Thursday Morning.
THURSDAY MORNING.
O ETERNAL God, my Sovereign Lord, I acknowledge all I am, all I have, is thine. O give me such a sense of thy infinite goodness, that I may return to thee all possible love and obedience.
I humbly and heartily thank thee for all the favors thou hast bestowed upon me; for creating me after thine own image, for thy daily preserving me by thy good providence, for redeeming me by the death of thy blessed Son, and for the assistance of thy Holy Spirit; for causing me to be born a Christian country, for blessing me with plentiful means of salvation, with religious parents and friends, and frequent returns of thy ever blessed sacrament. I also thank thee for all thy temporal blessings; for the preservation of me this night; (——) for my health, strength, food, raiment, and all the comforts and necessaries of life. O may I always delight to “praise thy holy name,” and, above all thy benefits, love thee my great Benefactor.
And, O Father of mercies, shut not up thy bowels of compassion towards me, a vile and miserable sinner; despise not the work of thine own hands, the purchase of thy Son’s blood. For his sake I most humbly implore forgiveness of all my sins. “Lo, I come now, to do thy will alone;” and am resolved, by thy assistance, to have no longer any choice of my own, but with singleness of heart to obey thy good pleasure: “Father, not my will, but thine be done,” in all my thoughts, words, and actions. O thou all-sufficient God of angels and men, who art above all, and through all, and in all; from whom, by whom, and in whom are all things; “in whom we live, move, and have our being;” may my will be as entirely and continually derived from thine, as my being and happiness are! I believe, O sovereign Goodness, O mighty Wisdom, that thou dost sweetly order and govern all things, even the most minute, even the most noxious, to thy glory, and the good of those that love thee. I believe, O Father of the families of heaven and earth, that thou so disposest all events, as may best magnify thy goodness to all thy children, especially those whose eyes wait upon thee. I most humbly beseech thee, teach me to adore all thy ways, though I cannot comprehend them; teach me to be glad that thou art King, and to give thee thanks for all things that befall me; seeing thou hast chosen that for me, and hast thereby “set to thy seal that they are good.” And for that which is to come, give me thy grace to do in all things what pleaseth thee; and then, with an absolute submission to thy wisdom, to leave the issues of them in thy hand.
O Lord Jesus, I give thee my body, my soul, my substance, my fame, my friends, my liberty, my life: Dispose of me, and all that is mine, as it seemeth best unto thee. I am not mine, but thine; Claim me as thy right, keep me as thy charge, love me as thy child! Fight for me when I am assaulted, heal me when I am wounded, and revive me when I am destroyed.
O help me with thy grace, that whatsoever I shall do or suffer this day may tend to thy glory. Keep me in love to thee, and to all men. Do thou direct my paths, and teach me to set thee always before me. Let not the things of this life, or my manifold concerns therein, alienate any part of my affections from thee; nor let me ever pursue or regard them, but for thee, and in obedience to thy will.
Extend, O Lord, thy pity to the whole race of mankind; enlighten the Gentiles with thy truth, and bring into thy flock thy ancient people the Jews. Be gracious to the holy catholic Church; and grant she may always preserve that doctrine and discipline which thou hast delivered to her. Grant that all of this nation, especially our Governors and the Clergy, may, “whatsoever they do, do all to thy glory.” Bless all nurseries of true religion and useful learning, and let them not neglect the end of their institution. Be merciful to all that are in distress, (——) that struggle with pain, poverty, or reproach; be thou a guide to them that travel by land or by water; give a strong, and quiet spirit to those who are condemned to death, liberty to prisoners and captives, and ease and cheerfulness to every sad heart. O give spiritual strength and comfort to scrupulous consciences, and to them that are afflicted by evil spirits. Pity idiots and lunatics, and give life and salvation to all to whom thou hast given no understanding. Give to all that are in error the light of thy truth; bring all Sinners to repentance, (——) and give to all heretics humility and grace to make amends to thy Church, by the public acknowledgment of an holy faith. Bless all my friends and relations, acquaintance and enemies; (——) unite us all to one another by mutual love, and to thyself by constant holiness; that we, together with all those who are gone before us in thy faith and fear, may find a merciful acceptance in the last day, through the merits of thy blessed Son; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all glory, world without end!