my love, my treasure, I love thee, and because I love thee, I am sorry for having offended thee.
III. St. Bernard imagining himself present when Pilate passed sentence of death on our Blessed Saviour, thus addresses him: “ What hast thou done my most innocent Saviour, that thou shouldst be thus condemned? Thou art innocence itself; and how do I now behold thee condemned to death, even to the death of the cross? What crime hast thou committed?” And he proceeds to answer: “ Thy crime is love.” As if he had said: ah! it is thy too great love for us and not Pilate, that condemns thee to death. When, my dear Redeemer, I remember the offences I have committed against thee, it is not hell, which I have deserved for them, that makes me grieve, but the love which thou hast shown me. Ah! my crucified God, I desire to be from henceforth and for ever thine, and I will love no other but thee. Strengthen my weakness, and make me faithful to thee. Holy Mary, mother of God, enable me to love Jesus; this is the only favour I ask.
Meditation Fifty-second
On the certainty of being either saved or lost.
I. WITH fear and trembling, saith the Apostle,
work out your salvation. Phil. ii. 12. In order to
be saved we should tremble lest we be lost, for
there is no medium; we must be either saved or
lost for ever. He who trembles not, is in great
danger of being lost, because he takes but little
care to employ the means of obtaining salvation.
God desires that all should be saved, and he gives
to all his grace; but he requires that all should co-
