The Practice of Piety

If the carcass of the dead Prophet could revive a dead man that touched it;¹ how much more shall the living body of the Lord of all Prophets, quicken the faithful, in whose heart he dwelleth? And if thou wilt raise my body at the last day out of the dust; how much more wilt thou now revive my Soul ⟨p. 776⟩which thou hast sanctified with thy Spirit, and purified with thy blood? Oh Lord, what could I more desire, or what couldest thou more bestow upon me, then to give me thy body for meat, thy blood for drink, and to lay down thy Soul for the price of my Redemption? Thou Lord enduredst the pain, and I do reap the profit: I received Pardon, and thou diddest bear the punishment. Thy tears were my bathe, thy wounds my weal, and the injustice done to thee, satisfied for the Judgement which was due to me. Thus by thy birth thou art become my Brother, by thy death my ransom, by thy mercy my reward, ⟨p. 777⟩and by thy Sacrament my nourishment. O divine food, by which the sons of men are transformed into the sons of God: so that mans nature dyeth, and Gods nature liveth and ruleth in us. Indeed all Creatures wondered that the Creator would be enclosed nine months in the Virgins womb, (though her womb being replenished with the Holy Ghost, was more splendid then the starry Firmament.) But that thou shouldest thus humble thy self to dwell for ever in my heart, which thou foundst more unclean then a dung-hill: It is able to make all the Creatures in heaven and earth to stand amazed: But seeing it is thy free grace ⟨p. 778⟩and mere pleasure thus to enter and to dwell in my heart, I would to GOD that I had so pure a heart, as my heart could wish to entertain thee. And who is fit to entertain Christ? or who though invited would not choose, with Mary, rather to kneel at thy feet, then presume to sit with thee at the Table? Though I want a pure heart for thee to dwell in, yet weeping eyes shall never be wanting to wash thy blessed feet, and to lament my filthy sins. And albeit I cannot weep so many tears as may suffice to wash thy holy feet, yet Lord it is sufficient that thou hast shed blood enough to cleanse my sinful Soul. And I am ⟨p. 779⟩