day arrive, when my eyes will behold thee without a veil? When will these clouds and shadows pass away, that thy beams may shine upon me in all their dazzling brightness? Say not, O dearest Lord! that no one can see thy face and live: Thy love has removed all apprehension, and my only hope is to live by seeing thee. Say not, O mild and gracious redeemer! that if I approach thy majesty I will die. Rather instruct me so to die, that I may live forever in thy holy presence. Glory be to the Father, &c. Ant. How great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord! which thou hast hidden for those who love thee! CHAPTER.-Apoc. 7. AMEN, benediction, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honor, and power, and strength, be to our God, for ever and ever. Amen. Нутп. Hail, real body of our Lord, Hail, victim stretched upon the cross, Thy side with cruel spear transfixed, O heavenly manna! be our food, O gracious Saviour, bounteous Lord! V. Thou hast given us bread from heaven, R. Having in it all that is sweet and delicious. Antiphon at the BENEDICTUS. O sacred banquet in which Christ is received, in which the memory of his holy passion is renewed, the soul is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us! V. O Lord! hear my prayer, R. And let my cry come unto thee. Let us pray. O bountiful Lord! the continual bestower of every good gift, who hast not only purified us from the stains of sin, but hast also supplied us with the most admirable means of preserving in our souls the spiritual life of grace, and advancing in the practice of the Christian virtues; grant, we beseech thee, that we may be ever grateful for thy mercies, and by frequently and devoutly partaking of the heavenly repast thou hast prepared for us, our hearts may be disengaged from the love of this world, and acquire a holy relish for the things above; through our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. COMMEMORATIONS, page 53. VESPER S. OUR Father, &c., page 59. Ant. Whither, O my God! should we wander, if left to ourselves? where should we fix our hearts, if not directed by thee? Psalm LX. UNHAPPY man! created at first in a state of justice, and gifted with dominion over the whole earth, but what was more, with dominion over thyself! Constituted not only sole lord of the terrestrial paradise, but heir of heaven and its eternal joys! All this happiness thou didst lose by one imprudent act, by disobeying the law of thy wise creator. We also, alas! suffered the same loss, having become, by thy transgression, subject to sin, death and universal misery. Our bodily strength was impaired, and all the faculties of our soul were equally injured by thy fall. The senses rebelled against reason, and both united in their opposition to grace. The world was soon overspread with ignorance, and vice held dominion over the hearts of men. The only law they observed was the dictate of their inordinate desires, and the deity they worshipped was but the work of their hands. Even the favourite people of God, that chosen generation of Abraham; They who had been so wonderfully delivered from the bondage of Egypt, and settled in a country flowing with milk and honey; They who had seen the waters of the deep divide before them, and afterwards come together for the destruction of their enemies; They who had been nourished with manna from heaven, and had quenched their thirst with water miraculously streaming from the rock; Even they forgot their heavenly benefactor, and bowed in adoration before a golden calf. |