Christ thy Son; and above all, for having loved me from all eternity, and redeemed me with his precious blood. O, let not that blood be shed for me in vain!

Lord, I believe all those heavenly truths which thou hast revealed, and which thy holy Catholic Church believes and teaches. Thou art the Sovereign Truth, who canst neither deceive nor be deceived; and thou hast promised the Spirit of Truth to guide thy Church into all truth. "I believe in God the Father Almighty," &c. In this faith I resolve, through thy grace, both to live and die. O Lord, strengthen and increase this my faith.

O my God, all my hopes are in thee; and through Jesus Christ, my Redeemer, and through his passion and death, I hope for mercy, grace, and salvation from thee. In thee, O Lord, have I put my trust; O, let me never be confounded!

O sweet Jesus, receive me into thine arms in this day of my distress; hide me in thy wounds, bathe my soul in thy precious blood.

I love thee, O my God, with my whole heart and soul, above all things; at least, I desire so to love thee. O, come now and take full possession of my whole soul, and teach me to love thee for ever!

I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. O, when will thy kingdom come! O Lord,

when wilt thou perfectly reign in all hearts! When shall sin be no more!

I desire to embrace every neighbour with perfect charity for the love of thee. I forgive, from my heart, all who have in any way offended or injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have in any way offended.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out mine iniquity.

O, who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to mine eyes, that night and day I may weep for all my sins!

O, that I had never offended so good a God! O, that I had never sinned! Happy those souls that have always preserved their baptismal in

nocence !

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner; sweet Jesus, son of the living God, have mercy on me!

I commend my soul to God my Creator, who made me out of nothing; to Jesus Christ my Saviour, who redeemed me with his precious blood; to the Holy Ghost, who sanctified me in baptism. Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

I renounce from this moment, and for all eternity, the devil and all his works; and I abhor all his suggestions and temptations. O, suffer not, O Lord, this mortal enemy of my

soul to have any power over me, either now or at my last hour. O, let thy holy angels defend me from all the powers of darkness.

Holy Mary, pray for me.

Holy Mary, Mother of grace, Mother of mercy, do thou defend me from the enemy, and receive me at the hour of death.

O holy Angel of God, who art my guardian, stand by me and assist me.

O all ye blessed Angels and Saints of God, pray for me, a poor sinner.

In Suffering.

O Lord Jesus Christ, accept my sufferings, which I desire to unite with thine; sanctify this affliction, so that every pain I feel may purify my soul, and bring it nearer unto thee. O Lord Jesus Christ, I beseech thee to give me such love for thee, that I may love the very sufferings that will take me sooner to thee. Only stand thou by me with thy supporting grace, and then order for me what thou pleasest. Come now to my help, and so purify my soul, that it may not require the cleansing fire of purgatory, but fly to the embraces of thy love for Amen.

ever.

A Protestation concerning Death.

O my God, prostrate in thy presence, I worship thee; and I desire to make this declaration as if I were on the point to die, and about to pass from this life to that which shall never end.

O Lord, because thou art the Truth, and canst not lie, but hast revealed it to the Church, I believe the mystery of the most holy Trinity-Father, Son, and Holy Ghost -three Persons, but only one God, who, judging all men

according to their works, awardeth heaven to the righteous, and hell to sinners. I believe that the Second Person-the Son of God-became man, and died for our salvation. I believe all that the holy Catholic Church believeth and teacheth. "I believe in God the Father Almighty," &c.

I thank thee, O Lord, that thou hast made me a Christian; and I solemnly declare that in this holy faith I desire to live and to die.

O God, my hope, trusting in thy promises, I hope to receive from thy mercy,-not through my merits, but through the merits of Jesus Christ, the pardon of my sins, perseverance in thy grace, and, after this wretched life, the glory of heaven. And should Satan at my death tempt me to despair at the sight of my sins, I solemnly declare that I will always hope in thee, my only Lord and Saviour, and that I desire to die in the arms of thy goodness.

O God, worthy of infinite love, I love thee with my whole heart, and more than I love myself. I desire to die in an act of love, that so I may continue loving thee throughout endless ages in heaven. Therefore I ask this love of thee. And if, O Lord, instead of loving thee, I have hitherto despised thine infinite goodness and mercy, I am now sorry for it with my whole heart, and I will die, if thou wilt help me, bewailing and lamenting, and hating for ever the sins I have committed against thee. I resolve for the future to die rather than to sin against thee. For thy sake I pardon all who have ever offended me. O my God, I cheerfully accept death, and the pains which shall accompany death. I desire to unite them to the sorrows and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to offer them to the honour of thy dominion and in satisfaction for my sins. O Lord, for the sake of the great sacrifice of himself which thy Son offered on the altar of the cross, accept this sacrifice of my life, which I offer unto thee. I now, for the moment of my death, resign

myself to thy divine will, solemnly affirming that I wish to die saying "Thy will be done."

O crucified Saviour, who, to obtain a good death for me, didst suffer a most painful death, remember me at my last hour; remember that I am one of thy sheep, which thou hast purchased with thine own blood. O Shepherd of my soul, who alone canst guide and comfort me at that hour when I walk through the dark valley of the shadow of death-when no one of this earth shall stand by me-when no friend shall be able to profit me -be with me then; suffer me not to lose thee for ever -cast me not off from thee. O beloved Jesus, since I embrace thee now, receive me then-hide my sins in thy holy wounds-wash me in thine immaculate blood. At my last breath, I give thee my heart, my soul, and my spirit. O happy suffering, to suffer for thee! O happy death, to die in thee!

If thou, O Lord, wilt receive my soul, O death, where is thy sting! O grave, where is thy victory!

It may be proper also, in time of sickness, to read to the sick person leisurely, and as he is able to bear it, the Passion of Christ, or some meditations on his Passion; the Miserere, and other Penitential Psalms; devout acts of contrition, &c.; but not too much at once, for that might fatigue him, and do him harm.

THE HOLY VIATICUM.

THE Viaticum is the holy Eucharist administered with the intention of preparing the sick for death. This blessed Sacrament is indeed the bread of life, of which every good Christian frequently partakes during health; but when the soul is about to pass from the body, there arises a new and peculiar obligation of receiving it. This obligation is founded on the abundant graces which this holy Sacrament, above all the rest, is capable of imparting, and which are at that time so necessary. It is the