128 The Wounds of our Lord our Peace. 'suck to our Lord. "In truth, from myself I take fearlessly where, for the infirm, is to me from the bowels of firm and safe rest, save in the Lord; for His mercies the Wounds of the Saviour? flow richly to me, nor lack There I dwell the more there clefts through which securely, the more powerful they may flow forth. They He is to save. The world pierced His Hands and His rageth; the body oppress- Feet,' and with the lance eth; the devil waylayeth. bored his Side; and through I fall not. For I am founded these clefts I may on the firm Rock. I have honey from the Rock, and sinned a great sin. The oil from the flinty rock,' i. e. conscience will be troubled, may taste and see that the but not shaken; for I will Lord is gracious.' He counremember the Wounds of selled counsels of peace, the Lord. For He was and I knew it not. For wounded for our transgres- who hath known the mind sions.' What so unto death, of the Lord, or who hath as not to be loosed by the been His Counsellor?' But Death of Christ? If then the piercing nail was to me this medicine, so powerful, an unlocking key, that I so effectual, cometh to my might see the will of the mind, I can never more be Lord. Why should I not terrified by the malignity of look through the clefts? the disease." The Nail proclaimeth, the 66 6 So, then, he was clearly Wound proclaimeth, that, in error who said, 'Mine of a truth, God is in Christ iniquity is greater than I reconciling the world unto can bear.' Save that he was Himself.' The iron passed not of the members of through His Soul, and apChrist, nor, through the proached His Heart, that it Merits of Christ, did it be- may not fail to know how long to him to claim as his to have a fellow-feeling with own, to call his own, what my infirmities. Wide open, is His, as the member doth through the cleft of the what is the Head's. But as body, lies the secret of the for me, what lacketh to me Heart; wide open that great 8 S. Bernard, in Cant. Serm. 61, § 3, sqq. sages from S. Bonaventura are given in the p. xxxiii.-vi. Other striking pas Blessed is it, to dwell there. 129 Thy Right Sacrament of loving-kind- cover both. ness; wide open the bowels eousness is an everlasting of mercy of our God, where- Righteousness.' What is by the day-spring from on longer than eternity? And high hath visited us. Why this large and eternal shall not the bowels be open Righteousness will largely through wounds? For where- cover alike Thee and in could it have been shown me. In me it covers a more clearly than in Thy multitude of sins;' but in Wounds, that Thou, Lord, Thee, O Lord, what, but art good and gracious, the treasures of love, the and of great mercy? For riches of goodness? These 'greater mercy hath no man, are laid up for me in the than that one lay down his cleft of the rock. What life for those sentenced and great abundance of Thy condemned to death. sweetness in them is hid My merit, then, is the den,' but 'to those who mercy of the Lord. I am perish!' Wherefore, then, not wholly bare of merit, so should what is holy be long as He is not of mercy. given to dogs,' or 'pearls to But if the mercies of the swine?' But to us God Lord are manifold, no less hath revealed through His manifold am I in merit. For Spirit,' yea, and through 'where sin abounded, grace open clefts, hath brought us did much more abound.' into the Holy place. In And if the mercies of the these, what multitude of Lord are from everlasting to sweetness, fulness of grace, everlasting,' 'I,' too, will perfection of virtues ! sing of the mercies of the "I will betake me to those Lord for ever!' My own well-stored chambers, and, righteousness shall I at the Prophet's warning, Lord, I will make mention will leave the cities, and of Thy Righteousness only!' dwell in the rock.' I will For it is mine also; for Thou be like a dove making its wert made to me Right-nest at the very mouth of eousness from God.' Shall the Cleft, that being, like I fear that one [Righteous- Moses, placed in the Cleft ness] shall not suffice both? of the Rock, I may find 'The covering' is not too grace, when the Lord passnarrow,' that, according to eth by,' at least to behold the Prophet, it should not His Hinder Parts.' K 130 them." Comfort to sufferers in thought of our Lord's. "Of [that soul] it is said, make him stronger to en'My Dove is in the Cleft dure. For he will not feel of the Rock,' because, with his own, while he shall gaze its whole devotion, it is upon His Wounds. The occupied with the Wounds martyr stands exulting and of Christ, and by continual triumphing, although with meditation, lingereth in his whole body rent. Where then is the martyr's soul? Why should not any in In safety, in the Rock, any sufferings find their namely, in the Inward Part consolations (as they have of Jesus, in His Wounds found them), where St. Ber- which are open to enter in. nard says,-in the Wounds If he were in his own, he and Sufferings of our Lord? would feel the iron searchSurely it is the most natu- ing them, he would not bear ral and deepest of all conso- the pain, he would give way lations, to dwell on them. and deny [Christ]. But No suffering can we know now, dwelling in the Rock, in any part of the whole what marvel if he become frame, where He did not hard as the Rock? Nor is suffer, from His Sacred it marvellous if, absent from Thorn-crowned Head to the body, he do not feel the His pierced Feet. This has pains of the body. So then given joy to suffering, by from the Rock is the Marparching thirst or racking tyr's strength." pain to have, as it were, a And again, in plain words, little shadow of His bodily "What is so effectual to Sufferings cast upon them, heal the wounds of conand to pray that our due science, and to cleanse the sufferings might be sancti- eye of the soul, as the fied by His, the Atoning diligent meditation on the and Meritorious Sufferings. Wounds of Christ?" "He willeth to be seen," I cannot but think that says St. Bernard; "the they who object to Devogracious Captain willeth the tions in connexion with the countenance and eyes of the Blessed Wounds of our devoted soldier to be lifted Lord, as appealing too to His Wounds, that He much to the feelings, take might thereby raise his a very narrow view of humind, and by His example, man nature. Some of us 9 S. Bernard in Cant. Serm. 62, § 7. Devotions on the Passion a bond of union. 131 might think, perhaps, books gifts with such wide profuof devotion which they use, sion, not despising others couched in rather abstract whose souls may prefer and dry language. Why other parts of His rich passhould we judge one ano- ture. ther? All are not cast in And yet these very devothe same mould. In some, tions are strangely suited to intellect predominates; in win devout souls, who, with others, feeling; in some, imperfect knowledge, yet imagination. Intellect re- love with a reverent kinquires to be warmed; feel- dled piety the Person of the ings, to be chastened; ima- Redeemer. While a school gination to be restrained among us depreciates these, from a wasting luxuriance. they will be prized by those But Bishop Taylor did not who seem, on other points, pray in the same language most opposed to the teachas Bishop Andrewes, nor ing of the Church. Why Bishop Wilson like either. should we not meet in our And yet each has trained Saviour's wounded Side? many a soul to pray deeply In love for Him and His and fervently. If any like sacred Wounds, we might not the luxuriance of Bishop learn the more to love one Taylor, he is not bound to another, and understand one him; but why should he another. "I cannot blame find fault? All food has those devotions," said one, not the same taste, nor does" for they are just what I all suit every palate. Let use myself." us take with thanksgiving One of the most deservwhat suits us, thankful that edly popular hymns, perthe Bounteous Giver of all, haps the very favourite, is bestows and scatters His one of this very sort :"Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the Blood, From Thy Side 1, a healing flood, Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath, and make me pure." Very beautiful is it. But tween this very hymn and where is the difference be- such as the following ? 1 An older reading, I believe, is, "From Thy riven Side which flowed." 132 Hymns on the Passion from Open, Lord, Thy heart's deep cell, Thou, Who know'st where mine doth dwell;- Shrine my heart, an offering free. Panting for that Refuge blest, Nothing love, dear Lord, but Thee 2." What, I may say again, and the hymn which folis the difference in principle, lows, and two others which between the following beau- I will subjoin?tiful and touching "Litany," | 66 LITANY. By Thy Birth, and early years, By the sympathy that wept O'er the grave where Laz'rus slept; Over Salem's lost abode; By the troubled sigh that told Treason lurk'd within Thy fold; Jesus, look with pitying eye, "By Thine hour of whelming fear; By the purple robe of scorn; By Thy Wounds, Thy crown of thorn 3, Cross and Passion, Pangs and cries; By Thy perfect Sacrifice ; Jesus, look with pitying eye, Paradise, § vi. p. 70. 3 In another version, 66 By Thy woe intensely great, By Thy Robe and Crown of scorn. |