Whilst the adorable humanity of Christ was thus crushed to the earth
beneath this awful weight of suffering, the angels appeared filled with
compassion; there was a pause, and I perceived that they were earnestly
desiring to console him, and praying to that effect before the throne
of God. For one instant there appeared to be, as it were, a struggle
between the mercy and justice of God and that love which was
sacrificing itself. I was permitted to see an image of God, not, as
before, seated on a throne, but under a luminous form. I beheld the
divine nature of the Son in the Person of the Father, and, as it were,
withdrawn in his bosom; the Person of the Holy Ghost proceeded from the
Father and the Son, it was, so to speak, between them, and yet the
whole formed only one God--but these things are indescribable.

All this was more an inward perception than a vision under distinct
forms, and it appeared to me that the Divine Will of our Lord withdrew
in some sort into the Eternal Father, in order to permit all those
sufferings which his human will besought his Father to spare him, to
weigh upon his humanity alone. I saw this at the time when the angels,
filled with compassion, were desiring to console Jesus, who, in fact,
was slightly relieved at that moment. Then all disappeared, and the
angels retired from our Lord, whose soul was about to sustain fresh
assaults.

When our Redeemer, on Mount Olivet, was pleased to experience and
overcome that violent repugnance of human nature to suffering and death
which constitutes a portion of all sufferings, the tempter was
permitted to do to him what he does to all men who desire to sacrifice
themselves in a holy cause. In the first portion of the agony, Satan
displayed before the eyes of our Lord the enormity of that debt of sin
which he was going to pay, and was even bold and malicious enough to