Tracts for the Times

O LORD, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise. My soul doth praise the LORD, for the goodness He hath done

to the whole creation, and to the whole race of man; for Thy mercies towards myself, soul, body, and estate, gifts of grace, nature, and fortune ; for all benefits received, for all successes, now or heretofore, for any good thing done; for health, credit, competency, safety, gentle estate, quiet. Thou hast not cut off as a weaver my life,

nor from day even to night made an end of me.

He hath vouchsafed me life and breath
until this hour,

from childhood, youth, and hitherto

even unto age.

He holdeth our soul in life
and suffereth not our feet to slip;
rescuing me from perils, sicknesses,

poverty, bondage,

public shame, evil chances; keeping me from perishing in my sins, fully waiting my conversion, leaving in me return into my heart, remembrance of my latter end, shame, horror, grief,

for my past sins;

fuller and larger, larger and fuller,
more and still more, 0 my LORD,
storing me with good hope
of their remission,
through repentance and its works,

in the power of the thrice-holy Keys,
and the mysteries in Thy Church.

Wherefore day by day

for these Thy benefits towards me,
which I remember,―
wherefore also for others very many
which I have let slip

from their number, from my forgetfulness,-
for those which I wished, knew and asked,
and those I asked not, knew not, wished not,—
I confess and give thanks to Thee,

I bless and praise Thee, as is fit, and every day
I pray with my whole soul,

and with my whole mind I pray.

Glory be to Thee, O LORD, glory to Thee; glory to Thee, and glory to Thine All-holy Name, for all Thy Divine perfections in them;

for Thine incomprehensible and unimaginable goodness,

and thy pity towards sinners

and unworthy men,

and towards me of all sinners
far the most unworthy.
Yea, O LORD,

through this, and through the rest,

glory to Thee, and praise, and blessing, and thanksgiving, with the voices and concert of voices

of Angels and of men,
of all Thy saints in heaven,

and all Thy creatures in heaven or earth,

and of me, beneath their feet,
unworthy and wretched sinner,

Thy abject creature,
now, in this day and hour,
and every day till my last breath,
and till the end of the world,

and for ages upon ages.

Introduction.

THE FOURTH DAY.

I have thought upon Thee, O LORD,
when I was waking,

for Thou hast been my helper.
Blessed art Thou, O LORD,

who madest the two Lights, Sun and Moon,

greater and lesser,

and the stars

for light, for signs, for seasons,
spring, summer, autumn, winter,
days, weeks, months, years,
to rule over day night.

(1) Con- Behold, Thou art angry, for we have sinned. fession. We are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses

as filthy rags.

We all do fade as a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind,
have taken us away.

But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father,
we are clay, Thy handiwork all.

Be not wroth very sore,
nor remember iniquity for ever,
behold, see, we beseech Thee,
we are all Thy people.

O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us,

do Thou it for Thy Name's sake;
for our backslidings are many,
we have sinned against Thee.

Yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us,
and we are called by Thy Name,
leave us not.

O Hope of Israel,

The SAVIOUR thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest Thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? why shouldest Thou be as a man astonished, as a mighty man that cannot save? Be merciful to our unrighteousnesses, and our iniquities remember no more. LORD, I am carnal,

sold under sin;

there dwelleth in me, that is, in my flesh,
no good thing;

for the good that I would, I do not,
but the evil which I would not, that I do.
I consent unto the law that it is good,

I delight in it after the inner man ; But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and enslaving me to the law of sin. Wretched man that I am,

who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through JESUS CHRIST, that where sin abounded, grace hath much more abounded.

O LORD, Thy goodness leadeth me to repentance:

O give me sometime repentance
to recover me from the snare of the devil,

who am taken captive by him
at his will.

Sufficient for me the past time of my life
to have done the will of lusts,

walking in lasciviousness, revelling, drunkenness,

and in other excess of profligacy. O LAMB without blemish and without spot, who hast redeemed me with Thy precious Blood, in that very Blood pity me and save me; in that Blood,

and in that very Name,

besides which is none other under heaven
given among men,

by which we must be saved.
O GOD, Thou knowest my foolishness.

and my sins are not hid from Thee.
LORD, Thou knowest all my desire,
and my groaning is not hid from Thee.
Let not them that trust in Thee,
O LORD GOD of hosts,
be ashamed for my cause;

let not those that seek Thee be confounded through me,

O LORD GOD of Israel.

Take me out of the mire that I sink not;

O let me be delivered from them that hate me

and out of the deep waters;

Let not the water flood drown me,

neither let the deep swallow me up,

and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

[Defend me from]

(2) Prayer

for grace: Pride

(against deadly sins.)