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Hear us Blessed Trinity!

As Thou heard'st Thy saints before,
Hear us now, and evermore.

II.

Hymns at Lauds.

1.

FOR THE FIRST DAY.

Creator eternal of earth and of heaven,
Who rulest the night and the day;
Who seasons and times interchanging hast given,
To pour new delights o'er our way;

Thine ordinance lightens the darkness of night, And day interposed breaks its shade;

Morn's herald announces the coming of light, And the stars begin slowly to fade.

At His voice, comes the sun as a giant in might,

And darkness recedes from the sky;

Evil men veil their wrongs and pollutions from sight, And shrink from the All-seeing Eye.

The worn sailor his toil with new vigor begins,
And the dark wave is losing its fears;

While the Church, with weak Peter remembering her sins,

Bewails them with groaning and tears.

Spring we then from our couches with vigor and haste, The cock crowing calls us to rise;

It warns him who dares God's bestowments to waste, And rebukes the mad soul that denies.

At cock-crowing, hope lightens up the lone heart, And the sick hail the day-spring in heaven; The red dagger is sheathed, as the shadows depart, And new faith to the fallen is given.

Jesu! behold us all sunken in sin,

And as Thou beholdest, chastise!

One look, and our hearts shall be broken within, And repentance shall stream from our eyes.

Shine in on each sense, O! Thou light-giving King!

And dispel all the dreams of our night,

So our voices right early, thy praises shall sing,
And our vows shall be paid in thy sight.

To God the great Father of earth and of Heaven,
To the Son, and the Paraclete bless'd,

Be honor, and glory, and majesty given,
Be all prayers, and all praises addressed.

2.

FOR THE SECOND DAY.

Thou splendor of the Father's light,
Who sheddest glory ever bright,
Thou Fountain of our soul's true day,
Make bright before us, all our way.

O very Sun! descend from heaven,

And be to us in glory given;

Thy Holy Spirit's beams dispense,

Pour them on heart, and soul, and sense.

Great God! our voice we raise to Thee,

Father of grace most full and free!
Father of endless glory, deign

To pardon sin, and cleanse its stain.

Strengthen our souls, whene'er we stand,
And crush our foes with Thy right hand ;*
Make all our adverse times to be,
But times of blessing ruled by Thee.

Guide Thou and govern all our mind,
All our desires, let chasteness bind;
Let faith grow warm with fervent heat,
And keep us pure from earth's deceit.

Christ be our spirits' food this day!
And faith their holy thirst allay!
Not in excess o'ercome with wine,
Let us be filled with joys divine.

"Let us not think," as Origen says of a similar expression in the song of Zacharias, "that this is spoken of bodily, but of spiritual enemies."

Holy through grace, be all this day;
Sinless and pure, its opening ray:

At noon let Faith more brightly glow;
No sunset let our spirits know.

As morning ushers in the light,
And joined as one they greet our sight,
So in the Word the Father shone,
So in the Father dwells the Son.

To God the Father glory be,

Glory to God the Son;

Both with the Spirit. One in Three,
And all, the Three in One.

3.

FOR THE THIRD DAY.

Day's winged herald through the lands,
Proclaims the close of night;

And Christ's own voice our souls commands

To wake to life and light.

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