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. XCVII.

SIng on, my soul, the praises of the Lord; sing on with fresh attention the mercys of thy God:

Whose wisdom has contriv'd ••••o compendious a method, * to redeem mankind by one short word:

He saw the only cause of all our ruine * was our love misplac't on this present world:

He saw the only remedy of all our misery * was to fix our love on the world to come.

This therefore was his great intent; and in this concentred all his merits:

To change the byass of our wrong-set harts, by establishing among us new motives of charity:

Such as might strongly incline our affections: and efficaciously draw us to love our true Good:

Such as might gain by degrees upon all man∣kind; and render salvation easie and universal:

For this, he came down from his Fathers bo∣som, * to teach us the Rules of eternal life:

That we might firmly believe those sacred truths, * which God himself with his own mouth had told us:

For this, he converst so long on our earth, * to encourage and provoke us by his own ex∣ample:

That he might confidently imbrace those un∣questionable

vertues; * which God himself in his own Person had practis'd:

For this, he endur'd those sharp and many af∣flictions; and became at last obedient even to death:

That we might patiently suffer whatever should befal us, * when God himself was so treated by his creatures.

For this, he so often preacht of the joys of heav'n; and set them before us in so clear a light:

That seeing so rich a prize hang at the race's end, we might run and strain our utmost force to gain it:

For this, he ordain'd the Mysterys of grace; and left us a Sacrifice made all of miracles:

That he might breed and nourish in us the life of charity; and ravish our harts with the sweet∣nes of his presence.

For this, he establisht a perpetual Church; and sent the holy Ghost to inspire and govern it:

That it might flourish for ever in truth and sanctity; and plant the same heav'nly seed over all the world.

For this, he assum'd those strange endearing names * of friend, and brother, and spouse to us wretches:

Doing far more for us then all those names import, * then all our harts can wish.

Blessed, O glorious JESU, be the wisdom of

thy mercy, * that has found so sweet and short away to save us.

Thou art, O Lord, the cause of our love; and love the cause of our happiness:

By love we fulfil all thy commands; and by making us love, Thou fulfil'dst all thy Fa∣ther's:

By love we are reconcil'd from enemys to friends; by love we are translated from death to life:

By love we are deliver'd from the fear of hell; by love we are adopted to be heirs of heav'n:

By love we are dispos'd for that blysful Visi∣on; by love we are secur'd of the enjoyment of our God:

Who by the sole perfection of his own free goodnes, * can never deny Himself to any that love him:

Else would their very loving Him be the cause of their misery; since the misery of a soul is the want of what it loves.

Thus, Lord, whate're thy holy Books record of Thee, in words comporting with our low ca∣pacitys:

Whate're they say of thy Restoring all things; and Repairing again the ruines of mankind:

All is exactly verify'd by this one line, which may our thankful harts repeat with joy:

Heav'n is attain'd by love alone; and love a∣lone by Thee.

Glory be, &c.