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IT is an unheard of thing to see God upon the Crosse, and life in death; yet you behold Jesus stretched out between the armes of his holy Mother. He is dead, but by this meanes he becomes the life of our Soules. This manner of death is infinitely distant from the greatnesse of God; but love hath wrought this wonder to convey life to your soule, and death to your sins.
Give your selfe to Jesus and Ma∣ry, to be are in you these two effects of life and death.
IF I desire to live in God, and in order to what he requires of a Christian, I must needs die to sinne, alter my depraved cu∣stomes, and withdraw my heart from selfe-love and all affe∣ction to creatures. But how shall I doe it, O blessed Virgin, if I receive not powerfull assi∣stance? for I am able to act no∣thing, if I want efficacious grace which operates in and with me, what God desires of me. Now from whence may I have it, but from and by you, O Mother of
grace and mercy, since God hath put into your hands, the price of my Salvation, and since you hold in your armes, the fountaine of all graces? I re∣paire then to you (O benigne Virgin) and I give my selfe to you, to the end by the power which you have in quality of my Saviours mother, you may produce in my soule the effects of life and death; my meaning is, that you operate in such sort by your favour, that I may real∣ly die to my vices and sinnes, that I may detest and hate them, and lead such a life as God ex∣pects of me, and to which I ob∣liged my selfe, when by Bap∣tisme I was incorporated, and made a member of Iesus Christ, your Sonne.
THe Son of God vouchsafed to unite pains, sorrows, af∣flictions, and crosses to himselfe, and his holy Mother, with designe to render them from thenceforth pleasing, sweet, and worthy to be esteemed and desired on earth. Be∣gin to esteem them because they are deified in Jesus, and honoured in his holy Mother. And if you are unable to aske them of God, at least resolve to be are them with humili∣ty and patience, when they shall happen to you.
YOu have ever been (O holy Virgin) the wel-beloved of the eternall Father: You are a∣mongst all the pure creatures, the worthiest object of his love; You are his spouse, and the true Mother of Iesus, as he is his Fa∣ther; and he gives you his Son, & with him hath put into your hands the treasures of Heaven, and earth, and all the riches of Divinitie. For this reason you are the worthiest of all pure creatures, and with my Iesus you are the happinesse of the whole world; Neverthelesse (O Mother of God) I see you in the midst of mount Calvary, and at the foot
of the Crosse, holding your Son dead between your armes: You take off the Crowne of thornes, you wipe his wounds, you wash his body with teares, and kisse a thousand times the bruises of his flesh: You suffer likewise with him the ignominies, and dolors of the Crosse; so that hu∣miliations, crosses & afflictions are both in you and in Jesus. In him and you they are become divine, sanctified and rendred acceptable; And for this cause they are worthie of being estee∣med, and desired by Christians. What must I then doe (O holy Virgin) if I will love you? what other thing can I doe, but affect Crosses and humiliations with you, and humble my selfe like
you. I desine and purpose it thus in my soule, procure me only the grace that in all occa∣sions I may beare every thing with fidelity and patience, in such sort as God requires of me, and you desire I should.
THe holy. Virgin holding her Son between her armes, offers him to God and the divine Iustice, for satisfaction of our offences; And as the Father hath given his Son to the world, and the Son deli∣vered himselfe up to the Crosse to save us; So the holy Virgin both with heart and will, sacrificeth her owne Son, that she may in this sort minister unto our Salvation.
Give her thanks for this extraor∣dinary Charity, and beseech her to render you faithfull to all the gra∣ces, which the death of the Son of God hath acquired.
YOu have been chosen (ô Mo∣ther of grace and mercy!) to be the repairer of the world, and to co-operate in a most peculiar manner to the salvation of all mankind. You did when you gave your Sonne Christ Jesus to be delivered up to the death of the Crosse, and you do it when, holding him dead between your armes, you offer him to the di∣vine Justice, as a Victime and Sacrifice of propitiation, which
satisfies God for the sinnes of the world: And in this respect you are our Repairer; for Jesus who is the Saviour of men is yours, he is your Sonne, and you are his Mother. And in this quality, you have right to his life, his preservation, and all his condition?. Neverthelesse, (O Mother of our Soules) you consent to his death, you incou∣rage him to torments, you con∣duct him to the Crosse, and like another Abraham you sacrifice in will and affection your only Sonne, and you sacrifice him for my sinnes, so great is your cha∣rity and love towards me. But what can I doe in recognition of so sublime a benefit? Where∣in am I able to acknowledge,
(O benigne Virgin) so ardent a Charity? At least since you give your Sonne for me, procure that I may be your slave, and since you resigne him to efface the sinnes of the world, and that hee may merit for us such graces, as are necessary for our salvation, be pleased to mediate, that I may be faithfull to all the graces, which he hath purcha∣sed for me by his death, and that I may live no longer, but for his honour and yours, as you give him to the Crosse and de∣liver him up to death for me.