This page needs to be proofread.

tience, obedience, mercy, poverty, charity, humility, bounty, modesty, and other of his rare virtues, which in all his actions did glitter like stars in the firmament. And chiefly to this end, let us meditate upon these things, that, as near as we can, we may imitate them. Let us shake off sloth, and elevate our souls, that as much as in our power lieth, with the help of his holy grace, we may trace his sacred footsteps. This is the best and most profitable method of meditating upon our blessed Saviour's passion, that is to say, that, thereby we be drawn to imitation, and so to be wholly transformed into our blessed Saviour, that each one may say with the Apostle: "Vivo autem, jam non ego, vivit vero in me Christus." "And now I live, but not I, but Christ in me." Moreover, in meditating our blessed Saviour's passion, we must set him before the eyes of our souls, imagining that we see as present the pangs of his heavy sufferings; and we must not only insist upon the bare history of his passion, but we must consider other circumstances; namely, these four; first, who it is that suffereth? secondly, for whom? thirdly, how? fourthly, why? First, he that suffereth, is God, omnipotent, infinite, immense. For whom? the most ungrateful creature in the world, and less regarding his benefits. How? with most profound humility, charity, bounty, meekness, mercy, patience, modesty, &c. Why? not for his own commodity, nor our merits, but for