annoyed! But what greater punishment can a soul experience than to see Jesus Christ, Whom all his life long has been despised? " they shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced." (Zech. xii. 10.) That Lamb, Who during life has shown so much patience, the souls will afterwards behold very wrathful, without the hope of ever again being able to appease Him; so that they will feel obliged to call upon the mountains to fall upon them, and thus to hide them from the anger of the Lamb. " Fall on us, and hide us from the .... wrath of the Lamb." (Rev. vi. 16.) S. Luke, speaking of the judgment, says, " And then shall they see the Son of Man." (S. Luke xxi. 27.) Oh, what anguish will it bring to the sinner, when he beholds the Judge in the form of a man! Because the sight of Him, Who as Man once died for his salvation, will reproach him very deeply for his ingratitude. When the Saviour ascended into heaven, the angels said to His disciples, " This same Jesus, Which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." (Acts i. 11.) Therefore the Judge will come to judge, with those same wounds with which He departed into heaven. Those wounds will console the just, but they will affright the sinners. When Joseph said unto his brethren, " I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold," (Gen. xlv. 4), Holy Scripture tells us that they " could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence." (Gen. xlv. 3.) But what will the sinner answer Jesus Christ? Perhaps he will take courage to entreat His mercy, at that time when he will first of all have to render to Him an account of the contempt which he has shown for the mercies granted to him? S. Augustine inquires, What will the sinner do, whither will he fly, when he beholds the Judge, Who will be very wrathful, sitting above him; underneath him, hell already open; on the one side the sins which will accuse him; oh the other, the devils ready to execute the sentence; and within, the conscience which will sting him?
Affections and Prayers.
O my Jesus, I wish ever to call Thee my Jesus; Thy Name consoles me, and gives me courage, reminding me that Thou art
