her head with a diadem of Saints Thou hast given her the keys of all thy treasures and open'd to her the mysterys of heav'n it self Mysterys that free our souls from the dominion of sense and place them above the reach of reason These thy whole Church unanimously attests as deriv'd from Thee their original source And runing along through every age * have always maintain'd their constant chanel O may they still bear on their course and still spread wider their wholsom streams May all the world be water'd with this dew of heav'n and bring forth fruit to everlasting life But O unhappy you who seek new paths and blindly follow your misleading guides You who forsake the known Church-way to truth and charge the whole Christian world with malice and error Tell me can any reason considerately think * that so many witnesses should conspire in a falshood Such as must necessarily damn themselvs and desperately endanger all their posterity Such as by every ey may easily be discern'd and the credit of the forgers confounded with shame Stay till a thousand Mothers freely agree * to poyson themselvs and their beloved children Stay till a Nation solemnly vote * that a wave of the Sea is firmer then a rock When you have seen this done and the deluge of Antichrist himself invade the world Yet shall that holy Ark still float above and save the Just from the fury of the waves O the excessive goodnes of our merciful God who has made his Testimonys even too credible Too credible to be doubted by any thing but ignorance too credible to be deny'd by any thing but passion We are almost now constrain'd to believe Lord grant us grace but to hope and love Glory be c. Antiph Upon this rock will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Antiph How admirably O Lord has thy Wisdom contriv'd our salvation infusing even by our senses grace into our souls Psal LV. SAfe in this hand has our provident Lord * deposited the richest treasures of his Kingdom Commanding his Priests to conserve them with reverence * and dispense them to others with a prudent charity Soon as we 're born into this world of danger his vigilant Baptism stands ready to save us Ready to wipe out the guilt of our birth and write our new names in the book of life What all eternity could never have worn off * a litle sprinkling of water washes away When we are come to riper years and a fit capacity of professing our Faith His holy Bishops mysteriously anoint our foreheads to cherish and Confirm our growing beleef That we never be asham'd of the Cross of Christ but to the face of death freely confess him If in our spiritual combat we receive a wound he has appointed persons expresly to cure us Only he requires we should open our sores before them and hartily repent our wilful rashnes He requires we should satisfy the world and our own souls in repairing the damage they sustain by our trespas Heal'd by the bitter waters of Pennance we are imediatly invited to all the sweetnes of Paradise To tast the delicious bread of Angels to eat even the Flesh it self of the Son of God So to become intirely one with him while we feed on his Body and are govern'd by his Spirit That the world may continue in a blest succession he solemnly sanctify'd the rites of Marriage Exalting that state to the honour of a Sacrament that we might more regard the holines of its dutys To prevent the failing of Governours in the Church the Church for which this world continues Themselvs are impowr'd to kindle fresh lights who stil may shine on when the old ones are spent Yet is there one important period of our life the sicknes that summons us to the bar of death Nor has our gracious Lord forgotten this but carefully provided a holy Unction To allay our fears in that sad hour and strengthen our hopes of everlasting felicity That we may finish our course in peace and go up with joy to receive our crown Thus by thy wise indulgent care O Thou sweet Conductor of our Souls Every station of our pilgrimage has a fit entertainment and every defect a proper remedy Glory be c. Antiph How admirably O Lord has thy Wisdom contriv'd our Salvation infusing even by our senses grace into our souls Antiph We confess we are bound to do many things against our will why not believe some few above our understanding Psal LVI THese are the seven bright golden Candlesticks * set up to enlighten and adorn the Church But behold in the midst One like the son of man but is indeed the Son of God Behold One disguis'd in the shape of bread but is indeed the Son both of God and man He whom the Seraphims prostrate adore and fly with all their wings to perform his commands He who came down to dy for us sinners and ascended again above the highest heav'ns Himself is there and graciously stays our coming to receive our pray'rs and send us home with his blessing He 's there though not discern'd by sense nor the mysterys of his presence comprehended by reason Yet may a lively faith pass through the veil and confidently enter into the holy of holys A faith that works by love may enter and fill it self with celestial Manna But the uncharitable faith shall be cast into darkness among them that believe and tremble Behold O Lord we believe and hope perfect by thy vigorous grace our faint endeavours Quicken our half dead faith into a ready assent where ever thou art pleas'd to engage thy word Why should we doubt the Power of God can do somthing that the weaknes of man cannot understand Which of us knows how the common bread we eat * is naturally turn'd into our own substance And shall we dispute the supernatural conversion * of this blessed bread into the substance of our Saviour Shall we submit our reason to the secrets of nature and make it judg of the mysterys of grace Shall we rely on the reports of men where we do not see and distrust the word of God because we do not see No let us now believe that herafter we may see when our eys shall be open'd in the Kingdom of light Where our dark faith shall cease into vision and our hope expire into full enjoyment Where all our affections shall be contracted into love and love extended to eternity Glory be c. Antiph We confess we are bound to do many things against our will why not believe some few above our understanding Our Father c. First Lesson CHrist loved his Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctify it cleansing it by the Laver of water in the word of life that he might present to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinckle And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors
victorys Whom shal we then fear thus safely guarded who can resist so invincible a strength None but our own corrupted nature dare contend and the unlucky accidents that conspire with it against us Somtimes surprizing our unwary negligence somtimes defeating even our strongest resolvs Not that they can compel our wills unles we yeild or make the least wound without our consent Much less prevail against the power of heav'n and frustrate the purpose of the Almighty Wisdom Whose mercy has us'd more arts to save us when the craft of Vice can invent to destroy us Such a redemption so miraculously wrought such holy Sacraments so often repeated Such glorious promises so faithfully assur'd and which revives our hope so easily attain'd O infinite Goodnes how generous is thy love how liberally extended over all the world Thou invitest little children to come to Thee and the lame and the blind to sit down at thy feast None are shut out of heav'n but such as wil not go in none made unhappy but those who care not to be otherwise Cheer then thy self my hart and let no fears molest thee * nor even death it self abate thy courage Death is a passage that was always short and our SAVIOURS Cross has made it safe By the practise of his Saints 't is grown familiar and by their happy success becom desirable Lose not then thy hope in so glorious an enterprise Eternity is at stake and heav'n the reward That heav'n for which the antient Hermits peopled the Desart and so many Religious live bury'd in their Cells That heav'n for which the holy Confessors spent all their time and innumerable Martyrs laid down their dearest lives That heav'n where Millions of Angels continually sing and all the Blessed make one glorious Quire That heav'n where the ador'd JESUS eternally reigns and the immortal Deity shines bright for ever That very heaven is promis'd thee my soul that blest eternity thou art commanded to hope Raise now thy head and see those beauteous Prospects that ravish the harts of all their Beholders Yonder far above the Stars is thy Saviours Kingdom yonder we must dwell when we leave this earth Yonder must our souls remove to rest when the stroak of death shal divide them from their bodys And when the Almighty Power shal joyn them again yonder must we live with our God for ever O bounteous Lord the only Author of all we have the only object of all we hope As thou hast thus prepar'd a heav'n for us O may thy grace prepare us for it O make us live the life of the Just and let our last end be like Theirs That we may dy the death of the Just and live for ever in their blest society Glory be c. Antiph If God be with us who can be against us if He justify us who can condemn us Capit. Apoc. 7. THese are they who are come out of great tribulation have washt their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb therfore they are before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and He that sits on the Throne shal dwel over them They shal hunger no more nor thirst the Sun shal not fal upon them nor any heat for the Lamb who is in the midst of the Throne shal rule them and conduct them to the living fountains of waters and God shal wipe away all tears from their eys Hymn XXXVIII TEll me You bright Stars that shine Round about the Lambs high Throne How through bodys once like mine How are you thus glorious grown Hark with one voice they reply This was all our happy skil We on JESUS fixt our ey And his emi'nent followers stil As we clearly saw their mind Set and rul'd we order'd ours Both This state alone design'd Up towards this strem'd all our Powers Taught by Temp'rance we abstain'd From all less for greater Goods Slighting litle drops we gain'd Full and sweet and lasting Floods Arm'd with Fortitude we bare Lesser Evils worse to fly Mortal death we durst outdare Rather then for ever dy Iustice we observ'd by giving Every one their utmost due That in peace and order living All might freely Heav'n pursue Prudence govern'd all the Rest Prudence made us still apply What was fittest what was best To advance great Charity On those golden wheels of grace That loves fiery Chariot bear We ariv'd at this bright place Follow us and never fear O sure truth O blest Attesters O that aâ—â— the world may prove Of both these such strong digesters That both these may feed their love Him who made us all for This Him who made Himself our way Him who leads us in'to Blyss May all praise and all obey Antiph Worthy art Thou O Lord to receive the book and to open the seals thereof for thou wert slain and hast redeem'd us to God with thy blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and hast made us to our God a Kingdom Alleluja Magnificat as Page 44. Antiph Worthy art Thou c. O Lord hear our prayers And let our supplications come to Thee Let us pray O God whose merciful Providence has stil from the Begining sown the seeds of grace in the harts of thy chosen servants which at the Resurrection of thy Son the first fruit of them that slept sprung up into glory and by his holy doctrin and admirable life and precious death has infinitely encreast the meanâ—â— of salvation and the number of thy Saints Grant we beseech Thee that we whom thoâ—â— hast favour'd with so many advantages may by the powerful intercession of that glorious Comâ—â—pany obtain thy grace to imitate them here and rejoyce with them for ever in thy Kingdom hereafter through the same our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who with thee and the holy Ghost lives and reigns one God world without end Amen Commemorations as page 29. Complin for Saints OUr help c. as page 46. Antiph Help us you blessed Citizens of heaven direct our way you who have attain'd your end Psal CXXV THus we have past another day another step towards our long home We have seen the Sun a few hours more and our day is lost in its own night But is it lost O careles we and all the holy words we have read and heard Leave they no mark in our memorys behind them but make a litle sound and vanish in the air Have we not been at a solemn Feast and do we soon forget our entertainment Could we see nothing among all those raritys * that relisht with us and stir'd our appetite Was there no fit provision for some vertue we want no proper remedy for some weaknes we have Are we devout already as the Saints of God and chast and temperate and resign'd as they Do we despise this world with a zeal like theirs and value heav'n at the same rate with Them Would we give all we have just now to be
and Doctors for the consummation of the Saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying the body of Christ til we all meet into the unity and knowledge of the Son of God into a perfect man into the measure of the age of the fulnes of Christ That henceforth we be not children wavering and carry'd about with every wind of doctrine by the wickednes of men and their craftines to circumvent into error but following the truth in charity let us in all things grow in him who is our head Christ And I beseech you Brethren by the name of our Lord JESUS Christ that you all say one thing and that there be no schisms among you but that you be perfect in one sense and in one knowledge Mark them that make dissentions and scandals contrary to the Doctrin which you have learn't and avoyd them for such serve not Christ our Lord but their own belly and by sweet speeches and benedictions seduce the harts of the simple Beleeve not every spirit but prove the spirits whether they be of God for many false Prophets are gone out into the world Therefore Brethren stand fast hold the traditions which you have learn'd whether by word of mouth or our Epistle Obey your Prelats and be subject to them for they watch as being to render account for your souls R. My God if ravenous Wolvs seek by force to devour me and with threats and penalty's fright me from thy Faith this shal be my shield against all their fiery darts * I beleeve my Creed and in it One holy Catholick and Apostolick Church If subtle foxes seek by fraud to deceive me and with wit and fallacy's seduce me from thy truth this shal be my answer to all their Objections * I beleeve Second Lesson ANd JESUS coming near spake to his Disciples saying All power is given me in heav'n and in earth Go therfore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and behold I am with you always to the end of the World The Apostles hearing that Samaria had receiv'd the word of God sent to them Peter and John who when they were come pray'd for them that they might receive the holy Ghost for he was not yet come upon any of them but they were only baptiz'd in the name of our Lord JESUS then they impos'd their hands on them and they receiv'd the holy Ghost And JESUS said to his Disciples As my Father sent me I also send you And He breath'd on Them and said Receive you the holy Ghost whose sins you shal forgive they are forgiven and whose you shal retain they are retain'd The Chalice of benediction which we bless is it not the Communication of the Blood of Christ and the Bread which we break is it not the participation of the Body of our Lord When they had ordain'd to them Priests in every Church and had pray'd with fastings they commended them to our Lord in whom they beleev'd For this cause shal a man leave his Father and Mother and cleave to his Wife and they shal be two in one flesh this is a great Sacrament but I speak in Christ and in the Church Is any one sick among you let him bring in the Priests of the Church and let them pray over him anoynting him with Oyl in the name of our Lord and the prayer of faith shal save the sick and our Lord shal raise him up and if he be in sins they shal be remitted him Now to him that is able to do all things more abundantly then we desire or understand according to the power that works in us to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ JESUS to all generations world without end Amen R. Blessed O Lord be thy holy Name who hast provided the Scriptures for comfort of the Faithful and blessed be thy gracious Wisdom who hast left in thy Church a Rule to interpret Them Lest the unlearned and instable should pervert them to their own destruction Renew O merciful Lord a right spirit in the world a spirit of humility and obedience that in reading those sacred Books none may prefer their private fancys before the testimony of the Church but readily submit to Them whom he that hears hears Thee and he that despises despises Thee * Lest Third Lesson 1 Cor. 11. FOr I received of our Lord that which also I have deliver'd to you that our Lord Jesus in the night wherein he was betray'd took bread and giving thanks brake and said Take and eat This is my Body which shal be deliver'd for you this do in Commemoration of me In like manner also the Chalice after he had supt saying This Chalice is the new Testament in my Blood this do as often as you shal drink it in Commemoration of me For as often as you eat this Bread and drink the Chalice you shall shew our Lords death till he come Therefore who ever shall eat this Bread or drink the Chalice of our Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of our Lord but let a man prove himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of the Chalice for he that eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himself not discerning our Lords Body R. I am the Bread that came down from heav'n not as your fathers ate Manna and dyed he that eats of this Bread shall live for ever and the Bread which I give is my Flesh for the life of the world * These O my dearest Saviour are thy very words O give us always of this Bread As the living Father sent me and I live by the Father so he that eats me shall live by me and I will raise him up at the last day for my Flesh is meat indeed and my Blood is drink indeed * These Glory be c. * These Pause c. as page 17. Thursday Lauds O God incline c. as page 18. Antiph How great is the multitude of thy sweetnes O Lord which thou hast hidden for those that love Thee Psal LVII WHere O thou boundless Ocean of Charity where will thy overflowing streams stay their course We and our ingratitude strive to oppose thee but nothing can resist thy almighty Goodnes When the impiety of man was at the hight and their treacherous heads ploting to betray thee Then did thy wisdom mercifully consult * to overcome our malice with thy bounty Immediately thou contriv'dst an admirable way * to invite all the world to a feast of miracles A feast where thy sacred Body should be our food * and thy precious Blood our drink A feast where thy whole all-glorious Self * is freely given to the meanest guest A feast of peace and love and incomparable sweetnes to which thine own blest mouth thus kindly cals us Come to me you that labour for holines
souls chief hope We to thy mercy fly Wher'ere we are thou canst protect What'ere we need supply Whether we sleep or wake To thee we both resign By night we see as well as day If thy light on us shine Whither we live or dy Both we submit to Thee In death we live as well as life If thine in death we be Glory to Thee great God One coeternal Three To Father Son and holy Ghost Eternal glory be Capit. 1 Thes 5. BUt we who are of the day let us be sober having on us the brest-plate of faith and charity and for a helmet the hope of salvation for God has not appointed us to wrath but to the purchasing salvation thorow Jesus Christ our Lord who dyed for us that whither we wake or sleep we might live together with Him Antiph By seeking our selvs in this world of vanity we lose both thee O Lord and our own souls by seeking our selvs in Thee and thy love we find both Thee and our own happines injoying already a sweet possession of hopes to end e're long in a sweeter fruition of glory V. Thou art O Lord the free bestower of all we have R. Thou art the faithful Promiser of all we expect O Lord hear our Prayers And let our Supplications come to thee Let us pray O Blessed JESU whose sacred Body after thou hadst finisht in it the work of our redemption was taken down from the Cross and after a short repose in the Sepulcher was rais'd again to a glorious immortality Grant us we beseech thee so frequently to renew in our minds the memory of thy grave that we always be prepar'd for our own and so seriously to reflect on the consequences of a holy death that every day we grow less affected to this transitory life and more in love with thy eternal joys who with the Father and the holy Ghost liveth and reigneth one God world without end Amen Vouchasfe c. as Pag. 54. to the end Office of the Holy Ghost Matins Introduction as pag. 1. Psal CV Invitatory Come let 's adore our God that sanctifys us Come let 's adore our God that sanctifys us COme let us humbly first implore his grace to make us worthy to adore our Sanctifier who from the Father and the Son eternally proceeds and with the Father and the Son is equally glorifyed Come let 's adore our God that sanctifys us He infuses into us the breath of life and brings us forth in our second birth a birth that makes us heirs of heav'n and gives us a title to everlasting happines Come let 's adore our God that sanctifys us Let us prepare our understandings to assent to his truths and our wills to follow his divine inspiratons let us fil our memorys with his innumerable mereys and our whole souls with the glory of his Attributes Come let 's adore our God that sanctifys us Let us confidently addres to Him our petitioNs who promises to help the infirmity of our pray'rs let us not doubt the bounty of his goodnes but hope he will grant what Himself inspires to ask Come let 's adore our God that sanctifys us Glory be to the Father and to the Son * and to the holy Ghost As it was in the beginning both now and ever * world without end Amen Come let 's adore our God that sanctifys us Come let 's adore our God that sanctifys us Hymn XXXIII COme holy Spirit come and breath Thy spicy odours on the face Of our dull region here beneath And fil our souls with thy sweet grace Come and root out the poysonous weeds Which over-run and choke our lives And in our harts plant thine own seeds Whose quick'ning power our spirit revives First plant the humble Violet there That dwels secure by dwelling low Then let the Lilly next appear And make us chast yet fruitful too But O! plant all the Vertues Lord And let the metaphors alone Repeat once more that mighty word Thou need'st but say Let it be done We can alas nor be nor grow Unless thy pow'rful mercy please Thy hand must plant and water too Thy hand alone must give th' increase Do then what thou alone canst do Do what to thee so easie is Conduct us through this world of wo And place us safe in thine own blyss All glory to the sacred Three One everliving Soveraign Lord As at the first still may He be Belov'd and prais'd fear'd and ador'd Antiph In those days saith our Lord I wil pour out my spirit upon all flesh Alleluja Alleluja Psal CVI. LOrd with how sweet and natural a conduct * does thy Providence govern the children of men Leading them on from one degree to another till thou hast brought them up to their highest perfection Thou putst them to learn in the school of Vertue and disposest their capacity's into several forms In the first ages when the world was young * thou gav'st them for their guide the book of Nature There thy divine assistance helpt them to read * some few plain Lessons of their duty to Thee They saw this admirable frame of creatures and as far as these could argue they could conclude Sure ther 's a God the cause of all things sure ther 's a Providence the disposer of all things He must be powerful that made so vast a world he must be wise that contriv'd such excellent works He must be goodnes it self that did all this for us and we ingrateful wretches if we 'l do nothing for Him Thus far some few could say and very few could do with those slender assistances they then injoy'd After thou gav'st thy people a written Rule which train'd them up in a set form of discipline Which grew and spred into a publick Religion and uniformly profest by a whole Nation They had some weak conceit of the Kingdom of heav'n and some imperfect means to bring them thither But for those high supernatural Mysterys * that so gloriously exalt the Christian faith They all alas were blind or in the dark and dangerously expos'd to the effects of their ignorance Wanting those clear instructions to know their End wanting those powerful motives to love their God Yet this prepar'd them for the times of Grace * to which thy mercy O Lord reserv'd far greater favours To which thou hadst promis'd by thy holy Prophets * an effusion of blessings from thine own full hands I will put my Law in their bowels and write it in their harts I will be their God and they shal be my People I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shal prophesy They shal teach no more every one his Neighbor for all shal know me from the greatest to the least O merciful Lord who hast lov'd us from the begining be graciously pleased to love us to the end Pity the unhappy state of faln mankind which neither nature nor law could bring to perfection If any riper souls
to teach us and dy to redeem us Was not all this enough to make us love and love is all he aim'd at and love is all we needed Let us confess to thee O mercifull Lord let us confess to thee our miserable condition Such was alas the corruption of our nature and so many and strong the rentations round about us That without this thy last miraculous favour * of sending the holy Ghost to guide and quicken us We should have still remain'd in our old dull pace slow to understand and slower to obey We should have quite forgotten our God that made us and neglected the service of our Lord that bought us Had not thy fulnes been readily furnisht * with one blessing more to bestow on thy children Ha'dst not thou providently reserv'd a better blessing then the dew of the clouds and fatnes of the earth Better then plenty of corn and wine * or the multitude of posterity or dominon o're our Brethren These were the great rewards of the old Law but behold far greater then these are here Divine refreshments from the heav'n of heav'ns and the rare delicious fruits of the holy Ghost Meeknes and peace and joy diffus'd in our brests strength and undaunted courage kindled in our harts A thousand sweet imbraces of the Spouse of Souls a thousand dear pledges of his everlasting love These are the great rewards of the law of grace and given to prepare us for the Kingdom of glory O blessed Spirit who bestow'st thy favours as thou pleasest and the more thou hast given stil the more thou giv'st Fit and dispose thy servants first to entertain thee then graciously vouchsafe to descend into our harts Fil us O holy Ghost and our litle Vessels and as thou fil'st us inlarge our capacitys Make us the more we receive of thee stil grow in desire of receiving more Til we ascend to those satisfying joys above where all our facultys shal be stretcht to the utmost Where they shal all be fil'd to the brim and overflow'd with a torrent of pleasure for ever Glory be c. Psal CX Blessed for ever be thy name O holy Spirit and blessed be the bounty of thy goodnes When the eternal Father by creating the world * had declar'd Himself and his almighty Power When the Increated Word by redeeming mankind * had reveal'd Himself and his infinite Wisdom When now there remain'd but one seal more * to be open'd of the Book of divine Mysteryes Behold a strange condescendance to our weak nature the invisible Spirit visibly appears He descends from heav'n in the shape of a doue and gently lights on the Prince of peace Again he descends in the liknes of fire and miraculously sits on the heads of the Disciples Mingling thus together into one blest compound * those cheif ingredients of excellent vertue Mildnes to allay the heat of zeal and zeal to quicken the indifferency of mildnes Innocence to adorn the light of knowledg and knowledg to direct the simplicity of innocence O blest and admirable Teacher who can instruct like the spirit of God! He needs no years to finish his course but with a swift and effecacious touch consummates all things He entred the soul of a young delighter in musick and presently sanctify'd him into a Composer of Psalms He took a poor shepherd from following the flock and immediatly rais'd him to the degree of a Prophet He by one lesson perfected the Disciples and polisht rude fishermen into eloquent Prechers He toucht the hart of a persecuting Pharisee instantly chang'd him into a glorious Apostle All this thou hast done O infinite Goodnes and all we do is wrought in us by thee By thee we are regenerated at first in our baptism by thee confirm'd in the imposition of hands By thee we are heal'd in the Sacrament of Penance by thee prepar'd for that banquet of the bread of Angels By thee thy choycer servants are consecrated into Priests by thee our marriages are sanctifyed into blessings By thee our souls are comforted on our beds of sicknes and by thy holy vnction all our life is govern'd If in the Church be any wisdom or knowledg if any real sanctâ—â—ty or decent order If any faith of the mysterys of religion if any hope of everlasting salvation If any love of God as our soverain bliss if any mutual charity of one towards another If any miracles to convert unbelievers or quicken devotion in such as faintly beleeve All flows from Thee and thy free grace O thou boundles Ocean of eternal mercys All flows from Thee and may we all return * our litle streams in tribute to thy bounty May every favour thou offer'st be thankfully receiv'd and every talent thou bestow'st diligently improv'd So shal we faithfully perform our duty and render to thy grace its just glory While whate're we have we acknowledge from thee and whate're thou giv'st us is not in vain Glory be c. Psal CXI STil let us sing O blessed Spirit to Thee let us humbly sing these few lines more To Thee the eternal Love of the Father and the Son and glorious Finisher of that sacred Mystery To Thee the quickning Spirit of regenerate Souls in whom they live and move and have their being To Thee the soveraign Balsom of our wounds and only Comfort of all our sorrows To Thee our Refuge in this place of banishment and faithful Guide in this wandring pilgrimage To Thee the sacred Pledg of our free adoption and ensuring Seal of our eternal Salvation What do we say O thou adorable Spirit of God! what do we say when we utter such words as these We say what we can in our low capacity but alas how short of thy unspeakable excellencys O that we had the tongues of Saints and Angels O that we had thine own miraculous tongues Those which sate flaming on the heads of the Apostles and made them speak thy wonders in every language Stil all our praises would be poor and narrow stil infinitely less then thy more then infinite perfections But if we cannot speak as our God deservs shal we hold our peace which our God forbids Wo be to them O Lord who are silent of Thee and spend the breath thou giv'st them on any but Thy self O thou who openest the mouths of the dumb and makest the tongues of children eloquent Inspire thy servants if not with expressions suitable to Thee at least with such as are profitable to us Such as may instruct us what we ought to do such as may move us to do what we say And when we have try'd our best endeavours and taken measure of our own defects Let us beg this charity of thy Blessed above to supply our weaknes with their worthier hymns Praise the eternal Spirit O thou Queen of Saints by whom the world's Redeemer was conceiv'd in thâ—â— womb By whom thou wert made the Mother of the Son of God so high a favour to thee and so happy
there and part with life it self to dy and go thither Alas how short are we of these perfections how slowly do we follow those excellent Guides O that we liv'd I dare not say blest Souls like you * whose aim was high and a generous heat bet in your brests But that our harts desire were to live like you and what you really did we really wisht to do O that we liv'd in some degree like you and lov'd to think and read and speak of you To sign and publish your heroick Acts and where we cannot imitate at least admire At least let us learn to humble our selvs and check the vanity of our proud conceits Let us mourn and blush at our many infirmitys and so much the louder call to heav'n for releef Hear us you blessed Saints who dwel secure above and turn your eys of pity towards us below Look down with tendernes on our world of miserys and bow your charitable knees to the God of mercys That what our own unworthines cannot obtain we may hope to receive by your holy prayers Glory be c. Antiph Help us you blessed Citizens of heav'n direct our way you who have attain'd your end Antiph Fear not my soul our God has a blessing too for us if we have a love and obedience for Him Psal CXXVI LEt us humble our selvs but not grow faint * at the sight of others so far before us Rather let us quicken our sloth by their swift pace and encourage our fears with their happy success We who profess the Religion of all these Saints who liv'd and dy'd in the same Church with us We who partake of the same holy Sacraments and eat the same celestial Food Why should we fear one day to shine above and rejoyce together with you glorious Saints Are we not all redeem'd by the same rich price the same eternal crowns propos'd to us all Are we not bred in the same Apostolick faith and nurst at the brests of the same Catholick Church The Lessons I see and Teacher is the same but the hand is dul and instrument out of tune You liv'd indeed in a dangerous world like this and were ty'd to bodys frail as ours But by a constant vigilance you o'recame the world and subdu'd your bodys to the service of your minds You overcame with a joyful hart * and we thus congratulate the triumph of your victorys You overcame but not by your own strong hand you now triumph but 't is by the bounty of your God Chear then thy self my soul raise thy head * and open thy bosom to the hopes of heaven Fear not our God has a blessing too for us if we have a love and obedience for Him If we delight in the ways of piety and diligently attend the Offices of devotion If we refrain from the libertys of the world and curb the loose suggestions of the flesh If we can look on gold and honor and their flaming beams not dazle our eys If we perform with them the part of faithful servants * we shal surely with them have the portion of children Glory be c. Antiph Fear not my soul our God has a blessing too for us if we have a love and obedience for Him Antiph Precious in thy sight O Lord is the death of thy Saints precious to thee and themselvs and us Psal CXXVII PRecious in thy fight O Lord is the death of thy Saints which finishes thy greatest work the perfecting of Souls Whom Thou esteem'st as the jewels of heav'n and choicely gather'st into thine own Treasury Precious to themselvs O Lord is the death of thy Saints which takes off the dusky cover that hides their brightnes Which shapes and polishes them to a beauteous luster and sets them as stars round about thy Throne Precious to us O Lord is the death of thy Saints which makes us heirs of so great a welth Which leaves us furnisht with so rich variety that every kind of want is abundantly supply'd Some teach us courage to encounter dangers and not for fear make Shipwrack of our conscience Others instruct us to converse with meeknes and patiently bear neglects and injurys From some we learn how wisely to use this world and make it serve us in our way to the next From others how more generously to renounce it and pass our time in peace and prayer From all we learn this best of arts to live and dy like Saints and in the best of methods their own example O gracious Lord whose love still looks about and searches every way to save us siners Who cam'st thy self bright Sun of glory * to inlighten our darknes and warm our frozen harts Who with thy fruitful beams stil kindlest others to burn as tapers in thy Churches hand And by their near proportionate distance stand fit to shine into every corner of our lives O make us bless thy Name for all these mercys and let not one be lost by our ingratitude Let us not see in vain the crown at the races end and sit down lazily in the shades of ease Let us not keep in vain these sacred memorys to be only a reproach to our unprofitable lives But let us stretch our selvs and pursue to the mark for the glorious prizeis that set before us Stil with our utmost speed let us follow Them whose travails ended in so sweet a rest And when our life's last day begins to fal and bids us hasten to prepare for night Then come you holy Angels and watch about 〈◊〉 and suffer not the enemy to disturb our â—â—ssage Come and receive in peace our departing souls and bear them safely to the presence of our Lord. Then O Thou blessed Virgin-Mother protect us with thy favor and all you glorious Saints assist us with your pray'rs Then O Thou dear Redeemer of the world and Soveraign King of life and death Thou who despisest not the tears of the penitent nor turnest away from the sighs of the afflicted Thou who preserv'dst all that rely on Thee and fulfilst their desires that long to be with Thee Hear Thou our cryes and pardon our sins and graciously deliver us from all our fears Cal us to thy self with thine own blest voice cal us O dearest JESU in thine own sweet words Come you Blessed of my Father possess the kingdom * prepared for you from the foundation of the world Then O my happy soul immediately obey and go forth with gladnes to meet the Lord To live with Him and behold his glory to rejoyce with Him and sing his Praise Glory be c. Antiph Precious in thy sight O Lord is the death of thy Saints precious to Thee and themselvs and us Hymn XXXIX NIght forbear alas our Praise And our young begining hope Set to grow on these blest days Faint and dull requires more scope 'T will not hear but sullen flys Summons all the world to sleep Bids us close our books and eys What