THE FIRST DAY OF LENT, COMMONLY CALLED ASH-WEDNESDAY. ALMIGHTY and everlasting Gop, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins,and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the Gop of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness, through JESUS CHRIST Our Lord. Amen. This Collect is to be read every day in Lent, after the Collect appointed for the day. ¶ At Morning Prayer, the Litany being ended, shall be said the following Prayers, immediately before the General Thanksgiving. LORD, we beseech thee, mercifully hear our prayers, and spare all those who confess their sins unto thee; that they, whose consciences by sin are accused, by thy merciful pardon may be absolved, through CHRIST our Lord. Amen. MOST mighty GoD, and merciful Father, who hast compassion upon all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made; who wouldest not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his sin, and be saved; mercifully forgive us our trespasses; receive and comfort us, who are grieved and wearied with the burden of our sins. Thy property is always to have mercy; to thee only it appertaineth to forgive sins: spare us, therefore, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed: enter not into judgment with thy servants, who are vile earth, and miserable sinners; but so turn thine anger from us, who meekly acknowledge our vileness, and truly repent us of our faults; and so make haste to help us in this world, that we may ever live with thee in the world to come, through JESUS CHRIST Our Lord. Amen. T Then shall the people say this that followeth, after the Minister. TURN thou us, O good LORD, and so shall we be turned. Be favourable, O LORD, be favourable to thy people, who turn to thee in weeping, fasting, and praying. For thou art a merciful Gon, full of compassion, long-suffering, and of great pity. Thou sparest when we deserve punishment, and in thy wrath thinkest upon mercy. Spare thy people, good LORD, spare them; and let not thine heritage be brought to confusion. Hear us, O LORD, for thy mercy is great; and after the multitude of thy mercies look upon us, through the merits and mediation of thy blessed Son, JESUS CHRIST our Lord. Amen. For the Epistle. Joel ii. 12. TURN ye even to me, saith the LORD, with all your heart, and with fasting, 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, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return, and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meat-offering and a 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. St. Matt. vi. 16. WHEN ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad coun tenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. The Collect. 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. WE The Epistle. 2 Cor. vi. 1. E 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 time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation:) giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed; but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of GOD, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the HOLY GHOST, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of GOD, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and ማተ behold we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. The Gospel. St. Matt. iv. 1. THEN was JESUS led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of GoD, command that these stones be made bread. But he 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 Gop, 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 of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith JESUS unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the LORD thy GOD, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and beliold, angels came and ministered unto him. THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT. The Collect. ALMIGHTY GOD, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul, through JESUS CHRIST our Lord. Amen. The Epistle. 1 Thess. iv. 1. 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 that the LORD is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit. JESUS went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David: my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's 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, ( 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. WE beseech thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies, through JESUS CHRIST Our Lord. Amen. 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 himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to GoD, for a sweet-smelling savour. But fornication and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of CHRIST, and of GOD. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 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 the 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. JESUS was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house, falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of GOD cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of GOD is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace; but when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in, and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lift up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. GR THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT. RANT, we beseech thee, Almighty Gop, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved, through our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST. Amen. The Epistle. Gal. iv. 21. TELL me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bond-maid, the other by a free-woman. But he who was of the bond-woman was born after the flesh; but he of the free-woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory for these are the two covenants; the one from Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above, is free; which is the mother of us all. For it is written, 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 an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then, he that was born after the flesh, persecuted him that was born after the spirit; even so it is now. Nevertheless, what saith the Scripture? Cast out the bond |