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.

Spiritual confession

With profound humility at the feet of Iesus Christ, as if he were pre∣sent in his sacred humanity, accuse your self to him, of all your sins, taking a short review of them; at the end of which, excite your soul to a lively & tender sorrow for them.

AN ACT OF CONTRITION.

O my God prostrate before your soveraign majesty, I most hum∣bly beg pardon for the great contempt, & abuse I have made, of your holy graces, & of all the sins I have com∣mitted from my birth, in thought, word, or deed: I retract & disavow them, with my whole heart; Yes, o my God, 'tis from my whole heart that I detest, & disavow them, & wish, I had never committed them, not for fear of the punishment they deserve, but onely because I have by

them, offended your infinite goodness, which deserves to be loved above all things, & honoured by all creatures. O why is not my heart capable too, of an infinit sorrow, to blot out their guilt! But accept, o my God, in satisfaction of that sorrow which is wanting in me that which my Saviour had in the garden of Olives, & upon the cross, for the sins of the whole world in generall, & for mine in par∣ticular. Accept also for this effect, that sorrow & contrition, which all the Saints have ever had. Purifiy me from my secret sins, & pardon those I have committed by others, & despise not, o my God, an humble, & contrite heart, which hopes onely for pardon of its sins from your infinit mercy. In the 50. Psalm, you have promised, that when a sinner laments his sins, you will no longer remember his iniquities.

And if you please, o my God, to prolong my life, I make a firm pur∣pose, by the assistance of your holy grace, to amend particularly such & such faults, & thereby, endeavour to repaire what is past.

Having made these Acts, receive as an absolution, that which Jesus Christ, the soveraign priest gives you spiritually, applying to your self, his divine merits; after which, imagine you hear him say to you, as he did to S. Mary Magdelen;

Your sins are forgiven you; go in peace.

Say the 50. Psalm. Miserere mei &c: in the spirit of pennance.

Aspirations to the three divine persons.

O father Eternall, since you so lo∣ved the world, as to give your onely son for its redemption, I dare pre∣sume to hope from your mercy, the salvation of my soul; since you gave him, not to condemn us, but to save us, & for that end imposed upon him, the holy name of Iesus, Luk. 1.

O divine Jesus, be you my Jesus, & remembcr your own words, that you came not for the just, but for sin∣ners; Luk. 5. O my God, you will not the death of a sinner, but that he be converted & live; EZech. 18. Con∣vert me therefore, to your self, that

I may live an Eternall life.

Come divine spirit, repose in my soul with your 7. gifts, for to purify, justify, & sanctify it; consume in it, by the fire of your holy love, all that is yet earthly therein; & for∣tify it in this its last passage, against all the temptations of its enemies.

An act of Faith.

I protest my God before heaven & earth that I will dye in the faith & union of the holy Catholick church: I believe firmly all that it believes, & teaches, because you my God, who are the Eternall truth, have said, & revealed it; & that you are an infinite goodness & holiness that cannot deceive any one, an infinite wisdom, that cannot erre, & are moreover omnipotent: And from this very moment, I disavow, and detest all temptations contrary to it which the Enemy may suggest in the last moments of my life: I re∣turn you thanks with my whole heart for the great grace which you have done me, in making me of the numbe

of the children of your holy Church.

Recite the Apostles Creed Credo in Deum, &c: And making reflection upon every Article, protest, that you believe it.

An act of Hope.

O my God, thô for the enormity & inconceivable multitude of my of∣fences, I most justly merit hell yet confiding entirely in the merits of my Saviour Jesus Christ, & in the infinit greatness of your mercy, which can pardon more sins then I can com∣mitt, I cease not to hope for pardon, & for the grace to persevere in your love, to which, I consecrate the last moment of my life.

An act of Charity.

O my God, when shall this soul of mine being separated from my body, & from all creatures, be united per∣fectly to your self, & love you with that pure, & unchangeable affection, with which the blessed in heaven love you?

O, what is there I desire in haven, or what is it I desire on earth, butt

you, the God of my heart, my God, & everlasting portion of my felicity?

I have regarded all things as no∣thing, vile, & contemptible, to gain Jesus Christ.

An act of Love towards our Neighbour.

O my God, I beg of you, grace & mercy for all the creatures you have redeemed with your precious blood, particularly for the true chil∣dren of your holy Church, & for those from whom I have received any displeasure, whom I pardon, my God, for love of you, as I desire you should pardon me,

A desire to receive Iesus Christ.

O my God, my Creatour, & redee∣mer, my beginning, & my end, the onely soveraign object of my heart, O, what a longing desire have I to receive you, for to unite my self to you! come then into my soul, san∣ctify it, & replenish my heart with your graces, take possession of all its affections, to the end, that all the moments of my life that are yet be∣hind, may entirely be consecrad to your love.