For Thou hast set up therein the tabernacle of thy Church and gloriously hast Thou manifested thy presence therein. : Thou hast stretched forth its curtains: Thou hast enlarged the circle of its stakes. Daily Thou lengthenest its cords: that which hindered in the morning, furthereth in the evening. The sea crieth in vain, Thou shalt come no further the desert threateneth in vain, Thou shalt not pass over. : It hath come, and it hath passed and sea and desert have helped it. The sea hath given his back to its ships: the desert hath made a highway for its camels. It hath spread onward to the ends of the earth it hath filled wildernesses and passed on. It hath set up thy altars on continents that had no name : it singeth to Thee in triumph from the secret islands of the great deep. Have mercy, O Lord, on the work of thy hands stablish thy dwelling place among us for ever. : Keep thine altars pure and undefiled and clothe thy priests with righteousness and truth. Send forth thy Spirit with our preachers : maintain the light of thy word among us. Bind thy people together in love one heart and one mouth praise Thee. and let So shine among us, O Lord : and evermore keep the darkness from us. O enlighten now the darkness of my lying down raise me up to serve Thee in light. : Set me to work in the portion of thine inheritance: nor let me ever forget the place which Thou hast assigned unto me. O Lord of the vineyard, maintain my lot therein : and let me serve Thee in thy presence for evermore. XXIII. A WALK WITH GOD. THE face of the world is hidden from mine eyes but the face of the Lord is revealed unto my spirit. The voices of the world are silent: but the voice of the Lord is loud within me. Yea Lord, it is now thine hour all the things of the earth flee at thy presence. The light becometh darkness and all the sounds of life become silence. O how glorious is thy majesty : how wonderfully dost Thou put forth thy power. And yet though Thou be so high: Thou hast respect unto the lowly. For even as a father holdeth the hands of his child and enableth him that he Him. : may walk with He heaveth him up to leap, and keep pace with his steps: He beareth him up over every stumbling-block. : He sootheth all his fears and cheereth his heart with encouragement. And the child layeth faster hold: and wringeth his father's hand with joy. He is proud to be made his companion : and he telleth all the joy of his heart. Such art Thou found by them that walk with Thee, O Lord: such is their joyfulness and boasting. They feel thy hand at every stone of offence: they dash not their foot against it. They cling the faster for thy help : and Thou enablest them to run at the pace of thy commandments. O be Thou my guide and helper : so shall I not stumble nor fall. But I shall walk in the way of thy statutes : and my heart shall take delight in them. XXIV. CHRIST THE ONLY MEDIATOR. I MEDITATE on the day that is past : I consider what it hath brought forth. I call to mind what I have done : and I keep in remembrance that which I have seen done. O Lord, how longsuffering art Thou: how is thy mercy beyond all my thoughts. I look upon this world of thy harmony: and, lo! the sinfulness of men hath brought confusion into it. I review the works of thy love : and behold, the hatred of men hath marred them. I admire the beauty of thy holiness : and, lo! the impurity of men hath defiled it to his eyes. I adore the awfulness of thy majesty and behold, the rebelliousness of men hath defied it. I tremble at the exactness of thy justice : and behold, the iniquity of man aboundeth. Then I weep over my lost estate : I cry in my despair, who shall bring salvation? The holy angels in heaven answer and say: Son of man, it is not in me. The archangels and all their glory answer and say Son of man, it is not in me. Cherubim and Seraphim answer and say: Son of man, it is not in me. All the company before the throne answer and say: Son of man, it is not in me. Have not some already fallen from amongst us : are our ranks full as at the beginning? Who then of us shall say that he may fall who then of us shall save the fallen? not unto the end The Lord knoweth us from the beginning and He chargeth us with folly. Shall a fool plead for a fool : shall he that hath nothing to spare satisfy for another? Behold in God is our strength and by our faith we stand. O Son of the living God, thy glory alone is unchangeable thy fountain of riches alone can never fail. From eternity to eternity Thou art Lord : for world after world Thou canst satisfy. Thou didst come to our help, and raise us : Thou didst burst the bars of our prison-house. By Thee we stand again in Thee we come before the presence of the Father again. O intercede for my sins of this day plead Thou my cause, O my Saviour. In Thee alone is my hope therefore I shall not be confounded. XXV. THE SOUL UNCLOTHED AND CLOTHED. It is time to put off the raiment of the day : the hour is come to lay the body down to rest. Now therefore, O my spirit, put aside the encumbrance of the cares of the day and repose thyself on God. Р |