Then turn our Eyes, and kindly fet before them the beauteous Profpect of a pious Life.

Make us look long, and fteddily upon it; and make us look through, and fee beyond it.

Make us delight in the Hope it enjoys; but incomparably more in the Joy it hopes. A Joy which none but thy felf can give; none but thy felf can make capable to receive.

Give us, O gracious Lord, thou free Beginner, and perfect Finisher of all vertuous Actions.

Give us a right Spirit to guide our Intentions; that we may aim directly at our true End.

Give us thy Holy Spirit to fanctifie our Affections; that what we rightly design we may piously pursue.

Give us an Heroick Spirit to confirm our Hearts; that what we piously endeavour, we may couragioufly atchieve.

Suffer not the Flefh to deceive us any more; but fortifie our Spirits against all its Affaults.

If the Flesh grow bold, and infolently demand, How can you live without these Liberties?

Let the Spirit answer, Their Followers are Slaves; and the Service of God is the only true Freedom.

If the Flesh alledge what Joy in fuffering Ills; or doing contrary to our own Inclinations?

Let the Spirit reply, That the Cross of Christ is fweet; and nothing so glorious as the Conqueft of our felves.

If the Flesh infift, What do you fee, or hear, or exercise any Senfe in, but in the Things of the World?

Let the Spirit immediately enter this Proteft; and may every experienced Soul fubfcribe the Truth:

I fee its Vanity, and feel its Vexation; and meet in every thing its Falfeness, and Danger.

Away then Flesh and Blood, away deceitful World; you cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

You were created only to ferve us in the Way; and fet us down at our Journey's End.

Away with all your fond deluding Dreams; be banish'd for ever from our awakened Souls.

Come thou to us, bleft Spirit of Faith; and govern our Lives with thy holy Maxims.

Subdue our Senfe to the Dictates of Reafon; and perfect our Reason with the Myfteries of Religion.

Teach us to love, and fear what we fee not now, as at too great a Distance for our fhort Sight.

But

But what we are fure will hereafter be our Blifs, or Mifery for ever.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

As it was in the Beginning, &c.

Antiphon.

Quicken us by thy Grace, O Holy Spirit ; that we may thoroughly mortifie the Works of the Flesh.

Ant.] Deliver us, O gracious God, from every evil Spirit; and vouchsafe to give us thine own good Spirit.

PSALM CXIV.

ET not our Lord be angry, and we will speak yet once; for we have much to ask; and he has infinite to give. We have much to ask for our felves, and all the World; who depend intirely on his free Goodnefs.

Many, O Lord, are the Graces we want; and none can give them but by thy Bounty.

Many, are the Sins. and Miferies we are expofed unto; and none can deliver us but thy Providence.

Deliver us, O Lord, from what thou knoweft is against us; deliver us from what we know our felves, will undo us.

Deliver us from the Spirit of Prophanenefs, and Infidelity; from the Spirit of Error, and Schifm, and Herefie.

De

Deliver us from the Spirit of Pride, and Avarice; from the Spirit of Anger, Sloath, and Envy.

Deliver us from the Spirit of Drunkennefs; and Gluttony; from the Spirit of Luft, Wantonnefs, and Impurity.

Deliver us, O Gracious God, from every evil Spirit; and vouchfafe to give us of thine own good Spirit.

Vouchsafe to give us the Spirit of Fortitude; the Spirit of Temperance, Juftice, and Prudence:

The Spirit of Wisdom, and Understanding, and Counfel; the Spirit of Know ledge, and Piety, and the Fear of Thee.

The Spirit of Peace, Patience and Meeknefs, and Benignity; the Spirit of Humility, Sobriety and Chastity.

O thou, who never denieft thy Favours, except we firft deny our Obedience!

Thou who art often near us, when we are far from thee; often ready to grant, when we are unmindful to ask!

Refuse not, O Lord, to hear us, now we call upon thee; and make us ftill hear thee, when thou call'ft to us.

Fill our Understandings with the Knowledge of fuch Truths; as may fix them on thee, the eternal Verity.

Inure our Wills to embrace fuch Objects; as may unite them unto thee, the Sovereign Goodness.

Shew

Shew us the narrow Way that leads to Life; the Way that few can find, and fewer follow.

Guide us ftill on in the middle Path of Vertue, that we never incline to any vicious Extream.

Let not our Faith grow wild with fuperfluous Branches, nor be ftript into a naked and fruitlefs Trunk.

Let not our Hope fwell up to rash Prefumptions, nor fhrink away into a faint Despair.

Let not our Charity be cool'd into a carclefs Indifferency, nor heated into a furious Zeal.

But, above all, fuffer us not, O thou bleffed and holy Spirit! to be guilty of the unpardonable Sin against thy Self.

Suffer us not obftinately to perfift in any known Wickedness, nor maliciously impugn any known Truth.

Suffer us not to die in our Sins without Repentance: But, O have Mercy upon us in that fericus Hour.

Have Mercy upon us, and govern us in our Life; have Mercy upon us, and fave us in our Death.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

As it was in the Beginning, &c.

Anti