from day to day, for his wrath shall come suddenly, and in the time of vengeance he will destroy thee. The congregation of the wicked is as tow heaped together, and their end is a flame of fire. Every corruptible work shall fail at last, and the doer thereof shall go with it; but every excellent deed shall be justified, and he that does it, honored therein.

R. My soul, how many thousands have been surprised in the midst of their sins, and hurried away to everlasting torments! Have we not deserved the same punishment? *How many times have we been guilty! yet God in his mercy has spared us.

V. O my indulgent Saviour! no other reason can I give why I am not miserable, but that thou art merciful. Blessed be thy patience, that bears with us so long, and blessed be thy grace that at last delivers us from our many evils. How many times, &c.

LESSON 3.- Wisd. 5.

THEN shall the just stand with great constancy against those that have afflicted them,

and taken away their labors. These, seeing it, shall be troubled with a terrible fear, and shall be amazed at the suddenness of their unexpected salvation; saying within themselves, repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit: these are they whom we had some time in derision, and for a parable of reproach, We fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honor. Behold, how they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints; therefore we have erred from the way of truth, and the light of justice hath not shined unto us; and the sun of understanding hath not risen upon us. We wearied ourselves in the way of iniquity and destruction, and have walked through hard ways, but the way of the Lord we have not known. What hath pride profited us? or what advantage hath the bcasting of riches brought us? all those things are passed away like a shadow, and like a post that runneth on, and as a ship that passeth through the waves, whereof, when it is gone by, the trace cannot be found, nor the path of its keel in the waters: so we also being horn, forthwith ceased to be;

and have been able to shew no mark of virtue: but are consumed in our wickedness. Such things as these the sinners said in hell: for the hope of the wicked is as dust, which is blown away with the wind, and as a thin froth which is dispersed by the storm; and a smoke that is scattered abroad by the wind, and as the remembrance of a guest of one day, that passeth by. But the just shall live forevermore, and their reward is with the Lord, and the care of them with the Most High.

R. Blessed forever, O my God! be thy providence, that has so kindly made known to us the maxims of virtue, and so safely guides to happiness those who live under the government of thy law. *As thou hast shown us the way, Lord! give us strength to walk in it, and bring us finally to eternal rest.

V. Make us seriously reflect on every line we read, and love the truth when it most reproves us. Make us labour to correct every error of our lives, and always humbly implore thy gracious assistance. As thou hast, &c.

Glory be to the Father, &c. As thou hast, &c.

LAUDS.

OUR Father, &c. 39.

Ant. I will praise thee, O God! all my life, and to thy throne I will lift up my hands.

Psalm XLIV.

LET them neglect thy praises, O Lord! who never consider thy mercies.

Let them be silent for thee, O gracious God! whose mouths are always open for themselves.

As for us who subsist by thy gifts, and thankfully acknowledge the riches of thy goodness,

Our hearts will continually meditate on thee, and our lips delight to proclaim thy glory.

Blessed forever, be thy name, O Jesus! and blessed be the clemency of thy wisdom,

That has taught us the happy secret of finding our lives, by a generou renunciation

of them for the love of thee;

That has also instructed us to hate oursouls, by resisting the depraved inclinations of nature,

If we wish to promote our real interests, and accumulate a treasure for heaven.

From thee we learn those sublime mysteries that form the object of our faith, and place it so far above the weakness of human reason.

From thee we derive those heroic counsels, that subdue the flesh and lead to the practice of the highest sanctity.

From thee alone and from thy school of grace we learn all we know, and receive the strength to do whatever we accomplish.

How long, alas! might we have wandered here, in the midst of darkness and error,

Had not thy compassionate goodness, O merciful Lord! brought thee from heaven to be our light!

Never should we otherwise have learned to deny ourselves, and take up our cross and follow thee;

Never should we have known that great secret of peace, to forgive our enemies and do good to them who persecute us.

On the unsatisfying things of this low earth, would we blindly have set our affections,