thee, because I have so often sinned against thee. But thy goodness and mercy invite me to come unto thee. Assist me, therefore, with thy Holy Spirit, and teach me to pray to thee as I ought, Our Father, &c. Hail, Mary, &c. I believe, &c, 2. An Act of Adoration and Thanksgiving. O eternal God! Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the beginning and end of all things; in whom we live, and move, and have our being: prostrate before thee in body and soul, I adore thee with the most profound humility. I praise and bless thee, and give thee thanks for all the benefits which thou hast conferred upon me; that thou hast created me out of nothing, made me after thine own image and likeness, redeemed me with the precious blood of thy Son, and sanctified me with thy Holy Spirit. I thank thee that thou hast called me into thy Church, assisted me by thy grace, so often admitted me to thy sacraments, borne with my ingratitude so long, watched over me by thy special providence; blessed me, notwithstanding my sins and utter unworthiness, with the continuance of thy gracious protection; and for all the innumerable blessings which I owe to thy undeserved bounty. Particularly this morning, I thank thee for having preserved me during the night past, and for bringing me in safety to the beginning of another day. O my God, how good art thou unto me! What return can I make unto thee for all that thou hast done unto me? I will bless thy holy name, and serve thee truly all the days of my life. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me praise his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that he hath done for thee. Here call to mind the chief sins of your past life, and make resolutions against the temptations and dangerous occasions you may probably meet with this day. 3. An Act of Contrition, with good Resolutions. O my God, how little have I served thee in time I ac past! how greatly have I sinned against thee! knowledge my iniquity, and my sin is always before me. But I repent, O Lord, I repent. I am heartily sorry that I have lost that time in offending thee which thou gavest me to be employed in thy service, in advancing the good of my own soul, and obtaining everlasting life. I detest all the sins which I have committed against thy divine Majesty, and I resolve never to commit them any more. I am sorry, above all things, that I have offended thee, because thou art infinitely good, and sin is infinitely displeasing to thee. I love thee with my whole heart,—at least I desire so to do; and I firmly purpose, by the help of thy grace, to serve thee more faithfully for the time to come. Receive, I beseech thee, the offering I now make to thee of the remainder of my life. I renew the vows and promises made in my baptism. I renounce the devil, and all his works; the world, and all its pomps. I now begin, and will endeavour to spend this day according to thy holy will, performing all my actions so that they may be pleasing unto thee. I will take particular care to avoid the failings I am so apt to commit, and to exercise the virtues most agrecable to my state and employment. 4. An Oblation. I offer to thee, O my God, the life and death of thy only Son; and with them these my affections and resolutions, my thoughts, words, deeds, and sufferings of this day, and of all my life, in honour of thy adorable Majesty; in thanksgiving for all thy benefits, in satisfaction for my sins, and to obtain the assistance of thy grace; that, persevering to the end in doing thy holy will, I may love and enjoy thee for ever in thy glory. 5. A Petition. Thou knowest, O God, how weak and unable I am to do good. Leave me not to myself, but take me under thy protection, and give me grace faithfully to comply with these holy resolutions. Enlighten my understanding with a lively faith, raise up my will to a firm hope, and inflame it with an ardent charity. Strengthen my weakness, and cure the corruption of my heart; grant that, overcoming my enemies, both visible and invisible, may make good use of thy grace; -and vouchsafe to add to these blessings the inestimable gift of final perse I verance. V. Unto thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my voice. R. And early in the morning my prayer shall come before thee. V. Let my mouth be ever filled with thy praises. R. That I may sing of thy glory, and all the day long of thy greatness, V. Turn away thy face, O Lord, from my sins. V. Create in me a clean heart, O God. R. To keep us without sin. V. Have mercy upon us, O Lord. R. Have mercy upon us. V. Let thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, P. And let my cry come unto thee. A Collect. Lord God Almighty, who hast brought us to the be ginning of this day, let thy powerful grace so conduct us through it, that we may not fall into any sin, but that all our thoughts, words, and works may be guided by the rules of thy heavenly justice, and tend to the observance of thy holy law, through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, for ever and ever. Amen. O Lord God, King of heaven and earth, vouchsafe this day to direct and sanctify, to rule and govern, our hearts and bodies, our thoughts, words, and deeds, in thy law, and in the works of thy commandments; that henceforth and for ever, O Saviour of the world, we may be protected and saved, through thy mighty help, who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen. O God, who, out of thy unspeakable providence, art pleased to appoint thy holy angels for our guardians; give ear to the supplications which we make for a continuance of their protection, and that we may be added to their joyful number for all eternity. Amen. May the blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and all the saints, be our intercessors with the Lord, that we may be succoured and secured by him who liveth and reigneth to everlasting ages. Amen. May our Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and bring us to life everlasting; and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. A SECOND FORM OF MORNING PRAYER. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified, I arise; bless me, O Lord; govern me, protect me, and confirm me in all good works, this day and for ever; and after this short and miserable pilgrimage, bring me to everlasting happiness. Amen. O God the Father, who saidst in the beginning, Let there be light, and it was made; enlighten my eyes, that I may never sleep in sin, lest at any time the deceits of the enemy, or my own corruption, should prevail against me. O God the Son, most beautiful and true light, shining in darkness, and enlightening every one that comes into this world; dispel all clouds of ignorance, and give me a right understanding, that in thee, and through thee, I may see and know the Father; whom to know is to live; and to serve, is to reign for ever. O God the Holy Ghost, who inflamest the wills of all those in whom thou vouchsafest to dwell with heavenly affection; pour into my mind the gifts of holy charity, that, despising all vain and transitory things, I may, with a continual desire, long for the true and everlasting joys of thy heavenly kingdom. O holy Trinity, one God, defend me this day from the deceits and temptations of the devil, keep me from all sin, and preserve me from sudden and unprovided death. Raise up, O God, my body from sleep and drowsiness, and my soul from sin, that I may praise and glorify thy holy name, to whom belongs all benediction, and honour, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, now and for ever. Amen. In the name of the Father, &c. Blessed be the holy and undivided, &c. Our Father, &c. Hail, Mary, &c. I believe, &c. I confess to Almighty God, to the blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the saints, that I have sinned exceedingly, in hought, word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech the blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me. May Almighty God have mercy on me, forgive me my sins, and bring me to life everlasting. Amen. May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant epar don, absolution, and remission of all my sins. Amen. Lord God Almighty, who hast brought us to the bemning of this day, let thy powerful grace so conduct us through it, that we may not fall into any sin, but that all our thoughts, words, and works may be guided by the rules of thy heavenly justice, and tend to the observance of thy holy law, through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, for ever and ever. Amen. O most sweet Saviour Jesus Christ, open thou my heart and lips, to praise and glorify thy holy name, B |