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A69499 Devotions in the ancient way of offices with psalms, hymns, and prayers for every day in the week and every holiday in the year. Birchley, William, 1613-1669. 1668 (1668) Wing A4248A; ESTC R8861 220,254 576

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your selvs also in the body Let your conversation be without covetousness contented with what you have for he has said I will not leave thee nor forsake thee so that we may confidently say our Lord is my help I will not fear what man can do to me And the God of Peace who brought again from the Dead the great Pastor of the Sheep in the blood of the eternal Testament our Lord Jesus Christ make you perfect in all goodness that you may do his Will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight thorough Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen Resp Thither O my Soul let us still be going where once to arrive is always to be at rest there let us dwell already in hope where once to enjoy is always to be happy * Since whate're we desire we are sure to have and whate're we have can never be taken from us Let us believe and obey and suffer let us read and meditate and pray Heaven 's a reward worth all our pains * Since what e're we desire we are sure to have and whate're we have can never be taken from us Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost * Since whate're we desire we are sure to have and whate're we have can never be taken from us Te Deum WE praise thee our God we acknowledge thee our Lord All the Earth adores thee thou Father Eternal To Thee the blessed Angels to Thee the Heavens and all their Powers To Thee the Cherubims and Seraphims perpetually sing Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth The heavens and the earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory The glorious Quire of Apostles praise Thee The renown'd society of Prophets bless Thee The noble Army of Martyrs glorify Thee The holy Church throughout the world confesses Thee Father of immense Majesty Thy adorable true and only Son Also the holy Spirit the Comforter Thou art the King of glory O Christ Thou art the eternal Son of the Father Thou being to undertake the delivery of Man did'st not disdain the Virgins Womb. Thou having overcom the sting of death opend'st to Believers the Kingdom of heav'n Thou sittest at the right hand of God in the glory of thy Father We believe thou shalt com to be our Judg. Help therfore we beseech Thee thy servants whom thou hast redeem'd with thy precious blood Make them be numbred with thy Saints in glory everlasting Lord save thy People and bless thy Inheritance And govern them and raise them up even to eternity Every day we glorify Thee and praise thy Name for ever and ever Vouchsafe O Lord to keep us this day without sin Have mercy on us O Lord have mercy on us Let thy mercy O Lord be on us as our hope is in Thee In Thee O Lord have I plac't my hope let me not be confounded for ever Pause a while to reflect on what you have said and to renew your attention then begin Lauds Sunday Lauds O God incline unto our ayd O Lord make hast to help us Glory be to the Father and to the Son * and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning both now and ever world without end Amen Alleluia Antiph O how adorable are thy counsels O Lord how strangely indearing the ways of thy love Alleluia Psal V. SIng to our Lord a Psalm of Joy sing praises to the God of our Salvation Sing with a loud and chearful voice sing with a glad and thankful hart Say to the weak of Spirit be strong and to the sorrowful be of good comfort Tel all the world this soul-reviving truth and may their harts within them leap to hear it Tel them the Lord of life is risen again and has cloth'd himself with immortal glory He made the Angels messengers of his victory and vouchsaf't even himself to bring us the joyful news How many ways did thy mercy invent O Thou wise contriver of all our happines To convince thy followers into this blest belief and settle in their harts a firm ground of hope Thou appeard'st in the Garden to the holy women that sought Thee and open'dst their eys to know and adore Thee Thou overtook'st in the way the Two that discour'st of thee and mad'st their harts burn within them to hear thee Thou shewd'st thy self on the stedfast shore to thy weary Disciples labouring at Sea Labouring alas all night in vain without the blessing of their beloved JESUS Thou shew'dst thy self and told'st them who thou wert in the kind known token of a beneficial miracle Thorow the doors though shut thou swiftly passed'st to carry peace to thy comfortles friends To encourage their fears with thy powerful presence and secure their faith by thy charitable arguments How did'st thou condescend to eat before them and invite them to touch thy impassible body How didst thou sweetly constrain that incredulous servant to thrust his hand into thy wounded side Actions we know unfit for thy glorify'd state but absolutely necessary for our slow belief How often O my gracious Lord in those blessed forty days * did thy charity cast to meet with thy Disciples That thou might'st teach them stil some excellent truth and imprint still deeper thy love in their harts Discoursing perpetually of the Kingdom of heav'n and establishing means to bring us thither At last when all thy glorious task was done and thy parting hour from this earth approacht Thou tenderly gather'dst thy Children about thee and in their full sight wentst up into heaven Leaving thy dearest blessing on their heads and promising them a Comforter to supply thine absence O how adorable are thy counsels O Lord how strangely endearing the ways of thy love Say now my Soul is not this evidence clear enough * to answer all our darkest doubts Is not this hope abundantly sufficient to sweeten all our bitterst sorrows What though we mourn and be afflicted here and sigh under the miseries of this world for a time We 're sure our tears shal one day rejoyce and that joy none shal take from us What though our bodies be crumbled into dust and that dust blown about o're the face of the Earth Yet we undoubtedly know our Redeemer lives and shal appear in brightnes at the last great Day He shal appear in the midst of innumerable Angels and with these very eys we shal see Him We shal see him in whom we have so long believ'd we shal find him whom we have so often sought We shal possess him whom our souls have lov'd and be united to him for ever who is the only end of our Being Glory be c. Psal VI. RAise thy head O my soul and look up and behold the glory of thy crucify'd Saviour He that was dead and layd in the grave * low enough to prove himself Man Is risen again and ascended into heaven * high enough to prove himself God He is risen and
of death thou open'dst the kingdom of heav'n to all Believers Psal LXXXIII IF we rejoyc'd for our selvs in the sufferings of our Lord let us now rejoyce for Him that his sufferings are ended Now that the fowlers net is broken and the meek and innocent Dove escap't Now that the cup of bitternes is past away and never possible to return again Never again O dearest JESU shall those blest eys weep nor thy holy soul be sorrowful to death Never shall thy precious life be subject any more * to the bloody malice of ambitious hypocrites Never shall thy innocence any more be expos'd * to the barbarous fury of an ingrateful multitude But thou shalt live and reign for ever and all created nature perpetually adore Thee O happy end of well indur'd afflictions O blessed fruits that spring from the Cross of JESUS Look up my soul and see thy crucify'd Lord * sit gloriously inthron'd at the right hand of his Father Behold the ragged purple now turn'd into a robe of light and the scornful reed into a royal Scepter The wreath of thorns is grown into a sparkling diadem and all his scars polisht into brightnes His tears are all now chang'd into joy and the laughter of his persecuters into sad despair Herod long since perisht in miserable contempt and Pilate still trembles with everlasting fears The impenitent Jews are scatter'd o're the world to attest his truth and their own obdurate blindness But Himself is crown'd with eternal Triumphs and the souls he has redeem'd shall sing his victories for ever Live glorious King of men and Angels live happy Conqueror of sin and death Our praises shall always attend thy Cross and our patience endeavour to bear our own Through fiercest dangers our faith shall follow Thee and nothing wrest from us our hope at last to see Thee We 'l fear no more the sting of death nor be frighted at the darkness of the grave Since thou hast chang'd our grave into a bed of rest and made death it self but a passage into life We 'l love no more the pleasures of vanity nor set our harts on unsatisfying riches Since Thou hast open'd Paradise again and purchas'd for us the kingdom of heav'n Glory be c. Psal LXXXIV BLessed be thy Name O holy JESU and blessed be the mercy of thy Providence Who hast cast our lot in these times of grace and design'd our birth in the days of light When we may clearly see our ready way and directly go on to our glorious end Till Thou appear'dst O Thou only light of the world our miserable earth lay cover'd with darknes Till thou went'st away O thou soveraign Lord of life thy Saints sate expecting in the shades of death The kingdom of heav'n was close shut up and none permitted to behold thy glory Soon as thine own afflictions were ended thou communicatedst thy joys to all the world All that esteem'd so blest a sight and stood prepar'd to entertain thy coming As for the rest whose eys are shut or turn'd away by their own malice Thy presence alas yields no more joy then light to those who will not see But the harts that love Thee Thou fill'st with gladnes and overflow'st them with an ocean of heav'nly delights Come happy souls to whom belongs * so fair a title to all these mercys Come let us now raise up our thoughts and continually medi●●ate our future beatitude Let us comfort our labours with the hope of rest and our sufferings with the expectance of a quick reward Now that the hand of our gracious Lord * has unlockt the gates of everlasting blyss Now that they stand wide open to admit * such as press on with their utmost strength Such as have wisely made choice of heav'n * for the only end and business of their life Rejecting all these false allurements to attend the pursute of true felicity O Blessed JESU our hope our strength and the full rewarder of all thy servants As thou hast freely prepar'd for us ready wages so Lord let thy grace enable us to work Make us direct our whole life to Thee and undervalue all things compar'd with thy love Seal thou our eys to the illusions of this world and open them upwards to thy solid glorys That when our earthly tabernacle shal be dissolv'd and this house of clay fall down into the dust We may ascend to Thee and dwel above in that Building not made with hands eternal in the heav'ns Glory be c. Psal LXXXV PRaise our Lord O you children of men praise Him as the Author of all your hopes Praise our Lord O you Blessed of heav'n praise Him as the Finisher of all your joys Sing O you reverend Patriarks and holy Prophets sing Hymns of glory to the great Messias Sing and rejoyce all you Ancient Saints who so long repos'd in the bosom of Abraham Bring forth your best and purest incense and humbly offer it at the Throne of the Lamb The Lamb that was slain from the begining of the world by the sprinkling of whose blood you all were saved O still sing on the praises of the King of peace and bless for ever his victorious mercy 'T was he dissolv'd the power of darknes and brake asunder the bars of death 'T was He came down to visit your prisons and lead you away out of the shades of sorrow How did your glad eys sparkle with joy to see at last your Desir'd Redeemer How were your spirits transported with delight to behold the splendors of his glorious presence His presence that can quickly turn * the sadest night into a chearful day That can change a dungeon into a house of mirth and make every place a Paradise O glorious Presence when shall our souls be fill'd * with strong and constant desires of enjoying Thee When dearest JESU shal our desires be fil'd * with the everlasting fruition of thy Blessed self Henceforth for Thee and for thy sacred love O Thou great and only Comfort of our souls May all afflictions be welcom to us as wholsom phisick to correct our follyes May the pleasures of the world be rejected by us as dangerous fruits that fill us with diseases May we by thy example neither feare to dy nor refuse the labours of this life But while we live obey thy grace that when we dy we may injoy thy glory Glory be c. Antiph When thou hadst overcom the sting of death Thou opend'st the Kingdom of heav'n to all believers Capit. 2. Pet. 3. TAke heed lest being led aside by the error of the unwise you fall away from your own stedfastnes But grow in grace and the knowledg of our Lord JESUS Christ to Him be glory both now and to the day of Eternity Amen Hymn XXVI MY God to Thee our selvs we ow And to Thy bounty all we have Behold to Thee our praises bow And humbly thy acceptance crave If we are happy in a friend That very friend
of Kings the great ones of the world * an Heroick spirit to advance thy glory Enflame the harts of Prelats and the Preists of thy Church * with a generous Zeal of Conversion of souls Convince them all 't is the end and duty of their place * to improve mankind in vertue and Religion One mercy more we humbly beg which O may thy Providence favorably supply Prepare O Lord the harts of those that err * and make them apt to receive the truth Then chuse thy burning and thy shining lights and send them forth over all the world Send them O God of infinite Charity but send them not alone * lest they faint by the way or miscarry in the end Go with them Thy self guide them by thy grace and crown their labors with thy powerfull blessing So shall the humble vallyes be rais'd up and the stubborn mountains be brought low So shal the crooked paths be made direct and the rough ways smooth and plain So shal the glory of God be every where reveal'd and all flesh see it together Happy the times when this shal come to pass happy the eys that shal see these times Come glorious days wherin that Sun shal shine * which inlightens all at once both the hemisphears Come holy JESU and make those glorious days and let no cloud o'recast them for ever Come and in the largest sense maintain thy Title Be effectively the Saviour of the universal world Glory be c. Antiph To Thee O Lord we look up for salvation have mercy on the works of thine own hands Capit. Tytus 2. THe grace of God our Saviour has appeared to all men instructing us that denying all iniquity and wordly desires we should live soberly justly and piously in this present world expecting the blessed hope and the coming of the glory of our great God and Saviour JESUS Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify to himself an acceptable people zealous of good works Hymn XXXI JESU whose grace inspires thy Priests To keep alive by solemn feasts The Mem'ory of thy love O may we here so pass thy days That they at last our souls may raise To feast with Thee above JESU behold three Kings from far Led to thy Cradle by a star Bring gifts to Thee their King O guide us by thy light that we May find thy lov'd face and to thee Our selvs for tribute bring JESU the pure and spotles Lamb Who to the Temple humbly came Those legal Rights to pay O make our proud and stubborn will Thine and thy Churches laws fulfil Whate're fond nature say JESU who on that fatal wood Pour'dst forth thy life's last drop of blood Nail'd to a shameful cross O may we bless thy love and be Ready dear Lord to bear for Thee All grief all pain all loss JESU who by thine own love slain By thine own pow'r took'st life again And from the grave did'st rise O may thy death our spirits revive And at our death a new life give A life that never dyes JESU who to thy heav'n again Return'dst in triumph there to reign Of men and Angels King O may our parting souls take flight Up to that land of joy and light And there for ever sing All glory to the sacred Three One undivided Deity All honour pow'r and praise O may thy blessed name shine bright Crown'd with those beams of beauteous light It s own eternal rays Here recite the Antiphon for Magn. with the Canticle Magnificat and the Prayer after it as in the Proper of our Saviours Feasts But if you voluntarily say this Office on any day that is not some Feast of our Saviour then use the Antiphon and Prayer following Antiph Come all you Nations of the earth whom the mercy of our Lord has so dearly redeem'd Come and in honour of the divine Son sing the Canticle of the Blessed Mother alleluia Magnificat as Pag. 44. O Lord hear our Prayer And let our Supplications come to Thee Let us pray O Holy and ever-blessed JESU who being the eternal Son of God and most high in the glory of thy Father vouchsafed'st for us sinners to be born of an humble Virgin to be subject to the weaknesses of a litle child to grow up in a life of privacy and labour to declare thy self at last the Redeemer of the world by establishing a perfect law of grace and confirming it with innumerable miracles and suffering for it intollerable persecutions even to death it self Work in us we humbly beseech thee the happy effects of all these mercys that beleeving in thee we may imitate thy life and obeying thy commands injoy thy promises who with the Father and the holy Ghost livest and reignest one God world without end Amen Commemorations as Page 29. O Lord hear our Prayers as Page 29. Complin for our B. Saviour OUr help is in as Pag. 46. Antiph Whither O my God should we go but to Thee Thou hast the words of eternal life Psal CII REtire now my soul from thy Common thoughts * permitted to entertain thy less serious hours Retire and call thy wandring fancys home and speedily range them into peace and order That thou mayst so be prepar'd to hear thy Lord * invite thee among the rest to tast his sweetnes Come to me you that labour and are opprest and I will refresh you Take up my yoke and learn of me for I am meek and humble of hart and you shal find rest to your souls For my yoak is sweet and my burthen light Enough dear Lord enough is said * to draw all the world to thy holy Discipline What can be offer'd so agreable to our nature * too much alas inclin'd to pleasure and profit What can be offer'd so powerfully attractive as to make our work delightful and then reward it As to propose an employment like the musick of Churches devout and sweet and gainful to the performers Whither O my God should we go but to thee Thou hast the words of eternal life Thou art our wisest Instructer to know what to do and only Enabler to do what we know Thou art the free Bestower of all we have and faithful Promiser of all we hope Thou kindly calst us O make us gladly hear thy voice * and constantly follow it till we come to Thee Suffer us no longer to go astray like lost sheep wandring up and down in our own by-ways Suffer us no longer to be distracted among many things * from thee O Lord who art but One But gather us up from the world into our selvs then take us from our selvs into Thee There to be ravisht with thy holy embraces there to be feasted with the Antepasts of heav'n O how unspeakable are thy sweetnesses O Lord which thou hast hid for those who fear Thee Which thou hast partly reveal'd to those who love Thee * and keep their tasts uncorrupted with the world
pray'd and mingled with their prayers their tears they wept and mingled with their tears their complaints Ah dearest Lord why were not we so happy * to be conuerted by Thee while thou dweld'st among us Why not entertain salvation when thou brought'st it to our homes and preferd'st our litle nation before all the world Vnhappy we how came this misery to pass * that many of us look't on thy miracles and saw them not Before our eys thou gav'st sight to the blind and our souls were darkned with sin and prejudice Thou did'st cleanse the leprous and heald all manner of deseases thou did'st raise the dead and cast out divels with thy word Yet we alas how many of us blasphem'd thy name how many conspir'd with thy bloody crucifyers Spare us O Lord have mercy on us O JESU for we knew thee not to be the Lord of glory Blessed be thy holy spirit who has open'd our eys and made us see through the veil that ecclipst us Now we beleeve Thee the Messias we expected now we acknowledg Thee the King of Israel Such were the fervours of those happy times and O how happy were our times had we those fervours But ours are become miserable by schisms and heresys and the darknes that covers a great part of the earth Ours are become miserable by the unfruitful lives * and scandalous examples of too many Christians Too many alas yet even the gates of hell * can ne're prevail against the power of God Stil the same spirit governs the world and keeps alive the same primitive fire Stil there are harts ful of the holy Ghost ful of that ravishing wine of divine love Stil there are souls who renounce all they have and take up their cross and follow our Lord. Stil there are fiery tongues kindled by the breath of heav'n who carry their sacred flames into every Nation Stil the Apostolick Church is true to its name and sends abroad her burning and her shining lights Stil the Almighty Goodnes is true to his Church and conservs it one and holy and universal O keep us blessed Spirit in this thy fold of grace and bring the whole world into one flock That all may be of the same mind here and all enjoy the same happines herafter Glory be c. Antiph This is our Lords doing and it is wonderful in our eys Alleluja Alleluja Our Father c. First Lesson Jo. 14. AMen amen I say to you he that beleevs in me the works that I do he also shal do and greater then these shall he do because I go to the Father and wharever you shal ask in my name I wil do that the Father may be glorify'd in the Son If you love me keep my Commandments and I wil ask the Father and he will give you another Paraclete to abide with you for ever the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it sees Him not nor knows Him but you know Him for he shal abide with you and be in you Resp Blessed be thy merciful Providence O JESU who when thon hadst finisht thy great work on earth ascendedst into heav'n to draw up our minds even thither after Thee Alleluja * That where our happines is there might our harts be also Alleluja Alleluja Blessed be thy infinite goodnes O dear Redeemer who when thou hadst taught us the words of eternal life ●●entst down the holy Ghost to make us observe them and raise up our affections to that glorious Kingdom whether thou art gone before us Alleluja * That Second Lesson Acts. 2. WHen the days of Pentecost were accomplisht they were all together in once place and suddenly there was made a sound from heav'n as of a vehement wind coming and it fill'd the whole house where they were siting and there appear'd to them parted tongues as it were of fire and sate upon each of them and they were replenisht with the holy Ghost and began to speak with divers tongues according as the holy Ghost gave them to speak And there were dweling at Jerusalem Jews devout men of every Nation under heav'n and when this noise was made the multitude came together and was astonisht in mind because every one heard them speak in his own tongue the wonderful works of God Resp Thus were the words of the Prophets fulfil'd and the promises of our Saviour perform'd and the faith of the Christian Church miraculously begun Alleluja * O may it stil go on and increase and multiply til every Nation speak in their own tongues the wonderful works of God Alleluja Alleluja Govern O blessed Spirit the Church thou so wonderfully hast establisht govern it with thy special grace and always preserve it in obedience to Thee and us in obedience to it Alleluja * O may Third Lesson Acts 4. ANd the multitude of Beleevers had one hart and one soul nor did any say that ought was his own of what he possest but all was common to them And the Apostles with great power gave testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and great grace was in them all nor was there any one needy among them for as many as were owners of lands of houses sold them and brought the price of what they sold and laid it at the feet of the Apostles and to every one was divided as every one had need Resp O happy life O heav'n upon earth this is the blest effect of the fire of the true Spirit which warms without scorching and shines without smoking and inlightens without consuing Kindle in our harts O Lord this holy fire of meeknes and peace and unity * That all the world may know whose Disciples we are by seeing us love one another Alleluja But O deliver us from the contrary fire the fire of the false spirit that scorches without warming and smokes without shining and consumes without inlightening deliver us from schism and heresy and every least uncharitable passion * That all the Glory be c. * That all the Lauds for the Holy Ghost O God incline c. as Page 18. Antiph Kindle in our harts O Lord thy holy fire that we may offer to thee the incense of praise Alleluja Psal CIX COnsider now my soul the mercys of thy God consider the wonders he has wrought for the children of men The eternal Father created us of nothing and set us in the way to everlasting happines The eternal Son came down from heav'n to seek us and restor'd us again when we had lost our selvs The eternal spirit sends his grace to sanctify us and gives us strength to walk that holy way Thus every Person of the sacred Trinity * has freely contributed his peculiar blessing And All together as one co-infinite Goodnes * have graciously agreed to compleat our felicity But O ingrateful we was it not enough * to receive of our God all we have and are Was it not enough that the Son of God should come down and live
many times O my Soul have we plainly concluded * that this earth affords no real joy How many times have we fully agreed that heav'n alone is the place of happines Yet do these false allurements again deceive us and steal away our harts to dote upon folly Yet do inconstant we forget our resolvs and wretchedly neglect our true felicity O thou victorious Conquerour of sin and death do thou assist us in this dangerous warfare O thou benign Refresher of distressed Spirits do thou relieve us in this tedious pilgrimage Make us stil thirst and sign after Thee the living-fountain of life-giving streams Make us despise all other delights and set our affections entirely on thy joys Since nothing Lord can satisfie our souls but Thee O let our souls seek nothing but Thee Glory be c. Psal XII GIve me O Lord the innocence of Doves and fill my soul with thy mild spirit Then shal I need none of their wings since heav'n it self wil dwel in my hart 'T is on the proud thou look'st afar off but inclin'st thine ear to the thumble and meek Who delight in the peace of a contented mind and limit their thoughts to their own litle sphear Never intermedling with the actions of others unless where reason and charity engage ' em But their belov'd imployment is to sit in silence and think on the happiness they expect hereafter To meditate the joys of Saints and Angels and the blysful Vision of the face of JESUS O how secure and sweetly do they sleep who go to bed with a quiet conscience Who after a day of faithful industry * in a course of just and pious living Lay down their wearied heads in peace and safely rest in the bosom of Providence If they awake their conscience comforts them in the dark and bids them not fear the shadow of death No nor even death it self but confidently look up * and long for the dawn of that eternal day This too my soul should be our care * to note and censure and correct our selv's To strive for mastery over the passions that molest us and dismiss from our thoughts what no way concerns us Are not our own occasions busines enough to fill as much time as this life deserv's Does not the other at least deserve * every minute of leisure we can spare from this Let then the world pursue their libertys and say and do as they think fit What 's that to thee my soul who shalt not answer for others unless thou some way make their faults thine own Thy pity may grieve and thy charity indeavour but if they will not hear follow thou thy God Follow the way that leads to truth follow the truth that leads to life Follow the steps of thy Beloved JESUS who alone is the way the truth and the life Follow his holines in what he did follow his patience in what he suffer'd Follow him that cals thee with a thousand promises follow him that crowns thee with infinite rewards Follow thy faithful Lord O my soul to the end and thou' rt sure in the end to possess him for ever Glory be c. Psal XIII MEeknes indeed is the heav'n of this life but the heav'n of heav'ns O Lord is above with Thee Meekness may qualify our miseries here and make our time pass gentlier away But to be fully happy we must stay till hereafter till thy mercy bring us to our last great end That glorious end for which our souls are made and all things else to serve them in their way 'T is not to sport our time in pleasures * that thou O Lord hast plac't us here 'T is not to gain a fair estate that thy kindnes still prolongs our days But to do good to our selvs or others and glorifie thee in improving thy creatures To increase every day our longing desires * of beholding Thee in thine own bright self O glorious Lord whose infinite sweetnes * provokes and satisfys all our appetites May my entire affections delight in thee above all the vain enjoyments of this world Above all praise and empty honour above all beauty and fading pleasure Above all health and deceitful riches above all power and subtlest knowledge Above even all thy own bounty can give and what ever is not thy very self O may my wearied soul repose in Thee the home and center of eternal rest May I forget my self to think on thee and fill my memory with the wonders of thy love That infinite love which when my thoughts consider not as they ought alas but as I am able The weight of my sufferings sits light upon me and all my fears are turn'd into joys O my adored JESUS let me love thee always * because from eternity thou hast loved me O let me love Thee only gracious God! because thou alone deserv'st all my hart Always and only let me love thee O Lord since always my hope is only in Thee Antiph All is unquiet here till we come to Thee and repose at last in the Kingdom of Peace Hymn IV. DEar Jesu when when will it be That I no more shall break with Thee When will this war of passions cease And let my soul injoy thy peace Here I repent and sin again Now I revive and now am slain Slain with the same unhappy dart Which O too often wounds my hart When dearest Lord when shall I be A garden seal'd to all but Thee No more expos'd no more undone But live and grow to Thee alone 'T is not alas on this low earth That such pure flow'rs can find a birth Only they spring above the skys Where none can live till here he dys Then let me dy that I may go And dwell where those bright lillys grow Where those blest plants of glory rise And make a safer Paradise No dangerous fruit no tempting Eve No crafty Serpent to deceive But we like Gods indeed shall be O let me dy that life to see Thus says my song but does my hart Joyn with the words and sing its part Am I so thorow-wise to chuse The Other world and this refuse Why should I not what do I find That fully here contents my mind What is this meat and drink and sleep That such poor things from heav'n should keep What is this honour or great place Or bag of mony or fair face What 's all the world that thus we shou'd Still long to dwell with flesh and blood Fear not my soul stand to the word Which thou hast sung to thy dear Lord Let but thy love be firm and true And with more heat thy wish renew O may this dying life make hast To dy into true life at last No hope have I to live before But then to live and dy no more Great Everliving God! to Thee In Essence One in Persons Three May all thy works their tribute bring And every age thy glory sing Capit. 1 Jo. 2. Love not the world nor the things
that are in the world if any one love the world the charity of the Father is not in him For all that is in the world is concupiscence of the flesh concupiscence of the eys and pride of life which is not of the Father but of the world and the world passes away and the concupiscence therof but he that does the will of God abides for ever Antiph Learn of me says our Lord for I am meek and humble of hart and you shall find rest to your souls V. Meekness indeed is the heav'n of this life R. But the heav'n of heav'ns is above with Thee O Lord hear our prayers And let our supplications come to Thee Let us pray O God whose gracious Providence has particularly ordain'd the Spirit of Meeknes to waft us safely through the turbulent Sea of this world to our Haven of Blyss Vouchsafe we beseech thee so to dispose thy servants for this precious vertue by making every days clearer experience of our own weaknes and vanity strike our lofty sails and lay flat on the ground all proud conceits of our selvs that we suffer not our minds to be discompos'd with any passion nor our tongues to break forth into any violent expression but always preserve our selvs in such a regular and even temper stir the world how it will about us as becomes those all whose Powers are possest with the joys of heav'n and apt to feel in every thing only the sweet impulses of hope and charity through our Lord JESUS Christ thy Son who with Thee and the holy Ghost lives and reigns One God world without end Amen V. Vouchsafe us we beseech thee O Lord a quiet night and a happy end R. Amen V. Lord have mercy on us R. Christ have mercy on us V. Lord have mercy on us Our Father c. V. And lead us not into temptation R. But deliver us from evil Amen V. Into thy hands O Lord we commend our spirits R. Into thy hands O Lord we commend our spirits R. Thou hast redeemed us O Lord thou God of truth R. Into thy hands O Lord we commend our spirits V. Preserve us O Lord as the apple of thine ey R. Under the shadow of thy wings protect us V. Save us O Lord waking defend us sleeping R. That we may watch with Christ and rest in peace V. Vouchsafe O Lord to keep us this night without sin R. Have mercy on us O Lord have mercy on us V. Lord let thy mercy be on us R. As our hope is in Thee V. O Lord hear our prayers R. And let our supplications come to Thee Let us pray VIsit we beseech thee O Lord this habitation and drive far away all snares of the enemy let thy holy Angels dwell therein to preserve us in peace and thy blessing be upon us for ever through our Lord JESUS Christ thy Son who with Thee and the holy Ghost lives and reigns One God world without end Amen V. O Lord hear our Prayers R. And let our supplications come to Thee V. Bless we our Lord. R. Thanks be to God V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace R. Amen Pause a litle then say one of the following Antiphons and Prayers according to the time From Advent Sunday Morning to Candlemas Eve V. Our Lord give us his peace R. And life everlasting Amen Blest Mother of our Lord whose pray'rs display The gates of heav'n whose light directs our way Here in these dangerous Seas obtain supplies For those who often fall yet strive to rise Thou at whom Nature stood amaz'd to see The world's Creator humbly born of Thee Thou whom the Angel did that homage pay All-spotless Virgin for us sinners pray V. Blessed O Lord is the womb that bare Thee R. And the brests that gave Thee suck Let us pray O God who by the blessed Fruit of the Virgin Mary hast bestow'd on mankind the rewards of eternal salvation grant we beseech Thee that we may always injoy the benefit of her intercession by whom thou wert pleas'd we should receive the Author of our life JESUS Christ thy Son our Lord Amen May the divine Assistance remain with us for ever Amen Pause a litle then say The Blessing of God Almighty Father Son and holy Ghost descend upon us and dwell in our harts for ever Amen Pause a litle then rise So ends the whole Office of the day From Candlemas to Maundy Thursday V. Our Lord give us his peace R. And life everlasting Amen HAil Queen of Angels holy Quires Hail whom the Court of heav'n admires Thou art the Root whence our joys spring The Gate that light to us didst bring Heav'ns brightest Saints thy grace outshines Thy Glory all the Seraphins Live happy Favorite of Thy Son And plead our cause at his dread Throne V. Vouchsafe O holy Virgin to accept our praises R. And favour us with thy prayers for strength against our enemies Let us pray SUstain we beseech Thee O merciful God the weaknes of thy servants that we who celebrate the memory of the blessed Mother of our Lord may by the 〈◊〉 of her intercession obtain thy grace to rise from our iniquities through the same JESUS Christ our Lord Amen May the divine Assistance remain with us for ever Amen Pause Then The Blessing of God Almighty Father Son and holy Ghost descend upon us and dwell in our hearts for ever Amen From Easter to Trinity Sunday V. Our Lord give us his peace R. And life Everlasting Amen REjoyce chast Queen of Angels and apply All those blest Quires to sing this Victory He that was born of Thee and dy'd for us Has conquer'd death is risen glorious Sing then and in thy hymns this mercy crave That thy great Son our souls in Judgment save V. Rejoyce and triumph O Blessed Virgin Mary Alleluja R. For our Lord is risen indeed Alleluja Let us pray O God who by the resurrection of thy Son our Lord JESUS Christ hast vouch●●af't to make glad the harts of the world grant we beseech Thee that by the prayers of his immaculate Virgin-Mother we may attain the joys of eternal life through the same JESUS Christ our Lord Amen May the divine Assistance remain with us for ever Amen Pause Then The Blessing of God Almighty Father Son and holy Ghost descend upon us and dwell in our hearts for ever Amen From Trinity Sunday to Advent Sunday V. Our Lord give us his peace R. And life everlasting Amen HAil Queen of Saints Hail mercies Mother Our life our hope our comfort Hail To thee deploring one another We poor Eves banish't off-spring wail To thee we cry and our sad moans Sigh out into thy tender ears To thee our harts weep bitter groans In this doleful vale of tears Hear glorious Advocate O hear And towards wretched us incline The gracious aspect of those dear Compassionating eys of thine Soft source of pity mil'd and sweet O
all Be thou to us our God and all things and make us nothing in our own eys Be thou our whole everlasting delight and let nothing else be any thing to us Glory be c. Antiph Vanity of Vanitys all is Vanity but the love of God and hope to enjoy him Capit. Ephes 6. CHildren obey your Parents in our Lord for this is just and you Fathers provoke not your Children to anger but bring them up in discipline and the fear of our Lord. Servants be obedient to your Masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling in the simplicity of your harts as to Christ not serving to the ey as it were pleasing men but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the hart knowing whatever good any one shal do that shal he receive of our Lord whether he be bond or free And you Masters do the same things to them forbearing threatnings knowing that both their Lord and yours is in heav'n and with Him is no acceptance of persons Hymn VII LOrd who shal dwel above with Thee There on thy holy Hill Who shal those glorious Prospects see That heav'n with gladnes fill Those happy souls who prize that life Above the bravest here Whose greatest hope whose eagrest strife Is once to settle there They use this world but value That That they supremely love They travel through this present state But place their home above Lord who are they that thus chuse Thee But those Thou first didst chuse To whom Thou gav'st thy grace most free Thy grace not to refuse We of our selvs can nothing do But all on Thee depend Thine is the work and wages too Thine both the way and end O make us stil our work attend And we 'l not doubt our pay We wil not fear a blessed end If thou but guide our way Glory to Thee O bounteous Lord Who giv'st to all things breath Glory to Thee Eternal Word Who sav'st us by thy death Glory O Blessed Spirit to Thee Who fill'st our harts with love Glory to all the Mystick Three Who reign one God above Amen Antiph He that fram'd the hart of man design'd it for himself and bequeath'd it unquietnes til possest of its Maker V. Vanity of Vanitys all is Vanity R. But to love our God and attend his service O Lord hear our prayers And let our supplications come to Thee Let us pray O God who alone art all in all things to us and to whom we are nothing but wretched objects of thy bounty which the more flows upon us the more we truly feel our own pure emptines and want of it Encrease we humbly beseech thee this happy sense iu thy servants by our dayly experience of this worlds unsatisfyingness and grant that finding it ordain'd by Thee to breed and widen not fill our capacity we may make this only use of all thy creatures here to raise and heighten our desires of thy infinite Self in Eternity through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who with thee and the Holy Ghost lives and reigns one God world without end Amen V. O Lord hear our prayers R. And let our Supplications come to Thee V. Bless we our Lord R. Thanks be to God V. May the Souls of the Faithful Departed through the mercy of God rest in peace Amen Pause a while to reflect and renew Then begin Complin Monday Complin V. OUr help is in As Page 46. Antiph All thy ways O Lord are mercy and wisdom and all thy Counsels tend to our happines Psal XXIV MY God in every thing I see thy hand in every passage thy gracious Providence Thou wisely govern'st the house thou hast built and preventest with thy mercy 's all our wants Thou cal'st us up in the early morning and giv'st us light by the beams of thy Sun To labour every one in their proper Office and fill the litle place appointed them in the world Thou provid'st a rest for our weary Evening and favour'st our sleep with a shady darknes To refresh our bodys in the peace of night and save the wast of our decaying spirits Again thou awak'st our drowsy eys and bid'st us return to our dayly task Thus has thy wisdom mixt our life and beauteously interwoven it of rest and work Whose mutual changes sweeten each other and both prepare us for our greatest duty Of finishing here the work of our Salvation to rest herafter in thy holy peace Glory be c. Psal XXV LOrd how thy bounty gives us all things else * with a large and open hand Our Fields at once are cover'd with corn and our trees bow under the weight of their fruit At once thou fill'st our Magazines with plenty and sendst us who'e show'rs of other blessings Only our time thou distil'st by drops and never giv'st us two moments at once But tak'st away one when thou lendest another to teach us the price of so rich a Jewel That we may learn to value every hour and not childishly spend them on empty trifles Much less maliciously murther whole days in pursuing a course of sin and shame Lord as Thou thus hast taught our ignorance so let thy grace enable our weaknes Wisely to manage the time thou giv'st us and stil press on to new degrees of improvement That with our few but wel-spent years we may purchase to our selvs a blest eternity Glory be c. Psal XXVI IT was thy mercy too O gracious Lord to dispense by parcels our portion of time That the succeeding day may learn to grow wise and correct its faults by experience of the past Else were our Being all at once as it shall be in the next Eternal life Our sins would have here no power to be repented and then alas how desperate were we We who are born in the way to misery and unless we change can never be happy We who so often wilfully go astray and unless we return must perish for ever O Thou in whose indulgent hands * are both our time and our Eternity Whose Providence gives every minute of our life and governs the fatal period of our death O make us every Evening still provide * to pass with comfort that important hour Make us still ballance our accompts for heav'n and strive to increase our treasures with Thee That if we rise no more to our acquaintance here we may joyfully waken among thy blessed Angels There to unite our Hymns with Theirs and joyn all together in one full Quire Glory be c. Antiph All thy ways O Lord are mercy and wisdom and all thy Counsels tend to our happines Hymn VIII NOw my Soul the day is gone Which in the morn was thine Now its glass no more shall run Its Sun no longer shine True alas the day is gone O were it only so Is 't not lost as well as done Cast up thy counts and know Are we so much nearer heav'n As to the grave we bow Has our sorrow made all
prayers And let our supplications come to Thee Let us pray O God the eternal Source and Necessity of Being on whose free overflowing that of thy whole Creation every moment depends strike we beseech Thee our harts with a continual dread and reverence of thy absolute Dominion which should it but never so litle suspend thy Bounty resolvs us all instantly into nothing nothing and grant that as we know thou preservst still on this world to grow daily riper for the Other to which thou hast ordain'd it we may by thy grace so husband our time here as in the next life to possess thy Eternity through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who c. Commemorations c. as page 29. Tuesday Vespers IN the Name c. As page 13. Antiph Who is like thee O Lord among the Gods who is like thee terrible in judgments Psal XXXIV SPeak no more proudly vain dust nor provoke any longer the living God Seal up thy lips in humble silence and tremblingly remember his dreadful judgments Remember how the earth open'd it self and swallow'd up alive so many thousands Remember how the clouds rain'd fire and brimstone and buried whole Cities in their own ashes Remember how the general deluge o'respred the world and swept away almost all mankind Remember and ask the cause of all this ruin and tell it aloud to the bold offender Tell him 't was sin and such as his * that drew upon them so swift destruction Sin threw the Angels down from heav'n and chain'd them up in eternal darknes Sin banisht Adam out of Paradise and turn'd that delicious garden into a field of weeds O God how terrible is thy mighty arm when Thou stretchest it forth to be aveng'd of thine enemys O sin how fatal is thy desperate malice that pulls on our heads all the thunder of heav'n O my soul how dull and sensles are we to sleep secure as if all were safe Can we repeat these amazing Truths and not tremble at the wrath of the divine justice Can we consider the deplorable end of sinners and still go on in the ways of sin Even while we sing thy praises O glorious Lord our very duty should fear before Thee What should corrupted nature then do when it sees its self ready to offend Thee What should a guilty Conscience do when it sees it self ruin'd by offending thee Strike thou our harts O Thou infinit Majesty with an awful reverence of thy great Name Correct our many levitys into a pious sadnes and break our proud spirits to bow to Thee Still may our consciences cry aloud within us dare you commit this evil and sin against your God Dare you commit this evil and undo your selvs and plunge your own souls in everlasting torments Forbid so rash a madness gracious Lord and make thy judgments on others mercys to us Glory be c. Antiph Who is like thee O Lord among the Gods who is like thee terrible in judgments Antiph Who is like thee O Lord among the Gods who is like thee amiable in mercys Psal XXXV WIpe away the tears from thine eys O my soul and clear thy hart from all clouds of despair He that 's thus infinite in power to punish * is full as infinite in goodness to save How often have we broken his divine Commands yet still his earth sustains and servs us How often have we abus'd our fulnes of bread yet still his clouds shower plenty upon us Himself with his own Almighty Word consin'd the waters and sharply reproacht their officiousnes to destroy Hitherto shall you come and no farther and here will I stay your proud waves Only the ambitious Angels find no forgivenes because their obstinacy refuses to seek it Else could those rebel-spirits disclaim their crimes and turn again to obey their Maker His clemency would soon revoke their sentence and restore them to shine in their first bright seats But O! the excess of mercy vouchsaft to Adam and to us dust and ashes his posterity For whom the soveraign King of heav'n * humbled Himself to descend upon earth Leading a poor laborious life and suffering a painful ignominious death Only to teach us how to live and how to dy and what in both to aim at Thy mercys Lord are above all thy works and this above all thy mercys Antiph Who is like thee O Lord among the Gods who is like thee amiable in mercys Antiph Dreadful art thou O Lord in the terror of thy Judgments but infinitely more amiable in the sweetnes of thy mercys Psal XXXVI STill let us sing the mercys of our God and hold and shake a litle longer this sweet key When we alas lay buried in the abyss of nothing his own free goodnes first cal'd us into Being He fashion'd our limbs in our mothers womb and fill'd our Nurses brest with milk He enlarg'd our litle steps when we began to go and carefully preserv'd our helpless infancy Commanding even his Angels to bear us in their hands lest we dash our feet against a stone How many dangers have we happily escapt and not one of them but was govern'd by his providence How many blessings do we dayly receive and not one of them but proceeds from his bounty He provided Tutors to instruct our youth and plant in our tender minds the seeds of vertue He appointed Pastors to feed our souls and safely guide them in the ways of Blyss He founded his Church on an immovable Rock and to render our faith firm and secure He seal'd his love with Sacraments of grace to breed and nourish in us the life of charity All this thou hast done O merciful Lord the wise Disposer of heav'n and earth All this thou hast done and still goest on * by infinite ways to gain us to thy love Thou command'st us to ask and promisest to grant thou invitest us to seek and assur'st us to find Thou vouchsaf'st even thy self to stand at the door and knock and if we open thou entrest and fill'st our harts with joy If we forget thee thou renew'st afresh our memory if we fly from thee thou still find'st some means to recal us If we defer our amendment thou patiently stay'st for us and when we return thou open'st thy arms to imbrace us Surely O my God! from all eternity * Thou hast cast thy gracious ey upon us Surely thy merciful hand has sign'd our lot and mark't us out for thy everlasting favors We know thy ways are in the deep abyss and none can sound the bottom of thy counsels Yet may we safely look on the flowing streams and gather this comfort from their gentle course When we were not thou freely lov'dst us Thou wilt nor forsake us now we strive to love thee When we had lost our way thou sought'st after us thou wilt not refuse us now we seek after thee Lord all we have is deriv'd from thee and all we expect can come from none but thy self Accomplish thine own
now and argue with me saith our Lord though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow and though they be red as vermillion they shall be white as wool R. Who will give water to my head and a fountain of tears to my eys that day and night I may continually weep and mourn and lament for my own sins and for my Saviours sufferings * O my ador'd Redeemer make us hartily sorry to have offended Thee make us speedily mend least we ruine our selvs Thou hast given us these holy rules to guide our lives and enforc't them on us by thine own example fasting and praying and weeping and humbling thy self to death even the death of the Cross * O my Third Lesson BEhold in the day of your fast you find pleasure and exact of all your debtors you fast to debates and contentions and strike with the first impiously Is this such a fast as I have chosen a man to afflict his soul for a day is this it to wind his head about like a circle and spread sackcloath and ashes Is not this rather the fast I have chosen dissolve the bands of impiety unlose the heavy burthens break in pieces every yoak and let the opprest go free deal thy bread to the hungry and bring the poor and harbourles into thy house when thou seest the naked cover him and despise not thine own flesh Then shal thy light break forth as the morning and thy helth speedily arise and thy justice go before thy face and the glory of our Lord compass thee round about Then shalt thou call and our Lord will answer thou shalt cry and he will say behold I am here I am he who blot out thy iniquitys for my own sake and thy sins I will remember no more I am the Lord thy God who teach thee profitable things and govern thee in the way where thou walkest I am the Lord thy God who take thee by the hand and say to thee fear not I will help thee fear not for I am with thee shrink not aside for I am thy God R. My God never let me so rely on any outward performances that I neglect the improvement of my mind lest my fasting becom an unprofitable trouble and my prayer a vain lip labor * The soul and the body make a man and the spirit and discipline make a Christian Never let me so pretend to inward perfection that I slight the outward observances of Religion lest my thoughts grow proud and phantastick and all my arguments be but a cover for licenciousnes * The Soul Glory be c. * The Soul Pause as Pag. 17. Friday Lauds O God incline as Pag. 18. Antiph Come let us glory in the Cross of our Lord JESVS Christ in whom is our life and helth and resurrection Psal LXX SHal we rejoyce my soul to day Shal we not mourn at the Funeral of our dear Redeemer Such O my Lord was the excess of thy goodnes to derive joys for us from thine own sorrows Thou forbadst thy followers to weep for Thee and reserved'st to thy self alone the shame and grief Thou invitest all the world to glory in thy Cross and command'st us to delight in the memory of thy passion Sing then all you dear-bought Nations of the Earth sing hymns of glory to the holy JESUS Sing every one who pretends to felicity sing immortal praises to the God of our Salvation To Him who for us indur'd so much scorn and patiently receiv'd so many injurys To Him who for us swet drops of blood and drank off the dregs of his Fathers wrath To the eternal Lord of heav'n and earth who for us was slain by the hands of the wicked Who for us was led away as a Sheep to the slaughter and as a meek Lamb open'd not his mouth Whither O my God did thy compassion carry thee how did thy charity too far prevail with Thee Was it not enough to becom man for us but thou must expose thy self to all our miserys Was it not enough to labor all thy life but thou must suffer for us even the pains of death No gracious Lord thy mercy stil observ'd * some wants in our nature as yet unsupplyd Thou saw'st our too much fondnes of life * needed thy parting with it to reconcile us to death Thou saw'st our fear of sufferings could no way be abated but by freely undergoing them in thine own person O blessed JESU whose grace alone * begins and perfects all our hopes How are we bound to praise thy love how infinitely oblig'd to adore thy goodnes At any rate thou would'st stil go on to heal our weak and wounded nature Even at the price of thine own dear blood thou would'st finish for us the purchase of heav'n Glory be c. Psal LXXI AWake my soul and speedily prepare * thy richest sacrifice of humble praise Awake and summon all thy thoughts * to make hast and adore our great Redeemer For now 't is time we should reverently go and offer our harts at the foot of his Cross Thither let us fly from the troubles of the world there let us dwel among the mercys of heav'n Under the shade of that happy tree let us kneel and often look up to our dearest Lord Let us remember every passage of his love and be sure that none escape our thanks Let us compassionate every stroak of his death and one by one salute his sacred wounds Blest be the hands that wrought so many miracles and were bor'd with cruel nails Blest be the feet that so often travail'd for us and at last were unmercifully fastned to the Cross Blest be the head which was crown'd with thorns the head that so industriously studied our happines Blest be the hart which was pierced with a spear the hart that so passionately lov'd our peace Blest be the entire person of our Crucifyd Lord and may all our powers joyn in his praise In thy eternal praise O gracious JESU and the ravishing thoughts of thy incomparable sweetnes O what excess of kindnes was this what strange extremity of love and pity The Lord is sold that the slave may be free the Innocent condemn'd that the guilty may be sav'd The Phisician is sick that the Patient may be cur'd and God himself dys that man may live Tell me my Soul when first thou hast well consider'd * and lookt about among all we know Tell me who ever wisht us so much good who ever lov'd us with so much tendernes What have our nearest friends done for us or even our Parents in comparison of this Charity No less then the Son of God came down to redeem us no less then his own dear life was the price he paid for us What can the favour of the whole world promise us compar'd to this miraculous bounty No less then the joys of Angels are become our hope no less then the Kingdom of heav'n is made our inheritance Glory be
the iniquity of our sins R. And graciously remove away all thy punishments V. Enter not into judgment with thy servants O Lord R. For in thy sihgt shall no one living be justify'd V. Our ruine we confess is wholly from our selvs R. And all our hope is in thy salvation V. If we repent and say Now we 'l begin R. 'T is time now to rise from sleep V. Behold temptation stands at the door R. And our weak resistance lets it in V. Our corrupt nature conspires with our enemys R. And our evil customs prevail against us V. Pity us O Lord Thou who know'st whereof we are made R. Wean us from this world Thou who mad'st us for a better V. Deliver us from the occasions that so often endanger us R. Deliver us from the occasions that so often overcome us V. Deliver us from all sudden and disastrous mischances R. Deliver us from the miserys of everlasting torments V. Why art thou sad O my soul R. And why art thou disquieted within me V. Still trust in God for still we will praise his Name R. He is our Saviour and our God V. O praise our Lord for he is good R. And his mercy indures for ever V. Let all who fear our Lord now say R. That his mercy indures for ever V. He was mindful of us in our low estate R. For his mercy indures for ever V. And redeem'd us from our enemys R. For his mercy indures for ever V. He will guide us here in the ways of peace R. For his mercy indures for ever V. He will bring us herafter to the joys of eternity R. For his mercy indures for ever V. O Lord hear our prayers R. And let our supplications come to Thee Let us pray O God who didst severely punish our first parents for eating the forbidden fruit and hast so often recommended to us the necessary dutys of abstinence and fasting grant we beseech thee that by observing diligently thy holy Discipline propos'd to us in the laws and practise of thy Church we may correct our levitys and revenge our excesses and subdue our irregular appetites and frustrate the temptations of the enemy and secure our perseverance and daily proceed to new degrees of vertue and devotion till in the end of our lives we receive the end of our labours the salvation of our souls in thy heavenly kingdom through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who with thee and the holy Ghost lives and reigns One God world without end Amen These Versicles Responses and Prayers are said kneeling on all Fasting days immediately after the Prayer at Lauds Then Commemoration c. as page 29. Friday Vespers OUr Father c. as page 33. Antiph O sensless we that so litle consider what our Saviour suffer'd for us or what we do against Him Psal LXXIII LOrd how the world requites thy love how ingrateful are we to thy blessed memory We negligently forget thy sacred Passion or rather far worse our sins renew thy sufferings While we deprive others of their right what do we else but devest thee of thy cloaths While we delight in strife and Schisms what do we else but rend thy seamless coat If we despise the least of thy servants are we not as so many Herods that scorn'd Thee If we for fear proceed against our conscience how are we better then Pilate that condemn'd Thee By forsaking thy will to follow our own do we not chuse a murtherer before thee By retaining a sharp and bitter malice do we not give thee vineger and gall to drink By shewing no mercy to the poor and afflicted do we not pass by thy Cross as strangers unconcern'd Thus we again crucify the Lord of Glory and put him afresh to an open shame Is this O wretched we the duty we pay * to the sacred memory of our dear Redeemer Are these the thanks our gratitude returns * to that strange excess of our Saviours love When we sate in darknes he took us by the hand and kindly led us into his own light We sought not him but he came from far to find us we lookt not towards him but his mercy call'd after us He call'd aloud in words of tendernes why will you perish O you children of men Why will you run after empty trifles as if there were no joys above with me Return O you dear-bought souls and I will receive you * repent and though you had really crucifyed me I will forgive you Behold O Blessed JESU to Thee we come and on thy holy Cross fasten all our confidence Never will we unclasp our faithful hold till thy grace has seal'd the pardon of our sins Never will we part from that standard of hope till our troubled consciences be dismist in peace There will we stand and sigh and weep and every one humbly say to thy mercy JESU my God I suffer violence * answer Thou for me Glory be c. Antiph O sensless we that so litle consider what our Saviour suffer'd for us or what we do against Him Antiph He is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world Psal LXXIV BE silent O my soul and thy Lord will answer for thee be content and he is thy security Be innocent and he will defend thee be humble and he will exalt thee He will forgive thee all thou repentest he will bestow on thee more then thou askest Never let us fear the favour of our God if we can but esteem and desire it He that so freely gave us himself will he not with himself give us all things else Is not his painful life and bitter death * sufficient pledg of his love to us Is not his infinite love to us * sufficient motive of our duty to Him A duty to which we are so many ways oblig'd and wherin our Eternity is so highly concern'd Surely they have litle faith and far less hope who doubt the mercys of so gracious a God Mercys confirm'd by a thousand miracles and dearly seal'd with his own blood That innocent blood which was shed for us to appease the wrath of his offended Father That blood whos 's every precious drop * was worthy to save so many worlds O blest and all-redeeming blood which flow'd so freely from the source of life Bath our polluted souls in thy clear streams and purge away all our foul impuritys Cleanse us O merciful Lord from our secret faults and from those darling sins that most abuse us Wash off the stains which our malice has caus'd in others and those which our weaknes has receiv'd of them Let not them perish by our occasion nor us be undone by theirs But let our charity assist one another and thy clemency pardon us all Pardon O gracious JESU what we have been and with thy holy discipline correct what we are Order by thy Providence what we shal be and in the end crown thine own gifts Glory be
do what ever else we are doing This we can do even while we sit still and only move our thoughts towards Thee Nay then we best perform this best of works when all our powers are quiet in Thee Yet let not this thy facil sweetnes dearest Lord be abus'd by us to a wanton neglect But make us love Thee so much more as Thou more discover'st the excess of thy love Glory be c. Antiph Too often are we troubled about many things when the truly necessary is but One. Hymn XXVIII MY soul what 's all this world to thee This world of sin and wo Where only sense can tast its sweets And those unwholsom too Truth is thy food truth thy delight Which cannot here be free Thy mind was born to know and love What this life ne're can see Malicious world how dost thou lay and cover thy false baits Here those of pleasure there of gain Each for our ruine waits Unhappy we it is our fault 'T is we our life abuse The world presents a furnisht shop And we the tools misuse So have I seen a litle child If Nurse but turn her ey Instead of heft take hold o' th blade And cut it self and cry This litle child alas am I Self-will'd self-wounded too But Lord turn not thy face away Lest I my self undo O make me stil so use this world That I the other gain O make me so the other love That this its end attain It s end to breed up souls for heav'n Then be it self new drest No more corruption no more change But one perpetual rest To Father Son and holy Ghost The undivided Three One equal glory one same praise Now and for ever be Capit. Thessal 5. THe day of our Lord shall come as a thief in the night let us not therefore sleep as others but watch and be sober For God has not appointed us to wrath but to the purchasing salvation by our Lord JESVS Christ who dyed for us that whether we wake or sleep we may live together with Him Antiph We have here no permanent City but are bound in quest of Jerusalem above the eternal mansion of Blyss V. Jesus came down to give us a glimpse of it R. And made his own life the Card to direct us to it O Lord hear our prayers And let our supplications come to thee Let us pray O God whose eternal Providence has imbarkt our souls in the ship of our bodys not to expect any port or anchorage on the Sea of this world but steer directly through it to thy glorious Kingdom grant we beseech Thee that daily reflecting with what care and unwearied diligence the wretched Adventurers for all sorts of vanity pursue round about us their desperate courses we may hartily feel our selvs confounded with just reproach who knowing our ingagement on so important a voyage yet take so litle pains to perform it Preserve us O Lord from those dangerous winds that on all sides assault us and keep the sails of our affections still duly trim'd to receive thy holy inspirations that carried sweetly forward by the gales of thy Spirit we may happily arrive at last in the haven of eternal salvation through our Lord Vouchsafe c. as page 54. to the end The OFFICE of our B. SAVIOVR Matins Introduction as Page 1. Christmas Invitatory To day for us our Lord was born alleluia Come let 's adore Him Newyears-day Invit To day our Lord was Circumciz'd and receiv'd the sweet name of JESVS alleluia Come let 's adore Him Twelfth-day Invit To day the holy Kings brought their presents to our Lord●● alleluia Come let 's adore Him Candlemas-day Invit To day our Ble●●ed Lord was presented in the Temple alleluia Come let 's adore Him Lady-day Invit To day the Eternal WORD was made flesh Come let 's adore Him Passion-Sunday and Palm-Sunday Invit To day if you will hear the voice of our Lord harden not your harts Easter-day All as in the Office for Sunday except as in the Proper for Festivals Invention of the Cross Invit To day the miraculous Cross of our Lord was found alleluia Come let 's adore Him Ascension Invit To day our glorious JESVS ascended into heav'n alleluia Come let 's adore Him If this Office be said on any day that is not a feast of our Saviour let the Invitatory be To day let 's adore our God that redem'd us Psal XCII BRing to our Lord all you his servants bring to our Lord the sacrifice of praise bring to our Lord all you nations of the earth bring hymns of glory to his great Name To day c. He is our God and we his people created by his goodnes to be happy for ever he is our Redeemer and we his purchase restor'd by his death to a better eternity To day c. Let us learn of Him and he will teach us his ways let us follow Him and we shal walk in the light for the Law and its types were given by Moses but grace and truth came by JESVS Christ. To day c. O Come let 's ascend to the house of our Lord and celebrate this day with a holy joy imploring his mercy for all we need and blessing his bounty for all we have To day c. Glory be c. As it was To day c. To day c. Hymn XXIX JESU who from thy Fathers throne To this low vale of tears cam'st down In our poor nature drest O may the charms of that sweet love Draw up our souls to Thee above And fix them there to rest JESU who wert with joy Conceiv'd With joy wert born while no pain griev'd Thy Mothers Virgin-womb O may we breed and bring Thee forth In our glad harts for all is mirth Where Thou art pleas'd to come JESU whose high and humble birth In heav'n the Angels and on earth The faithful Shepherds sing O may our hymns which here run low Shoot up aloft and fruitful grow In that eternal Spring JESU how soon did'st Thou begin To bleed and suffer for our sin The Circumcizing knife O may thy grace by making good Our souls just caufe ' gainst flesh and blood Cut off that dangerous strife JESU who took'st that heav'nly Name Thy blessed Purpose to proclaim Of saving lost mankind O may we bow our hart and knee Bright King of Names to glorious Thee and thy hid sweetnes find JESU who thus began'st our Blyss Thus carry'dst on our happines To Thee all praise be paid O may the Great Mysterious Three For ever live and ever be Ador'd belov'd obey'd Antiph Blessed be the mercy of our God who has left no way untry'd that could possibly recover us Psal XCIII COme now and hear you that fear our Lord and I will tell you what he has done for my soul Hear and I wil tel you what he has done for yours and the wonders of his bounty towards all the world When we lay asleep
there and part with life it self to dy and go thither Alas how short are we of these perfections how slowly do we follow those excellent Guides O that we liv'd I dare not say blest Souls like you * whose aim was high and a generous heat bet in your brests But that our harts desire were to live like you and what you really did we really wisht to do O that we liv'd in some degree like you and lov'd to think and read and speak of you To sign and publish your heroick Acts and where we cannot imitate at least admire At least let us learn to humble our selvs and check the vanity of our proud conceits Let us mourn and blush at our many infirmitys and so much the louder call to heav'n for releef Hear us you blessed Saints who dwel secure above and turn your eys of pity towards us below Look down with tendernes on our world of miserys and bow your charitable knees to the God of mercys That what our own unworthines cannot obtain we may hope to receive by your holy prayers Glory be c. Antiph Help us you blessed Citizens of heav'n direct our way you who have attain'd your end Antiph Fear not my soul our God has a blessing too for us if we have a love and obedience for Him Psal CXXVI LEt us humble our selvs but not grow faint * at the sight of others so far before us Rather let us quicken our sloth by their swift pace and encourage our fears with their happy success We who profess the Religion of all these Saints who liv'd and dy'd in the same Church with us We who partake of the same holy Sacraments and eat the same celestial Food Why should we fear one day to shine above and rejoyce together with you glorious Saints Are we not all redeem'd by the same rich price the same eternal crowns propos'd to us all Are we not bred in the same Apostolick faith and nurst at the brests of the same Catholick Church The Lessons I see and Teacher is the same but the hand is dul and instrument out of tune You liv'd indeed in a dangerous world like this and were ty'd to bodys frail as ours But by a constant vigilance you o'recame the world and subdu'd your bodys to the service of your minds You overcame with a joyful hart * and we thus congratulate the triumph of your victorys You overcame but not by your own strong hand you now triumph but 't is by the bounty of your God Chear then thy self my soul raise thy head * and open thy bosom to the hopes of heaven Fear not our God has a blessing too for us if we have a love and obedience for Him If we delight in the ways of piety and diligently attend the Offices of devotion If we refrain from the libertys of the world and curb the loose suggestions of the flesh If we can look on gold and honor and their flaming beams not dazle our eys If we perform with them the part of faithful servants * we shal surely with them have the portion of children Glory be c. Antiph Fear not my soul our God has a blessing too for us if we have a love and obedience for Him Antiph Precious in thy sight O Lord is the death of thy Saints precious to thee and themselvs and us Psal CXXVII PRecious in thy fight O Lord is the death of thy Saints which finishes thy greatest work the perfecting of Souls Whom Thou esteem'st as the jewels of heav'n and choicely gather'st into thine own Treasury Precious to themselvs O Lord is the death of thy Saints which takes off the dusky cover that hides their brightnes Which shapes and polishes them to a beauteous luster and sets them as stars round about thy Throne Precious to us O Lord is the death of thy Saints which makes us heirs of so great a welth Which leaves us furnisht with so rich variety that every kind of want is abundantly supply'd Some teach us courage to encounter dangers and not for fear make Shipwrack of our conscience Others instruct us to converse with meeknes and patiently bear neglects and injurys From some we learn how wisely to use this world and make it serve us in our way to the next From others how more generously to renounce it and pass our time in peace and prayer From all we learn this best of arts to live and dy like Saints and in the best of methods their own example O gracious Lord whose love still looks about and searches every way to save us siners Who cam'st thy self bright Sun of glory * to inlighten our darknes and warm our frozen harts Who with thy fruitful beams stil kindlest others to burn as tapers in thy Churches hand And by their near proportionate distance stand fit to shine into every corner of our lives O make us bless thy Name for all these mercys and let not one be lost by our ingratitude Let us not see in vain the crown at the races end and sit down lazily in the shades of ease Let us not keep in vain these sacred memorys to be only a reproach to our unprofitable lives But let us stretch our selvs and pursue to the mark for the glorious prizeis that set before us Stil with our utmost speed let us follow Them whose travails ended in so sweet a rest And when our life's last day begins to fal and bids us hasten to prepare for night Then come you holy Angels and watch about 〈◊〉 and suffer not the enemy to disturb our ●●ssage Come and receive in peace our departing souls and bear them safely to the presence of our Lord. Then O Thou blessed Virgin-Mother protect us with thy favor and all you glorious Saints assist us with your pray'rs Then O Thou dear Redeemer of the world and Soveraign King of life and death Thou who despisest not the tears of the penitent nor turnest away from the sighs of the afflicted Thou who preserv'dst all that rely on Thee and fulfilst their desires that long to be with Thee Hear Thou our cryes and pardon our sins and graciously deliver us from all our fears Cal us to thy self with thine own blest voice cal us O dearest JESU in thine own sweet words Come you Blessed of my Father possess the kingdom * prepared for you from the foundation of the world Then O my happy soul immediately obey and go forth with gladnes to meet the Lord To live with Him and behold his glory to rejoyce with Him and sing his Praise Glory be c. Antiph Precious in thy sight O Lord is the death of thy Saints precious to Thee and themselvs and us Hymn XXXIX NIght forbear alas our Praise And our young begining hope Set to grow on these blest days Faint and dull requires more scope 'T will not hear but sullen flys Summons all the world to sleep Bids us close our books and eys What
time wherin thou wilt remember me All the days in which I now am in warfare I wait til my change Come Thou shalt cal me and I shal answer thee to the work of thy hands thou wilt reach forth thy right hand thou hast indeed numbred my steps but do thou pardon my sins R. Where shal I hide me O Lord from the face of thy wrath where shal I hide me when thou com'st to judg the living and the dead I tremble at my own unworthines I am asham'd thus impure to appear in thy presence * Wash me yet more O Lord from my iniquitys and purge me thorowly from my sins I know the enemy that obstructs my way my sins exclude me from thy Kingdom where no unclean thing can enter nor any clean be deny'd admittance * Wash me Second Lesson SPare me O Lord for my days are nothing I have sinned what shal I do to thee O thou Preserver of men why hast thou set me contrary to thee and I am become burdenous to my self Why dost thou not take away my sin why dost thou not clear me of my iniquity Behold now I shal sleep in the dust and if thou seek me in the morning I shal not be My soul is weary of my life I will let my speech pass against my self I will speak in the bitternes of my soul I will say to God Condemn me not tell me why dost thou judg me so seems it good to thee to overcharge me and oppress the works of thy hands and help the counsel of the wicked hast thou eys of flesh or as man sees shalt thou also see that thou seekest my iniquity and searchest my sin Thy hands have made me and fram'd me wholly round about and dost thou so suddenly cast me down headlong With skin and flesh thou hast cloathed me with bones and sinews thou hast compacted me life and mercy thou hast given me and thy visitation has kept my spirit R. Wo to me wretched sinner what shal I do I have commited evil in the sight of my God I have offended the eys of his Majesty Whither shal I fly from the Justice of my Judg whither but to the mercy of my Saviour * Have mercy on me O Lord have mercy on me when thou com'st in glory to judg the world by fire My corrupt nature has brought forth sin and sin has brought forth sorrow where shal I seek for pardon where shal I find releef but in thee my God my hope and portion in the land of the living * Have mercy on me Third Lesson DEliver me O Lord and set me beside Thee let any mans hand fight against me My days are past and my thoughts dissipated tormenting my hart they have turn'd night into day and again after darknes I hope for light Have pity on me at least you my friends for the hand of our Lord has toucht me he has hedg'd my path round about and I cannot pass and in my way he has put darknes Who wil grant me that my words may be written Who wil give me that they may be drawn in a book with an iron pen and in a plate of lead or graven with steel on a marble stone For I know my Redeemer lives and in the last day I shal rise out of the earth and be compast again with my skin and in my flesh shal see God whom I my self shal see and my eys shal behold and no other This my hope is laid up in my bosom R. My days are declin'd as a shadow and I am wither'd away as grass and nothing remains but the cold grave O let me cal back that uncomfortable word my days indeed are declin'd but my eternity is safe I am wither'd away as grass but the Spring wil come and revive me into a flower of Paradise * This my hope is laid up in my bosom Let then my body be crumbled into dust and my soul detain'd for a time in sorrow I know my Redeemer lives and in the last day I shal rise out of the earth and be compast again with my Skin and in my flesh shal see God and in that blysful sight be for ever happy * This my hope is laid up in my bosom Give them eternal rest O merciful Lord and may thy glorious light shine upon them for ever * This my hope is laid up in my bosom At Lauds O God incline c. is not said but begin immediately with the Antiphon Return Lauds for the Dead Antiph Return O my soul to thy Rest again for thy Lord deals graciously with all that love him Psal CXXXI WHen we have shed our solemn tears and paid our due sighs to the memory of the Dead Let us wipe our eys with the comfort of hope and change our grief into a charitable joy The friends we mourn are deliver'd from this world and all the miserys we so justly deplore Their bodys tremble no more with the Palsy nor burn with the flames of a scorching feaver They cry out no more for want of sleep nor roul up and down their uneasy beds But quietly rest in the silent grave till they rise again to immortal glory Wh●●ch while they there expect in peace their souls are enlarg'd to a spacious liberty No longer confin'd to this prison of the body but gone to dwel in the region of spirits No longer expos'd to these stormy Seas but gladly arriv'd at their safe harbour Where though their passage be stopt a while they are free from all fear of being cast away Though for a time they attend with sorrow they are sure to rejoyce at last for all eternity They are sure at last to behold their Redeemer and live for ever with the Blessed JESVS O were it not for this sweet hope who could indure such Killing delays Who that but knows the beauty of God as they all do and sees himself detayn'd from so great a happines Detain'd for affecting some trifle here if such we may cal what deferrs our heav'n O glorious Lord the free Original Source * and final end of universal nature Since by thy grace Thou hast thus begun and sown in their harts the seeds of glory O may the same all-powerful hand * go on to finish it 's own ble'st work Ripen the fruit Thou reserv'st for thy self and hasten the day of their joyful harvest Send forth thy blessed Angels to reap thy grain and lay it up safe in thy heavenly Magazine There to supply the place of those unhappy tares * which thy justice threw down into everlasting fire There to assist among those holy Quires which thy mercy establisht in everlasting blyss Give them eternal rest ' O merciful Lord And may thy glorious light shine upon them for ever Antiph Return O my soul to thy rest again for thy Lord deals graciously with all that love him Antiph Merciful art Thou O Lord in all thy ways and infinitely wise in all thy counsels Psal CXXXII COme
lov'd thy Name and now we grieve that we lov'd no more Quench not O God of mercy the smoking flax nor break the bruised reed Pardon the sins of the days of our folly and supply the failings of the days of our repentance O were we now again on earth and had the benefit but of one months space How would we spend every minute in penance to purge away thorowly every least impurity How gladly would we take any cross or sicknes that might wholsomly imbitter the world to our tast How after this experience would we hartily strive * at any rate to escape these pains But we unhappy we have slipt our time * which our gacious God so long indulg'd us Now we are left to our sighs and tears and the incertain charity of those few that remember us At least O! you our friends send up your prayers * to hasten the day of our glad deliverance At least look well to provide for your selvs that you come not hither to this place of sufferings Sufferings which may your Souls ne're know yet may they ne're know worse then these These are indeed extremely afflictive but infinitely less than eternal torments We hope in time to rejoyce again we are sure at last our God will deliver us But O! how long delays our Lord to come why are the wheels of his chariot so slow Hast thou not said O God of truth that for thy Elect those days shal be shortned Hast thou not said O Lord of glory behold I come quickly and my reward is with me Come glorious JESU with all thy holy Angels * and the bright attendance of rejoycing Saints Come and redeem the captivity of thy children and lead them away as trophys of thy victory Thus dearest Lord will we cry continually to thee and never leave weeping at the gates of thy Palace Til thou art pleased to open those everlasting dores * and graciously say to our languishing souls Behold I am come to pardon and refresh you your sighs and tears have provok't my pity Behold I am come to cal you to my self * and give you possession of the inheritance I promis'd Come come you Blessed of my Father receive the Kingdom prepared for you 'T is enough that my servants have wept thus long come enter now into your Masters joy Give them eternal rest O merciful Lord and may thy glorious light shine upon them for ever Antiph Happy they who are pray'd for by others but far more happy they who pray for themselvs Antiph Gracious art thou O God in all thy promises and bounteously faithful in all thy performances Psal CXXXVI COmfort your selvs O you heirs of hope and be not cast down at your present distres If he defer a while expect * for he surely wil come and bring you relief He justly stays to punish your neglect when he often cal'd and you would not come to him He mercifully stays til your souls be refin'd and able to bear the splendor of his presence Then wil his glorious light immediately appear and open to your view that blysful prospect Then wil he graciously unveil himself and your eys shal see him face to face Then wil the eternal Deity shine brightly on you and ravish your harts with everlasting Extasys All your great hopes shal be fully satisfy'd and your long expectation abundantly rewarded You shal remember your afflictions with pleasure when you see they alone were your way to felicity Even this very delay shal increase your joys and every thing conspire to crown you with happines Meanwhile our task shal be to pray for your peace and joyn our humble voice to your strong crys That both our vows thus charitably united * may obtain for Both the pardon of our sins But we alas are dust and ashes and you your selvs as yet imperfect O pray for us you holy Saints whose well-prepar'd affections went strait to heaven Pray for us you Quires of Angels who assist continually at the throne of glory Pray for us bright Queen of heavenly Spirits * and blessed Mother of the Son of God! Pray for the faithful detain'd in sorrow that the days of their banishment be no more prolong'd Pray for us siners yet Pilgrims in the way that our souls may arrive at their true home Pray that we Both may stil look up to your glorys and wish and long for that happy state Pray that in all our eagerest desires we may stil submit to the orders of heaven Stil frame our songs of hope and patience and stil clo●●e all with these precious words Thy Kingdome come O glorious Lord and yet O Lord thy wil be done Give them eternal rest O merciful Lord and may thy glorious light shine upon them for ever Antiph Gracious art Thou O God in all thy promises and bounteously faithful in all thy performances Antiph I heard a voice from heav'n saying to me Write Blessed are the dead who dy in our Lord from henceforth now saith the Spirit that they rest from their labours for their works follow them Magnificat as page 44. Antiph I heard a voice c. Then kneeling say Our Father and De profundis as follows From the depths O Lord have I cry'd to thee O Lord hear my voice Let thy ears become attentive to the words of my petition If thou shalt mark our iniquitys O Lord O Lord who can sustain it But with Thee there is propitiation and for thy Law I have expected thee O Lord My soul has expected in his word my soul has hoped in our Lord From the morning watch even until night let Israel hope in our Lord For with our Lord is mercy and with Him is plenteous redemption And He shal redeem Israel from all its iniquitys Give them eternal rest O merciful Lord and may thy glorious light shine upon them for ever V. Have mercy on them O Lord have mercy on them R. For their souls confide in Thee V. And in the shadow of thy wings shal they hope R. Til their iniquitys pass away V. Have mercy on them O Lord and bless them R. Shew them the light of thy countenance and be merciful to them V. Turn not thy face away from them R. Lest they become like those who descend into the lake V. Keep thou their souls O Lord for they are holy R. Save thy servants who put their trust in thee V. They shal praise thee O Lord with their whole harts R. And glorify thy Name for ever V. For thy mercy already has been great towards them R. Thou hast deliver'd them from the lowermost hell V. Yet hast thou set them in obscure places R. As the Dead of the world V. Thy arrows are stuck deep in them R. And thou hast fastened thy hand upon them V. Their iniquitys are gone over their heads R. And keep them down as a heavy burthen V. But thou O Lord art their strong sustainer R Their glory and the lifter up of their
made the light his Garment and commanded the Clouds to be the chariot of his triumph The gates of heaven obey'd their Lord and the everlasting doors opened to the King of glory Enter bright King attended with thy beauteous Angels and the glad train of thy new deliver'd Captives Enter and repossess thy antient Throne and reign eternally at the right hand of thy Father May every knee bow low to thy exalted Name and every tongue confess thy glory May all created nature adore thy Power and the Church of thy Redeem'd exult in thy goodnes Whom have we in heav'n O Lord but Thee who expresly wentst thither to make way for thy followers What have we on earth but our hope by following Thee * to arrive at last where Thou art gon before us O glorious JESU our strength our Joy and the immortal life of all our Souls Be Thou the principal subject of our studyes and dayly entertainment of our most serious thoughts Draw us O dearest Lord from the World and our selvs that we be not entangled with any earthly desires Draw us after Thee and the odours of thy sweetnes that we may run with delight the ways of thy Commands Draw us up to Thee on thy Throne of blyss that we may see thy face and rejoyce with Thee for ever in thy Kingdom Glory be c. Psal VII WHy should our harts stil dwel upon earth since the treasure of our harts is return'd to heav'n Since our glorify'd Jesus is ascended above to prepare us a place in his own Kingdom A place of rest and secure peace where we shal see and praise and adore Him for ever A place of joy and everlasting fruition where we shal love and possess and delight in Him for ever O happy we and our poor souls if once admited to that blisful Vision If once those heav'nly portals unfold their gates and let us in to the joys of our Lord How wil our spirits be ravisht within themselvs to reflect on the fulness of their own beatitude How shal we all rejoyce in one anothers felicity but infinitely more in the infinitely greater felicity of God! O heav'n towards thee we lift up our languishing heads and with stretcht-out hands reach at thy gloryes When O Thou Finisher of all our hopes when shal we once behold that incomparable light That light which illuminates the eys of Angels and renews the youth of Saints That light which is thy very self O Lord our God! whom we shal there see face to face Whom we shal there know as we are known we shal know thee in thine own clear light O light shine thou perpetually in our eys that thy brightnes may darken the false lustre of this world O Light shed thou thy flames in our harts that thy heat may consume all other desires That we may burn continually with the chast love of thee til thine own bright day appear Til we be cal'd from this vale of darknes into the glorious presence of the living God To see Him that made the heav'ns and the earth and disposes all creatures in so beauteous order To see him that first gave us our being then govern'd us in our way * and brought us at length to so blest an end Meanwhile O gracious Lord the Crown of all thy Saints and only expectation of thy faithful servants Make us entertain our life with the comfort of this hope and our hope with the assurance of thy promises Make us still every day more perfectly understand * our own great duty thy infinite love Make us continually meditate the advancement of Thy glory and invite all the World to sing thy praises Praise our Lord O you holy Angels Praise him O you happy Saints Praise him O you Faithful departed in his grace Praise him O you Living who subsist by his mercy Praise him in the vast immensity of his power Praise him in the admirable wisdom of his Providence Praise him in the blest effects of his goodnes Praise him in the infinitenes of all his Attributes Praise thy Eternal Self O glorious God! and to all the felicities Thou essentially possessest may every creature say Amen Glory be Antiph O how adorable are thy Counsels O Lord how strangely endearing the ways of thy love Alleluia Capit. 1 Pet. 1. Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord JESUS Christ who according to his great mercy has regenerated us to a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and pure and which cannot fade conserv'd for you in the heav'ns Hymn II. VVAke my Soul rise from this Bed Of dull and slugish earth Quickly rise lift up thy head And see thy Lords new birth Once He cam O blessed He Born of a Virgin-Womb Now He comes both times for thee Sprung from a Virgin tomb Lo he rises fresh and bright Incircled round with Stars Which from Him take all their light And from his glorious Scars Stil as He his progress makes Up to his heav'n again Each blest Saint his musick takes And follows in his train Thus together They ascend Til at heav'n gates they come Where the Angels all attend To bid them welcome home Soon they know again their King Soon they his Call obey All the Quires come forth to sing And crown with mirth the Day Come my soul let us rejoyce Let us our Concert bring Up to heav'n le ts lift our voice And with the Angels sing Glory honor pow'r and praise To the mysterious Three As at first begining was May now and ever be Antiph Why seek you the Living among the the Dead He is risen He is not here He is gloriously ascended and the heav'ns have receiv'd Him Alleluia Alleluia Benedictus BLessed be our Lord the God of Israel for he has visited and redeem'd his People And rais'd up a Kingdom of Salvation to us in the house of David his Servant As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets who have been since the world began Salvation from our Enemies and from the hands of all that hate us To shew mercy to our Fathers and to remember his holy Testament The Oath which he sware to Abraham our Father that he would give us Himself That being deliver'd from the hand of our enemys we may serve him without fear In holines and Justice before him * all the days of our life And Thou Child shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest for thou shalt go before the face of our Lord to prepare his ways To give Knowledg of salvation to his people for remission of their sins Through the tender mercy of our God wherby the Day-spring from on High has visited us To give light to them that sit in darknes and in the shadow of death to direct our feet into the way of Peace Glory be c. Antiph Why seek you the Living among the dead He is risen He is not here He is gloriously ascended and
others There we shall rest for ever in the protection of our God in the arms and bosom of our dearest Lord. O Heav'n the eternal source of all these joys and infinitely more and infinitely greater As the Hart pants after the water-brooks so let my soul thirst after thee After Thee let me dayly sigh and mourn and with a fixt and longing ey look up and say When O my God shall I sit at that fountain head and drink my fill of those living streams When shall I be in●●briated with that torrent of pleas●●res which springs for ever from thy glorious Throne O that the days of my banishment were fully finish't How is the time of my pilgrimage prolong'd Why am I still detain'd in this vally of tears stil wandring up and down in this wilderness of dangers Come Thou sweet JESU my only Hope and sure Deliverer out of all my sorrows Come Thou and here begin to dwell in my hart and fit me for the life I shall lead hereafter Come O my dearest Lord and prepare my soul for Thee and then when thou pleasest take it to Thy self Glory be c. Antiph Never can we say too much of this glorious subject never can we think enough of the felicities of heaven Alleluja Capit. Rom. 12. Let love be without dissimulation Hate that which is evil Cleave to that which is good Love brotherly charity one towards another with honor preventing one another In business not slothful In spirit fervent Serving our Lord. Rejoycing in hope Patient in tribulation Instant in prayer Communicating to the necessities of the Saints Practising hospitality Bless them that persecute you Bless and curse not Rejoyce with them that rejoyce Weep with them that weep being mutually of the same mind not affecting high things but condescending to mean things Be not wise in your own conceits Render to none evil for evil Be solicitous to do well not only before God but in the sight of all men If it be possible as much as is in you live peaceably with every one Revenge not your selvs most dearly Beloved but give place to wrath for it is written Vengeance is mine I will repay saith our Lord. But if thy enemy hunger give him meat if he thirst give him drink for doing this thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good Hymn III. WHy do we seek felicity Where 't is not to be found And not dear Lord look up to Thee Where all delights abound Why do we seek for treasure here On this false barren sand Where nought but empty shels appear And marks of Shipwrack stand O world how litle do thy joys Concern a soul that knows It self not made for such low toys As thy poor hand bestows How cross art thou to that design For which we had our birth Us who were made in heav'n to shine Thou bow'st down to thy earth Nay to thy hell for thither sink All that to thee submit Thou strew'st some flowers on the brink To drown us in the pit World take away thy tinsel wares That dazle here our eys Let us go up above the Stars Where all our treasure lys The way we know our dearest Lord Himself is gone before And has ingag'd his faithful word To open us the door But O my God! reach down thy hand And take us up to Thee That we about thy Throne may stand And all thy glories see All glory to the sacred Three One everliving Lord As at the first still may He be Belov'd obey'd ador'd Antiph O glorious God! thy infinite perfections cause us to admire Thee and thy bounteous promises ingage us to hope in Thee Thy incomparable beauty ravishes our harts and the joys thou hast prepared for us transcend all our wishes Alleluja Magnificat My soul magnifys our Lord And my spirit has rejoyced in God my Saviour Because he has regarded the low degree of his handmaid For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me Blessed For he that is mighty has done great things to me and holy is his Name And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation He has shew'd strength in his arm he has scatter'd the proud in the imagination of their harts He has depos'd the pow'rful from their seat and exalted them of low degree He has fill'd the hungry with good things and the rich sent empty away He has receiv'd Israel his child being mindful of his mercy As he spake to our Fathers to Abraham and his seed for ever Glory be c. Antiph O glorious God! thy infinite perfections cause us to admire Thee and thy bounteous promises ingage us to hope in thee thy incomparable beauty ravishes our harts and the joys thou hast prepar'd for us transcend all our wishes Alleluja O Lord hear our Pray'rs And let our supplications come to Thee Let us pray O God who graciously woo'st us to our eternal Inheritance by describing its inexpressible glorys all possibly-taking ways to our low conceits that they may fitly insinuate themselvs and become by degrees absolute Master of our harts Bring them we beseech Thee stil seasonably into our memorys and so strongly settle them in our affections that our souls being wholly ravish't with these great hopes all the temptations and vanities of this world may fly unconcerningly by us and never be able to distract our intire and steddy and dayly strengthning desires of entring once for ever into possession of thy Kingdom through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who with Thee and the Holy Ghost lives and reigns One God world without End Amen O Lord hear our pray'rs And let our supplications come to Thee Bless we our Lord. Thanks be to God May the souls of the Faithful Departed through the mercy of God rest in peace Amen Pause a while to reflect on what you have said and to renew your attention Then begin Complin Sunday Complin V. OUr help is in the Name of our Lord R. Who made heav'n and earth V. Convert us O God our Saviour R. And turn away thy anger from us V. O God incline unto our ayd R. O Lord make hast to help us V. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the holy Ghost R. As it was in the begining both now and ever world without end Amen Alleluia Antiph All is unquiet here til we come to Thee and repose at last in the Kingdom of Peace Psal XI VVHo wil give me the wings of a Dove that I may fly away and be at rest That I may fly away from the troubles of this life and be at rest Dear Lord with Thee Here we alas are forc't to sigh and bear with grief the burthen of our miserys Often we encounter chances that endanger us and divert our progres in the way to Blys Often we are assaulted with temptations that overcome us and set us back in the accounts of eternity How
Thee since we know not absolutely what 's good for our selvs But thy eternal joys we may beg without restraint and urge and press for thy assistance to gain them Heav'n we may wish without the check of resignation Heav'n we may pray for without fear of improtunity O wise and gracious Lord what e're thou dost * thy love intends it all for the good of thy servants If thou defer'st som times to grant our requests 't is only in charity to make us repeat them That we may feel more sensibly our own poverty and be stronglier convinc't of our dependance on Thee That we may practise our hope while we long expect and increase our gratitude when we receive at last That we may learn this sure and happy skil * of working in our souls the Vertues we desire By often renewing those very desires til themselvs become even the graces we seek But O improvident we how unwilling to pray * are most of us always and all of us sometimes How do our litle Offices seem long and tedious and half an hour quite tire our patience How are we slow to begin and swift to make an end how heavy while they are saying and glad when they are said Yet sure no easier work than to ask what we want nor cheaper purchase than to have for asking Sure no sweeter pleasure than to Converse with God nor greater profit then to gain his favour Still we have new transgressions to confess and shall never alas want infirmities to lament Often O dreadful Lord when we speak to Thee * we do not so much as hear our selvs Often we pursue impertinent objects and our careles thoughts contradict our words But O Thou blessed End of all our labors and only Center of all our wishes Do thou reclaim our wandring fancys and guide and fix them to attend thy service Night and day let us call on Thee and never cease knocking at the doors of thy Palace Let no delay discourage our hope nor even refusal destroy our confidence But let this firm foundation still sustain us and on This let our peace be stablisht for ever What 's truly necessary thy Goodnes will not deny the rest our obedience submits to thy Pleasure Glory be c. Antiph Happy we who have our God so near us happy if our pious lives keep us near Him Antiph You have not because you ask not you ask and receive not because you ask amiss Psal XVII DEliver us O Lord from asking of Thee * what we cannot receive without danger to our selvs Deliver us from receiving what we cannot use * without offending others and ruining our own souls Deliver us from presuming so on thy bounty * that we omit to perform our own duty Still to our devotion let us joyn our best endeavours * and make our earth comply with thy heaven If we desire of Thee to relieve our necessitys * let us faithfully begin to labor with our hands And not expect a blessing from the clouds * on the idle follys of an undisciplin'd life If we beg grace for victory o're our passions let us constantly strive to resist their assaults Let us wisely foresee our particular dangers and use the proper weapon against every sin To obtain the gift of chastity we must mortify our senses and immediately fly the least shadow of tentation In vain we approach thy holy Altars if our lives prepare not the way for our Offerings Thou shut'st thy ears to our loudest pray'rs if we open not ours to the voice of the poor Thou deny'st to pardon our trespasses against Thee unless we already have forgiven our Enemys O the extreme benignity of our glorious God! who treats with his creatures on equal terms Who deals no otherwise with us miserable wretches then we our selvs commerce with one another He promises to give us the same measure we give our neighbors and performs incomparably more then he promises Prest down and shaken together and runing over * into the bosoms of them that love him Such O my God is the bounty of thy Goodness and no less the patience of thy generous hand Thou holdest thy blessings hovering o're our heads still watching the time when we are fit to receive them Then thou immediately send'st them down upon us to enter our harts and dwell with us for ever Even that very temper which thus disposes us * intirely depends on the favour of thy providence Every Condition thou requirest on our part * being nothing else but thine own free gift Thy mercy alone is the fountain of all our blessings and in what channel soever they flow to us they spring from Thee Thou art the God of nature and reason Thou art the God of grace and religion Give gracious God what thou art pleas'd to command and then command what thou pleasest Glory be c. Antiph You have not because you ask not you ask and receive not because you ask amiss Our Father c. First Lesson GOd from the beginning made man and left him in the hand of his own counsel He added his commandments and precepts if thou wilt keep them they will preserve thee Fire and water he has set before thee stretch forth thy hand to which thou wilt Before man is life and death good and evil that which he chuses shall be given him for the Wisdom of God is great and he is mighty in power his eys are towards them that fear him and he knows every work of man He has commanded none to do wickedly nor given any a lycence to sin but the penitent he restores to the way of justice and those who were failing in perseverance he confirms and appoints them the lot of truth Turn to our Lord and forsake thy sins pray before his face and lessen thy offences Be not rash with thy mouth nor let thy hart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in heav'n and thou art on earth therefore let thy words be few Before prayer prepare thy soul and be not as one that tempts God Go not after thy concupiscences but turn away from thine own will if thou giv'st to thy soul her desires it will make thee a derision to thy enemys A wise man will fear in every thing and in the occasion of sin will take heed of being negligent He that loves danger shall perish therin and he that despises small things shall fall by litle and litle Better is he that has less knowledg and fears then he that abounds in understanding and transgresses the Law of the Highest R. My soul what canst thou wish for more behold thy gracious Lord offers thee to chuse what thou wlt and promises to give thee what thou chusest * O infinite Goodnes 't is Thy self alone I chuse Thou art my only happines for ever I see my portion hereafter depends on my choice here but my choice O Lord depends on thee guide me with thy holy grace that
I withdraw my affections from all vain and perishable creatures and fix them intirely on the enjoyment of Thee my Lord and my God and my eternal felicity * O infinite Goodnes 't is thy self Second Lesson THe beginning of wisdom is the true desire of discipline and the care of discipline is love and love is the keeping of her laws and the keeping of her laws is the accomplishment of incorruption and incorruption makes us next to God therefore the desire of wisdom leads us to an everlasting Kingdom If then you be delighted with Thrones and Scepters seek wisdom that you may reign for ever Into a malicious soul wisdom will not enter nor dwell in a body subject to sins for the holy Spirit will fly from him that dissembles and withdraw himself from thoughts that are without understanding and be chaced away when iniquity comes in The Spirit of wisdom is gentle and will not deliver the Curser from his own lips for God is witnes of his reins and searcher of his hart and hearer of his tongue therefore he that speaks unjust things cannot be hidden nor shall the chastizing vengeance forbear him If thou shalt call for wisdom and incline thy hart to prudence if thou shalt seek her as mony and dig her up as treasure then shalt thou understand the fear of our Lord and fynd the knowledg of God For our Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth is prudence and knowledge R. Send down O thou God of our Fathers and Lord of mercy send down thy Wisdom thy holy heav'n and from the seat of thy greatnes to be in us and labor with us and teach us what is acceptable to thee * That we may know our end and wisely chuse our way and order all our actions to our true felicity Our thoughts are fearful and our prudences incertain we scarce conjecture the things that are on earth and find with pains the things that are in sight Give us O Lord the wisdom that assists at thy Throne and reject us not from among thy Children * That we may Third Lesson THe Spirit of those that fear God shal live and at his sight shal be Blessed for their hope is in him that saves them and the eys of God are on them that love him He that fears our Lord shal tremble at nothing because He is his hope he raises up the Soul and illuminates the eys and gives life and health and blessing Our Lord is only theirs who expect him in the way of truth and justice the Highest allows not the gifts of the wicked nor regards the oblations of the unjust nor pardons their offences for the multitude of their sacrifices By mercy and faith sins are purged and by the fear of our Lord every one declines from evil Despise not a man that turns himself from sin nor upbraid him therwith remember we are all in state to be blam'd Forgive thy neighbor that hurts thee and when thou pray'st thy sins shal be forgiven thee One man reservs anger against another and does he seek pardon of God he has not mercy on a man like himself and does he intreat for his own sins Remember the last things and cease to be at enmity remember the fear of God and be not angry with thy neighbor Hast thou sin'd do so no more but withal pray that thy former sins may be forgiven thee Fly from sin as from the face of a serpent if thou approach it will bite thee the teeth thereof are as the teeth of lyons killing the souls of men He that is washt from the dead and touches him again what does his washing profit him so a man that fasts for his sins and does the same again what avails it to have humbled himself who will hear his prayer R. Deliver us O Lord from relapsing into the sins we have repented the sins we so often have promised to amend Deliver us from all malice and enmity with our neighbors and from oppressing the poor who have none to defend them * Then may we confidently expect thy protection if we serve Thee and love one another Thou art our strength O Lord whom shall we fear Thou art our Salvation of what shall we be afraid nothing can hurt us but our own vicious desires nothing can endanger us but disobedience to our God * Then may we Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost Then may we confidently expect thy protection if we serve Thee and love one another Pause a while to reflect and renew attention then begin Monday Lauds O God incline unto our aid O Lord make hast to help us Glory be to the Father and to the Son * and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the begining both now and ever world without end Amen Alleluia Antiph Bless our Lord O my soul and all that is within me praise his holy Name Psal XVIII COme let us sing the praises of our God and joyfully recite his divine Perfections His being is from himself alone and he depends not on any but his own eternal Essence His Knowledg fathoms the extent of all things and his power commands them as he pleases His goodnes is supreamly infinite and all his glorious Attributes transcendently adorable Come let us sing the praises of our God and joyfully recite his divine perfections He is the Source of all felicity eternally full of his own unchangable Blyss Before time began He was and when the Sun must lose its light his day will remain the same for ever The heav'n of heav'ns is the Palace of his Glory and all-created nature the subject of his Dominion In his presence the brightest Seraphims cover their faces and all the blessed Spirits bow down their heads to his footstool Come let us sing aloud the prerogatives of our God and stretch our utmost thoughts to exalt his Greatnes But O most glorious and dreadful Deity how dare we wretches undertake thy praise How dare our sin-polluted lips pronounce thy Name or where shal we seek expressions fit for Thee All we can say is nothing to thy unspeakable Excellencys all we can think but a faint shadow of thy unconceivable Beautys Even the voice of Angels is too low to reach thy Worth and their highest strains fall infinitely short of Thee Only in this shal thy servants rejoyce and all the Powers of our souls be glad That Thy self alone art thine own full praise Be to thy self thine own glory Live our great God eternally incompast * with the beams of thine own inaccessible light Live our ador'd Creator and raign for ever * on the Throne of thine own immortal Kingdom Glory be c. Psal XIX Too glorious art thou O Lord in Thy self and thy direct ray shines too bright for our eys Yet may we venture to praise Thee in thy works and contemplate Thee at least reflected from thy creatures In them we may safely behold our mighty Maker and freely admire the
flesh are manifest which are fornication uncleanes wantonnes luxury serving of Idols witchcraft enmities contentions emulations angers brauls seditions sects envys murthers drunkennesses riots and such like and they who do such things shall not obtain the Kingdom of God But the fruit of the Spirit is charity joy peace patience benignity goodnes long-suffering mildnes faith modesty continency chastity against such there is no Law Hymn XV. LEt them go court what joys they please And gain what e're they court For me I find but litle ease In all their gayest sport Be thou alone but with my hart My God my only Blyss I shall not murmur at my part Nor envy their success They talk of pleasure talk of gain None must their humor cross But well I know their pleasure's pain Their greatest profit loss Let them talk on and have not we Our gains our pleasures too Pleasures that spring more sweet and free Gains that more fully flow Nay well endur'd our very pains To us a pleasure are And all our losses turn to gains If hopes may have their share And sure they may such hopes as chear The heav'n espoused brest Hopes that so strangely charm us here What will they be possest All Glory to the sacred Three All honor power and praise As 't was at first still may it be Beyond the end of days Antiph When O my soul did we ever follow our passions but they instantly wrought our disturbance and threatned at last our ruin when did we ever turn our thoughts to piety but it presently brought us peace and refresht our minds with new hopes of felicity V. The winds are often rough and our own weight presses us downwards R. Reach forth O Lord thy saving hand and speedily deliver us O Lord hear our prayers And let our supplications come to thee Let us pray O God whose infinite mercy has vouchsaft us the mighty Rescue of thy only Son from the desperate rebellion of our passions which utterly confound the government and peace of our souls Grant we humbly beseech Thee that our experience of the miserable effects of yielding to their allurements may make us ●●arier in observing and severer in repressing their first motions and thy grace so strongly fortify us against all their furious and repeated assaults that Reason may more and more recover its due force and calmly joyn with Faith to secure and exalt in our harts the blysful throne of thy Charity through the same our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who c. O Lord hear c. as page 45. Wednesday Complin OUr help is in c. as page 46. Antiph Repent now my soul for the evils thou hast done and bless thy God for the goods thou hast receiv'd Psal L. VVEll we are so much nearer our grave and all the world is older by a day The portion of the wicked is so much less and their time of punishment so much approacht The sufferings of the Patient are so much diminisht and their hopes of delivery so much increast They who have spent this day in sin and folly * see all their thoughts now vanish like a dream They see all 's past but a fear of revenge and the best that can follow is a bitter repentance But such as have wisely bestow'd their time and made another new step towards heav'n They see their joys come to meet them in the way and stil grow bigger as they come Til by a holy death they joyn in one and dwel together for eternal ages O Thou blest Author of all our hopes * and perfect Satisfier of all our wishes Do Thou instruct us in this great wise truth and let every Evening renew it on our minds That the things of this world are of litle import since its joys and griefs last but for a time But the future state most infinitely concerns us where life and death endure for ever Glory be c. Psal LI. WE are nearer indeed the end of our life but what are we nearer the end for which we live What have we done my soul to day * that 's truly advancive to our last great home Have we encreast our esteem of heav'n and setled its love more strongly in our harts Have we avoided any known temptation or faithfully resisted when we could not avoid Have we interrupted our customary faults and checkt the vices we are most enclin'd to Have we embrac't the opportunitys of good * which the mercy of Providence has offered to our hands Have we industriously contriv'd occasions * to improve as we are able our selvs and others Alas dread Lord what do we see when seriously we look into our guilty selvs When we reflect on our former years nay even the follys but of this one day So many hours mispent in nothing so many abus'd in worse than nothing Pardon O meek Redeemer what our passions have done and favourably supply what our weaknes has omited Make us herafter more carefully watch * that our time unprofitably slide not away Make us select every day some fit retreat to study the knowledg of our selvs and Thee Our selvs to correct our many infirmitys and Thee to adore thy infinite perfections Glory be c. Psal LII LItle thou know'st O Lord is the good we do and every grain of it deriv'd from Thee Great we confess are the evils we commit and all to be charg'd entirely on our selvs Tell me my soul when first thou hast well examin'd * the innumerable circumstances that concern thy state Tell me and let not pride deny the truth nor any thing divert thy free confession Could we have sav'd our selvs from that dangerous tentation unles our God had powerfully sustain'd us Could we have carry'd on that pious purpose unles his hand had blest our endeavours No to thy self O Lord give all the praise if thy creatures have perform'd the least good work Give to thy self all the glory O Lord if they have not commited the worst of sins Thy hand alone directs us to do wel and the same blest hand restrains us from ill 'T is not in us to esteem those unseen joys and despise the flatterys of this deceitful world 'T is not the work of corrupted nature to mortify our senses and patiently bear the crosses we meet Of our selvs we are inclin'd to none of these but the grace of God enables us to all Grace gives us strength to overcom our passions and the world and the flesh shal be subject to us Grace gives us faith to fortify our reason and heav'n it self shal be conquer'd by us Glory be c. Antiph Repent now my soul for the evils thou hast done and bless thy God for the goods thou hast received Hymn XVI ANd do we then beleeve There is a world to come Where all this world shal summon'd be To take their final doom Is there a heav'n indeed To crown the innocent Is there a hell and horrid pains The
wicked to torment Are these eternal too And never to have end Shal never those delights decay Those sorrows never mend Good God is all this true And sure most true it is And yet we live as if there were Nothing so false as this O quicken Lord our faith Of these great joys and fears And make the last days trumpet be Stil ringing in our ears Stil may this glorious hope Shine bright before our eys We shal at last go up to meet Our JESUS in the skys Come JESU Come and take Our banisht souls to Thee Come quickly Lord * that in thy light Our Eys thy light may see Glory to Thee great God One Coeternal Three As at the first begining was May now and ever be Capit. Philip. 4. FOr the rest Brethren whatever things are true whatever honest whatever just whatever amiable whatever of good fame if there be any vertue if any praise of discipline think upon these things which you have both learnt and receiv'd and heard and seen in me These things do and the God of Peace shal be with you Antiph Every night approaches us nearer our last which reservs for us eternal wages justly yet with a vast and generous bounty proportion'd to the works of our days V. The Wise will always keep their lamps ready trim'd R. That the Bridegrooms call may never surprize them O Lord hear our pray'rs And let our supplications come to thee Let us Pray O God whose merciful providence breaks and eases the laborious course of our Pilgrimage through this world with constant conveniencys and seasons of repose Vouchsafe us we humbly beseech Thee to make our due advantage of this thy mercy Composing our souls more satisfyedly to rest by a faithful recollection every Evening how we have kept our way and whether we are advanc't and grant that reflecting with harty contrition on every step we have made a wry and with thankful acknowledgements on those thou hast led aright we may henceforth be rendred more wary of our deviating inclinations and more attentively obsequious to the steddy guidance of thy grace through our Lord. Vouchsafe as pag. 54. Thursday MATINS Introduction as page 1. Invitatory Come let 's adore our God that feeds us Come le' ts adore our God that feeds us Psal LIII HE freely opens his bounteous hand and fills with his blessing every living creature he gives even Kings their dayly bread and all the world 's maintain'd by his Provision Come let 's adore our God that feeds us He feeds our understanding with the knowledg of truth and strengthens our wills with his holy grace he refreshes our memorys with a thousand benefits and feasts our whole souls with everlasting hopes Come le ts adore our God that feeds us With Himself and with his sacred Flesh he feeds us and nourishes up to immortal life begining even here that blessed union which shall fully be perfected in his own Kingdom Come let 's adore our God that feeds us Come all we servants of so gracious a Lord whom he daily entertains with innumerable mercys come all you children of so loving a Father for whom he has provided an eternal feast Come let 's adore our God that feeds us Glory be c. As it was c. Come let 's adore our God that feeds us Come let 's adore our God that feeds us Hymn XVII RIse royal Sion rise and sing Thy souls kind Shepherd thy harts King Stretch all thy pow'rs call if you can Harps of heaven to hands of man This soveraign subject sits above The best ambition of thy love Lo here the bread of life this day 's Triumphant Text provokes thy praise The living and life-giving Bread To the great Twelve distributed When Life Himself at point to dy Of love was his own Legacy But lest That dy too We are bid Ever to do what He once did And by a mindful mystick breath That we may live revive his death With a miraculous Bread and Wine Transum'd and taught to turn divine The heav'n-instructed House of Faith Here a mysterious Dictate hath That they but lend their form and face Themselvs with reverence leave their place Nature and Name to be made good By a nobler Bread more needful Blood Where nature's law no leave will give Bold Faith takes hart and dares believe In different species Names not Things Himself to me my Saviour brings As meat in That as drink in this But still in Both one Christ he is Yet the receiving mouth here makes Nor wound nor breach in what he takes Let one alone or thousands be Here the Dividers single he Bears home no less All they no more Nor leave they Both less then before Lo the life-food of Angels then Bow'd to the lowly mouths of men Lo the full final Sacrifice On which all Figures fixt their eys The ransom'd Isaac and his Ram The Manna and the Paschal Lamb. Jesu to Thee we sinners sue O Thou our Food and Shepherd too Still by Thy self vouchsafe to keep As with thy self thou feed'st thy Sheep Blest be that Love which thus makes Thee Mix with our low mortality O may It raise and set us up Convicters of thine own full Cup Coheirs of Saints that so all may Drink the same wine and the same way Nor change the pasture but the place To feed on Thee in thine own Face Amen Antiph Upon this rock will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Psal LIV. HE who made the Sun to enlighten our steps * in the pilgrimage of this short life Has he ordain'd no guide to conduct our souls * in the difficult way to their eternal home He who feeds the ravens that call upon him has he not provided bread for his children He has and still his mercy furnishes means * to perform whatever his justice commands Long since he espouds'd to himself an unspotted Church and promis'd It his presence to the end of the world Establishing his truth on a firm pillar a solid foundation to sustain our faith That we waver no longer as litle children nor be carried about with every wind of doctrine Nor consume all our days in studying to believe without ever proceeding to life and action This Spouse O Thou glorious King of heaven * and admirable Lover of poor ruin'd man This humble Spouse Thou cam'st down to woo * and dearly purchase with thine own blood Thou hast indow'd her with eminent prerogatives * above the rest of the daughters of the earth Preserving her in the midst of Jews and Pagans and the subtler Enemys Politicians and Hereticks Preserving her bright and conspicuous as the Sun that every open ey may see her light Preserving her still in perfect unity while all that divide from her are divided among themselves Thou hast adorn'd her with the beauty of order and the precious jewels of heroick vertues Thou hast strengthen'd her hands with the power of miracles and crown'd
retire to Thee alone Grant we humbly beseech Thee that thy Providence's withdrawing every night all the world from our senses may efficaciously prompt us to clear our heads and harts of all its distractions and thy holy Spirit finding our minds happily vacant may fill them with acts of love and reverence and adoration of Thee as our only God and all things through our Lord Vouchsafe c. as page 54. Friday MATINS Introduction as page 1. Invitatory Come let 's adore our God that redeem'd us Come let 's adore our God that redeem'd us Psal LXVI VVHen we had sold our selvs to sin and were all become the slaves of Satan our blessed JESU descended from heav'n and brought a vast price to buy out our freedom Come let 's adore our God that redeem'd us The price was no less then his own dearest blood which he plenteously shed on the holy Cross depositing so his inestimable life to rescue us sinners from eternal death Come let 's adore our God that redeem'd us Let us consecrate this day to his sacred memory and tenderly compassionate his unparalleld sufferings repenting from our harts our many sins and thankfully admiring his infinite mercys Come let 's adore our God that redeem'd us Let us wean our minds from unbecoming delights and mortify our senses with a prudent restraint that carry'd on the wings of fasting and alms our prayers may mount up more swiftly to heav'n Come let 's adore our God that redeem'd us Glory be to the Father c. As it was c. Come let 's adore our God that redeem'd us Come let 's adore our God that redeem'd us Hymn XXI COme let 's adore the King of love And King of sufferings too For love it was that brought him down And set him here in wo. Love drew him from his Paradise Where flow'rs that fade not grow And planted Him in our poor dust Among us weeds below Here for a time this heav'nly Plant Fairly grew up and thriv'd Diffus'd its sweetnes all about And all in sweetnes liv'd But envious frosts and furious storms So long so fiercely chide This tender Flow'r at last bow'd down Its bruised head and dy'd O narrow thoughts and narrower speech Here your defects confess The life of Christ the death of God How faintly you express Help O thou blessed Virgin-root Whence this fair Flow'r did spring Help us to raise both hart and voice And with more spirit sing To Father Son and holy Ghost One undivided Three All highest praise all humblest thanks Now and for ever be Antiph Take up thy cross and follow thy Lord for his yoke is sweet and his burthen light Psal LXVII MY God who can complain of doing too much if they consider the labours of JESUS Those painful labours he so freely undertook and mildly stoopt to his humble task When he might have flown on the wings of Cherubims he chose to walk with us worms in the dust When he might have cal'd for Manna from heav'n in the sweat of his brows he would eat his bread When he might have made the Angels his footstool he rather became the servant of his Parents Living with Them in their litle cottage and readily obeying even their least command There in that humble privacy He increast in wisdom and grew in grace both with God and man Still by his pious candor gaining the love * of those happy few that saw his life That saw thy holy life O glorious JESU and heard with joy and wonder thy incomparable sayings That felt a gentle motion stir their harts * to love and imitate so blest a pattern O that the same sweet spirit of grace * might draw our minds dear Lord to thee O that we could in every passage of our life * still actually reflect on the example of Thine Thy retirements were fill'd with holy speculations and in the midst of busines thy mind was free for heav'n Thy converse with others mispent no time but bestow'd every moment in excellent charity To instruct the ignorant and reduce the deceiv'd to comfort the afflicted and heal the diseas'd To convince the froward and absolve the penitent and perswade all the world to be truly happy It was thy meat and drink to do thy Fathers will O make it ours to perform Thine Make us in every action still think on Thee what thou wouldst counsel us to do What Thou thy self wouldst do O Blessed JESU if thou again wert here among us And when we thus have learnt our duty Lord make us do what thou hast made us know Glory be c. Antiph Take up thy Cross and follow thy Lord for his yoke is sweet and his bruthen light Antiph He humbled himself for us and became obedient to death even the death of the Cross Psal LXVIII MY God who can repine at suffering too much if they remember the afflictions of JESUS Those many afflictions he so patiently endur'd and bore with silence all their weight Even from his humble cradle in the grot of Bethelem to his bitter Cross on the mount of Calvary How litle do we read of glad and prosperous how much of pains and grief and perpetual affronts Somtimes abandon'd by his nearest friends and left alone among all his discomforts Somtimes pursu'd by his fiercest enemys and made the common mark of all their spite Somtimes they plot to insnare Him in his words and enviously slander his miraculous deeds Somtimes tumultuously they gather about him to gaze at and abuse this Man of sorrows Somtimes they furiously seize on his Person and hale and drag him along the streets At last they all conspire to take away his life and condemn him to a sharp and cruel death Have you not seen a harmless Lamb * stand silent in the midst of ravenous wolves So stood the Prince of Peace and Innocence besieg'd with a ring of savage Jews When they blasphem'd Him he reply'd not again and when they injuriously struck him he only observ'd their rashnes When they provok't him with their utmost malice he pleaded their excuse and when they kill'd him he earnestly pray'd for their pardon O strange ingratitude of humane nature thus barbarously to crucify the worlds Redeemer O admirable love of the worlds Redeemer thus patiently to dy for humane nature Say now my soul for whom thy dearest Lord * indur'd all this and infinitely more Canst thou complain of thy litle troubles when the King of glory was thus afflicted Canst thou complain of a meanly furnisht house when the Son of God had not where to lay his head We wear the conisance of a crucify'd Lord and shall we shrink back at every cross we meet We believe in a God that was crown'd with thorns and shall we abide to tread on nothing but roses Before our eys O JESU we see thee humble and meek and shall thy servants be proud and insolent We see thee travail up and down poor and unregarded and shal thy
these thy unspeakable mercys We search over all we have and find nothing to return thee but what thy self hast freely given us We search over all thou hast given us and find nothing thou expectest but that we use thy gifts to make our selvs happy O may our souls perpetually bless thee and every minute of our time be spent in thy service Let us not live O Lord but to love thee nor breath but to speake thy praise * nor be at all but to be all Thine Glory be c. Psal XCVII SIng on my soul the praises of the Lord sing on with fresh attention the mercys of thy God Whose wisdom has contriv'd ●●o compendious a method * to redeem mankind by one short word He saw the only cause of all our ruine * was our love misplac't on this present world He saw the only remedy of all our misery * was to fix our love on the world to come This therefore was his great intent and in this concentred all his merits To change the byass of our wrong-set harts by establishing among us new motives of charity Such as might strongly incline our affections and efficaciously draw us to love our true Good Such as might gain by degrees upon all mankind and render salvation easie and universal For this he came down from his Fathers bosom * to teach us the Rules of eternal life That we might firmly believe those sacred truths * which God himself with his own mouth had told us For this he converst so long on our earth * to encourage and provoke us by his own example That he might confidently imbrace those unquestionable vertues * which God himself in his own Person had practis'd For this he endur'd those sharp and many afflictions and became at last obedient even to death That we might patiently suffer whatever should befal us * when God himself was so treated by his creatures For this he so often preacht of the joys of heav'n and set them before us in so clear a light That seeing so rich a prize hang at the race's end we might run and strain our utmost force to gain it For this he ordain'd the Mysterys of grace and left us a Sacrifice made all of miracles That he might breed and nourish in us the life of charity and ravish our harts with the sweetnes of his presence For this he establisht a perpetual Church and sent the holy Ghost to inspire and govern it That it might flourish for ever in truth and sanctity and plant the same heav'nly seed over all the world For this he assum'd those strange endearing names * of friend and brother and spouse to us wretches Doing far more for us then all those names import * then all our harts can wish Blessed O glorious JESU be the wisdom of thy mercy * that has found so sweet and short away to save us Thou art O Lord the cause of our love and love the cause of our happiness By love we fulfil all thy commands and by making us love Thou fulfil'dst all thy Father's By love we are reconcil'd from enemys to friends by love we are translated from death to life By love we are deliver'd from the fear of hell by love we are adopted to be heirs of heav'n By love we are dispos'd for that blysful Vision by love we are secur'd of the enjoyment of our God Who by the sole perfection of his own free goodnes * can never deny Himself to any that love him Else would their very loving Him be the cause of their misery since the misery of a soul is the want of what it loves Thus Lord whate're thy holy Books record of Thee in words comporting with our low capacitys Whate're they say of thy Restoring all things and Repairing again the ruines of mankind All is exactly verify'd by this one line which may our thankful harts repeat with joy Heav'n is attain'd by love alone and love alone by Thee Glory be c. Psal XCVIII STil O my soul let us sing a few lines more * to Him whose mercys are no fewer then infinite To Him whose pity took us by the hand and kindly led us into his own light To thee O blessed JESU our Lord our God! who alone art the source of all our happines The world till thou cam'st sate wrapt in darknes and few discern'd so much as a shadow of Thee They follow'd the appetites of sense and humour and plac't their felicity in being prosperous here Litle considering the life to come and less the joys that entertain that life This was alas their miserable state and worse then this they had no power to help it How could they believe what they never heard or love what they never believ'd How could they desire what they never lov'd or be glad to receive what they never desir'd 'T was thou O Lord first taught us our true end * the blysful Vision of the eternal Deity 'T was thou first taught us the true means to attain that end by a harty love and desire to attain it O the blest changes which thy hand has wrought the happy improvements which thy coming has produc't Now every woman and illiterate man * can discourse familiarly of the highest truths The Creation of the world and the Fall of Adam the Incarnation of God and Redemption of man The Mystery of the Trinity and Miracle of the Resurrection the Day of Judgment and State of Eternity All these we know but 't was Thou O Lord who taught'st us and by thy holy Church first spred them o're the world Now thou hast open'd our eys we plainly see * what unassisted nature could ne're have reacht We see the framing right our affections here * is both cause and measure of our happines hereafter If we supremely esteem the Goods of the future life * we shall find them there and be happy If we love heav'n with our whole soul and press on strongly with all our force We shall enter into its glorys with a strange surprizing delight and possess them for ever in a perpetual extasy We see our souls are made to know and perfect themselvs by the worthiest objects We see their nature is free and unconfin'd and nothing can fill them but that which is infinite All other knowledges enlarge our facultys and breed new desire to know stil more Which if unsatisfy'd we yet are miserable since none can be happy who want their desire Only the sight of God fils us to the brim and infinitely overflows our utmost capacitys It fils and overflows all the powers of our souls * with joy and wonder and unconceivable sweetnes O blest and glorious Sight when wil the happy day appear * and open to my soul that beauteous prospect When dearest Lord shall I see Thee face to face when shall I hartily at least desire to see Thee Thou art my full and high felicity * and only and alone sufficient for me O make me
great deal on our passions Somtimes we deny and mortify our selvs but far more often obey our sensual appetites Somtimes we are drawn by thy grace to do one good work and seduc'd by our nature to a thousand iniquitys Thus we confes to thee O Lord our God! who perfectly seest every corner of our harts Thus we confes to thee not that thou may'st know us but that we may know our selvs and thou may'st cure us Cure us O thou great Physician of our souls cure us of all our sinful distempers Cure us of this aguish intermitting piety and fix it into an even and constant holines O make us use religion as our regular diet and not only as a single medicine in a pressing necessity Make us enter into a course of harty repentance and practise vertue as our daily exercise So shal our souls be endu'd with a perfect health and dispos'd for a long even everlasting life Glory be c. Antiph We are not our own but the temples of the holy Ghost let us dedicate our selvs intirely to his service Antiph Quicken us by thy grace O holy Spirit that we may thorowly mortify the works of the flesh Psal CXIII NOw we have begun permit us mighty Lord to speak once more who are but dust and ashes Let us go on and confess to Thee and open before thee all our miserys Such an occasion often endangers us such a tentation too often overcomes us Our own infirmitys are too strong for us and our ill customs prevail against us Every day we resolve to amend and every day we break our resolutions Have mercy on us O God of infinite compassion have mercy on us O thou Comforter of afflicted minds Have mercy on us and pardon what is past have mercy on us and prevent what is to come When e're thou seest us unhappily engag'd and blindly running on in the ways of death O send thy holy grace to check our desperate speed and make us stay and look before us Shew us the horrid downfal into that bottomles pit where impenitent sinners are swallow'd up for ever Strike our regardles souls with fear and trembling * at the dreadful sight of so sad a ruine Then turn our eys and kindly set before them * the beauteous prospect of a pious life Make us look long and steddily upon it make us look through and see beyond it Make us delight in the hope it injoys but incomparably more in the joy it hopes A joy which none but thy self can give none but thy self can make capable to receive Give us O gracious Lord thou free Beginer * and perfect Finisher of all vertuous actions Give us a right spirit to guide our intentions that we may aim directly at our true end Give us a holy spirit to sanctify our affections that what we rightly design we may piously pursue Give us an heroick spirit to confirm our harts that what we piously endeavour we may couragiously atchieve Suffer not the flesh to deceive us any more but fortify our spirit against all its assaults If the flesh grow bold and insolently demand * how can you live without those libertys Let the spirit answer their followers are slaves and the service of God is the only true freedom If the flesh alledg what joy in suffering ills or doing contrary to our own inclinations Let the spirit reply that the cross of Christ is sweet and nothing so glorious as the conquest of our selvs If the flesh insist what do you see or hear * or exercise any sense in but the things of this world Let the spirit immediately enter this protest and may every experienc'd soul subscribe the truth I see its vanity and feel its vexation and meet in every thing its falsenes and danger Away then flesh and blood away deceitful world you cannot enter into the Kingdom of heav'n You were created only to serve us in the way and set us down at our journeys end Away with all your fond deluding dreams be banisht for ever from our awaken'd souls Come thou to us blest spirit of faith and govern our lives with thy holy maxims Subdue our sense to the dictates of reason and perfect our reason with the mysterys of Religion Teach us to love and fear what we see not now as at too great a distance for our short sight But what we are sure wil herafter be * our blyss or misery for ever Glory be c. Antiph Quicken us by thy grace O holy Spirit that we may thorowly mortify the works of the flesh Antiph Deliver us O gracious God from every evil spirit and vouchsafe to give us thine own good spirit Psal CXIV LEt not our Lord be angry and wil we speak yet once for we have much to ask and he has infinite to give We have much to ask for our selvs and all the world who depend intirely on his free goodnes Many O Lord are the graces we want and none can give them but thy bounty Many are the sins and miserys we are expos'd to and none can deliver us but thy Providence Deliver us O Lord from what thou know'st is against us deliver us from what we know our selvs will undo us Deliver us from the spirit of prophaness and infidelity from the spirit of error and schism and heresy Deliver us from the spirit of pride and avarice from the spirit of anger and sloath and envy Deliver us from the spirit of drunkenes and gluttony from the spirit of lust and wantones and impurity Deliver us O gracious God from every evil spirit and vouchsafe to give us thine own good spirit Vouchsafe to give us the spirit of fortitude the spirit of temperance and justice and prudence The spirit of wisdom and understanding and counsel the spirit of knowledg and piety and fear of Thee The spirit of peace and patience and benignity the spirit of humility sobriety and chastity O Thou who never deny'st thy favours unles we first deny our obedience Thou who art often near us when we are far From thee often ready to grant when we are unmindful to ask Refuse not O Lord to hear us now we call on Thee and make us stil hear Thee when thou cal'st to us Fil our understandings with the knowledg of such truths as may fix them on Thee the eternal Verity Inure our wils to imbrace such objects as may unite them to Thee the soveraign Goodnes Shew us the narrow way that leads to life the way which few can find and fewer follow Guide us stil on in the middle path of vertue that we never decline to any vicious extreme Let not our faith grow wild with superfluous branches nor bestript into a naked and fruitles trunk Let not our hope swel up to a rash presumption nor shrink away into a faint despair Let not our charity be cool'd into a careles indifferency nor heated into a furious zeal But above all suffer us not O
with the same unruly passions He that made us o'recom can as easily strengthen you He that has crown'd our victorys wil as surely glorify yours Fear not the way is smoother then you are made believe and the time shorter then perhaps you wish 'T is but to love your own true interest which seems no hard command * and that but while you live which you seldom think too long This once well done you have no more to do but to come and sing and rejoyce with us O you blest Saints who now are gladly arriv'd * at the quiet harbor of eternal rest Behold us here below imbarkt on the same Ship and bound with all our interest for the same Port. Behold us strugling yet in this Sea of storms and guide us safely thorow all our dangers Come holy Angels with your swiftest speed and disappoint the enemys that threaten to sink us Bend down thy gracious eys O Queen of clemency and fill them from our woes with soft compassion Then sweetly turn them to thy Son 's mild throne whose love stands always ready to meet thy wishes There represent to Him our needs our fears and favorably obtain for us a happy passage And Thou O soveraign Lord of universal nature on whom the whole celestial court continually waits Command thy vigilant Angels to watch about us and carry us strongly on to the Place of our desires Save us O Thou whom the Sea and winds obey save us O merciful Lord or else we perish Save us who call on Thee in all our distresses save us for whom thy glorious Heaven pours forth their prayers Save us for whom thy immortal self wert pleased to dy and graciously receive us into thine own blest Arms Thou art thy self O Lord the Heaven of repose bring us to thy self and our souls shall be safe Glory be c. Antiph In thee O Lord is all our hope in life and death in time and eternity Our Father c. First Lesson THe souls of the Just are in the hand of God and the torment of death shal not touch them they seem'd to the eys of the unwise to dy and their departure was counted affliction but they are in peace Though before men they suffer'd torments their hope is full of immortality Vext in a few things they shall be well treated in many for God has try'd them and found them worthy Himself as gold in the furnace he has prov'd them and as a burnt-offering receiv'd them and in time there shall be respect of them The Just shall shine and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble they shall judg Nations and have dominion over Peoples and their Lord shall reign for ever They that trust in him shall understand truth and the faithful in love shall remain with him for rest and peace is to his Elect. Resp Rejoyce all you holy Saints rejoyce and sing for ever the mercys of our Lord his blessed hand has wip't away all tears from your eys and now you no more shall weep no more complain * For the evening of sorrow is past and the day of eternal joy is come Alleluja Now you no longer shall sigh to be delivered out of this dark and tedious prison but dwel for ever in that glorious light the light which springs from the face of God * For Second Lesson THe Just if prevented with death shal be in a place of refreshment for venerable age consists not in length of time nor is accounted by number of years but wisdom is the gray hair to a man and an unspotted life old age He pleased God and was belov'd of Him and living among sinners was translated he was taken away lest malice should change his understanding or deceit beguile his soul for the bewitching of vanity obscures good things and the wandring of concupiscence perverts the simple mind Being made perfect in a short space he fulfil'd much time for his soul pleased God therefore he hastned to bring him out of the midst of iniquities This the people saw but did not understand not laying up such things in their harts That the grace of God and mercy is with his Saints and that He has respect to his Chosen Resp O happy they whom our Lord shall honor on the day of his triumph and rising from his Seat of Judgment go gloriously before them and with these sweet and gracious words invite them to follow him Come you blessed of my Father possess the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world * The reward of your labours I will give you I my self will be your reward Alleluja You have firmly beleev'd you have firmly beleev'd you have readily obey'd you have constantly suffer'd Come enter now into your Masters joy * The reward Third Lesson THen shal the Just stand with great confidence before the face of those who have afflicted him and made no account of his labors When they shal see it they shal be troubled with terrible fear and amaz'd at the suddennes of his unexpected salvation and repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit they shal say within themselvs These are they whom heretofore we have had in derision and as a by-word of reproach Sensless we esteem'd their lives a madnes and their end dishonorable behold how they are numbred among the children of God and their lot is among the Saints We therfore have err'd from the way of truth and the light of justice has not shin'd to us we have wearied our selvs in the paths of iniquity and perdition we have walked hard ways but the way of our Lord we have not known What has our pride profited us or what benefit has Vaunting of our riches brought us They all are past away as a shadow and as a Post that runs by in hast or as bird that flys in the sky and no sign of her passage to be found but only a sound of her wings beating the light air so we assoon as we were born began to draw to our end not able to shew any token of vertue but were consum'd in our own wickednes Such things said they in hell who had sin'd for the hope of the impious is as dust blown away with the wind and as a thin froth scatter'd by the storm But the Just shal live for ever and their reward is with our Lord and the care of them is with the Highest therefore shal they receive a glorious Kingdom and a beautiful crown from the hand of our Lord for with his right hand shal he cover them and with his holy arm defend them Resp Deliver us O Lord from that sad deplorable end which thy justice has prepar'd for the wicked deliver us from those vain deceitful ways that lead us to so miserable an End * O make us always fear thy Judgments that we never feel them always hope in thy mercys that we never forfeit them Bless us O Lord with a happy death that our souls may depart
heads V. Thou art always near to relieve the afflicted R. And wilt save the humble of spirit V. Thou raisest those that are faln R. And bindest together the broken harts V. Shew them thy mercy O Lord who call on thy Name R. Make them rejoyce who lift up their souls to thee V. To thee O Lord they lift up their souls R. In thee is their confidence let them not be asham'd V. Let not their enemys triumph over them R. For all that expect thee shal not be confounded V. Though they walk in the midst of the shadow of death R. Let them not fear for thou art with them V. Thou art their God and their Deliverer R. O Lord delay not thy coming V. O Lord hear our prayers R. And let our supplications come to Thee Let us pray O God who in thy mercy hast prepar'd immediate rewards for the Perfect and in thy justice immediate punishments for the wicked and mingling thy mercy and justice together hast ordain'd a middle state for those who depart in a true but weak degree of divine charity Hear we beseech thee our prayers for these thy afflicted servants who look up to Thee and sigh after the times of refreshment from thy glorious presence forgive them their sins and deliver them from their sorrows and bring them to the possession of all their wishes in rest and peace and everlasting joy thorow our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who with Thee and the Holy Ghost lives and reigns one God world without end A Prayer for any particular Person departed BEhold with pity we beseech thee O Lord the soul of thy servant N. for whom we humbly offer our prayers to thy divine Majesty and grant that the offences which humane frailty has inconsiderately committed being by thy clemency mercifully forgiven and all impediments by a perfect cleansing from the stains of sin thorowly remov'd the happy effect of seeing Thee face to face for ever may immediately follow through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who with Thee and the Holy Ghost lives and reigns One God world without end Amen V. Give them eternal rest O merciful Lord R. And may thy glorious light shine upon them for ever V. May they rest in peace R. Amen Pause a while to reflect on what you have said and renew your attention then begin the Complin of the day Our help c. as page 46. PROPER of FESTIVALS c. Sundays in Advent All as in the Office of our Saviour except Invitatory Behold the day of our Lord draws nigh Come let 's adore him Then recite the Psalm Bring to our Lord. page 318. 1. Antiph Behold our Lord wil appear and not fail to make good his promises if he delay a while expect for he surely wil come and deliver us Alleluja 2. Antiph Come O thou Sun of righteousnes and Fountain of eternal light come and illuminate those that sit in darknes and in the shadow of death and guide our feet into the ways of peace Alleluja 3. Antiph Come O Thou hope of the Gentils and the desir'd of all Nations come and redeem us from the vassallage of sin into the only true liberty of serving Thee Alleluja Antiph for Benedictus and Magnificat Prepare now thy ways O my soul before our Lord make thy paths strait before the face of our God for he will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead and blessed all they who are ready to meet him Alleluja Alleluja At Lauds recite Benedictus page 27. and at Vespers Magnificat page 44. Then after each repeat the Antiphon Prepare c. O Lord hear our pray'rs And let our supplications come to thee Let us pray O God by whose providence thy Church has appointed the solemn time or Advent to fore-run the Commemoration of our Saviour's Nativity and prepare its way in our harts Grant us we humbly beseech thee so devoutly to imploy this holy season in meditating on the Prophecys and gracious preparations of the world for the coming of the Messias and on the infinitely greater mercys he brought along with him and has left behind him that our spirits may be rais'd to celebrate the great Feast with due joy and exaltation and thereby better dispos'd to expect his second coming who with Thee and the holy Ghost lives and reigns one God world without end Amen S. Andrew All as in the Office of Saints except 1. Antiph Soon as the holy Apostle S. Andrew saw afar off the Cross prepar'd for his Martyrdom he was transported with joy and triumphingly saluted it as the happy instrument of his approaching glory Alleluja 2. Antiph O blessed Cross dearly by me belov'd and earnestly desir'd and often sought and now at length ready to satisfy my longing soul take me up into thy arms the Disciple of Him who was crucify'd on thee Alleluja 3. Antiph Take me up into thy arms O blessed Cross and bear me to my glorious Master that by thee He may receive me who by thee has redeemed me Alleluja Alleluja 3. Antiph Take me up into thy arms O blessed Cross and bear me to my glorious Master that by thee He may receive me who by thee has redeemed me Alleluja Alleluja Antiphon for Benedictus and Magnificat as in the common Office of Saints O Lord hear our prayers And let our supplications come to thee Let us pray O God whose grace kindled in the B. Apostle S. Andrew so ardent a love of his Master that it flam'd out in vehement desires of his Cross Grant we beseech thee that our devout celebrating the Memory of his Course and Crown may quicken thy Charity in our harts and encourage us with confidence and joy to undergo whatever suffrings thy Providence casts in our way towards the glorifying Thee and advancing thy truth and secure attainment of our own eternal salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who with thee and the H. Ghost lives and reigns one God world without end Amen S. Thomas Apostle All as in the Office of Saints except 1. Antiph The merciful and almighty JESUS came in the doors being shut and said to Thomas put in thy finger here and see my hands and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and be no longer faithles but beleeve 2. Antiph O admirable sweetnes of our Saviour's Spirit Thomas was absent and incredulous and peremptory and our Lord forgives him all and restores him to his favor with the easy penance of a gentle reproof 3. Because thou hast seen me Thomas thou hast believ'd blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believ'd Alleluja O Lord hear our prayers And let our supplications come to Thee Let us pray O God whose condescendence to convince the incredulity of thy Apostle S. Thomas has turn'd his hardnes to believe into a means of facilitating more the faith of thy Church Grant we beseech Thee that this festival Memory of his glorious Attestation to our
world without end Amen SS Philip and Jacob. All as in the Office of Saints except 1. Antiph Now it suffices thee Philip our Lord has shewn thee the Father and henceforth for ever thou shalt see Him face to face Alleluja 2. Antiph And thou holy Jacob the Brother of our Lord art gloriously happy injoying for ever the same blysful Vision Alleluja 3. Antiph These are Two of those precious stones that found and adorn the walls of the heav'nly Jerusalem Alleluja Prayer O God by whose grace the B. Apostles S. Philip and S. Jacob water'd as this day with their blood the heavenly seed which they had long swet in sowing o're the world Redouble we beseech Thee the devotions of thy servants by celebrating together their happy Memorys and grant that our Faith sopreciously confirm'd may fructify into holy lives deaths worthy such glorious Masters through our Lord JESUS Christ thy Son who Invention of the H. Cross All as in the Office of our Saviour except 1. Antiph Glorious art thou O B. Empress Helen whose devotion so miraculously restor'd to the world the standard of Salvation Alleluja 2. Antiph This holy Sign shal be in the heav'ns Alleluja when our Lord shal come to Judgment Alleluja 3. Antiph Far be it from us to glory in any thing but the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ in whom the world is crucify'd to us and we to the world Alleluja Prayer O God who as this day vouehsafedst to raise again even the Cross of our Saviour from its ignominious grave to become a close and striking memorial of his Passion Grant we beseech Thee that our devout celebrating this thy special providence may still more deeply imprint in our harts its gracious design of making us often reflect on the great benefit of our redemption and the infinite love and mercy of our Redeemer through the same our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who c. Rogation VVeek Monday Tuesday and Wednesday All as in the Weekly Office except 1. Antiph Ask and you shal receive seek and you shal find knock and it shal be open'd to you says our Lord whose word cannot fail Alleluja 2. Antiph Thou know'st we need all these things but more but more by these our needs to be drawn to look up to Thee Alleluja 3. Antiph Seek first the kingdom of heav'n and all things else shal be added to you Alleluja Prayer O God by whose H. Spirit thy Church ordains this a solemn time of supplication for all our necessitys Open we humbly beseech Thee thy gracious ears to the pray'rs thou inspir'st and draw'st from our harts and by granting us those Goods which thy Children with humility and resignation ask of Thee their heav'nly Father so encourage our devotion and obedience and so increase our hope and love that transcending all Particulars as safely to be trusted in the hand of thy Providence our whole souls may thirst after Thee thy self alone who art our All in All for ever through our Lord Ascension and during the Octave All as in the Office of our Saviour except 1. Antiph I have finisht the work which my Father commanded me and now 't is time I return to him that sent me let not your harts be troubled I go to my Father and your Father to my God and your God Alleluja 2. Antiph Let not your harts be troubled I go to prepare a place for you and I wil come again and receive you to my self that where I am there may my servants be Alleluja 3. Antiph Meanwhile I wil not leave you desolate but wil pray to my Father and he shal give you another Comforter the Spirit of truth to dwel with you for ever Alleluja Antiph for Benedictus and Magnificat Why stand we looking downwards on the things of this world behold our Lord is ascended into heav'n and sits in glory at the right hand of his Father Alleluja Why stand we idle with our accounts unprepar'd behold the same JESUS shal come again to judg the living and the dead and give to every one according to his works Alleluja Alleluja Prayer O God who hast inspir'd thy Church to celebrate this day the memory of our Saviours Ascension when having finisht on earth the great work of our Redemption He carryed up his glorify'd Humanity above the clouds to its eternal Rest Grant we humbly beseech Thee that taking off our eys from these vanitys here below we may stand continually looking after Him into heav'n and hartily expecting his appearance thence again at the last great day be always ready to obey his call and meet him in the clouds and follow him into those blysful Mansions which he went to prepare for us at thy right hand for ever through the same our Lord c. VVhitsunday and during the Octave All as in the Office of the H. Ghost Trinity-Sunday All as in Sunday Office except 1. Antiph There are Three that bear witnes in heav'n the Father the Word and the H. Ghost and these Three are One Alleluja 2. Antiph The Father is God and the Son is God and the H. Ghost is God yet are they not three Gods but One God Alleluja 3. Antiph In this adorable Trinity none is before or after none greater or less then Another but all the Three Persons are coequal among themselvs and coeternal Alleluja Antiph for Benedictus and Magnificat To thee the eternal Father made by none to thee the increated Son begotten by the Father alone to thee the B. Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son One holy consubstantial and undivided Trinity be ascrib'd all power and wisdom and goodnes now and for ever Alleluja Prayer O Eternal Father who by the visible dedescent of thy Son to redeem the world and of thy H. Spirit to sanctify the Elect has wonderfully made thy Churches own experience facilitate our faith of the incomprehensible Trinity Grant us we beseech Thee in hart and voice to profes this most high and supernatural truth and rejecting all the fallacious suggestions of short reason humbly adore Thee Three every-way-coequal Persons in the same indivisible Deity til we come herafter to thy blysful presence and see the Mystery reveal'd in thine own glorious face through our Lord c. Corpus Christi and during the Octave All as in Thursday Office except 1. Antiph I am the living bread that came down from heav'n if any one eat of this bread he shal live for ever and the bread which I wil give is my flesh for the life of the world Alleluja 2. Antiph Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood you shal not have life in you Alleluja 3. Antiph He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I wil raise him up at the last day Alleluja Antiph for Benedictus and Magnificat O sweet and sacred Feast wherein Christ himself is receiv'd and the memory of his Passion renew'd our minds are fill'd