of them then, my God; and I am unworthy of them now. I have no claim on thy goodness. Give me, however, the grace to persevere in beseeching thee and in raising up my soul to thee, in the hope that, in thine own good time, thou wilt visit me with thy sweetness.

Hasten, dear Lord and Saviour, hasten this wished-for time. O Holy Spirit, the Comforter, speed down upon my soul; make haste to deliver me and to comfort me with thy blissful presence. What can delight me if thou art absent? In what can I trust unless thou uphold me? O lift up my soul to the holy heavens, and let it bless the Lord. And drop down dew, ye heavens, from above; drop down the dew of grace and peace, and hope and love, upon my barren heart, until it open with joy and thankfulness to receive its Lord and Saviour. Oh let thy light rise up in the darkness of my heart, for thou art merciful, and compassionate, and just. Then will I truly love thee and keep thy words: and then, dear Jesus, then wilt thou remember thy promise; then will thy Father love me, and ye will come and make your abode with me. Come now and dwell in me, thou God of love: come thou, who fillest the whole earth with thy Spirit, and soothe and cheer and console thy servant. Give to me that peace which the world cannot give : give to me that grace which may unite my soul to thee, and which may be a foretaste of the

bliss of thy heavenly abode. Redeem me and have mercy on me, O Lord, the God of truth. Amen.

ST. AUGUSTIN'S PRAYER FOR ALL VIRTUES.

My God and my Lord, grant that my heart may aspire to thee; that, aspiring to thee, it may seek thee; that, seeking thee, it may find thee; that, having found thee, it may love thee; and that its love for thee may produce sorrow, and sorrow pardon for all my sins; and, being once pardoned, grant, oh grant that I may never offend thee more. Grant me sorrow, my Lord and my God, for having sinned against thee: grant me contrition and the gift of tears; and grant me that charity towards thee and towards the poor which may avail to cover the multitude of my sins.

O divine Sovereign, quench within me, I beseech thee, every impure passion and inclination; and kindle in my soul the holy fire of thy love. Drive far from me the spirit of pride; and grant me the grace of holy humility. Restrain, dear Saviour, I beseech thee, every violent out-burst of anger, and endow me with patience and gentle forbearance. Remove all sullen moroseness and captiousness from my mind; and give me that confiding kindness of heart, which may lead me to have a good opinion

of all.

Grant, oh grant me, I implore thee, my dear

Lord and loving Father, an immoveable faith, a strong hope, and a lasting charity.

O Thou who art the guardian of my life, save me from lightness and vanity of disposition; from uncertainty of mind; from a dissipated heart; from gluttony and sensuality; from backbiting, from curiosity, and from covet.ousness: keep me from all vain glory; from all hypocrisy; from all treacherous flattery of others; from avarice, envy, and blasphemy. Oh cleanse my nature from worldly anxiety, idleness, sloth, presumption, hardness of heart, and obstinacy; appease the violence of my temper; make my judgment ever yield to the dictates of reason; and my heart open to receive thy holy inspirations. Check the unruly freedom of my speech; let me never oppress the poor, never use violence towards the weak, nor calumniate even the wicked. Let me never neglect the salvation of those who are dependent upon me. Remove from my manner all bitterness and rudeness towards my servants: make me ever remember that their souls were the equals of mine when we came into this world, and that we shall be again equal after we shall have fulfilled our different parts in this fleeting life. Let my friends never have cause to complain of my untruthfulness; and may none ever perceive arrogance in my conduct towards them.

Thus, O my God I beseech thee by thy tender

love for us; by the merits of thy beloved Son, I thus implore thee to enable me to fulfil all the corporal and spiritual works of mercy which thou mayest demand of me. Let me comfort the sorrowful, instruct the ignorant, relieve the poor, visit and cheer the suffering and those who are sick at heart: may I willingly forgive injuries, bear wrongs patiently, love those who hate, and do good to those who injure me. Let me not despise any one, but respect all; imitate the good, and avoid the wicked. Let me love virtue as much as I abhor vice.

O my Lord, may thy grace uphold me in sorrow, and restrain me in joy; may it teach it me to despise the fleeting interests of this life; and in all things, and above all things, may it prompt me fervently to aspire to the everlasting bliss of heaven, through Jesus my Lord and Saviour, who, with thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth for ever. Amen.

AFTER A TOILSOME DAY.

Conducted by thy Providence, O God, through the toils, the vexations, the turmoils, and the business of this day, I present myself before thee to beg pardon of all my failings, and to acknowledge that goodness which has upheld me in all my difficulties. Notwithstanding my renewed professions of resignation, I have offended thee by attaching too much importance to the things of this world; by forgetting that thou didst call

upon me, and offer interests true and eternal. But, O Lord, thou knowest my weakness; and I can only again confess mine unworthiness, and pray thee to enable me now to seek into the state of my soul that I may unite myself more firmly to thee before this day be for ever past away.

Oh forgive me all my sins before I sleep; and grant that I may wake in the morning with a strong and lasting resolve to work out my salvation. Assist my weak endeavours that I may grow in grace as I grow in years. Cleanse my heart from all those corrupt dispositions which are offensive to thee; from pride, wrath, selfishness, and inattention to serious things. To my sense of mine unworthiness, let me add real sorrow; and to sorrow, sincere purposes of amendment. May I always reverence thy holy name, thy church, thy word and ordinances. May I be ever just, mild, and compassionate to others: temperate, chaste, and humble in the government of my passions: content with my condition and although diligent in my business, yet ever mindful to heap up to myself treasures there where no foe can break in upon my hoard.

Where I err, let me amend; and where I amend, let me give the glory to thee, my Creator, my Redeemer, and my Sanctifier.

Bless all my relations and friends, and especially those who are near and dear unto me; and grant that I may never give pain to those for whom I am beseeching thy mercy. Accept the