obstinate as not to fear men, and thinkest nought of thy bodily
pain, yet surely thou must fear God, in the last moments of thy
life--God, who hath power to destroy both thy body and soul in hell.
And though we suffer the same punishment with Him, our deserts are
very different. We, indeed, suffer justly, for we receive the due
reward of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss." He, who
but lately was a blasphemer, is now a confessor and preacher, he
distinguishes good from evil, blaming the sinner, and excusing the
innocent: the unbelieving thief has become the confessor of almighty
God. O good Jesus, this sudden change is wrought by Thy right hand,
at which he hung. Thy right hand touched him inwardly, and forthwith
he is changed into another man. O Lord, in this Thou hast declared
Thy patience, out of a stone Thou hast raised up a child unto
Abraham. Verily, the penitent thief received the light of faith
solely from that bright light on the candlestick of the Cross, which
shone there in the darkness and scattered the shades of night. But
what does this signify, save that our Lord Jesus, out of the
greatness of His goodness, looked upon him with the eyes of His
mercy, although He found no merit in him, except what it pleased Him
out of His goodness to bestow? For as God gives to His elect, out of
His goodness alone, what no one has a right to demand, so out of His
justice He gives to the wicked what they deserve. For this cause
David says: "He saved me because He desired me." And this is why the
thief, before the Lord touched his heart with the beams of His grace
and love, joined the other thief in reviling Christ, thus showing
first what his own character was, and afterwards what was wrought in
him by grace. At first he acted like the other, being, like him, a
child of wrath; but when the precious blood of Christ was shed as
the price of our redemption and paid to the Father for our debt,
then the thief asked God to give him an alms for his good, and at