its anguish increases, what does even this avail? The understanding is darkened, the reason obscured, so that it can no longer grasp nor believe this truth. The soul only feels that it is separated from Thee and can find no solace, for the heart that loves Thee so deeply receives neither comfort nor help save from Him Who wounded it and to Whom it looks for the remedy that will assuage its pain.

2. When Thou wilt. Lord, Thou dost quickly cure the wound Thou hast inflicted: until then, vain is all hope of healing or joy save that found in sufíering for so good a cause.

3. O true Lover! how tenderly, how sweetly, with what joy and caresses, with what inñnite signs of love dost Thou heal these wounds, opened by Thee with the arrows of love itself!

4. O my God, comforter of all sorrows, how foolish I am! What human remedy can avail those injured by the divine fire? Who can penetrate the depths of this wound, or tell whence it came, or how such keen yet delicious torture can be soothed? How senseless to fancy that such a precious ill could be cured by anything so common as human art.

5. Well does the Bride say, in the Canticles: " My Beloved to me and I to my Beloved." ' " My Beloved to me," for no such love could spring from love so base as mine. Yet if my love be base, my Bridegroom, why does it pass by all creatures until it reaches its Creator?

6. O my God! Why, " I to my Beloved "? Thou, my true Lover, didst begin this war of love, which seems nothing but an inquietude and failing of all the powers and senses, which go through the streets and lanes, imploring the daughters of Jerusalem to tell them where is their God. Against whom do the powers of the soul trive, during this contest, save Him Who has taken possession of the fortress they once held, — the highest part of the soul? From this He has ejected them, and they now return to oust their conqueror; at last, weary of absence from Him, they yield themselves up. Thus, losing all their strength, they fight far better than before, and by surrendering to their victor, triumph over Him finally.

7. O my soul! what a blessed conflict hast thou waged during this trial, and how truly has this been thy case. Since " My Beloved is to me and I to my Beloved," who will strive to separate and extinguish two such ardent flames? It would be labour lost, for they are now one.

Exclamation XVI

I. O my God, my infinite Wisdom, without measure and without bounds, above the understanding either of angels or men; Love, Who dost loVe me more than I can love myself, or can conceive: why do I wish for more than Thou dost will to give me? Why weary myself by praying for what I desire to Thee, Who knowest what would be the result of all my thoughts imagine or my heart craves for, while I am ignorant of what would profit me? i. i.Milner, etc.,

Exclamations. I07

2. Perhaps what my soul fancies would be its gain might be its ruin. If I ask Thee to free me from a cross by which Thou seekest to mortify me, what do I ask Thee, my God?

3. If I entreat Thee to send me such a trial, perhaps it may be beyond my patience which is too weak to bear so heavy a burden; or, were I to endure it, but were wanting in humility, I might fancy I had performed some great deed, while Thou, my God, didst do it all. When I seek for greater sufferings, I do not wish for what might injure my good name which seems requisite for serving Thee, although I believe that I care nothing for my honour; yet perhaps the very means I think would hinder me might further my one desire of labouring for Thee. I could say far more, O Lord, to show how little I know myself, but as Thou surely knowest this, why do I speak of it?

4. In order that, when misery again overwhelms me, my God, and reason is blinded, I may find it written here. Often, my God, when I feel most wretched, weak, and cowardly, do I try to recall her, who called herself Thy servant, who thought the grace she had received from Thee would suffice to arm her against all the tempests of this world.

5. No, my God, no! Let me no longer trust to my own wishes: will for me as Thou art pleased to will, for this is my will, since all my good consists in pleasing Thee. If Thou, my God, shouldst will to please me by satisfying my longings I see that I should be lost. How vain is man's wisdom! How dangerous are his plans! May Thy providence supply my need that I may serve Thee according to Thy will, not mine!

6. Punish me not by granting prayers or wishes at variance with Thy love, which I desire may ever dwell within me. Make me die to self; let Another, greater and better for me than myself, live in me, that I may serve Him; let Him live and give me life: let Him reign that I may be His slave, — my soul seeks no other liberty, for how can he be free who is separated from the most High? What more abject or miserable serf than the soul which has broken loose from the hands of its Creator?

7. Happy the souls imprisoned by the fetters and chains of God's gifts and mercy, and too strongly bound and helpless to free themselves. " Love is strong as death and hard as hell."

8. Oh, that we were but slain by this love, and plunged in this divine hell, from whence, ah, from whence there is no hope of escape, or rather, no fear of being cast forth. But woe is me. Lord! during this mortal life we live in constant danger of losing the life that is eternal.

Exclamations. Io9i

9. O life, enemy of my joy, would that it were lawful to put an end to thee! I endure thee, since God endures thee: I sustain thee, for thou art His; do not betray nor harm me in return. And yet, Lord, " Woe is me that my sojourning is prolonged." All time is short in exchange for Thine eternity, yet how long a day, or even an hour appears, laden with the risk and dread of oñending Thee!

10. Free-will! enslaved by thy liberty, unless established in the fear and love of thy Creator, when will that blessed day arrive in which, absorbed in the infinite ocean of supreme Truth, thou wilt no longer possess the power nor wish to sin, being freed from all misery, and united to the life of thy God?

11. God is happy, for He knows, loves, and rejoices in Himself, without the possibility of doing otherwise. He is not, nor can He be, at liberty to forget or cease to love Himself, nor would such power be a perfection in Him. Thou wilt enter into thy rest, my soul, when thou dost enter into closest intimacy with this Sovereign Good, when thou knowest what He knows, lovest what He loves, joying in what rejoices Him.

12. Then thou wilt lose the fickleness of thy will; then, ah then, wilt thou change no more for the grace of God will have been powerful enough to render thee Ps. cxix,: Heu mihi, quia incolatus meus prolongatus est. n perfect a " partaker of His divine nature " that thou wilt no longer have the power nor wish to forget the supreme Good, nor to cease to exult in Him and in His love. Blessed are those whose names are written in the book of life.'' But, my soul, if thou art among their number, " Why art thou sad, and why dost thou trouble me? " »

13. " Hope in the Lord, because I will yet confess to Him " ® my sins and His mercies: of which I will make a song of praise, mingled with incessant sighs to Him, my Saviour and my God. It may be that a day will come when " my glory shall sing to Him " and my conscience be no more " troubled," where all weeping and fears shall be no more. Meanwhile, " in hope and silence shall my strength be." Rather would I live and die in the hope of eternal life than possess all created beings and riches, for they must all pass away. Forsake me not, O Lord, for " in Thee do I trust, let not my hope be confounded! " May I always serve Thee faithfully — then dispose of me as Thou wilt!

Introduction To The Conceptions Of The Love Of God. Jhs. Maria.

I HAVE been a witness to the mercies that our Lord grants to souls He has cahed to these convents, which His Majesty has been pleased should be established according to the primitive Rule of our Lady of Mount Carmel. So sublime are some of the Divine favours shown to several of the nuns that only those who realise the need of somebody explaining to them certain things which occur in the intercourse between Christ and the soul, can understand what these religious suffer for want of light. For several years He has made me take such delight in hearing and reading some of the texts in the Canticles of Solomon, that, although I cannot clearly understand the meaning of the Latin in Spanish, yet they impress and affect me more than many devotional books in my own tongue. This is usually the case, but although people have told me the sense of the words in Spanish, I do not grasp their meaning any better than before... and without intending it, they withdraw my soul from Him....

The manuscript of Alba de Tormes, the only one to contain this Prologue, is incomplete here and at the end, part of the sheet being torn off.

Ill For the last two years, our Lord has enabled me to perceive unaided the doctrine contained in some of these texts, which I think would bring comfort to those sisters whom He leads in this way, and even to myself; for sometimes He teaches me much on the subject that I should like to remember, yet I have never dared to write it down. By the advice of certain persons whom I am bound to obey, I will tell you some of the meanings that Christ taught me were contained in certain words in which my soul delighted during the state of prayer to which He has also raised some of the sisters in our convents, who are also my sisters. If it is given you to read, accept this poor little gift from her who desires for you, as for herself, all the gifts of the Holy Ghost, in Whose name I begin this book. Should I meet with any success in my attempt, it will not be through my own abilities. May His Majesty enable me to accomplish the work!..,