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. LXXXVI.

WHy do we stil pursue this world; and so eagerly seek its fond enjoyments?

A world of vanity and false deceits; a world of misery and sad disasters:

Whose crosses are solid and comforts empty; whose sorrows are permanent and delights pass quickly away:

A world where the innocent are condemn'd with shame; and the guilty freed with applause.

Where often the wicked are advanc'd to ho∣nour; and the vertuous opprest with disgrace:

Where friends fall off and kindred forget; and every one minds his private interest.

Yet are we taken with this crooked world; and blindly court its painted face:

We make some ugly passion mistress of our hart; and neglect the pure and amiable love of JESUS:

Whose goodnes to us gives us all we have; whose perfections in himself are more then we can conceive.

Thou art, O glorious JESU, the beauty of Angels; and the everlasting joy of all thy Saints:

Thou art the heay'n of heav'n it self; and in thy sight alone is the fulnes of Blyss.

All this thou art, and infinitely more; and yet, alas, how few esteeem thee!

The world, we dearly know, too often has

deceiv'd us; and our rashnes cares not to be un∣done again:

Thou never, O JESU, hast fail'd our hope; and our dulnes fears to rely on Thee:

The world distracts and embroils our spirits; and wretched we delight in our misery:

Thou always, O JESU, fil'st our harts with peace; and sensles we are weary of thy hap∣pines:

The world calls, and we faint in following it; thou cal'st, and we are stil reliev'd by Thee:

Yet is our nature so ingratefully perverse; we run after that which tires, and abandon that which refreshes:

Somtimes our lips speak gloriously of Thee; O Thou living fountain of eternal Blyss!

Some happy times we relish thy sweetnes; and decry aloud the poyson of the world:

But we are soon enticed by its guilded cup; and easily forsake the waters of life:

O Blessed JESU, who took'st upon thee all our frailtys; to bestow on us thine own per∣fections:

Teach us to prize the joys of heav'n; and part with all things else to purchase Thee:

Make all the pleasures of this life, seem b••••t∣ter to our tasts; as they are indeed pernitious to our helths:

Let not their flatterys any more delude us; nor superfluous cares perplex our minds:

But may our chief delight be to think on Thee; and all our study to grow in thy love.

Glory be, &c.

Antiph. They who use this world, let them be as if they us'd it not: for the figure of this world passes away.

Antiph. We by a fond self-love blame every thing but our selvs; while nothing can hurt us, but our own misplac't affections.