do." This is that High Priest, who by His own blood has entered into
the Holy of Holies, to offer Himself as a peace-offering for the
sins of the whole world. This is that innocent Lamb, who has washed
us in His own precious blood, who, Himself without spot of sin, has
taken away the sins of the world. Therefore from the storehouse of
His Passion I borrow the price of my debt, and I count out before
Thee all its merits, to pay what I owe Thee. For He has done all in
my nature, and for my sake. O merciful Father, if Thou weighest all
my sins on one side of the balance, and in the other scale the
Passion of Thy Son, the last will outweigh the first. For what sin
can be so great, that the innocent blood of Thy Son has not washed
it out? What pride, or disobedience, or lust, is so unchecked or so
rebellious, that such lowliness, obedience, and poverty cannot
abolish it? O merciful Father, accept the deeds of Thy beloved Son,
and forgive the errors of Thy wicked servant. For the innocent blood
of our brother Abel crieth to Thee from the Cross, not for
vengeance, but for grace and mercy, saying, "Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do."

THE SECOND WORD

NOW the thieves who were crucified with Jesus reviled Him. But after
a while, the one who hung on the right side of Christ, when he saw
His great patience and long-suffering, wherewith He so lovingly
prayed to His Father for those who cast reproaches upon Him and
cruelly tortured Him, became entirely changed, and began to be moved
with very great sorrow and repentance for his sins. And he showed
this outwardly, when he rebuked his fellow-thief, who continued to
revile Christ, saying: "Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in
the same condemnation?" "Although" (he would say) "thou art so