108 All pictures of our Lord, alike lawful or not.

pictures of the Cruci- all, it is "the Word become fixion, with all the aid of Flesh and dwelling among colour, are recognized in us." our Churches, I know not

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Yet these are subjects, upon what principle I could now chosen for religious take upon myself to think distribution, among the or declare a Crucifix un- middling classes, the poor lawful, so that it became Charity Schools, and Church not an object of worship or Missionary Societies," and a cause of scandal. It is to take a slight indication of not of my own choice that the same return to natural I now defend the lawful use feeling among the dissenters of them thus publicly. also, I have, while writing

And yet it cannot but be this, seen a recent edition of natural to every Christian Bogatzky's Golden Treaheart, to love to behold re- sury, with the Crucifixion presentations of his Cruci- represented as by old paintfied Lord. It cannot, dare ers, with St. John, His not, need apology, or de- Mother, and St. Mary Magfence. The principle, I must dalene, at its foot, and on repeat, is the same, whether the opposite page, a female we represent the Nativity, figure, kneeling, and praying the Flight into Egypt, our towards the Cross which she Lord's obedience to His is holding in her hand. Unparents, His Baptism, Mi- der the picture of the Cruracles, Teaching, Blessing cifixion, there occur these little children, or His Agony lines

or Crucifixion. In each and

"Here at Thy Cross, my dying God,

I lay my soul beneath Thy love;
Beneath the droppings of Thy Blood,
Jesus, nor shall it e'er remove.

"Should worlds conspire to drive me thence,
Moveless and firm this heart should lie,
Resolved (for that's my last defence)

If I must perish, there to die."

Nature is truer and more memory of a name which

devout than theory or controversy.

[Another example comes recommended to us by the

Isaac Walton's simple narrative has embalmed to many of us, a Divine of much weight in his day, and highly

Dr. Donne-Christ Crucified on Anchors.

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esteemed yet for the fresh- and then many of those ness of his piety, Dr. Donne. figures thus drawn, to be en"Not long before his death," graven very small in Helitrosays Walton," he caused pian stones, and set in gold; to be drawn a figure of the and of these he sent to many Body of Christ extended of his dearest friends, to be upon an anchor 5, like those used as seals, or rings, and which painters draw when kept as memorials of him, they would present us with and of his affection to the picture of Christ cru- them."

cified on the Cross; his, Another account adds, varying no otherwise than that "at Mr. George Herto affix him not to a cross, bert's death, these verses but to an anchor (the em- were found wrapped up with blem of hope); this he that seal which was by the caused to be drawn in little, Doctor given to him :

"When winds and waves rise highest, I am sure:

This anchor keeps my faith, that me, secure "."]

4 Life of Dr. John Donne, p. 75, 76.

5 Of which Dr. Donne would often say, "Crux mihi anchora," The Cross is my anchor. Remains of George Herbert, p. xxvi.

6 Ib. pp. xxvi. xxvii.

110 The Wounds of our Lord foretold in the Old Testament.

VI. The statement proceeds,-" and [by recommending]" special devotions to our Lord, as e. g. to His Five Wounds."

I own I was surprised, of Hosts. "Awake, O my Lord, when I first heard sword, against My shepherd, these devotions objected to, and against the Man Who as something Roman. They is My Fellow, saith the Lord can have nothing in common of Hosts."

with any thing peculiar to The piercing of the Hands the Roman system. They and the Feet is especially are founded on the doctrine pointed out in that deep of the Incarnation, the union Psalm of the sufferings of of our Blessed Lord's two our Lord, the 22nd: surely, Natures in His One Divine not only to foretel a fact and Person. They are borne the mode of His suffering; out by the words of Holy but that we may, in repeatScripture, "the Blood of ing the Psalm, dwell in God." adoring love on the details of His Passion which He endured for us.

Those words, also, of the Prophet Zechariah, "What are these wounds in Thy "Christ's Passion," says Hands? Then He shall St. Augustine, "is set forth answer, Those with which I as clearly as the Gospel.' have been wounded in the We behold Him, speak of house of My friends," have Him, in His Very Person, been in a secondary sense just as if we were on Mount interpreted of Him, the Calvary, and were, with the thought of Whom was ever Beloved Disciple, standing in the minds of the Pro- by His Cross. The Holy phets, and, still more, "the Ghost, in the Psalms, puts testimony of" Whom "is into our own mouths the Sufthe spirit of prophecy." ferings of our Lord, that we The next words speak of the may reverently suffer with Death of our Lord and God, Him. Whose heart, I may of that Man, Who is, as ask, has not, at some time God, the Equal of the Lord at least, ached, when he

Ps. xxii. pictures the Passion before our eyes. 111

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repeated the words, My gape upon Me with their God, My God, why hast mouths," " 'They stand starThou forsaken ME?" And ing and looking upon me." then the Psalm tells of His It pictures too His Blessed Sufferings, not as beheld Form, (as the ancient paintonly, as the Gospels do, but ers were wont, perhaps as endured, as felt by Him from this Psalm, to repreWho for us endured them. sent it,) dried up and emaIt tells us not only in our ciated: My strength is Lord's own Person, of the dried up like a potsherd." Piercing the Hands and the "I may tell all My Bones." Feet, and how He was naked It tells us, as from Himself, there, "I may tell all My what cannot be pictured, Bones; the mocking of the Anguish which he althose who stood by, the lowed to affect His Human very words which they so Heart, "My Heart in the strangely fulfilled by using midst of My Body is even them; His thirst, 66 My like melting wax," that our tongue cleaveth to My hearts may reverently feel gums; the parting His with His, because He enraiment and casting lots dured for love of us. upon His Vesture; but it Surely when our Lord's even sets before our eyes Sufferings are so set before one detail which must have us, both in the Psalm and been true, but is not men- in the Gospels, it must be tioned in the Gospels, the meant that we should dwell racking and dislocating of upon each portion of them, His Human Frame upon upon every pang which enthe Cross: "All My Bones tered into them. are out of joint," literally,

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Such," I said, "is the are severed one from the real contemplation of love. other." But, besides this, Think we not that such the picture-like character of must it have been to those the Psalm is observable. who were on Calvary, love The Gospels mention the riveting them, while each "wagging the head;" the awful infliction pierced the Psalmist fills up the picture: soul with a sword, and up"All they that see Me, laugh holding them to endure the Me to scorn: they shoot pain it gave? But since out their lips, and shake His love comprehended us, their heads; " and "They as though we were there,

112 Love contemplates each deed or word in His Passion.

and He beheld us, one by depths, the depths of the one, from the Cross, and riches of the mercy and loved us, and shed that loving-kindness of God; precious Blood for us, and each Wound had its own each pang was part of the treasure-house of the depths Price of our Redemption, of Divine mercy, its own how must not a living faith, antidote to sin. They, in 'the evidence of things un- spirit, reached forth their seen,' be present with Him, finger, and beheld His and behold the Crucifixion, Hands,' mightier to aid, not 'afar off,' but as brought because bound to the tree; by the Holy Gospels to the they felt themselves envery foot of the Cross, and, circled within the outif not standing there with stretched, all-encompassing His Blessed Mother and the Arms of His Mercy; they beloved Disciple, yet kneel- fell at His wearied and ing at least with the penitent stiffened Knees, and their who embraces It? To Love, own feeble knees' were nothing is of small account. strengthened; they bathed Human love finds a separate with tears His transfixed ground of love, a separate Feet, that so He might formeaning and expression of give the mournful liberty that inward, holy loveliness and wandering wherewith which wins it, impressed on their own had gone astray; every part even of the pure but chiefly were they ever visible frame of what it loves. drawn to the very Abyss of Grief loves to recall each His unsearchable Love, His separate action, and token pierced Side and His opened of love or holiness, and Heart, there to draw of the muses upon them, and re- fountains of salvation,' to volves them on all sides, to drink that water, after discover the varied bearings which they should never of what yet is finite. How thirst' for aught beside; much more when the Object there reverently to enter, of Contemplation is Infinite, and to penetrate to the inand that of love! When most recesses of His boundthe Passion was 'the book less Charity,' to ' enter into of the Saints,' they contem- Its Chambers, and close its plated it letter by letter, and doors about them,' there to combined its meanings, and hide them in the secret of explored its unfathomable His Presence' from the