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النشر الإلكتروني

By forsaking thy will to follow our own, do we not choose a murderer before thee?

By cherishing a sharp and bitter malice, do we not give thee vinegar and gall to drink?

By showing no mercy to the poor and afflicted, do we not pass by the cross as strangers unconcerned?

Thus we again crucify the Lord of glory, and put him afresh to an open shame.

Are these the returns we make to that blessed Redeemer, who came into the world to seek and to save us when we were lost?

We sought not him, but he came from far to find us out; we looked not towards him, but his mercy called us after him.

He called aloud in words of tenderness, Why will ye perish, O ye children of men ?

Return, and I will receive you; repent, and though you have crucified me, I will forgive you.

Behold, O blessed Jesus! to thee we come, and on thy holy cross fasten all our confidence.

Never will we depart from this standard of our hope, till our troubled consciences are comforted by thy mercy. Crucify the world to us, and us to the world; that dead to it, we may live only to thee.

Enter into our hearts, and fill them with thyself; reign in us for ever our Redeemer and Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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Like blood-hounds, to surround me, they

In pack'd assemblies meet;
They pierced my inoffensive hands,

They pierced my harmless feet.

As spoil, my garments they divide,
Lots for my vesture cast,

Therefore approach, O Lord, my strength,
And to my succour haste.

To Father, Son, &c.

Holy and immaculate Lamb of God! who, by thy obedience unto death, even the death of the cross, hast made an all-sufficient atonement for the sins of the world; mercifully grant, that by thy precious blood we may be cleansed from our guilt, and by the power of thy grace be crucified unto the world; that thus, through thy mercy, we may be prepared for the inheritance of glory which thou hast purchased for us. Grant this, we beseech thee, O blessed Jesus, who having once suffered, dost now reign with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, in glory for ever. Amen. Our Father, &c.

[Add the Collects for the Day.]

Devotions for Easter Even.

THE body of the Saviour rests in the grave, while his soul triumphantly passes into the place of departed spirits. In holy confidence thou dost address, O Saviour, thy Almighty Father-"Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy holy One to see corruption."

Joyful is the assurance which thou dost direct to thy Church-" Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body they shall arise."

"Awake, and sing ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead." Our Saviour is dead, but he shall rise again.

Come, let us adore the glorious Conqueror of death and hell.

GRANT, O Lord, that as we are baptized into the death of thy blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ; so, by continual mortifying our corrupt affections, we may be bu

ried with him; that through the grave and gate of death we may pass to our joyful resurrection, for his merits, who died, and was buried, and rose again for us, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

G

IVE us grace, O Lord, so to order our conversation in the world, that we may come to the close of life in thy fear and favour; and receive death not as our curse, but our deliverance, as an entrance upon a life without sorrow and without sin. Whenever thou dost visit us with bodily sickness, teach us to resign ourselves to thee; to show forth devotion of spirit, humble patience, faith, and confidence. Bless us on our sick bed with the benefit of a spiritual guide, and with an opportunity of receiving the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, that the strength of that heavenly food may cheer our fainting spirits, and carry us with joy to our journey's end. In our last agonies, O Lord, do thou support us; and when our strength and our heart faileth, be thou the strength of our heart, and our portion for ever, through Jesus Christ our Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

Office of Devotion for Easter Day.

THE Lamb of God that was slain, is alive again; and he

liveth for ever.

Come, let us adore him. Alleluja.

Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.

Come, let us adore him. Alleluja.

The Lord of life is risen again, and hath clothed himself with immortal glory.

Come, let us adore him. Alleluja.

He loosed the bands of death and hell; for it was impossible he should be holden by them.

Come, let us adore him. Alleluja.

He that raised up Jesus, will also raise us up; and refine our vile flesh into a likeness of his glorious body.

Come, let us adore him. Alleluja.

WORTHY is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and honour, and worship, blessing, and glory.

Therefore, blessing, honour, glory, power be to him that

sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever. Alleluja.

O death, I have been thy plagues.

O grave, I have been thy destruction.
O death, where is thy sting?

O grave, where is thy victory?

PSALM.

Sing unto our Lord a psalm of joy; sing praises to the God of our salvation.

Sing with a loud and cheerful voice; sing with a glad and thankful heart.

Say to the weak in spirit, be strong; and unto the sorrowful, be of good comfort.

Tell all mankind this soul-reviving truth; and may their hearts within them leap to hear it.

Tell them-the Lord of life is risen again, and has clothed himself with immortal glory.

He made the angels messengers of his victory; and vouchsafed even himself to bring us the joyful news.

How many ways did thy mercy invent, O thou wise contriver of all our happiness

To convince thy followers of the reality of thy resurrection, and to settle in their hearts a firm belief of this glorious truth?

Thou didst appear to the holy women in their return from the sepulchre; and didst open their hearts to know and adore thee.

Thou didst overtake in the way the two that discoursed of thee, and made their hearts burn within them to hear thee.

Through the doors, though shut, thou didst swiftly pass, to carry peace to thy comfortless friends;

To allay their fears by thy blessed presence, and to secure their faith by thy powerful arguments.

How often didst thou condescend to eat before them, and invite them to touch thy impassable body!

How didst thou sweetly invite the incredulous Thomas, to thrust his hand into thy wounded side!

O how adorable are thy counsels, O Lord! how endear ́ing are the ways of thy love!

Say now my soul, is not this evidence sufficient to satisfy our darkest doubts?

Is not this hope abundantly sufficient to sweeten all our most bitter sorrows?

What though we mourn, and are afflicted here, and sigh ander the miseries of this world for a time;

We are sure our tears shall one day be turned into joy; and that joy none shall take from us.

What, though our bodies are crumbled into dust; and that dust blown about over the face of the earth;

Yet we undoubtedly know our Redeemer lives, and shall appear in brightness at the last great day.

He shall appear in the midst of innumerable angels; and with these very eyes we shall behold him.

We shall see him in whom we have so long believed; we shall find him whom we have so often sought:

We shall possess him whom our souls have loved; and be united to him for ever, who is the only end of our being. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The LESSON.-From 1 COR. XV. 20. and COL. iii.

Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection from the dead. For, as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things that are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, shall appear, then shall ye also ap pear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members that are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience: in the which you also walked when you lived in them. But now you also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him; where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond, or free; but Christ is all, and in all.

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