flesh and breath,

corruption and the worm,
a stranger upon the earth,
dwelling in a house of clay,
few and evil my days,
to-day, and not to-morrow,
in the morning, yet not until night,
in a body of sin,

in a world of corruption,

of few days, and full of trouble, coming up, and cut down like a flower, and as a shadow, having no stay. Remember this, O Lord, and suffer, remit; what profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?

By the multitude of Thy mercies,
by the riches and excessive redundance
of Thy pity;

by all that is dear to Thee,

all that we should plead,

and before and beyond all things, by Thyself, by Thyself, O Lord, and by Thy Christ. Lord, have mercy upon me, the chief of sinners. O my Lord, let Thy mercy rejoice against Thy judgment in my sin.

O Lord, hear, O Lord, forgive,

O Lord, hearken,

O Lord, hearken and do,

do and defer not for Thine own sake,

defer not, O Lord my God.

For Holy Communion.

O Lord,

I am not worthy, I am not fit,
that Thou shouldest come under the roof
of my soul;

for it is all desolate and ruined;

nor hast Thou in me fitting place
to lay Thy head.

But, as Thou didst vochsafe

to lie in the cavern and manger of brute cattle, as Thou didst not disdain

to be entertained in the house of Simon the leper, as Thou didst not disdain

that harlot, like me, who was a sinner,
coming to Thee and touching thee;

as Thou abhorredst not

her polluted and loathsome mouth;

confessing Thee :

So me too the ruined, wretched,

and excessive sinner,

deign to receive to the touch and partaking
of the immaculate, supernatural, life-giving,
and saving mysteries

of Thy all-holy Body
and Thy precious Blood.
Listen, O Lord, our God,

from Thy holy habitation,

and from the glorious throne of Thy kingdom, and come to sanctify us.

thou who sittest on high with the Father, and art present with us here invisibly; come Thou to sanctify the gifts which lie before Thee, and those in whose behalf, and by whom, and the things for which,

they are brought near Thee.
And grant to us communion,
unto faith without shame,

love without dissimulation,
fulfilment of Thy commandments,
alacrity for every spiritual fruit;

hindrance of all adversity,

healing of soul and body;

that wẹ too, with all Saints,

who have been well-pleasing to Thee from the

beginning,

may become partakers

of Thy incorrupt and everlasting goods, which Thou hast prepared, O Lord, for them that love Thee;

in whom Thou art glorified

for ever and ever.

Lamb of God,

that takest away the sin of the world,

take away the sin of me,

the utter sinner.

[Unto a pledge of communion.

Acts ii. 42.

A memorial of the Dispensation. Eph. iii. 2.
A showing forth of His death. 1 Cor. xi. 26.

A communion of Body and Blood. Luke xxii. 19.
A sharing in the Spirit. 1 Cor. xii. 13.

Remission of sins. Matt. xxvi. 28.

A riddance of things contrary. 1 Cor. v. 7.

Rest of conscience.

Blotting out of debts.

Cleansing of stains.

Matt. xi. 29.

Col. ii. 14.

Ieb. ix. 14.

Healing of the soul's sickness. 1 Pet. ii. 24.

Renewing of the covenant. Psalm ii. 5.