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النشر الإلكتروني

Ant. The Word was God; in him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shineth in darkness.-John, i.

Ant. By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.-1 Cor. xii.

Ant. Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father, and Jesus Christ our Lord.1 Tim. i.

Ant. When ye glorify the Lord, exalt him as much as ye can, for even yet will ye far exceed.-Eccl. xliii.

Capitulum. Rev. vii.

Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever.

Amen.

The Hymn.

O luce que tuâ lates
Beata semper Trinitas.

O thou who hidden art in thine own light,
Blessed, for ever blessed Trinity,

We thy great name confess,
And trembling seek to know!

O Father, holiest of most holy, thou!
Thou God of very God, eternal Son!
And thou in chain of love
Great Spirit binding all!

The Father doth himself behold entire,
From him the offspring is coeval born,
And from both in life-giving love
God doth himself proceed.

In God the Son the Father is entire,
The Son entire in God the Father is,
In Father and the Son

The Spirit is entire.

Such as the Son e'en such the Spirit is,
And such as either such the Father is,
In verity Three-One,
Three-One in charity.

v. Who can express the noble acts of the Lord ?- -r. Or shew forth all his praise?—

Ps. cvi.

Enough, perhaps, has here been given to shew the character of the service the first set of Antiphones seems to refer to the Godhead as One; the second to God the Father more particularly; the third set to the Son; the fourth to the Holy Spirit; the last, at the Lauds, to each of the three Persons. The responsories to the Holy Trinity collectively.

SACRED POETRY.

THE TIME OF TRIBULATION.

"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee."

Ah, wherefore dost thou faint, desponding heart?
Why shrinkest with presentiment of ill?

An atmosphere of care and trouble still

Is round thee; thou hast drunk some little part
In thy Lord's sorrow-cup; and thou dost start
To think upon the judgment-lightnings near
Souls in thy charge, that warning will not hear,
And scorn the guidance of thy gentler art.
This is a grief; but learn thou more to mourn
For thine own earthly will and sluggish bent:
Let not thy love wax cold, nor discontent
Untune thy heart,-thou shalt not be forlorn :
God, and good angels, watch thee, and abide,
Through the deep waterflood, for ever at thy side.

Jan. 17, 1837.

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CONTENTEDNESS.

He was there in the prison: but the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy. . . . And whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. . . And that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper."

Art thou contented, say,

Where God hath bid thee stay?

Is not thine heritage a goodly land?
Do troublous times draw near,
And fails thine heart for fear,

Lest in our Sion's breach thou see her foemen stand?

O lay thy cares aside :

If God with thee abide,

No place is irksome, and no labour vain :

Strive thou to gain his love,

He shall thy way approve,

And make the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.

Cleanse thou thy heart from sin;

Seek purity within ;

Guard well thy steps, as in thy Master's sight;

Blame not these evil days,

But chant thy hymn of praise,

And yield thy will to His who orders all aright.

So, though thy lot be cast

Even with the worst and last,

Mysterious blessings shall surround thy way;

Peace shall thy paths attend,

And in their prosperous end

Thine eye shall see the promise of a brighter day.

Jan. 22, 1837.

THE DESERTED SANCTUARY.

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"There is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few."

"Where

two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Feb. 8, 1837.

Shall worldlings turn them, and be gone,

With haughty mind and scornful eye?
Say, shall they leave us all alone,

And hope our altar-flame may die,
And silence in thy courts may dwell,
Thou once-beloved Israel?

Yea, let them turn and go their way,

And choose new gods, as seems them best;
But we within thy gates will stay,—
For ever here shall be our rest;

Nor cease our voices, though we raise
A solitary song of praise.

Our altar's flame shall purest glow,

Our heavenward suit shall swiftest rise,

When none, save they the Lord who know,
Shall wait around our sacrifice.

Where two or three unite in prayer,
The Lord, the God of Hosts, is there.

0.

THE MYSTERY OF THE CROSS.

"I am crucified with Christ."

"That I may know Him, . . . and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death."

"Fac ut portem Christi mortem,

Passionis fac consortem,

Et plagas recolere."

O Lamb of God! before thy wounds I bow;

Not where thine image hangs, but where thy throne
Rises above all heaveus; even there, where thou
Unceasing intercedest for thine own :

To me, unworthy, may such grace be shewn
To bear thy cross and passion on my soul,
Dead unto sin, and self; and let no part
Unmortified remain, but be the whole

A sacrifice to thee; and let thy smart,

Thy "unknown agony," thy tears, thy pain,

Thy stripes, thy shame, thy wounds, thy death, transfuse
Their hidden virtue that the soul renews,

Till all my sins with thee be crucified and slain.

April 26, 1837.

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ANTIENT FATHERS.

"These were merciful men, whose righteousness hath not been forgotten.”

IGNATIUS.

As, one by one, stars on the Eastern space
Come forth, while day-light fades,

And greet each other to their heavenly place,
Thus as Death's deepening shades-

Darken'd around thy steps through foreign lands,

The awakening memories of thy own John
Surround thee; martyr'd Peter beck'ning stands,
And stirs again the Spirit's benison

Giv'n through his hands; then on the self-same road
Kindle the footsteps of the death-bound Paul.

Thy soul is fann'd to burning hardihood;
We hear in thee the Bridegroom's warning call,
And, full of glowing life, thy dying accents fall.

CLEMENT OF ROME.

As heavenly blue breaks on a troubled deep,

A voice of gentle blame,

From the calm grave where Paul and Peter sleep,

Unto their children came,

From Rome to Corinth-On the rising din,

Like gleams from their pure regions far above,

And like a solemn undersound therein,

Paul's moving tone. It was thy watchful love,

Clement, whose name is in the book of life,

While now the Church around thee, in heav'n's mould,
'Mid persecution, poverty, and strife,
Glorious within, and wrought of purest gold,
Began 'mid hanging mists her glory to unfold.

ATHANASIUS.

A sea of troubles tried thee, till at length,

Beat back by thy strong sinew, they upreared
Thy might, and sternly bore thee in thy strength
Ónward, till on the rock appeared

Truth's loyal champion, to all time revered.
Great Athanasius, beat by stormy breath
Of calumny, of exile, and of wrong,

Thou wert familiar grown with frowning Death,
Looking him in the face all thy life long,

Till thou and he were friends, and thou wert strong.

The Eye of Alexandria-raised on high,

Unto all Christendom a beacon-light

Thou from the blasts of Error's stormy sky

Art in thine haven hid from sight;

But still thy name hath leave to guide us through the night.

GREGORY NAZIANZEN.

Meek Nazianzen, whom a mother's love

Vow'd from the womb a Christian Nazarite!
A friend's, a brother's love fill'd thy calm sprite,
And filial grace serene: the hallowing Dove
Then open'd thy full heart to God above,

Seeking in solitudes the gentler light

Of woods and wilds-peace-loving eremite!
Good Basil thy companion gently prove,

Shrinking from pastoral cares. Nor may heav'n's King
His service disallow-his choice refuse.

Each for his sphere He mouldeth-each doth earn
His place from Him: His Dove hath many hues.
Some lead His flock, while some His praises sing;
Some in His inner temple incense burn.

CHYSOSTOM.

Preacher and Saint, whose name is Eloquence,
Well might they give to thee a golden tongue,
On which truth sat, and glowing manly sense,
And words that stand the fire. In wisdom strong,

And strong in charity, the imperial town

Throng'd round thee, and drunk in thy stern reproof. Touch'd by thy saintly spirit, Vice hung down

Her flower-wreathed head-Court-Favour stood aloof.

Nor less thy zeal on Nazianzen's chair

That the King's Daughter with her priestly choir
Might shine within. While thus thy deeds declare
Christ's presence, wonder not that fiends conspire
Against thee, forced by the rude Caspian main
To drink thy Master's cup in exile, want, and pain.

AUGUSTINE.

As when the sun hath climbed a cloudy mass,
And looks, at noon, on some cathedral dim,
Each limb, each fold, in the translucent glass
Breaks into hues of radiant Seraphim ;

Bishop of Hippo, in the letter'd store

Which still enfolds thy spirit fled from sight, Comment, prayer, homily, or learned lore,

Christ bathes each part with his transforming light

Late ris'n in thee. Thence all is eloquent

With flowing sweetness-o'er each rising pause Unwearied strength is built; through all is sent The Word, pleading for his most righteous laws.

Rest, fervid soul, in sacramental sign ;

Thy robe is washed in blood, thy strength is love divine!

THE TARDY RETURN OF SUMMER.

"These Easter snows, of evil do they bode?

Of faith's fair blossoms withering ere their prime?"
Lyra Apostolica, No. 132.

Is it in awful token, Lord, of wrath,

Winter so long hath knit his icy chain

Suns have shewn feebly-on the young year's path
Retarding snows at Easter-tide have lain ?

Was it in anger the command, O Lord,

That the warm breezes and soft showers withheld-
The pause unwonted, ere thine hand restored
Leaves to the tree and spring-flowers to the field?

O Lord, our sins are countless as the sand,
And as the mountains in their giant size;
But thou art merciful, and stayedst thine hand,
Nor wouldest thy fierce anger all arise,

Else had we been consumed. Oh, make us learn
That thy long-sufferance calls us to repent;
To thy new world let gladsome spring return,
To thy new world let gracious showers be sent.

Thou that hast bade the ice-bound waters flow,
And clothed the forest in its summer vest,
Oh, bid thy Spirit's heavenly influence blow,
Unbind the ice-chain from thy church's breast.

Unfold the flowers of Faith, and Hope, and Love,
O Sun of Righteousness, with thy bright rays;
So shall we join thine angel host above,

And earth and heaven break forth in hymns of praise.

X.

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