장음표시 사용
91쪽
astonishment of our contemporaries the reason why
according to Isaiah ali our righteousness is as filthy rags, whostiali presume to boast himself of the persection of any Vir- tue, or deny that from some circumstance a thing may deserveto be reprehended, whicli in iiself perhaps was not reprehensibi e . For good springs from one seissame fource, but evitarises in many ways, as Dionysius insorms us. Wheres re tomahe amends sor our iniquities, by which we achnowledgeourselves to have frequently offended the Creator of ali things, in ashing the assistance of their prayers, we have thought fitto exhort our future studenis to fhow their gratitude as wellio us as to their other benefactors in time to come by requitingour sorethought sor their benefit by spiritual retribution. Letus live when dead in their memories, who have lived in ourbenevolence besore they were born, and live now sustained by our beneficence. Let them implore the mercy of the Redeemerwith unwearled prayer, that the pious Iudge may CXcUse ΟUr
92쪽
negligences, may pardon the wichedness of OUr sins, may cover the lapses of our feebleness with the cloah of piety, and remit by His divine goodness the offences of which we areashamed and penitent. That He may preserve to Us for adue season os repentance the gisits of His good grace, Steadfast-ness of faith, tostiness of hope, and the widest chari ty to alimen. That He may turn our haughty will to lament iis saulis, that it may deplore iis past most Vain elations, may retractiis most bitter indignations, and detest iis most insane delectations. That His virtve may abound in Us, when OUrown is found wanting, and that He who freely consecrate lour beginning by the sacrament of baptism, and advanced our progress to the seat of the Apostles without any desert of ours,
may deign to sortis' our outgoing by the sitiing SacramentS. That we may be delivered from the lust of the flesli, that thesear of death may ulterly vanish and our spirit may destre tobe dissolved and be with Christ, and existing upon earth in body only, in thought and longing our conversation may bein Heaven. That the Father of mercies and the God os ali consolation may graciotasty come to meet the prodigal returning from the liussis; that He may receive the piece of silver thathas been lately sound and transmit it by His holy angeis into
ness, test Leviathan, that old serpent, lying hid at the gate of
the holy blood that He has shed, and that the Incarnate Deity
may pass Unpunished where infinite loving-kindness is to bes und, and that the foui of the wretched siniter may breatheagain where the peculiar office of the Iudge is to fhow mercy. And surther, let our students be always diligent in invoking the refuge of our liope aster God, the Virgin Mother of God
93쪽
and Blessed Queen os Heaven, that we who sor our manis id sins and wickednesses have deserved the anger of the Iudge, by the aid of her ever-acceptabie supplications may merit Hissorgiveness; that her plous hand may depress the scale of the balance in whicli our smali and sew good deeds shali beweighed, test the heaviness of our sins preponderate and castus down to the bottomless pit os perdition. Moreover, let them
sessor Cuthberi, the care of whose flock we have unworthilyUndertaken, ever devoutly praying that he may deign to excuse by his prayers his all-Unworthy Vicar, and may procurehim whom he hath admitted as his successor Upon Carth tobe made his assessor in Heaven. Finalty, let them pray Godwith holy prayers as weli of body as of soul, that He will restore the spirit created in the image of the Trinity, after iis sojourn in this miserable worid, to iis primordial prototype, and grant to it for ever to enjoy the sight of His countenance: through our Lord Iesus Christ. Amen.