soon forget them, and that my past iniquities will not hinder thee from loving me. Hast thou not said that thou lovest those who love thee? Wis. viii. Hitherto I have not loved thee, and have deserved thy hatred; but now I will love thee, and hope that thou wilt no longer reject me; and as thou forgettest what is past, forgive me, unite me to thyself, and never suffer me to be again separated from thee. Mary, assist me by your holy intercession.
Meditation Sixty-second.
On temptations to relapse.
I. CHRISTIAN, when the devil again tempts thee to sin, telling thee that “ God is merciful,” remember that the Lord “showeth mercy towards “ them that fear him,” and not to them that despise him. “ God is merciful,” it is true; yet how many does he daily condemn to the torments of hell! “ God is merciful,” but he is also just. He is merciful to those who repent of their sins, but not to those who abuse his mercy to offend him the more freely. O God, how often have I done this! how often have I offended thee because thou wast good and merciful!
II. The devil will say to thee: “ As he has pardoned thee many past sins, so will he pardon thee “ the sin which thou art now about to commit." No, thou must reply; because he has so often forgiven me, I ought to be the more afraid, that, if I should again offend him, he will no more pardon me, but punish me for all the crimes I have ever committed against him. Attend to the admonition of the Holy Ghost: Say not, I have sinned and what harm hath befallen me? for the most High is a pa-
