*IN confidence of thy goodness and mercy, I come, O Lord, a sick man unto my Saviour, hungry and thirsty to the fountain of life, needy to the king of heaven, a servant unto my Lord, a creature to my Creator, disconsolate to thee my merciful comforter. But whence is this to me, that thou vouchsafest to come unto me? Who am I, that thou shouldst give thyself unto me? How dare a sinner appear before thee? And how is it that thou dost vouchsafe to come unto a sinner? Thou knowest thy servant, and seest that he hath no good thing in him, for which thou shouldst bestow this favour upon him. I confess my unworthiness; I acknowledge thy goodness; I praise thy mercy, and give thee thanks for thy transcendent love. For thou dost this for thine own sake, not for any merits of mine: that thy goodness may be better known unto me, thy love more abundantly shewn, and thy gracious condescension the more eminently displayed. Since therefore it is thy pleasure, and thou hast commanded that it should be so, this thy favour is also pleasing to me, and may my sins be no hindrance. 2. O most sweet and benign Jesu, how great reverence and thanks ♦are due unto thee for the receiving of thy sacred body, whose preciousness no man is able to express! ♦ “is” replaced with “are” per Errata But what shall I think, now I am to approach unto my Lord, whom I am not able duly to honour, and yet I desire to receive him with devotion? What can I think better and more profitable, than to humble myself wholly before thee, and to exalt thine infinite goodness over me? I praise thee, my God, and will exalt thee for ever. I despise and submit myself unto thee, in a deep sense of my own unworthiness. 3. Behold thou art the holy of holies, and I the vilest of sinners! Behold thou inclinest unto me, who am not worthy so much as to look up unto thee. Behold thou comest unto me, it is thy will to be with me, thou invitest me to thy banquet. Thou wilt give me the food of heaven, and bread of angels to eat, which is no other indeed than thyself, the living bread, that descended from heaven and giveth life unto the world. 4. From whence doth this love proceed! What a gracious condescension appeareth herein! How great thanks and praises are due unto thee for these benefits! O how good and profitable was thy counsel, when thou ordainedst it! How sweet and pleasant the banquet when thou gavest thyself to be our food! How wonderful is thy operation, O Lord, how mighty is thy power, how unspeakable is thy truth! For thou saidst the word, and all things were made; and this was done which thou commandedst. 5. A thing of great admiration, that thou my Lord God, shouldst be exhibited unto us by the elements of bread and wine. Thou who art the Lord of all things, and standest in need of none, hast pleased to dwell in us by means of this thy sacrament.