143

 143. Vespers Sunday  Lucis Creator optime.  FATHER of Lights, by whom each day  Is kindled out of night, Who, when the heavens were made, didst lay  Their rudiments in light; Thou, who didst bind and blend in one  The glistening morn and evening pale, Hear Thou our plaint, when light is gone,  And lawlessness and strife prevail.  Hear, lest the whelming weight of crime  Wreck us with life in view; Lest thoughts and schemes of sense and time  Earn us a sinner's due. So may we knock at Heaven's door,  And strive the immortal prize to win, Continually and evermore  Guarded without and pure within.  Grant this, O Father, Only Son,  And Spirit, God of grace, To whom all worship shall be done  In every time and place.