the wickednesses of my five senses. O my Lord, I desire to bury in these Thy innumerable wounds the enormous number of my iniquities; and I beseech Thee for these Thy sufferings' sake to adorn my weak capacity with so much solid wisdom as may fitly suit with my condition. O, let me never think, speak, or act anything which is not seasoned with the salt of discretion. Let me seriously weigh each circumstance, and patiently wait Thy leave and leisure before I leap into any work.

Enlighten me to see clearly Thy will and pleasure, and empower me exactly to fulfil and follow it. Open the eyes of my understanding to behold my own baseness and wickedness, and give me Thy gracious assistance to reform it. Help me to form a right judgment of the real vileness and vanity of all transitory things, and endow my heart with courage to contemn them.

Inebriate my affection, O amiable Jesus, with the sweetness of Thy love, and let all worldly solaces savour of bitterness to my soul. Let me be deaf, blind, and dumb to all things which are not Thyself, O my crucified Saviour.

Let me prudently discern and piously perform each portion of my duty in its due circumstance of time, place, order, measure, and manner. Let that holy innocence and simplicity which is the virtue of the saints shine in all my actions. Let me not be curious to know much, but careful to practise much, and cordial to love Thee much, O my only Lord and Love.

Cleanse my will from all self-seeking, keep my

memory from all superfluities, close up my senses from all vanities, that my happy soul, separated from all sensible images, may quietly tend to Thee only, sweetly repose in Thee, and continually enjoy Thy blessed presence.

O, let Thy pure and perfect love, dear Lord Jesus, be the faithful scout-watch over all my proceedings, that no foreign affection, no sinister intention, no selfliking or self-seeking, may steal into my heart, and defraud or disturb its happy enjoyment of Thee, and its holy union with Thy divine Spirit.

Grant, O my Lord, that I may prudently turn all good events and all bad accidents to my spiritual profit, by reflecting wherefore they befall me, of what they warn me, and how far they concern me. Let me learn thereby gratitude to Thy goodness, fervour in prayer, contempt of myself, humility of spirit, care of my actions, resignation to Thy will, amendment of my life, or what else Thy holy Spirit shall please to intimate by these fatherly visitations.

O sacred Head of my crucified Saviour, be Thou my certain succour during my life's conflict, and my sure place of retreat in my last agony with death.

7. And lastly, I reverently approach to Thy dear Heart, O amiable Lord Jesus, opened with a cruel lance, in the sight of Thy blessed Mother and Thy beloved disciple, for the love of my soul. O my Jesus, I here implore Thy pardon for all my perverse affections and rregular appetites. Give me Thy leave, O my living i

Lord, to creep into this sweet Hole of the rock,* this sacred Cleft of the wall, this unlocked Safe of heavenly treasures, this saving Ark of the New Testament, and shut Thou, O Jesu, the door from without, that free from the deluges of all wickedness and dangers of the world, flesh, and devil, I may sit solitarily, silently, and sweetly hearkening to Thy divine whispers in my elevated soul.

Purge all my iniquities, O my dear Saviour, in the precious blood streaming from Thy open side, and replenish my heart with Thy perfect love. O, drown me, wound me, burn me, and consume me in Thy divine flames of affection, that I may love Thee strongly, purely, perfectly, perseverantly.

O, grant me to leave all things with alacrity for Thee, my beloved Jesus, though never so great; to loathe all things joyfully for Thy love, though never so good; to do all things contentedly for Thy honour, though never so hard; to suffer all things patiently for Thy sake, though never so painful; and to persevere constantly in my pious practices for the sole satisfaction of Thy holy will and accomplishment of Thy blessed pleasure.

O, let me be incessantly calling and knocking at this sacred gate of mercy. Let me be still sighing and seeking after Thee, my Jesus, my Saviour, my Lord,

The Bridegroom of the Canticles thus addresses His Beloved: 'My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall, show Me thy face, let thy voice sound in My ears : for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely.' Cant. ii. 14.

and my Love. Let me be always thinking, ever talking, and perpetually tending to unite my heart to Thine, to conform it unto Thine, to transform it into Thine, and Thou all mine for time and eternity.

Grant also, dear Jesus, that I may truly love all things in Thee and for Thee. O, inflame my charity, quicken my faith, rectify my intentions, strengthen my confidence in Thee, destroy all complacency in myself, establish me in all these good purposes, and let me be reminded of my now promised duty, and encouraged to proceed forwards in the path of perfection, as often as I shall eye the sacred image of Thy crucified humanity. Elevate my aspiring soul unto Thyself, O Jesus my Lord, above all chances, changes, and creatures. O, let it be so totally attentive to Thy presence, so entirely taken up in Thy contemplation, and so wholly absorbed in Thy love, that no outward objects may touch or trouble it, no inferior cares or cogitations may entangle it, nothing may impede its free intercourse with Thy heavenly friendship, nothing may stop it from the sweet influence of Thy divine graces, or any way interrupt its happy quiet and holy tranquillity.

O dear and opened Heart of my dying Lord Jesus, be Thou my sweet comfort during this life's pilgrimage, and my sure sanctuary in my last moments.

SUNDAY.

OF PERFECT UNION WITH GOD.

The Seventh Exercise.

1. O infinite, immense, and unmeasurable abyss of all bounty. O ever-flowing fountain of mercy. O undrainable sea of love. O my Lord, my Sovereign, my Saviour, and my Sanctifier. Behold I return unto Thee, the sweet Source of my beginning; I run unto Thee, the gracious Preserver of my being; and I desire to rest in Thee, the only Hope of my soul's happiness.

Be Thou, henceforth, O my Creator, the sole object of my thoughts and the only object of my love. Be Thou, O God of my heart, heart of my life, life of my soul, and soul of my love, my portion and my inheritance for ever. I choose Thee only, I offer up myself wholly, I consecrate myself heartily, and dedicate myself eternally to Thy love, honour, and service.

Ah, good God, where dwelleth Thou? Which is the pleasant place of Thy abode, O King of Glory and Comforter of my soul? I seek nothing but Thy lovely presence; I desire nothing but the presence of Thy love. My soul sighs to see Thee, my heart covets to have Thee, my love longs to enjoy Thee, and I can expect no perfect content until I am totally united unto Thee.

If I now beg a glimpse of Thy divine face, O my glorious Lord, then a drop of Thy heavenly grace, and afterwards a dram of Thy dear affection; yet in all this