Devotions in the ancient way of offices. With psalms, hymns, and prayers for every day of the week and every holiday in the year. / Reformed by A person of quality, ; and published by George Hickes, D.D.

Compline for our Blessed Saviour

Antiphon.

Whither, O my God, should we go, but unto Thee? thou hast the words of eternal Life.

Psalm 102.

REtire now, O my Soul, from thy com∣mon Thoughts; permitted to en∣tertain thy less serious Hours.

Retire, and call thy wandering Fancies home; and speedily range them into Peace and Order.

Come to me (saith our blessed Saviour) all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my Yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in Heart; and ye shall find rest unto your Souls.

For my Yoke is easie; and my burden light.

Enough, dear Lord, enough is said; to draw all the World to thy Holy Disci∣pline.

What can be offer'd so agreeable to our Natures; (too much, alas, inclin'd to Plea∣sure and Profit.)

What can be offer'd so powerfully at∣tractive; as to make our work delightful, and then reward it?

As to propose an employment like the Musick of Churches; devout and sweet, and gainful to the Performers?

Whither, O my God, should we go, but unto Thee? thou hast the words of eternal Life.

Thou art our wisest Instructer to know what to do; and only enabler to do what we know.

Thou art the free bestower of all we have; and faithful Promiser of all we hope.

Thou kindly call'st us; O make us glad to hear thy Voice; and constantly follow it till we come to Thee:

There to be ravish'd with thy Holy Embraces; there to be feasted with the Antepasts of Heaven.

O how unspeakable are thy sweetnesses, O Lord; which thou hast hid for those that fear Thee?

Which thou hast partly reveal'd to those that love Thee; and keep their Tastes uncorrupted with the World.

But O what are they then to those that see Thee; and in that sight see all things else?

O beauteous Truth, which known, en∣forces Love; and lov'd begets Felicity!

Live thou for ever in my faithful Me∣mory; and be my constant Guide in all my ways.

Still let me think on those Joys above; and undervalue all things compar'd to my Salvation.

Still let me think on my Saviour's Love; that purchas'd for me all those Joys.

O thou, my ador'd Redeemer, be thou the Master-Wish of my Heart; the Scope and End of all my Time.

Soon as I awake, let me look up to Thee; and when I rise first lowly bow to Thee.

Often in the Day let me call in my Thoughts to Thee; and when I go to rest close up mine Eyes in Thee.

So shall my Time be govern'd by thy Grace; and my Eternity be crown'd with thy Glory.

Glory be to the Father, &c. As it was in the beginning, &c.

Psalm 103.

MY God, when I remember those words of thine; Repent, for the King∣dom of Heaven is at hand:

When I consider, they were the first thine Inspir'd Prophet, St. John Baptist, spoke in Publick; and that it was the cho∣sen Text of the eternal Wisdom:

Instantly I'm struck with the Impor∣tance of the Duty; and deeply affected with the power of the Motive.

If what this Line says be not wholly true, but repeated in course as a Form of Devotion:

Forgive, dear Lord, the deceitfulness of my Heart; and make me think, as well as say my Prayers.

Make me apply those searching words unto my self; and bind them fast on my own Soul.

Repent, O my Soul, for the Kingdom of Heav'n is at hand; Repent, for the Kingdom of Heav'n depends upon thy Repentance.

Unhappy me! I cannot live without Sin, nor hope for Pardon without due Repentance.

I cannot repent without the Grace of God; nor obtain his Grace without his own free Gift.

O my sweet Saviour, who cam'st not to call the Righteous, but Sinners to Re∣pentance!

Since I am not strong enough to be per∣fectly Innocent; at least make me humble enough to be truly Penitent.

Make me heartily sorry for what I've done amiss; and not do again what will make me sorry.

Wo to the Day and Hour wherein I sin'd; wo to the Days and Hours I have foolishly mispent.

Or rather wo be unto me, who have abus'd both Days and Hours; allow'd by thy Goodness to work out my Salvation.

Deliver me, O Lord, from the Punish∣ments I deserve; deliver me from the Sins that deserve those Punishments.

Teach me that safe and easie Method of censuring my self to be acquitted by Thee.

Every Night let me sit as an impartial Judge; and call before me all my Day.

Let me severely examine every Thought and Word; and strictly search every Deed and Omission:

Condemning my Offences to their just Penance; and making more firm and wary Resolutions:

Imploring for the past the Mercy of Heaven; and for the time to come the same unbounded Mercy.

If I perhaps find some little thing well done; when weigh'd with the allowances indulg'd our Frailty:

Let me return all the Glory to my God; and beg his Grace to continue and im∣prove it:

His is the Hand that sows the Seed; his is the Blessing that gives the encrease.

Thus let me once a day, at least, look home; and seriously enquire into the state of my Soul.

What e'er my Weakness or Malice may have done, let me now undo with a hearty contrition.

Let not the Sun go down upon my Wrath; nor on any unrepented Sin.

Still let me write at the foot of my ac∣count; reconcil'd to my God, and in Charity with all the World.

Then go to Bed with a quiet Consci∣ence; and fall asleep in Peace and Hope.

Glory be to the Father, &c. As it was in the beginning, &c.

Psalm 104.

LOrd, e're I take my leave of this Holy Day; which thy Church has Sancti∣fied in honour of thy Memory:

Let me repeat some few words more, of those incomparable many thou hast left amongst us.

Let me attentively meditate their sub∣stantial sense; and settle them as Princi∣ples of my Life and Actions.

Lay not up for your selves Treasures upon Earth; where Moth and Rust doth corrupt, and where Thieves break through and steal.

But lay up for your selves Treasures in Hea∣ven; where neither Moth nor Rust doth cor∣rupt, and where Thieves do not break through and Steal.

For where your Treasure is, there will your Heart be also.

Go now you curious, and study what you please; for me, I'll stay and listen to my Saviour.

He'll teach me high, and sure, and use∣ful Truths; he'll teach me Truths that will make me happy.

Hark but this one word more, and you'll stay too; if that any sense of your eternal Good can hold you.

Hark, how he tells us this new and glorious Secret; we shall hereafter be like the Angels in Heaven.

O sweet and precious Word to them that relish it; we shall be hereafter like the Angels in Heaven!

And what, O dearest Lord, are those blessed Angels; but Spirits that know, and love, and delight for ever?

Such, O my Soul, we shall be, and that sweet Life we shall lead; we shall be and live like the Angels in Heaven.

We shall know all that's True, and love all that's Good; and shall delight in that Knowledge and Love for ever.

No Ignorance shall darken, nor Error deceive us; we shall be like the Angels in Heaven.

No Cares shall perplex us, nor Crosses afflict us; we shall be like the Angels in Heaven.

Our Joys shall be full, and pure, and everlasting; we shall be like the Angels in Heaven.

Chear thee, my Soul, and bless thy bounteous Lord; 'tis by him we shall be like the Angels in Heaven.

Chear thee, and raise thy hopes yet gloriously higher; we shall be like him∣self, for we shall see him as he is.

Glory be to the Father, &c. As it was in the beginning, &c.

Antiphon.

Whither, O my God, should we go, but unto Thee? thou hast the words of eternal Life.

Hymn 32.

LOrd, now the time returns For weary Man to rest; And lay aside those Pains and Cares, With which our day's opprest.

Or rather change our Thoughts To more concerning Cares; How to redeem our mispent Time, With Sighs, and Tears, and Prayers.

How to provide for Heaven, That place of rest and peace; Where our full Joys shall never wain, Our Pleasures never cease.

Blest be thy Love, dear Lord, That taught us this sweet way; Only to love thee for thy self, And for that Love Obey.

O thou, our Souls sweet hope, We to thy Mercy fly; Where'er we are, thou can'st Protect, What e'er 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.

Whether we live or die, 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 co-eternal Three; To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Eternal Glory be. Amen.

1 Thess. Chap. 5. Ver. 8.

BUT let us, who are of the Day be Sober, putting on the Breast-plate of Faith, and Love, and for an Helmet the hope of Salvation.

For God hath not appointed us to Wrath, but to obtain Salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ; who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Antiphon.

By seeking our selves in this World of Vanity, we lose, both Thee, O Lord, and our own Souls.

By seeking our selves in Thee, and thy Love, we find both Thee and our own Happiness, enjoying already a sweet Pos∣session of Hopes, to end e're long in a sweeter fruition in Glory.

V. Thou art the free bestower of all we have.

R. Thou art the faithful Promiser of all we expect.

Let us pray.

O Blessed Jesus, whose Sacred Body, after thou had'st finish'd in it the work of our Redemption, was taken down from the Cross, and after a short repose in the Sepulcher, wast raised again to a glorious Immortality! Grant us, we beseech thee, so frequently to renew in our Minds the Memory of thy Grave, that we may be always prepared for our own; and so seriously to reflect on the Conse∣quences 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, livest, and reignest, one God, World without End. Amen.