Blessed and praised be Thou for the light of this day with my body and my soul I bow before Thee and thank Thee.

Lord, what am I that Thou shouldst deal so graciously with me: that Thou shouldst pour upon me so abundantly that which Thou hast withheld from so many.

That I should still be walking in the light of thy sun that my spirit should be rejoicing in the light of thy word.

That I should not be in the grave with my companions nor sitting in the shadow of

death with the heathen.

But I am alive to celebrate Thee: I have knowledge to praise Thee.

Therefore I will glorify Thee in thy church : and offer my thanksgivings in the congrega

tion.

I will thank Thee with the deeds of my life : I will worship Thee in all the thoughts of my heart.

O Lord, Thou wilt remove the darkness of this night: Thou wilt gather it to the darkness that was over all at the beginning.

And Thou wilt raise the day star again: and Thou wilt send forth the sun from his chamber again.

Keep me to rejoice in their light again : and to thank Thee for thy blessings again.

Turn the day star in my heart into noonday :

and make the light of thy sun of righteousness there seven-fold.

So shall I live to praise thy name and to celebrate thy glory with heart and lips.

XX.

A PRAYER TO SANCTIFY THE PAST DAY.

Ar even they laid the Lord in his sepulchre : they rolled the stone to its mouth.

They left Him to his rest from his labours : and to his sabbath after his work of redemption.

Verily, Lord, the evening and morning are thine: with thy precious body Thou didst sanctify them.

With the evening Thou didst lay it down: with the morning Thou didst raise it up again. O bless unto me the labours of this day : sanctify unto me the repose of this night.

Crown each struggle that I have had with sin stablish each step that I have made in the way of thy statutes.

Enable me where I have been found weak: strengthen and confirm me where I have been strong.

For Thou art the lifter up of my head: Thou art the upholder of my soul.

O reckon not with thy servant for coming

:

short of the means of thy glory reward him not according to the profits of his service.

But in thy justice forget what I have done : and in thy mercy remember what I have endeavoured.

Lay me down this night in death unto sin : and raise me to-morrow unto newness of life.

Give thy purity to the imagination of my dreams and let my watches of the night wait upon Thee.

O Christ, I was buried with Thee in my baptism and thy Holy Spirit did raise me up again.

:

O Prince of life, what hast Thou to do with that which is dead: O quicken my heart continually.

Send me to repose each night more conformed to thine image: awake me each morning further changed into glory.

So may I sink into the grave with thy seed of life within me and rise a glorious plant of thy choice.

XXI.

CHRIST THE CORNER STONE.

THE darkness hath surrounded me : it hath divided my acquaintances far from me.

The brethren are far from my sight the Church is no longer before my eyes of flesh.

But I meditate in my heart : and in my spirit I behold its pleasant places.

How beautiful are thy courts: how glorious is the habitation which Thou hast prepared, O Christ.

Blessed are they that dwell there: their song of joy goeth up before Thee day by day.

And all thy elect shout forth and all the host of thy sanctified crieth out with one voice,

Thou art the Son of the living God: Thou art the Rock of our hope, O Christ.

The Holy Prophets are laid upon Thee : the blessed Apostles are built upon Thee.

The faithful Confessors rest upon Thee: the holy martyrs depend upon Thee.

The brotherhood of saints confesseth Thee: the company of Priests acknowledgeth Thee. All the built in the Spirit adore Thee : all the redeemed from the pit glorify Thee.

Every lively stone crieth out: and the whole temple joineth in one song;

Thou art the precious and living stone: Thou art our head stone of the corner.

Man did reject Thee

Thee.

but God did choose

Worthy art Thou to be praised: honour and glory be unto Thee.

Truly our boast is in Thee: O Lord God of our salvation.

XXII.

A PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH.

I CAME forth out of darkness: and again into darkness I return.

Its blackness again setteth a veil before my eyes and its chilliness cometh over my body.

It remindeth me of the shadow of death: it is an earnest of the grave.

But I will praise Thee, for thy hand hath done it and in the order of thy mercies Thou hast provided it.

:

Thou wilt remove it again unto its appointed secret place Thou wilt set forth the light again from amid the brightness of thy sanctuary.

And the song of the morning shall praise Thee again and the hymn of the evening shall thank Thee for another sun.

Now let my spirit meditate upon thy ways: let them be the light of my heart amid the night watches.

Let me turn over the heap of thy mercies : O Lord, who shall tell the sum of them?

Thou hast caused the lines to fall unto me in a fair land : even in a land to which Thou hast been gracious.