Part III — Confessio Fidei and after

§6 *Vespertinæ Preces*

Printed 433
1VESPERTINÆ PRECES.
2Psal. cxxxiv. 3.IN noctibus extollite manus vestras in
3sanctuario, et benedicite Domino.
4lv. 17.Vespere, mane, et meridie, orabo, idque
5instanter, et Tu, Domine, exaudies vocem
6meam.
7xlii. 10.In die mandavit Dominus misericordiam
8suam, ideo nocte apud me cantabam laudes
9Ejus, et oratio mea ad Deum vitæ meæ.
10cxli. 2.Dirigatur oratio mea sicut incensum in
11conspectu Tuo; et elevatio manuum mea-
12rum, sicut sacrificium vespertinum.
13Benedictus Tu, Domine,
14Qui creasti vices diei, et
15noctis, et das lassis requiem,
16et languenti virtutem renovas.
17Job. xxxv.Qui das carmina de nocte,
18Psal. lxv. 8.Et facis ut exitus auroræ
19et vesperis laudent Te.
20xci. 5.Qui liberasti nos a sagitta
21volante interdiu, ab incursu,
22et a dæmone meridiano.
23Is. xxxviii. 14.Qui non præcidisti, quasi textor,
24vitam nostram, et de mane usque
25vesperam non abstulisti nos.
26Domine, sicut dies super dies,
27peccata super peccata adjicimus.
English
1THE EVENING PRAYERS.
2Ps. cxxxiv. 3.IN the night seasons lift up your hands in the
3sanctuary, and bless the Lord.
4[*Ps.*] lv. 17.At evening, and morning, and at noonday will I pray, and
5that instantly; and Thou, O Lord, shalt hear my
6voice.
7[*Ps.*] xlii. 10.The Lord hath granted His loving-kindness in the
8day-time, therefore in the night season did I sing His
9praises, and my prayer was unto the God of my life.
10[*Ps.*] cxli. 2.Let my prayer be set forth as incense in
11Thy sight; and the lifting up of mine
12hands, as the evening sacrifice.
13Blessed art Thou, O Lord,
14Who hast made the courses of the day and
15of the night, and givest rest to the weary,
16and renewest strength to the fainting.
17[Job 35]Who givest songs in the night,
18Ps. lxv. 8.And makest the outgoings of the morning
19and of the evening to praise Thee.
20[*Ps.*] xci. 5.Who hast delivered us from the arrow
21that flieth by day, from the assault,
22and from the noonday devil.
23Isa. xxxviii. 14.Who hast not cut off, like a weaver,
24our life, nor from the morning even unto
25the evening made an end of us.
26O Lord, as day upon day,
27so sin upon sin do we add.
Printed 434
1Pro. xxiv. 16.Septies in die impingit justus,
2nos vero (miseri peccatores)
3septuaginta septies.
4Hodie quoque suum [malum] habuit,
5et suum merebi[tur.]
6Sed revertimur ad Te, et omnia
7ossa nostra dicunt, Pœnitet,
8Nec occidat sol
9super iram Tuam.
10Domine, universa opera nostra bona
11Tu operatus es in nobis.
12Quicquid recte egimus,
13Propitius respice.
14Domine, peccatum et perditio
15nostra ex nobis sunt.
16Quicquid deliquimus,
17Clementer ignosce,
18Respice bonum,
19Malum condona.
20Benedictus es Tu, Domine,
21Qui das dilectis Tuis somnum suavitatis,
22et timentibus Te dormire fiducialiter.
23Illumina oculos nostros, ne obdor-
24miremus in morte.
25Libera nos a terrore nocturno,
26a negotio perambulante in tenebris.
27Ecce non dormitabit neque dormiet,
28Qui custodit Israel.
29Dominus custodiat nos ab omni
30malo, etiam custodiat
31animas nostras Dominus.
English
1Prov. xxiv. 16.Seven times in the day the just man stumbleth,
2but we (miserable sinners)
3seventy times seven.
4This day too hath had its own [evil],
5and shall deserve its own.
6Yet we return unto Thee, and all
7our bones say, It repenteth us,
8And let not the sun go down
9upon Thy wrath.
10O Lord, all our good works
11Thou hast wrought in us.
12Whatsoever we have done aright,
13Look Thou graciously upon.
14O Lord, our sin and our perdition
15are of ourselves.
16Whatsoever we have done amiss,
17Mercifully forgive,
18Look upon the good,
19Pardon the evil.
20Blessed art Thou, O Lord,
21Who givest Thy beloved the sleep of sweetness,
22and to them that fear Thee to sleep in confidence.
23Lighten our eyes, that we sleep
24not in death.
25Deliver us from the terror by night,
26from the thing that walketh about in darkness.
27Behold, He shall neither slumber nor sleep,
28Who keepeth Israel.
29The Lord preserve us from all
30evil, yea, the Lord preserve
31our souls.
Printed 435
1Domine, ego dormiam, sed
2Cor meum vigilabit.
3Visita me, Domine, visitatione
4sanctorum, et revela mihi
5aurem in visionibus noctis.
6Sit somnus meus, ut laboris,
7sic peccati cessatio.
8Ne quid vel per insomnia cogitem,
9quod Te offendat, vel me polluat.
10Da, Domine, recordari apud Te
11noctem non esse noctem, et
12tenebras esse instar lucis meridianæ.
13Da, Domine, fugiente somno ab oculis meis,
14nocte recordari nominis Tui,
15ut custodiam legem Tuam.
16Da meditari nocte cum corde,
17et excruciari, et scrutari spiritum meum,
18et increpationem renum non negligere,
19Quid recte, quid rectius,
20Quomodo Tibi magis acceptus,
21Quomodo hominibus magis gratus;
22Semitas meas, et lectum meum,
23Te circumdare,
24Te possidere Vias meas:
25Lucerna ardente videre Te,
26Lucerna exstincta videre Te.
27Da, Domine, cogitare
28Somnum longum,
29Somnum mortis,
30Lectum sepulchri,
English
1O Lord, I shall sleep, but
2My heart shall wake.
3Visit me, O Lord, with the visitation
4of saints, and uncover mine
5ear in the visions of the night.
6Let my sleep be, as a rest from labour,
7so a rest from sin.
8Let me think nothing, even in my dreams,
9that may offend Thee, or defile me.
10Grant, O Lord, that I may remember before Thee
11that the night is no night, and
12that the darkness is as the light of noonday.
13Grant, O Lord, when sleep fleeth from mine eyes,
14to remember Thy Name in the night,
15that I may keep Thy law.
16Grant me to commune by night with mine own heart,
17and to be pierced, and to search out my spirit,
18and not to neglect the chastening of my reins,
19What is right, what is more right,
20How I may be more acceptable unto Thee,
21How more pleasing unto men;
22That my paths and my bed,
23Thou dost compass about,
24That Thou possessest my ways:
25By the lamp burning, to see Thee,
26By the lamp quenched, to see Thee.
27Grant, O Lord, to think upon
28The long sleep,
29The sleep of death,
30The bed of the sepulchre,
Printed 436
1Stramentum vermium,
2Operimentum pulveris.
3In pace in idipsum dormiam
4et requiescam;
5Quia Tu, Domine, singulariter
6in spe constituisti me.
7In manus Tuas, Domine,
8Commendo spiritum
9meum, quia Tu
10redemisti me,
11Domine Deus.
12---
English
1The litter of worms,
2The covering of dust.
3In peace, in the selfsame, will I sleep
4and take my rest;
5For Thou, Lord, only
6hast set me in hope.
7Into Thy hands, O Lord,
8I commend my
9spirit, for Thou
10hast redeemed me,
11O Lord God.
12---
§5 *Matutinæ Preces*