cradle Thou hast nourished and clothed me, and supplied all things necessary for the relief and maintenance of this frail body.

I evermore extol and magnify Thy holy Name, that in Thy great mercy Thou hast hitherto spared and patiently waited till by Thy grace I might be awakened from the sleep of sin, and reclaimed from my vain and wicked courses. For hadst Thou dealt with me according to my deserts, my soul, oppressed with innumerable sins, had long since been plunged in eternal perdition.

In consideration of all Thy mercies and blessings, I most humbly desire that my heart may every day be enlarged, that it may still render Thee a more complete tribute of praise and thanksgiving than before.

O my LORD GOD, and most merciful FATHER, never leave me to myself, but let Thy holy fear be ever in my thoughts, to curb and keep me within the compass of Thy obedience, that I may dread nothing so much in this world as to offend Thee in the least manner. Let Thy holy love so temper all trials and temptations which befall me, that none of them may at any time overcome me; for Thou knowest how frail I am of myself, and that my strength is nothing.

Moreover, most merciful God, I beseech Thee, by the profound humility of Thy SON, JESUS CHRIST, that Thou wouldst preserve me from all pride and superfluity, all self-love and vain glory, all obstinacy and disobedience. Cast out of my heart, I beseech Thee, the spirit of gluttony and uncleanness, the spirit of sloth and indevotion, the spirit of malice and envy, the spirit of hatred and disdain, that I may never despise any of Thy creatures, nor proudly prefer myself before others, but always seem little in mine own eyes, inclining to think best of others, and judge the worst of myself.

Clothe me, O most holy FATHER, with the wedding garment of Thy beloved SoN, the supernatural virtue of heavenly charity, that I may love Thee, my LORD

GOD, with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my strength; that neither life nor death, prosperity nor adversity, nor anything else, may ever separate me from Thy love. Grant that all inordinate affections for the transitory things of this world, may daily decrease in me, that Thou mayest be the only portion and delight of my soul.

O my most gracious GOD, give Thy servant an humble, contrite, and obedient heart, an understanding always employed in honest and pious thoughts, a will tractable and ever inclined to do good, affections calm and moderate, a watchful custody over my senses, that by those windows no sin may enter into my soul, a perfect government of my tongue, that no corrupt or unseemly language may proceed from my lips, that I may never slander or speak ill of any, or busy myself about the faults and imperfections of others, but wholly attend to the amendment of my own.

And, finally, most loving LORD, so long as I am detained in this prison of my body, let this be my comfort, that being free from all distractions, both of the cares and pleasures of this life, I may wholly devote myself to Thy service, attending always to Thy heavenly doctrine, and to the good motions of Thy HOLY SPIRIT. In these sweet exercises let me pass the solitary hours of my tedious confinement, with patience expecting the shutting up of my days, and a happy end of this my miserable life.

And grant, O Redeemer of mankind, my LORD and GOD, that when this my earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved, being found free from all pollution of sin, through sincere contrition and the virtue of the Sacraments of Thy holy Church, I may be reckoned among the number of those blessed souls, who, through Thy merit and Passion, are held worthy to reign with Thee, and enjoy the Presence of the Blessed Trinity, FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT, to Whom, by all creatures in heaven and earth, be rendered praise and thanksgiving, world without end. Amen.

O LORD MY GOD, O LORD my GOD, possess my soul for ever and ever. Amen. Amen.

A MOST DEVOUT ACT OF CONTRITION,

Very useful for the stirring up in our souls a hearty sorrow for having offended Almighty God, and a firm resolution of never offending Him any more.

Hymn. "Come, HOLY GHOST," &c.

;

O my God! O GOD of my heart! of my soul! of my life! and of all that is within me! Whom I have so much offended! So much, O my GoD and my LORD, that neither the sands on the sea shore, the stars of heaven, the flowers of the fields, nor the leaves of the trees, can equal the boundless number, or unspeakable variety of my sins. I have sinned, O LORD; I have offended Thee; I have done evil before the face of heaven and earth; I have departed from Thy law I have turned my back on Thy grace; adored what offended Thee; made an idol of my guilt; run on without fear or shame into the ways of deceit, vanity, or perdition. Ah, my God! how much it grieves me for having so much offended Thee. I am grieved for grieving so little, when the injuries I have done are so great. I am more troubled at the greatness of the ingratitude wherewith I have offended Thee, than at the greatness of the torments which I have deserved. But, O LORD, what do I say? O my GoD, my grief is none at all. A grief which does not put an end to sin is no grief; a sorrow which does not bow down this soul of mine, is not sorrow; a contrition which does not even break my heart into pieces, is not to be accounted contrition. I would have the sorrow of my sins to be as great as the sins themselves; I would have the regret for having displeased Thee, to bear proportion with the injuries committed against Thee; I would have a grief equal to Thy mercy; I would

willingly bewail my great sins with tears of blood, more for the offence and injury which they have done against Thee, than for the damage and perdition which they bring upon myself. I wish, O LORD, that as in offending Thee the guilt was infinite, so in repenting thereof, the grief were also infinite. But where shall I find so deep a sense of sorrow, save only in the fountain of Thy grace? Where shall I find such a grief, save only in the knowledge of Thy immense goodness, and of my infinite malice? Whence are those tears to flow, save only from the ocean of Thy mercy? Here I come to Thy Feet. Consider not in what manner, in what time, or how late. Consider only that I come. Ah, LORD, how miserable do I come. How filthy! How abominable! Clad with the ugliness of my sins; covered with the filthiness of my offences; full of the abominations and vices of my life. But because they are Thy Feet to which I come, O my GOD, I come with the confidence of finding in Thy mercy a secure haven, in Thy compassion a defence, in Thy clemency a refuge, and in Thy goodness a remedy. Wherefore, O LORD, trembling at Thy justice, I seek no other refuge, save that of Thy mercy; I pretend no shelter, but Thy clemency. In Thee I trust, O my GOD; for though by sin I have lost the favour and privilege of a son, yet Thou, O LORD, infinitely good, dost not lose the condition which Thou hadst of a FATHER. Let then, O LORD, Thy infinite grace complete that work in me, which Thy infinite mercy has begun. Let Thy clemency come to the succour of this miserable sinner. Take pity on this poor soul. I purpose, with Thy grace, to amend my life, to confess my faults, to persevere in Thy service, to pardon injuries, to avoid the occasions of evil, to abhor my vices, to make such restitution as I am able, and to comply, as I am bound, with Thy holy commandments. I trust, O LORD, in Thy infinite good. ness, that Thou wilt pardon all my sins, through the Death and Passion of our LORD JESUS CHRIST; for

though in His Wounds there is justice to punish me, yet in the same Wounds there is likewise mercy to forgive me. Mercy! Mercy! Mercy! Dear JESUS, mercy! Amen.

THIRD FORM OF EVENING PRAYERS. From Eastern

sources.

To be said standing.

Let my prayer be set forth in Thy sight as the incense, and the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice.

The sun is set and the day is gone. I bring unto Thee an offering of praise and thanksgiving, O King Eternal! May the right hand of power and might keep me from all assaults of the enemy,

Ŏ King Eternal !

And I will ever praise Thee, Ŏ holy Trinity, on Thine everlasting hills,

O King Eternal !

Behold, the day is gone! I thank Thee, O LORD, and I pray Thee to grant me grace to spend this evening and the night without sin;

And keep me, my SAVIOUR!

The Chapter.-S. Luke xii. 35-40.

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their LORD, when He will return from the wedding; that when He cometh and knocketh, they may open unto Him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the LORD, when He cometh, shall find watching. Verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and

will come forth and serve them. And if He shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

And

this know, that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also; for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not.