Endeavour as much as possible to put yourselves in the condition you desire to be found in at the hour of death.

O MY God, I accept of death as an act of homage and adoration which I owe to thy divine Majesty, as a punishment justly due to my sins, in union with the death of my dear Redeemer, and as the only means of coming to thee, my beginning and my last end.

I firmly believe all the sacred truths the Catholic Church believes and teaches, because thou hast revealed them; and by the assistance of thy holy grace, I am resolved to live and die in the communion of this thy Church.

Relying upon thy goodness, power, and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, and life everlasting, through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ, my only Redeemer, and by the intercession of his blessed Mother, and of all the Saints.

I love thee with all my heart and soul, and desire to love thee as the blessed do in heaven. I adore all the designs of thy divine providence, resigning myself entirely to thy will.

I also love my neighbour for thy sake, as I love myself; I sincerely forgive all

who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured.

I renounce the devil, with all his works; the world, with all its pomps; the flesh, with all its temptations.

I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. Father, into thy hands, I commend my Spirit; Lord Jesus receive my soul.

May the blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and all the Saints, pray for us to our Lord, that we may be preserved this night from all sin and evil.

Blessed St. Michael, defend us in the day of battle, that we may not be lost at the dreadful judgment.

O my good Angel, whom God, in his divine mercy, has appointed to be my guardian, enlighten and protect me, direct and govern me this night. Amen.

Almighty God, have mercy on us, and, our sins being forgiven, bring us to life everlasting. Amen.

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution, and remission of our sins. Amen.

V. Vouchsafe, O Lord, this night,
R. To keep us without sin,

. Have mercy on us, O Lord. Ry. Have mercy on us.

. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us. Ry. As we have hoped in thee.

. O Lord, hear our prayer.

Ry. And let our cry come to thee.

LET US PRAY.

VISIT, we beseech thee, O Lord, this house and family, and drive far from it all the snares of our enemy: let thy Angels dwell herein, who may keep us in peace; and may thy blessing be always upon us: through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. May our Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and bring us to life everlasting.

And may the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Short Meditations on Death.

ON SUNDAY.

WE must all die, and quit all in which we now take content.

Our best friends will abandon us, and leave us nothing but a winding-sheet.

Therefore quit all affection to creatures, before they quit you.

ON MONDAY.

DEATH is certain: the time and manner are uncertain: whether by a long disease, or by some unexpected accident.

The Son of man will come at an hour when we little expect him.

Be therefore ready every moment, seeing you may die at any moment.

ON TUESDAY.

You can only die once; and if you die ill, the loss is irreparable.

If any one from hell could return to life, how would he prepare for death?

Let the misery of others be an instruction to you.

ON WEDNESDAY.

CONSIDER What will most alarm you at the hour of death: the sins you have committed, the doubtful state of your soul, and the thought of eternity.

O death! how bitter is thy remembrance to a man who has peace in his sins.

Quit, therefore, all affection to temporal felicity.

ON THURSDAY.

LEARN every day the art of dying well. Defer not doing penance till the hour of death.

At that time the pains of your body, and the anguish of your mind will take up all your thoughts.

ON FRIDAY.

LIVE as you intend to die, for you will die as you live.

If you forget God in your life-time, you will be forgotten at the hour of death.

The death of the wicked is miserable; the death of the just is precious in the sight of God.

ON SATURDAY.

DEATH is often nearer than you imagine; and many who have promised themselves a long life, have been cut off suddenly in their sins.

Are you so ready, that if death should come to-night, you would not be surprised? Do not live in a state in which you dare not die.

On the Choice of a State of Life.

ALMIGHTY God, in his Providence, has established a diversity of states and employments for mankind, distributing them in his wisdom, as the father of a family divides among his servants the offices of his house. Hence he bestows upon men various inclinations and natural abilities, and dispenses his graces according to the wants of the respective states to which he calls them.

It follows manifestly, that it is of the greatest consequence that each one should make a right choice of a state of life. This choice is of such moment, that on it depends the special blessing of God in this life, and, if not our eternal