Who is the King of glory? who? In awful state, the conquering God Fain would we join their praises here, There ye who love the Saviour sit→→→→ To Father, Son, &c. God, who hast inspired thy Church to celebrate this day the memory of the Saviour's ascension, when, having finished on earth the great work of our redemption, he carried up his glorified humanity above the clouds to its eternal rest; grant, we humbly beseech thee, that, taking off our eyes from the vanities here below, we may stand continually looking after him into heaven; and surely expecting his appearance thence again at the last great day, may we be always ready to obey his call, to meet him in the clouds, and follow him into those blissful mansions which he went to prepare for us at thy right hand, for ever more; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who, with thee, and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen. Our Father, &c. [Add the Collect for the Day.]. Office of Devotion for Whitsunday. OFFICE FOR THE MORNING. TO-DAY for us the Holy Ghost descended—come let us adore him. Let us humbly implore his quickening grace, that we may worthily adore our eternal Sanctifier; who, from the Father and the Son, eternally proceeds, and with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified. To-day for us the Holy Ghost descended-come let us adore him. Let us prepare our understandings to assent to his truths, and our wills to follow his divine inspirations; let us fill our memories with his innumerable mercies, and our whole souls with the glory of his attributes. To-day for us the Holy Ghost descended-come let us adore him. Let us confidently address to him our petitions, who promises to help the infirmities of our prayers; let us not doubt the bounty of his goodness, but hope he will grant what he inspires us to ask. To-day for us the Holy Ghost descended-come let us adore him. PSALM. Blessed be thy name, O Holy Spirit, and blessed be thy adorable goodness. When the eternal Father, by creating the world, had declared himself and his Almighty power; When the increated Word, by redeeming mankind, had revealed himself and his infinite wisdom; The Spirit of the Father and the Son comes down to be the Guide, the Comforter and Sanctifier of the faithful. He descends from heaven in the shape of a dove; and gently lights on the Prince of Peace. Again, he descends in the likeness of fire; and miraculously sits upon the heads of the disciples. Under these symbols, dispensing mildness to allay the heat of zeal; and to quicken the indifferency of mildness. Innocency to adorn the light of knowledge; and know ledge to direct the simplicity of innocence. Ö blest and admirable teacher; who can instruct like the Spirit of God! He, by his divine inspirations, perfected the disciples; and polished rude fishermen into eloquent preachers. He touched the heart of a persecuting Pharisee; and instantly changed him into a glorious Apostle. By thee, blest Spirit, we are at first regenerated in baptism; by thee confirmed in the imposition of hands. By thee we are healed by the absolving sentence of divine mercy; by thee prepared for that banquet of the bread and wine of angels. By thee the priesthood is conferred and perfected; by thy holy unction we are governed, sanctified, and renewed. If in the Church be any wisdom or knowledge; if any real sanctity or decent order; If any faith in the mysteries of religin; if any hope of everlasting salvation; If any love of God, as our sovereign bliss; if any charity one towards another; All flows from thee and thy free grace; O thou boundless source of eternal mercy! Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. The LESSON.-From ACTS IN 1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now, when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. Thus were the words of the prophets fulfilled, and the promises of our Saviour performed, and the faith of the Church miraculously begun. Alleluja. O may it still go on, and increase and multiply, till every nation speak in their own tongue, the wonderful works of God. Govern, O blessed Spirit, the Church thou hast so wonderfully established; govern it with thy special grace; and always preserve it in obedience to thee, and us in obedience to it. Alleluja. O may it still go on, and increase and multiply, till every nation speak in their own tongue, the wonderful works of God. Come, Holy Spirit, the free Dispenser of all graces, visit the hearts of thy faithful servants, and replenish them with thy sacred inspirations. Illuminate our understandings, inflame our affections, and sanctify all the faculties of our souls. That we may know, and love, and constantly do the things that belong to our everlasting peace. THE HYMN. Come, mild and holy Dove, Come, and spread o'er our heads To thee, who givest us life, Our better life of grace; Who givest us breath, and strength, and speed, We'll love thee then, blest Guide; Glory to thee, O Lord, One, co-eternal three; To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost God, who didst miraculously send down thy Holy Ghost, to supply the absence of thy Son, to comfort his desponding followers, and instruct them in all things necessary to their great work, the conversion of the world; grant, we humbly beseech thee, that the same Holy Spirit which filled them with flaming and unconquerable zeal, may descend into our hearts, exciting our love, our joy, our zeal; and enabling us to bring forth those fruits of grace which are the only evidence of his blessed presence with us; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who, with thee, in the unity of the same blessed Spirit, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen. Our Father, &c. [Add the Collect for the Day.] OFFICE FOR THE EVENING. [Repeat the Introductory Devotions in the Morning Office.] THE PSALM. Come, O my soul, with all thy faculties and affections; come, and prostrate, adore the eternal Spirit. He never will forsake us, if we chace him not away; but will guide and comfort us with his holy inspirations. Come thou to us, blest Spirit of truth; and govern our lives with thy holy maxims. Deliver us from the spirit of profaneness and infidelity; from the spirit of error, and heresy, and schism. Deliver us from the spirit of pride and avarice; from the spirit of anger, and sloth, and envy. Deliver us from the spirit of drunkenness and gluttony; from the spirit of lust, wantonness, and impurity. Vouchsafe to us the spirit of fortitude; the spirit of temperance, and justice, and prudence; The spirit of wisdom, and understanding, and counsel; the spirit of knowledge, and piety, and fear of thee; The spirit of peace, and patience, and benignity; the spirit of humility, sobriety, and chastity. O thou, who never deniest thy favours, except we first 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 when we call upon thee; and make us still hear thee, when thou callest to us. Fill our understandings with the knowledge of such truths as may fix them on thee, the eternal Verity. Inure our wills to embrace such objects as may unite them unto thee, the sovereign Goodness. Let not our faith grow wild with superfluous branches; nor be stripped into a naked and fruitless trunk. Let not our hope swell up to rash presumption; nor shrink away into doubt and despair. Let not our charity be cooled into a careless indifference; nor heated into a furious zeal. Suffer us not obstinately to persist in any known wickedness; nor maliciously to oppose any known truth. But above all, suffer us not, O thou blessed and Holy Spi rit, to resist and quench thy holy inspirations. |