Let heaven and earth join together, and the choirs of angels he united with the voices of men, to sing eternal praises to God, in trinity and unity, for the mercies we have received in the admirable work of our redemption. O my amiable Jesus, how am I bound to love thee! How black must my ingratitude be, if, after such demonstrations of love, I can continue to offend thee! I am the offender, I am the malefactor, and thou hast taken upon thee the punishment due to my sins! It is I who deserve to be accused, arraigned, dispised, and condemned, and not thou: O innocent and spotless Lamb of God, eternal praise be to thy name. Whilst the Jews proclaim thee a blasphemer, I own thee for my Lord; and beseech thee, that under all reproaches and calumnies I may remember what thou hast suffered for me, and that I may endeavour, by an humble and patient silence, to show myself on all occasions to be thy true disciple. Grant that whenever I am persecuted by lies or false accusations, thy example may be my comfort, my model, and my rule. Give me courage, constancy, and patience, under all the injuries, crosses, and contradictions, which thy providence shall permit to befall me during my pilgrimage here on earth. {375} Do not suffer me to despair of thy mercy, or die in my sins, like unhappy Judas: but soften my stony heart, and melt it into tears of compunction. Leave me not to myself, but teach me to confide wholly in thee. Look on me with an eye of pity, and awaken me from the sleep of death, that I may bewail my past sins in the bitterness of my soul, and persevere in serving thee and promoting thy glory. May the fall of Peter be a lesson to me all the days of my life, to shun all evil company, to fly all the dangerous occasions of sin, and never to deny thee, my Lord and my God, either by word or deed; but openly to profess my faith without fear or shame. I thank thee for revealing thy heavenly truths, and for instructing us by thy holy apostles in the only true saving faith. Give me grace to attend to thy doctrine, to live up to the maxims of thy gospel, to profess thy faith by the practice of good works, and never to swerve from thy sacred law. Have mercy on all those that are involved in the dismal state of mortal sin, and grant them the grace of sincere repentance. Let the light of thy countenance shine upon those who are sitting in the darkness of infidelity, and in the gloomy shade of death.-- Bring back the strayed sheep to thy fold, and unite them to the communion of thy church, that we may all become one sheepfold under one shepherd. {376} Explanation.