THURSDAY EVENING.

HAIL, sweet Jesus! praise, and honour and glory be to Thee, O Christ, who wert compared with the notorious robber Barabbas, and wert judged to be more wicked and worthier of death than he: the murderer is released, and the malicious Jews demand that Thou, the Author of life should be put to death. Thou, therefore, art that corner-stone set at nought by men, but chosen by God. O that I may prefer nought to Thee, nor change 47Thee for any thing whatever. O that I may count all things as dross, that I may gain Thee. Grant, O Lord, that the stain of envy may never soil my soul, and vouchsafe unto me to be built on Thee the living corner-stone, and to be stablished and to find my salvation in Thee.

Hail, sweet Jesus! praise, and honour, and glory be to Thee, O Christ, who wert stripped in the judgment hall, and bound to a pillar, and there didst suffer Thy most holy and virginal flesh to be torn with. dreadful stripes, .that by Thy bruises Thou mightest heal our wounds. O Jesus, greatly to be loved, I choose Thee, covered as Thou art with wounds, to be the spouse of my soul, and I desire to be inflamed and thoroughly consumed by the fire of Thy sweetest love. Strip my heart, I beseech Thee, of every unseemly thought: take off from me the old man with his deeds, and put on me the new man, which is created after God in righteousness and holy truth. Grant that I may patiently endure in this life the scourges of Thy fatherly correction, that at its close, I may be found meet to rejoice with Thee, and to praise and glorify Thee for ever and. ever.

Hail, sweet Jesus! praise and honour, and glory be to Thee, O Christ, whom the soldiers treated with unspeakable injuries and insults, when Thou wert standing all bloody and livid from the weals of the cruel lash. For they clothed Thee, O King of glory, in a scarlet robe, to Thy greater shame, and platted on Thy divine head a crown of thorns, and placed a reed by way of sceptre in Thy hands, and bowed the knee before Thee, and in mockery saluted Thee, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Fix in my heart, I beseech Thee, the continual remembrance of Thy passion. Wound me with the goads of love, and pierce me with the darts of Thy mercies. Grant that I may love Thee alone, and may cleave unto Thee and have my whole soul fixed on nought but Thee. May no trouble, may no torments, may no persecution separate me from Thee. O may I never be ashamed to be despised and scoffed at with Thee.

Hail, sweet Jesus! praise, and honour, and glory be to Thee, O Christ, who, for my sake, didst not refuse to be smitten with a reed, to be buffetted, and defiled with spitting, and to be treated with every kind of mockery and scorn. I beseech 49Thee, by Thy wounds, by Thy blood, by Thy scornful injuries, and by all Thy sorrows, to take possession of myself and all that I have, and turn it all to Thy everlasting praise. Grant that I may perfectly deny myself. O make me accept, with a cheerful and peaceful-mind, sorrow and joy, weal and woe from Thy hand, that being dead to the world I may live unto Thee alone.

Hail, Sweet Jesus! Prairie, and honour, and glory be to Thee, O Christ, who, covered with spitting, and gashes, and scars; and deformed with bruises, bound, and full of misery, wert led forth to be gazed at by the furious mob, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. Grant that I may thoroughly crush within me all ambition, all show of worldly pomp and vanity, and that I may despise and hold in abhorrence all worldly honours, so that by the deepest humility and a real contempt of myself, I may continually be running forward to the attainment of the glory of the blessings of heaven.

Hail, sweet Jesus! Praise, and honour, and glory, be to Thee, O Christ, who, when Thou wert declared innocent by the governor 50Pilate, didst not refuse to listen to the furious cries of the Jews, demanding Thy crucifixion. Grant me to lead an innocent life, and never to be disturbed by the ill will of others towards me. Vouchsafe unto me this grace, that I may never speak against others, nor willingly give ear to any that do so, but may, as far as possible, think well of all men, charitably put up with their failings, and sincerely love all mankind.

Hail, sweet Jesus! Praise, and honour, and glory, be to Thee, O Christ, who didst suffer Thyself to be condemned in the face of all the people to the most shameful death of the cross, that Thou mightest free us from the sentence of everlasting death. Grant that I may never judge others rashly, nor wish evil to any one, nor injure any. Give me grace to serve Thee, in glory and in shame, through evil report, and good report, and always to seek Thy honour, and may I choose rather to be exercised in adversity by abiding with Thee, than by leaving Thee to have the enjoyment of all the comforts of this life. Amen.