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. XLIX.

LOrd, as thy all-wise Providence seems to sleep sometimes, * and permit the storm to grow high and loud;

Yet never fail'st to relieve thy servants, * who faithfully call on thee in their day of trouble:

So let thy favorable hand still bear us up, when thou seest us charg'd with any strong assault:

Leave us not then to our own infirmities; lest the enemy of our souls prevail against us:

Forsake not our misery when we are faln; lest we ly for ever groveling on the earth:

Suffer not our frailtys to become a custom; lest we dy impenitent, and perish without re∣covery:

Deliver us, O Lord, from the occasions of

sin; and the improtunities of such as delight in folly:

Deliver us from the snare of enticing com∣pany; and the dangerous infection of ill ex∣ample:

Infection that spreads in every place its poy∣sonous air; * and, where e're it enters, corrupts and kills.

Once more, my soul, let us repeat this prayer; and humbly implore again so necessary a bles∣sing.

Deliver us, O Lord, from the occasions of sin; and the importunitys of such as delight in folly:

Deliver us from the snare of enticing com∣pany; and the dangerous infection of ill ex∣ample:

Set a strict watch continually over our eys; and diligently keep the door of our lips:

Govern all our senses that they seduce not our minds; and order every motion of our hart and fancy:

Perfect, O dear Redeemer, the work thou hast begun; and make even our passions servants of thy grace:

Change our rude anger to a severity against our selvs *, and a prudent zeal for others:

Convert our fear into a timorousness to of∣fend *, and an awful reverence of thy sacred Name:

Let all our affections be turn'd into charity; that our harts may desire nothing but Thee:

Whom we may safely love with our whole strength; whose heav'n we may covet, and fear no excess.

O Thou, whose blysful vision is the joy of Angels, * and soveraign happines of all thy Saints!

O that our souls could love thee without li∣mits; as thou art in thy self most infinitely amiable!

That we could fix all our thoughts on Thee; and never take them off from the memory of thy Sweetnes!

At least, O thou fountain of eternal bounty *, that flows so freely with perpetual blessings!

Let every day we receive of thee * still set a∣part some portion of its self;

Seriously to meditate thy infinite mercys; and hartily rejoyce in thy glorious rewards:

Mercys that give us all we have; and rewards that reserve for us all we can wish.

Glory be, &c.

Antiph. All our lots are in the hands of God, and all our safety in the assistance of his grace.

Capit. 5. Gal.

THe works of the flesh are manifest; which are fornication, uncleanes, wantonnes, luxury, serving of Idols, witchcraft, enmities,

contentions, emulations, angers, brauls, seditions, sects, envys, murthers, drunkennesses, riots, and such like: and they who do such things shall not obtain the Kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodnes, long-suffering, mildnes, faith, modesty, continency, chastity: against such there is no Law.

Hymn XV.

LEt them go court what joys they please; And gain what e're they court: For me, I find but litle ease, In all their gayest sport.

Be thou alone but with my hart; My God, my only Blyss: I shall not murmur at my part; Nor envy their success.

They talk of pleasure, talk of gain; None must their humor cross: But well I know their pleasure's pain; Their greatest profit, loss.

Let them talk on; and have not we Our gains, our pleasures too? Pleasures that spring more sweet and free; Gains that more fully flow.

Nay, well endur'd, our very pains To us a pleasure are: And all our losses turn to gains; If hopes may have their share.

And sure they may; such hopes as chear The heav'n espoused brest: Hopes, that so strangely charm us here, What will they be possest!

All Glory to the sacred Three; All honor power and praise: As 'twas at first, still may it be, Beyond the end of days.

Antiph. When O my soul, did we ever fol∣low our passions; but they instantly wrought our disturbance, and threatned at last our ruin? when did we ever turn our thoughts to piety; but it presently brought us peace, and refresht our minds with new hopes of felicity?

V. The winds are often rough, and our own weight presses us downwards.

R. Reach forth, O Lord, thy saving hand, and speedily deliver us.

O Lord hear our prayers:

And let our supplications come to thee.

Let us pray.

O God, whose infinite mercy has vouchsaft us the mighty Rescue of thy only Son,

from the desperate rebellion of our passions, which utterly confound the government and peace of our souls! Grant, we humbly beseech Thee, that our experience of the miserable ef∣fects of yielding to their allurements, may make us ••••arier in observing, and severer in repres∣sing their first motions; and thy grace so strong∣ly fortify us against all their furious and re∣peated assaults, that Reason may more and more recover its due force, and calmly joyn with Faith to secure and exalt in our harts the blysful throne of thy Charity; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who, &c.

O Lord hear, &c. as page 45.

Wednesday Complin.

OUr help is in, &c. as page 46.

Antiph. Repent now, my soul, for the evils thou hast done; and bless thy God, for the goods thou hast receiv'd.