The daily exercises of a Christian life or the interiour spirit with which we ought to animate our actions throughout the whole day: With an easy instruction for mentall prayer, translated out of French by I.W. of the Soc. of Jesus.

IV. MASSE.

AT eight of the clock hear masse, according to the practice which has been taught you, or according to the spiritual exercise which you have for this purpose in some of your ma∣nuals, or else you may satisfie your self with observing the following di∣rections. First go quietly to the Church, begging of the blessed Vir∣gin to obtain for you such sentiments & feelings of compassion & loue as she had for her son when she accom∣panied him to Mount Calvary, & say to your self come let us go my

Soul, let us go to see thy Saviour crucified. Secondly, entring into the Church, take holy water, conceiving an hearty sorrow for your sins; & keeping your eyes in an humble sub∣missive posture, before your God & your Judge adore him with a lively faith, & give him your heart. So long as you shall be in the Church, & chiefly all the time of holy masse continue in a respectfull posture without looking about, and do not sit down, unless by reason of some indisposition or weakness, or that you should stay there very long. Thirdly, offer the mass you go to hear unto Almighty God, in union with the intentions which Iesus Christ himself had, when he offered the same sacrifice for us upon Mount Calvary, & which he now will have when he offers it againe to his eternall father upon the Altar. Protest that you de∣sire to joyn with him in his designs and to have the same interiour dispo∣sitions, as also to make your whole self a victime together with him to be sacrificed to the glory of God

alone, But in particular offer the mass for these four ends, first, to ho∣nour the greatness of God, secondly, to thank him for all the graces and favours that he hath ever bestowed upon you; thirdly, to help and com∣fort the poor souls in purgatory▪ & more especially those who are for∣gotten & abandoned by others, or are detained there through your fault; fourthly to beg of God for the sake of Iesus Christ some particular grace and favour, as the victory over your own humour, the love of your ene∣mies, a greater recollection, & such other vertues, as you find your self to stand most in need of, you may offer the same in the fifth place for that sinner who shall be in danger that day of dying in mortall sin without confession. Fourthly, after these in∣tentions (which you ought, if you have opportunity, to make before mass) if you have not time to say your vocall prayers after mass, you may recite them from the beginning of mass till, Sanctus, but if you have other time for them, attend during

the whole mass with all interiour ap∣plication imaginable to this great sa∣crifice, either as your spirituall dire∣ctour has advised, or according to the rules of your manuall, or else after this manner, first, in the beginning, ask together with the priest the par∣don of your sins, saying the Confiteor, & then till the Gospel exercise your soul in the consideration of the good∣ness of God, who seeing in what an impossibility we were of saving our selves, descended from heaven, made himself man, was born in a stable, abasing & annihilating himself before his father to appease his wrath, which wee had justly provoked; then give thanks to our Saviour for this excess of bounty & goodness towards you, & protest that this day you will endeauour to humble your self in gra∣titude for & in honour of the humi∣liations & annihilations of his incar∣nation.

Secondly at the Gospel make an act of faith & belief of all the verities which the priest there reads, protesting that you are ready to die for the faith

Beg of our Saviour to augment & in∣crease it in you, & to render it lively & active; desire him to enlighten & convert all Infidels & Hereticks; & offer your self to his justice to suffer that day something for their conver∣sion. Thirdly at the offertory, offer up to God as a sacrifice by the hands of Iesus Christ your body, soul, life, reputation, kinred, family, estate, & all that you have, and protest that you will make no other use of them then for the service & glory of God, and salvation of your own soul, & that you will retrench whatsoever s'hall be ill in them, and even deprive your self often of what is not absolutely usefull, sanctifying your whole exteriour by the spirit and conduct of his grace. Fourthly, from, Sanctus, to the Elevation, think upon the death of our Saviour, going over the chief mysteries of his passion from the garden of Olives to his cru∣cifixion, but make this reflection without staying long upon each par∣ticular, satisfying your self with be∣holding Iesus suffering in these my∣steries with a tender compassion, an

acknowledgement for, & a love of his goodness, together with sorrow for your sins & wickedness. Fifthly, at the Elevation, offer unto the eter∣nall father Iesus Christ his onely son, adore him as lifted up on the cross for your sins, beg of him to obtain mercy for you & for all sinners, present to his father all the drops of blood he shed, all the moments of sadness his heart suffered, the wounds wherewith his whole body was covered, & the injuries he endured for you, & beg of him for the sake hereof, that he would have mercy on you.

Sixthly, till, Domine non sum dignus, imploy your thoughts upon Christ sa∣crificed for your sake upon the Altar, consider that he is come thither for your sake, that he thinks of you, that he prays for you, that he sacri∣fices himself to the justice of his fa∣ther to appease his wrath against you; in a word, that this our amiable Sa∣uiour is wholly taken up with you & for you upon the Altar. This thought will move you presently to render thanks for this great bounty,

to hope firmly that you shall obtain whatever he askes for you, to unite your intentions with those which he has in order to your salvation, & to protest before God, that you ask the same which he askes for you, that you sacrifice all that to him which he sacrificed for you, and that you will stand to whatsoever promise he has made in your behalf. Seventhly, a little before the Communion of the priest dispose your self to a spiritual Communion by acts of faith, ac∣knowledging that Jesus Christ is really upon the Altar, of hope, confiding that he will render you partaker of the effects of this adorable sa∣crament, of love, burning with an ardent desire of being united unto him, of humility, esteeming your self unworthy to receive him sacramentally. Eighthly after com∣munion till the end of mass imploy your self in thanking God for the graces & favours he has bestowed upon you, & which he hath asked for you during this holy sacrifice, as also in offering your self as a victime unto

him, sacrificing to him for that day some word or action that is pleasing to you. After mass say one, De profun∣dis, one Pater & Ave, for the souls in Purgatory, and return home with modesty & silence.