Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity fuffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unfeemly, feeketh not her own, is not eafily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth: beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they fhall fail; whether there be tongues, they fhall ceafe; whether there be knowledge, it fhall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophefy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part fhall be done away. When I was a child, I fpake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we fee through a glafs, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as alfo I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of thefe is charity. ·:

TH

The Gofpel. St. Luke xviii. 31.

HEN Jefus took unto him the twelve, and faid unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerufalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man fhall be accomplished. For he fhall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and fhall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they fhall fcourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he fhall rife again. And they understood none of thefe things: and this faying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pafs, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man fat by the way. fide begging: and hearing the multitude pafs by, he asked what it meant. And they told him that Jefus of Nazareth paffeth by. And he cried, faying, Jefus, thou fon of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he fhould hold his peace: but he cried fo much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on

ftood, and commanded him to be m: and when he was come near, he ing, What wilt thou that I fhould do unto he faid, Lord, that I may receive my fight. faid unto him, Receive thy fight: thy faith thee. And immediately he received his fight, wed him, glorifying God: and all the people, ey faw it, gave praise unto God.

first Day of Lent, commonly called Ash-Wednesday. The Collect.

ALMIGHTY and everlafting God, who hateft nothing

that thou haft made, and doft forgive the fins of all them that are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts; that we worthily lamenting our fins, and

Lent] This faft is called Lent from the time of the year in which it is kept, for Lent in the Saxon language is Spring.

Afb-Wednesday] Or, Dies Cinerum. Gregory the Great firft added this day to Lent, to make the number of fafting-days completely forty, which before his time were, thirty-fix.—Bingham's Antiq, vol. viii. 106. After his time, it was the caput Quadragefime, or head of Lent; on which day the penitents were admitted to their penance, according to the following directions:-" Let all notorious finners who have been already, or are now to be, enjoined public penance, this day prefent themfelves before the church-doors to the bishop of the place, clothed in fackcloth, bare-footed, with eyes caft down upon the ground, profeffing thus by their habit and countenance their guilt. There must be present the deans, or arch-prefbyters, and the public penitentiaries, whofe office it is to examine the lives of thefe penitents, and according to the degree of their fin, to apportion their penance, according to the ufual degree of penance. After this let them bring the penitents into the church, and, with all the clergy prefent, let the bishop fing the feven penitentiary pfalms, proftrate upon the ground, with tears for their abfolution. Then the bishop, arifing from prayer, according to the canons, let him lay his hand upon them, (that is, to ratify their penance, not to abfolve them) let him fprinkle alhes upon their head, and cover them with fackcloth: and with frequent fighs and fobs, let him denounce to them, that as Adam was caft out of Paradife, fo are they caft out of the church for their fins. After this let the bishop command the officers to drive them out of the church-doors, the clergy following them with this refpond; "In the fweat of thy brows fhall thou eat thy bread;" that thefe poor finners, feeing holy church atflicted thus and difgraced for their fins, may be fenfible of their penance. The Collect This prayer for contrition of heart was compofed at the eftablishment of the Liturgy in 1549. The introitus was pfalm vi.

acknowledging our wretchednefs, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remiffion and forgiveness, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

This Collect is to be read every Day in Lent, after
the Collect appointed for the Day.

The Epistle. Joel ii. 12.

TURN ye even to me, faith the Lord, with all

your

heart, and with fafting, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, flow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil, Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a bleffing behind him; even a meatoffering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, fanctify a faft, call a folemn affembly: gather the people, fanctify the congregation, affemble the elders, gather the children, and those that fuck the breafts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her clofet. Let the priests, the minifters of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them fay, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen fhould rule over them: wherefore fhould they fay among the people, Where is their God?

WHE

The Gospel. St. Matth. vi. 16.

HEN ye faft, be not as the hypocrites, of a fad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to faft. Verily I fay unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou fafteft, anoint thine head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to faft, but unto thy Father which is in fecret; and thy Father which feeth in fecret, fhall reward thee openly. Lay not up for your felves treasures upon earth, where moth and ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourfelves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves do not

break through nor fteal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be alfo.

The first Sunday in Lent.
The Collect.

Lord, who for our fake didst faft forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use fuch abftinence, that our flesh being fubdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteoufnefs and true holinefs, to thy honour and glory, who liveft and reigneft with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, one God, world without end. Amen. The Epiftle. 2 Cor. vi. 1.

WE then, as workers together with him, befeech you

alfo, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he faith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of falvation have 1 fuccoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of falvation.) Giving no offence in any thing, that the miniftry be not blamed; but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in neceffities, in diftreffes, in ftripes, in imprisonments,, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in faftings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-fuffering, by kindnefs, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteoufnefs on the right hand and on the left, by honour and difhonour, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chaftened, and not killed; as forrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet poffeffing all things.

THEN

The Gofpel. St. Matth. iv. 1.

was Jefus led up of the fpirit into the wilder nefs, to be tempted of the devil. had fafted forty days and forty nights, he

And when he was afterward

The Collect] This collect or prayer for ability to govern the carnal part of our nature was compofed and introduced into the litany in 1549The introitus was pfalm xxxii.

an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he faid, If thou be the Son of God, command that these ftones be made bread. But he answered and faid, It is written, Man fhall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and fetteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and faith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, caft thyfelf down; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they fhall bear thee up, left at any time thou dafh thy foot against a ftone. Jefus faid unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and fheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and faith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship Then faith J: fus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou fhalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only fhalt thou ferve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold angels came and miniftered unto him.

me.

The fecond Sunday in Lent.

The Collect.

Almighty God, who feeft that we have no power of

ourfelves to help ourfelves; Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our fouls; that we may be defended from all adverfities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may affault and hurt the foul, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

The Epiftle. I Theff. iv. 1.

WE befeech you, brethren, and exhort you by the

Lord Jefus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk, and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we

The Collect This prayer for divine affiftance, and God's grace in our Chriftian courfe, is found in the Sacramentarium of St. Gregory; its or thography and grammar were slightly altered at the review 1662. The introitus was pfalm cxxx.

« AnteriorContinuar »