Remember Him who hath clothed thee with this tabernacle : forget not Him who shall clothe thee with a house everlasting.. Think of the morning when the dead shall be clothed amid the sounds of the trump of God, and of the voice of the archangel. And angels shall gather together the last congregation upon earth and the Lord's day shall be the day of his appearing. Consider how then thou wilt appear : shall thy clothing be of glory or of shame? O Lord, prepare me against that day : my hope and my trust is in Thee. Thou didst unclothe Thee of the apparel of thy terrible majesty : Thou didst clothe Thyself with the form of a servant. Thou didst come in the likeness of sinful flesh Thou didst come hand to hand with sin. In thy temptation Thou didst overcome him : in thy cross Thou didst destroy him. And when Thou hadst done thy work for man and the desire of thy soul was satisfied, Thou didst put off thy slavish dress : Thou didst array thyself in thy royal glory again. And Thou sittest at the right hand of the Father and all the angels of heaven worship Thee. Glory be to Thee, O Conqueror of sin and death glory be to Thee, O Saviour of the world. Blessed be thy name, O Lord of lords : honour and worship to Thee, O King of kings. XXVI. CHRIST THE BISHOP OF SOULS. THOU sittest on the throne of thy Church : Thou art the Bishop of our souls, O Christ. Thou hast the government of the house of thy father Thou hast the key of David. Thou openest, and no man shutteth Thou shuttest, and no man openeth. Heaven uplifteth his gates to thy people : the mouth of the pit is shut against them. Thou bringest them forth with a mighty arm : Thou tramplest thine enemies under thy feet. Principalities and powers, mights and dominions, are under Thee: Thou settest them to the work of thy will. Thou compellest their wickedness to work thy righteousness and in their hatred to accomplish the purposes of thy love. Behold, thy Churches are in thy right hand as stars and from thy glory they draw their brightness. O let ours be precious in thy sight: enlighten it with thy truth continually. Clothe its priests with righteousness and visit its people with salvation. O Lord, be merciful unto thy servant that prayeth unto Thee keep him evermore beneath thine eye. Let thy word direct his heart : and let thy staff guide him in all his ways. For the watchfulness of thy protection never sleepeth the mercy of thy love never slumbereth. Into thy hands I commit my body and soul this night they are safe in thy keeping, O my Redeemer. XXVII. CHRIST'S LAST NIGHT. THE darkness hath bidden the work of the day to cease the night hath brought repose. The hands of man have had labour enough : his heart hath had care enough. But sleep not yet, O my soul: thy work is yet undone, Until thou praise the Lord for his goodness: and tell forth his mercies with a song. : O Lord, to whom I flee for shelter O Saviour, that dost give me safe repose. Thou hadst nowhere to lay thy head: Thou wast a stranger amidst thine own. How full of sorrow was thy last night unto Thee what heart of man shall know its agony. O Thou sinless that abhorrest sin : how grievous was his approach unto Thee, When Thou hadst scent of him in his wages of death and hadst his burden on Thee in the sins of the whole world. Thy soul was exceeding sorrowful : the sweat of thine agony was as drops of blood. And yet thy disciples heeded it not so had sleep overcome them. And the world remembereth it not : and the children of unwatchfulness regard it not. But let not sleep overcome me, O Lord : nor suffer the temples of my head to take rest, Let me not give mine eyes to darkness: nor my heart to forgetfulness, : Before I consider the works of thy love and my soul utter her thanksgiving. Bless Him, O my soul: O why art thou so heavy? I cannot reach the height of his mercy, thou criest: I cannot sound the depth of his love. Shall I tell the number of the stars which He hath set in the heavens: shall I count the waves which He raiseth with his breath on the great ocean? Shall I compass the world from the East to the West shall I measure up unto the heaven of heavens? Then shall I be able to number the deeds of his goodness and to comprehend the extent of his glory. I faint, it is too much for me: I am blind, I see but as through a glass darkly. Grant me, Lord, so to see Thee now in patience that I may see Thee hereafter in glory. : Face to face before thy throne: in the mansions of thy Father's house. Glory be to Thee, O Christ: glory be to Thee, O Lord Christ. XXVIII. CHRIST OUR DEFENDER THROUGH THE PASSAGE OF DEATH. In the depth of the silence of the night : in the hour when men are asleep, Where is the face to cheer amid the loneliness where is the voice to comfort against fear? There is the light of thy countenance, O Lord and there is thy word of joy and consolation. : : Therefore I will seek thy face and call thy word unto remembrance. : I will tell Thee the secrets of my heart and. Thou wilt answer me with news of gladness. O when my last day shall have come to an end and the night of the grave shall have overshadowed me, |