Page:TheParadiseOfTheChristianSoul.djvu/230

 O Lord, a broken  and  a humbled heart. My days  have  declined and  perished  without fruit, for  it  is  impossible  for me to  recall  them; but  permit me to  recount  them  in  the  bitterness of  my  soul.

O Lord, the  deep  of  my most  profound  misery  calls upon the  deep  of  thy  most deep mercy. Shut not  up  thy mercies in  thy  anger,  and  let not the  fount  of  thy  inexhaustible mercy  be  dried  up towards  me  because  of  my sins; for  thou  hast  mercy upon all,  and  hatest  nothing that thou  hast  made,  and overlookest the  sins  of  men for the  sake  of  repentance.

It is  thine,  O Lord,  to  forgive sins;  have  mercy  upon me, for  now  is  the  time  for grace and  mercy. And while there is  time  for  amendment, grant me  to  merit  the  glory of thy  blessing,  lest,  in  the day of  consummation,  I be struck  with .the  sentence  of thy  curse.

Make me,  O Lord,  I beseech thee,  to  abandon  my evil  habits,  and  to  do  works acceptable to  thee; and  henceforward, by  thy  aid,  to  apply to doing  thy  will  the  diligence which  I have  hitherto spent upon  sins,  that  so, where sin  abounded,  grace may more  abound.

And I implore  thee,  by thyself,  and  for  the  love  of thy  most  tender  mother  the glorious Virgin  Mary,  and  by the  intercession  of  all  thy saints and  elect,  to  pardon all my  sins,  negligences,  and ignorances; and not  to  destroy me  with  my  iniquities, nor in  thy  anger  to  reserve my sins  to  the  end.

Remember, O Lord  Jesus, that it  is  thine  to  lose  nothing of all  that  thy  Father  hath given thee,  and  that  it  is  thy property always  to  have  mercy, and  to  spare; to  lose  none, but to  save. For thy  Father sent thee  into  the  world,  not to judge  the  world,  but  that we might  have  life  through thee; that thou  mightest  be for  us,  and  not  against  us. For thou  hast  paid  our  debt, atoned for  our  sin,  and  supplied our  neglect.

Let, then,  thy  full  and  superabundant satisfaction,  O Lord,  thy  bitter  death,  and the price  of  thy  blood  that was shed; the  renewal  of thy  satisfaction,  which  is  the venerable mystery  of  thy body and  blood,  daily  offered to thee  in  the  Church  for  the salvation of  the  faithful,  in which  thou  art  thyself  priest and sacrifice,  the  offerer  and the receiver  of  the  offering, and the  offering  itself,  avail now, and  in  my  last  hour,  to merit  for  me  now  the  grace that I merit  not  myself,  and to obtain  for  me  hereafter the rest  and  glory  which  thy most bitter  death  has  won for me.

Thy eyes,  O Lord,  have seen my  imperfect  being; but thou, who  art  gracious  and