respect, and with a piety and fear becoming so great a mystery. Grant me the grace always to think, speak and believe respecting this holy institution, as most pleases thee,-may thy divine spirit descend into the deepest recesses of my heart, and there silently instructing me in thy heavenly truths, dispose me to receive thee with purity of mind and body;-and banishing from me all unlawful, vain, and vicious thoughts, may it implant in their stead, every divine virtue: so that approaching thy altar with an undefiled conscience, thy sacraments may prove to me both life and salvation. For thou hast declared by thy own sacred and blessed lips, the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If any one eat of this bread he shall live for ever. Give me then, O Lord, always this bread, and impart to my soul a true relish for this divine

manna.

O MOST pure and delicious bread! containing every excellence, let me feed upon thee, and let my vitals be replenished with thy sweetness! Aš thou art the bread of Angels, so let me, a poor stranger and traveller, eat of thee, that I may not faint in my journey to heaven. O bread of sanctity, bread of life, bread of purity, that comest down from heaven to give life to the world, enter into my breast, and purify my heart from every defilement of sin. Make my soul thy habitation and tabernacle, impart to it every interior and exterior grace, and let it be henceforward consecrated wholly to the service of my Redeemer.

Humbly prostrating myself, therefore at the foot of thy Altar, divine Jesus, thou art sensible that though I am unworthy of receiving thee, I desire at least this blessing with my whole heart. If I have nothing within me agreeable to thee, at least I am eager to become so in thy sight. I

conjure thee then to assist me; let thy mercy and thy merits supply for my defects; and may I be enabled through thy grace to receive thee as I ought. For this purpose, I renounce all attachment to my own convenience, as well as all desires of being loved and esteemed by men. I renounce all' pride and obstinacy, all human respects which have so frequently been the motive of my actions;-all attachments and affections of flesh and blood, which have so long occupied my mind and heart. For the time to come I will only think of thee,— act for thee, and endeavour to please thee. And thou O divine Spirit, who formed the carnal body of my Saviour to such perfection in the chaste womb of the Virgin Mary,-who endowed his human soul with most precious gifts to dispose it for the ineffable union of our nature with the WORD, Vouchsafe to prepare my body and soul for that mystical union which the incarnate WORD is to form with me this day. Purify my body, enlighten my mind, and kindle in my heart a sacred flame of affection, that I may live eternally united to him, who is our sacrifice, priest, and victim, now and forever. Amen.

¶ An Act of Faith and Adoration.

I BELIEVE, O Jesus, that thou art really present in this most venerable sacrament. Full of this faith, I adore thee as my Creator, iny Redeemer, my supreme good, my Lord, and my God. I believe thou art in this sacrament to offer eternal life to those who receive thee, and this makes me ardently desire to approach to thy sacred table. I believe that those who receive thee unworthily, eat and drink their own judgment, and this gives me reason to fear and tremble. But, my God, as I put my whole confidence in thee, I hope to live in thee, and for thee.

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¶ An Act of Humility and Contrition.

PROSTRATE in thy presence, O Jesus, I acknowledge that I am not worthy to approach to thee, miserable sinner as I am! a vile creature, dust and corruption! My sins render me unworthy to be nourished with the bread of angels, to receive thee my Creator, and my God. And although I hope they are now forgiven, nevertheless I acknowledge myself unworthy to be at thy table, in quality of thy child. I confess that I am not worthy to be admitted as one of thy slaves. May the ardour of my devotion, however, O Lord, sup ply my unworthiness. Purify me still more from my sins, I detest them with my whole heart, and will never more offend thee.

An Act of Love.

O MY Lord and my God, with what desire do I wish to unite myself to thee, by this holy communion! my heart is full of sentiments of an ardent desire of being with thee, of receiving thee, of possessing thee. O immense bounty! not content with being incarnate for me, with having suffered so much for my salvation, and with having died for the love of me, thou art desirous moreover to nourish me with thy own flesh, to enter into me, to unite thyself with this most unworthy sinner. O the incomprehensible charity of my God, who has loved me so much! In re

turn, O Lord, it is my duty, to love thee, and I do love thee with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my strength. Methinks I hear thee, from the middle of this thy sanctuary, asking me as thou didst heretofore the Apostle, Peter, whether I love thee? Yes, I love thee, O my God, I love thee, and wish still to love thee more and more. O kindle in my heart this bright flame of thy charity, enflame it, and grant it may breathe nothing but thee,

An Act of Reparation.

O ADORABLE Jesus, penetrated with grief at the sight of the many outrages heaped upon thee in thy sacred passion, and which are continually renewed against thee, in this holy sacrament of thy love, behold me prostrate at the feet of thy Altar, to make thee every reparation in my pow. er! I wish to offer some satisfaction to thy insulted honor, by the homage and respect I am desirous of paying thee. I wish I could wash away in my tears, all those irreverences, profanations, and sacrileges daily committed against thy divine Majesty. My life would be well employed, if I could spend it to so worthy a purpose. Grant me, O God, the pardon of all the infidelities, ingratitude and indignities of which I in particular have rendered myself guilty against thee. Forget not that on account of the weight of our sins thou hast been afflicted even unto death. Let not thy sufferings and thy blood be ineffectual in my regard; annihilate this criminal heart of mine, and give me one more like to thine; a heart humble and contrite, a heart pure and spotless, a heart henceforward only a victim consecrated to thy glory, and burning with the sacred fire of thy love. By my own respectful deportment in the presence of thy Altar-by my assiduity in my visits to thee, and my devotion and fervour in receiving thee, I will do my best in future to make some reparation for those irreverences and sacrileges which I deplore in all the bitterness of my heart. But in order to render my respect and homage more agreeable, I will unite them to those of thy angels and blessed spirits, who are always prostrate at the feet of thy throne. Hear my prayers, O God, and accept the homage of a heart returning to thee with the determination of never loving any thing but for

thee; that I may deserve to love thee for ever. Amen.

¶ A Prayer immediately before the Holy Commu

nion.

O MY God, and my Saviour, Jesus Christ! only Son, and consubstantial with the heavenly Father, author and finisher of our faith, object of our desires, and wishes! thou, who art truth itself, the life that is never to end, and the only way that leads to life. O adorable Jesus! splendor of the glory, and the true image of the sub stance of the eternal Father; divine Saviour, in whom alone is our salvation, because under heaven there is no other name given to men, by vir fue of which we can be saved. O living bread, who hast descended from heaven to be our food! Not content with having given thy whole blood generally for all men, thou vouchsafest also, dear Jesus, by an excess of love, to admit us to thy holy table, and to feed us with thy sacred body, and thy precious blood. O what is man, that a God so great should vouchsafe to think of him, and to make him the object of his atteution, and affection! Alas! what else am I but a mere nothing, and even worse than nothing, by reason of my iniquities! And yet, however unworthy I am to appear in thy presence, O God of Majesty! thou comest thyself to meet me, thou invitest me to thy banquet, and the delicious meat thou givest me to eat, is really thy own adorable body, and thy precious blood. Be thou for ever blessed, O Father of mercies, and God of all consolation, for so singular a benefit; bnt give me, O Lord, the nuptial garment, without which, we shall be only guilty if we come to thy table. I believe firmly, O my Saviour Jesus Christ, that what I am going to receive is nothing less than thyself: let me commend myself, therefore, to thee. what hunger, what ardent thirst, have I to re