Devotions in the ancient way of offices with psalms, hymns, and prayers for every day in the week and every holiday in the year.

Psal. XVII.

DEliver us, O Lord, from asking of Thee * what we cannot receive without danger to our selvs.

Deliver us from receiving what we cannot use *, without offending others, and ruining our own souls.

Deliver us from presuming so on thy bounty *, that we omit to perform our own duty.

Still to our devotion let us joyn our best endea∣vours *, and make our earth comply with thy heaven.

If we desire of Thee to relieve our necessitys *, let us faithfully begin to labor with our hands.

And not expect a blessing from the clouds *, on the idle follys of an undisciplin'd life.

If we beg grace for victory o're our passions; let us constantly strive to resist their assaults.

Let us wisely foresee our particular dangers; and use the proper weapon against every sin.

To obtain the gift of chastity, we must morti∣fy our senses; and immediately fly the least shadow of tentation.

In vain we approach thy holy Altars; if our lives prepare not the way for our Offerings.

Thou shut'st thy ears to our loudest pray'rs; if we open not ours to the voice of the poor.

Thou deny'st to pardon our trespasses against

Thee; unless we already have forgiven our Ene∣mys.

O the extreme benignity of our glorious God! who treats with his creatures on equal terms.

Who deals no otherwise with us miserable wretches; then we our selvs commerce with one another.

He promises to give us the same measure we give our neighbors; and performs incompara∣bly more then he promises.

Prest down, and shaken together, and runing over *, into the bosoms of them that love him.

Such, O my God, is the bounty of thy Good∣ness; and no less the patience of thy generous hand.

Thou holdest thy blessings hovering o're our heads; still watching the time when we are fit to receive them.

Then thou immediately send'st them down upon us; to enter our harts, and dwell with us for ever.

Even that very temper which thus disposes us *, intirely depends on the favour of thy provi∣dence.

Every Condition thou requirest on our part * being nothing else but thine own free gift.

Thy mercy alone is the fountain of all our blessings; and, in what channel soever they flow to us, they spring from Thee.

Thou art the God of nature and reason; Thou art the God of grace and religion.

Give, gracious God, what thou art pleas'd to command; and then command what thou pleasest.

Glory be, &c.

Antiph. You have not, because you ask not; you ask and receive not, because you ask amiss.

Our Father, &c.

First Lesson.

GOd from the beginning made man, and left him in the hand of his own counsel. He added his commandments and precepts; if thou wilt keep them, they will preserve thee. Fire and water he has set before thee; stretch forth thy hand to which thou wilt. Before man is life and death, good and evil; that which he chuses shall be given him: for the Wisdom of God is great, and he is mighty in power; his eys are towards them that fear him, and he knows every work of man. He has commanded none to do wickedly; nor given any a lycence to sin: but the penitent he restores to the way of justice; and those who were failing in per∣severance he confirms, and appoints them the lot of truth. Turn to our Lord, and forsake thy sins; pray before his face, and lessen thy offen∣ces. Be not rash with thy mouth, nor let thy

hart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heav'n, and thou art on earth; there∣fore let thy words be few. Before prayer pre∣pare thy soul; and be not as one that tempts God. Go not after thy concupiscences, but turn away from thine own will; if thou giv'st to thy soul her desires, it will make thee a derision to thy enemys. A wise man will fear in every thing; and in the occasion of sin will take heed of being negligent. He that loves danger shall perish therin; and he that despises small things shall fall by litle and litle. Better is he that has less knowledg, and fears; then he that abounds in understanding, and transgresses the Law of the Highest.

R. My soul, what canst thou wish for more? behold thy gracious Lord offers thee to chuse what thou wlt, and promises to give thee what thou chusest. * O infinite Goodnes! 'tis Thy self alone I chuse; Thou art my only happines for ever. I see my portion hereafter depends on my choice here; but my choice, O Lord, de∣pends on thee: guide me with thy holy grace, that I withdraw my affections from all vain and perishable creatures, and fix them intirely on the enjoyment of Thee, my Lord, and my God, and my eternal felicity. * O infinite Goodnes! 'tis thy self—

Second Lesson.

THe beginning of wisdom is the true desire of discipline; and the care of discipline is love; and love is the keeping of her laws; and the keeping of her laws is the accomplish∣ment of incorruption, and incorruption makes us next to God: therefore the desire of wisdom leads us to an everlasting Kingdom. If then you be delighted with Thrones and Scepters, seek wisdom that you may reign for ever. Into a ma∣licious soul wisdom will not enter, nor dwell in a body subject to sins: for the holy Spirit will fly from him that dissembles, and withdraw him∣self from thoughts that are without understand∣ing; and be chaced away when iniquity comes in. The Spirit of wisdom is gentle, and will not deliver the Curser from his own lips: for God is witnes of his reins, and searcher of his hart, and hearer of his tongue; therefore he that speaks unjust things cannot be hidden, nor shall the cha∣stizing vengeance forbear him. If thou shalt call for wisdom, and incline thy hart to prudence; if thou shalt seek her as mony, and dig her up as treasure: then shalt thou understand the fear of our Lord, and fynd the knowledg of God. For, our Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth is prudence and knowledge.

R. Send down, O thou God of our Fathers and Lord of mercy! send down thy Wisdom

thy holy heav'n, and from the seat of thy great∣nes to be in us, and labor with us, and teach us what is acceptable to thee: * That we may know our end, and wisely chuse our way; and order all our actions to our true felicity. Our thoughts are fearful, and our prudences incer∣tain; we scarce conjecture the things that are on earth, and find with pains the things that are in sight: Give us O Lord the wisdom that assists at thy Throne, and reject us not from among thy Children: * That we may —

Third Lesson.

THe Spirit of those that fear God shal live, and at his sight shal be Blessed: for their hope is in him that saves them, and the eys of God are on them that love him. He that fears our Lord shal tremble at nothing, because He is his hope: he raises up the Soul, and illumi∣nates the eys, and gives life and health and blessing: Our Lord is only theirs who expect him in the way of truth and justice: the Highest allows not the gifts of the wicked, nor regards the oblations of the unjust; nor pardons their offences for the multitude of their sacrifices. By mercy and faith sins are purged; and by the fear of our Lord every one declines from evil: Despise not a man that turns himself from sin, nor upbraid him therwith; remember we are all in state to be blam'd. Forgive thy neighbor that

hurts thee; and when thou pray'st thy sins shal be forgiven thee: One man reservs anger against another, and does he seek pardon of God? he has not mercy on a man like himself, and does he intreat for his own sins? Remember the last things, and cease to be at enmity: remember the fear of God, and be not angry with thy neighbor. Hast thou sin'd? do so no more; but withal; pray that thy former sins may be for∣given thee. Fly from sin as from the face of a serpent: if thou approach, it will bite thee; the teeth thereof are as the teeth of lyons, killing the souls of men. He that is washt from the dead, and touches him again; what does his wash∣ing profit him? so a man that fasts for his sins, and does the same again; what avails it to have humbled himself? who will hear his prayer?

R. Deliver us O Lord from relapsing into the sins we have repented, the sins we so often have promised to amend: Deliver us from all malice and enmity with our neighbors; and from oppressing the poor, who have none to defend them. * Then may we confidently ex∣pect thy protection; if we serve Thee, and love one another. Thou art our strength O Lord, whom shall we fear? Thou art our Salvation, of what shall we be afraid? nothing can hurt us, but our own vicious desires; nothing can endan∣ger us, but disobedience to our God: * Then may we —

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Then may we confidently expect thy protection; if we serve Thee, and love one another.

Pause a while to reflect, and renew at∣tention; then begin

Monday Lauds.

O God incline unto our aid:

O Lord make hast to help us:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost:

As it was in the begining, both now and ever; world without end, Amen. Alleluia.

Antiph. Bless our Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, praise his holy Name.