I have ⟨p. 1021⟩done the crime, and thou hangest on the Cross. Oh the deepness of Gods love! Oh the the wonderful disposition of heavenly grace! Oh the unmeasurable measure of divine mercy! The wicked transgresseth, and the just is punished: the guilty is let scape, and the innocent is arraigned: the malefactor is acquitted, and the harmless condemned: what the evil man deserveth, the good man suffereth: the servant doth the fault, the Master endures the strokes: What shall I say? Man sinneth; and God dieth. O Son of God! Who can sufficiently express thy love? or commend thy piety? or extol thy praise? I was proud, and thou art humbled: ⟨p. 1022⟩I was disobedient, and thou becamest obedient. I did eat the forbidden fruit, and thou didst hang on the cursed tree: I played the glutton, and thou diddest fast: evil concupiscence drew me to eat the pleasant apple, and perfect charity led thee to drink of the bitter cup: I assayed the sweetness of the fruit, and thou diddest taste the bitterness of the gall. Foolish Eve smiled, when I laughed: but blessed Mary wept, when thy heart bled and dyed. O my God, here I see thy goodness, and my badness: thy justice, and my injustice: the impiety of my flesh, the piety of thy nature. And now, O blessed Lord, that thou hast endured all this for my sake; What shall ⟨p. 1023⟩I render unto thee for all thy benefits bestowed upon me, a sinful soul? Indeed, Lord, I acknowledge that I owe thee already for my creation, more then I am able to pay: for I am in that respect, bound with all my powers, and affections to love and to adore thee. If I owed my self unto thee, for giving me my self in my creation, what shall I now render unto thee, for giving thy self for me to so cruel a death to procure my Redemption? Great was the benefit that thou wouldest create me of nothing; but what tongue can sufficiently express the greatness of this grace: that thou didst redeem me with so deer a price, when I was worse then ⟨p. 1024⟩nothing? Surely, O Lord, if I cannot pay the thanks which I owe thee; (and who can pay thee, who bestowest thy graces, without either respect of merit, or regard of measure.) It is the abundance of thy blessings that makes me such a bankrupt: that I am so far unable to pay the principal, that I cannot possibly pay, so much as the interest of thy love.
I haue ⟨p. 1021⟩done the crime, and thou hangest on the Crosse. Oh the deepenesse of Gods loue! Oh the the wonderfull disposition of heauenly grace! Oh the vnmeasurable measure of diuine mercy! The wicked transgresseth, and the iust is punished: the guilty is let scape, and the innocent is arraigned: the malefactor is acquitted, and the harmelesse condemned: what the euill man deserueth, the good man suffereth: the seruant doth the fault, the Master endures the stroakes: What shall I say? Man sinneth; and God dieth. O Son of God! Who can sufficiently expresse thy loue? or commend thy piety? or extoll thy praise? I was proud, and thou art humbled: ⟨p. 1022⟩I was disobedient, and thou becammest obedient. I did eat the forbidden fruit, and thou didst hang on the cursed tree: I played the glutton, and thou diddest fast: euill concupiscence drew me to eate the pleasant apple, and perfect charity led thee to drinke of the bitter cup: I assaied the sweetnesse of the fruit, and thou diddest taste the bitternesse of the gall. Foolish Eue smiled, when I laughed: but blessed Mary wept, when thy heart bled and dyed. O my God, heere I see thy goodnesse, and my badnesse: thy iustice, and my iniustice: the impiety of my flesh, the piety of thy nature. And now, O blessed Lord, that thou hast endured all this for my sake; What shall ⟨p. 1023⟩I render vnto thee for all thy benefits bestowed vpon me, a sinfull soule? Indeede, Lord, I acknowledge that I owe thee already for my creation, more then I am able to pay: for I am in that respect, bound with all my powers, and affections to loue and to adore thee. If I owed my selfe vnto thee, for giuing me my selfe in my creation, what shall I now render vnto thee, for giuing thy selfe for me to so cruell a death to procure my Redemption? Great was the benefit that thou wouldest create mee of nothing; but what tongue can sufficiently expresse the greatnesse of this grace: that thou didst redeeme mee with so deere a price, when I was worse then ⟨p. 1024⟩nothing? Surely, O Lord, if I cannot pay the thanks which I owe thee; (and who can pay thee, who bestowest thy graces, without either respect of merit, or regard of measure.) It is the aboundance of thy blessings that makes me such a bankerupt: that I am so farre vnable to pay the principall, that I cannot possibly pay, so much as the interest of thy loue.
