W bile the Pricft reads St. John's Gospel at the Corner of

the Altar.

Eternal word, fpeak to my foul, which adores thee in profound filence: Thou art the great creator of all things; abandon not, I beseech thee thy own creature; be thou my life, my light, and my all.

O Light eternal, enlighten me as to this prefent life, and in the life to come.

Chase away, by thy prefence, those thick and unhappy clouds, that hover over my foul, and hinder me from understanding thee.

That I may always know and understand thee, whenever thou vouchsafeft to come to

me.

Reign in me, as in thy own inheritance : For thou, Lord, haft made me; thou haft redeemed me; may I be ever thine.

I have finned too much against heaven, and before thee, and am not worthy to be called thy fon,

If thou yet receive me as a prodigal fon, grant, Lord, that my love and obedience may fomething correfpond with that high birth, where fleth and blood are not concerned; where my will may defire nothing, but as directed by thinė.

Thou God incarnate, have pity on my frail and mortal flesh; and grant it may one day fee what it here adores below. Amen.

A preparatory prayer before Sacramental Confeffion.

Maker of heaven and earth, King of of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who of nothing haft made me to thy image and redeemed me with thy own molt precious blood, whom I a finner am not worthy to name nor call upon, nor yet to think of in heart; I humbly pray thee, in thy clemency, to look on me thy wicked fervant and have compaffion on me, who fhewedft mercy to the woman of Canaan and Mary Magdalen, who forgaveft the publican, and the penitent thief hanging on the crofs. To thee, O moft" loving Father, I confefs my fins, which, O Lord, if I would, I cannot hide from thee. Spare me, O Chrift, whom I have lately much' offended, in thought word, and deed, and in all the ways wherein a frail finner could have. offended, through my fault, through my fault, through my moft grievous fault. Therefore, O Lord, I befeech thy clemency, who cameft down from heaven for my falva-" tion, who liftedft up David from the fall of fin; fpare me, O Lord, fpare me, O Chrift, who fparedft Peter denying thee. Thou art my Creator, and my Redeemer, my Lord, and: my Saviour, my King and my God; Thou art my hope, and my truft, my support, and my help, my comfort and my ftrength, my defence, and my deliverance, my life, my falvation, and my refurrection, my light, and my defire, my aid, and my protection. I beseech and pray thee, help me, and I shall

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Cc.

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be fafe, govern and defend me, comfort and confirm me, raife up my fpirits, enlighten me, and vifit me: Raife me, being dead, becaufe I am thy creature and work, O Lord: Defpife me not, because I am thy fervant and creature; and tho' evil, tho' unworthy, and a finner, yet fuch as I am, whether good or evil, I am always thine. Unto whom fhall I fly, if I go not to thee? If thou caftime off, who fhall receive me? If thou defpifeft me, who will look on me? Acknowledgeme therefore again, tho' unworthy cownime returning to thee, though I am vile and unclean. For if I am unclean, thou canst purify me: If I am blind, thou can't give me fight: If I am feeble thou can'ft cure me: If I am dead and buried, thou can'ft revive me; be- . caufe thy mercy is greater than my iniquity; greater is thy goodnefs than my wickednefs: More thou can'ft pardon than I commit; and thou canft forgive more, than I a finner offended. Therefore, O Lord, defpife me not, nor obferve the multitude of my iniquities, but according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, have compaffion on me, and be propitious to me a moft wretched finner. Thou, who faid'ft I will not the death of a finner, but rather that he be converted and live, fay to my foul, I am thy falvation. Convert me, O Lord, to thee, and be not angry with me, I beseech thee. O moft clement Father, for thy mercy, I befeech and earneft

ly pray thee, that thou bring me to a good end, and at prefent to true penance, to a pure confeffion, and worthy fatisfaction for all my fins. Amen.

R

A Prayer before facramental Confeffion.

ECEIVE

my confeffion, O moft bountiful and moft merciful Lord Jefus Chrift, the only hope of the falvation of my foul; and give me, I beseech thee, contrition of heart, and tears in my eyes, that I may day and night bewail all my fins with humility and purity of heart. Let my prayer, O Lord, approach in thy fight. If thou fhalt be angry with me, what helper can I feek? Who will have mercy on my iniquities? Remember me, O Lord, who didft call the woman of Canaan, and the Publican to repentance, and didft receive Peter lamenting his fin: O Lord my God, accept my prayers: O good Jefus, Saviour of the world, who gaveft thyself to the death of the cross, that thou mighteft fave finners, regard me a wretched finner, calling on thy name, and attend not fo to my wickedness, that thou forget thy goodness, and if I have committed that, for which thou mayeft condemn me, yet thou haft not loft that whereby thou mayeft fave me. Spare me therefore, O Lord, who art my Saviour, and have mercy on my finful foul: Loofe all my bonds, and heal my wounds, O Lord Jefus. I defire thee, I feek

thee; fhew me thy face; and I fhall be fafe. Send forth therefore, O moft loving Lord, (through the merits of the most pure and immaculate ever virgin Mary, thy mother, and of thy faints) thy light and thy truth into my foul, which may truly fhew me all my defects, which I ought to confefs, and which may help and teach me to express them fully, and with a contrite heart. Who liyeft, &c.

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A Prayer after Confeffion.

Befeech thee, O Lord, let this my confeffion be acceptable to thee, by the interceffion of bleffed Mary thy mother, evervirgin, and of all faints, and whatever has now, or at other times, been wanting in me, of the fufficiency of contrition, of the purity and integrity, of confeflion, let thy goodnefs and mercy fupply, and according to the fame Vouchfafe to ratify in heaven that abfolution, which has been here pronounced off earth. Who liveft, &c.]

A Prayer before receiving the bleffed Sacrament.

Moft merciful Lord Jefus Chrift, Ia finner prefuming nothing on my own merits, but trufting in thy mercy and goodnefs, do fear and tremble to have accefs to the table of the moft fweet banquet: For I have a heart and body defiled with many crimes A mind and tongue not duly guard