in helping forward prosecute them that all our prayers and workes may begin alwayes from thee and begun by thee may so be ended Through Lord Jesus our mercifull Redeemer Amen Our Father c. Haile Mary c. I beleeve in God c. All as above I Confesse me to Almighty God To the blessed Virgin S. Marie To the blessed S. John Baptist To the holy Apostles S. Peter and S. Paul and to all the Saints in Heaven that I have grievously sinned in thought Word and deed Through my fault Through my fault through my most grievous fault Therfore I Beseech the blessed Virgin Marie blessed S. Michel the Archangel blessed S. John Baptist the holy Apostles S. Peter and S. Paul and all the Saints in Heaven ro pray unto our Lord God for me Almighty God have mercy upon us and all our sinnes being forgiven he bring us to everlasting life Amen Almighty and mercifull Lord give unto us pardon absolution an remission of all our sins Amen Vouchsafe O Lord to keepe us this day without sin be mercifull unto us let thy mercy O Lord be upon us even as we have our trust in thee O Lord heare my prayer and let my cry come to thee O Father Almigthy who hast brought us to the beginning of this new day save us by thy power to the end that we fall not this day into sin but that our words our thoughts and workes may be directed to execute thy justice through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen A devout recommendation to be used every morning I Adore blesse and glorify thee O holy Trinity God Omnipotent Father Sonne and Holy Ghost Behold I offer my selfe to thy Divine Majesty Take from me I beseech thee and from all faithfull Christians what soever displeaseth thee and give unto us that which is gratefull in thy sight and grant that we may become such as we are comanded to be I recommend unto thee O Lord my soule my body my wife my children my Father and Mother my brothers and sisters my kindred and benefactors friends and enemies and all those who have recommended themselves to my prayers or for whom I am bound to pray I commend unto thee the holy Catholique Church grant O Lord that every one may know thee that all may worship honour and reverence thee all may love thee and likewise be beloved of thee Those who erre reduce and bring againe into the way Destroy all false sects and heresies convert all to the true faith grant O Lord thy peace let thy holy will de donne comfort and help all who are in tribulation and misery as well Spirituall as corporal Grant O Lord unto the living grace and to the faithfull soules departed mercy and everlasting rest A recommendation to God INto the hands of thy infinit mercy O Lord I commend my soule and body my senses my words my counsailes my thoughts my workes and all my actions with all the necessites of my body and soule my conversation my death and resurrection with thy Saints and happy elect Amen A recommendation of ourselves to the blessed Virgin Mother of God To the Angels and Saints out of S. Augustin ch 40. of his medit O Marie Mother of God our Lord and Saviour Jes Christ thou sacred and unspotted Virgin vouchsafe to make intercession for me unto him who made thee a worthy temple for himselfe to inhabit O S. Gabriel S. Raphael O holy quiers of Angels and Archangels of Patriarkes and Prophets of Apostles and Evangelists of Martyres and Levits of Monkes and Virgins and all such as have lived righteously I beseech you even for his sake by whom you have been elected and in whose contemplation you have so much delighted that you will be pleased to pray for me a poore sinner unto him our God that I may be delivered from the furious jawes of the infernal Fiend and from that death which shall never have end Amen A devout Prayer to our Lord Iesus O My divine and most mercifull Redeemer Jesus sonne of God and of the glorious Virgin Marie who dying for all mankind and me the third day didst rise againe I beseech thee deare Lord have mercy on me a vile and wretched sinner but yet thy creature and for thy bitter Passion save and keepe me from all perils bodily and ghostly and specially from all things that may turne to thy displeasure And with all my hart I thanke thee most mercifull Lord for the many mercies thou hast shewd me in the great dangers I have past both in body and soule and as thy grace and endlesse goodnesse hath alwayes kept and saved me from the houre of my birth until this day so Lord I beseech thee that thy mercy may continue my safety And for my many offences and great ingratitudes of my sinful life I humbly aske mercy And for that I cannot leade such a life as it becommeth thy servant I humbly prostrate and cry God be merciful to me a most wretched sinner And I humbly thanke thee most gracious Lord for the multitude of Divine benefits which thou hast more largely bestowed on me then upon many others who have much better deserved them then I. Wherefore most gracious Lord I humbly thanke thee rendring all honour and praise to thy holy name who livest and reygnest one God world without end Amen A Prayer to persever in goodnesse GRant O Lord Jesu that I may persever in good purposes and in thy holy service untill my death and that I may now this present day perfectly begin for it is nothing that hitherto I have done A Prayer to our Angel guardian O Angel of God who art my keeper illuminate guard rule and governe me this day by the supernal piety committed to thee Amen O Lord blesse us and defend us from all evill and bring us to eternall life And the soules of the faithful through the mercy of God rest in peace Amen A blessing THe peace of our Lord Jesus Christ the vertue of his sacred holy passion the signe of the holy crosse the integrity and great humility of the blessed Virgin Mary the blessing of the glorious Saints the keeping of the happy Angels and the suffrages of all the chosen of God be with me and between me and all myne enemies now and in the hour of my death sweet Jesu Amen The Almigthy and mercifull God the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost blesse and keepe us nowe and evermore When at morning noone and evening you heare the Ave Mary bell to ring say THe Angel of God declared unto Mary and shee conceived of the Holy Ghost Haile Mary full of grace c. Behould the hand-maide of our Lord be it unto me according to thy word Haile Mary full of grace c. And the word was made flesh and dwelt in us Haile Mary full of grace c. The Prayer VOuchsafe we beseech thee O Lord to power forth thy grace into our harts that we who know the
They that repay evil things for good did back bite me because I followed goodnesse Forsake me not O Lord my God depart not from me Incline unto my helpe O Lord God of my salvation Glory be to the Father c. Psalme 50. HAve mercy on me O God according to thy great mercy And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquities Wash me hencefourth from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin Because I doe know my iniquity and my sin is alwayes against me To thee only have I sinned and have donne evill before thee that thou maist be justified in thy words and maist overcome when thou art judged For behould I was conceived in iniquities and my mother conceived me in sin For behould thou hast loved truth the uncertaine and hidden things of thy wisdome thou hast made manifest to me Thou shalt sprincle me with hysope and I shall be cleansed thou shalst wash me and I shall be made whiter then snow To my hearing thou shalst give joy and gladnesse and humbled harts shall rejoyce Turne away thy face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities Create a cleane hart in me O God and renew a right spirit in my bowels Cast me not away from thy face and thy holy spirit take not away from me Render unto me the joy of thy salvation and confirme me with a principall spirit I will teach the unjust thy wayes and the impious shall be converted unto thee Deliver me from blouds O God the God of my salvation and my tongue shall exalt thy justice Thou O Lord shalt open my lips and my mouth shall declare thy praise Because if thou wouldest have had sacrifice I had verily given it with whole-burnt-offerings thou wilt not be delighted A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit a contrite and humble hart O God thou wilst not dispise Deale favorably O Lord in thy good will with Syon and let the walls of Hierusalem be built up Then shalt thou accept sacrifice of justice oblations and whole-burnt-offerings then shall they lay calves upon thine altar Glory be to the Father c. Psalme 101. O Lord heare my prayer and let my cry come unto thee Turne not away thy face from me in what day soever I am in tribulation incline thine eare to me In what day soever I shal call upon thee heare me speedily For my dayes have vanished as smoke and my bones are withered as a dry-burnt fire-brand I am smitten as grasse and my hart is withered for I have forgotten to eate my bread For the voyce of my groning my bonne hath cleaved to my flesh I am become like a pelican of the wildernesse I am become as a night raven in the house I have watched and am become as a sparow solitary in the house toppe All the day did my ennemies upbraide me and they that praised me sware against me For I did eate ashes as bread and mingled my drink with weeping At the face of the wrath of thy indignation for that lifting me up thou hast throwne me downe My dayes have declined as a shadow I am withered as grasse But thou O Lord endurest for ever and thy memoriall in generation and generation Thou rising up shalt have mercy on Syon for the tyme is come Because the stones thereof have pleased thy servants and they shall have pitty on the earth thereof And the Gentils shall feare thy name O Lord and all the Kings of the Earth thy glory For our Lord hath builded Syon and he shall be seene in his glory He hath had respect to the prayer of the humble and he hath not dispised their petition Let these things be written in an other generation and the people that shall be created shall praise our lord Because he hath looked fourth from his high holy place our Lord from Heaven hath looked upon the earth That he might heare the gronings of the fettered that he might loose the children of them that are flayne That they may shew fourth the name of our Lord in Syon and his prayse in Hierusalem In the assembling of the people togeather in one and kings to serve our Lord. He answered him in the way of his strength shew me the fewnesse of my dayes Call me not back in the halfe of my dayes thy yeares are unto generation and generation In the beginning O Lord thou hast founded the earth and the Heavens are the workes of thy hands They shall perish but thou art permanent and they shall all wax old as a garment And as a vesture thou shalst change them and they shall be changed but thou art the selfe same and thy yeares shall not faile The children of thy servants shall inhabit and their seede shall be directed for ever Glory be to the Father c. Psalme 129. FRom the depthes I have cryed to thee O Lord Lord heare my cry Let thine eares be intent to the voyce of my petition If thou shalt observe iniquities O Lord Lord who shall sustayne it Because with thee there is propitiation and for thy law I have expected thee O Lord. My soule hath expected in his word my soule hath hoped in our Lord. From the morning watch even until night let Israel hope in our Lord. Because with our Lord there is mercy and with him plentifull redemption And he shall redeeme Israel from all his iniquities Glory be to the Father c. Psalem 142. LOrd heare my prayer with thine eares receive my petition in thy truth heare me in thy justice And enter not into judgment with thy servant because no man living shall be justifi'd in thy sight Because the enemie hath persecuted my soule he hath humbled my life in the Earth He hath set me in obscure places as the dead of the world and my spirit is in anguish upon me with in me my hart is troubled I was mindfull of old dayes I have meditated in all thy workes in the facts of thy hands did I meditate I have stretched forth my hand to thee my soule is as earth without water unto thee Heare me quickly O Lord my spirit hath fainted Turne not away thy face from me and I shall be like to them that descend into the lake Make me heare thy mercy in the morning because I have hoped in thee Make the way knowne to me wherein I may walke because I have lifted up my soule to thee Deliver me from mine enemies O Lord to thee I have fled teach me to doe thy will because thou art my God Thy good spirit will conduct me into the right way for thy names sake O Lord thou wilt quicken me in thy equity Thou wilst bring forth my soule out of tribulation and in thy mercy thou wilst destroy mine enemies And thou wilst destroy all that afflict my soule because I am thy servant Glory be to the Father c. The Antiphone Remenber not O Lord our or our Parents offences Neither take
repent with my whole hart and soule for having so grievously offended thee whom I truly love above all things what soever I constantly resolue by thy helping grace carrefully to avoyde all occasions of my grevious sins ād from the bottome of my hart I blisse and adore thy great goodnesse for affording me so happy and secure à meanes by this holy Sacrement to make my blessed peace and reconciliation by grace and pardon againe with thee who hath so long and often tymes preserved me from Hell For which I having nothing wherby to shew in gratitude I offer to thee O Eternall Father the bitter death and Passion with all the sacred merits of thy divine sonne Jesus of his immaculate Virgin Mother and of all the blissed Saints and Angels of Heaven to praise and magnify thy mercy and great goodnesse unto me for all Eternity A prayer before Confession REceive my Confession O most benigne and clement lord Jesus the only hope for the salvation of my soule give unto me I beseech thee contrition of hart and teares to my eyes that both day and night I may bewaile all my negligences with humility and purity of hart Let my prayer o lord approach neere in thy sight If thou shalt be angry against me what helper may I seeke who will have mercy on my iniquities remember me o Lord who didst call the woman of Canaan and Publican to repentance and didst receive Peter weeping O Lord my God accept my prayers O good Jesu Saviour of the world who gavest thy selfe to the death of the Crosse that thou mightest save sinners regard me a wretched offender calling upon thy name and take not such heed to my wickednesse that thou forget thy mercy And though I have committed wherby thou maist condemne me yet thou hast not lost that wherby thou art wont to save us Spare me therfore O Lord my Saviour and have mercy on my sinfull soule loose the bands therof heale the wounds Lord Jesu I most humbly beseech thee Shew me thy face and I shall be safe Send fourth therfore o most loving Lord through the merits of the most pure and ever Virgin Mary thy immaculate mother and of all thy blessed Saints and Angels send fourth thy light into my soule which may shew unto me truly all my defects which it behooveth me to confesse and which may help and teach me to expresse them fully and with a contrite hart who with the Father and the holy Ghost liveth and rayneth one everlasting God Amen This done next goe and cast your selfe upon your knees with a reverent and humble hart as if at the feet of Jesus Christ in the person of his Vicar the Priest there conceiving your selfe as a criminel before your judge and as wholy depending upon Gods mercy not having any thing to alleage in your owne behalfe but a guilty conscience deserving eternall punishment raise all your hope in an humble confidence of his mercy and sacred merits of Jesus Christ detest your sin wherby you have offended so good and so gracious a God and crave humbly grace to amende You having asked your ghostly Fathers benediction and said your Confiteor til mea culpa c. then accuse your selfe plainly humbly and intirely and with all confidence and freedome endevour to lay open to him wherinsoever you can conceive or doubt to have greevously offended God for this freedome in confession takes away all scruple of conscience and gives a great peace and tranquility to the soule which is farr to be preferd before the greatest felicity in the world Finally you having confest all and said the rest of your Confiteor Then harken attentively to what the Priest shall say to you without any further searching into your conscience but take with humble submission the advertisments which he shall then give you as there the substitute of Jesus Christ And performe faithfully what he shall ordaine you either by way of counsel or penance This done retyre your selfe with a recollected mind to give humble thankes unto God and with feeling piety and devotion say this followinge prayer after your Confession A prayer out of F. Granada exciting in the soule compunction and sorrow for our sins O only sonne of God how great and ineffable are the blessings I have receiud ' from thee thou hast produced me of the dust and slime me of the earth thou hast created my soule out of nothing according to thy image and likenesse thou hast endued me with understanding memory and will thou hast given me a free will togeather with all my members and senses to the end that by their meanes I might know and love thee Thou hast conserved me in the narrow prison of my mothers wombe to the end I might not dye without the saving water of holy baptisme After so many sins as I have multiplid against thee thou hast had long patience with me even to this houre whilst many others lesse guilty then my selfe whom thou hast not so long expected to repentance are peradventure at present tormented in Hell Besides this o my Lord thou hast vouchsafed to make thy selfe Man and to converse amongst Men for my sake For me thou wouldest suffer grievous afflictions a bitter agony sorrow of soule and a bloody sweate Thou wouldst be apprehended bound struck spit upon injured blaspheamd ' buffeted thou wouldst be clad at one tyme in a white robe at an other in a red one in mockery For me thou wouldst be beaten scourgd crownd with thorns struck with a reede upon thy sacred head thou wouldst be blindfoulded condemned to death and dragged to the place of execution with a heavy crosse upon thy back to which crosse thou wouldst be fastned with hard and-ruged nailes thou wouldst be placed betweene two theeves and numbred amongst the wicked Call and vinagar was presented to thee for thy last draught and finally thou wouldst loose thy life by a most cruell death In this manner o my Lord and with these sufferings hast thou redeemed me and yet I most ungratefull for so great benefits have many tymes crucified thee againe by my sins wherby I have merited that all thy Creatures should rise up against me and in thy name take revenge upon me for these injuries Moreover what shall I say of the fearefull abuse I have made of thy Sacraments those blessed remedies which thou hast ordaynd ' me with thy most precious blood Thou hast washt and receiud me in holy Baptisme as one belonging to thy selfe there thou hast adopted me thy sonne there thou hast consecrated me as thy temple Thou hast anointed me as a Priest as a King and as a souldier who ought incessantly to fight against thy enemy There thou hast espoused my soule to thy selfe and adorn'd her with all the ornaments requisite to so high a dignity What have I done with all these jewels What care have I taken to conserve such immense riches thou hast adopted me thy sonne and I have rendred
but thine be done Grant sweet Jesus even for thy bitter passion's sake that I may performe what by thy grace I have thus resolved humbly fervently faithfully constantly that my ghostly enemy may never have any just cause to reproach me for my infidelity therein Amen Acts to be made in tyme of affliction or of trouble either in body or minde O Father of mercy and God of all consolation it being now the houre ordayned by thy divine pleasure that I should suffer I blesse and adore thy holy name desiring to persevere in that due fidelity which I owe thee I most humbly submit my selfe to the divine order of thy holy will as well in all griefe and paine as in my consolation and joy I acknowledge and doe freely confesse that the least sin which I have committed against thee deserves farr greater punishment And therfore I most humbly thanke thee O mercifull Lord for thy so lovingly and so very favorably chastising me And notwithstanding all the repugnance nature feeles herein with a most willing hart I accept thy correction and most willingly submit to it in what manner soever it shall please thee to dispose of me and I will alwayes sincerely say with my divine Redeemer thy will be done not myne Grant me the patience O heavenly Father by the sacred merits of thy deare sonne Jesus which shall be necessary for my well suffering and then accomplish in me what shall be to thee most pleasing For to thee I doe intirely abandon my body my soule my goods my life yea all I have into the hands of thy fatherly providence to the end that both for tyme and Eternity thou dispose of me according to thy blessed will and pleasuro Acts of mildenesse and meeknesse THou O my Lord who art the true peace thou lovest to rest in a quiet mild and gentle hart Grant me I beseech thee this thy beloved vertue wherby I may truly banish from my hart all disquiet and impatience therby to enjoy true solid content of mind for the meeke shall delight in abundance of peace Vouchsafe O Lord that I may learne this lesson of thee who commandest me to be milde and humble of hart therby to find true rest unto my soule for as no quarrel can be fixt upon a pleasant countenance and cheerefull minde so also courteous language and gentle hehaviour will conque the greatest enemy the conversation of such a Man is gratfull to every company and yealds both comfort and content to all for nothing is more pleasing then is a sweet milde and peacible humour nor is there any thing more offensive and displeasing then is a froward peevish and impatient nature Acts of Mortification THou knowest right well my God that such is the corrupt inclination of Man that it incits him continually to sin and keeps him as tossed with the contrary waves of unruly passions unlesse by needfull mortification he make vertuous resistance thereunto Grant therfore to me a true mortifi'd spirit wherby to subject the flesh to the spirit my passions to reason and my reason intirely unto thee But oh how farr am I from enjoying this holy vertue who give so great scope to my unruly passions to my disordered affections as also to my proper judgment and will Grant me Lord Jesu that I may shew this vertue unto others much rather by practise then by faire promissing words and that I may put a carefull watch both over my senses affections and passions of hatred chollar feare or love c. and finally to mortify my unruly will and to submitt my judgment in all things to thy divine will and pleasure Acts of the vertue of Patience NO vertue is more necessary then holy Patience we being almost continually in occasions for the practise of it and by the helpe therof we surmount the greatest difficulties wheras an impatient Man refusing sinfully to submit to Gods decrees who is the Author of all our sufferings in as much as they cannot be resisted he is most unreasonnable and by that meanes he begins his Hell even in this present world And as that Man is of all others living the most happy who is of all others the most patient so on the contrary he is most miserable who is most impatient Thy heavenly grace therefore O loving God enable me to practise this so great a vertue and to avoyde the contrary which is so dangerous a vice Vouchsafe O gracious Lord that I may but well reslect upon thy long great patience in suffering my perverse and many sins against thee And secondly conceave how justly I have deserved to suffer farr greater evils without comparison and them too eternally And therefore what afflictions soever shall befall me I resolve by thy holy grace to suffer patiently for thy sake and in hopefull expiation for my sin Acts of Perseverance IT is upon Perseverance my God on which depends the assurance of salvation all former resolutions and good purposes whatsoever without it were but lost labour and in vaine for he only that persevers shall be crowned with victory and will save his soule which is a reward indeed sufficient to encourage us to give the present moment of an uncertaine life for so never-ending a Blisse O happy perseverance which winns such a glorious crowne and without it to small purpose it would be with Judas well to begin the holy practise of vertue unlesse by the help of mortification we shall persever to the end Yea our damnation would be much the greater for our neglect of Gods holy grace Strengthen my soule O my souveraine Redeemer with this happy vertue of perseverance in holy patience and conformity in all adversity as well as in prosperity in sicknesse as in health in poverty as in wealth in contempt and calumny as in prosperity and praise or heighest favours from Men. For our beginning well is the effect of Gods grace but our not persevering is sinfull neglect and deeply deserveth punishment O what cause of horrour and just feare have I to conceive for my so great inconstancy in persevering in so many good purposes and pious resolutions which thy great goodnesse my loving God hath vouchsafed so frequently to inspire me with I falling from luke warme to be key-cold and thence unto totall neglect of what I was bound to doe But thou my mercifull Lord although thy great mercy hath thus long expected me with much patience for my amendment yet further presumption may justly draw upon me thy wrath and my endlesse punishment which he prevent who hath payd with his most precious blood soe deare a ransome to satisfy the justice of his Eternall Father with whom and the holy Ghost three divine persons and one living God be benediction and glory and wisdome and thankes-giving honour and power and strength for ever and ever Amen A Collection of some few holy maximes pronounced by the sacred mouth of Iesus Christ wherby the vertuous soule may see how different they
which the world cannot give that our harts being disposed to keepe thy Commandements and the feare of enemies being taken away the tymes through thy protection may be peacible by the merits of thy deare sonne Jesus Amen A Prayer in tyme of famine and Pestilence GRant unto us we beseech thee O Lord the effect of our prayers and by thy mercie turne away from us pestilence and famine that the harts of Men may know that such scourges proceed from thy indignation and cease by thy mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen A Prayer for raine O God in whom we live are mooved and have our beeing grant unto us competent raine that sufficiently releeved by thy present aide we may more confidently desire things everlasting through our Lord Jesus Amen A prayer for faire weather HEare us O Lord crying unto thee and grant unto us making humble supplications faire weather that we who justly are afflicted for our sins may by thy grace preventing find mercy through our Lord Amen A prayer in any tribulation A Lmighty God despise not thy people crying unto thee in affliction but for the glory of thy name thou being pacifi'd succour the afflicted through our Lord Amen A Prayer for forgivenes of sins O God who rejecteth none but art pacifi'd by mercifull pitty through penance even towards the greatest sinners thou being merciful respect the prayers of our humility enlighten our harts that we may be able to fulfill thy commandements through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen A Prayer for such as are in a journey HArken to our supplication O Lord and dispose the way of thy safegard that among all varieties of this passage and life they may ever be protected by thy ayde through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen A Prayer to be said at the conclusion of our usvall prayers ACcept O most clement God by the prayers and merits of the blessed and ever Virgin Mary and of all thy glorious Saints the office of our service and if we have done any thing worthy of praise thou being mercifull regard it and what is donne negligently mercifully pardon it who livest and raignest one God in perfect Trinity world without end Amen A blessing to be used at the end of all our daily prayers The Imperiall Majesty of God blesse me The Regal Divinity protect me The everlasting Deity keepe me The glorious unity comfort me The incomprehensible Trinity defend me The inestimable goodnesse direct me The power of the Father governe me The wisdome of the sonne quicken me The vertue of the holy Ghost illuminate me and be with me Amen O souveraine and my most mercifull God let this blessing be unto me all health and safty both of body and soule against all myne enemies visible and invisible now and for ever more Amen Of Aspirations and jaculatory Prayers A jaculatory prayer is a briefe elevation of our mind and hart to God as meditation is the same at large They are a speciall great meanes to all spiritual progresse and vertue yea they are as the vital spirits and the very nerves of prayer and are to be used both in tyme of prayer and also very often at other tymes They are a great support a cherishing and a very powerfull invitation to the soule in the tyme of drynesse and desolation to raise her affection unto God This kind of prayer is very briefe easie and very fruitfull It is to be made with fervent affection devotion and true tendernes of hart as king David usually did practise it and by this holy exercise we may be enabled to obtayne that guift commended to us by our blessed Saviour Luke 18.1 Thest 5. it behooves continually to praye and never to give over pray without ceasing saith S. Paul These jaculatory prayers are often in the day to be repeated according to the diversity of occasions and oportunities either vocally or only mentally What fruit they bring and how efficacious they are to gaine perfection and to transport the mind from earthly cogitation unto celestial the experience of innumerable vertuous soules have made good proofe and wil better teach then words can expresse They are called jaculatory as darting prayers because in a moment they pierce the heavens and present our requests to Almighty God testifying the ardent desires and holy affections of a soule seeking and thirsting after the fountaine of all perfection goodnesse and sanctity Say with S. Austin O my Lord and God that I but knew thee and knew my selfe O grant me perseverance in thy graces and true contrition for all my offences Forgive me Lord the multitude of my sins and have mercy on me O my great and loving God o that I had never offended thee O that I could obtaine the right practise of true humility and patice Grant me O Lord the grace that I may hate nothing but sin and my selfe and love nothing but thee and my neighbour in thee and for thee O that thou my deare Lord may be the beginning the progresse and the end of all my actions Not my will O Lord but thyne be donne Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven Let al transitory things O Lord become vile unto me and let all things that are thine be deare unto me and thou O God above all Forsake me not O Lord my God depart not from me attend unto my help Psal 37. O Lord the God of my salvation To thee O Lord Psal 24. I have raised my soule my God in thee is all my confidence Create a cleane hart in me O God and renew a right spirit in my bowels Psal 50. The practise of Aspirations upon the affection of the imitation of our divine Redeemer Iesus Christ AMongst all sortes of Affections that above all others is most profitable which mouveth us to imitate that most perfect example of all divine vertues our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ stirring up our affection and desire to embrace and to imitate his holy vertues by the practise of these or the like holy and fervent aspirations Most mild most loving and patient Jesus the perfect example to be imitated grant me the grace to imitate thy mildnesse meekness patience and thy profound humility Ah grant me O most powerfull Lord in all things to be conformable unto thy heavenly will and pleasure O the true owner of my soule endowe me with thy love for which thou hat created me and nothing else can give it true rest and satisfaction but that alone O most profound humility correct my pride O invincible patience when shall I by thy example be truly patient bestow on me thy benignity to correct my cholerick passion and great impatience I beseech thee O my benigne and powerfull Lord when wilt thou bestow on me the grace to make me humble patient devout and conformable to thy holy will The practise of Aspirations upon the affection of admiration of our divine Redeemers love to Man O my God who art thou
thy servant as thou hast delivered holy Job from his sufferings Amen O Lord deliver the soule of thy servant as thou hast delivered Isaac from being immolated by the hand of his Father Abraham Amen O Lord deliver the soule of thy servant as thou hast delivered Lot from Sodome and from the flames which burnt it Amen O Lord deliver the soule of thy servant as thou hast deliveeed Moyses from the hand of Pharao king of Egipt Amen O Lord deliver the soule of thy servant as thou hast delivered Daniel from the denne of Lyons Amen O Lord deliver the soule of thy servant as thou hast delivered the three children from the fiery furnace and from the hand of the wicked king Amen O Lord deliver the soule of thy servant as thou hast delivered Susanna from the false accusations of the Elders Amen O Lord deliver the soule of thy servant as thou hast delivered David from the hands of king Saul and Golias Amen O Lord deliver the soule of thy servant as thou hast delivered S. Peter and S. Paul out of prison Amen And as thou hast delivered the most holy Virgin and Martyr S. Tecle from three cruell torments so vouchsafe to deliver the soule of this thy servant and make him rejoyce with thee in the eternall possession of heavenly riches Amen Commendamus tibi WE commend to thee o Lord the soule of thy servant N. and beseech thee O Lord Jesus Christ Saviour of the world that as thou hast vouchsafed most mercifully to descend from heaven for it so thou wilt not refuse to place it in the bosome of the Patriarches Acknowledge O Lord thy creature who was not created by any strange Gods but by thee the only true and living God For as there is no God like thee so there are no workes like thyne O Lorde make his soule rejoyce in thy presence and remember not his old sinnes and excesses which the heate or fury of his inordenate desires have caused him to committ for although he hath transgressed yet he hath not denyed the Father sonne and holy ghost but beleeud and reteynd a zeale for thy glory and faithfully adord thee the God and Creator of all things Delicta iuventutis REmember not O Lord we beseech thee the offences of his youth and his ignorances but according to thy great mercy be mindfull of him in the brightnesse of thy glory open heaven to him and lett the Angels rejoyce at his entrance O Lord receive thy servant into thy kingdome Let S. Michael the Archangel who has merited to be prince of the heavenly host receive him let the Angels of God come fourth to meete him and conduct him to the holy citty of the heavenly Hicrusalem let the B. Apostle S. Peter to whom thou hast committed the keyes of the kingdome of Heaven admitt him let S. Paul the Apostle who was found worthy to be a vessel of election assist him let S. John the shaft and beloved Apostle of God to whom the secret of Heaven were reveald intercede for him let all the Apostles to whom God has givē a power of binding and loosing pray for him let all Gods Saints and elect who have suffered torments in this world for the name of Christ intercede for him to the end that being freed from the bonds of the flesh he may arrive at the glory of the heavenly kingdome by the merits of the same Jesus Christ our Lord who with the Father and the Holy ghost lives and raynes for ever and ever Amen If the soule continue in her agony the psalme 117 Confitemini here for sett downe may be reheared and also the 188. Psalme beati immaculati which is omitted here because of its length The soule going out of the body the subvenite is to be recited SUccour speedily O Saintes of God hasten yee Angels of our Lord receive this soule and offer it up in the sight of the most high Jesus Christ who has cal'd thee receive thee and let the Angels carry thee into Abraham bosome eternall rest give her O Lord and let perpetuall light shine upon her Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us Lord have mercy upon us Our Father c. From the gate of Hell O Lord deliver this soule Let her rest in peace Amen O Lord heare my prayer And let my cry come to thee We commend to thee O Lord the soule of thy servant N. that being dead to the world he may live to thee and those sins which through frailty of humaine conversation he has committed lett them be pardned by thy infinit goodnesse and mercy and by the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen Confitemini Psalme 117. PRaise our Lord for he is good for his mercy endures for ever Let Israel now say that he is good for his mercy endures for ever Let the house of Aaron now say that his mercy endures for ever Let those who feare our Lotd now say that his mercy endures for ever In my tribulation I called upon our Lord and our Lord heard me at large Our Lord is my helper I will not feare what Man can doe to me Our Lord is my Protector therfore will I despise my enemies It is better to trust in our Lord then to trust in Men. It is better to hope in our Lord then to hope in Princes All nations compased me about but in the name of our Lord I have taken vengance upon them They have girt and environd me round but in the name of our Lord I have taken vengance upon them They have surrounded me like Bees but in the name of our Lord I have taken vengance upon them They pusht and thrust me so as I staggerd and had almost falen but our Lord sustaynd me our Lord is my force and my prayer and he is become my salvation The voyce of joy and health in the tabernacles of the just The right hand of our Lord has wrought mighty things the right hand of our Lord hath exalted me the right hand of our Lord has shewd strength I will not dye but live and declare the workes of our Lord. Our Lord by correction hath chastised me but he has not given me over to death Open me the gates of righteousnesse that entring into them I may blesse our Lord this is the gate of our Lord the just shall enter into it I will praise thee because thou hast heard me and art become my salvation The stone which the builders rejected the same is become the head of the corner This our Lord hath done and it is admirable in our eyes This is the day which our Lord has made let us rejoyce and be glad in it O Lord save me O Lord prosper me blessed is he who comes in the name of our Lord. We have wisht you happinesse who are of the house of our Lord God is our Lord he has shind upon us Ordayne a festivall day in triumph let it extend even to the hornes of
incarnation of Christ thy sonne the Angel declaring it may be brought by his holy Crosse and Passion unto the glory of his Resurrection through the same Christ our Lord Amen The soules of the faithfull through the mercy of God rest in peace Amen Be mindfull to say this holy devotion thrice every day In the morning in gratefull memory and adoration of that divine Mystery of the glorious Resurrection of our Redeemer Iesus Christ At midday in memory and adoration of his bitter death and Passion And at the Evening in memory and adoration of the Incarnation of the sonne of God in the wombe of the pure and immaculate ever Virgin Certaine generall advertisments much conducing to Christian perfection THinke often upon the moment of this life whereon depends Eternity Call frequently to minde that thou art placed in this world for no other end but that by serving God to save thy soule Remember that thou art alwayes in the presence of God and raise often thy hart unto him Observe not the imperfections of other persons but think rather of mending thy owne Judge rashly of no body nor give any willing care unto the detractor Let no drynesse nor barrenesse in devotion cause you to omitt any accustomed exercise of piety Doe all your actions with a pure intention for the glory of God When you heare the clock to strike stirr up sorrow for your sins beseeching God to have mercy on your soule at the dreadfull houre of death Be not singular in your exteriour devotion least some inward vanity may outwardly appeare thereby Neglect not divine inspirations which God shall give for the amendment of your most habitual and daily sins When you are assaulted with any dangerous temptation crosse your hart in token that you humbly crave Gods grace and disavow the sin which that ill thought suggests to you Be not forward to contradict others and if you be contradicted grow not angry thereat but only mildly make answere that so is your opinion Remember that there is but one Heaven which if we seeke it in this world we shall not find it in the other Vertue and true resignation to the will of God consists not in words but in real deeds and actions An Evening Exercice for Prayer before bed IT being now tyme for your repose retyre your selfe to the place of prayer and in the presence of God devoutly upon your knees there adore his divine Majesty acknowledging your owne unworthinesse render him most humble thankes for all his gracious benefits beseech him to preserve you that night from all sin And sixing the interiour sight of your soule upon Gods infinit greatnesse and Majesty and upon your owne basenesse abjection and indignity say as in the morning Exercise In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Amen Blessed be the holy and undevided Trinity now and for ever more Amen Our Father c. Halle Mary c. I beleeve in God c. I confesse me to Almigthy God c. all as in the morning prayer Almighty God have mercy upon us and all our sins being forgiven bring us to everlasting life Amen Omnipotent and mercifull Lord give unto us pardon absolution and remission of all our sins Amen I most humbly thanke thee my great God who hast created me of nothing and redeemd me with thy precious blood made me a member of the Catholick Church and graciously provided for me all necessaries both for body and soule For all which as also for thy so frequent heavenly inspirations Sacraments and sacrifices as also for so many other meanes for my salvation from the bottome of my hart and with all the powers of my soule I render thee my loving God most humble thankes beseeching all the holy Quires of Angels and all the blessed Saints in thy celestiall kingdome that they vouchsafe to supply my deficiency in praising adoring magnifying and extolling this thy great mercy and infinit goodnesse owards me Almighty and everlasting God I yeeld thee most harty thankes for that thou hast vouchsafed of thy great mercy and goodnesse to preserve me this day from all evill And I also beseech thee for thy bitter death and passion most mercifully to forgive me a wretched sinner all my offences which I have this day committed by thought word and deede and hereafter to preserve and keepe me from all danger as well of body as of soule to the end I may rise againe in health to praise thy glorious name and joyfully to serve thee in thankesgiving with a chast body and cleane hart Amen O Lord God and my heavenly Father for as much as by thy divine ordinance the night approacheth and tyme requireth that we give our selves to bodily rest I yeald unto thee most harty thankes for thy great love vouchsafing to preserve me this day from the danger of all enemies to give me my health to feede me and afford me all necessaries for the comfort of this my mortall life I most humbly beseech thee for thy blessed sonne Jesus his sake that thou wilt mercifully forgive me all that I have this day committed against thy fatherly goodnesse by thought word or by deed and that thou wilt vouchsafe to shadow me this night under the safe winges of thy Almigthy power and defend me from Sathan and all dangerous assaults that neither he not any of his ministers have power either over my body or soule But that although my body enjoyeth sleepe yet my soule may watch unto thee delight in thee and ever more praise thee that when the comfortable light of the day returneth according to thy good appointment I may rise againe with a faithfull soule and undefiled body and so afterwards behave my selfe all my life according to thy blessed will and commandment by casting away the workes of darknesse and putting on the armour of light that men seeing my good workes may be mooved to glorify thee my heavenly Father who with thy only begotten sonne our loving Saviour and the holy Ghost livest and reygnest one true and everlasting God world without end Amen A Prayer to our B. Lady and to her divine Sonne O Benigne and mercifull Virgin Mother most meeke most mild and gracious obtaine for us O B. Lady grace and strength to withstand and overcome all our enemies ghostly and bodily visible and invisible that after the course of this short life we may by thy gracious help attayne everlasting life in the kingdone of Heaven where wee may with thee O Virgin ever more dwell and with all the holy Angels Archangels Patriarcks and Prophets Apostles and Martyrs Confessors and Virgins worship glorify and magnify our divine Redeemer and thee O sacred Virgin in everlasting blisse without end Amen O Lord Jesus Christ the glory of the Father the orient beauty of eternal light and bright mirrour wihout spot or deformity I humbly beseech thee by thy sacred divinity to grant me this night chastity of minde cleanesse
then he doth require of you That fall is not hurtfull which preserves you from a much more dangerous precipice lett but your former fault make you more humble and you have greatly profited therby for in true humility it is that God will have you to take deepe roote Of Prayer SEeke not the sublimest prayer but rather what is most profitable for that prayer doubtlesse is best which produceth most patience most humility mortification and contempt of this world and not that which gives most gust content and satisfaction to the minde Be assured that if you leave your prayer for some just exteriour imployment your motive for it being charity or necessity you doe but follow Gods order and execute therby his will Seeke God much rather in your prayer then his divine guifts and cherishments Nor leave of your prayer for any drynesse or barennesse therein Serve God purely without seeking your owne interest for farr greater falls have hapened by much pleasure from spirituall gusts and tendernesse in devotion then from the drynesse and greatest sterility therin Suffer patiently to be deprived of all sensible and tender devotion and consolation in your prayer for you using but diligence on your part and humbly and willingly submitting the rest to Gods divine pleasure the constant continuance in those your accustomed devotions are most gratefull and will merit his divine benediction Of the vertue of Mortification MOrtification and payer have the same mutuall connection as have the two wings of a bird supporting her to fly if you deprive her of the one the other can not support her but of necessity shee must fall It is the like with prayer and mortification for the soule which forsakes the one shall never enioy the other sith they doe mutually support themselves as experience makes it manifest Yea mortification is the true nursing mother to all other vertues for without it no vertue can either prosper or long continew for that our corrupt and depraved nature by sin doth so oppose all vertue as should it not be supported by the helpe of Mortification it would soone decay as well appeares not only in prayer but also in patience in humility obedience temperance and in all the rest which would but languish and fall to ruyn should they not be preserved by the practise of Mortification as experience will force us to confesse And therforit ought to be very carefully practised Confidence in God and griefe for sin must goe rightly tempered together MOst just it is that we conceive due griefe and sorow with true repentance for having offended so great and good à God yet so as not to loose our confidence in his mercy Nor must we permit that therfore melancholy and vicious vexation possesse our harts For Judas sorely grieved and was sorrowfull for his cryme but in dispairing for pardon he excluded all remedy by his greater sin Consider wel therfore your offence on the one side which is great and repent but remember Gods infinit mercy on the other which farr exceds it and is much more powerfull to give you consolation then should the other be to cause dispaire For he is not inclin'd to revenge who is all goodnesse mercy and compassion Have therfore horrour of the least sin against so good à God but hope for pardon of the greatest Feare all sin whatsoever before it be committed as doubting of pardon but being now guilty fly to God as a prodigall child to his compassionate Father with all humble confidence and firme hope to receive pardon and grace Approching to him with à contrite and humble hart which he will never dispise How to draw profit from sin BE you greatly humbled considering your sin and misery nor differre to amend with a quiet and peacible spirit without fretting or vexing your mind Faile not to have this confidence in God that although you should fall a thousand tymes in the day he would be ready to lend you his hand two thowsand times to raise you because with our lord there is mercy and with him plentuous redemption for well he knowes our weakenesse and great misery Serve God therfore with more fervour then before and learne by your fall to know both his goodness and your owne misery much better then before for therby you will maister your enimy with his owne weapen wherwith hee intended to wound you for to serve God withouth all sin that only is to be found in Heaven Be you therfore assured whilst breath remaines in your body never to be exempt from temptation be alwayes prepared for the combat wherby not only to defend your selfe from harme but also to get victory therin and glory You feeling temptation to assault you approch nearer to God by prayer and humbling your selfe before his divine Majesty call to mind his innumerable benefits and thinke seriously upon the fowre last things to happen and you will reape much profit by the temptation Of distrust in our owne selves NO enimy is so dangerous to our salvation as our owne selves and the chiefest meanes to avoyd sin is to distrust greatly our frailty and carefully to watch over our chief naturall inclination which being subject of it selfe to great corruption it usually disorders all our actions And this being but well observed we shall easily perceive that all our sin and misery springs from that infected fountaine by following our disordered affection and naturall bent quite contrary to Gods inspirations and internall motions of his grace We ought therfore diligently to examen what is our most predominant vicious inclination which having discovered we must crave Gods grace and use all diligent industry to oppose and roote that disorder out of our soule Against presumption in our owne endevours SPeter above all the rest did most presume of his fidelity promissing that though all should abandon their Lord yet he would never deny him who notwithstanding but few houres after was made thrice both to deny and forsweare him through the feare only of a poore silly maide wheras had he more humbly mistrusted himselfe and craved constancy by holy prayer it is likely he would have prevented so shamefull a fall but when he should haue pray'd as his divine Lord had commanded him therby to have armed himselfe against the approching temptation he was still found floathfully asleep and therfore not having demanded divine help from above hee soone did experience his owne great faulty and weaknesse Are we not now as frailty herein by our great infidelity to so many good purposes and pious resolutions wherin we most shamfully doe faile for want of demanding grace by prayer to put them in execution But we presuming too much in our owne endeavours we proove unconstant and most unfaithfull to God The least sins are carefully to be avoyded WE can give no better proofe of our love to God then to be exact in the smallest mafters which concerne his divine honour and glory For therby we plainly manifest the
satisfaction and remission made by a Priest is acceptable before God S. Cypr. de lapsis nu 11. These premisses supposed place your selfe in the presence of God and with a due reflection upon all his innumerable great blissings bestowed upon you examen with great confusion your abominable ingratitude unto so loving and mercifull à God beseeching him to reduce unto your memory all your grievous sins wherby you have offended him as also the spirit of perfect penance confession and contrition and from all odious sin to purge you A table of sins helping the memory for a generall Confession by method to examen our conscience wherin we may have offended Almighty God NOT loved God above all things of the first commandement of honouring God above all things Doubted or staggered in matters of faith If continued in heresy more out of humain respect then ignorance Ignorant of the chief mysteries of the Christian faith If murmured against God in adversity If distrusted in Gods goodnesse or mercy If presumed of his goodnesse to sin If gon to witches or sorcerers for counsell If hindred any ones conversion to the faith or good life If blasphemed God or cursed creatures If exposed himselfe to the danger of mortal fin Or taken delight in any sin donne in tyme past If procured by way of lots to find out any theft or some secret thing of the ◠commandemnt of not taking Gods name in vaine If sworne what was false knowing or doubting it so to bee If sworne to doe some unlawfull thing Or had not then intention to performe it If been cause that any did sweare false or not to observe the lawfull oath which he swore If sworne to doe evill Or not to doe a thing which was good If sworne false in judgment Or induced others to doe the like If he have had a custome of sweering often without consideration or care whither it were true or false If not faithfull or if negligent in performing a vow If not observed sunday The 3. commandement and holy dayes But either donne or commanded some servill worke of sanctifying the sabaoth day If omitted to heare masse without a lawfull cause Or if voluntarily distracted some notable part thereof on dayes of obligation If not gon to confession at least once a yeare Or not procured others of his charge to doe it If gon to confession without necessary examen of conscience or purpose of leaving his sin If concealed any mortall sin in former confession If fasted lent vigils and ember dayes being bound therunto If eaten or drunk with much prejudice to his health Or if voluntarily drunk If done any injury or irreverence to any sacred thing If for sloath or negligence he hath left undon any good work to which he was bound If undutifull The 4. cammandement or irreverent to parents by word or deed If cursed or spoke ill of them honour thy Father and mother If not obeyd parents and superiours in just commands If not succoured Parents in necessity to their power If deliberatly desidered their death that he might have the inheritance If not fulfilled their last will and Testament If not observed the just lawes and decrees of Superiours If detracted or spoken ill of Superiours temporall or spirituall If not succoured the poore in their grat necessity well being able If Parents have cursed or wished ill to their children If they have not brought them up in the feare of God and due Christian instruction If Maisters of families have the same care of their servants And that they observe the Commandements of God and the Curch If borne hatred towards some person The 5. commandement Thou shalt not kill desiring to be revenged And how long he hath stayd therin If desired any mans death or some great evil or damage to his body or good name If been angry with some person with intention to doe him harme or to be revenged of him If struken wounded or killed Or commanded or consented to doe the same Or given aide or counsel or favour therunto If having offended others he refused to aske pardon or reconciliation or not sufficiently satisfi'd for the offence If refused to pardon injuries If for hatred he have refused to speake unto or salute others and scandalizd his neighbour therby If in adversity or misfortune he have desired death or in fury or anger cursed himselfe or mentioned the divel If cursed others If sowed discord or caused enmity between others If for hatred or envie he hath been greatly sorie for the prosperity and good of others temporall or spirituall Or hath rejoyced at any harme of others If in anger he hath offended others with injurious and contumelious words If flattered others praysing them for some sinfull act If with ill example counsel or praysing that which was evil or blaming what was good he hath been cause that one hath left some good woke Or if induced therby to some sin or to perseverance therein If omitted to correct or admonish one of a sin when probably he hoped therby that the other would amend If given receipt vnto outlawes and murtherers or with his counsel or favour or otherwise assisted them If spoke ill of his neighbour manifesting any secret fault of his to discredit him or cause him some other harme If strucken injuriously any Ecclesiasticall or religious person wherin there is also excommunication If given consent to any carnall temptation The 6. and 9. commandements Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not covet thy neigh hours vvife If taken delight deliberately in any filthie cogitation If negligent in casting away evil cogitations when he feeleth himselfe in danger to give consent or deliberately to take delight in them If spoken or harkned to vnchast words If sent letters or messages to dishonest ends If used unchast lookes beheaveour gesture or opparel to any evil end If used unchast touching kissing or embracing c. If actually committed any carnal sin with à secular or religious person Married or unmarried or of neare kindred If not avoyded the dangerous temptations to fin If corrupted a Virgin by salfe and deluding promisses If taken any thing from an other of the 7 and ◠commandements Thou shalt not steale Thou shalt not desirethy neighbours goods by deceipt or violence to what valew and if any sacred thing If retayning any thing of an other person without his consent or restores it not presently if he be able If for not paying of his debts when able his creditors have sustayned any damage If finding any thing or other wise it falling into his hands he hath not endevoured to have it restored to the owner If in buying or selling he hath used any deceipt in the ware price measure or weight If bought of such persons as could not sell as of children under age suspected persons and like not to have come well by what they would sell If he have had a resolution to
they meane Acts of the love of God WHo am I my Souveraine Creator and who art thou who thus imposest so expresly on me a commande to love thee was it not sufficient for thee my God to permit me so to doe and was it not thy abundant goodnesse to permit thy selfe to be belou'd by so poore and so wretched a hart as mine and with thy grace ther unto to enable me Wherfore seeing that is thy commande my God I will obey and though a wretch and unworthy sinner I here in thy presence protest that I will love thee with my whole hart and with my soule and force And from hencefourth I chuse thee for ever to be the chiefe and Souveraine object af all the purest affections of my hart the accomplishment of whose blessed will I preferr before all that is in Heaven or Earth yea and my dearest life I would hold most gladly employd to testify this my love and due homage vnto thee O deare Jesu king of eternall beauty and heavenly glory I will no other inheritance but the O divine keeper of my soule take thou possession of this my hart wich was created for thee and pierce it with a thousand wounds of pure love that I may sweetly languish with wholsome sorrow for my having so much offended thee Acts of Faith OOmnipotent and Eternall God who hast given me an understanding to knowe thee and a wil to love thee I here protest before thy souveraine Majesty that with a firme faith I doe beleeve what thy holy Church inspired by the holy Ghost proposeth to be beleeved to which I intirely submit as being reveled to her by thee which therfore I embrace professe and by thy grace shall persever in it untill my dying day And I doe utterly disclayme and disavow what thy beloued spouse the holy Catholik Church condemns This is the faith which I professe and wherin I desire to be found at the hour of my death and at that dreadfull day of dome to be judgd by it accordingly Acts of Hope ALl my hope and considence is in thy mercy my loving God and in the sacred merits of my divine Redeemer Iesus by whom I hope for remission of my sins and humbly trust in his great goodnesse to continue in thy grace to my lives end and to praise and glorify him with thee o eternall Father and with the holy Ghost for all Eternity this my hope is laid up in my bosome Iob. 19. And although through humane fralty I daily offende thee yet I hope most gracious Lord by thy divine assistance to amende and to gaine more strength and constancy against my ghostly enemies O Lord of infinit mercy to whom a sorrowfull ād repentinge hart is alwayes a greatefull sacrifice although the multitude of my fins and great ingratitude might tempt me to despaire yet certaine I am my mercifull God that a contrite and humble hart thou wilt not dispise Psal 50. Acts of Adoration WIth the profundest and most humble respect of my soule prostrate both in hart and body before thy souveraine Majesty ô Omnipotent and eternall God I adore and acknowledge thee my souveraine Lord both of my life and beeing who can againe reduce me to that nothing out of which thou first createdst me and who by thy meere boundlesse goodnesse hast preserved me from it till this present day I render thee ô Lord all adoration and homage as thy submissive and humble creature depending intirely upon thy blessed will and pleasure And considering that what honour I am able to render to the merit of thy infinit Deity is so inconsiderable to supply that great defect I offer to thee the adoration which eternally thy Saints and Angels shall ever render to thee and my great desire is that all the creatures of Heaven and Earth may blesse adore and glorify thee with endlesse praise for all Eternity Acts of thankes giving and gratitude I Have merited nothing accordinge to the effect of thy great liberality to me ô my great God nor is there any thing in me which could move thee to bestow so great and many benefits both of body and soule on me who am so farr vncapable to render thee due thankes for having created redeemed preserved and calld me to the happy way for my salvation Thou hast given me o Lord reason both to know and serve thee and what daily favours hast thou conferd on me from how many perils of body and soule hast thou carefully by thy fatherly providence preserud me how great spirituall benefits hast thou bestowd on me by the merits of the bitter death and passion of my most loving Redeemer Jesus how often hast thou nourisht my soule at the sacred table with the bread of Angels wherby to give true force and grace to serve thee O how often hast thou awaked me from the mortall drousinesse of sin by thy heavenly grace and prevented me by thy holy inspirations from grievously offending thee Accept o heavenly Father in stead of my defect all the acceptable workes which Jesus Christ my loving Saviour hath offered to thee for me take this in my acknowledgment of due gratitude for these thy gracious benefits bestow'd on me and grant that all my life may be a continuall thankes giving to thy divine Maiesty to whom only is due all honour glory praise and benediction for ever and ever without end Acts of Love towards our Enemies THou hast taught me o God of all love both by thy word and example to love my enemies yea the whole practise of thy divine life well appears to have been a continuall exercise of doing good for evill as also was thy death the souveraine sacrifice to expiate their sins O grant me grace I beseech thee herein to imitate thy charity and to observe this thy holy commande Forgive therfore sweet Jesus I beseech thee all those that persecute and doe me any injury grant them finall repentance of all their sin̄es and after a happy persevetance in thy grace to enjoy thee in eternall blisse Acts of Humility I Acknowledge and before thee my God doe confesse that of my selfe I am a pure nothing neyther any thing could I doe My extraction is from nothing and my inheritame and proper share is only weackenesse sin and misery It is thou o Lord who hast drawne me from my nothing wherrin without thy meere goodnesse I had continued for all Eternity and thither should I againe returne wer 't not thy powerfull hand which continually preserves me from it All this I now acknowledging for truth what greater follye can ther be then to flatter my selfe with vaine esteeme nay lett me but passe yet one stepp further onn and consider my innumerable sins committed against this souveraine Majesty ought not I then to confesse my ill deserving the least of these thy so gracious benefits I doe acknowledge to my great confusion and thy glory that I neither have deserved thy consolation nor from thy creatures
the Altar Thou art my God and I will blesse thee thou art my God and I will exalt thee I will praise thee because thou hast heard me and art become my salvation O praise our Lord for he is good for his mercy endures for ever An abridgment of the Exercise of preparation to Death Which may be us'd every day MY hart is ready O God my hart is ready not my will but thyne be done O my Lord I resigne my selfe entirely to receive death at the tyme and in the manner it shall please thee to send it I most humbly aske pardon for all my sins com̄itted against thy soveraine goodnesse and repent me of them from the bottome of my hart 3. I firmely beleeve whatsoever the holy Catholique Church beleeves and teaches and by thy grace will dye in this beleife 4. I hope to possesse eternall life by thy infinite mercy and by the merits of my Saviour Jesus Christ 4. O my God I will love thee as my soveraigne good above all things yea even to a contempt of all things I will love my neighbour as my selfe and pardon him with all my hart 6. O my divine Jesus how ardent is my desire to receive thy sacred body and to the end to communicate spiritually I unite my selfe to all the communions which shall be made in thy holy Church even to the end of the world especially at the houre of my death 7 Grant me grace O my divine Saviour to expiate all the sins I have committed by my senses in applying to my selfe thy blessed merits the holy unction of thy precious bloud 8 Holy Virgin Mother of my God defend me from my enemies and present me to thy divine sonne 9. Glorious S. Michael my holy Angel gardian my B. Patrons interceede for me assist me in this my last dreadfull passage 10 O my God I renounce all temptations of the enemy and generally whatsoever may displease thee I adore and accept thy divine judgments upon my soule and most intirely abandon my selfe to them as most just and equitable O Jesus my divine Jesus be to me Jesus O my God hiding my selfe with an humble confidence in thy lovely wounds I render my soule into thy divine hands receive it into rhe bosome of thy mercy Amen An Appendix WHeras God almightie doth in some manner and by certaine conduits as it were descende to us so by prayer we ascend saith S. Franc. de Sales unto him prayer being properly according to S. Jo. Damascen an elevation of our minde unto God and therefore what ever it be that truly doth raise and devoutly stirr upp our harts to blesse to love and to adore Almighty God that properly is true gratefull and essentiall prayer be it but procured by a pure intention for the glory of God in whatever we doe whether by fervent ejaculations of divine love by pious considerations inducing us to the practise of vertu or to a vertuous preparation for a blessed death by holy maxims or finally by vocall prayor or mentall meditation so that we blesse and praise God in all that is the proper prayer which we are commanded to make continually and without intermission saith S. Paul which could not be performed in that crytick sense but must necessarily be understood of all the pious exercises mentioned in this Manuel conducing to raise our harts to the love and praise of God and therfore according to S. Jo Damascen they are true proper and essentiall prayer But because one may here justly demande how this true and holy prayer may best be knowne from that which is but false and counterfeit therfore I have judg'd it not unfitt to sett downe the proper markes and surest signes wherby rightly to understand and distinguish the one from the other which may serve as a true touchstone for the right tryall of true holy and profitable praye from what is but false and deceiptfull and it is principally intended for such as doe practise the more elevated prayer of meditation who if not rightly guided are more subject to illusion and deceipt then such as only use vocall prayer and the purgative way which the over speedy aspirers unto the unitive doe neglect before they have lay'd the first foundation to it in the purgative way by labouring to destroy and ruyne sin to roote out vice to correct evill habits or vnruly passions and disordered affectations the true and necessary preparation to that high prayer of holy contemplation wherby with a pure intention we must sincerely seeke the right end of true prayer without which it would be but vaine and fruitlesse Now the true and pure end of all good prayer is humbly therby to crave light from God to unsterstand his holy will and grace to performe the same with encreace in his love and advancement in vertu A touch-stone for right tryall of true and profitable prayer from what is but false and counterfait THe blessed Apostle counselleth us not to give credit to every spirit but to try if the spirit be of God often tymes the divel transformes himselfe into an Angel of light deceiving many and most dangerously of all under the pretence of sanctity be proposing to us his illusions for divine favours And therefore to prevent any danger to be deceived herein observe well these markes wherby to avoyde or to discouer them First be assured saith Molina as of a generall Rule that who will only give credit to himselfe in his spirituall affaires and will be governed by his owne judgment alone that man is utterly deceived and overthrowne be he never so seeming wise vertuous and accompagned which all the signes of goodnesse and sanctity because such a spirit not submitting his iudgment to any other man nor communicating with any for their advise may well be presumed naught and dangerous But some untimely contemplators will tell you that they have good and approved Authors for their practice I answere that the Authors which they pretend for themselves are pious and approved good but the practise which they frame thence according to their owne sense and private opinion is allowed by none of the approved and best spirituall directors of soules whose authority these over hasty contemplators ought farr to preferre before their owne For sectaries pretend many true texts of scripture for their false errours but they refusing the holy fathers and councells authority for the true understanding therof and takeing them obstinately according to their owne deceived sense and opinion they runn wilfully into errour and heresy to their endlesse perdition But they will reply to you that the effect of true prayer is to unite our soule to God wherby we are replenished with great consolation and comfort yea the very gust and tender consolation which God communicats to the vertuous thus devoutly serving him doth give both ioy and courage to love and serve him by this fervent kind of holy prayer For answere to this their reply it is to be here
passions and therfore we must not rest only in our prayer as in the end of our work for perfection consists not in much consolation or sweetnesse or sensible gust in our prayer but in that perfect victory over our selfe over our passions and unruly affections as is said nor in the sublimest prayer but in that which with a pure intention doth syncerely seeke the encreace in Gods divine love our owne aduanement in vertu with true resignation to the wil of God and a perfect contempt and abnegation of our selves renouncing all curiosity of Spirit and self satisfaction by it for otherwise we seeke not God so much as our selves and our owne interest and therfore no marvaile if we doe not finde him The certaine markes and most evident signes of false and meere counterfeit prayer THe first marke If our manners and conversation be nothing amended 2. If there be great levity and vanity in our actions 3. If great remisnesse in obligations of piety 4. If our care and diligence be small to avoyde evill occasions and the causes of our most habituall sin 5. If we presume to be now arrived to a high degree of prayer or aspire to visions revelations or extaces c. Or to the like favours in the passive way 6. If passions beare sway in vs. 7. If mortification seeme harsh and vnpleasant 8. If our senses be petulant and wanton 9. If to temptations we make but a weake and carelesse resistance 10. If labour and employment be ircksome to vs. 11. If the yoake of Gods law seemes heavy and his counsels unsupportable 12. If we finde our selves lasie and listlesse to all spirituall affaires 13. If worldly puntillios of honour and temporall respects goe nearest to our hart and affection 14. If holy Crosses patience and obedience seeme bitter and unpleasing 15. If we neglect and misregard or not respect nor esteeme the advise of our superiour and ghostly Fathers 16. If finally we carry our selves carelesly and negligently in the amendment and correction of such faults as apparently are knowne to us for such These are all evident markes and most assured signes of evill counterfeit and false devotion and naughty prayer which we ought with all speed and industry resolutely to amende and change The Litany of our Lord and divine Saviour Iesus LOrd have merecy upon us Christ have mercy upon us Lord have mercy upon us Jesus heare us Lord Jesus graciously heare us God the Father of Heaven Have mercy upon us God the sonne Redemer of the world Have mercy c. God the holy ghost proceeding from the Father and the sonne Have Holy and glorious Trinity three persons and one God Have mercy Jesus sonne of the living God have Jesus splendor of the Father Jesus brightnesse of Eternal light Jesus king of glory Have mercy Jesus the sunne of justice Jesus sonne of the Virgin Mary Jesus whose name is called wonderfull Have mercy upon us Jesus the mighty God Jesus the Father of the world to come Have mercy upon us Jesus the Angel of the great counsel Jesus most powerfull Jesus most patient Jesus most obdient Have mercy Jesus milde and humble of hart Jesus lover of chastity Jesus our Love Jesus the God of peace Jesus the Author of life Jesus the example of vertues Jesus the zealous seeker of soules Jesus our God Have mercy upon us Jesus our Refuge Jesus the Father of the poore Jesus the Treasore of the faithfull Jesus the good shiphard Jesus the true light Jesus the Eternall wisdome Jesus all-infinite goodnesse Jesus the way the truth and the life Jesus the ioy of Angels Have c. Jesus Maister of the Apostles Jesus the teacher of the Evangelists Jesus the strength of Martyrs Jesus the light of Confessors Jesus the purity of Virgins Jesus the Crowne of all Saints Have mercy upon us Be propitious unto us Speare us Lord Jesu Be propitious unto us Spare c From all sinne Lord Jesu deliver us From thy anger From the deceipts and snaires of the Divel From the spirit of fornication From perpetuall death From all neglect of thy holy inspirations Lord Jesus deliver us By the mystery of thy most holy incarnation By thy Nativity Lord Jes deliv us By thy Infancy By thy divine life By thy labours and trauells By thy Agony and Passion By thy Crosse and dereliction By thy unspeackable paines and languishings Lord Jesus c. By thy death and buriall By thy glorious Resurrection By thy Assention into Heaven By thy incomparable joyes By thy Eternall glory Lambe of God that taketh away the sins of the world Spare us Lord Jesu Lambe of God that taketh away the sins of the world Lambe of God that taketh away the sins of the world Haue mercy c. Jesu heare us Lord Jesu graciously heare us Let us pray O Lord Jesus Christ who hast said unto us aske and you shall receive seeke and you shall find knock and it shall be opned unto you grant we beseech thee upon this our most humble petition the effect of thy divine love that we may love thee with our whole hart and never cease from thy praises nor from glorifying thy holy name O most loving and our divine Redeemer Jesus worke in us the perpetuall love to geather with the feare of thy sacred Humanity which thou hast annointed and sanctifi'd by the vnion of thy Deity that we may be evermore subiect and obedient to thee since thou doest never leave those destitute of thy grace whom thou hast establisht in the solidity of thy love who with the Father and the Holy ghost liveth and rayneth God world without end Amen The Litany of our B. Lady of Loretto LOrd have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us Lord have mercy upon us Christ heare us Christ graciously heare us God the Father of Heaven Have mercy upon us God the sonne Redeemer of the world Haue mercy upon us God the Holy ghost Holy Trinity one God Have mercy upon us Holy Mary Pray for us Holy Mother of God Holy Virgin of Virgins Mother of Christ Mother of Divine grace Most pure Mother Most chast Mother Undefiled Mother Untouched Mother Lovely Mother Pray Glorious Mother Mother of our Creatour Mother of our Saviour Most prudent Virgin Venerable Virgin Renowned Virgin Powerfull Virgin Mild and meeke Virgin Faithfull Virgin Pray Myrrour of Justice Seate of Wisdome Cause of our joy Spirituall vessel Honorable Vessel Vessel of devotion Pray Mysticall Rose Strong Tower of David Solid Tower of ivory Goulden habitation Arke of Covenant Gate of Heaven Morning starr Pray Health of the sick Refuge of Sinners Confortresse of the afflicted The Helpe of Christians Queene of Angels Queene of Patriarkes Queene of Prophets Queene of Apostles Queene of Martyrs pray Queene of Confessors Queene of Virgins Queene of all Saints Lambe of God who taketh away the sins of the world Spare us o Lord. Lambe of God who taketh away the sins of the world Heare us o