and with fasting, and with | earth, where moth and rust weeping, and with mourning. doth corrupt, and where thieves And rend your heart, and break through and steal: but not your garments, and turn lay up for yourselves treasures unto the LORD your God: for in heaven, where neither moth he is gracious and merciful, nor rust doth corrupt, and slow to anger, and of great where thieves do not break kindness, and repenteth him of through nor steal for where the evil. Who knoweth if he your treasure is, there will your will return, and repent, and heart be also. leave a blessing behind him, even a meat-offering and drink-offering unto the LORD your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet; let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their GOD? The Gospel. a THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. The Collect. St. Matt. vi. 16. O LORD, who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; give us grace to use such abstinence, that our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the FATHER and the HOLY GHOST, one GOD, world without end. Amen, The Epistle. 2 Cor. vi. 1 WE then, as workers together with him, beseech you also, that ye receive not the grace of GoD in vain : (For he saith, I have heard thee in a WHEN ye fast, be not as time accepted, and in the day of the hypocrites, of a sad counte- salvation have I succoured thee: nance for they disfigure their behold, now is the accepted faces, that they may appear time; behold, now is the day unto men to fast. Verily I say of salvation) giving no offence unto you, they have their re- in any thing, that the ministry ward. But thou, when thou be not blamed ; but in all things fastest, anoint thine head, and approving ourselves as the wash thy face, that thou ap- ministers of GOD, in much papear not unto men to fast, but tience, in afflictions, in necessiunto thy Father which is in ties, in distresses, in stripes, in secret; and thy Father which imprisonments, in tumults, in seeth in secret, shall reward labours, in watchings, in fastthee openly. Lay not up ings; by pureness, by knowfor yourselves treasures upon ledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the HOLY GHOST, | of the world, and the glory of by love unfeigned, by the word them; and saith unto him, All of truth, by the power of GOD, these things will I give thee, if by the armour of righteousness thou wilt fall down and worship on the right hand and on the me. Then saith JESUS unto left, by honour and dishonour, him, Get thee hence, Satan; for by evil report and good report; it is written, Thou shalt woras deceivers, and yet true; as ship the LORD thy GOD, and unknown, and yet well known; him only shalt thou serve. as dying, and behold we live; Then the devil leaveth him, as chastened, and not killed; and behold, angels came and as sorrowful, yet alway rejoic-ministered unto him. ing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. yet possessing all things. The Collect. The Epistle. 1 Thess. iv. 1. The Gospel. St. Matt. iv. 1. ALMIGHTY GOD, who seest THEN was JESUS led up of that we have no power of ourthe Spirit into the wilderness, selves to help ourselves; keep to be tempted of the devil: us both outwardly in our bodies, and when he had fasted forty and inwardly in our souls; that days and forty nights, he was we may be defended from all afterward an hungered. And adversities which may happen when the tempter came to him, to the body, and from all evil he said, If thou be the Son thoughts which may assault and of GOD, command that these hurt the soul, through JESUS stones be made bread. But he CHRIST our Lord. Amen. answered and said, It is written, Man shall 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 setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of GOD, cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. JESUS said 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 showeth him all the kingdoms WE beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord JESUS, 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 gave you by the Lord JESUS. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication; that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not GoD: that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter; because Lord. Amen. that the LORD is the avenger of and stretch forth the right hand all such, as we also have fore- of thy majesty, to be our dewarned you and testified. For fence against all our enemies, GOD hath not called us unto through JESUS CHRIST our uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but GoD, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. The Gospel. St. Matt. xv. 21. The Epistle. Ephes. v. 1. BE ye therefore followers of GOD, as dear children; and walk in love, as CHRIST also hath loved us, and hath given JESUS went thence, and de- himself for us, an offering and parted into the coasts of Tyre a sacrifice to God, for a sweetand Sidon. And behold, a smelling savour. But fornicawoman of Canaan came out of tion and all uncleanness, or the same coasts, and cried unto covetousness, let it not be once him, saying, Have mercy on named amongst you, as becomme, O Lord, thou Son of David: eth saints; neither filthiness, my daughter is grievously vexed nor foolish talking, nor jesting, with a devil. But he answered which are not convenient; but her not a word. And his dis- rather giving of thanks. For ciples came and besought him, this ye know, that no whoresaying, Send her away; for she monger, nor unclean person, crieth after us. But he an-nor covetous man, who is an swered and said, I am not sent idolater, hath any inheritance but unto the lost sheep of the in the kingdom of CHRIST, and house of Israel. Then came of GOD. Let no man deceive she and worshipped him, say-you with vain words: for being, Lord, help me. But he cause of these things cometh answered, and said, It is not the wrath of GoD upon the meet to take the children's children of disobedience. bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. Then JESUS answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT. The Collect. WE beseech thee, Almighty GOD, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, Be not ye therefore partakers with them; for ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the LORD: walk as children of light; (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth) proving what is acceptable unto th LORD. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved, are made manifest by the light; for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and CHRIST shall give thee light. The Gospel. St. Luke xi. 14. when he cometh, he findeth it JESUS was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil as he spake these things, a cerwas gone out, the dumb spake; tain woman of the company and the people wondered. But lift up her voice, and said unto some of them said, He casteth him, Blessed is the womb that out devils through Beelzebub, bare thee, and the paps which the chief of the devils. And thou hast sucked. But he said, others, tempting him, sought Yea, rather blessed are they of him a sign from heaven. that hear the word of God, and But he, knowing their thoughts, keep it. said unto them, Every kingdom The Collect. Amen. divided against itself, is brought THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LEnt. to desolation; and a house divided against a house, falleth. If Satan also be divided against Almighty GoD, that we, who himself, how shall his kingdom for our evil deeds do worthily stand? because ye say that I deserve to be punished, by the cast out devils through Beelze- comfort of thy grace may merbub. And if I by Beelzebub cifully be relieved, through cast out devils, by whom do our Lord and Saviour JESUS your sons cast them out? there- CHRIST. fore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of GOD The Epistle. Gal. iv. 21. cast out devils, no doubt the TELL me, ye that desire to kingdom of God is come upon be under the law, do ye not you. When a strong man hear the law? For it is written, armed keepeth his palace, his that Abraham had two sons, goods are in peace; but when the one by a bond-maid, the a stronger than he shall come other by a free-woman. upon him and overcome him, he who was of the bond-woman he taketh from him all his ar- was born after the flesh; but mour wherein he trusted, and he of the free-woman was by divideth his spoils. He that is promise. Which things are not with me, is against me; and an allegory: for these are the he that gathereth not with me, two covenants; the one from scattereth. When the unclean Mount Sinai, which gendereth spirit is gone out of a man, he to bondage, which is Agar. walketh through dry places, For this Agar is Mount Sinai seeking rest; and finding none, in Arabia, and answereth to he saith, I will return unto my Jerusalem which now is, and is house whence I came out. And in bondage with her children. But small fishes; but what are they among so many? And JESUS said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in loaves, and So the men sat number about five And JESUS took the when he had given But Jerusalem which is above, | Peter's brother, saith unto him, is free; which is the mother There is a lad here which hath of us all. For it is written, five barley loaves, and two Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not; for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath the place. an husband. Now we, brethren, down, in as Isaac was, are the children thousand. of promise. But as then, he that was born after the flesh thanks, he distributed to the persecuted him that was born disciples, and the disciples to after the spirit; even so it is them that were set down, and now. Nevertheless, what saith likewise of the fishes as much the Scripture? Cast out the as they would. When they bond-woman and her son; for were filled, he said unto his the son of the bond-woman disciples, Gather up the fragshall not be heir with the son ments that remain, that nothing of the free-woman. So then, be lost. Therefore they gabrethren, we are not children thered them together, and filled of the bond-woman, but of the twelve baskets with the fragfree. ments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that JESUS did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. The Gospel. St. John vi. 1. THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT. The Collect. JESUS went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And JESUS went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When JESUS then lift up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? (And this he said to prove him; for he himself knew what The Epistle. Heb. ix. 11. he would do.) Philip answer- CHRIST being come an high ed him, Two hundred penny-priest of good things to come, worth of bread is not sufficient by a greater and more perfect for them, that every one of tabernacle, not made with them may, take a little. One hands; that is to say, not of of his disciples, Andrew, Simon this building; neither by the WE beseech thee, Almighty GOD, mercifully to look upon thy people; that by thy great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both CHRIST our Lord. in body and soul, through JESUS Amen. |