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The great God of heaven and earth, the fountain of holiness, and perfection infinite. But what am I? So ignorant, that I know not what; so poor,. that I have nothing of my own; so miserable, that I am the heir of sorrow and death; and so sinful, that I am encompassed with shame and grief. Use, O God, what means thou pleasest to conform me to the image of thy holy Son; that I may be gentle to others, and severe to myself; that I may sit down in the lowest place, striving to go before my brother in nothing but in doing him honor, and staying for my glory till thou shalt please, in the day of recompence, to reflect light from thy face, and admit me to behold thy glories.

O eternal and holy Jesus, who by death hast overcome death, and by thy passion hast taken out its sting, and made it to become one of the gates of heaven, and an entrance to felicity; have mercy upon me now, and at the hour of my death. Let thy Grace accompany me all the days of my life, that I may, by an holy conversation, and an habitual performance of my duty, wait for the coming of our Lord, and be ready to enter with thee at whatever hour thou shalt come. Let my sense and my understanding be preserved entire till the last of my days; and grant that I may die the death of the righteous, free from debt and deadly sin; having first discharged all my obligations of justice; leaving none miserable and unprovided at my departure; but be thou the portion of all my friends and relatives, and let thy blessing descend upon their heads, and abide there till they

shall

shall meet me in the bosom of our Lord. Preserve me ever in the communion and peace of the Church; and bless my death-bed with the opportunity of an holy and a spiritual guide, with the assistance and guard of angels, with the reception of the holy Sacrament, with patience and dereliction of my own desires, with a strong faith, and a firm and humble hope; with just measures of repentance, and great treasures of charity to thee, my God, and to all the world; that my soul, in the arms of the holy Jesus, may be deposited with safety and joy, there to expect the revelation of thy day, and then partake of the glories of thy kingdom, O eternal and holy Jesus. Amen,

WEDNESDAY MORNING.

BOW down thine ear, O Lord, hear me, for I am poor and needy: Rejoice the soul of thy servant; for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul,

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee: Teach me thy way, O Lord, I will walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy

name.

Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? Behold, he

put

put no trust in his servants; and his Angels he charged with folly.

How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? They die even without wisdom.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Moreover, by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great

reward.

Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from my secret faults: keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me, then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into fhame? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly, for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.

Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord, Lord, hear my voice: O let thine ears consider well the voice of my complaint.

If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, O Lord who may abide it? But there is mercy with thee, therefore shalt thou be feared.

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips: take from me the way of lying; and cause thou me to make much of thy law.

The

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, longsuffering, and of great goodness: He will not alway be chiding, neither keepeth he his anger for ever.

Yea, like as a father pitieth his own children, even so is the Lord merciful unto them that fear him. For he knoweth whereof we are made: He remembereth that we are but dust.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: which forgiveth all thy sin, and healeth all thine infirmities.

O Eternal God, whose perfections are infinite, whose mercies are glorious, whose justice is severe, whose eyes are pure, whose judgments are wise; be pleased to look upon the infirmities of thy servant, and consider my weakness. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak; I desire to please thee, but in my endeavors I fail so often, so foolishly, so unreasonably, that I, extremely, displease myself, and I have too great reason to fear that thou also art displeased with thy servant. O my God, I know my duty, I resolve to do it; I know my dangers, I stand upon my guard against them, but when they come near I begin to be pleased, and delighted in the little images of death, and am seized upon by folly, even when with greatest severity I decree against it. Blessed Jesus pity me, and have mercy upon my infirmities.

O God, I humbly beg to be relieved by a mighty grace, for I bear a body of sin and death about me; sin creeps upon me in every thing that I do or suffer. When I do well, I am apt to be proud,

when

when I do amiss, I am sometimes too confident, sometimes affrighted: if I see others do amiss, I either neglect them, or grow too angry; and in the very mortification of my anger, I become angry and peevish. My duties are imperfect, my repentances little, my passions great, my fancy trifling: the sins of my tongue are very many, my omissions are infinite, my evil thoughts cannot be numbered, and I cannot give an account concerning innumerable portions of my time which were once in my power, but were let slip, and were partly spent in sin, partly thrown away upon trifles and vanity and even of the basest sins, of which, in accounts of men, I am most innocent, I am guilty before thee, entertaining those sins in little instances, thoughts, desires and imaginations, which I durst not produce into action and open significations. Blessed Jesus, pity me, and have mercy upon my infirmities.

Teach me, O Lord, to walk before thee in righteousness, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Give me an obedient will, a loving spirit, a humble understanding, watchfulness over over my thoughts, deliberation in all my words and actions, well-tempered passions, and a great prudence, and a great zeal, and a great charity, that I may do my duty wisely, diligently, holily. O let me be humbled in my infirmities, but let me be also safe from my enemies; let me never fall by their violence, nor by my own weakness; let me never be overcome by them, nor yet give myself up to folly and weak principles, to idleness, and secure, care

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