PROPER LESSONS TO Ha BEAD AT i^ommg antr 1S:bcning draper SUNDAYS AND OTHER HOLY-DAYS THROUGHOUT THE TEAK. LONDON: PEEfTED EY G. E. EYRE AND W. SPOTTISWOODE, Printera to the Queen's Moat Excellent Majesty. M.DCCC.fcXXI. PEOPEE LESSONS TO BE READ AT MORXING AND EVENING PRAYER ON THE SUNDAYS THEOUGHOUT THE YEAR. Z'i)c JFirst Suntias in ^trijcnt. Morning. Isaiah i. THE vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Heze- kiah, kings of Judah. Hear, heavens, and give ear, earth : for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib : hut Israel doth not know, my people doth not con- sider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters : they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more 1 ye will revolt more and more : the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it ; hut wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores : they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire : your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. And the ~T. — .. ^.- ,-^, ^, ' .-y FIRST SUNDAY IN I DYENT. daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a Tery small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should hare been like unto Go- morrah. Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom ; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me ? saith the Lord : I am full of the burnt ofierings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts ; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he ! goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread i my courts ? Bring no more vain oblations ; j incense is an abomination unto me ; the new i moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I I cannot away with ; it is iniquity, even the j solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth : they are a ! trouble unto me ; I am weary to bear them. | And when ye spread forth your hands, I will | hide mine eyes from you : yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear : your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil ; learn to do well ; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the father- less, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land : but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword : for + FIKST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. How is the faithful city become an harlot ! it was full of judgment ; righteousness lodged in it ; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water : thy princes are rebel- lious, and companions of thieves : every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards : they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I wiU ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies : and I wiU turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin : and I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy coun- sellors as at the beginning : afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shaU be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sin- ners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn to- gether, and none shall quench them. Evening. Isai. ii. THE word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be estab- lished in the top of the mountains, and shall be FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. exalted above the hills ; and all nations shall flo^Y unto it. And many people shall go and say. Come ye, and let iis go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths : for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jeru- salem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people : and they shaU beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks : nation shaU not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn "war any more. house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are sootlisayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers. Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures ; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots : then- land also is full of idols ; they worship the work of their own hands, that ■which their own fingers have made : and the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not. Enter into the rock, and liide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be hum- bled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall he upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up ; and he shaU be brought low : and upon all the cedars of FIRST SUXDAY IN ADVENT. Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, and upon aU the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. And the lofti- ness of man shaU be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low : and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats ; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his ma- jesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nos- trils : for wherein is he to be accounted of ? Or, Isai. iv. v. 2. IN that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remain- eth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusa- lem : when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the Lord will create SECOND SUXDAT IX ADVENT. upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night : for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day- time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. ^J)t Stcontf Suntrag m <»ltibent. Morning. Isai. v. NOW will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of _ my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill : and he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein : and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it ? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes ? And now go to ; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard : I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up ; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down : and I will lay it waste : it shall not be pruned, nor digged ; but there shall come up briers and thorns : I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant : and he looked for judgment, but behold oppres- SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. sion ; for righteousness, but behold a cry. Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth ! In mine ears said the Lord of hosts. Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah. Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink ; that continue until night, till wine inflame them ! And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts : but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands. Therefore my people are gone into cap- tivity, because they have no knowledge : and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure : and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be hum- bled : but the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness. Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat. Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope : that say. Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it : and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it! Woe _ __ SECOXD SUXDAT IX ADYEXT. unto them that call evil good, and good evil ; that put darkness for light, and light for dark- ness ; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter ! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eves, and prudent in their own sight ! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine,' and men of strength to mingle strong drink : which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him ! There- fore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust : because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them : and the hills did tremble, and their carcases iccre torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth : and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly : none shall be weary nor stumble among them ; none shall slumber nor sleep ; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken : whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their -wheels like a whirlwind : their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions : yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it. And in that day they shall roar against them SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT, like the roaring of the sea : and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof. Evening. Isai. xi. to v. 11. AND there shall come forth a rod out of the j\. stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots : and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understand- ing, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord ; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord : and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears : but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth : and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteous- ness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithful- ness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid ; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together ; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed ; their young ones shall lie down to- gether : and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain : for the earth shall be fuU of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people ; to it shall the Gentiles seek : and his rest shall be glorious. SECOXD SU^'DAY IN ADVENT. Or, Isai. xxiv. BEHOLD, the Lord maketh the earth empty, I and maketh it waste, and turneth it up- side down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so •with the priest ; as with the servant, so with his master ; as with the maid, so with her mistress ; as with the buyer, so with the seller ; as with the lender, so with the borrower ; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the ea-rth do languish. The earth also is de- filed vmder the inhabitants thereof ; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordi- nance, broken the everlasting covenant. There- fore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate : therefore the in- habitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. The new wine mourneth, the vine lan- guisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh. The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. They shall not drink wine with a song ; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. The city of confusion is broken down : every house is shut up. that no man may come in. There is a crying for wine in the streets ; all joy is dark- ened, the mirth of the land is gone. In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with i destruction. "When thus it shall be in the midst j of the land among the people, there shall he as j the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning j i — ■ SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. grapes when the vintage is done. They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the ma- jesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea. From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my lean- ness, woe unto me ! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously ; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously. Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit ; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare : for the win- dows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage ; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it ; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be ga- thered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients glo- riously. Morning. Isai. xxv. OLORD, thou art my God ; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name ; for thou hast done wonderful tilings; thy counsels of old are faith- fulness and truth. For thou hast made of a city an heap ; of a defenced city a ruin : a palace of strangers to be no city ; it shall never be built. Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place ; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud : the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low. And in this mountiiin shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things fuU of marrow, of wdnes on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory ; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from oflF all faces ; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth : for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God ; we have waited for him, and he will save us : this is the Lord ; we have waited for him, we will be glad and re- joice in his salvation. For in this mountain shall THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trod- den down for the dunghill. And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim : and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust. Evening. Isai. xxvi. IN that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah ; We have a strong city ; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever : for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength : for he bringeth down them that dwell on high ; the lofty city, he lay- eth it low ; he layeth it low, even to the ground ; he bringeth it even to the dust. The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. The way of the just is up- rightness : thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just. Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee ; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remem- brance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night ; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early : for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteouaness : THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Loed. Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see : h.d they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people ; yea, the fire of tMne ene- mies shall devour them. Lord, thou -svilt ordain peace for us : for thou also hast wrought all our works in us. Lord our God, other lords be- side thee have had dominion over us : but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. They are dead, they shall not live ; they are deceased, they shall not rise : therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish. Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, thou hast increased the nation : thou art glorified : thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth. Lord, lq trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening icas upon them. Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her de- livery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs ; so have we been in thy sight, Lord. We have been with cMld, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind ; we have not wrought any deliverance in. the earth ; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust : for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee : hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be over- past. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. their iniquity : the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. Or, Isai. xxviii. v. 5 to v. 19. IN that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way ; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine,, they are out of the way through strong drink ; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. Whom shall he teach knowledge ? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For pre- cept must he upon precept, precept upon precept ; line upon line, line upon line ; here a little, and there a little : for with stammering lips and an- other tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said. This is the rest whereivith ye may cause the weary to rest ; and this is the refresh- ing : yet they would not hear. But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept ; line upon line, line upon line ; here a little, and there a little ; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement ; when the overflowing FOURTH SUNDAY IX ADVENT. scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us : for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves : there- fore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation : he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet : and the hail shall sweep away the re- fuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand ; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it, ^f)c JFourtf) SunUag in ^trfatnt. Morning. Isai. xxx. to f. 27. WOE to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me ; j and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin : that walk to go down into Eg.vpt, and have not asked at my mouth ; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt ! Therefore shall the strength of Pha- raoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach. The burden of the beasts of the south : into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them. For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose : therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still. Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever : that this is a rebellious people, lying chil- dren, children that will not hear the law of the Lord : which say to the seers, See not ; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits : get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon : therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces ; he shall not spare : so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit. For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel ; In returning and rest shall ye be saved ; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength : and ye would not. But ye said, No ; for we will flee upon horses ; therefore shall ye flee : and. We will ride upon the swift ; there- fore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall fu at the rebuke of one ; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee : till ye be left as a FOUETH SUNDAY IX ADVENT. beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an en- sign on an hill. And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore wiD. he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you : for the Lord is a God of judg- ment : blessed are all they that wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem : thou shalt weep no more ; he will be very gra- cious unto thee at the voice of thy cry ; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers ; and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying. This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold : thou shalt cast them away as a menstnious cloth ; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence. Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal ; and bread of the in- crease of the earth, and it shall be fat and plen- teous : in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures. The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean pro- vender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan. And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. ]More- over the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT, that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound. Evening. Isai. xxxii. BEHOLD, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest ; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to he bountiful. For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. The instruments also of the churl are evil : he deviseth wicked devices to de- stroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right But the liberal deviseth liberal things ; and by liberal things shall he stand. Rise up, ye women that are at ease ; hear my voice, ye careless daughters ; give ear unto my speech. Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women : for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come. Tremble, ye women that are at ease ; be troubled, ye care- less ones : strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins. They shall la- ment for the teats, for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. L^'pon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers ; yea, upon all the FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. houses of joy in the joyous city : because the palaces shall be forsaken ; the multitude of the city shall be left ; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks ; until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assur- ance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places ; when it shall hail, com- ing down on the forest ; and the city shall be low in a low place. Blessed are ye that sow be- side all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. Or, Isal xxxiii. v. 2 to v. 23. OLORD, be gracious unto us ; we have waited for thee : be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble. At the noise of the tumult the people fled ; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scat^ tered. And your spoil shall be gathered like the j gathering of the caterpiller : as the running to I and fro of locusts shall he run upon them. The I Lord is exalted ; for he dwelleth on high : he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteous- ness. And ^visdom and knowledge shall be the j stability of thy times, and strength of salvation : the fear of the Lord is his treasure. Behold, ' their valiant ones shall cry without : the ambas- sadors of peace shall weep bitterly. The high- ways lie waste, the wayfering man cease th : he I FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man. The earth moum- eth and languish eth : Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down : Sharon is like a wilderness ; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits. Now will I rise, saith the Lord ; now will I be ex- alted ; now will I hft up myself. Ye shall con- ceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble : your breath, as fire, shall devour you. And the people shall be as the burnings of lime : as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire. Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done ; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid ; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire ? who among us shall dweU with everlasting burnings ? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly ; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil ; he shall dwell on high : his place of defence shall he the munitions of rocks : bread shall be given him ; his waters shall he sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty : they shall behold tlie land that is very far off. Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe 1 where is the receiver ? where is he that counted the towers ? Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive ; of a stammer- ing tongue, that thou canst not understand. Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities : thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation,' a tabernacle that shall not be taken down : not FIRST SUXDAT AFTER CHRISTMAS. one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. But there the glorious Lord icill be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams ; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king ; he will save us. Wi)t Jpirst SunUag after ©i^ristmas. Morning. Isai. xxxv. THE wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them ; and the desert shall re- joice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and sing- ing : the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it," the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excel- lency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not : behold, your God will come loith vengeance, even God icith a recompence ; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing : for in the wilder- ness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the tliirsty land springs of water : in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass %vith reeds and rushes. And an high- way shall be there, and a way. and it shall be called The way of holiness ; the unclean shall not pass over it ; but it shall be for those : the i FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there ; but the redeemed shall walk there : and the ran- somed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads : they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee awa3\ Evening. Isai. xxxviii. IN those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order : for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, and said, Remember now, Lord, I be- seech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying. Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears : behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria : and I will defend this city. And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken ; behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which de- grees it was gone down. , The writing of Heze- kiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness : I said in the cut- FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. ting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave : I am deprived of the residue of my years. I said, I shall not see the Lord, evtn the Lord, in the land of the living : I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd s tent : I have cut off like a weaver my life : he will cut me off with pining sickness : from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones : from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter : I did mourn as a dove : mine eyes fail with looking upward : O Lord, I am oppressed ; undertake for me. What shall I say ? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it : I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit : so wilt thou re- cover me, and make me to live. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness : but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of cor- ruption : for thou hast cast all my eins behind thy back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee : they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The liv- ing, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day : the father to the children shall make known thy truth. The Lord teas ready to save me : therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boilj and he shall recover. Hezekiah also FIRST SUKDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord ? Or, Isai. xl. COMFORT ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusa- lem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accom- plished, that her iniquity is pardoned : for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low : and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain : and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. The voice said. Cry. And he said, What shall I cry ? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field : the grass withereth, the flower fadeth : iDccause the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it : surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the' flower fadeth : but the word of our God shall stand for ever. Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain ; Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength ; lift it up, be not afraid ; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God ! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong ha^id, and his arm shall rule for him : behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd : he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. W^ho FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a mea- sure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance ? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him ? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding ? Be- hold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance : behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offer- ing. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will ye liken God ? or what likeness will ye compare unto him ? The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casfc- eth silver chains. He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot ; he seeketh unto him a cunning work- man to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved. Have ye not known ? have ye not heard ? hath it not been told you from the be- ginning ? have ye not understood from the foun- dations of the earth ? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants there- of are as grasshoppers ; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in : that bringeth the princes to nothing ; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted ; yea, SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. tliey shall not be sown : yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth : and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number : he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power ; not one faileth. Why sayest thou, Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God ? Hast thou not known 1 hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint ; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall : but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run, and not be weary ; aiid they shall walk, and not faint. Cf)E Stcenti .Suntfas after CTfjristmas. Morning. Isai. xlii. BEHOLD my servant, whom I uphold ; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth ; I have put my spirit upon him : he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench : he shall SECOND SUXDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth : and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out ; he that spread forth the earth, and that -which cometh out of it ; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein : I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles ; to open the blmd eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord : that is my nara6 : and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare : before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein ; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities there~ of lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit : let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the moun- tains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands. The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shtiJl stir up jealousy like a man of war : he shall cry, yea- roar ; he shall prevail against his enemies. I have long time holden my peace ; I have been still, and refrained myself: ?io?y will I cry like a travailing woman ; I will destroy and devour at once. I will make waste mountains and hills, + SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. and dry up all their herbs ; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not ; I will lead them in paths that they have not known : I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye a?'6 our gods. Hear, ye deaf ; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. Who is blind, but my servant 1 or deaf, as my messenger that I sent ? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's servant ? Seeing many things, but thou observest not ; opening the ears, but he heareth not. The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake ; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable. But this is a people robbed and spoiled ; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses : they are for a prey, and none de- livereth ; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. Who among you will give ear to this ? tvho will hearken and hear for the time to come ? Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers'? did not the Lord, he against whom Ave have sin- ned ? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. There- fore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle : and it hath set hun on fire round about, yet he knew not ; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. Eveninxi. Isai. xliii. BUT now thus saith tlie Lord that created thee, Jacob, and he that formed thee, SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. Israel, Fear not : for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name ; thou art mine. "WTien thou passest through the waters, I ivill he •with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour : I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee : therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not : for I am with thee : I wlQ briag thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west ; I will say to the north, Give up ; and to the south, Keep not back : bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth ; eveji every one that is called by my name : for I have cren the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over EASTER DAY. the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service ? that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Eg^'pt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. Second Lesson. Rev. i. v. 10 to v. 19. I WAS in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trum- pet, saying. I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the k\st : and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia ; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, j and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And \ I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candle- ; sticks ; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks 0716 like unto the Son of man, clothed with a ; garment down to the foot, and girt about the ; paps with a golden girdle. His head and his \ hairs ivere white like wool, as white as snow ; ; and his eyes ivere as a flame of fire ; and his feet | like unto' fine brass, as if they burned in a fur- | nace ; and his voice as the sound of many waters, i — + EASTER DAY. And he had in his right hand seven stars : and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword : and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me. Fear not ; I am the first and the last : I am he that liveth, and was dead ; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen ; and have the keys of hell and of death. Evening. Exod. xii, v. 29. AND it came to pass, that at midnight the XJl. Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon ; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyp- tians ; and there was a great cry in Egypt ; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Kise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel ; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone ; and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste ; for they said. We 6e all dead men . And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders , And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses ; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment : and the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, EASTER DAY. SO that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. And the children of Israel journeyed from Eameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that luere men, beside children. And a mixed multitude v>'ent up also with them ; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leaven- ed ; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual. Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, icas four hundred and thirty years. And it came to I pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty \ years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land i of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt : this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations. And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover : There shall no stranger eat thereof : but every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. In one house shall it be eaten ; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house ; neither shaU ye break a bone thereof. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it ; and he shall be EASTER DAY. as one that is born in the land : for no uncircum- cised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojoumeth among you. Thus did all the children of Israel ; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies. Or, Exod. xiv. AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, XJL Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon : before it shall ye encamp by the sea. For Pha- raoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them ; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host ; that the Egyptians may know that I arti the Lord. And they did so. And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled : and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us ? And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him : and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captcxins over every one of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Is- rael : and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and EASTER DAY. his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them ; and they were sore afraid : and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us aw^ay to die in the wilderness ? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egj^t ? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, thai we may serve the Egyptians ? For it had been better for us to sen^e the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day : for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me ? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward : but lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it : and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them : and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon aU his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyp- tians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his cha- riots, and upon his horsemen. And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, EASTEK DAY. removed and went behind them ; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them : and it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel ; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these : so that the one came not near the other all the night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea ; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground : and the waters ivere a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen; And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily : so that the Egyp- tians said. Let us flee from the face of Israel ; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared ; and the Egyptians fled against it ; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the cha- riots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pha- raoh that came into the sea after them ; there EASTER DAY. remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea ; and the waters icere a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians ; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians : and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses. Second Lesson. John xx. v. 11 to v. 19. BUT ;Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping : and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Je- sus had loin. And they say unto her. Woman, why weepest thou ? She saith unto them, Be- cause they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, "Woman, why weep- est thou ? whom seekest thou 1 She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, it' thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her. IMary. She turned herself, and saith unto hiui, Eabboni ; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not ; for I am not i yet ascended to my Father : but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father ; and to my God, and your God. Mary ^Magdalene came and told the disciples that EASTER DAY. she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. Or, Rev. v. A ND I saw in the right hand of him that sat Jl\. on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof ? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And T wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not : behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, ^tood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spi- rits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying. Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof : for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and peo- ple, and nation ; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests : and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of FIRST SUXDAY AFTER EASTER. | many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders : and the number of them ! was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thou- sands of thousands ; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying. Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. €I)C JFtrst SuntJag after Caster. Morning. Num. xvi. to v. 36. "VTOW Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Ko- JAl hath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abi- ram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men ; and they rose up be- fore Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown : and ; they gathered themselves together against Moses ' and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take ; too much upon you, seeing all the congregation ' are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is \ among them : wherefore then lift ye up yourselves | above the congregation of the Lord ? And when I Moses heard "i"f, he fell upon his face : and he \ spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the Lord will shew who FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. are his, and who is holy ; and will cause him to come near unto him : even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. This do ; Take you censers, Korah, and all his com- pany ; and put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord to morrow : and it shall be that the man whom the Lord doth choose, he shall he holy : ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi. And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi : seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them ? and he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee : and seek ye the priesthood also ? for which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord : and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him ? And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab : which said, We will not come up : is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself alto- gether a prince over us ? Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards : wilt thou put out the eyes of these men 1 we will not come up. And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offering : I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them. And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy com- FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. pany before the Lord, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow : and take every man his censer, and Eut incense in them, and bring ye before the lORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers ; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer. And they took every man his censer, ' and put fire in them, and hiid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with IMoses and Aaron, And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation : and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation. And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces, and said, God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation ? And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the con- gregation, saying. Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abi- ram ; and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. So they gat up from the taber- nacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side : and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children. And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works ; for I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER, die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the Lord hath not sent me. But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and sAvallow them up, with all that apjjertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit ; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that ivas under them : and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that cq^i^ertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them : and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that icere round about them fled at the cry of them : for they said. Lest the earth swallow us up also. And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered in- cense. Second Lesson. 1 Cor. xv. to v. 29. MOREOVER, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand ; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures ; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures : and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve : after that, he was seen of above five himdred bretlu-en FIRST, SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. at once ; of whom the greater part remain unto • this present, but some are fallen asleep. After ' that, he was seen of James ; then of all the | apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, j as of one born out of due time. For I am the j least of the apostles, that am not meet to be call- i ed an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I [ am : and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in "v-ain ; but I laboured more abun- dantly than they all : yet not I, but the grace of \ God which was with me. Therefore whether it I were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believ- i ed. Now if Christ be preached that he rose | from the dead, how say some among you that | there is no resiu'rection of the dead ? But if | there be no resurrection of the dead, then is ■ Christ not risen : and if Christ be not risen, j then is our preacliing vain, and yoiu: faith is also ; vain. Yea, and we are found folse witnesses of ; God ; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ : whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised : and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are foUen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most mi- serable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man ca/me also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in liis own order : Christ the firstfruits ; afterward they that are Christ's at FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father ; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is mani- fest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be sub- dued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Evening. Num. xvi. v. 36. AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, . Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burn- ing, and scatter thou the fire yonder ; for they are hallowed. The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar : for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are hallowed : and they shall be a sign unto the children of Is- rael. And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered ; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar : to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the Lord ; that he be not as Korah, and as his company : as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses. But on the morrow all the con- gregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying. Ye have killed the people of the Lord. And it FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against JMoses and against Aaron, that they look- ed toward the tabernacle of the congregation : and. behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. And Moses and Aarou came before the tabernacle of the congregation. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from oflf the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them : for there is wrath gone out from the Lord ; the plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the con- gregation ; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people : and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living ; and the plague was stayed. Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hun- dred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation : and the plague was stayed. Or, Num. xvii. to v. 12. AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, . Speak unto the children of Israel, ' and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods : write thou every man's name upon his rod. And thou shalt write Aaron^s name upon the rod of Levi : for one rod shaU he for the FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER, head of the house of their fathers. And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the con- gregation before the testimonj'-, where I will meet with you. And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blos- som : and I will make to cease from me the mur- murings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers^ houses, even twelve rods : and the rod of Aaron ^vas among their rods. And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness. And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness ; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. And Moses brought out all "the rods from before the Lord unto all the chil- dren of Israel : and they looked, and took every man his rod. And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels ; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not. And Moses did so : as the Lord commanded him, so did he. Second Lesson. John xx. v. 24 to v. 30. BUT Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didy- mus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his dis- ciples were within, and Thomas with them : then came Jesus, the doors bemg shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Eeach hither thy finger, and behold my hands ; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side : and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed : blessed are they that have not seen, and yd have believed. V^l)C Secontr Suntias afttr ((faster. Morning. Kum. xx. to v. 14. THEN came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month : and the people abode in Kadesh ; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. And there was no water for the congre- gation : and they gathered themselves together against jMoses and against Aaron. And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying. Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord ! and why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wil- derness, that we and our cattle should die there ? and wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt^ to bring us in unto this evil place ? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates ; neither is there any water to drink. And ^Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the taber- nacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their + . . SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. faces : and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly toge- ther, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes ; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock : so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Mo- ses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron ga- thered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels ; must we fetch you water out of this rock ? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice : and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congre- gation into the land which I have given them. This is the water of Meribah ; because the chil- dren of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them. Evening. Num. xx. v. 14 to xxi. v. 10. AND Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travel that hath befallen us : how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egj'pt a long time ; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers : and when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt : and, behold, we are in Kiidesh, a city in the uttermost of thy SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTEE. border : let us pass I pray thee, through thy coun- try : we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither ■will we drink of the water of the wells : we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. And the children of Israel said unto him. We will go by the high way : and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it : I will only, without doing any thing the. go through on my feet. And he said. Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong liand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border : wherefore Israel turned away from him. And the children of Israel, eun the whole , congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor. And the Lord spake unto I Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom. saying. Aaron shall be gather- ed unto his people : for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of jSIeribah. Take Aaron and Elea- zar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor : and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son : and Aaron shall be ga- thered unto his people, and shall die there. And Moses did as the Lord commanded : and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son ; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount : SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. and Moses and Eleazar came down from thB mount. And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel. And loheji king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies ; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites ; and they ut- terly destroyed them and their cities ; and he called the name of the place Hormah. And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edoni : and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness ? for there is no bread, neither is there any water ; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people ; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said. We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee ; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole : and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTEE. bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Or, Num. xxi. v. 10. A ND the children of Israel set forward, and JLJL pitched in Oboth. And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sun- rising. From thence they removed, and pitched in the valle}^ of Zared. From thence they re- moved, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites : for Arnon is the bor- der of jSIoab, between jSIoab and the Amorites. "Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord, What he did in the Eed sea, and in the brooks of Arnon, and at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of ]\Ioab. And from thence they went to Beer : that is the well whereof the Lord spake unto IVIoses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water. Then Israel sang this song. Spring up, well ; sing ye unto it : the princes digged the well, the nobles of the peo- ple digged it, by the direction o/the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they irent to JMattanah : and from Mattanah to Nahaliel : and from Nahaliel to Bamoth: and from Rimoth i)i the valley, tliat is in the country of Moab, to the topof Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon. And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying. Let me pass through thy land : we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards ; we will not drink of the waters of the well : hut we will go along by the king's high way, untd we be past thy borders. And Sihon SECOXD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. would not suffer Israel to pass through his border : but Sihon gathered all his people together, and ■went out against Israel into the wilderness : and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Amnion : for the border of the children of Amnion loas strong. And Israel took all these cities : and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof. For Heshbon ivas the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon. Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared : for there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon : it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon. Woe to thee, Moab ! thou art undone, people of Chemosh : he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites. We have shot at them ; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba. Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there. And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan : and Og the king of Bashan ■went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei. And the Lord said unto Moses, Fear him not : for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land ; THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. So they smote him, and his sons, and all his peoj^le, until there was none left hun alive : and they possessed his land. CIjc ^irtf Suntiao after eastrr. Morning. iS^um. xxii. A ND the children of Israel set forward, and J\. pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho. And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And ^loab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many : and IMoab was distressed be- cause of the children of Israel. And jVIoab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this com- pany lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor u-as king of the INIoabites at that time. He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt : behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me : come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people ; for they are too mighty for me : peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land : for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. And the elders of uSIoab and the elders of INtidian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand ; and they came unto Balaam, and spake un- to him the words of Balak. And he said THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER, unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak unto me : and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. And God came unto Balaam, and said, AYhat men are these with thee ? And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saijing, Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth : come now, curse me them ; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them ; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land : for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you. And the princes of JMoab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. And they came to Balaam, and said to him. Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me : for I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do what- soever thou sayest unto me : come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more. And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him. If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them ; but yet the word which I THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and -vrent with the princes of Moab. And God's anger was kindled because he went : and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants uere with him . And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand : and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field : and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall : and he smote her again. And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where teas no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam : and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staif. And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times ? And Balaam said unto the ass. Because thou hast mocked me : I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I icas thine unto this day ? was I ever wont to do so unto thee ? And he said, Nay. Then the Lord open- ed the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER, drawn in his hand : and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his ftice. And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times ? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me : and the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times : unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned ; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me : now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men : but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee ? wherefore camest thou not unto me ? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour ? And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee : have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjath-huzoth. And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people. THIED SUXDAY AFTER EASTER. Evening. Num. xxiii. AND Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here X\_ seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. And Balak did as Balaam had spoken ; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt oftering, and I will go : peradventure the Lord will come to meet me : and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place. And God met Balaam : and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon evei-y altar a bullock and a ram. And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all tlie princes of Moab. And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed ? or how shall I defy, ivhom the Lord hath not defied ? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him : lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his ! And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me ? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. And he answered and said, ;Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth ? And Balak THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all : and curse me them from thence. And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on evenj altar. And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder. And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said. Go again unto Balak, and say thus. And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt ofiering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him. What hath the Lord spoken ? And he took up his parable, and said. Rise lip, Balak, and hear ; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor : God is not a man, that he should lie ; neither the son of man, that he should repent : hath he said, and shall he not do it ? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good ? Behold, I have received commandment to bless : and he hath blessed ; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt ; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel : according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought ! Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion : he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the + THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. - blood of the slain. And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying. All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do \ And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I prav thee, I will bring thee unto another place ; peradventure it %vill please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that look- eth toward Jeshimon. And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on tmry altar. Or^ Num. xxiv. AND when Bakam saw that it pleased the _ Lord to bless IsraeL he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes ; and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said : he hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open ; how goodly are thy tents, Jacob, and thy taber- nacles, Israel ! As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes wliich the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shail be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. God brought hini forth out of Egypt ; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn : he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion : who shall stir hiin up ? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee. And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together : and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast alto- gether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place : I thought to promote thee unto great honour ; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour. And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind ; bid what the Lord saith, that will I speak ? And now, behold, I go unto my people : come there- fore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said : he hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open : I shall see him, but not now : I shall behold him, but not nigh : there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. And Edom shall be a FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies ; and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city. And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations ; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever. And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellineplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive. And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this ! And ships shall cortu from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever. And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place : and Balak also went his way. Wi)z JFourt^ 5untraw after (irasttr. Morning. Deut. iv. to v. 23. l^rOW therefore hearken, Israel, unto the _Ll statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor : for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you. But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God avQ alive FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. every one of you this day. Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them ; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of. the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and under- standing people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day ? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life : but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons ; specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. And ye came near and stood under the mountain ; and the mountain burned with lire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick dark- ness. And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire : ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude ; only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten com- mandments ; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. And the Lord commanded me at that FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. time to teach you statutes and judfj^ments, that ye mi^ht do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves ; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire : lest ye cor- rupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on | the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth : and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace. even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as" ye are this day. Fiu-thermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee/or an inheritance : but I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan : but ye shall go over, and possess that good land. Evening. Deut. iv. v. 23 to v. 41. TAKE heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee. For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God, {. FOUKTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTEE. When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and he shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger : I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land where- unto ye go over Jordan to possess it ; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him,, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice ; (for the Lord thy God is a merciful God ;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it 1 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live ? Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes ? Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God ; there is none else beside him. Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee : and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire ; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt ; to drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. Know therefore this day, and con- sider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath : there is none else. Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with, thee, and with thy children aft€r thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever. Or, Deut. V. AND Moses called all Israel, and said unto - them. Hear, Israel, the statutes and judg- ments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fa- thers, but with us, evenus, who are all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. (I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew 3^011 the word of the Lord : for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount ;) saying, I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt hare none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth : thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them : for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold Mm guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath com- manded thee. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work : but the seventh day is the sab- bath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates ; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou w^ast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm : there- fore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. Honour thy father and thy FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. motlier, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee ; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Keither shalt thou steal. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's. These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice : and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me. And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the moun- tain did burn with fire,) that ye came near imto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders ; and ye said. Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his gloiy and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire : we have seen this day that GoT)AY AFTER EASTER. took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust : and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount. And at Taberah, and at jSIassah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah, ye pro- voked the Lord to wrath. Likewise when the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you ; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice. Ye have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you. Thus I fell down before the Lord forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first ; because the Lord had said he would destroy you. I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, Lord God, destroy not thy people and thine inherit- ance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember thy ser- vants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin : lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm. Or, Deut. x. AT that time the Lord said unto me. Hew . thee two tables of stone like unto the first, + FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER FASTER. and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakes t, and thou shalt put them in the ark. And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand. And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten command- ments, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly : and the Lord gave them unto me. And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made ; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me. And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera : there Aaron died, and there he was buried ; and Eleazar his son minis- tered in the priest's office in his stead. From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah ; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land of rivers of waters. At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inherit- ance with his brethren ; the Lord i& his inherit- ance, according as the Lord thy God promised him. And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights ; and the Lord hearkened unto me at that time also, ancl the Lord would not destroy thee. And the Lord said unto me. Arise, take thy journey be- fore the people, that they may go in and possess SUNDAY AFTER ASCEXSIOX-DAT. the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them. And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good ? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. Only the Lord had a delight in thy fothers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward : he doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger : for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God ; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. He is thy praise, and he is thy God. that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons ; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude. Suntran after ^scmsion^Bag. Morning. Deut xxx. XD it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing A^ SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION-DAY. and the ciirse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, and shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine Leart, and with all thy soul ; that then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee : and the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it ; and he will do thee good, and mul- tiply thee above thy fathers. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with aU thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good : for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers : if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are "written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the SUNDAY AFTER ASCEXSIOX-DAY. Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. For this commandment which I com- mand thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it ? neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it ? but the word is very nigh unto thee, iu thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. See, I have set before thee tliis day life and good, and death and evil ; in that I com- mand thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his command- ments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply : and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them ; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely i)erish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live : that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, aiid that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him : for he is thy life, and the length of thy days : that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION-DAY. Evening, Deut. xxxiv. A ND Moses went up from the plains of Moab J\^ unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, and the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palmtrees, unto Zoar. And the Lord said unto him. This is the land which I swareunto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed : I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor : but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. And Moses ivas an hundred and twenty years old when he died : his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days : so the days of weep- ing and mourning for Moses were ended. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom ; for Moses had laid his hands upon him : and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses. And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel. SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION-DAY. Or^ Josh. i. "VTOW after the death of Moses the servalit -Ll of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' mi- nister, saying, Moses my servant is dead ; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every- place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and imto the great sea to- ward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life : as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee : I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage : for unto tliis people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my ser- vant commanded thee : turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest pros- per whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth ; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein : for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee ? Be strong and of a good courage ; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed : for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Then. Joshua WHIT-SUNDAY. commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the host, and command the people, say- ing. Prepare you victuals ; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it. And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, Remember the word which Mo^ ses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying. The Lord your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan ; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them ; until the Lord have given your brethren rest, as he hath givc7i you, and they also have possessed the land which the Lord your God giveth them : then ye shall return unto the land of your pos- session, and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord's servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising. And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. Ac- cording as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee : only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. Who- soever he he that doth rebel against thy com- mandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death : only be strong and of a good courage. Saijit=SuntJfi2- Morning. Deut. xvi. to v. 18. OBSERVE the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the Lord thy God : for in the + T7HIT-SUXDAY. month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. Thou shalt there- fore sacrifice the passorer unto the Lord thy God, of the floclv and the herd, in the pkice which the Lord shall choose to place his name there. Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it ; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction ; for thou earnest forth out of the land of Egj'pt in haste : that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life, i And there shall be no leavened bread seen with ! thee in all thy coast seven days ; neither shall | there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacri- i ficedst the first day at even, remain all night j until the morning. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gate-s, which the ! Lord thy God giveth thee: but at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the pass- over at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose : and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread : and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God : thou shalt do no work there- in. Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee : begin to number the seven weeks from such time 0/6 thou begin nest to put the sickle to the corn. And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give imto the LOUD thy God, according as the I^kd WHIT-SUNDAY. ' thy God hath blessed thee : and thou shalt re- joice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, 'and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place j his name there. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt : and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. Thou shalt ob- serve the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine : and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man- servant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose : be- cause the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice. Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose ; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles : and they shall not appear before the Lord empty : every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee. Second Lesson. Eom. viii. to v. 18. rpHERE is therefore now no condemnation to tL them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath "WHIT-SUXDAT. made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh : that the righteous- ness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh ; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death ; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace . Because the carnal mind is enmity ag-iiinst God : for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit- of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ he in you, the body is dead because of sin ; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die : but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear ; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God : and if children, then heirs ; WHIT-SUKDAY. heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Evening. Isai. xi. AND there shall come forth a rod out of the _ stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots : and the sj^irit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and under- standing, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord ; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord : and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears : but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth : and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouthy and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righ- teousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid ; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together ; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed ; their young ones shall lie down together : and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the w^eaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain : for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people ; to it shall the Gentiles seek : and his rest shall be glorious. m -^ WHIT-SUNDAY. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Ekm, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the out- casts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four comers of the earth. The envy also of Epliraim shall depart, and the adver- saries of Judah shall be cut off : Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex E- phraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west ; they shall spoil them of the east together : they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab ; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea ; and with his mighty wind shall he" shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria ; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. Or, Ezek. xxxvi. v. 25. THEN will i sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : from all your filthi- ness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit wiU I put within you : and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, WHIT-SUNDAY. and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers ; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses : and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this^ saith the Lord God, be it known unto you : be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord God ; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and tlie wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say. This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden ; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen th-at are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate : I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus saith the Lord God ; I wUl yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them ; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts ; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men : and they shall know that I a,m the Lord. AVHIT-SUNDAY. Second Lesson. Gal. v. v. 16, THIS I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh : and these are contrary the one to the other : so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these ; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like : of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affec- tions and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Or, Acts xviii. v. 24 to xix. v. 21. AND a certain Jew named Apollos, born at _ Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord ; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue : whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more WHIT-SUNDAY. perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exliorting the disciples to receive him : who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace : for he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ. And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus : and finding certain disciples, he said unto them. Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed ? And they said unto him. We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them. Unto what then were ye baptized '? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them ; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. . And all the men were about twelve. And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the dis- ciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyran- nus. And this continued by the space of two years ; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and TRIXITY-SUNDAY. Greeks. And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul : so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there Avere seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and cliief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit an- swered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know ; but who are ye ? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and woimded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus ; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books to- gether, and burned them before all Tnen : and they counted the pric« of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. ^rinit2=Suntia2. Morning. Isai. vi. to v. 11. IN the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims : each one had six wings ; with twain he covered hLs face, and with twain he covered liis feet, and with twain he did fly. TRINITY-SUNDAY. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts : the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me ! for I am undone ; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a peo- ple of unclean lips : for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar : and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips ; and thine ini- quity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us ? Then said I, Here am I ; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not ; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes ; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and under- stand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Second Lesson. Rev. i. to v. 9. THE Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass ; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his ser- vant John : who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. TRINITY- SUNDAY. JOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia : Grace he unto you, and peace, from bim which is, and which was, and which is to come ; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne ; and from Jesus Christ, v:ho is the faith- ful witness, and the fii^t begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father ; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he Cometh with clouds ; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him : and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. Evening. Gen. xviil AND the Lord appeared unto him in the J\. plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day ; and he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him : and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himseK to- ward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree : and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts ; after that ye shall pass on : for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, ISIake ready quickly TRINITY-SUXDAY. three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man ; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them ; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife ? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life ; and, lo, Sarah, thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age ; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am w^axed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also ? And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old 1 Is any thing too hard for the Lord 1 At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not ; for she was afraid. And he said. Nay ; but thou didst laugh. And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom : and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do ; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him ? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, JrTo ' TRINITY-SUNDAY. to do justice and judgment ; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous ; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me ; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom : but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. And Abraham drew near, and said. Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked ? Perad- venture there be fifty righteous within the city : wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein ? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked : and that the righte- ous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee : Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ? And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am hut dust and ashes : peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous : wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five] And he said. If I £nd there forty and five, I will not destroy it And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Per- adventure there shall be forty foimd there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. And he ,'' said v.nto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, I and I will speak : Peradventure there shall I hirty be found there. And he said, I will not ' <^^ ity if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold TRINITY-SUNDAY. now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord : Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once : Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham : And Abraham returned unto his place. Or, Gen. i. and ii. to v. 4. IN the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void ; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said. Let there be light : and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good : and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said. Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament : and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be ga- thered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear : and it was so. And God called the dry larid Earth ; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas : and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring . ,. TRIXITY-SUNDAY. forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth : and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itseK, after his kind ; and j God saw that it icas good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night ; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years : and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth : and it was so. And God made two great lights ; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night : he made i the stars also. And God set them in the firma- \ ment of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness : and God saw that it icas good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the mov- ing creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created, great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the ■waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl aft^r his kind : and God saw that it icas good. And God blessed them, saying. Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, j TRINITY- SUNDAY. cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth I after his kind : and it was so. And God made i the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind : and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image^ after our likeness : and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his ovm image, in the image of God created he him ; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them. Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it : and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said. Behold, I have given you e very- herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed ; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat : and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it ivas very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made ; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it : because that Id TRINITY-SUNDAY. it he had rested from all his work -which God created and made. Second Lesson. Ephes. iv. to v. 17. I THEREFORE, the prisoner of the Lord, be- seech you that ye walk worthy of the voca- tion wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuflfering, forbearing one another in love ; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one I body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in j one hope of your calling ; one Lord, one faitli, one i baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also desceuded first into the lower parts of the earth ? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers ; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ : till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the know- ledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ : that we henceforth be no more chil- dren, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive ; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the TRINITY-SUNDAY. head, even Christ : from whom the whole body- fitly joined together and compacted by tliat which every joint supplieth, according to the efiectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Or, Matt. iii. IN those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Re- pent ye : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camePs hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins ; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusa- lem, and all Judsea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jor- dan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance : and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father : for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up chOdren unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees : therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repent- ance : but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear : be shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. with fire : whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner ; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now : for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straight- way out of the water : and, lo, the heavens were opened imto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him : and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ^^)C i^irst SunUag aftrr Zxmitv. Morning. Josh. iii. u 7 to iv, v. 15. AN D the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will jlJl. I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all I Israel, that they may know that, as 1 was with Moses, so I wiU be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying. When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he wiU without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivit€s, and the Perizzites, and the Gir- gashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. all the eartli passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above ; and they shall stand upon an heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people ; and as they that bear the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) that the waters which came down from above stood a7id rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan : and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off : and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying. Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, and com- I mand ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them + FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called die twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out { of every tribe a man : and Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the. midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel : that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones ? then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the cove- nant of the Lord ; when it passed over Jor- dan, the waters of Jordan were cut off : and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood : and they are there unto this day. For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the Lord com- manded Joshua to speak unto the people, accord- ing to all that Moses commanded Joshua : and the people hasted and passed over. And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. And FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them : about forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel ; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. Evening. Josh. v. v. 13 to vi. v. 21. AND it Ciime to pass, when Joshua was by _ Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand : and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries ? And he said, Nay ; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him. What saith my lord unto his servant ? And the captain of the LoRD^s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from ofi" thy foot ; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel : none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns : and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the rani's horn, and FIRST SUXDAT AFTER TRINITY. ■when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout -with a great shout ; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven triunpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord. And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on l)efore the ark of the Lord. And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the Lord, and blew with the trumpets : and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. And Joshua had commanded the people, saying. Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout ; then shall ye shout. So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once : and they Ciime into the camp, and lodged in the camp. And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets : and the armed men went before them ; but the rereward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on, and blowing with the trum- pets. And the second day they compassed the FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. city once, and returned into the camp : so they did six days- And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawn- ing of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times : only on that day they compassed the city seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the tnmipets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout ; for the Lord hath given you the city. And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord : only Eahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the mes- sengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord : they shall come into the treasury of the Lord. So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets : and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. Or, Josh. xxiv. A ND Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel J\. to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers ; and they presented them- selves before God. And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood FIRST SU^'DAY AFTER TRINITY. in old time, tvcn Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor : and they served other gods. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him through- out all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaiie. And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau : and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it ; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them : and afterward I brought you out. And I brought your fathers out of Egypt : and ye came unto the sea ; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea. And when they cried unto the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them ; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt : and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season. And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan ; and they fought with you : and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land ; and I destroyed them from before you. Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and Ciilled Balaam the son of Beor to curse you : but I would not hearken unto Balaam ; therefore he blessed you still : so I delivered you out of his hand. And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho : and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites ; and I delivered them into FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, your hand. And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites ; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them ; of the vineyards and oHveyards which ye planted not do ye eat. Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth : and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt ; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve ; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell : but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods ; for the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egjrpt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed : and the Lord drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land : therefore will we also serve the Lord ; for he is our God. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord : for he is an holy God ; he is a jealous God ; he will not for- give your transgressions nor your sins. If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. And the FIEST SU^'DAY AFTER TEIXITT. people said unto Joshua, Nav ; but -we will serve the Lord. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the Lord, to serve him. And they said. We are witnesses. Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel. And"^ the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that v:as by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us ; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us : it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God. So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance. And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun. the ser^-ant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath- serah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel. And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the | father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver : j — -4- SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. And Eleazar the son of Aaron died ; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim. '^\)t ^ccontf Suntiag after ZITrinitg. Morning. Judg. iv. AND the children of Israel again did evil in the J\. sight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor ; the cap- tain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord : for he had nine hundred chariots of iron ; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel. And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the pahn tree of Deborah between Eamah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim : and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him. Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naph- tali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude ; and I will deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her. If thou wilt go with me, then I will go : but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I . will surely go with thee : notwith- SECOND SUNDAY AFTEK TRINITY. standing the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour ; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a \7oman. And Deborah arose, and went with Bi\rak to Kedesh. And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh ; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet : and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite, ichich was of the cliildren of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh. And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that icere with him, from Harosheth of the Gen- tiles unto the river of Kishon. And Deborah said unto Barak, Up ; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand : is not the Lord gone out before thee ? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. And the Lord dis- comfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak ; so that Sisera lighted down ofi" his chariot, and fled away on his feet. But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles : and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword ; and there was not a man left. Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite : for there v:as peac« between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. to me ; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink ; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here ? that thou shalt say, No. Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly imto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground : for he was fast asleep and w^eary. So he died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the chil- dren of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had de- stroyed Jabin king of Canaan. Evening. Judg. v. THEN sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying. Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly oflFered themselves. Hear, O ye kings ; give ear, O ye princes ; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord ; I wiU sing praise to the Lord God of Israel. Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. The niountams melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel. In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways. The iiihabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods ; then was war in the gates : was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel ? My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord. Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way. TTiey that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even the righteous acts tou-ard the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the Lord go down to tbe gates. Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoani. Then he made him that remaineth have domi- nion over the nobles among the people : the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty. Out of Ephraim icas there a root of them against Amalek ; after thee, Benjamin, among thy peo- ple ; out of ]Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer. And the princes of Issachar ivere with Deborah ; even Issachar, and also Barak : he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there ivere great thoughts of heart. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. Gilead abode beyond Jordan : and why did Dan remain in ships ? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches. Zebulun and Naphtali ivere a people that jeo- parded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo ; they took no gain of money. They fought from heaven ; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishou. my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the in- habitants thereof ; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. He asked water, and she gave him milk ; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the work- men's hammer ; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell : where he bowed, there he fell down dead. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming ? why tarry the wheels of his chariots? Her wise ladies SECOM> SUISTDAT AFTER TEINITY. answered her, yea, she returned answer to her- self, Have they not sped ? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil ? So let all thine enemies perish, Lord : but kt them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. Or, Judg. vi. V. 11. AND there came an angel of the Lord, and sat jtjL under an oak which icas in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite : and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him. Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us ? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt ? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon him, and said. Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites : have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel ? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my fathers house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. that thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again. And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and un- leavened cakes of an ephah of flour : the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said un- to him. Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleaven- ed cakes ; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Tlien the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God ! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee ; fear not : thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom : unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven yaars old, and throw down the altar of Baiil that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it : and build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacri- fice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his SECOIHD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him : and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing ? And when they en- quired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die : because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that icas by it. And Joash said unto all that stood against him. Will ye plead for Baal ? will ye save him ? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning : if he 6e a god, let him plead for himself, because on^ hath cast down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying. Let Biial plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar. Then all the ^Midianites and the Amalek- ites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet ; and Abi-ezer was gathered after him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh ; who also was gathered after him : and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naph- tali ; and they came up to meet them. And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, behold, I will THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. put a fleece of wool in the floor ; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so : for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrast the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I wiU speak but this once : let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece ; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night : for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. C|c Z\)ix'a ^untrag after ^rinitg. Morning. 1 Sam. ii. to v. 27. AN D Hannah prayed, and said. My heart re- Xjl joiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord : my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies ; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord : for there is none beside thee : neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly ; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth : for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread ; and they that were hungry ceased : so that the barren hath bom seven ; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive : he bringeth I down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord [81 THIRD SU^^)AY AFTER TRINITY. maketh poor, and maketh rich : he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory : for the piUars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness ; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shaU be broken to pieces ; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them : the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth ; and he shaU give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. And Elka- nah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unco the Lord before Eli the priest. Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial ; they knew not the Lord. And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand ; and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot ; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in SMloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest ; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and theyi take as much as thy soul desireth ; then he would answer him, iVa?/ ; but thou shalt give it vie now : and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Lord : for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. More- over his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home. And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord. Noav Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel ; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And he said unto them, Why do ye such things ? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. Nay, my sons ; for it is no good report that I hear : ye make the Lord's people to transgress. If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him : but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him ? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them. And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men. Evening. 1 Sam. iii. A ND the child Samuel ministered unto the jljL Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days ; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see ; and ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of THIRD SU^^)AY AFTER TRINITY. the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid dovm. to sleep ; that the Lord called Samuel : and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I ; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not ; lie down again. And he went and lay down. And the Lord called j-et again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said. Here am I ; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son ; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And ihe arose and went to Eli, and said. Here am I ; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down : and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, SjDeak, Lord ; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered. Speak ; for thy servant heareth. And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli aU things which I have spoken concerning his house ; when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth ; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor oflfering for ever. And Samuel lay until the THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee ? I pray thee hide it not from me : God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee. And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said. It is the Lord : let him do what seemeth him good. And Samael grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to he a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh : for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. Or, 1 Sam. iv. to v. 19. A ND the word of Samuel came to all Israel. JLjL Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer : and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philis- tines put themselves in array against Israel : and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines : and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said. Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines 1 Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the -!• THIED SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the che- rubims : and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said. What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews ? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us ! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us ! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods ? these are the Gods that smote the Egyp- tians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, ye Pliilistines, that ye be not servants unto the He- brews, as they have been to you : quit yourselves like men, and fight. And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent : and there was a very great slaugh- ter ; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken ; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same* day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching : for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said. What meaneth the noise of this tumult ? FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old ; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said. What is there done, my son ? And the messen- ger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died : for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. ST^c JFourt^ Suntfat) after ^rinitg. Morning. 1 Sam. xii. AND Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I -ZjL have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the king walketh before you : and I am old and grayheaded ; and, behold, my sons are with you : and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I am : witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed : whose ox have I taken ? or whose ass have I taken ? or whom have I de- frauded ? whom have I oppressed ? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith ? and I will restore it you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor op- pressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. And he said unto them, Tlie Lord FOURTH STIXDAT AFTER TRINITY. is witness against you, and his anointed is wit- ness this day, that ye have not found ought iu my hand. And they answered, He is witness. And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced ]Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did to you and to your fathers. \\Tien Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. And when they forgat the Lord their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of IVIoab, and they fought against them. And they cried unto the Lord, and said. We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth : but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. And the Lord sent Jerub- baal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe. And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Amnion came against you, ye said unto me, Nay ; but a king shall reign over us : when the Lord your God ivas your king. Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired ! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you. If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God : but if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers. Noav therefore stiind and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest to day ? I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain ; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king. So Samuel called unto the Lord ; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day : and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not : for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not : ye have done all this wickedness : yet turn not aside from follow- ing the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart ; and turn ye not aside : for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor de- liver ; for they are vain. For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake : be- cause it hath plejised the Lord to make you his people. Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you : but I will teach you the good and the right way : only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart : for consider how gi-eat things he hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king. FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Evening. 1 Sam. xiii. SAUL reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel ; whereof two thousand were with Saul in ISIichmash and in mount Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jona- than in Gibeah of Benjamin : and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Phihstines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Said blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal. And the Philistines gathered them- selves together to fight with Israel, thirty thou- sand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude : and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Beth-aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in Ciives, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him "trembling. And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed : but Samuel came not to GOgal ; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said. Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace oiferings. And he offered the burnt FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. oflFering. And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came ; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, What hast thou done ? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou earnest not within the days ap- pointed, and that the Philistines gathered them- selves together at Michmash ; therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord : I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou ha.st done foolishly : thou hast not kept the com- mandment of the Lord thy God, which he com- manded thee : for now would the Lord have esta- blished thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue : the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee. And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Ben- jamin. And Saul numbered the people that ivere present with him, about six hundred men. And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Ben- jamin : but the Philistines encamped in Mich- mash. And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies : one com- pany turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual : and another company turned the way to Beth-horon : and another com- pany turned to the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboun toward the wilderness. FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel : for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears : but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his ax, and his mattock. Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that ivere with Saul and Jonathan : but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found. And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash. Or, Paith i. "T^TOW it came to pass in the days when the JLi judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem- judah went to sojourn in the country of ISIoab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man icas Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem- judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. And Elimelech Naomi's husband died ; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab ; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Euth : and they dwelled there about ten years. And Mah- lon and Chilion died also both of them ; and the woman was left of her two sons and her hus- band. Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Moab : for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread. Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her ; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house : the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them ; ' and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters : why will ye go with me ? are there yet amj more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands ? Turn again, my daughters, go your icay ; for I am too old to have an hus- band. If 1 should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons ; would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands ? nay, my daughters ; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me. And they lifted up their voice, and wept again : and Orpah kissed her mother in law ; but Kuth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods : return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee : for whither thou goest, I will go ; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge : thy people shall be my people, and thy God my FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. j God : where thou diest, will I die, and there will i I be buried : the Lord do so to me, and more ; also, if ought but death part thee and me. When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth- lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi ? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me ]\Lara : for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out flill, and the Lord hath brought me ! home again empty : why then call ye me Kaomi, i seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and I the Almighty hath afflicted me ? So Naomi re- ' turned, and Ruth the jNIoabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country : of Moab : and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest ^$c SHii^ SunUag after ^rinitg. Morning. 1 Sam. xv. to v. 34. SAMUEL also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to he king over his people, ' over Israel : now therefore hearken thou unto the ' voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts. I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid icait for him in the I way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go I and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that ' they have, and spare them not ; but slay both I man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and i sheep, camel and ass. And Saul gathered the I people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thou- FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. sand men of Judah. And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them : for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. And Saul smote the Amalek- ites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them : but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying. It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to he king : for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel ; and he cried imto the Lord all night. And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. And Samuel came to Saul : and Saul said unto him, Blessed he thou of the Lord : I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said. What nneaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear '? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amale- kites : for the people spared the best of the FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God ; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. And Samuel said, When thou v:ast little in thine own sight, least thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel ? And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said. Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. "Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord ? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Ainalek, and have utterly de- stroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gil gal. And Samuel said. Hath the Lord as great de- light in burnt ofi'erin^ and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity ' and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the I word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee I from being king. j Evening. 1 Sam. xvi. A ND the Lord said unto Samuel How long I JLl_ wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have I rejected him from reigning over Israel ? fill thine FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY horn ■with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesee the Beth-lehemite : for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How- can I go ? if Saul hear it, he wall kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do : and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Beth- ! lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably : I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord : sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said. Surely the Lord's anointed is before him. But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature ; because I have refused him : for the LORD seeth not as man seeth ; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said. Neither hath the Lord chosen this. Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy chil- dren ? And he said. There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRIXITY. him : for we will not sit down tUl he come I hither. And he sent, and brought hiin in. Now he v:as ruddy, and withal of a beautiful coun- tenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him ; for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed hiiu in the midst of his brethren ; and the Spirit of the ['Lord came upon David from that day for- ward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. Let our lord now command thy servants, ichich are be- fore thee, to seek out a man, ivho is a cunning player on an harp : and it shall come to pass, when the evd spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. And Saul said unto his servants. Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him. Wherefore .; Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy sou, which is with the sheep. And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto SauL And David came to Saul, and stood before him : and he loved him greatly ; and he became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, I Let David. I pray thee, stand before me ; for he j hath found favour in my sight. And it came to FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand : so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. Or, 1 Sam. xviL l^OW the Philistines gathered together their _L^ armies to battle, and were gathered to- gether at Shochoh, which belong eth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. And the PhiUstines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side : and there was a valley between them. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail ; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear icaslike a weaver^s beam ; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron : and one bearing a shield went before hira. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array ? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let hmi come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me. then Avill we be your servants : but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day ; give me a man, that we may fight together. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dis- mayed, and greatly afraid. Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name icas Jesse ; and he had eight sons : and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle : and the names of his three sons that went to the battle icere Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. And David ivas the youngest: and the tliree eldest followed Saul. But David went and re- turned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem. And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. And Jesse said unto David his son. Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren ; and carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, ivere in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him ; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. For Israel and^he Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. saluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words : and David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up 1 surely to defy Israel is he come up : and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel. And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel ? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God ? And the people answered him after this manner, saying. So shall it be done to the man that killeth him. And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men ; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why earnest thou down hither ? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness ? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart ; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. And David said. What have I now done 1 Is there not a cause ? And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner : and the people answered him again after the former manner. And when the words were heard which David spake, they re- hearsed them before Saul : and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. because of him ; thy sen-ant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him : for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unt-o Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock : and I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth : and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumclsed Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee. And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head ; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go ; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these ; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. Aid he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip ; and his sling was in his hand : and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David ; and the man that bare the shield icent before him. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him : for he + FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair coun- tenance. And the Philistme said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves ? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield : but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand ; and I will smite thee, and tiike thine head from thee ; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth ; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear : for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead ; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him ; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents. And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem ; but he put his armour in his tent. And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth ? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, king, I cannot telL And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is. And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the he^d of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man ? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lehemit€. ^l)t ^ixi^ Sunuag after ^rinitg. Morning. 2 Sam. i. l^rOW it came to pass after the death of Saul, _Ll when David was returned from the slaugh- ter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag ; it came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head : and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. And David said unto him, From whence comest SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. thou ? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. And David said unto him, How went the matter ? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead ; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead 1 And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear ; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou 1 And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me : for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and slew him, be- cause I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen : and I took the crown that icas upon his head, and the bracelet that icas on his ann, and have brought them hither unto my lord. Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them ; and likewise all the men that were with him : and they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel ; because they were fallen by the sword. And David said imto the young man that told him. Whence art thou ? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. And David said unto him. How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord's SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. anointed ? And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, ami fall upon liini. And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head ; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed. And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jona- than his son : (also he bade them teach the chil- dren of Judah the use of the bow : behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places : how are the mighty fallen ! Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon ; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. Ye mountains of GUboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings : for there the shield of the mighty is vdely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anoint- ed with oil. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleiisant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided : they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scar- let, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle ! Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan : very pleasant , hast thou been unto me : thy love to me was won- I derful, passing the love of women. How are the 1 mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished ! +- SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Evening. 2 Sam. xii. to v. 24. AND the Lord sent Nathan unto David. _ And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city ; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceed- ing many flocks and herds : but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up : and it grew up together with him, and with his children ; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him ; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man ; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die : and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul ; and I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah ; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast I thou despised the commandment of the Lord, ! to do evil in his sight ? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his ■wife to he thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now there- SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. fore the sword shall never depart from thine house ; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly : but I will do this thing before aU Israel, and loefore the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin ; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hjist given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore besought God for the child ; and David fasted, and w*ent in, and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose, a7id went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of Da\id feared to tell him that the child was dead : for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice : how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead ? But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead : therefore David said unto his servants. Is the child dead ? And they SIXTH SUIfDAY AFTER TRINITY. said, He is dead. Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed, his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped : then he came to liis own house ; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the cliild, lohile it was alive ; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. And he said, Wliile the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept : for I said. Who can tell tvhether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live ? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast ? can I bring him back again ? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. Or, 2 Sam. xviii. A ND David numbered the people that were JlJl with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the peo- ple, I will surely go forth with you myself also. But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth : for if we flee away, they will not care for us ; neither if half of us die, will they care for us : but now thou art worth ten thousand of us : therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city. And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the peo- ple came out by hundreds and by thousands. SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom. So the people went out into the field against Israel : and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim ; where the people of Israel were slaia before the serv'ants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men. For the battle w;is there scattered over the face of all the country . and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth ; and the mule that was under him went away. And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him. and why didst thou not suiite him there to the ground ? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle. And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king^s son : for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abi:5hai and Ittai, saying. Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life : for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me. Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. And ten young men that bare Joab^s armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him. And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel : for Joab held back the people. And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him : and all Israel fled every one to his tent. Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king's dale : for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance : and he called the pillar after his own name : and it is called unto this day, Absalom's place. Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that the Lord hath avenged him of his enemies. And Joab said unto him. Thou shalt not bear tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day : but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead. Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready ? But howsoever, said he, let me run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Aliimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi. And David sat between the two gates : and the watch- man Avent up to the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and SIXTH SUNDAY AFTEE TRINITY. behold a man runriing alone. And the watchman cried, and told the kinf^. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near. And the watch- man saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings. And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings. And Ahiniiiaz called, and said unto the king. All is well. And he fell dovm to the earth upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed he the Lord thy God, which hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king. And the king said. Is the young man Absalom safe ? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it ivas. And the king said unto him, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still. And, behold, CXishi came ; and Cushi said. Tidings, my lord the king: for the Lord hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee. And the king said unto Cushi, is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered. The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept : and as he went, thus he said, 6 my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son ! A^ SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTEK TRINITY. 2:!)c Scbent]^ Suntrag after S^rinitg. Morning. 1 Chron. xxi. ND Satan stood up against Israel, and pro- voked David to number Israel. And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan ; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it And Joab answered, The Lord make his people an hundred times so many more as they be : but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants ? why then doth my lord require this thing ? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel ? Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab de- parted, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hun- dred thousand men that drew sword : and Judah ivas four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword. But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them : for the king^s word was abominable to Joab. And God was dis- pleased with this thing ; therefore he smote Israel. And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing : but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant ; for I have done very foolishly. And the Lord spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying, Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things : choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David, and said unto him. Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee either three years' famine ; ^^ * SEVENTH' SUNDAY AFTER TEIXITY. or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee ; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LoPwD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fiill now into the hand of the Lord ; for very great are his mercies : but let me not fall into the hand of man. So the Lord sent pesti- lence upon Israel : and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it : and as he was destroy- ing, the Lord beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshingfloor of Oman the Jebusite. And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand be- tween the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, v:ho ivere clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their fiices. And David said unto God, Is it not I that com- manded the people to be numbered ? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed ; but as for these sheep, what have they done ? let thine hand, I pray thee, Lord my God, be on me, and on my father's house ; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued. Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up. and set up an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. And David went up at the SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the Lord. And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel ; and his four sons with him hid them- selves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground. Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the Lord : thou shalt grant it me for the full price : that the plague may be stayed from the people. And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes : lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the thresh- ing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all. And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price : for I will not take that which is thine for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord ; and he answered hun from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering. And the Lord commanded the angel ; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof. At that time when David saw that the Lord had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, ivere at that season in the high place at Gibeon, But David could not go before -+ SEVENTH SUKDAY AFTER TRINITY. it to enquire of God : for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the Lord. Evening. 1 Chron. xxiL THEN David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel And David command- ed to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel ; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings ; and brass in abundance without weight ; also cedar trees in abundance : for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries : I wiU therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his deuth. Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to j build an house for the Lord God of Israel. And j David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was j in my mind to build an house unto the name of i the Lord my God : but the word of the Lord came to me, saying. Thou hast shed blood abun- dantly, and hast made great wars : thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou ; hast shed much blood upon the earth in my j sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who ; shall be a man of rest ; and I will give him rest | from all his enemies round about : for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet- ' ness unto Israel in his davs. He shall build an SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. house for my name ; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father ; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever. Now, my son, the Lord be with thee ; and prosper thou, and build the house of the Lord thy God, as he hath said of thee. Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God. Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel ; be strong, and of good courage ; dread not, nor be dismayed. Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver ; and of brass and iron without weight ; for it is in abundance : timber also and stone have I pre- pared ; and thou mayest add thereto. Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner of work. Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise there- fore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee. David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, Is not the Lord your God with you ? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the in- habitants of the land into mine hand ; and the land is subdued before the Lord, and before his people. Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God ; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the Lord. Or^ 1 Chron. xxviii. to v. 21. A ND David assembled all the princes of Israel, J\. the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king bv course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards overall the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem. Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people : As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building : but God said unto me. Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood. Howbeit the Lord God j of Israel chose me before all the house of ray j father to be king over Israel for ever : for he I hath chosen Judah to he the ruler ; and of the i house of Judah, the house of my father ; and I among the sons of my father he liked me to j make mc king over all Israel : and of all my j sons, (for th6 Lord hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts : for I have chosen him to he my son, and I will be his father. Moreover I will estiiblish his kingdom for ever, ' if he be constant to do my commandments and j my judgments, as at this day. Now therefore j + SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TEIXITT. ! in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the ■ Lord, and in the audience of our God, keep and I seek for all the commandments of the Lord ' your God : that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an. inheritance for your children j after you for ever. And thou, Solomon my son, i know thou the God of thy father, and serve him I with a perfect heart and with a willing mind : ' for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and under- j standeth all the imaginations of the thoughts : ! if thou seek him, he will be found of thee ; but ! if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. I Take heed now ; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary : be strong, and do it. Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, and the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things : also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the Lord. He gave of gold by weight ; for things of gold, for all instruments of all i manner of service ; silver also for all instru- ments of silver by weight, for all instruments j of every kind of service : even the weight for I the candlesticks of gold, and for their lamps of ' gold, by weight for every candlestick, and for the I kmps thereof : and for the candlesticks of silver I ' EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRIXITY. I hj weight, both for the candlestick, and also for the lamps thereof, according to the use of every i candlestick. And by "weight he gave gold for i the tables of shewbread, for every table ; and likewise silver for the tables of silver : also pure gold for the fleshhooks, and the bowls, and the cups : and for the golden basons he gave gold by "weight for every bason ; and likewise silver by weight for every bason of silver : and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight ; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cheru- bims, that spread out their icings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in "writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern. And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it : fear not, nor be dismayed : for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee ; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord. ^^c ^igljt^ Suntiag after STrinitg. Morning. 1 Chron. xxix. v. 9 to v. 29. THEN the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they ofiered willingly to the Lord : and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. WTierefore David blessed the Lord before all the congrega- tion : and David said. Blessed be thou. Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all ihai is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, thine is the kingdom, Lord^, and thon art ex- alted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all ; and in thine hand is power and might ; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort 1 for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as ivere all our Withers : our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own. I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things : and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the tlioughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee : and give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision. And David said to all the congregation. Now bless the Lord your God. And all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and the king. And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the Lord, and 19]^ EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TEIXITY. offered burnt offerings unto the Lord, on the morrow after that day. even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel : and did eat and drink before the Lord on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto the Lord to be the chief governor, and Zadok to be priest. Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered ; and all Israel obeyed him. And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, submitted themselves unto Solo- mon the king. And the Lord magnified Solo- mon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel. Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. And the time that he reigned over Israel was forty years ; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jeru- salem. And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour : and Solomon his son reigned in his stead. Evening. 2 Chron, i. AND Solomon the son of David was strength- _ ened in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him exceed- ingly. Then Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every governor in all Israel, the chief of the fathers. So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to. the high place that was at Gibeon ; for there was the EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjath-jearim to the place which David had prepared for it : for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. Moreover the brasen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the Lord : and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it. And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of the con- gregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it. In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established : for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and know- ledge, that I may go out and come in before this people : for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life ; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou may est judge my people, over whom I have made thee king : wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee ; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee + EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. ! hare the like. Then Solomon came from his journey to the high place that ivas at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and reigned over Israel. And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen : and he had a tliousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sjcomore trees that are in the vale for abundance. And So- lomon had horses brought out of Eg^-pt, and linen yarn : the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price. And they fetched up, and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty : and so brought they out Jwrscs for all the kings of the Hittites, and lor the kings of Syria, by their means. Or, 1 Kings iii. AND Solomon made afl&nity with Pharaoh _ king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jeru- salem round about. Only the people sacrificed in high places, becimse there was no house built unto the name of the Lord, until those days. And Solomon loved the Lord, Avalking in the statutes of David his father : only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there ; for that icas the great high place : a thousand burnt , oflerings did Solomon ofter upon that altar. In | 1 4 EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night : and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee ; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, Lord my God, thou hast made thy ser- vant king instead of David my father : and I am but a little child : I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern Ijetween good and bad : for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hiist not asked for thyself long life ; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies ; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment ; behold, I have done according to thy words : lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart ; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour : so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my com- EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. mandraents, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. And Solomon awoke ; and, behold, it was a dream. And he Ciime to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the cove- nant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants. Then came there two women, that ivere harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, my lord, I and this Avoman dwell in one house ; and 1 was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also : and we were together ; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman's child died in the night ; because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead : but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman said. Nay ; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No ; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king. The one saith. This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead : and the other saith. Nay : but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the kincT. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half NINTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. | to the other. Then spake the woman whose the i living child ivas unto the king, for her bowels i yearned upon her son, and she said, ray lord, | give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said. Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it : she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged ; and they feared the king : for they saw that the wisdom of God ivas in him, to do judgment. S^I)c i^intf) Suntfat? after ^rinitg. Morning. 1 Kings x. to v. 25. AND when the queen of Sheba heard of XjL the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she Ciime to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones : and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions : there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, and the meat of his tiible, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord ; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king. It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the NINTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. ■VTords, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me : thy wis- dom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, a7icl that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel : because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones : there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. And the navy also of Hii-am, that brought gold from Opliir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones. And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers : there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day. And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own countr3% she and her servants. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold, beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country. And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold : six hundred shekels of gold went to one target. And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold ; three pound of NINTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. gold went to one shield : and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. More- over the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round | behind : and there ivere stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside I the stays. And twelve lions stood there on the ! one side and on the other upon the six steps : j there was not the like made in any kingdom. And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon tvere of pure gold ; none were i of silver : it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon, For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram : once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. Evening. 1 Kings xi. to v. 15. BUT king Solomon loved many strange wo- men, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edoinites, Zidonians, and Hittites ; of the nations concern- ing which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you : for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods : Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines : and his wives turned away his + NINTH SUNDAY AFTER TKIXITY. heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods : and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as icas the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after ISIilcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Amnion. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him t\\'ice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods : but j he kept not that which the Lord commanded. Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, For- asmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake : but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom ; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen. And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite : he ivas of the kind's seed in Edom. KINTH SUNDAY AFTER TRIXITY. Or, 1 Kings xi. v. 26. AND Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephra- _ thite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king. And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king : Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. And the man Jeroboam ivas a mighty man of valour : and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the pro- phet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way ; and he had clad himself with a new gar- ment ; and they two were alone in the field : and Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces : and he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces : for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee : (but he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel :) because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zido- nians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to Jcecp my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand : but I will make him prince all the TENTH SUNDAY AFTEPw TRINITY, days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my command- ments and my statutes : but I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David -my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desire th, and shall be king over Israel. And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I conmiand thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, jis David my servant did ; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever. Solomon sought there- fore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt untd the death of Solomon. And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon ? And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father : and Eehoboam his son reigned in his stead. t!ri)e Ccntl^ Suntias afttr ^rimtg. Morning. 1 I\jngs xii. j ND Eehoboam went to Shechem : for all . Israel were come to Shechem to make him A^ -+ TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. king. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king j Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt ;) that I they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Kehoboam, saying. Thy father made onr yoke grievous : now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed. And king Rehoboani consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will l^e thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him : and he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter I And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, say- ing, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying. Thy Either made our yoke heav}'-, but make thou it lighter unto us ; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker "than my fathers loins. And now whereas my father did lade you with TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. a heavy yoke, I will add to yonr yoke : my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, sayincr, Come to me again the third day. And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him ; and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke : my fother also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people ; for the cause was from the Lord, that he might perform his saying, which the Lord spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat, So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David ? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse : to your tents, Israel : now see to thine own house. David. So Israel departed unto their tents. But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Reho- boam reigned over them. Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who xcas over the tribute ; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel : there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. of Judah only. And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Kehoboam the son of Solomon. But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying. Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel : return every man to his house ; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the Lord, and returned to depart, according to the word of the Lord. Then Jeroboam built She- chem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein ; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart. Now shall the king- dom return to the house of David : if this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah, Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem : behold thy gods, Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin : for the people went to ivorship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which TEXTH SUNDAY AFTER TEIXITY. were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high places which hehad made. So he • offered upon the altar which he had made in Betli- ; el the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in I the month which he had devised of his own heart ; ' and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense. Evening. 1 Kings xiii. A ND, behold, there came a man of God out of j\. Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth- el : and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altiir, thus saith the Lord ; Behold, a child shall be bom unto the house of David, Josiah by name ; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken ; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. And it amie to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, wdiich had cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying. Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given bv the TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. word of the Lord. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. And the man of God said unto the king. If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place : for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest. So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el, Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el ; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el : the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father. And their father said unto them. What way went he ? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah. And he said unto his sons. Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass : and he rode thereon, and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak : and he said unto him. Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah ? And he said, I am. Then he said unto him. Come home with me, and eat bread. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee : neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place : for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. eat no bread nor drink water there, nor tiiiH again to go bv the way that thoii earnest. He I said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink i water. But he lied unto him. So he went back I with him, and did eat bread in his house, and I drank water. And it came to pass, as they sat I at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back : and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying. Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the ; which the LOUD did say to thee, Eat no bread, ' and drink no water ; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to \int, for the prophet whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, i and slew him : and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase : and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord : therefore the Lord hath delivered him imto the lion, which liath torn him, and slain TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto him. And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him. And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase : the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass. And the prophet took up the car- case of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back : and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him. And he laid his carcase in his own grave ; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother ! And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying. When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried ; lay my bones beside his bones : for the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass. After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places : whosoever would, he consecrated him. and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth. Or, 1 Kings xvii. yi ND Elijah the Tishbite, v)ho was of the in- XjL habitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TEIXTTT. turn tliee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook ; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord : for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening ; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zare- phath, which belongeth to Zidon. and dwell there : behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zare- phath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman 2vas there gather- ing of sticks : and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he Ciilled to her, and said. Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said. As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse : and, behold, I am gather- ing two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her. Fear not ; go and do as thou hast said : but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. +- ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah : and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah. And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick ; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, thou man of God ? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son 1 And he said unto her. Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the Lord, and said, Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah ; and the soul of the child ciime into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother : and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, arid that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth. CI)c C^Iebfntf) .Sunlrag after t^rinitg. ■- Morning. 1 Kings xviii. AND it came to pass after many days, that the xV. word of the Lord came to Elijah in the ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab ; and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there ivas a sore famine in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah. which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly : for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and "water.) And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all founwins of water, and unto all brooks : peradveuture we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So they divided the laud between them to pass through- out it : Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. And as Obadiah wai> in the way, behokl, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah ? And he answered him, I am : go, tell thy lord. Behold, EUjah is here. And he said. What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of ^Uiab, to slay me ? As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither iny lord hath not sent to seek thee : and when they said, He is not there ; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. And now thou sayest, Go, t'e came to the c;imp of the Syrians, and, behold, there icas no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they icere. And he called the porters ; and they told it to the king's house j within. And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the S}Tian3 have done to us. They know tluxt | we be hungry ; therefore are they gone out of | the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, j When they come out of the city, we shall catch ; them alive, and get into the city. And one of | his sers'ants answered and said, Let some take, I i pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which ! are left in tlie city, (behold, they are as all the \ multitude of Isi-ael that are left in it : behold, I [ say, they arc even as all the multitude of the Israehtes that are consumed :) and let us send and see. They took therefore two chariot horses ; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying. Go and see. And they went after them unto Jordan : and, lo, all the way ivas full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers re- turned, and told the king. And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate : and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him. And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two mea- sures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall iDe to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria : and that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be ? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it fell out unto liim : for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died. CIjc J'ourtcent^ Sunlras after tHrinitg. Morning. 2 Kings ix. AND Elisha the prophet called one of the . children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead : and when thou coraest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Ninishi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber ; then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not. So the young man, evefi the young man the prophet, went to Eamoth-gilead. And when he came, behold, FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. the captains of the host were sitting ; and he said, I have an errand to thee, Ciiptain. And Jehu said. Unto which of all us ? And he said, To thee, O captain. And he arose, and went into the house ; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish : and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel : and I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah : and the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled. Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord : and one said unto him, Is all well ? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee ? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. And they said, It is false ; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel, Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king. So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Eamoth- gilead, he and all Israel, because of HazaeL FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. king of Syria. But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds Avhich the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel. So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel ; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace ? So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said. Thus saith the king, Is it peace ? And Jehu said. What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he coraeth not again. Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king. Is it jjeace ? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace ? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again : and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi ; for he driveth furiously. And Joram said, Make ready. And his clmriot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Aliaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the por- tion of Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, tliat he said, J* it peace, Jehu ? And he answered, AVhat peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. and her witchcrafts are so many ? And Jorani turned his hands, and fled, and said to AhazirJh, There is treachery, Ahaziah. And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jeho- ram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunli down in his chariot. Then said Jeh ?< to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite : for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord laid this burden upon him ; surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Na- both, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord ; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the Lord. Now therefore take ayid cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the Lord. But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. ; And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. And his ser- vants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fiithers in the city of David. And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Aliab began Ahaziah to reigu over Judah. And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master I And he lifted up his face to the window, and said. Who is on my side ? who ? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her ; 4. FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, down : and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses : and he trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter. And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the scull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. Where- fore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel : and the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the jjortion of Jezreel ; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel. Evening. 2 Kings x, to v. 32. AND Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jl\. Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab's children, saying, Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city also, and armour ; look even out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house. But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him : how then shall we stand 1 And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us ; we will not make any king : do thou that which is good in thine eyes. Then I FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. j he wrote a letter the second time to them, sjiy- j ing, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto I Diy voice, take ye the heads of the men your '■ master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to I morrow this time. Kow the king's sons, heiiig ; ^seventy persons, luei-e with the great men of the city, which brought them up. And it came to ; pass, when the letter came to them, that they , took the king's sons, and slew seventy persons, I and put their heads in baskets, and sent him I them to Jezreel. And there came a messenger, I and told him, saying. They have brought the" I heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay y© i them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate ! until the morning. And it came to pass in the ! morning, that he went out, and stood, and said ! to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I j conspired against my master, and slew him : but who slew all these"? Know now that there shall ! fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the j Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the j house of Ahab : for the Lord hath done that j which he spake by liis servant Elijah. So Jehu ! slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in I Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, I and his priests, until he left him none remaining. I And lie arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he luas at the shearing house in the way, Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of I Judah, and said, Who are ye ? And they an- j swered. We are the brethren of Ahaziah ; and I we go down to salute the children of the king ' and the children of the queen. And he said. Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. even two and forty men ; neither left he any of them. And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab corning to meet him : and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is Avith thy heart ? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand ; and he took him up to him into the chariot. And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot. And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the Lord, which he spake to Elijah. And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little ; but Jehu shall serve him much. Now therefore ciill unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests ; let none be want- ing : for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal ; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal. And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. And Jehu sent through all Israel : and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there "was not a man left tliat came not. And they c;\me into the house of Baal ; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another. And he said unto him that teas over the vestry,^ Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers ot' Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Bechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. there be here with yoii none of the servants of the Lord, but the worshippers of Baal only. And when they went in to ofier sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall he for the life of him. And it Ciime to piiss, as soon as he had made an end of otiering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains. Go in, and slay them ; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword ; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. How- beit fram the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from, after them, to icit, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that icere in Dan. And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done weU in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart : for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin. Or, 2 Kings xiiL IN the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahiu the FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Sa- maria, and reigned seventeen years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin ; he departed not therefrom. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all their days. And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord h£arkened unto him : for he saw the oppression of Israel, beciiuse the king of Syria oppressed them. (And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians : and the children of Isi-ael dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. Never- theless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein : and there remained the grove also in Samaria.) Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen ; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ? And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers ; and they buried him in Samaria : and Joash his son reigned in his stead. In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samarm,, and reigned sixteen years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord ; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of FOURTEENTH SUXDAY AFTER TRINITY. Nebat, who made Israel sin : but he -walked therein. And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ? And Joash slept with his fathers ; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne : and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And Elisha said unto him. Take bow and aiTOws. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the kings hands. And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it Then Elisha said. Shoot. And he shot. And he said. The arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from S\Tia : for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel. Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said. Thou shouldest have smitten live or six times ; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice. And Elisha died^ and tliey buried him. And the bands of the ]Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. spied a band 0/ men ; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha : and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. And the Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet. So Hazael king of Syria died ; and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead. And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel. ^T^c Mittwi}) SunUag after ^rinitg. Morning. 2 Kings xviii. "XTOW it came to pass in the third year of Jl.^ Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Heze- kiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign ; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also v}as Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made : for imto those days the children of Israel did bum incense to it : and he called it Nehushtan. He FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. i trusted in the Lord God of Israel ; so that after i him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he ; clave to the Lord, and departed not from fol- i lowing him, but kept his commandments, which j the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord I was with him ; and he prospered whithersoever j he went forth : and he rebelled against the king I of Assyria, and served him not. He smote the I Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders j thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the ' fenced city. And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which v:as the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, thM '. Shalmaneser king of Asspia came up against : Samaria, and besieged it. And at the end of j three years they took it : even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea i king of Israel, Samaria was taken. And the | king of Assyria did earn,- away Israel unto | Asspia, and put them in Halah and in Habor bij the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the ! Medes : because they obeyed not the voice of I the Lord their God, but transgressed his cove- j nant. and all that Moses the servant of the Lord i commanded, and would not hear them, nor do | them. Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended ; return from me : that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents -+ FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house. At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Eab- shakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the high- ' way of the fuller's field. And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder. And Rab-shakeh said unto them. Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest 1 Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me ? Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff' of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it : so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. But if ye say unto me. We trust in the Lord our God : is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem ? Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to ' set riders upon them. How then wilt thou turn away the face of one capt;dn of the least of my : niaster^s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt i for chariots and for horsemen ? Am I now come ■ up without the Lord against this place to j destroy it 1 The Lord said to me, Go up against , this land, and destroy it. Then said Eliakim i the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna. and Joah, unto I Rab-shakeh, Speak. I pray thee, to thy servants j in the Syrian language ; for we undei'stand it : ' and talk not with us in the Jews' language in '. the ears of the people that are on the wall. But \ Rab-shakeh said unto them, Hath my master | sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak i these words ? hath he not sent me to the men j which sit on the wall, that they may eat their , own dung, and drink their own piss with you ? Then Rab-shakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying. Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria : thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you : for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand : neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be de- livered into the hand of the king of Assyria. Hearken not to Hezekiah : for thus saith the king of Assyria, ^Make a7i agreement with me by a present, and come out to me. and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern : untd I come and tjike you away to a land like your own land, a land of com and wine, a land of bi-ead and vinevards, a land FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die : and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations de- livered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad ? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand? Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand 1 But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word : for the king's com- mandment was, saying, Answer him not. Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rab-shakeh. Evening. 2 Kings xix. AND it came to pass, when king Hezekiah . heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, which teas over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. It may be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God ; FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard : wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left. So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said unto them. Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land ; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. So Eal>shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah : for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. And when he heard say of Tir- hakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee : he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judab, saying. Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, say- ing, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly : and shalt thou be delivered ? Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed ; as Gozan, and Haran, and Ee- zeph, and the children of Eden v.hich tcere in Thelasar ? "Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim. of Hena, and Ivah ? And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it : and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. ^ and said, Lord God of Israel, which dwellest behveen the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear : open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Senna- cherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth. Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, and have a^st their gods into the fire : for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone : therefore they have de- stroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only. Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning him ; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn ; the daughter of Je- rusalem hath shaken her head at thee. Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed ? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high ? even against the Holy One of Israel. By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I wiU enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carniel. I have digged FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places. Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it ? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps . Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and con- founded ; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the house tops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up. But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. Be- ciiuse thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou caniest. And tliis shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of them- selves, and in the second year that which spring- eth of the same ; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vmeyards, and eat the fruits thereof. And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion : the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this. Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, my servant David^s sake. And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand : and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword : and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reign- ed in his stead. Or, 2 Kings xxiii. to v. 31. A ND the king sent, and they gathered unto J\. him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusa- lem. And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem Avith him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great : and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant. And the king command- ed Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven : and he FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Beth-el. And he put down the idolatrous priests, ■whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem ; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven. And he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord, without Je- rusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people. And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the grove. And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beer-sheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city. Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren. And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to ^Molech. And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Kathan-melech the chamberlain, which ivas in the suburbs, and FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. burned the chariots of the sun with fire. And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, did the king beat down, and brake tli&m down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on tlie right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Che- mosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Am- mon, did the king defile. And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men. More- over the altar that was at Beth-el, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove. And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. Then he said, What title is that that I see ? And the men of tEe city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Beth-el. And he said, Let him alone ; let no man move his bones. So they let his FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria. And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Beth-el. And he slew all the I priests of the high places that icere there upon the altars, and burned men's bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem. And the king com- manded all the people, saying. Keep the pass- over unto the Lord your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant. Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah ; but in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, where- in this passover was holden to the Lord in Jerusalem. ISIoreover the icorkers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. And like unto him was there do king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses ; neither after him arose there any like him. Notwith- standing the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the pro- vocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. And the Lord said, I will remove SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast oif this city Jerasalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there. Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah ? In his days Pharaoh-nechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates : and king Josiah went against him ; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him. And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead. Cf;e Sixtecntf) ^untJag after ^rtnitg. Morning. 2 Chron. xxxvi. THEN the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz ims twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusa- lem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt. Jehoiakim ivas twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem : and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. Against him came up Nebuchad- ^ H- SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. j nezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also carried" of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in liim, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah : and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead, Jehoi- achin teas eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem : and he did that which u-as evil in the sight of Lord. And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that ichich icas evil in the sight of the Lord his God, atid humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet spcahng from the mouth of the Lord, i And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadncz- 2ar, who had made him sware by God : but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. Moreover all the°chief of the priests, and the people, trans- gressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen ; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending ; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place : but they mocked the messen- gers of God, and despised his words, and misused SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. j his prophets, until tlie wrath of the Lord arose j against his people, till there ivas no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the | Chaldees, who slew their young men with the i sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had I no compassion upon young man or maiden, old j man, or him that stooped for age : he gave them ■ all into his hand. And all the vessels of the ! house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes ; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroy- ed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon ; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia : to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sab- baths : for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoJcen by the mouth of Jere- miah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth j hath the Lord God of heaven given me ; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jeru- salem, which is in Judah. AVho is there among you of all his people ? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up. SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Evening. Nehem. i. and ii. to v. 9. ril HE words of Neheraiah the son of Hachaliab. JL And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shush an the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah ; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jeru- salem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach : the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fested, and prayed before the God of heaven, and said, I beseech thee, Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments : let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of j Israel, which we have sinned against thee : both I I and my father's house have sinned. We have | dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not j kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the j judgments, which thou commanded st thy servant | Moses. Reriiember, I beseech thee, the word that f thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations : but if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them ; though there were of you Gxst out unto the uttermost part of SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name : and prosper, I pray thee, thy serv^ant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer. And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him : and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been heforetime sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick ] this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, and said unto the king. Let the king live for ever : why should not my comitenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gat-es thereof are consumed with fire ] Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request ? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be ? and when wilt thou return ? So it pleased the king to send me ; and I set him a time. Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah ; and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. Or, Nehem. viii. AND all the people gathered themselves to- _ gether as one man into the street that was before the water gate ; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the con- gregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month . And he read therein before the street that ivas before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand ; and the ears of all the people irere attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose ; and beside him stood Mattithiali, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand ; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people ; (for he was above all the people ;) and when he opened it. all the people stood up : and Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands : and they bowed their + . SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita., Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pe- laiah, and the Levitts, caused the people to under- stand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to undei-stand the reading. And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God ; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fiit, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord : neither be ye sorry ; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying. Hold your peace, for the day is holy ; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month : and that they should publish and pro- claim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is -written. So the people went forth, and brought them, and made them- selves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim. And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths : for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great glad- ness. Also day by day, from the tirst day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days ; and on the eighth day ivas a solemn assembly, accord- ing unto the manner. Zl)t xtbmtftntf) Sun^jag aftr r Crtnits. Morning. Jerem. v. RU N ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that execute th judgment, that seeketh the truth ; and I will pardon it. And though they say, The Lord liveth ; surely they swear folsely. Lord, ai-e not thine eyes upon the truth ? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved ; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correc- tion : they have made their faces harder than a rock ; they have refused to return. Therefore I said. Surely these are poor ; they are foohsh : for they know not the way of the Lord, nar the SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. judgment of their God. I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them ; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God : but these have alto- gether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds. Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities : every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces : because their transgressions are many, a7id their backslidings are increased. How shall I pardon thee for this ? thy children have for- saken me, and sworn by them that are no gods : when I had fed them to the full, they then com- mitted adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were as fed horses in the morning : every one neighed after his neighbour's wife. Shall I not visit for these things ? saith the Lord : and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this 1 Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy ; but make not a full end : take away her battlements ; for they are not the Lord's. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord. They have belied the Lord, and said, It is not he ; neither shall evil come upon us ; neither shall we see sword nor famine : and the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them. Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts. Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them. Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, house of Israel, saith the SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTEE TRINITY. ^ Lord : it ts a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say. Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men. And they shall eat up thine har- vest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daught€rs should eat : they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds : they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees : they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword. Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord, I will not make a full end with you. And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say. Wherefore doeth the Lord our God all these things unto us ? then shalt thou answer them. Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours. Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying, Hear now this, foolish people, and without understanding ; which have eyes, and see not ; which have ears, and hear not : Fear ye not me ? saith the Lord : will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it : and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail ; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it ? But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart ; they are revolted and gone. Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season : he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Your iniquities have turned away these things, and ^ SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. your sins have withholden good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men : they lay wait, ixs, he that setteth snares ; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit : therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine : yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked : they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper ; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord : shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this ? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land ; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means ; and my people love to have it so : and what will ye do in the end thereof ? Evening. Jerem. xxii. THUS saith the Lord ; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates : thus saith the Lord ; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor : and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by 1 myself, saith the Lord, that this house shail | + SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. become a desolation. For thus saitli the Lord unto the king's house of Judah ; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon : yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities ichich are not inhabited. And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his wea- pons : and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say ev^ery man to his neighbour, "Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city ] Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and wor- shipped other gods, and served them. Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him : hut weep sore for him that goeth away : for he shall return no more, nor see his native country. For thus saith the Lord touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place ; He shall not return thither any more : but he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more. Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong ; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work ; that saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows ; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar ? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judg- ment and justice, and then it was well with him ? He judged the cause of the poor and needv ; then it was well with him: was not SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. this to know me? saith the Lord. But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy cove- tousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it. There- fore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakini the son of Josiah king of Judah ; They shall not lament for him, smjing, Ah my brother ! or, Ah sister ! they shall not lament for him, saying. Ah lord ! or, Ah his glory ! He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and Ciist forth beyond the gates of Jerusa- lem. Go up to Lebanon, and cry ; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages : for all thy lovers are destroyed. I spake unto thee in thy prosperity ; hut thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not ray voice. The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity : surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail ! As I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence ; and I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose f;ice thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchad- rezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born ; and there shall ye die. But to the land whereunto they desire to return, SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. thither shall they not return. Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol ? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure ? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not] O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, "Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days : for no man of his seed shall prosper, sittins: upon the tlirone of David, and ruling any more in Judah. Or, Jerem. xxxv. THE word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying. Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. Then I t^ok Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites ; and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which ivas by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of ISIaaseiah the son of Shp.llum, the keeper of the door : and I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them. Drink ye wine. But they said, We wnll drink no wijie : for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father com- manded us, saying. Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever : neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any : but all your days ye shall dwell in tents ; that ye may live many days in the land SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. . where ye be strangers. Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters ; nor to build houses for us to dwell in : neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed : but we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chal- deans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians : so we dwell at Jerusalem. Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel ; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words ? saith the Lord. The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed ; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment : notwith- standing I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking ; but ye hearkened not unto me. I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying. Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers : but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the command- ment of their father, which he commanded EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. them ; but this people hath not hearkened unto me : therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel ; Behold, I will bring upon Jadah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them : because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard ; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered. And Jeremiah Siiid unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel ; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done accord- ing unto all that he hath commanded you : there- fore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel ; Jonadab the son of Piechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever. ^c C?igf)ttcntf) Suntran after '^timt^. Morning. Jerem. xxxvl AX D it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them ; that they may return every man from his evil way ; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Xeriah : and Baruch ^^Tote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. i EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up ; I cannot go into the house of the Lord : therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the Lord in the ears of the people in the Lord's house upon the fasting day : and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. It may be they will present their supplication before the Lord, and will return every one from his evil way : for great is the anger and the fury that the Lord hath pronounced against this people. And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the, words of the Lord in the LoRD^s house. And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they prockimed a fast before the Lord to all the people in Jeru- salem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemiv- riah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house, in the ears of all the people. When Michaiahthe son of Gemariah,the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the Lord, then he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber : and, ]o, all the princes sat there, eveii Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the sou of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. Then Michaiah declared unto them all I EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. Therefore all the prmces sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Ba- ruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them. And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears. Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words. And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth? Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah ; and let no man know where ye be. And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king. So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll : and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king. Now the king sat in the win- terhouse in the ninth month : and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that ivas on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. garments, neither the king, nor any of his ser- vants that heard all these words. Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he woidd not burn the roll : but he would not hear them. But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hamraelech,and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jere- miah the prophet : but the Lord hid them. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying. Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the Lord ; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, AVhy hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall cer- tainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast ? Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah ; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David : and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity ; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against thejn ; but they hearkened not. Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Bjiruch the scribe, the son of Neriah ; who -svrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. the fire : and there were added besides unto them many like words. Evening. Ezek. ii. A ND he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon J\. thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath i-^belled against me : they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them ; and thou shalt say unto them. Thus saith the Lord God. And' they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns he with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions : be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they he a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear : for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee ; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house : open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me ; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein ; and he spread it before me ; and it was written within and Avithout : and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. + I EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. ! Or, Ezek. xiii. to v. 17. AN D the word of the Lord came unto me, , saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord ; thus saith the Lord God ; Woe unto the foolish pro- phets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing ! O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith : and the Lord hath not sent them : and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say. The Lord saith it ; albeit I have not spoken 1 There- fore thus saith the Lord God ; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God. And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies : they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God. Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace ; and there was no peace ; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter : say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fiill : there shall be an overflowing shower ; and ye, great hailstones, shall fall ; and a — NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. stormy wind shall rend it. Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto yon, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it ? Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury ; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in mij fury to con- sume it. So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof : and ye shall know that I avi the Lord. Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortcr, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it ; to ivit, the prophets of Israel which jjrophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God. C^c i^mrtcfntf) Suntiag aftrr ^rinttg. Morning. Ezek. xiv, THEN came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity be- fore their face : should I be enquired of at all by them ? Tlierefore speak unto them, and say unto them,Thus saith the Lord God ; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his ini- quity before his face, and cometh to the prophet ; I the Lord will answer him that cometh accord- NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. ing to the multitude of his idols ; that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God ; Eepent, and turn ijourselves from your idols ; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that so- journeth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity be- fore his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me ; I the Lord will answer him by myself : and I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a pro- verb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity : the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him ; that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, nei- ther be polluted any more with all their trans- gressions ; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God. The word of the Lord ciime again to me, saying. Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it : thoush NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts : though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters ; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say. Sword, go through the land ; so tliat I cut off man and beast from it : though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. Or if I send a pestOence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast : though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter ; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. For thus saith the Lord God ; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast ? Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters : behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings : and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, ev«n concerning all that I have brought upon it. And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings : and ye shall know that I have not NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TEINITY. done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God. Evening. Ezek. xviii. THE word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine ; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine : the soul that sinneth, it shall die. But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, and hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, and hath not oppressed any, hut hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath, covered the naked with a garment ; he that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly ; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, and that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife, hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and NINETEEXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath com- mitted abomination, hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increa.se : shall he then live I he shall not live : he hath done all these abominations ; he shall surely die ; his blood shall be upon him. Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his fathers sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like, that hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, that hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes ; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live. As for his fivther, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother bj violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity. Yet say ye, Why ? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father ? WTien the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath com- mitted, and keep all my statutes, and do that . NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him : in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die ? saith the Lord God : and not that he should return from his ways, and live ? But when the righteous turn- eth away from his righteousness, and com- mitteth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live ? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned : in his tres- pass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Yet ye say. The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, house of Israel ; Is not my way equal ? are not your ways unequal ? When a righteous man tumeth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them ; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man tumeth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal ? are not your ways unequal ? Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions ; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgres- NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. sions, whereby ye have transgressed ; and make you a new heart and a new spirit : for why will ye die. house of Israel ? For I have no plea- sure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God : wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. Or, Ezek, xxiv. r. 15. A LSO the word of the Lord came unto me, jl\. saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke : yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning : and at even my wife died ; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. And the people said unto me. Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so ? Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth ; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. And ye shall do as I have done : ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And your tires shall he upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet : ye shall not mourn nor weep ; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign : according to all that he hath done shall ye do : and when this Cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God. TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. : Also, thon son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glor}^, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters, that he tiiat escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears ] In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb : and thou shalt be a sign unto them ; and they shall know that I am the Lord. ^^e ^tocntietl^ iJunUag after ^rinitg. Morning. Ezek. xxxiv. A ND the word of the Lord came unto me, J\. saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves ! should not the shepherds feed the flocks 1 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed : but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which v:as broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost ; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd : and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill : yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the [l2]5 TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Lord ; as I live, saith the Lord God, surely be- cause my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there icas no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed them- selves, and fed not my flock ; therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord ; thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am against the shepherds ; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock ; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more ; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are skittered ; so wOl I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be : there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the moun- tains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cjiuse them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that ichich was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick : but I will destroy the fat and the strong ; I will feed them with judgment. TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. And as for you, my flock, thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye nmst tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures ? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet ? And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet ; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them ; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. Be- cause ye have thrust Avith side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad ; therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey ; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David ; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them ; I the Lord have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land : and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing ; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season ; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. them ont of the hand of those that served them- selves of them. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them ; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, eveyi the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God. And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God. Evening. Ezek. xxxvii. THE hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which icas full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about : and, behold, there icere very many in the open valley ; and, lo, they icere very dry. And he said unto me. Son of man, can these bones live ? And I answered, Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones ; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live : and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live ; and ye - shall know that I avi the Lord. So I prophe- sied as I wag commanded : and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones Ciime together, bone to his bone. And TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above : but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me. Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God ; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel : behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost : we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them. Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land : then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord. The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it. For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions : then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions : and join them one to another into one stick ; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying. Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these ? say TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. nnto them, Tlius saith the Lord God ; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Jiidah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land : and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel ; and one king shall be king to them all : and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all : neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions : but I will save them out of all their dvvellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them : so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall he king over them : and they all shall have one shepherd : they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt ; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever : and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. ^Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them ; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them : and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctu- TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, ary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them : yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. Or, Daniel i. IN the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God : which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god ; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his ! eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the \ children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and I of the princes ; children in whom 7vas no blemish, j but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and j cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, • and such as had ability in them to stand in the i king's palace, and whom they might teach the ! learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. And ! the king appointed them a daily provision of ; the kin^s meat, and of the wine which he drank : ■ so nourishing them three years, tliat at the end ' thereof they might stand before the king. Now ; among these were of thechildren of Judah, Daniel, j Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah : unto whom j the prince of the eunuchs gave names : for he | gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar ; and | to Hananiah, of Shadrach ; and to Mishael, of Meshach ; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank : there- fore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink : for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort ? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days ; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat : and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their coun- tenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink ; and gave them pulse. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom : and Daniel had under- standing in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eimuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them ; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Mishael, and Azariah : therefore stood they be- fore the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. And Daniel continued eveji unto the first year of king Cyrus. ®f)C SEtocntg^first SunUai? after QTiinttg. Morning. Daniel iii. NEBUCHADNEZZAR the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits : he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the coun- sellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up ; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up : and whoso falleth not down and wor- shippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore at TWENTY-riEST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. that time, wh^n all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image : and whoso faileth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, !Meshach, and Abed-nego ; these men, king, have not regarded thee : they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, IMeshach, and Abed-nego. Then thej'' brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up ? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made ; well : but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace ; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands ? Shadrach, Me- TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. shach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Mesliach, and Abed- nego : therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the fur- nace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-ne^o, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Tlien Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his coun- sellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire ? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt ; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 4 TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- nego, came forth of the midst of the fi.re. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchad- nezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, JNIeshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Me- shach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill : because there is no other God that am deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shad- rach, jMeshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon. Evening. Daniel iv. "IVTEBUCHADNEZZAR the king, unto aU jA people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth ; Peace be multiplied unto you. J thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs ! and how mighty are his wonders ! his kingdom is an everlasting king- U TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. dom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace : I aa^f a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head trou.- bled me. Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers : and I told the dream before them ; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods : and before him I told the dream, saying, Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof. Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed ; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth : the leaves thereof loere fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all : the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from hea- ven ; he cried aloud, and said thus. Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. leaves, aud scatter his fruit : let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches : nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bniss, in the tender grass of the field ; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be v.ith the beasts in the grass of the earth : let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him ; and let Seven times pass over him. This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones : to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men. and giveth it to whom- soever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Xow thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise 'nun of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation : but thoti art able ; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee. Then Daniel, whose name ivas Belteshaz- zar, was astonied for one liour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Bel- teshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine ene- mies. The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth ; whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all ; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habi- TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. tation : it is thou, king, that art grown and become strong : for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming dovni from hea- ven, and saying. Hew the tree down, and destroy it ; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field ; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him ; this is the interpretation, king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king : that they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots ; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule. Wherefore, king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break ofi" thy sins by righteous- ness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor ; if it may be a lengthening of thy tran- quillity. All this came upon the king Nebu- chadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Baby- lon. The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty ? While the word was TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.' in the kind's mouth, there fell a voice from hea- ven, saying, king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken ; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field : they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebu- chadnezzar : and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claics. And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine un- derstanding returned unto me. and 1 blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation : and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing : and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth : and none can stay his hand, or say unto him. What doest thou ? At the same time my reason returned unto me ; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me ; and my coun- sellors and my lords sought unto me ; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent ma- jesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchad- nezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment : and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Or, Daniel v. BELSHAZZAR the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels Avhich his father Nebuchad- nezzar had taken out of the temple which teas in Jerusalem ; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem ; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of bniss, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace : and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretiition thereof. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. lords were astonied. A'^ow the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came iiito the banquet house : and the queen spake and said. king, live for ever : let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed : there is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods ; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him ; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and sooth- sayers ; forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knoAvledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazziir : now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation. Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry ? I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpreta- tion of the thuig: and I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dis- solve doubts : now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpreta- tion thereof, thou shalt be clothed vrith. scarlet, TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another ; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpreta- tion. O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour : and for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him : whom he would he slew ; and whom he would he kept alive ; and whom he would he set up ; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him : and he Avas driven from the sons of men ; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses : they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven ; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. And thou his son, Belshazzar, hast not hum- bled thine heart, though thou knewest all this ; but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven ; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them ; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know : and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified : then was the TWEXTY-SECOXD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. part of the hand sent from him ; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEl^ UPHARSIX. This is the interpretation of the thing : MEXE ; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL ; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES ; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and j9u^ a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chal- deans stain. And Darius the ^Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old. Cfje STtDcntu^sccontJ 5untfag after ^rinitg. Morning. Daniel vi. IT pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom ; and over these three presidents ; of whom Daniel icas first : that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit icas in him ; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concern- ing the kingdom ; but they could find none occasion nor fault ; forasmuch as he teas faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house ; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree ; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a 'petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions ? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Then answered they and said before the king. That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. day. Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him : and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, king, that the law of the jVIedes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. ]\''oiv the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he M'ill deliver thee. And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den ; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords ; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting : neither were instruments of musick brought before him : and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel : and the king spake and said to Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou serv^est continually, able to deliver thee from the lions ? Then said Daniel unto the king, king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me : forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me : and also before thee, king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. And the king commanded, and they brought those men ■which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives ; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den. Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth ; Peace be nmltiplied unto you. I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel : for he is the living God, and sted- fast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Evening. Daniel vii. v. 9. I BEHELD till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose gar- ment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool : his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him : thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him : the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake : I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away : yet their lives were pro- longed for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him ner, Daniel xii. A ND at that time shall Michael stand up, the jl\_ great prince which standeth for the chil- dren of thy people : and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time : and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth sliall — - j TWENTY-SECO^'D SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. ' awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame ami everlasting contempt. And thev that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firma- ]uent ; and they that turn many to righteousness ! as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, O I Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, I even to the time of the end : many shall run to \ and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Then i I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other \ two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, , and the other on that side of the bank of the : river. And one said to the man clothed in linen, j which u-as upon the waters of the river, How ; long shall it he to the end of these wonders 1 I And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it ' shall he for a time, times, and an half ; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. And I heard, but I understood not : then said I, my Lord, what shall be the end of these things I And he said, Go thy way, Daniel : : for the words are closed up and sealed till the I time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried ; but the wicked shall do wickedly : and none of the wicked shall under- stand ; but the wise shall understyENTY-THmD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God : for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and lie will cause to come do^vn for you the rain, the fonner rain, and the latter rain in the first mo7ith. And the floors shall be fall of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the Ciinkerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmer- worm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you : and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else : and my people shall never be ashamed. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daugh- ters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions : and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The Sim shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the gr&it and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall Cidl on the name of the Lord shall be delivered : for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the renniant Avhom the Lord shall call. TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Oi\ Joel iii. v. 9. 1')E0CLAIM ye this among the Gentiles ; . Prepare Avar, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near ; let them come up : beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears : let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about : thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat : for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe : come, get you down ; for the press is fuU, the fats overflow ; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision : for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be dark- ened, and the stars shall withdraAv their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem ; and the heavens and the earth shall shake : but the Lord ivill be the hope of his people, and the strength of the chil- dren of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain : then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim. Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against TWENTY-FOURTH SUXDAY AFTER TRINITY. the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed : for the Lord dwelleth in Zion. 0;c ^tDcnt2=fourt1^ Stintrng after Crtnitg. Morning. Amos iii. HEAE this word that the Lord hath spoken' against you, children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egy]Dt, sayiug, You only have I known of ail the families of the earth : therefore I Avill punish you for all your iniquities. Can two Avalk together, except they be agreed ? will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey ? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing ? can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him ? shall o??e take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all ? shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid ? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it ? iSurely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the pro- phets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear ? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but pro- j phesy ] Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in tiie palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof. For they know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. their palaces. Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; An adversary there shall he even round about the land ; and he shall briug down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled. Thus saith the Lord ; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear ; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch. Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, the God of hosts, that in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Beth-el : and the horns of the altar shall be cut off", and fall to the ground. And I will smite the winter house with the summer house ; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord. Evening. Amos v. HEAR ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel. The virgin of Israel is fallen ; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up. For thus saith the Lord God ; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel. For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live : but seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba : for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought. Seek the Lord, and ye shall live ; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in TWEXTY-FOURTH SUXDAY AFTEK TRINITY. Beth-el. Ye who turn judgmeut to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth, sedh him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark v/ith night : that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the ftice of the earth : The Lord is his name : that strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress. Thev hate him that re- buke th in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly. Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat : ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them ; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them. For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins : they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that tim.e ; for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live : and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good. and establish judgment in the gate : it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus ; Wailing shall he in all streets ; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas ! alas ! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing. And in all vineyards shall be wailing . for I will pass through thee, saith the Lord. Woe unto TWEXTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. you that desire the day of the Lord ! to what end is it for you 1 the day of the Lord is dark- ness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him ; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light ? even very dark, and no brightness in it ? I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them : neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs ; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel ? But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Mo- loch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose name is The God of hosts. Or, Amos ix. I SAW the Lord standing upon the ^altar : and he said. Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake : and cut them in the head, all of them ; and I will slay the last of them with the sword : he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. Though they dig itito hell, thence shall mine hand take them ; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down : and though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. them out thence ; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them : and though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them : and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good. And the Lord God of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn : and it shall rise up wholly like a flood ; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth ; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth : The Lord is his name. Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, chil- dren of Israel ? saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Eg}'pt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir] Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I wDl destroy it from oft" the face of the earth ; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord. For, lo, I will com- mand, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say. The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof ; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old : that they may possess the remnant of Edom, TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plow- man shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed ; and the moun- tains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them ; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof ; they shaU also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God. 2ri;e 2rtocntg=fift]^ SunUag after tlixiwit^. Morning. Micah iv. and v. to v. 8. BUT in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills ; and peo- ple shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say. Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths : for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off" ; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks : nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree ; and T^YEXTT-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRIXITT. none shall njake them afraid : for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all peo- ple will Avalk every one in the name of his god, and ^ye will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and 1 will gather her that is driven out. and her that I have afflicted ; and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation : and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. And thou, tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion ; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. Now why dost thou cry out aloud ? is there no king in thee ? is thy counsellor perished ? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail : for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon ; there shalt thou be delivered ; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say. Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel : for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion : for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass : and thou shalt be^t in pieces many people : and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Now gather thyself in troops, daughter of troops : he hath laid siege against us : they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel ; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth : then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God ; and they shall abide : for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. And this man shall be the pea<;e, when the Assyrian shall come into our land : and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shep- herds, and eight principal men. And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances tiiereof: thus shall he deliver ws from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. Evening. Micah vi. HEAE ye now what the Lord saith ; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear ye, moun- tains, the Lord's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth : for the Lord hath a TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel. O my people, what have I done unto thee ? and wherein have I wearied thee ? testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants ; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and INIiriam. O my people, re- member now what Balak king of Moab con- sulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor an- swered him from Shittim unto Gilgal ; that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord. Where- with shall I come before the Lord, and lx)W myself before the high God ? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old ? will the IjORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil ? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body /or the sin of my soul ? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good ; and what doth the Lord require of tliee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God ? The Lord's voice crieth imto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name : hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights ? For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making tJiee desolate because of thy sins. Tliou shalt eat, but not be satisfied ; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. thee ; and thou shalt tiike hold, but shalt not deliver ; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword. Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap ; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil ; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine. For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the Avorks of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels ; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabit- ants thereof an hissing : therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people. Or, Micah vii. WOE is me ! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape- gleanings of the vintage : there is no cluster to eat : my soul desired the firstripe fruit. The good man is perished out of the earth : and there is none upright among men : they all lie in wait for blood ; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward ; and the great ma7i, he uttereth his mischievous desire : so they wrap it up. The best of them is as a brier : the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge : the day of thy watchmen ami thy visitation cometh ; now shall be their perplexity. Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide : keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law ; a man's enemies are the men of his own house. Therefore I will look unto the Lord ; I will wait for the God of my salvation : my God will hear me. Rejoice TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. not against me, mine enemy ; when I fall, I shall arise ; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indig- nation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my Ciiuse, and execute judg- ment for me : he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God ? mine eyes shall behold her : now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets. In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed. In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and /row mountain to mountain. Notwith- standing the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings. Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel : let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. Ac- cording to the days of thy coming out of the hmd of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things. The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might : they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf. They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth : they shall be afmid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and pass- eth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage ? he retaineth not his anger for ever, TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. because he delighteth in mercy. He Avill turn again, he will have compassion upon us ; he will subdue our iniquities ; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, a^id the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old. Zi)t Qrtocnt2=sixl]^ Suntrag after ^rinitg. Morning. Hab. ii. I WILL stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me, and said. Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie : though it tarry, wait for it ; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul v)hich is lifted up is not upright in him : but the just shall live by his faith. Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people : shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his ! how long ? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay ! Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them ] Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee ; TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell there- in. Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetous- ness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil ! Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity ! Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity ? For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and raakest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness ! Thou art filled with shame for glory : drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be un- covered : the cup of the Lord's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall he on thy glory. For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. What profiteth the graven i image that the maker thereof hath graven it ; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols ? Woe unto him that saith to the j wood. Awake ; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall j teach ! Behold, it is laid over with gold and j silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst I + TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. of it. But the Lord is in his holy temple : let all the earth keep silence before him. Evening. Hab. iii. A PRAYER of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known ; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. And his Ijrightness was as the light ; he had horns coining out of his hand : and there was the hiding of his power. Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. He stood, and measured the earth : he beheld, and drove asunder the nations ; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the per- petual hills did bow : his ways are everlasting. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction : and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Was the Lord displeased against the rivers ? was thine anger against the rivers ? ivas thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation ? Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. The mountains saw thee, and they trembled : the overflowing of the water passed by : the deep uttered his voice, a7id lifted up his hands on high. The sun ayid moon stood still in their habitation : at the light of thine arrows the}^ went, a7id at the shining of thy glittering spear. Thou didst march through the land in indignation,, thou TWENTY- SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. didst thresh the heathen in anger. Thou went- est forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed ; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by dis- covering the foundation unto the neck. Selah. Thou didst strike through with his staves the i head of his villages : they came out as a whirl- j wind to scatter me : their reioicing ivas as to I devour the poor secretly. Thou didst walk } through the sea with thine horses, through the j heap of great waters. When I heard, my belly ; trembled ; my lips quivered at the voice : rot- j tenness entered into my bones, and I trembled { in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble : when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls : yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my strmged instruments. Or, Zepli. iii. TyOE to her that is filthy and polluted, to the * ' oppressing city ! She obeyed not the voice ; she received not correction ; she trusted not in the Lord ; she drew not near to her God. Her princes within her are roaring lions ; her judges are evening wolves ; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Her prophets are light a7id treacherous persons : her priests have pol- TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. luted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. The just Lord is in the midst thereof ; he will not do iniquity : every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame. I have cut off the nations : their towers are desolate ; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by : their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. I said. Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction ; so their dwelling should not be cut oft", howso- ever I punished them : but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings. Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey : for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger : for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, tliat they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering. In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me : for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty beciiuse of my holy mountain. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquit}"^, nor speak lies ; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth : for they shall feed and TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. lie down, and none shall make them afraid. Sing, daughter of Zion ; shout, Israel ; be glad and rejoice with all the heart. daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy : the king of Israel, er^n the Lord, is in the midst of thee : thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not : and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty ; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy ; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrow- ful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to ichom the reproach of it teas a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee : and I wiU save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out ; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you : for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord. Zl)c Ctocnts^scbcnti) 5unliag after ^tinitg. Morning. Eccles. xL and xiL CAST thy bread upon the waters : for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a por- tion to seven, and also to eight ; for thou know- est not what evil shall be upon the earth. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth : and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where j the tree falleth, there it shall be. He that i TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. observeth the wind shall not sow ; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child : even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand : for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun : but if a man live many years, and re- joice in them all ; yet let him remember the days of darkness ; for they shall be many. All that Cometh is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth ; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes : but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh : for childhood and youth are vanity. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them ; while the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain : in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. of musick shall be brought low ; also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and feiirs shall he in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail : because man goetli to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets : or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cis- tern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was : and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher ; all is vanity. And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still tiiught the people knowledge ; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words : and that ivhich icas written was upright, even words of truth. The words of tlie wise are as goads, and as nails fiistened by the masters of assemblies, ivhich are given from one shepherd. And further, by these, my son, be admonished : of making many books there is no end ; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter : Fear God, and keep his commandments : for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evik Evening. Haggai ii. to v. 10. IN the seventh raonih, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory ? and how do ye see it now ? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing ? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord ; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest ; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work : for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts : dc- cordiyig to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit re- maineth among you : fear ye not. For thus saith the Lord of hosts ; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land ; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come : and I Avill fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts : and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts. O?', Mai. iii. and iv. BEHOLD, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me : and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in : behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming % and who shall stand when he appeareth ? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers^ sope : and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver : and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in TWENTY-SEVEXTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment ; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers,' j and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger /rowi, his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. For I am the Lord, I change not ; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Eeturn unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said. Wherein shall we return ? Will a man rob God ? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee ? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse : for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground ; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed : for ye shall be a delightsome land,' saith the Lord of hosts. Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee ? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God : and what TWEXTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY, profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? And now Ave call the proud happy ; yea, they that work wickedness are set lip ; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another : and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written be- fore him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels ; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righ- teous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall bum as an oven ; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble : and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave tbem neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his Avings ; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked ; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. Eemember ye the law of Moses my ser- vant, Avhich I commanded unto him in Horebforall Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great audi dreadful day of the Lord : and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the chil- dren, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. PEOPEE LESSORS TO CE READ AT MORXIXG AXD EVENING PRAYER ON HOLY-DAYS THEOUGHOUT THE YEAR. Bzint ^ntjrrto's Bag. Morning. Isai. liv. SING, barren, thou that didst not bear ; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child : for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations : spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes ; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left ; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not ; for thou shalt not be ashamed : neither be thou confounded ; for thou shalt not be put to shame : for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband ; the Lord of hosts is his name ; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel ; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small SAINT ANDREW'S DAY. moment have I forsaken thee ; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment ; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me : for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth ; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be re- moved ; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sap- phires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord ; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established : thou shalt be far from op- pression ; for thou shalt not fear : and from terror ; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me : whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work ; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall pros- per ; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. •i- SAIXT ANDREW'S DAY. Second Lesson. John i v. 35 tx) r. 43. A GAIN the next day after John stood, and jtx. two of his disciples ; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God ! iVnd the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto hini. Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted. Master.) where dwellest thou ? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day : for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speah, and followed him, was An- drew, Simon Peters brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him. We have found the Messias, which is, being inter- preted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said. Thou art Simon the son of Jona : thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. Evening. Isai. Ixv. to v. 17. I AM sought of them that ixsiked. not for me; I am found of them that sought me not : I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not ciilled by my name. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that teas not good, after their own thoughts ; a people that provokethme to anger continually to my face ; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick ; which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in theii' SAINT ANDREW'S DAY. vessels ; which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me ; for I am holier than thou. These are, a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. Behold, it is written before me : I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even re- compense into their bosom, your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills : therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom. Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not ; for a blessing is in it : so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. And I Avill bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains : and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my peo- ple that have sought me. But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter : because when I called, ye did not answer ; when I spake, ye did not hear ; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry : be- hold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty : behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed : behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for SAINT TH05IAS THE APOSTLE. ledge ? therefore have I uttered that I nrider- stood not ; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak : I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear : but now mine eye seeth thee. Where- fore I abhor myself^ and repent in dust and ashes. Second Lesson. John xx. v. 19 to v. 24. THEN the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace he unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace he unto you : as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Eeceive ye the Holy Ghost : whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them ; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. Evening. Isai. xxxv. THE wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them ; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and sing- ing : the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excel- lency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear SAINT THOMAS THE APOSTLE. not : behold, your God will come vnth vengeance, zven God with a recompence ; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be un- stopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing : for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water : in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness ; the unclean shall not pass over it ; but it shall be for those : the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there ; but the redeemed shall walk there : and the ransomed of the Lord shall re- turn, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads : they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Second Lesson. John xiv. to v. 8. LET not your heart be troubled : ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions : if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself ; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whi- ther thou goest ; and how can we know the way ? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the NATIVITY OF CHRIST. truth, and the life : no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also : and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him, i^atibitg of ©firist. Morning. Isai. ix. to v. 8. NEVERTHELESS the dimness shall not Ic such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of NaphtaU, and afterward did more grievously affllict her by the way of the sea, be- yond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The peo- ple that wallved in darkness have seen a great light : they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shiued. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood ; but this shall be with burning a7id fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given : and the government shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall be called Wonderful, Coun- sellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. NATIVITY OF CHRIST. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Second Lesson. Luke ii, to v. 1 5. A ND it came to pass in those days, that there jL\. "went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. {And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethle- hem ; (because he was of the house and lineage of David :) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were ac- complished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger ; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them : and they Avere sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not : for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall he a sign unto you ; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. SAINT STEPHEN'S DAY. Evening. Isai. vii. v. 10 to v. 17. MOREOVER the Lord spake acrain unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God ; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Aliaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, house of David ; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also ? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign ; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For be- fore the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. Second Lesson. Tit. iii. v. 4 to v. 9. BUT after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the wash- ing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost ; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour ; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithfid saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God i might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. 5aint Stfpl;cn's Bag. Morning. Gen. iv. to v. 11. A ND Adam knew Eve his wife ; and she con- J\. ceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have SAINT STEPHEN'S DAY. gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his ofiering : but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth ? and why is thy countenance fallen ? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted ? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall he his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother : and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother ? And he said, I know not : Am I my brother's keeper ? And he said, What hast thou done ? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. Second Lesson. Acts vi, A ND in those days, when the number of the J\. disciples was multiplied, there arose a mur- muring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the mul- titude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full SAINT STEPHEN'S DAY. of the Holy Ghost and -w-isdom, •whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the min- istry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude : and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Kicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of An- tioch : whom they set before the apostles : and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased ; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly ; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of feith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. Then they suborned men, which said. We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought hivi to the council, and set up false witnesses, which said. This man ceaseth not to speak blas- phemous words against this holy place, and the law : for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an ansrel. SAINT STEPfiEN'S DaY. Evening. 2 Chron. xxiv. v. 15 to v. 23. BUT Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died ; an hundred and thirty years old ivas he when he died. And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, be- cause he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house. Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they left the house of the Lord God of their fothers, and served groves and idols : and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord ; and they testified against them : but they would not give ear. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them. Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cmnot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus Joash the king re- membered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it. Second Lesson. Acts viii. to v. 9. AND Saul was consenting unto his death. And -l\_ at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem ; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the ___ SAIXT JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY. apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for SauL, he made havock of the church, enter- ing into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preach- ing the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed ivith thc.n : and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there Wiis great joy in that city. Saint 3oI;n ti)c CJbangrlist's Bag. Morning. Exod. xxxiii. v. 9. A ND it came to pass, as Moses entered into jl\. the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD ti\llved with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door : and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to ftice, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp : but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people : and thou List not let me know whom thou wilt send w4th me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY. thy sight, shew me now thy wa}^, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight : and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go ivith thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight ? is it not in that thou goest with us ? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. Aud the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken : for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee ; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, thou canst not see my face : lor there shall no man see me, and live. And the Lord said. Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock : and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by : and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts : but my face shall not be seen. Second Lesson. John xiii. v. 23 to v. 3G. l^rOW there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one -Li of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him. Lord, SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY. who is it ? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast ; or, that he should give some- thing to the poor. He then having received the sop went immediately out : and it was night. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me : and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come ; so now I say to you. A new com- mandment I give unto you. That ye love one another ; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Evenin-g. Isai. vi. IN the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up. and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims : each one had six wings ; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts : the whole earth SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY. is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me ! for I am undone ; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips : for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar : and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips ; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying. Whom shall I send, and who will go for us ? Then said I, Here am I ; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not ; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes ; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered. Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, and the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in it shall be a tenth, send it shall return, and shall be eaten : as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves : so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. Second Lesson. Rev. i. THE Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass ; and he SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY. 1 sent and signified it by his angel unto his ser- j vant John : who bare record of the word of God, } and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all I things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, | and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein : for the time is at hand. JOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia : Grace he unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come ; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne ; and from Jesus Christ, icho is the faith- ful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father ; to lum he glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds ; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced hiiu : and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because I of him. Even so. Amen. I am Alpha and I Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last : and. What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia ; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto THE INNOCENTS' DAY. Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And bemg turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks ; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a gar- ment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow ; and his eyes were as a flame of fire ; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace ; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars : and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword : and his countenance was as the sun shineth in liis strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not ; I am the first and the last : / am he that liveth, and was dead ; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen ; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the tilings which are, and the things which shall be here- after ; the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches : and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. ^f)e Ennocents' Ba^. Morning. Jer. xxxi. to v. 18. AT the same time, saith the Lord, will I be J\. the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus suith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found THE INNOCENTS' DAY. grace in the wilderness ; even Israel, when I went to cai^e him to rest, The^ Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love : therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel : thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria : the planters shall plants and shall eat them as common things. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry. Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. For thus saith the Lord ; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations : publish ye, praise ye, and say, Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that tra- vaileth with child together : a great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them : I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble : for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Hear the word of the Lord, ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say. He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Ix)rd hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that xvas stronger than he. Therefore they shall come THE INNOCENTS' DAY. and sing iu the heij^lit of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd : and their soul shall be as a watered garden ; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together : for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord ; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping ; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the Lord ; Refrain thy voice from weep- ing, and thine eyes from tears : for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord ; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border. Evening. Baruch iv. u 21 to r. 31. BE of good cheer, my children, cry unto the Lord, and he shall deliver you from the power and hand of the enemies. For my hope is in the Everlasting, that he will save you ; and joy is come unto me from the Holy One, because of the mercy which shall soon come unto you from the Everlasting our Saviour. For I sent you out with mourning and weeping : but God will give you to me again with joy and gladness for ever. Like as now the neighbours of Sion have seen your captivity : so shall they THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST. see shortly your salvation from our God, whicli shall come upon you with great glory, and brightness of the Everlasting. ^My childreii, sufier patiently the Avrath that is come upon you from God : for thine enemy hath persecuted thee ; but shortly thou shalt see his destruction, and shalt tread upon his neck. My deliciite ones have gone rough ways, and were taken away as a flock aiught of the enemies. Be of good comfort, my children, and cry unto God : for ye shall be remembered of him that brought these things upon you. For as it was your mind to go astray from God : so, being returned, seek him ten times more. For he that hath brought these plagues upon you shall bring you ever- lasting joy again with your salvation. Take a good heart, 6 Jerusalem : for he that gave thee that name will comfort thee. ^^c Circumcision of ©Ijrist. Morning. Gen. xvii. v. 9. AND God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt _ keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee ; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin ; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that *^is born in thy house, und he that is bought with thy money, must THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST. needs be circumcised : and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut ofi" from his people ; he hath broken my covenant. And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I -will bless her, and give thee a son also of her : yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations ; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart. Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old ? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear ? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee ! And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed ; and thou shalt call his name Isaac : and I will estabhsh my covenant with him for an everlasting cove- nant, and with his seed after liim. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee : Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly ; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. And he left off talk- ing with him, and God went up from Abraham. And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house ; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him. And Abraham ivas ninety years THE CIKCUilCISIOX OF CHRIST. old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son icas thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him. Second Lesson. Rom. ii. v. 17. BEHOLD, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law ; and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of know- ledge and of the truth in the law. Thou there- fore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself ? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal ? thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery ? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege ? thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonour- est thou God ? For the name of God is blas- phemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law : but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircum- cision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncir- cumcision be counted for circumcision ? And shall not uncircumcision which Is by nature, if THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST. it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circunicision dost transgress the law ? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly ; neither is that circunicision, which is outward in the flesh : but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly ; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter ; whose praise is not of men, but of God, Evening. Deut. x. v. 12. AND now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy _ God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the com- mandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good ? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. Only the Lord hath a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward : j he doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger : for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God ; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have THE EPIPHAXY. seen. Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons ; and now the Lord thy God hath m-dde thee as the stars of heaven for multitude. Second Lesson. Col. ii. v. 8 to v. 18. BEWARE lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tra- dition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ, For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all princi- pality and power : in whom also ye are circum- cised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ : buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with hivi through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, hav- ing forgiven you all trespasses ; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross ; ayid having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days : which are a shadow of things to come ; but the body is of Christ. Zl)t (irpipfian^. Morning, Isai. Ix. RISE, shine ; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, A^ THE EPIPHANY, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and. gross darkness the people : but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see : all they gather themselves together, they come to thee : thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged ; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the drome- daries of Midian and Ephah ; all they from Sheba shall come : they shall bring gold and incense ; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebai- oth shall minister unto thee : they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as "the doves to their windows ? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, beciiuse he hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee : for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually ; they shall not be shut day nor night ; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their THE EPIPHANY. kings may he brought. For the nation and king- dom that will not serve thee shall perish ; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary ; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee ; and all they that despised thee shall bow them- selves down at the soles of thy feet ; and they shall CiiU thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal ex- cellency, a joy of many generations. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the brciist of kings : and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron : I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard iu thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders ; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day ; neither for brightness shall th6 moon give light unto thee : but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down ; neitlier shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous : they shall inherit the laud for ever, the branch of my planting, the THE EPIPHANY. work of my liands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation : I the Lord will hasten it in his time. Second Lesson. Luke iii. v. 15 to v. 23. A ND as the people were in expectation, and jl\. all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not ; John an- swered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water ; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose : he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire : whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner ; but the chafi:' he will burn with fire unquenchable. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being re- proved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. Now when all the people were bap- tized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said. Thou art my beloved Son ; in thee I am well pleased. Evening. Isai. xlix. v. 13 to v. 24. SING, heavens ; and be joyful, earth ; and break forth into singing, mountains : for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking THE EPIPHANY. child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb ? yea, they [may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands ; thy walls are continually before me. Thy children shall make haste ; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold : all these gather them- selves together, and come to thee. Asl live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears. The place is too strait for me : give place to me that I may dwell. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, TVTio hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro ? and who hath brought up these ? Behold, I was left alone ; these, where had they beeyi ? Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people : and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers : they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet ; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord : for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. A^ THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL. Second Lesson. John ii. to v. 12. ND the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee ; and the mother of Jesus was there : and both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him. They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee ? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do if. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them. Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was : (but the servants which drew the water knew ;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine ; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse : hut thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and. manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. Zi)e Conversion of Saint ^aul. Morning. Isai. xlix. to v. 13. LISTEN, isles, unto me ; and hearken, ye people, from far ; The Lord hath called me from the womb ; from the bowels of my mother + THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL. hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword ; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft ; in his quiver hath he hid me ; and said unto me, Thou art my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain : yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel : I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee : and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate herit- ages ; that thou mayest say to the prisoners. Go forth ; to them that are in darkness. Shew your- selves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall he in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst ; neither shall the heat nor THE CONVERSION OF SAINT P.UL. sun smite them : for he tliat hath mere on them shall lead them, even by the springsof water shall he guide them. And I will mal all my mountains a way, and my highwayjshall be exalted. Behold, these shall come fronar : and, lo, these from the north and from the ^st ; and these from the land of Siiiim. Second Lesson. Gal. i. v. 11. BUT I certify you, brethren, that t gospel which was preached of me is not ier man. For I neither received it of man, neitr was I taught it, but by the revelation of JesiOhrist. For ye have heard of my conversatioin time past in the Jews' religion, how thabeyond measure I persecuted the church of (1, and wasted it : and profited in the Jews jligion above many my equals in mine ownation, being more exceedingly zealous of the titions of my fathers. But when it pleased (, who separated me from my mother's womb, a:^lled me by his grace, to reveal his Son in mhat I might preach him among the heathen ume- diately I conferred not with flesh ancJood : neither went I up to Jerusalem to the^hich were apostles before me ; but I went intcabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Thfter three years I went up to Jerusalem to s^ter, and abode with him fifteen days. But r of the apostles saw I none, save James th(rd's brother. Now the things which I wrinto yon, behold, before God, I lie not. Afterls I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicimd was unknown by face unto the churchesTu- dsea which were in Christ : but they hacird only, That he which persecuted us in timast - THl COXVERSIOX OF SAINT PAUL. now prefheth the faith which once he destroyed. And the]glorified God in me. Evening. Jerem. i. to v. 11, THE'ords of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of ie priests that ivere in Anathoth in the land of fenjamin : to whom the word of the Lord cie in the days of Josiah the son of Amon l^g of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reigl It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the sorpf Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of i eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah ng of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jeruem captive in the fifth month. Then the wo of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before brmed thee in the belly I knew thee ; and be^ thou earnest forth out of the womb I sanctifl thee, ami 1 ordained thee a prophet unto thations. Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! beholdjcaniiot speak : for I am a child. But the La said unto me. Say not, I am a child : for thdialt go to all that I shall send thee, and •whatser I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not ai of their faces : for I am with thee to deliveee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth hand, and touched my mouth. And the LoRDd unto me, Behold, I have put my word) thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee I the nations and over the kingdoms, to root mnd to pull down, and to destroy, and to th'down. to build, and to plant. tond Lesson. Acts xxvi, to v. 21. Tr Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art hitted to speak for thyself. Then PauHched forth the hand, and answered for him I think myself happy, king Agrippa, THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL. because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews : especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews : wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews ; which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers : unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, kiiig Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead ? I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem : and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests ; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and com- pelled iAem to blaspheme ; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them, even unto strange cities. Whereupon as I went to Damas- cus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN MARY. Saul, why persecutest thou me ? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord ? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet : for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will ap- pear unto thee ; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and /ro»i the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision : but shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judsea, and theyi to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. ^f)C ^iurification of ti^c Virgin fHarg. Morning. Exod. xiii. to v. 17. AND the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatso- ever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast : it is mine. And Moses said unto the people. Remember this day, in which ye cjime out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage ; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came ye out in the month Abib. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the THE rUEIFICATIOX OF THE VIRGIN MARY, land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord. Un- leavened bread shall be eaten seven days ; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that vjhich the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial be- tween thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth : for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egj^pt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, that thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast ; the males shall be the Lord's. And every first- ling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb ; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck : and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem. And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying. What is this ? that thou shalt say unto him. By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage : and it came to "pass, when Pharaoh would hardly THE PURIFICATION OF THE YIRGIX MARY. let us go, that the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast : therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix, being males ; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes : for by strength of hand the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt. Evening. Haggai ii. to v. 10. IN the seventh month, in the one and twenti- eth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory ? and how do ye see it now ? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing ? Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel, saith the Lord ; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest ; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work : for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts : ac- cording to the word that I covenanted with you ■when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit re- maineth among you : fear ye not. For thus saith the Lord of hosts ; Yet once, it is a little ■while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land ; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come : and I ^\^ll fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of SAINT MATTHIAS'S DAY. the former, saith the Lord of hosts : and in this j)lace will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts. Saint f5lattl)ias's JBag. Morning. 1 Sam. ii. v. 27 to v. 36. AND there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, Avhen they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house ? And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to he my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me ? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel ? Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded i7i my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people ] Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever : but now the Lord saith. Be it fiiv from me ; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth Avhich God shall give Israel : and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever. And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall he to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart : and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their asxe. And SAIXT MATTHIAS'S DAY. this shall he a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas ; in one day they shall die both of them. And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that -svbich is in mine heart and in my mind : and I will build him a sure house ; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. Evening, Isai. xxii. v. 15. THUS saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, WTiat hast thou here ? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulclu*e here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for liimself in a rock ? Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee. He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country : there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall he the shame of thy lord's house. And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah : and I will clothe hini with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand : and he shall be a father to the inhabit- ants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder ; so he shall open, and none shall shut ; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place ; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. And they shall hang upon him ANNUNCIATION OF OUR LADY. all the gloiy of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall ; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off : for the Lord liath spoken it. Annunciation of our lEatfg. 3forning. Gen. iii. to v. 16. "VTOW the serpent was more subtil than any _L 1 beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman. Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden ? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the gar- den : but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said. Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the w^onian, Ye shall not surely die : for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be open- ed, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make 07ie wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her ; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked ; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day : and Adam and his wife hid them- AXNUXCIATIOX OF OUR LADY. selves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto hira, Where art thou ? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I icas naked ; and I hid myself. And he said, "Who told thee that thou least naked ? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to he with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done ? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field ; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life : and I will put enmity be- tween thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. B veiling. Isai. lii. v. 7 to v. 13. HOW beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace ; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation ; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigueth ! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice ; with the voice together shall they sing : for they shall see eye to eye, when the"^ Lord shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jeru- salem : for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of aU the -+ ASH- WEDNESDAY. nations ; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing ; go ye out of the midst of her ; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight : for the Lord will go before you ; and the God of Israel ivill be your rereward. Morning, Isai. Iviii. to v. 13. CRY aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their trans- gression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and for- sook not the ordinance of their God : they ask of me the ordinances of justice : they take de- light in approaching to God. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not ? where- fore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge ? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness : ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen ? a day for a man to afflict his soul ? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him ? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptiible day to the Lord ? Is not this the fast that I have chosen ] to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke i Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that ASH- WEDNESDAY. thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house ? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him ; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily : and thy righteousness shall go before thee ; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shait thou call, and the Lord shall answer ; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity ; and if thou draw- out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the | afflicted soul ; then shall thy light rise in ob- scurity, and thy darkness he as the noon day : and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones : and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters foil not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places : thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations ; and thou shalt be called. The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. SecoJid Lesson. Mark ii. v. 13 to v. 2.3. A ND he went forth again by the sea side ; and J\. all the multitude resorted unto him, and he tiiught them. And as he passed by, he saw Le^^L the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him. Follow me. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples : for there were many, and thev followed him. And when the scribes ASH- WEDNESDAY. and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples. How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners ? When Jesus heard it, he saiUi unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick : I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast : and they come and say unto him. Why do the disciples of John and of the Pha- risees fast, but thy disciples fast not ? And Je- sus said unto them, Can the children of the bride- chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them ? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old gar- ment : else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles : else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred : but new wine must be put into new bottles. Evening. Jonah iii. AND the word of the Lord came unto Jonah -ZjL the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh ASH-^^EDNESDAY. believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For Avord came unto the king of Nineveli, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing : let them not feed, nor drink water : but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God : yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the vio- lence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not ? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way ; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them ; and he did it not. Second Lesson. Heb, xii. v. 3 to v. 18. FOR consider him that endured such contra- diction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and foint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him : for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom ho receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons ; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not ] But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not MONDAY BEFOEE EASTER. sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them re- verence : shall Ave not much rather be in subjec- tion unto the Father of spirits, and live 1 For they verily for a few days chastened ^(s after their own pleasure ; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous : nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees ; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way ; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all me7i, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord : looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God ; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled ; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected : for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. JfttonUai? htioxt faster. Morning. Lament, i. to v. 15. HOW doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people ! how is she become as a widow ! she that was great among the nations, and prin- cess among the provinces, how is she become tributary ! she weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks : among all her lovers MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have de;\lt treacheroush* with her, they are be- come her enemies. Judah is gone into aiptivity because of affliction, and because of great servi- tude : she dwelleth among the heiithen. she findeth no rest : all her persecutors overtook her between the straits. The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts : all her gates are desolate : her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness. Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper ; for the Lord hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions : her children are gone into captivity before the enemy. And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed : her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer. Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her : the adversaries saw iier, and did mock at her sabbaths. Jeru- salem hath grievously sinned ; therefore she is removed : all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness : yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward. Her filthiness is in her skirts ; she remembereth not her last end ; therefore she Gime down w^onderfully : she had no comforter. O Lord, behold my afflic- tion : for the enemy hath magnified himself. The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things : for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command tluU they should not enter into MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. thy congregation. All her people sigh, they seek bread ; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul : see, Lord, and con- sider ; for I am become vile. Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by ? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them : he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back : he hath made me desolate and faint all the day. The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand : they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck : he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up. Second Lesson. John xiv. to v. 15. LET not your heart be troubled : ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions : if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself ; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest ; and how can we know the way ? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life : no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also : and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him. Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufiiceth us. Jesus saith unto him. Have MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. I been so long time -with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip ? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father ; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father ? Belieyest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me ? the ^yo^ds that I speak unto you I speak not of my- self: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Belieye me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me : or else belieye me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also ; and greater worlcs than these shall he do ; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. Evening. Lament, il r. 13. XTT^HAT thing shall I take to witness for thee? V \ what thing shall I liken to thee, daughter of Jerusalem ? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion ? for thy breach is great like the sea : who can heal thee ? Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee : and they have not dis- covered thine iniquity, to turn away thy cap- tivity ; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment. All that pass by clap theii' hands at thee ; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that 7ne}i call The perfection of beauty, The' joy of the whole earth ? All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee : they hiss and gnash the teeth : they say, We have swallowed her up : certainly this is the day MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. that we looked for ; we have found, we have seen it. The Lord hath done that which he had devised ; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old : he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied : and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries. Their heart cried unto the Lord, wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run doAvn like a river day and night : give thyself no rest ; let not the apple of thine eye cease. Arise, cry out in the night : in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord : lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street. Behold, O Lord, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord ? The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets : my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword ; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger ; thou hast killed, and not pitied. Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the Lord's anger none escaped nor remained : those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed. Second Lesson. John xiv. v. 15. IF ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever ; even the Spirit of truth ; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him : but ye know him ; MONDAY BEFORE EASTER. for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless : I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more ; but ye see me : because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me : and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love hhn, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Isairiot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world ? Jesus answered and said unto him. If a man love me, he wiU keep my words : and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings : and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things have I spoken unto yoii, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, ichich is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remem- brance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you : not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father : for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. Here- after I will not talk much with you : for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in TUESDAY BEFORE EASTER, me. But that the world may know that I love the Father ; and as the Father gave me com- mandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence. Cucstiag before faster. Morning. Lament, iii. to v. 34. I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not i?ito light. Surely against me is he turned ; he tumeth his hand against me all the day. My flesh and my skin hath he made old ; he hath broken my bones. He hath builded against me, and com- passed me with gall and travel. He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old. He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked. He teas unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces : he hath made me desolate. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. I was a derision to all my people ; and their song all the day. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace : I forgat prosperity. And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord : remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul TUESDAY BEFORE EASTER. hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning : great is thy faith- fulness. The LoED is my portion, saith my soul ; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord, It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. He putteth his mouth in the dust ; if so be there may be hope. He giveth his cheek to him that smite th him : he is filled full with reproach. For the Lord will not cast off for ever : but though he cause grief, yet will he have com- passion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. Second Lesson. John xv. to v. 14. I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away : and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches : He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit : for without me ye can do nothing. If a man TUESDAY BEFORE EASTER. abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered ; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and thej are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit ; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you : continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love ; even as I have kept my Father's command- ments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment. That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Evening. Lament, iii. v. 34. TO crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, to turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord command eth it not ? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good ? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins ? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed and have rebelled : thou hast not pardoned. Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us : thou hast slain, thou hast not j)itied. Thou hast TUESDAY BEFORE EASTER. covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. Thou hast made us as the ofl'scouring and refuse in the midst of the people. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. jNIine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, till the Lord look down, and be- hold from heaven. Mine eye affecteth mine heart beamse of all the daughters of my city. INIine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, with- out cause. They have cut otf my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. AYaters flowed over mine head ; then I said, I am cut off. I called upon thy name, Lord, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice : hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee : thou saidst, Fear not. Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul ; thou hast redeemed my life. Lord, thou hast seen my wrong : judge thou my cause. Thou hast seen all their ven- geance and all their imaginations against me. Thou hast heard their reproach, Lord, and all their imaginations against me ; the lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up ; I am their musick. Eender unto them a recompence, O Lord, ac- cording to the work of their hands. Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the hea- vens of the Lord. TUESDAY BEFORE EASTER. Sicond Lesson. John xv. v. 14. YE are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not serv^ants ; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth : but I have called you friends ; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain : that what- soever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own : but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Re- member the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you ; if they have kept my saying, they will keep your's also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin : but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin : but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you WEDNESDAY BEFORE EASTER, from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me : and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. SSctintstian Moxt drastcr. Morning. Lament, iv. to v. 21. HOW is the gold become dim ! hoiv is the most fine gold changed ! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter ! Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones : the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst : the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets : they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. For the punish- ment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her. Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire : their visage is blacker than a coal ; they are not known in the streets : their skin cleaveth to their bones ; it is withered, it is become like a stick. They that he slain Avith the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger; for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the WEDNESDAY BEFORE EASTER. field. The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children : they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. The Lord hath accomplished his fury ; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem. For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, they have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments. They cried unto them, Depart ye ; it is unclean ; depart, depart, touch not : when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there. The anger of the Lord hath divided them ; he will no more regard them : they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders. As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help : in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us. They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets : our end is near, our days are fulfilled ; for our end is come. Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven : they pursued us upon the moun- tains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits, of whom we said. Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen. WEDNESDAY BEFORE EASTER. Second Lesson. John xvL to r. 16: THESE things hare I spoken unto vou, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues : yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go my way to him that sent me ; and none of you asketh me. Whither goest thou ? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth ; It is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart. I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment : of sin, because they believe not on me ; of righte- ousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more ; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth : for he shall not speak of himself ; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak : and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me : for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine : therefore said 1, that he shall take of mine, and shiiU shew it unto you. WEDNESDAY BEFORE EASTER. Evening. Daniel ix. v. 20. A ND whiles I was speaking, and praying, and XjL confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God ; yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening obla- tion. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee ; for thou art greatly beloved : therefore understand the mat- ter, and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for ini- quity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore atid to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks : the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself : and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary ; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall con- firm the covenant with many for one week : and in the midst of the week he shall cause the WEDNESDAY BEFORE EASTER. sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make ii desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Second Lesson. John xvi. v. 16. A LITTLE while, and ye shall not sec me : and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little ■while, and ye shall not see me : and again, a little while, and ye shall see me : and. Because I go to the Father ? They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while ? we cannot tell what he saith, Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them. Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me : and again, a little while, and ye shall see me ? Verily, verily, I say unto you, Tliat ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice : and ye shall be sorrowful, but yoiu- sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come : but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow : but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name : ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs : but the THURSDAY BEFOEE EASTER. time Cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father, At that day ye shall ask in my name : and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you : for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world : again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee : by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe ? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone : and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation : but be of good cheer ; 1 have overcome the world. Cf)urstra2 before dfastcr. Morning. Hosea xiii. to v. 15. WHEN Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel ; but when he offended in Baal, he died. And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understiuiding, all of it the work of the crafts- men : they say of them. Let the men that sacri- fice kiss the adves. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that THURSDAY BEFORE EASTER, passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney. Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me : for there is no saviour beside me. I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought. According to their pasture, so were they filled ; they were filled, and their heart was exalted ; therefore have they forgotten me. Therefore I will be unto them as a lion : as a leopard by the way will I observe thein : I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion : the wild bea^t shall tear them. Israel, thou hast de- stroyed thyself ; but in me is thine help. I will be thy king : where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities ? and thy judges of whom thou saidst. Give me a king and princes ? I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up ; his sin is hid. The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him : he is an unwise son ; for he should not stay long in the i^lace of the breaking forth of children. I will ransom them from the power of the grave ; I will redeem tTieni from death : O death. I will be thy plagues ; grave, I will be thy destruction : repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. Second Lesson. John xvii, THESE words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come ; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee : as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as + THURSDAY BEFORE EASTER. many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth : I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, 0. Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world : thine they were, and thou gavest them me ; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me ; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them : I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me ; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine ; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name : those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition ; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee ; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in them- selves. I have given them thy word ; and the ■world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the +- THURSDAY BEFORE EASTER. world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth : thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word ; that they all may be one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us : that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them ; that they may be one, even as we are one : I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one ; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am ; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me : for thou lovedst me before the foun- dation of the world. righteous Father, the world hath not known thee : but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it : that the love where\\dth thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. Evening. Hosea xiv. O ISRAEL, return unto the Lord thy God ; for thou hast fiillen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord : say unto him. Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously : so wiU we render the calves of our THURSDAY BEFORE EASTER. lips. Asshur shall not save ns ; we will not ride upon horses : neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods : for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely : for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel : he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return ; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine : the scent thereof shall he as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols ? I have heard him, and observed him : I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things ? prudent, and he shall know them ? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them : but the transgressors shall faU therein. Second Lesson. John xiii. to v. 36. "VrOW before the feast of the passover, when -Ll Jesus knew that his hour Avas come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him ; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God ; he riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments ; and took a towel, and girded himself After that he poureth water into a bason, and besan to wash the dis- I THURSDAY BEFORE EASTEE. I ciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter : and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet ? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now ; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash h is feet, but is clean every whit : and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him ; therefore said he. Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them. Know ye what I have done to you ? Ye Cidl me Master and Lord : and ye say well ; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet ; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord ; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. I speak not of you all : I know whom I have chosen : but that the scrip- ture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pivss, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me ; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. When Jesus had THUKSDAY BEFORE EASTER. thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it ? Jesus answered. He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satiin entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him. That thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judtis had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast ; or, that he should give some- thing to the poor. He then having received the sop went immediately out : and it was night. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me : and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come ; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another ; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. [IG] GOOD FRIDAY. Gootf JFritrag. Morning. Gen. xxii. to v. 20. AND it came to pass after these things, that Xjl God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham : and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah ; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men. Abide ye here witli the ass ; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the Avood of the burnt offer- ing, and laid it upon Isaac his son ; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife ; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, ISIy father : and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood : but where is the lamb for a burnt offering ? And Abraham said, IMy son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering : so they went both of them to- gether. And they came to the place which God had told him of ; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, GOOD FRIDAY. and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto hiin out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham : and he said. Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him : for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from nie. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns : and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh : as it is said to this day. In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said. By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son : that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multi- plying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore ; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies ; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed ; because tliou hast obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba ; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba. Second Lesson. John xviii. HEN Jesus had spoken these words, he w went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into tlie Avhich he entered, and his disciples. And Judas also, GOOD FRIDAY. which betrayed him, knew the place : for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples. Judas then, having received a band of men and ofl&cers from the chief priests and Pharisees, conieth thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto theni. Whom seek ye ? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye ? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am Ae; if therefore 3*6 seek me, let these go their way : that the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them wliich thou gavest me have I lost none. Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was ^Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath : the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ? Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, and led liim away to Annas first ; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other GOOD FRIDAY. disciple, which was known unto the hicrh priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples ? He saith, I am not. And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals ; for it was cold : and they warmed themselves : and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself. The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world ; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the tem- ple, whither the Jews always resort ; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me ] ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them : behold, they know what I said. And when he had thus spoken, one of the officei-s which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so ? Jesus answered him. If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil : but if well, why smitest thou me ? Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest. And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples ? He denied it, and said, I am not. One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith. Did not I see thee in the garden with him ? Peter then denied again : and immediately the cock crew. Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment : and it was early ; and they themselves went not into the judgment liall, lest they should be defiled ; but that they might eat the passover. Pilate then went out unto them. GOOD FRIDAY. and said. What accusation bring ye against this man ? They answered and said unto him. If he were not a malefactor, we would not have de- livered him up unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him accord- ing to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him. It is not lawful for us to put any man to death : that the saying of Jesus might be ful- I filled, which he spake, signifying what death he I should die. Then Pilate entered into the judg- I raent hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto i him. Art thou the King of the Jews ? Jesus j answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, i or did others tell it thee of me ? Pilate answered, ''. Am I a Jew ? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me : what hast thou done ? Jesus answered, ]SIy kingdom is not of this world : if my kingdom were of this world, then would my sers'ants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews : but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then ? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out agiun unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no foult at all. But ye have a ctistom, that I should release unto you one at the passover : ■will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews ? Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas Avas a robber. GOOD FRIDAY. Evening. Isai. lii. v. 13 and liii. BEHOLD, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee ; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men : so shall he sprinkle many nations ; the kings shall shut their mouths at him : for that which had not been told them shall they see ; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report ? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed ? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground : he hath no form nor comeliness ; and when we shall see him, tha-e is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief : and we hid as it were our faces from him ; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and Ciirried our sorrows : yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he ivas wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities : the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth : he is brought as a iamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment : and who shall declare his generation 'I for he was cut off out of the land of the livincj : for the GOOD FRIDAY. transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death ; because he had done no vio- lence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him ; he hath put him to oTief : when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied : by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many ; for he shall bear their iniquities. There- fore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong ; because he hath poured out his soul unto death : and he was numbered with the transgressors ; and he bare the sin of many, and made interces- sion for the transgressors. Second Lesson. 1 Peter ii. WHEREFORE laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evQ speakings, as new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby : if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, Wherefore also it is contained in the scriptiu-e. Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cor- ner stone, elect, precious : and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious : but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the GOOD FRIDAY. builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient : whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen genera- tion, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a pecu- liar people ; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light : which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God : which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul ; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles : that, whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake : whether it be to the king, as supreme ; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the j^raise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men : os, free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God, Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear ; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, it, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently ? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [16]^ ■ EASTEK EVEN. ^or it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called : because Christ also suifered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps : who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth : who, when he was reviled, reviled not again ; when he suffered, he threatened not ; but com- mitted himself to him that judge th righteously ; who his own seK bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness : by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray ; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. CFastcr C^bm. Morning. Zech. ix. THE burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall he the rest thereof: Avhen the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall he toward the Lord. And Hamath also shall border thereby ; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise. And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her ]x»wer in the sea ; and she shall be devoured with fire. Ashkelon shall see it, and fear ; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron ; for her expectation shall be ashamed ; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the PhiHstines. And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and EASTER EVEN. his abominations from between his teeth : but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. And I will encamp about mine house because of the anuy, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that re- turneth : and no oppressor shall pass through them any more : for now have I seen with mine eyes. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ; shout, daughter of Jerusalem : behold, thy King cometh unto thee : he is just, and having salvation ; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut otf the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off : and he shall speak peace unto the heathen : and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope : even to day do I de- clare that I will render double unto thee ; when I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man. And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning : and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. The Lord of hosts shall defend them ; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones ; and they shall drink, a7id make a noise as through wine ; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar. And the E.VSTER EVEN. Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people : for they shall he as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty ! corn shall make the young men chearfal, and new wine the maids. Second Lesson. Luke xxiii. v. 50. A ND, behold, there teas a man named Joseph, Jlv, a counsellor ; aiid he was a good man, and a just : (the same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them ;) he was of Arima- threa, a city of the Jews : who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the w^omen also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and oint- ments ; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Evening. Hosea v. v. 8 to vi. v. 4. BLOW ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah : cry aloud at Beth- aven, after thee, Benjamin. Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke : among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be. The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound : therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the command- EASTER EYEX. ment. Therefore icill I he unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness. When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the As- syrian, and sent to king Jareb : yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah ; I, even I, will tear and go away ; I will take away, and none shall rescue him. I will go and return to my place, till the}'' acknowledge their offence, and seek my face : in their affliction they will seek me earh-. ■ Come, and let us return unto the Lord : for he hath torn, and he will heal us ; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us : in the third day he will raise us up, and Ave shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord : his going forth is prepared as the morn- ing ; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. Second Lesson. Rom. vi. to t*. 14. "Y^T^HAT shall we say then ? Shall we con- T T tinue in sin, that grace may abound ? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein ? Know ye 'not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death 1 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death : that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his re- surrection ; knowincj this, that our old man is MONDAY IX EASTEK-TTEEK. crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth -we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him : knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more ; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once : but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Clirist our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin : but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. fHontjao in eastfr=©13[C4fe. Morning. Exod. xv. to v. 22. THEN sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, sapng, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath tri- umphed gloriously : the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salva- tion : he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation ; my father s God, and I will exalt hun. The Lord is a man of war : the Lord is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host bath he cast into the sea : his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them : they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, Lord, is become + MONDAY IN EASTER- WEEK, glorious in power : thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast over- thrown them that rose up against thee : thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were con- gealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil ; my lust shall be satisfied upon them ; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them : they sank as lead in the mighty waters. Who is like unto thee, Lord, among the gods ? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing Avonders 1 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people ivhich thou hast redeemed : thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. The people shall hear, and be afraid : sorrow shall take hold on the inhabit- ants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed ; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them ; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them ; by the great- ness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone ; till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, Lord, ivhich thy MONDAY IX EASTER- WEEK. hands have established. The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the sea upon tliem ; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand ; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And ^Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed glo- riously ; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into tlie sea. Second Lesson. Luke xxiv. to v. 13. "VTOW upon the first day of the week, very jJl early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepul- chre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments : and as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them. Why seek ye the living among the dead ? he is not here, hut is risen : remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying. The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sin- ful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, and returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It Avas Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other icomen that were MONDAY IN EASTER-WEEK. ■with tliem, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre ; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in him- self at that which was come to pass. Evening. Cant. ii. v. 10. MY beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone ; the flowers appear on the earth : the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land ; the fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vhies with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice ; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoU the vines : for our vines have tender grapes. My beloved is mine, and I am his : he feedeth among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether. Second Lesson. Matt, xxviii. to v. 10. IN the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepul- chre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake : for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like TUESDAY IX EASTER- WEEK. liglitning, and his raiment white as snow : and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and beciime as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye : for I know that ve seek Jesus, w^hich was crucified. He is not here : for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead ; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee ; there shall ye see him : lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy ; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell ills disciples, behold, Jesus met them, say- ing. All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. ^ucstraj) in eastcr=2Bcrfi. Morning. 2 Kings xiii. x. 14 to v. 22. n^OW Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness jAI whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel c:mie down unto him. and wept over his face, and said, my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And Elisha said unto him. Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it : and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. And he said. Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said. Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria : for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. And he said, Take the TUESDAY IN EASTER- WEEK. arrows. And he took them. And be said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said. Thou should- est have smitten five or six times ; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it : whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice. And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha : and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. Second Lesson. John xxi. to v. 15. AFTER these things Jesus shewed himself jl\. again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias ; and on this wise shewed he himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didy- mus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sows of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately ; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore : but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat ? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They c^ist therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that dis- ciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is TUESDAY IX EASTEr.-TTEEK. the Lord. Now Avhen Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship ; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them. Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three : and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou ? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then Cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. Evening. Ezek. xxxvii. to v. 15. THE hand of the Lord was upon me, and Ciirried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about : and, behold, there were very many in the open valley ; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live ? And I answered. O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones ; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live : and I will lay sinews upon TUESDAY IN EASTER-WEEK. you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded : and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and be- hold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above : but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me. Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind. Thus saith the Lord God ; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel : behold, they say. Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost : we are cut ofl' for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land : then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord. Second Lesson. John xxi. v. 15. SO when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these ] He saith unto him, Yea, TUESDAY IN EASTER- WEEK. Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me ? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me ? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me ? And he said unto him. Lord, thou knowest all things ; thou know- est that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him. Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest : but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, FoUow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following ; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said. Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee ? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do ? Jesus saith unto him. If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die : yet Jesus said not unto him. He shall not die ; but. If I will that he tarry till I come, w^hat is that to thee ? This is the dis- ciple which testifieth of these things, and \ATote these things : and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be SAINT MARK'S DAY. •written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. Saint iHaife's Bag, Morning. Isai. Ixii. v. 6. I HAVE set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, ivhich shall never hold their peace day nor night : ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies ; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured : but they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord ; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness. Go through, go through the gates ; prepare ye the way of the people ; cast up, cast up the highway ; gather out the stones ; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy sal- vation Cometh ; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them. The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord : and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken. Evening. Ezek. i. to v. 15. NOW it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I SAINT MARK'S DAY. saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the mouth, which was the fifth year of king Jehoia- chin's captivity, the word of the Lord came ex- pressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar ; and the hand of the Lord Wiis there upon him. And I looked, and, behold, a whirl- wind caine out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness icas about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance ; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet ; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a caK's foot : and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides ; and they four had their faces and their wings. Their wings ivere joined one to another ; they turned not when they went ; they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side : and they four had the face of an ox on the left side ; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces : and their wings were stretched upward ; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. And they went every one straight for- ward : whither the spirit was to go, they went ; and they turned not when they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appear- ance ivas like burning coals of fire, and like the SAINT PHILIP AND SAINT JAMES'S DAY. appearance of lamps : it went up and down among the living creatures ; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth, lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning, Saint ^I;tl{p antr Saint Samrs's ilBag. Morning. Isai. Ixi. THE Spirit of the Lord God is upon me ; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek ; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are, bound ; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of ven- geance of our God ; to comfort all that mourn ; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness ; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desola- tions, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall he your plowmen and your vine- dressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord : men shall call you the Ministers of our God ; ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. For your shame ye shall have double ; and for con- fusion they shall rejoice in their portion : there- fore in their land they shtill possess the double : everlasting joy shall be unto them. For I the SAINT PHILIP AND SAINT JAMES'S DAY. Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt oflering ; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the peo- ple : all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed v:hich the Lord hath blessed, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God ; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself vfiih. ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth ; so the Lord God will cjiuse righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Second Lesson. John i. v. 43. THE day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter, Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the pro- phets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth ? Philip saith unto hun. Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile ! Nathanael saith unto him, "Whence knowest thou me ? Jesus auswered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under | the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered | ■ + SAINT PHILIP AND SAINT JAMES'S DAY. and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God ; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus an- swered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou ? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him. Verily, verily, I say unto you. Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. Evening. Zech. iv. AND the angel that talked with me came . again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, and said unto me, What seest thou 1 And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all o/gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven j^ipes to the seven lamps, which ai-e ujDon the top thereof : and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord ? Then the an- gel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be ? And I said. No, my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, great mountain ? before Zerub- babel thou shalt become a plain : and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house ; his hands shall also finish it ; and thou THE ASCENSIOX-DAY. shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto Tou. For who hath despised the day of small things ? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven ; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, "SVhat be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of them- selves ? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these he ? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. ?rf)c ■3scmsion=Ba2. Morning. Dan. vii. v. 9 to v. 15. I BEHELD till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose gar- ment icas white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool : his throne icas like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him : thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him : the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake : I beheld even till the beast Wiis slain, and his body destroyed, and i given to the burning flame. As concerning the j rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken j away : yet their lives were prolonged for a sea- son "and time. I saw in the night visions, and. + L. THE ASCEXSIOX-DAT. behold^ one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him : his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. Second Lesson. Luke xxiv. v. 44. AND he said unto them. These are the words XjL which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day : and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you : but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and ctirried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy : and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. Evening. 2 Kings ii. to v. 16. AND it came to pass, when the Lord would j\. take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, THE ASCENSTOX-DAY. that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah Siiid unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee ; for the Lord hath sent me to Beth-el. And EUsha said ^nito him. As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went*^ down to Beth-el. And the sons of the prophets that icere at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord ^^-111 take away thy master from thy head to day ? And he said. Yea, I know it ; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto hun, Elisha, krry here, I pray thee ; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that iccre at Jericho came to Elisha. and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day ? And he answered. Yea, I know it ; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, TaiTy, I pmy thee, here ; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it to- gether, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said. I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said. Thou hast asked a hard thing: THE ASCEXSIOX-DAY. nevertJieless, if tliou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee ; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder ; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Ehsha saw it, and he cried. My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more : and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jor- dan ; and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said. Where is the Lord God of Elijah ? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither : and Elisha went over. And when tlie sons of the prophets which ivere to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. Second Lesson. Heb. iv. LET us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left 7(s of enterino; into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto tliem : but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said. As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest : although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. THE ASCEXSIOX-DAY. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise. And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing there- fore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preiiched entered not in beciiuse of unbelief : again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time ; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your h&irts. For if Jes^us had given them rest, then would he not after- ward have spoken of another day. There remain- eth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of un- belief. For the word of God is quick. ;ind power- ful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight : but all things are naked and opened' unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the hea- vens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest •which cannot be touched with the feeling of our intirmities ; but was in all points tempted like as u-e are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in. time of need. fHonUag in WiWmn=&Bxtk. Morning. Gen. xi. to v. 10. A ND the whole earth was of one language, X\_ and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar ; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another. Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven ; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said. Behold, the people is one, juid they have all one language ; and this they begin to do : and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth : and they left off to build the city. There- fore is the name of it called Btibel ; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth : and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. Second Lesson. 1 Cor. xii. to v. 14. "T^rOW concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I _lN would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking MONDAY IN' WHITSUX-WEEK. by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed : and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Xow there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are diflerences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to protit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom ; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit ; to another faith by the same Spirit ; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit ; to another the working of miracles ; to another prophecy ; to another discerning of spirits ; to another dicers kinds of tongues ; to another the inter- pretation of tongues : but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the mem- bers of that one body, being many, are one body : so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether ic(i be bond or free ; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. Eve/ling. Num. xi. v. 16 to v. 31. A ND the Lord said unto J^Ioses, Gather unto j\. me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the peo- ple, and officers over them ; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. Ajid I will come down and tidk with thee there : and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them ; and they shall bear the burden of MONDAY IN WHITSUN-WEEK. the people with thee, that thou bear it not thy- self alone. And say thou unto the people, Sanc- tify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh : for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying. Who shall give us flesh to eat ? for it was well with us in Egypt : therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days ; but even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you : because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying. Why came we forth out of Egypt ? And Moses said. The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen ; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them ? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them ? And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short ? thou shalt see noAV whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not. And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that icas upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders : and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they pro- phesied, and did not cease. But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad : and the spirit rested upon them ; and they were b MONDAY IX TVHITSUN-WEEK. of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle : and they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord ]Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake ? would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them ! And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel. Second Lesson. 1 Cor. xii. r. 27 and xiii. "T^OW ye are the body of Christ, and members JA in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles '? are all prophets ? are all teachers ? are all workers of miracles ? have all the gifts of healing ? do all speak with tongues ? do all interpret 1 But covet earnestly the "best gifts : and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge ; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though 1 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 suffereth long, and is kind ; charity envieth not ; TUESDAY IN WHITSUN-WEEK. charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thiiiketh no evil ; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth ; bear- eth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never fail- eth : but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail ; whether there be tongues, they shall cease ; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I under- stood as a child, I thought as a child : but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly ; but then face to face : now I know in part ; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three ; but the greatest of these is charity. ^urstiag in (!BI)itsun=a2accfe. Morning. Joel ii. u 21. FEAR not, O land ; be glad and rejoice : for the Lord will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field : for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God : for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I TUESDAY IX -^'HITSUN-WEEK. will restore to you the years that the locnst hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the ijalmerworm, my great army -which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you : and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else : and my people shall never be ashamed. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions : and also upon the servants and upon the hand- maids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered : for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. Second Lesson. 1 Thess. y.v. 12 to v. 24. A ND we beseech you, brethren, to know them jLjL which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you ; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render TUESDAY IN WHITSUN-WEEK. evil for evil unto any man ; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks : for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things ; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly ; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Evening. Micah iv. to v. 8. BUT in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills ; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths : for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afjir off ; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks : nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree ; and none shall make them afraid : for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and TUESDAY IX WHITSUX-WEEK. I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted ; and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far oft" a strong nation : and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. Second Lesson. 1 John iv. to r. 14. BELOVED, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God : be- cause many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God : Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God : and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God : and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come ; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have over- come them : because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world : therefore spe^k they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God : he that knoweth God heareth us ; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another : for love is of God ; and every- one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God ; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one SAINT BARNABAS THE APOSTLE. another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is per- fected in us . Hereby know we that we dwell in h im, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 5aint ISarnabas tl)C apostle. Morning. Dent, xxxiii. to v. 12. AND this is the blessing, wherewith Moses . the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said. The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them ; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints : from his right hand icent a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people ; all his saints are in thy hand : and they sat down at thy feet ; every one shall receive of thy words. Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together. Let Reuben live, and not die ; and let not his men be few. And this is the blessing of Judah : and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his peo- ple : let his hands be sufficient for him ; and be thou an help to him from his enemies. And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah ; who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him ; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children : for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law : they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice SAINT BAKXABAS THE APOSTLE. upon thine altar. Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands : smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again. Second Lesson. Acts iv. v. 31. A ND when they had prayed, the place was J\. shaken where they were assembled to- gether ; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that be- lieved were of one heart and of one soul : neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own ; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus : and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked : for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet : and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barna- bas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, ami of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. Evening. Nahum i. THE burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth ; the Lord re- vengeth, and is furious ; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all SAINT BAENABAS THE APOSTLE, acquit the wicked : the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers : Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation ? and who can abide in the fierce- ness of his anger ? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble ; and he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. What do ye imagine against the Lord ? he will make an utter end : affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry. There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor. Thus saith the Lord ; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder. And the Lord hath given a commandment con- cerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown : out of the house of thy gods will I cut off" the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave ; for thou art vile. Behold upon the moun- tains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, SAIXT BARNABAS THE APOSTLE. that publisheth peace I Judah, keep thy so- lemn feasts, perform thy vows : for the wicked shall no more pass through thee ; he is utterly cut off. Second Lesson. Acts xiv. v. 8. AN D there sat a certain man at Lystra, im- . potent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked : the same heard Paul speak : who stedf;istly behold- ing him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they Ciilled Barnabas, Jupiter ; and Paul, ^Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things ? AVe also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made hea- ven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein : who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Neverthe- less he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. And with these sayings scarce re- strained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them. And there came thither SAINT JOHN BAPTIST'S DAY. certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who I)ersuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city : and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhort- ing them to continue, in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia : and thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recom- mended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles, And there they abode long time with the disciples. Saint 3oJ)n IQaptist's Bag- Morning. Mai. iii. to v. 7. BEHOLD, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me : and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in : behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day SAIXT JOHN BAPTIST'S DAY. of his comincT ? and who shall stand when he appeareth ? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope : and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver : and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may ofler unto the Lord an off"ering iu righteousness. Then shall the oftering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment ; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and agahist false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. For I am the Lord, I change not ; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Second Lesson. Matt. iii. IN those days came John the Baptist, preach- ing in the wilderness of Judrea. and saying, Repent ye : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, sapng, The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins ; and his meiit was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judsea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the SAINT JOHN BAPTIST'S DAY. wrath to come ? bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance : and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father : for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees : therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance : but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear : he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire : whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner ; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to he so now : for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suftered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water : and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and light- ing upon him : and lo a voice from heaven, saying. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Evening. Mai. iv. FOR, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven ; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble : and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor SAINT JOHN BAPTIST'S DAY. branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings ; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shidl tread down the wicked ; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for aU Israel, icith the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadfid day of the Lord : and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. Second Lesson. Matt. xiv. to v. 13. AT that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the J\. fome of Jesus, and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist ; he is risen from the dead ; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put Mm in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him. It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod^s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Where- upon he promised with an oath to give her what- soever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. And the king was sorry : nevertheless for the oath^s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to SAINT PETER'S DAY. be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel : and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. Saint" Jeter's Bag. Morning, Ezek. iii. v. 4 to v. 15. AND he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee J\. unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard lan- guage, hut to the house of Israel ; not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard lan- guage, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee ; for they will not hearken unto me : for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy fore- head strong against their foreheads. As an ada- mant harder than flint have I made thy forehead : fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God ; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear. Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from SAIXT PETER'S DAY. his place. I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my "spirit ; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me. Second Lesson. John xxi. v. 15 to v. 23. SO when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these ? He saith unto him. Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me ? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him. Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, soti of Jonas, lovest thou me ? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me ? And he said unto him. Lord, thou knowest all things ; thou know- est that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him. Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee. When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest : but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry theewhither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him. Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the dis- ciple whom Jesus loved following ; which also leaned on his breast at supi)er, and said, Lord, ■which is he that betrayeth thee ? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and Avhat shall this SAINT PETER'S DAY. man do ? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? follow thou me. Evening. Zech. iii. AND he shewed me Joshua the high priest J\. standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satiin, The Lord re- buke thee, O Satan ; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee : is not this a brand plucked out of the fire ? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts ; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee : for they are men wondered at : for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua ; upon one stone shall be seven eyes : behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In SAINT PETER'S DAY. that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree. Second Lesson. Acts iv. v. 8 to v. 23. THEN Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole ; be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other : for there is none other name under hea- ven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled ; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had com- manded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, "What shall we do to these men ? for that indeed a notiible miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem ; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name SAINT JAMES THE APOSTLE. of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people : for all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed. Saint 35amts tl)t Spostlc. Morning. 2 Kings i. to v. 16. THEN Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick : and he sent messen- gers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baal- zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them. Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron ? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them. Why are ye now turned back ? Ajid they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us. Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that + — SAINT JAMES THE APOSTLE. thou sendest to enquire of B;ial-zebub the god of Ekron ? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on -which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And he said unto them, What manner of man ivas he which Ciime up to meet you, and told you these words ? And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him : and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he sjwke unto him. Thou man of God, the king hath said. Come down. And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I 6e a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, man of God, thus hath the king said. Come down quickly. And Elijah answered and said unto them. If I 6<3 a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and Ciime and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties : therefore let my life now be SAINT JAMES THE APOSTLE. precious in thy sight. And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with him : be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. Second Lesson. Luke ix. v.bl to v. 57. A ND it came to pass, when the time was come J\. that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messen- gers before his face : and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face Avas as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did ? But he turned, and re- buked them, and said. Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. Evening. Jer. xxvi. r. 8 to v. 16. NOW it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying. Thou shalt surely die. Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying. This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inha- bitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord. When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the Lord, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house. Then SAINT BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE. spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die ; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears. Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God ; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you. As for me, behold, I am in your hand : do with me as seeraeth good and meet unto you. But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof : for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears. .Saint ISartl^oIomcbJ tl)t ^postlt. Morning. Gen. xxviiL v. 10 to v. 18. AND Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and . went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set ; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pil- lows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven : and behold the angels of God ascending and descend- ing on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac : the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and SAINT BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, to thy seed ; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south : and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, be- hold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land ; for I wiU not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place ; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place ! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. Evening. Deut. xviii. v. 15. THE Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me ; unto him ye shall hearken ; according to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying. Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth ; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall com- mand him. And it shall come to pass, that who- soever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not com- manded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken ? when a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not. nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it pre- sumptuously : thou shalt not be afraid of him. Saint i^attl^rtD tf)c 'apostU. Moraiag. 1 Kings xix. v. 15. AXD the Lord said unto him. Go, return on Xjl thy way to the wilderness of Damascus : and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to he king over Syria : and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to he king over Israel : and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to he prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay : and him that es- capeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who icas plowing v:ith twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth : and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said. Let me. I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him. Go back again : for what have I done to thee ] And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instru- ments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. Evening. 1 Chron. xxix. to v. 20. FURTHEEMORE David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone. God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great : for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God. Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood ; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have pre- pared for the holy house, even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal : the gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to con- secrate his service this day unto the Lord ? Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly, and gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thou- SAINT MATTHEW THE APOSTLE, sand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershouite. Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord : and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. Where- fore David blessed the Lord before all the con- gregation : and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty : for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine ; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all ; and in thine hand is power and might ; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to ofier so willingly after this sort ? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers : our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to buUd thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own. I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hiist pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the up- rightness of mine heart I have willingly offered SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS. all these things : and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer will- ingly unto thee, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee : and give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision. Saint jMic\)ul mts all ^ntjcls. Morning. Gen. xxxii. AN D Jacob went on his way, and the angels . of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God^s host : and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying. Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau ; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now : and I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenser- vants : and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. And the messen- gers returned to Jacob, saying. We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed : and he divid- ed the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands ; and said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL AXGELS. shall escape. Aiid Jacob said, God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, JReturn unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee : I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant ; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan ; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau : for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother Avith the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. And he lodged there that same night ; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother ; two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, thirty milch Ciimels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves ; and said unto his servants. Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. And he commanded the foremost, saying, ^yhen Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, say- ing. Whose a ri thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee ] then thou shalt . say. They be thy servant Jacob's ; it is a present ! sent unto my lord Esau : and. behold, also he ts behind us. And so commanded he the second, I and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. And say ye moreover, SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS. Behold, thy servant Jacob is behmd us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face ; peradventure he will accept of me. So went the present over before him : and himself lodged that night in the company. And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. And Jacob was left alone ; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said. Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name 1 And he said, Jacob. And he said. Thy name shall be cidled no more Jacob, but Israel : for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said. Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said. Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name ? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel : for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. There- fore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day : because he touched the hollow of Jacob's tliigh in the sinew that shrank. --?<■ SAIXT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS. Second Lesson. Acts xii. v. 5 to v. 18. PETER therefore was kept in prison : but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains : and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison : and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying. Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him. Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him. Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him ; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel ; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city ; which opened to them of his own accord : and they went out, and passed on through one street ; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to him- self, he said. Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose sur- name was Mark ; where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peters voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS. ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they. It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking : and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished . But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, de- clared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. Evening. Dan. x. v. 4. A ND in the four and twentieth day of the first j\. month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel ; then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz : his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of light- ning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multi- tude. And I Daniel alone saw the vision : for the men that were with me saw not the vision ; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there re- mained no strength in me : for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of his words : and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he said unto [ISl -+ SAIXT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS. me, Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand up- right : for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood j trembling. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel : for from the first day that tliou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days : but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me ; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days : for yet the vision is for many days. And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips : then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord ? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, and said, man greatly beloved, fear not : peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said. Let my lord speak ; for thou hast strengthened me. Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee ? and now will I return to fight with the prince of SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELIST. Persia : and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth : and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. Second Lesson. Rev, xiv. v. 14. AND I looked, and behold a white cloud, and XJl upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap : for the time is come for thee to reap ; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth ; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire ; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying. Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth ; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. .Saint TLnkc tl)C OHfaartgcIist. Morning. Isai. Iv. 0, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money ; come H . SAIXT LUKE THE EVAXGELIST. ■^ye, buy, and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk •without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread ? and your labour for that which satisfieth not ? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that ichich is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me : hear, and your soul shall live ; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him /or a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel ; for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near : let the wicked forsake his way, and the un- righteous man his thoughts : and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain Cometh dowTi, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater : so shaU my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth : it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accompli'sh that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with SAIXT LUKE THE EVANGELIST. peace : the mounttiins and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap theii- hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree : and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlast- ing sign that shall not be cut off. Evening. Ecclus, xxxviii. to v. 15. HONOUR a physician with the honour due unto him for the uses which ye may have of him : for the Lord hath created him. For of the most High cometh healing, and he shall receive honour of the king. The skill of the physician shall lift up his head : and in the sight of great men he shall be in admiration. The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth ; and he that is wise will not abhor them. Was not the water made sweet with wood, that the virtue thereof might be known ? And he hath given men skill, that he might be honoured in his marvellous works. With such doth he heal [men,] and taketh away their pains. Of such doth the apothecary make a confection ; and of his works there is no end ; and from him is peace over all the earth. INIy son, in thy sick- ness be not negligent : but pray unto the Lord, and he will make thee whole. Leave off from sin, and order thine hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all wickedness. Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour ; and make a fat offering, as not being. Then give place to the physician, for the Lord hath created him : let him not go from thee, for thou hast need of him. There is a time when in their hands there is good success. For they shall also pray unto SAI^'T SIMON AND SAINT JTDE. the Lord, that he would prosper that, which they give for ease and remedy to prolong life. Saint 5imon antr 5aint Sutfc. Morning. IsaL xxviii. v. 9 to v. 17. 'VTT'HOM shall he teach knowledge ? and T T whom shall he make to understand doc- trine ? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept ; line upon line, Une upon line ; here a little, a7id there a little : for with stammering lips and another tongue wiU he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest tcherewith ye may cause the weary to rest ; and this is the refreshing : yet they would not hear. But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, pre- cept upon precept ; line upon line, line upon line ; here a little, and there a little ; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement ; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us : for we have made lies our refuge, and under felsehood have we hid ourselves : therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation : he that believeth shall not make haste. Evening. Jer. iii. v. 12 to v. 19. GO and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Eeturn, thou backsliding ALL SAINTS' DAY. Israel, saith the Lord ; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you : for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, backsliding children, saith the Lord ; for I am married unto you : and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion : and I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and under- standing. And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord : neither shall it come to mind : neither shall they remember it ; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord ; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem : neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your Withers. ^n faints' IBaj. Morning. Wisd. iii. to v. 10. BUT the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God. and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they .a^ju o^'i.x^'^ X o ±j.rv X . seemed to die : and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter de- struction : but they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded : for God prov^ed them, and found them worthy for himself. As gold in the farnace hath he tried them, and received them as a burnt offering. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble. They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign for ever. They that put their trust in him shall understand the truth : and such as be faith- ful in love shall abide with him : for grace and mercy is to his saints, and he hath care for his elect. Second Lesson. Heb. xi. v. 33 and xii. to v. 7. WHO through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained pro- mises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again : and others were tortured, not accepting deliver- ance ; that they might obtain a better resur- rection : and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and im- prisonment : they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword : they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins ; being destitute, afflicted, tormented ; (of whom the world was not worthy :) they wan- ALL SAINTS' DAY. dered in deserts, and in mountains, and in deris and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise : God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay- aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith ; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, de- spising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the chasten- ing of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him : for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Evening. Wisd. v. to v. 17. THEN shall the righteous man stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted him, and made no account of his labours. When they see it, they shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed at the strange- ness of his salvation, so far beyond all that they looked for. And they repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit shall say within themselves, This was he, whom we had sometimes in derision, and a proverb of reproach : we fools accounted [i8]5 ALL SAINTS' DAY. his life madness, and his end to be without honour : how is he numbered among the children of God. and his lot is among the saints ! There- fore have we erred from, the way of truth, and the light of righteousness hath not shined unto us, and the sun of righteousness rose not upon us. We wearied ourselves in the way of wicked- ness and destruction : yea, we have gone through deserts, where there lay no way : but as for the way of the Lord, we have not known it. What hath pride profited us ? or what good hath riches with our vaunting brought us ? All those things are passed away like a shadow, and as a post that hasted by ; and as a ship that passeth over the waves of the water, which when it is gone by, the trace thereof cannot be found, neither the pathway of the keel in the waves ; or as when a bird hath flown through the air, there is no token of her way to be found, but the light air being beaten with the stroke of her wings, and parted with the violent noise and motion of them, is passed through, and therein afterwards no sign where she went is to be found ; or like as when an arrow is shot at a mark, it parteth the air, which immediately cometh together again, so that a man ct Excellent MajeMy. M.DCCC.LXn. TnE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO St. MATTHEW. CHAPTER I. THE book of the generation of Jesiis Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, Abraham begat Isaac ; and Isaac begat Jacob ; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren ; and Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar ; and Phares begat Esrom ; and Esroui be^at Aram ; and Aram begat Aminadab ; and Aminadab be- gat Naasson ; and JSTtiasson begat Salmon ; and Salmon begat Booz of Rachab ; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth ; and Obed begat Jesse ; and Jesse begat David the king ; and David the king be- gat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias ; and Solomon begat Roboam ; and Roboam begat Abia ; and Abia begat Asa ; and Asa begat Josaphat ; and Josaphat begat Joram ; and Jo- ram begat Ozias ; and Ozias begat Joatham ; and Joatham begat Achaz ; and Achaz begat Ezekias ; and Ezekias begat Manasses ; and Manasses begat Amon ; and Amon begat Josias ; and Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon : and after they were brought to Babylon, Jecho- nias begat Salathiel ; and Salathiel begat Zoro- babel ; and Zorobabel begat Abiud ; and Abiud begat Eliakim ; and Eliakim begat Azor ; and Azor begat Sadoc ; and Sadoc begat Achim ; and Achim begat Eliud ; and Eliud becrat Elea- + Jan. 2, Mom. S. MATTHEW, I. July 6, Even. z&T ; and Eleazar begat ]Matthan ; and IMatthan begat Jacob ; and Jacob begat Joseph the hus- band of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations ; and from David until the carrying away into Rabylon are fourteen generations ; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. Jan. 2, Morning ; July 6, Evening. NOW the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise : "When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a pubUck example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife : for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS : for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpret^ is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife : and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son : and he called his name JESUS. Jan. 3, Morn. S. MATTHEW, IT. July 7, Even. CHAPTER II. Jan. 3, Morning ; July 7, Evening. "I^OW when Jesus was born in Bethlehem JlI of Judijea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews I for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalein with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judsea : for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda : for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them dili- gently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child ; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed ; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him : and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts ; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And Jan. 3, Morn. S. JIATTHEW, II. July 7, Even. being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they • departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appear- eth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word : for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. "When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt : and was there until the death of Herod : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying. Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding %AToth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying. In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying. Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel : for they are dead which sought the young child's Life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judsea in the room of his fother Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being Jan. 4, Mom. S. MATTHEW, III. July 8, Even. warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee : and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. CHAPTER in. Jan. 4, Morning; July 8, Evening. IN those days came John the Baptist, preach- ing in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins ; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judcea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sad- ducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance : and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father : for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees : therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance : but he that cometh after me is mifrhtier than I, whose shoes I am not Jan. 5, Morru S. MATTHEW, IV. July 9, Even, worthy to bear : he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and icith fire : whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat mto the garner ; but he will burn up the chaflf with unquenchable fire. Then Cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ? And Jesus answering said unto him. Suffer it to be so now : for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suSered him. And Jesus, when he was bap- tized, went up straightway out of the water : and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him : and lo a voice from heaven, saying. This is my beloved Sou, in whom I am well pleiised. CHAPTER TV. Jan. 5, Morning ; July 9, Evening. 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 hungred. And when the tempter aime 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 t ment : and he saith unto him, Friend, how earnest thou in hither not having a wedding garment \ And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness ; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. Feb. 9, Morning; Aug. 11, Evening. THEN went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying. Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in Feb. 9, Morn. S. MATTHEW, XXII. Aug. 11, Even, truth, neither carest thou for any man : for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us there- fore, What thinkest thou ? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not ? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said. Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites ? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them. Whose is this image and super- scription ? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them. Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Ceesar's ; and unto God the things that are God's. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way. The same day c;ime to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resur- rection, and asked him, saying. Master, Moses said. If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren : and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother : likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven ? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them. Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob ? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And Feb. 10, Mom. S. ^lATTHEW, XXIII. Aug. 12, Even. when the multitude heard this, they were as- tonished at his doctrine. But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, ivhich was a lawyer, asked him a ques- tion, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law ? Jesus said unto him. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Feb. 10, Morning; Aug. 12, Evening. WHILE the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye I of Christ i whose son is he ? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool ? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son ? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any rjmji from that day forth ask him anv more questions. CHAPTER XXIII. Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, saying. The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses^ seat : all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do ; but do not ye after their works : for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders ; but they themselves wiU not move them with one Feb. 11, Mom. S. MATTHEW, XXIII. Aug. 13, Even. of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men : they make broad their phy- lacteries, and enlarge the borders of their gar- ments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greet- ings in the markets, and to be called of men, Eabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye cjiUed Rabbi : for one is your Master, even Christ ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth : for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters : for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased ; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. F>^b. 11, Morning; Aug. 13, Evening. BUT woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men : for ye neither go in your- selves^ neither sufier ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer : therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye compass sea and laud to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say. Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing ; but whoso- ever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor ! Ye fools and blind : for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold ? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing ; but whosoever sweareth by Ftb. M, Mom. S. 3IATTHEW, XXin. Aug. \B, Even. the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind : for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift ? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith : these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye are like unto whited sepul- chres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say. If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the Feb. 12, Mom. S. MATTHEW, XXIV. Aug. 14, Even. prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes : and some of them ye shall kill and crucify ; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city : that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unt-o the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew be- tween the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not ! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you. Ye shall not see me hence- forth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh iu the name of the Lord. CHAPTER XXIV. Feb. 12, Morning; Aug. 14, Evening. AND Jesus went out, and departed from the J\. temple : and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things ? verily I say unto you. There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying. Tell us, when shall these things be ? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, Feb. 12, Mom. S. MATTHEW", XXIV. Aug. 14, Evert. and of the ead of the world ? And Jesus an- swered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Clirist ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall heiir of wars and rumours of wars : see that ye be not troubled : for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom : and there shall be fiimines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Ail these are the beginning of sorrows.. Then shall they deliver you up to bo afflicted, and shall kill you : and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many felse prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto, the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preach- ed in all the world for a Avitness unto all nations : and then shall the end come. When ye there- fore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand :) then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains : let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house : neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days ! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day : for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not Feb. n, Mom. S. MATTHEW, XXIV. Aug. 15, Even. since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved : but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there ; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false pro- phets, and shall shew great signs and wonders ; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert ; go not forth : be- hold, he is in the secret chambers ; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west ; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Feb. 13, Morning ; Aug. 15, Evening. IMMEDIATELY after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken : and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree ; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that siunmer is nigh : so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near. Feb. 13, Morn. S. MATTHEW, XXIV. Aug, 15, Ecen. even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be i fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but j my words shall not pass away. But of that day i and hour knoweth no man^ no, not the angels of ! heaven, but my Father only. But as the days ! of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son j of man be. For as in the days that were before I the flood they were eating and drinking, marry- ing and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark. and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away ; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field ; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grind- ing at the mill ; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore : for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready : for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler i over his household, to give them meat in due season ? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over ali his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming ; and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken ; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not awjire Feb. 14, Morn. S. MATTHEW, XXV. Aug. 16, Even. of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him, his portion with the hypocrites : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. CHAPTER XXV. Feb. 14, Morning: Aug. 16, Evening. THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them : but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made. Behold, the bridegroom cometh ; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil ; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so ; lest there be not enough for us and you : but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came ; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage : and the door was shut. After- ward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said. Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one ; to every man according to his Feb. 14, M(ym. S. BIATTHEW, XXV. Aug. 16, Even. several ability ; and straightway took his jour- ney. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had. received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying. Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents : behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thau good and faithful servant : thou hast been faith- ful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said. Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents : behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant ; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said. Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed : and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth ; lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful serv^ant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed : thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchang- ers, and then at my coming I should have re- Feb. 15, Morn. S. MATTHEW, XXV. Awj. 17, Even. ceived mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance : but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Feb. 15, Morning ; Aug. 17, Evening. WHEN the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory : and before him shall be gathered all nations : and he shall separate them one from another, as a shep- herd divideth his sheep from the goats : and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world : for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink : I Wcis a stranger, and ye took me in : naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye visited me : I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee ? or thirsty, and gave thee drink ? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or naked, and clothed thee 'i or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee % And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand. Depart from me, ye Feb. 16, Mortu S. MATTHEW, XXVI. Aug. 18, Even. cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels : for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me not in : naked, and ye clothed me not : sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying. Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee i Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you. Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the lea-st of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment : but the righteous into life eternal. CHAPTER XXVI. Feb. 16, Morning; Aug. IS, Evening. A ND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished J\. all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiapbis, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said. Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying. To what purpose is this waste ? for this ointment might have been sold for much, and Feb. 16, Mom. S. MATTHEW, XXVI. Aug. 18, Even. given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman ? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you ; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover ? And he said. Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him. The Mas- ter saith, My time is at hand ; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them ; and they made ready the passover. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said. Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him. Lord, is it I ? And he answered and said. He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him : but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed Feb. 17, Mom. S. MATTHEW, XXVI. Aug. 19, Even. him, answered and said, Master, is it I ? He said unto him. Thou hast said. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said. Take, eat ; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it ; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. Feb. 17, Morning; Aug. 19, Evening. THEN saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night : for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Ga- lilee. Peter answered and said unto him. Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Ve- rily I say unto thee. That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him. Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them. My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death : tarry ye here, and watch wdth me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, Feb. 17, Morn. S. MATTHEW, XXVI. Aug. 19, Even. saying, my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me : nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the dis- ciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto -Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour ? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation : the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again : for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest : behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is be- trayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going : behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he : hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said. Hail, mas- ter ; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come ? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place : for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. + . _. Feb. 18, J/oJTU S. MATTHEW, XXYT. Aug. 20, Even, Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels ? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be ? In that same hour said Jesus to the mul- titudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me ? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. Feb. 18, Morning; Aug. 20, Evening. A XD they that had laid hold on Jesus led him J\. away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed him afar otf unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness agjiinst Jesus, to put him to death ; but found none: yea, though many fidse witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said i unto him, Answerest thou nothing ? what is it 1 which these witness against thee ? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Sou of God. Jesus saith unto him. Thou hast said : nevertheless I say unto you, Here- after shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds ' of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, Feb. 19, Morn. S. MATTHEW, XXYII. Aug. 21, Even. saying, He hath spoken blasphemy ; what further need have we of witnesses 1 behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye ? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him ; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, saying. Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee ? Now Peter sat without in the palace : and a damsel came unto him, say- ing, Thou also wast with Jesus of GalUee. But he denied before thevi all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there. This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them ; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. CHAPTER XXVII. Feb. 19, Morning ; Aug. 21, Evening. WHEN the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took i counsel against Jesus to put him to death : and I when they had bound him, they led him away, ' and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. I Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he I saw that he was condemned, repented himself + Feb. 19, Mom. S. MATTHEW, XXVII. Avg. 21, Eveiu and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said. What is that to us ? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and -went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said. It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.' Where- fore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying. And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value ; and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed nie. And Jesus stood before the governor : and the gover- nor asked him, saying. Art thou the King of the Jews ? And Jesus said unto him. Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee '? And he answered him to never a word ; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. And they had then a notable prisoner, called Rirabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them. Whom will ye that I release unto you ? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. When he was set down on Fih. 20, Mwm. S. MATTHEW, XXVII. Aug. 22, Even, the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, say- ing, Have thou nothing to do with that just man : or I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus, The governor answered and said unto them. Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you 1 They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him. Let him be crucified. And the governor said. Why, what evil hath he done ? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult i wjis made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person : see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said. His blood he on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them : and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Feb. 20, Morning ; Aug. 22, Evening. THEN the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand : and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying. Hail, King of the Jews ! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him. Feb. 20, Mom. S. MATTHEW, XXVIL Aug. 22, Even. and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name : him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall : and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there ; and set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying. Thou that destroyest the temple, and bulkiest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others ; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God ; let him deliver him now, if he will have him : for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani % that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? Some of them that stood there, when they Feb. 21, Morn. S. MATTHEW, XXVII. Aug. 23, Evert. heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom ; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent ; and the graves were opened ; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earth- quake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying. Truly this was the Son of God. And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him : among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. Feb. 21, Morning; Avg. 23, Evening. HEN the even was come, there came a w rich man of Arimathsea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple : he went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock : and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. Now the next day. Ftb. 22, 3/orn. S. MATTHEW, XXVIII. Aug. 21, Even. that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying. Sir, we remember that that de- ceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead : so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch : go your way, make it as sure as ye ain. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, seal- ing the stone, and setting a watch. CHAPTER XXYin. Feb. 22, Morning ; Aug. 24, Evening. IN the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary- Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepul- chre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake : for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow : and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women. Fear not ye : for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here : for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead ; and. behold, he goeth before you into Galilee ; there shall ye see him : lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear *^and great joy ; and did run Feb. 22, Mom. S. MATTHEW, XXVIII. Axig. 24, Even. to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying. All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped hhn. Then said Jesus unto them. Be not afraid : go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came mto the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him awaij while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly re- ported among the Jews until this day. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him : but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all things what- soever I have commanded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, emn unto the end of the world; Amen. ; [21] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO St. MAEK. CHAPTER I. Feb. 23, Morning; Awj. 25, Erefiing. THE beginaing of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God ; as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make hLs paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judtea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jor- dan, confessing their sins. And John was cloth- ed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins ; and he did eat locusts and wild honey ; and preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and un- loose. I indeed have baptized you with water : j but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. [ And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus i came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized j of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up ! out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, ! and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him : I and there came a voice from heaven, saying, j Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well j E leased. And immediately the spii-it driveth i im into the wilderness. And he was there in I the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan ; and j was with the wild beasts ; and the angels minis- I FeJ). 24, Morn. S. MARK, I. Aug. 26, Even. tered unto him. Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Gahlee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand : repent ye, and believe the gospel. Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea : for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them : and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired ser- vants, and went after him. Feb. 24, Morning ; Aug. 26, Evening. A ND they went into Capernaum ; and straight- J\. way on the sabbath day he entered into tlie synagogue, and taught. And they were aston- ished at his doctrine : for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. And there was in their synagogue a man with an un- clean spirit ; and he cried out, saying, Let us alone ; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy us ? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saymg. Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among them- selves, saying, What thing is this 1 what new doctrine is this I for with authority commandeth Feb. 24, .\forn. S. MAPtK. I. Aug. 26, Even. he even the nnclean spirits, and they do obey him. And immediately his fame spread abroad throucjhout all the region round about Galilee. And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon^s wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up ; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and east out many devils ; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also : for therefore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will ; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly cliarged him, and forthwith sent Feb. 25, Mam. S. MARK, II. Aug. 27, Even. hiin away ; and saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man : but go thy way, shew thy- self to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places : and they came to him from every quarter, CHAPTER II. Feb. 25, Morning ; Aug. 27, Evening. AND again he entered into Capernaum after J\. some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door : and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was : and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts. Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies ? who can forgive sins but God only ? And immediately when Jesus perceived in iiis spirit that they so reasoned within them- selves, he said unto them, Wfry reason ye these things in your hearts ? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy. Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or to say. Arise, and take up thy bed, and Feb. 25, Morn. S. MARK, IL Aug. 27, Even. walk h But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all ; in- somuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying. We never saw it on this fashion. And he went forth again by the sea side ; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphseus sitting at the receipt of cus- tom, and said unto him. Follow me. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples : for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples. How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners ? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick : I came not to cidl the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fist : and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Phari- sees fist, but thy disciples fist not ? And Jesus said unto them. Can the children of the bride- chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them ? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they Ciinnot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. No man Feb. 26, Morru S. MARK, III. -^ Aug. 28, Even. also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old gar- ment ; else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles : else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred : but new wine must be put into new bottles. Feb. 26, Morning ; Aug. 28, Evening. A ND it came to pass, that he went through the J\. corn fields on the sabbath day ; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful ? And he said unto them, Have he never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him ? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him ? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath : there- fore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. CHAPTER in. And he entered again into the synagogue ; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day ; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man wliich had the withered hand. Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil \ to save life, or to kill ? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, Feb. 27, Mom. S. MARK, III. Aug. 29, Even, he saith unto the man. Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out : and his hand was re- stored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and stmightway took counsel with the Herodians against hiin, how they might destroy him. But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea : and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judcea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumsea, and from beyond Jordan ; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. For he had healed many ; I insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him. as many as had phigues. And un- clean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known. Feb. 27, Morning; Aug. 29. Evening. '^ AND he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth _Zjl nnto him whom he would : and they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sick- nesses, and to cast out devils : and Simon he surnarned Peter ; and James the so7i of Zebedee, and John the brother of James ; and he sur- narned them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder : and Andrew, and Philip, and Rirtho- lomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and Jjimes the soil of Alphceus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaauite, and Judas Iscariot, which also Feb. 27, Mom, S. MARK, III. Aug. 29, Even. betrayed him : and they went into an house. And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him : for they said, He is beside himseli And the scribes which came down from Jerusa- lem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan ? And if a kingdom be divided against itseK, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satiin rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoH his goods, except he will first bind the strong man ; and then he will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme : but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damna- tion : because they said. He hath an unclean spirit. There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he an- swered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren ? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren ! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. — _ Ftb. 23, Mom. S. JIARK, lY. Aug. 30, Z:t^ew. CHAPTER IV. Feb. 2S, Morning ; Aug. 30, Evening. A ND he began ag-ain to teach by the sea side : XjL and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea ; and the whole multitude Wt\s by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doc- trine, Hearken ; Behold, there went out a sower to sow : and it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air Ciime and devoured it up. And some fell on stou}' ground, where it had not much earth ; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth : but when the sun was up, it was scorched ; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased ; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath eiirs to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God : but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: that seeing they may see, and not perceive ; and hearing they may hear, and not understand ; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable ? and how then will ye know all parables ? The sower soweth the word. And Feb. 28, Morn. S. MARK, IV. Aug. 30, Even. these are they by the way side, where the word is sown ; but when they have heard, Satan Cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground ; who, Avhen they have heard the word, imme- diately receive it with gladness ; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time : afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns ; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the Avord, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground ; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hun- dred. And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed ? and not to be set on a candlestick 1 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested ; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear : with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you : and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given : and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground ; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself ; first the 3!arcJi 1, Morn. S. 31 ARK, IV. Aug. 31, Even. blade, then the ear. after that the full corn in the ear. But Avhen the fruit is brought forth, im- mediately he putteth in the sickle, because the har^^est is come. And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God ? or with what comparison shall we compare it ? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth : but when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches ; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake he not unto them : and when they Avere alone, he expounded all things to his disciples. March 1, Morning ; Aug. 31, Evening. A ND the same day, when the even was come, xV. he saith unto them. Let us piiss over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was noM- full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow : and they awake him, and say unto him, jMaster, carest thou not that we perish ? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them. Why are ye so fearful ? how is it that ye have no faith ? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another. What man- ner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him ? March 1, Morn. S. MARK, V. Aug. 31, Even. CHAPTER V. And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwellino^ among the tombs ; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains : because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces : neither could any man tame him. And always, night and da}'-, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thori unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name ? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion : for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feed- ing. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine : and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand ;) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come March 2, Morn. S. MARK, Y. Sept. 1, Even. i to Jesus, and see liim that was possessed with ! the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, I and in his right mind : and they were afraid. I And they that saw it told them how it befell to j him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been pos- sessed with the devil prayed, him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great tilings the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great tilings Jesus had done for him : and all tntn did marvel March 2, Morning; Sept. 1, Evening. A ND when Jesas was passed over again by J\. ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him : and he Avas nigh unto the sea. And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name ; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, and besought him greatly, saying. My little daughter heth at the point of death : I i->ray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed ; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him ; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve yeiirs, and had sujffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and wiis nothing bettered, but rather grew w^orse, when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press be- hind, and touched his garment. For she said. If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. + + March 2, Morn. S. MARK, V. Sept. 1, Even. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up ; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes ? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude throng- ing thee, and sayest thou, Who touched nie ? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath miide thee whole ; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said. Thy daughter is dead : why troublest thou the Master any further ? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he Cometh to the house of the ruler of the syna- gogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep ? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi ; which is, being inter- preted, Damsel I say unto thee, arise. And straight- way the damsel arose, and walked ; for she was I March 3, Mom. S. MAEE, YI. Sept. 2, Even, of the age of twelve years. And they were as- tonished with a ^Teal astonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. CHAPTER VI. March 3, Morning ; Sept. 2, Evening. AND he went out from thence, and came into J\. his own country ; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue : and many hear- ing liiin were astonished, saying. From whence hath this man these things ? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands ? Is not this the carpenter, the son of ]Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon ? and are not his sisters here with us ] And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no nughty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marv'elled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two ; and gave them power over unclean spirits ; and commanded them that they should take nothing for f/tt^ir journey, save a staff only ; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse : but he shod with sandals ; and not put on two coats. And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. And whosoever shall not receive March 4, Morn. S. MARK, VI. Sept. 3, Even. you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, aiid healed them. March 4, Morning ; Sept. 3, Evening. A ND king Herod heard of him ; (for his name XjL was spread abroad :) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. Others said. That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. But when Herod heard thereof, he said. It is John, whom I beheaded : he is risen from the dead. For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife : for he had married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him ; but she could not : for Herod feared John, know- ing that he was a just man and an holy, and ob- served him ; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high cap- tains, and chief estates of Galilee ; and when tlie daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel. Ask of March 5, Morn. S. MARK, VI. Sept. 4, Even. me whatsoever tLoii wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her. Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, "What shall I ask ? And she said. The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry ; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought : and he went and be- headed him in the prison, and brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel : and the damsel g:ive it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. MarcJi 5, Morning ; Sept. 4, Evening. A ND the apostles gathered themselves together JTjL unto Jesus, and told hhn all things, both what they had done^ and what they had taught. And lie said unto them, Come ye yourselves apiirt into a desert place, and rest a while : for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they de- parted into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with comjwssion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shep- herd : and he began to teach them many things. March 5, Morn. S. MARK, VI. Sejri. 4, Even. And when the day was now far spent, his dis- ciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed : send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He an- swered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat ? He saith unto them. How many loaves have ye ? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by com- panies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them ; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. And straightway he constrained his dis- ciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Eethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing ; for the wind was contrary unto them : and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them- But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they sup- March C, Mom. S. MARK, YIL Sept. 5, Even. posed it had been a spirit, and cried out : for they all saw him, and were troubled. And im- mediately he talked with them, and saith unto them. Be of good cheer : it is I ; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship ; and the wind ceased : and they Avere sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves : for their heart was hardened. And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Genne- saret, and drew to the shore. And Avhen they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him, and ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he AVits. And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment : and as many as touched him were made Avhole. CHAPTER YIL March 6, Morning ; Sept. 5, Evening. THEN came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the mar- j ket, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. Then the Phai'isees and i- March 6, Morn. S. MARK, TIL Sept. 5, Even. scribes asked hira, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands ? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written. This people iionoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the wash- ing of pots and cups : and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them. Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother ; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death : but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mo- ther. It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by what- soever thou mightest be profited by me ; he shall he free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother ; making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered : and many such like things do ye. And when he had called all the people luito him, he said unto them. Hearken unto me every one of yoUy and understand : there is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him : but the things which come out of hira, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked hira concerning the parable. And he saith unto them. Are ye so without un- derstanding also ? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the March 7, Morn. S. MAEK, YII. Sept. 6, Even. man, it cannot defile him ; because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats ? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men. proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wicked- ness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness : all these evil things come from within, and delile the man. March 7, Morning ; Sept. 6, Evening. 4 ND from thence he arose, and went into the J\. borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it : but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet : the woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation ; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her. Let the children first be filled : for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him. Yes, Lord : yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her. For this sa;^dng go thy way ; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech ; and they be- seech him to put his hand upon him. And he March 7, Mom. S. MARK, YIII, Sept.. 6, Even. took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue ; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man : but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they pub- lished it ; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well : he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. CHAPTER Vin. In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto hiin, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat : and if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way : for divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered him. From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? And he asked them, How many loaves have ye ? And they said. Seven. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground : and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them ; and they did set theTti before the people. And they had a few small fishes : and he blessed, and com- manded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled : and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thou- sand : and he sent them away. March 8, Jlfom. S. MARK, VIII. Sept. 7, Even. March S, Morning; Sept. 7, Evening. A ND straightway he entered into a ship with J\. his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign ? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. And they revas with the angel a multi- tude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us nov/ go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, Avhich the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. March 27, Morning ; Sept. 26, Evening. A ND when eight days were accomplished for J\. the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel +- March 27, Mom, S. LUKE, IP. Sept. 26, Even. before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord ; (as it is wTitten in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be allied holy to the Lord ;) and to ofter a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon ; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel : and tlie Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Clirist. And he came by the Spirit into the temple : and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word : for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people ; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother. Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel ; and for a sign which shall be spoken against ; (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be re- vealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser : she was of a great age, and had lived with an March 27, Mcmi. S. LUKE, II. Seijt. 26, Even. husband seven years from her virginity ; and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they re- turned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom : and the grace of God was upon him. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he Avas twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem ; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the com- pany, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were aston- ished a,% his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed : and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us ? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me 1 wist ye not tliat I must be about my Father's business ? Aad they March 2S, Morn. S. LUKE, III. Sept. 27, Even. understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them : but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. CHAPTER III. March 28, 3Iornii]g; Sept. 27, Evening, to v. 23. NOW in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Csesar, Pontius Pilate being go- vernor of Judiea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the re- mission of sins ; as it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying. The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and iiill shall be brought low ; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall he made smooth ; and all flesh shall see the sal- vation of God. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O genera- tion of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say with- in yourselves, We have Abraham to our father : for I say unto you. That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And March 28, Morn. . S. LUKE, III. Sept. 27, Even. now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees : every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then ? He answereth and saith unto them. He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none ; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do ? And he said unto them. Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do 1 And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely ; and be content with your wages. And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not ; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water ; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose : he shall bap- tize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire : whose fim is in his hand, and he will througlily purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner ; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. Now ■when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost de- scended in a bodily siiape like a dove upon him, 3Iarch 28, MorTu S. LUKE, III. Sept. 27, Even. \ and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son ; in thee I am well pleased, j Ver. 23. And Jesus himself began to be about I thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of i Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was j the son of Janna, wliich was the son of Joseph, ; which was the son of ISIattathias, which was the ; S071 of Amos, which was the son of Naum, Avhich j was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, which was the son of Maath, which was the son \ of Mattathias, which was the son of Seniei, which I was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, ! which was the son of Joanna, which was the son \ of Ehesa, which was the soji of Zorobabel, which i was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which wjis the son of Er, which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of ]Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which Avas the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, which was the son of Amina- d?ib, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which i ~i~r. -f. 3farch 29, Morn. S. LUKE, IV. Sept. 28, Even. was the son of Juda, which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Eagau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the soth of God. CHAPTER IV. March 29, Morning ; Sept. 28, Evening. A ND Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost re- XjL turned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing : and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him. If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus an- swered him, saying. It is written. That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the king- doms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them : for that is de- livered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I [23] j March 30, Morn. S. LUKE, lY. Sept. 30, Even. I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all j shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said j unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan : for it is j written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, j and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought I him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of j the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the j Son of God, cast thyself down from hence : for it is written. He shall give his angels charge over i thee, to keep thee : and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot i against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto j him, It is said. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord j thy God. And when the devil had ended all the j temptation, he departed from him for a season. I And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee : and there went out a fame of him ; through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. March 30, Morning; Sept. 30, Evening. AND he came to Xazareth, where he had been Jlx. brought up : and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor ; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliver- ance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all March 30, Mom. S. LUKE, IV. Sept. 30, Even. them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and Avondered at the gra- cious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son ? And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself : whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when gi^at famine was throughout all the land ; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet ; and none of them was cleansed, saving Nciaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them Avent his way, and came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. And they were astonished at his doctrine : for his word was with power. And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone ; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy us ? I know thee who thou art ; the Holy One March Bl,3Ioni. S. LUKE, V. Oct. 1, Even. of God. And Jesus rebuked him. saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this ! for with authority and ix>wer he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever ; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever ; and it left her : and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. Xow when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him ; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out. and saying. Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak : for they knew that he was Christ. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place : and the people sought him, and came imto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also : for therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. CHAPTER Y. March 31, Morning ; Oct. 1, Evening. AND it came to pass, that, as the people pressed JrV_ upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two ships March 31, Mom. S. LUKE, V. Oct. 1, Even. standing by the lake : but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon^s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes : and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me ; for I am a sinful man, Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken : and so was also James, and John, the sonsof Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not ; from henceforth thou shaft catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy : who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will : be thou clean. And imme- diately the leprosy departed from him. And he charged him to tell no man : but go, and shew April 1, 3forn. S. LUKE, V. Oct. 2, Even. thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Closes commanded, for a testimony unto them. But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him : and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and j)rayed. April 1, 'Morning: Orf. 2, Evening. A XD it cril 11, Morning; Oct. 12, Evening. AND the seventy returned again with joy, say- jlIl ing. Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, ^ April 11, Mo7'n. S. LUKE, X. Oct. 12, Even. I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on ser- pents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy : and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you ; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in hea- ven. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes : even so, Father ; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father : and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father ; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to Avhom the Son will reveal him. And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately. Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see : for I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen theTn ; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. And, behold, a cer- tain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ? He said unto him. What is written in the law ? how readest thou? And he answering said. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind ; and thy neigh- bour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right : this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And Avho is my neighbour ? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down jipril 11, Hlom. S. LUKE, X. Oct. 12, Even. from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, ■which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way : and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was : and when he saw him, he had compassion oji him, and went to him,imd bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn. and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him. Take care of him ; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves ? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then sidd Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village : and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister allied iNIary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cum- bered about much serving, and came to him, and said. Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone ? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, INIartha, ]SIartha, thou art careful and troubled about many things : but one thing is needful : and ]Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. K April 12, Morn. S. LUKE, XL Oct. 13, Even. CHAPTER XL AiJril 12, Morning ; Oct. 13, Evening. A ND it came to pass, that, as he was praying J\. in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins ; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation ; but deliver us from evil. And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves ; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not : the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed ; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you. Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you. Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone ? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent ? or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion ? If ye then, being- April 12, Mom. S. LUKE, XI. Oct. 13, Even. evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children : how much more shall your heavenly- Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ? And he 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 Beel- zebub 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 April 13, Mom. S. LUKE, XI. Oct. 14, Even. first. And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted 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. 'April 13, Morning ; Oct. 14, Evening. AND when the people were gathered thick to- J\. gether, he began to say, This is an evil generation : they seek a sign ; and there shall no sign be given it, but tlie sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them : for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it : for they repented at the preaching of Jonas ; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye : therefore when thine eye is single, thy wliole body also is full of light ; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. And as he spake, a certain Pharisee be- April 13, Morn. . S. LUKE, XI. Oct. 11, Even. sought liim to dine "with him : and he went in, and sat do^\^l to meat. And Avhen the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him. Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter ; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also ? But rather give alms of such things as ye have ; and, be- hold, all things are clean unto you. But woe unto you, Pharisees ! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God : these ought ye to liave done, and not to leave the other imdone. 'Woe unto you, Pharisees ! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not avTAie of them. Then answered one of the law- yers, and said imto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. And he said. Woe ; unto you also, ye lawyers ! for ye lade men with I burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves I touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. ! Woe unto you ! for ye build the sepulchres of ' the prophets, and your fathers killed them. I Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds j of your fathers : for they indeed killed them, ' and ye budd their sepulchres. Therefore also I said the wisdom of God, I will send them pro- phets and apostles, and some of them they shall ' slay and persecute : that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of Apnl 14, Morn. S. LUKE, XIL Oct. 15, Even. the world, may be required of this generation ; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacha- rias, which perished between the altar and the temple : verily I say unto you, It shall be re- quired of this generation. Woe unto you, law- yers ! for ye have taken away the key of know- ledge : ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things : laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him. CHAPTER XII. April 14, Morning ; Oct. 15, Evening. IN the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypo- crisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed ; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light ; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say unto you my friends. Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear : Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell ; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God ? But even the very hairs __ Ajn-il 14, Mom. S. LUKE, XII. Oct. 15, Even. of your head are all numbered. ' Fear not there- fore : ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, "Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also con- fess before the angels of God : but he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him : but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magis- trates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: for the Holy Ghost shall teiich you in the same hour what ye ought to say. And one of the company said unto him, blaster, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you ? And he said unto them. Take heed, and beware of covetousness : for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he Spake a parable unto them, saying. The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully : and he thought within himself, saying. What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits ? And he said, This will I do : I will pull down my barns, and buQd greater ; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I wdl say to my soul. Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merr\\ But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be re- quired of thee : then whose shall those things be, which thou hast pro^•ided ? So is he that April 15, Morn. S. LUKE, XII. Oct. 16, Even. layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. And he said nnto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat ; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Con- sider the ravens : for they neither sow nor reap ; which neither have storehouse nor bam ; and God feedeth them : how much more are ye better than the fowls ? And Avhich of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit ? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest I Consider the lilies how they grow ; they toil not, they spin not ; and yet I say nnto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven ; how much more loill he clothe you, ye of little faith ? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after : and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God ; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms ; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a trea- sure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. April If), Morning; Oct. IC, Evening. LET your loins be girded about, and your lights burning ; and ye yourselves like unto + + AprU 15, Morn. S. LUKE, XII. ' Oct. 16, Even. men that Avait for their lord, -when he will return from the wedding ; that when he coraeth and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he Cometh shall find watching : verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and sers^e them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those sers-ant«. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suff"ered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also : for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all ? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season ? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming ; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken ; the lord of that ser- vant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that ser- vant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himsdf, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that April 15, Mom. S. LUKE, XII. Oct. 16, Even. knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required : and to whom men have com- mitted much, of him they will ask the more. I am come to send fire on the earth ; and what will I, if it be already kindled ? But I have a baptism to be baptized with ; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished ! Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth ? I tell you. Nay ; but rather division : for from hence- forth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father ; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother ; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say. There cometh a shower ; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say. There will be heat ; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypo- crites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth ; but how is it that ye do not discern this time ? Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right ? When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that tliiau niayest be delivered from him ; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite. April 16, Morn. S. LUKE, XIII. Oct. 17, Even, CHAPTER XIIL Jpril 16, Morning ; Oct. 17, Evening. THERE were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilneans were sinners above ail the Gali- keans, because they suffered such things ? I tell you, Xay : but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, uix)n whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem ? I tell you. Nay : but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. He spake also this parable ; A certain tnan had a fig tree planted in his vineyard ; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none : cut it down ; why cum- bereth it the ground ? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it : and if it bear fruit, icell : and if not, theii after that thou shalt cut it down. And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in nowise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her : and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indig- nation, because that Jesus had healed on the April 17, Morn. S. LUKE, XIII. . Oct. 18, Even, sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work : in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering ? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day ? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. April 17, Morning ; Oct. 18, Evening. THEN said he. Unto what is the kingdom of God like ? and whereunto shall I re- semble it ? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden ; and it grew, and waxed a great tree ; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the king- dom of God ? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying to- ward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him. Lord, are there few that be saved ? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate : for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us ; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not April IS, Mom. S. LUKE, XIY. Oct. 19, Even. whence ye are : then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are ; depart from nie, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaiic, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you your- selves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the soutli, and shall sit down in the king- dom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. The same day there aime certain of the Phari- sees, saying unto him. Get thee out, and depart hence : for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto them. Go ye, and tell that fox. Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following : for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee ; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not ! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate : and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. CHAPTER XIV. Jprll 18, Morning; Oct. 19, Evening. 4ND it came to pa.ss, as he went into the jlJl house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat Jpi-il 18, Morn. S. LUKE, XIV. ' Oct. 19, Even. bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day ? And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go ; and answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? And they could not answer him again to these things. And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms ; saying unto them. When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room ; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him ; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place ; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room ; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher : then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased ; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, CiiW not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours ; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind : and thou shalt be blessed ; for they cannot recompense thee : for thou shalt be recompensed at the resur- [2435 April 19, ^fom. S. LUKE, XIV. Oct. 20, Even. rection of the just. And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many : and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come ; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it : I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them : I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that ser- vant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant. Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said. Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you. That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. April 19, Morning; Oct. 20, Evening. A ND there went great multitudes with him : x\_ and he turned, and said unto them, K any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my April 19, Morn. S. LUKE, XV. Oct 20, Even. disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off", he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that for- saketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Salt is good : but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned ? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dung- hill ; hut men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. CHAPTER XV. Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This manreceiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it ? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them. Rejoice with me ; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in April 20, 3Iom. S. LUKE, XV. Oct. 21 , Even, heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not liffht a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it '/ And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neigh- bours together, saying, Eejoice with me ; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Like- wise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. April 20, irorning ; Oct. 21, Evening. A ND he said, A certain man had two sons : .XIl and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land ; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country ; and be sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fiiin have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat : and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger ! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son : make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to April 20, Morn. S. LUKE, XV. Oct. 21, Even. his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against he:iven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants. Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him ; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet : and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it ; and let us eat, and be merry : for this my son was dead, and is alive again ; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field : and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come ; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in : therefore came his father out, and in treated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither trans- gressed I at any time thy commandment : and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends : but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him. Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad : for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again ; and was lost, and is found. +1+ April 21, Morn. S. LUKE, XYT. Oct. 22, Even. CHAPTER XVI. April 21, Morning; Oct. 22, Evening. A "ND he said also unto his disciples, There was jl\. a certain rich man, which had a steward ; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee ? give an account of thy stewardship ; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself. What shall I do ? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship : I cannot dig ; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first. How much owest thou unto my lord ? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another. And how much owest thou ? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him. Take thy bill, and MTite fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely : for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the manmion of unrighteousness ; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much : and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches ? And if ye have not April 21, Mom. S. LUKE, XVI. Oct. 22, Even. been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own ? No servant can serve two masters : for either he will hate the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things : and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify your- selves before men ; but God knoweth your hearts : for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John : since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery : and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day : and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table : moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom : the rich man also died, and was buried ; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said. Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue ; for I am -+ + April 22, 3Iorn. S. LUKE, XVII. Oct. 23, Even. tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiv- edst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things : but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed : so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot ; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my ftither's house : for I have five brethren ; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets ; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham : but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him. If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. CHAPTER XVn. April 22, Morning; Oct. 23, Evening. THEN said he unto the disciples. It is im- possible but that ofleuces will come : but woe unto him., through whom they come ! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the seti, than that he should ofiend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves : If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him ; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent ; thou shalt forgive him. And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, K + Jpril 22, Mom. S. LUKE, XVII. Oct. 23, Even. ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea ; and it should obey you. But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat ? and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken ; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink 1 Doth he thank that ser- vant because he did the things that were com- manded him 1 I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable ser- vants : we have done that which was our duty to do. And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off : and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them. Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, a? they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks ; and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed ? but where are the nine ? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way : thy faith hath made thee whole. + — ^—— April 23, Mom. S, LUKE, XVII. Oct. 24, Even, April 23, Morning ; Oct. 24, Evening. A^ ND when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kiagdoui of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God Cometh not with observation : neither shall they say, Lo here ! or, lo there ! for. behold, the king- dom of God is within you. And he said unto the disciples. The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you. See here ; or, see there : go not after them^ nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven ; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. Tliey did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot ; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away : and he that is in the field, let him likewise not retiu-n back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it ; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two April 24, Morn. S. LUKE, XVITI. Oct. 25, Even, men in one bed ; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together ; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two meoi shall be in the field ; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him. Where, Lord ? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. CHAPTER XVIII. April 24, Morning ; Oct. 25, Evening. A ND he spake a parable unto them to this end, jljL that men ought always to pray, and not to faint ; saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man : and there was a widow in that city ; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while : but afterward he said within himself. Though I fear not God, nor re- gard man ; yet because this widow troubleth me, I wiU avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which crychiy and night unto him, though he bear long with them l I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth ? And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others : Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I April 24, Mom. ' S. LUKE, XVIIL Oct. 25, Even. fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar otf, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his brei^t, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other : for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased ; and he that humbleth himscK shall be exalted. And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them : but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said. Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not : for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you. Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. And a certain ruler iisked him, saying. Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good ? none is good, save one, that is; God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing : sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven : and come, foUow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful : for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said. How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God ! For it is easier for a Ciimel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into April io, Morn. S. LUKE, XVIII. Oct. 26, Even. the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved ? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them. Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting, April 25, Morning; Oct. 26, Evening. THEN he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on : and they shall scourge him. and put him to death : and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things : and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging : and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace : but he cried so much the more, I'hou son of David, have niercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him : and when he Avas come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that Jpril 26, Morn. S. LUKE, XIX. Oct. 27, Even, I shall do unto thee ? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said un^o him, Receive thy sight : thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God : and all the people, -when thev saw it, gave praise unto God. CHAPTER XIX. And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there v:as a man named Zaccha^us, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was ; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him : for he was to pass that v:ay. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchasus, make haste, and come down ; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying. That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord ; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor ; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him. This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. April 26, Morning ; Oct. 27, Evening. A ND as they heard these things, he added and Xjl spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of Grod should immediately appear. April 26, Mom. S. LUKE, XIX. Oct. 27, Even. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying. We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, hav- ing received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, L^rd, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him. Well, thou good servant : because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying. Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin : for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man : thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth wiU I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knew- est that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow : wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have re- quired mine own with usury ] And he said unto them that stood by. Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every April 27, Mom. S, LUKE, XIX. Oct. 28. Ecen. one which hath shall be given ; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. April 27, ilorning ; Oct. 28, Evening. AND when he had thus spoken, he went _ before, ascending ujd to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Beth- phage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, Baying, Go ye into the village over against you ; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat : loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him ? thus shall ye say unto him, Beaiuse the Lord hath need of him. And they that Avere sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they "were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt ? And they said, The Lord hath need of him. And they brought him to Jesus : and they cast their gar- ments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen ; saying. Blessed he the King that cometh in the name of the Lord : peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him. Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I t^ll you April 28, Mom. S, LUKE, XX. Oct. 29, Even. that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong nnto thy peace ! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee ; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another ; be- cause thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought ; saying unto them. It is written. My house is the house of prayer : but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, and could not find what they might do : for all the people were very attentive to hear him. CHAPTER XX. April 28, Morning ; Oct. 29, Evening. AND it came to pass, that on one of those Xa_ days, as he taught the people in the tem- ple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, and spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things ? or who is he that gave thee this authority ? And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing ; and answer nie : The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men ? And they rear April 2S, Mor7i. S. LUKE, XX. Oct. 29, Even. eoned with tliemselvee, savin q^, If vre shall say, From heaven ; he will say, Why then believed ye him not ? But and if we say, Of men ; all the people will stone ns : for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And they answered, that they could not tell whence it v:as. And Jesus said unto them. Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. Then began he to speak to the people this parable ; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husband- men, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a servant to the hus- bandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard : but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent another servant : and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third : and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do M will Bend my beloved son : it may be they will rever- ence him when they see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir : come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be our's. So they ca-st him out of tiie vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vine- yard do unto them ] He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is wi'itten, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner ? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken : but on whomsoever April 29, Monu S. LUKE, XX. Oct. 30, Even. it shall fall, it will grind him to jDOwder. And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him ; and they feared the people : for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, ^Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly : Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cffisar, or no ? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me ? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it ? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Eender therefore unto Ciesar the things which be Ca;sar's, and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his M'ords before the Eeople : and they marvelled at his answer, and eld their peace. April 29, Morning ; Oct. 30, Evening. THEN came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection ; and they asked him, saying, jSIaster, Moses wrote unto us. If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were therefore seven brethren : and the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her to Avife, and he died childless. And the third took her ; and in like manner the seven also : and they left no April 29, Mom. S. LUKE, XXI. Oct. 30, Even. children, and died. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she ? for seven had her to wife. And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage : but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage : neither am they die any more : for they are equal unto the angels ; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead are raised, even ]SIoses shewed at the bush, when he caUeth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living : for all live unto him. Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast weU said. And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. And he said unto them. How say they that Christ is David's son ? And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy foot- stool. David therefore caUeth him Lord, how is he then his son ? Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples, Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts ; which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers : the same shall receive greater damnation. CHAPTER XXL And he looked up, and saw the rich men cast>- I ing their gifts into the treasury. And he saw i April 30, Morn, S, LUKE, XXI. Oct 31, Even. also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all : for all these have of their abundance cast ia unto the offerings of God : but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. April 30, Morning; Oct. 31, Evening. A ND as some spake of the temple, how it was Jl\. adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be ? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass ? And he said. Take heed that ye be not deceived : for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ ; and the time draw- eth near : go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified : for these things must first come to Eass ; but the end is not by and by. Then said e unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom : and great earth- quakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences ; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute i/ow, delivering you up to the syna- gogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer : for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries J. + April 30, ^fom. S. LUKE, XXI. Oct. 31, Even. shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye : shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, j and kmsfolks, and friends ; and some of you ' shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. I j But there shall not an hair of your head perish. ' j In your patience possess ye your souls. And I ^vhen ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains ; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out ; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days ! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall foil by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations : and Jeru- salem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars ; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity ; the sea and the wares roaring ; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth : for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads ; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable ; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees ; when they now shoot forth, ye see j + + May 2, Morn. S. LUKE, XXII. Nov. 2, Even. and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at liancl. So likewise ye, when ye see these thiurfs come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away : but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunk- enness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pnss, and to stand before the Son of man. And in the day time he was teaching in the temple ; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him. CHAPTER XXII. May 2, Morning ; Kov. 2, Evening. "VTOW the feast of unleavened bread drew j3i nigh, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him ; for they feared the people. Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his Avay, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in , +^ May 2, Mom. S. LUKE, XXII. Kov. 2, Even. the absence of the multitude. Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that \re may eat. And they said unto him. Where wilt thou that we prepare ? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water ; follow him into the house where he ent^reth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house. The ]\Iaster saitli unto thee. Where is the guest- chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples ] And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished : there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them : and they made ready the passover. And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer : for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God, And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves : for I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the king- dom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying. This is my body which is given for you : this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying. This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. But, behold, the hand of him that betray- eth me is with me on the table. And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined : but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed ! May 3, Mom. S. LUKE, XXII. Nov. 3, Even. And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them. The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them ; and they that exer- cise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not he so : but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger ; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth ? is not he that sitteth at meat ? but I am among you as he that serveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me ; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. May 3, Morning ; Nov. 3, Evening. AND the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, jLjL Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat ; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not : and M'hen thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. And he said unto them. When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing ? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his [25] May 3, Mom. S. LUKE, XXII. Xov.S.Eoen. garment, aiid buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the trans- gressors : for the things concerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough. And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives ; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them. Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me : nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. Ajid being in an agony he prayed more earnestly : and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, and said imto them. Why sleep ye ? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss ? When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him. Lord, shall we smite with the sword ? And one of them smote the servant of the high jDriest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the May 4, Mom. S. LUKE, XXII. Nov. 4, Even. elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? Wlien I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me : but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. May 4, Morning; Xov. 4, Evening. THEN took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the lire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know hmi not. And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this felloio also was with him : for he is a Galilaean. And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying. Prophesy, who is it that smote thee ? And many other things blasphemously spake they against him. And as soon as it Avas day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into May 5, Jtfbrjz. S. LUKE, XXIII, Nov. 5, Even. their council, saying, Art thou the Christ ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye Avill not believe : and if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God ? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. And they said, What need we any fui'ther witness ? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth. CHAPTER XXni. May 5, Morning ; Kov. 5, Evening. A ND the whole multitude of them arose, and JLJL led him unto Pilate, And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow per- verting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Csesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. And Pilate asked him, saying. Art thou the King of the Jews ? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it. Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. And they were the more fierce, saWng, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilsean, And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. And when Herod saw- Jesus, he was exceeding glad : for he was desirous to see him of a long scrtso/i. be&iuse he had heard many things of him ; and he hoj^ed to have seen some miracle done by him. Then he questioned with him in many words ; but he answered liim May 5, Mom. S. LUKE, XXIII. Nov. 5, Even. nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together : for before they were at enmity between themselves. And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people : and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him : no, nor yet Herod : for I sent you to him ; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) And they cried out all at once, saying. Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas : (who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying. Crucify him, crucify him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done ? I have found no cause of death in him : I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired ; but he delivered Jesus to their will. May G, Morn. S. LUKE, XXIII. Nov. 6, Even. May 6, Morning ; Nov. 6, Evening. A XD as they led him away, they laid hold J\. upon one Simon, a CyrenLan, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for your- selves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed arc the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains. Fall on us ; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry ? And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is culled Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them ; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others ; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save May 7, Mom. S. LUKE, XXIII. Nov. 7, Even. thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seemg thou art in the same condemnation ? And we indeed justly ; for we receive the due reward of our deeds : but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit : and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. And all his ac- quaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things. May 7, Morning ; I^ov. 7, Evening, A ND, behold, there was a man named Joseph, XjL a counsellor ; and he was a good man, and a just : (the same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them ;) he was of Arimathsea, a city of the Jews : who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was May 7, Mom. S. LUKE, XXIV. Nov. 7, Even. the preparation, and the sabbath dre^7 on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepidclire, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments ; and rested the sabbath dav according to the commandment. CHAPTER XXIV. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments : and as they were afraid, and bowed down th^ir faces to the earth, they said unto them, "SMiy seek ye the living among the dead \ he is not here, but is risen : remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, and returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest It was Mary ]Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the Tnother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre ; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in him- self at that which was come to pass. May 8, Mom. S. LUKE, XXIV. Nov. 8, Even. May 8, Morning ; Nov. 8, Evening. AND, behold, two of them went that same day Xx. to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore fm^longs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, Avhile they communed together and reasoned, Jesus him- self drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad ? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days ? And he said unto them. What things % And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a pro- phet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people : and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condenmed to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel : and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre ; and when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said : but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken : ought not Christ to have [25 J 5 May S, Morn. S. LUKE, XXIV. A^ov. 8, Even. suffered these things, and to enter into his glory ? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went : and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us : for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him ; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another. Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures ? And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath ap- peared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them. Peace he unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them. Why are ye troubled ? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts ? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself : handle me, and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye hers any meat ? and they May 9, Mom. S. JOHN, I. , JS'ov. 9, Even. gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it^ and did eat before them. And he said imto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to sufler, and to rise from the dead the third day : and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you : but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy : and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO St. JOHN. CHAPTER I. May 9, Morning; Nov. 9, Evening. IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him ; and without him May 9, Morn. S. JOHN, I. Nov. 9, Even. was not any thing made that was made. In him was life ; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness ; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name ^cas John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but icas sent to bear witness of that Light That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name : which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.) full of grace and truth. John bare wit- ness of him, and cried, saying. This was he of whom I spake. He that cometh after me is pre- ferred before me : for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, hut grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Je- rusalem to ask him. Who art thou ? And he confessed, and denied not ; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then ? Art thou Elias ? And he saith, I am May 10, Mom. S. JOHN, I. Kov. 10, Evm. not. Art thou that prophet ? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou ? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself ? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, W^hy baptizest thou then, if" thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet 1 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water : but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not ; he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shpe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. May 10, Morning ; Kov, 10, Evening. THE next day Jolm seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not : but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not : but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. Again the next day after John stood, and two of Ins disciples ; and look- May 10, Mom, S. JOHN, I. JS^ov. 10, Even. ing upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God ! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them. What seek ye? They said unto him, Eabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, ^Mas- ter,) where dwellest thou ? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day : for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak, and foUowed him, was An- drew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him. We have found the jNIessias, which is, being inter- preted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said. Thou art Simon the son of Jona : thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth I^hilip, and saith unto him. Follow me. Kow Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him. We have found him, of whom jSIoses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto hhn. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth ? Philip saith imto him. Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Is- raelite indeed, in whom is no guile ! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me ? Jesus answered and said unto him. Before that PhUip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Eabbi, thou art the Son of God ; thou art the Majj 11, Morn. S. JOHN, II. Aov. U,Even. King of Israel. Jesus answered and said imto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou ? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascend- ing and descending upon the Son of man. CHAPTER II. May 11, Morning ; Nov. 11, Evening. AND the third day there was a marriage in J\. Cana of Galilee ; and the mother of Jesus was there : and both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her. Woman, what have I to do with thee ? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants. Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them. Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was : (but the servants which drew the water knew ;) the governor of the feast called the bride- groom, and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine ; and when men have Avell drunk, then that which is worse : but thou hast . kept the good Avine until now. This beginnintj of miracles did Jesus in Cana of May 11, Mom. S. JOHIs^ II. Nov. 11, Even. Galilee, and manifested forth his glory ; and his disciples believed on him. After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples : and they continued there not many days. And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting : and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen ; and x>oured out the changers^ money, and overthrew the tables ; and said unto them that sold doves, Tiike these things hence ; make not my Father^s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples re- membered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things ? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days ? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them ; and they be- lieved the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man ; for he knew what was in man. May 12, Mom. S. JOHN, III. A^ov. 12, Even. CHAPTER III. May 12, Morning ; JVb?;. 12, Evening. THERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews : the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God : for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born again, he can- not see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born ? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee. Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it coraeth, and whither it goeth : so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him. How can these things be ? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things ? Verily, verily, I say unto thee. We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen ; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things ? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wil- May 13, Mom, S. JOHN, IIL Nov. 13, Even. derness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up : that -whosoever beUeveth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world ; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not con- demned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. 3/rtV 13, Jlorning; Nov. 13, Evening. AFTER these things came Jesus and his dis- jLjL ciples into the land of Jud^a ; and there he tarried with them, and baptized. And John also was baptizing in ^non near to Salim, because there was much water there : and they came, and were baptized. For John was not yet cast into prison. Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. May 14, Mom. S. JOHN, IV. Kov. li,Evm. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom : but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice : this my joy therefore is ful- filled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all : he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth : he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testi- fieth ; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God : for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life : and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him. CHAPTER IV. May 14, Morning; JNov. 14, Evening. WHEN therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) he left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well : and it was about May \\, Mom. S. JOHN, IV. Kov.l^, Even. the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Sa- maria to draw water : Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria ? for the Jews have no deal- ings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink ; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep : from whence then hast thou that living water ? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle ? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again : but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her. Go, call thy hus- band, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband : for thou hast had five husbands ; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband : in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain ; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to May 15, Morn. S. JOHN, IV. ' Nov. 15, Even. worship, Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what : we know what we worship : for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth : for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit : and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ : when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman : yet no man said, What seekest thou ? or, Why talkest thou, with her ? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did : is not this the Christ ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. May 15, Morning ; Nov. 15, Evening. IN the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. There- fore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat ? Jesus saith unto them. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest ? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields ; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth re- ceiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life +— ■ May lo;Mom. S. JOHN, IV. Xov. 15, Even. eternal : that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein, is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour ': other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testiiied, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them : and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word ; and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying : for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee. For Jesus himself testified, that a pro- phet hath no honour in his own country. Then when he was come mto Galilee, the Gcdilseans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast : for they also went unto the feast. So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son : for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto hun. Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way ; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and May 16, Morn. S. JOHN, V. Nov. 16, Even. he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth : and himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee. CHAPTER V. May 16, Morning ; Kov. 16, Evening. A FTER this there was a feast of the Jews ; _lV- and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water : whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, Avhich had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole ? The impotent man an- swered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool : but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him. Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked : and May 16, Mom. S. JOHN. V. . ITov. 16, Even, on the same day was the sabbath. The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day : it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me. Take up thy bed, and walk. Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk ? And he that was healed wist not who it was : for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in thai place. Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole : sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. The man de- parted, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay liim, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them. My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. There- fore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making him- self equal with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto you. The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do : for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son like^vise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth : and he \vill shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth j whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son : that all men should honour the Son, even as May 17, Mom. S. JOHN, V. Nov. 17, Even. they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. May 17, Morning ; Nov. 17, Evening. TTERILY, verily, I say unto you, He that V heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation ; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God : and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself ; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, beauise he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth ; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of mine own self do nothing : as I hear, I judge : and my judgment is just ; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me ; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man : but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John : for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the Maij 18, Mom. S. JOHN, YL Kov. 18, Even. same works that I do. bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father him- self, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you : for whom he hath sent, him ye beUeve not. Search the scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have eternal life : and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not : if another shall come in his own name, him ye wUl receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that Cometh from God only ? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father : there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me : for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his Avritings, how shall ye believe my words ? CHAPTER VI. May 18, Morning ; Nov. IS, Evening. AFTER these things Jesus went over the sea jLjL 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 lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto May 18, Morn. S. JOHN, TI. Kov. 18, Even. Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat ? And this he said to prove him : for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes : but what are they among so many ? And Jesus said. Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves ; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down ; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments 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 Avorld, When Jesus there- fore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, and entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking May 19, Mom. S. JOHX, VI. Jiov. 19, Even. on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship : and they were afraid. But he saith unto them, It is I ; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship : and immediately the ship was at the land wliither they went. May 19, Morning ; ^Voi?. 19, Evening. THE day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone ; (howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks :) when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side I of the sea, they said unto him. Rabbi, when I earnest thou hither ? Jesus answered them and j said, Verily, verily, I say unto you. Ye seek me, I not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye I did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that ! meat which endnreth unto everlasting life, which j the Son of man shall give unto you : for him I hath God the Father sealed. Then said they I unto him, What shall we do, that we might i work the works of God ? Jesus answered and I said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent They said ' therefore unto him, "What sign she west thou then, \ that we may see, and believe thee ? what dost thou work i Our fathers did eat manna in the May 20, Morn. S. JOHN, VI. Nov. 20. Even. desert ; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, veril}'", I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven ; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life : he that cometh to me shall never hunger ; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me ; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of hira that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have ever- lasting life : and I will raise him up at the last day. May 20, Morning ; Nov. 20, Evening. THE Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven ? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him : and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And i May 20, Morn. S. JOHN, VI. Kov. 20, Even. I they shall be all taught of God. Every man I therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of ! the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any ! man hath seen the Father, save he Tvhich is 1 of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, j verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on \ me hath everlastino; life. I am that bread of j life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilder- j ness, and are dead. This is the bread which ' i cometh do\vn from heaven, that a man may ; eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread j which came down from heaven : if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever : and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which j I will give for the life of the Avorld. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, ; : How can this man give us his flesh to eat i Then | Jesus said unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto i you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, j and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life ; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father : so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven : not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead : he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had beard this, said, This is an hard saying ; who can hear it \ When Jesus knew in himself that his May 21, Mom. \ S. JOHN, VII. Nov. 21, Even. disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you ? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before ? It is the spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profit- eth nothing : the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve. Will ye also go away ? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go ? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon : for he it Avas that should betray him, being one of the twelve. CHAPTER VII. May 21, Morning ; Nov. 21, Evening. A FTEE these things Jesus walked in Galilee : J\. for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him. Depart hence, and go into Judsea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. For neither did bis + 4 May 21, Morn. S. JOHN, VII. Nov. 21, Even. brethren believe in hiin. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not vet come : but your time is alway ready. The world amnot hate you ; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast : I go not up yet unto this feast ; for my time is not yet full come. When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up, then Avent he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he ? And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him : for some said, He is a good man : others said, Nay ; but he deceiveth the people. How- beit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews. Now about tlie midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned ? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or ichether I speak of myself. He that sp&iketh of himself seeketh his own glory : but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law ? ^^"hy go ye about to kill me ? The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee ? Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision ; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers ;) and ye on the sabbath day Mmj 22, Mom. S. JOHIS", VII. Nov. 22, Even. circumcise a man. If a man on the sabbath day- receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken ; are ye ano:ry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sab- bath day ? Judge not according to the appear- ance, but judge righteous judgment. May 22, Morning ; Nov. 22, Evening. THEN said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill ? But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ ? Howbeit we know this man whence he is : but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying. Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am : and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him : for I am from him, and he hath sent me. Then they sought to take him : but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come. And many of the people beheved on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done ? The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him ; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. Then said Jesus ! nnto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and ! then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek ' me, and shall not find me ; and where I am, ; thither ye cannot come. Then said the Jews I among themselves. Whither will he go, that we shall not find him *? will he go unto the dispersed ! among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? , -^„j^ May 22, Mom. S. JOHN, YII. Nov. 22, Even. What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me : and where I am, thither ye cannot come ? In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believe th on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive : for the Holy Ghost was not yet given ; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said. Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee ? Hath not the scripture said. That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was ? So there w^as a division among the people because of him. And some of them would have taken him ; but no man laid hands on him. Then came the officers to the chief priests and PliarLsees ; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him ? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also de- ceived ] Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him ] But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that Ciime to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth I They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee ? Search, and look : for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. And every man. went unto his own house. May 23, Mom. S. JOHN, VIIL Nov. 23, Even, CHAPTER VIII. May 23, Morning ; Nov. 23, Evening. JESUS went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him ; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery ; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adulter}'", in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned : but what sayest thou ? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped do^^m, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last : and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers ? hath no man con- demned thee ? She said. No man. Lord. And Jesus said unto her. Neither do I condemn thee : go, and sin no more. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying', I am the light of the world : he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of May 23, Morn. S. JOHX, VIII. Xov. 23, Even. thyself ; thy record is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, ijd my record is true : for I know whence I aime, and whither I go ; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh : I judge no man. And yet ifl judge, my judgment is true : for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also WTitten in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth Avitness of me. Then said they unto him. Where is thy Father ? Jesus answered. Ye neither know me, nor my Father : if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the tem- ple : and no man laid hands on him ; for his hour was not yet come. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins : whither I go, ye can- not come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself ? because he saith. Whither I go, ye can- not come. Aud he said unto them. Ye are from beneath ; I am from above : ye are of this world ; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins : for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Then said they unto him. Who art thou ? And Jesus saith unto them. Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you : but he that sent me is true ; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father, May 24, Mom. S. JOHN, VIII. Nov. 24, Even. have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me : the Father hath not left me alone ; for I do always those things that please him. As he spake these words, many believed on him. May 24, Morning; Nov. 24, Evening. THEN said Jesus to those Jews which be- lieved on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed ; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man : how sayest thou. Ye shall be made free ? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever : hut the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham^s seed ; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father : and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God : this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him. We be not born of forni- cation ; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me : for I proceeded forth and camei 4- — May 2i, Mom. S. JOHN, Till. ' Kov. 2i, Even. from God ; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech ? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your fiither the devil, and the lusts of your fether ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. AVhen he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own : for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not Which of you con- vinceth me of sm ? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me ? He that is of God heareth God's words : ye therefore hear them not, be- cause ye are not of God. Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil ? Jesus answered, I have not a devil ; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. And I seek not mine own glory : there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, K a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a deviL Abraham is dead, and the prophets ; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our fiither Abraham, which is dead ? and the prophets are dead : whom makest thou thyself ? Jesus answered. If I honour myself, my honour is nothing : it is my Father that honoureth me ; of whom ye say, that he is your God : yet ye have not known him ; but I know him : and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you : but I know him, and keep his saying. Your father Abraham re- joiced to see my day : and he saw it, and was May 25, Morn. S. JOHN, IX. Nov. 25, Even. glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham ? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him : but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so pass- ed by. CHAPTER IX. May 25, Morning ; Nov. 25, Evening. AND as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which j\. was blind from his birth. And his disci- ples asked him, saying. Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he Avas born blind ? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents : but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day : the night cometh, when no man can w^ork. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said. Is not this he that sat and begged ? Some said. This is he : others said, He is like him : hut he said, I am he. Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened ? He answer- ed and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, May 25, Mom. S. JOHN, IX. Nov. £5, Even. Go to the pool of Siloam, and wasli : and I went and washed, and I received sight. Then said they unto hiin, Where is he ? He said, I know not. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore said some of the Phari- sees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said. How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles I And there was a division among them. They say unto the blind man again. What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes ? He said, He is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and re- ceived his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying. Is this your son, who ye say was born blind \ how then doth he now see ] His parents answered them and said. We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind : but by what means he now seeth, we know not ; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not : he is of age ; ask him : he shall speak for himself. These ivords spake his parents, because they feared the Jews : for the Jews had agreed al- ready, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age ; ask him. Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise : we know that this man is a sinner. He answered May 26, M(ym. S. JOHN, IX. Nov. 26, Even. and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not : one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, AVhat did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes ? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear : wherefore would ye hear it again 1 will ye also be his disciples ? Then they reviled him, and said. Thou art his disciple ; but we are Moses^ disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses : as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto them. Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners : but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast alto- gether bom in sins, and dost thou teach us ? And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out ; and when he had found him, he said unto him. Dost thou believe on the Son of God 1 He answered and said. Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him ? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. May 26, Morning ; Nov. 26, Evening. A ND Jesus said, For judgment I am come into JLX. this world, that they which see not might see ; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were l2G] 5 May 26, Mom. S. JOHN, X. Nov. 26, Even. with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also ? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin : but now ye sav, We see ; therefore vour sin remaineth. CHAPTER X Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth ; and the sheep hear his voice : and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him : for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him : for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them : but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verUy, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers : but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door : by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy : I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly, I am the good shepherd : the good shejiherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth : and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, May 27, Mom. S. JOHN, X. Nov. 27, Even. and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father : and I lay down my hfe for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice ; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay doAvn my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. And many of them said. He hath a devil, and is mad ; why hear ye him ? Others said. These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind ? May 27, Morning ; Nov. 27, Evening. A ND it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedi- JLlL cation, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt ? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus an- swered them, I told you, and ye believed not : the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me : and I give unto them eternal life ; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Fa- ther, which gave them me, is greater than all ; May 28, Morn. S. JOHN, XL " Nov. 28, Even. and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father ; for which of those works do ye stone me ? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not ; but for blasphemy ; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them. Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods ? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken ; say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blas- phemest ; because I said, I am the Son of God ] If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, be- lieve the works : that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. There- fore they sought again to take him : but he escaped out of their hand, and went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized ; and there he abode. And many re- sorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle : but all things that John spake of this man were true. And many believed on him there. CHAPTER XL May 28, Morning ; Nov. 28, Evening. "VfOW a certiiin man was sick, named Lazarus, XN of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sis- ter Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) There- fore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, May 29, Mom. S. JOHN, XI, Nov. 29, Even, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. ^\Tien Jesus heard that, he said. This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judsea again. His disciples say unto him, Master,- the Jews of late sought to stone thee ; and goest thou thither again ? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day ? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. These things said he : and after that he saith unto them. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth ; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death : but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe ; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. May 29, Morning; Nov. 29, Evening. THEN when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off : and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she May 29, Morru • S. JOHX, XL Xov. 29, Even. heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him : but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Mar- tha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy bro- ther shall rise again. ISIartha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrec- tion at the last day. Jesus said unto her. I am the resurrection, and the life : he that belie veth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live : and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this I She saith unto him. Yea, Lord : I believe that thou art the Clirist, the Son of God, which should come into the world. And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, say- ing. The JNIaster is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Mar- tha met him. The Jews then wliich were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying. She goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him. she fell down at his feet, saying imto him. Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, Where have ye laid him ? They said unto him. Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him ! And some of them May 30, Morn. S. JOHN, XL Dec. 1, Even. said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It Avas a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said. Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him. Lord, by this time he stinketh : for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou should- est see the glory of. God ? Then they took away the stone from the 'place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always : but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes : and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them. Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. May 30, Morning; Dec. 1, Evening. THEN gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we ? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him : and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, May 30, Mom. S. JOHN, XII. Dec. 1, Even. said unto them, Ye know nothing at alL, nor con- sider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself : but being high priest that year, he pro- phesied that Jesus should die for that nation ; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews ; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. And the Jews^ passover was nigh at hand : and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves. Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among them- selves, as they stood in the temple. What think ye, that he will not come to the feast ? Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a com- mandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him. CHAPTER XII. Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper ; and Martha served : but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Tlien took Mary a pound of oint- ment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jasus, and wiped his feet with her hair : and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, May 30, Mom. S, JOHN, XII. Dec. 1, Even. Why wns not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor ? This he said, not that he cared for the poor ; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone : against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you ; but me ye have not always. Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there : and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death ; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus. On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna : Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon ; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion : behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. These things understood not his disciples at the first : but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. The people there- fore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record. For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing ? behold, the world is gone after him. May 31, Mom. S. JOKN", XII. Dec. 2, Even. May 31, Morning; Dec. 2, Evening. A XD there M-ere certain Greeks among them J\. that came up to worship at the feast : the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew : and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say imto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone : but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it ; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me ; and where I am, there shall also my ser^-ant be : if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. Now is my soul troubled ; and what shall I say ] Father, save me from this hour : but for this cause aune I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people there- fore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered : others said. An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said. This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world : now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die. The people answered him. We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever : and how sayest thou. The Son of man must be lifted up ? who is this Son of man ? Then Jesus said unto May 31, Mom. S. JOHX, XII. Dec. 2, Even. them, Yet a little while is the lisht with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkiiess come upon you : for he that walketh in darloiess knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him : that the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, Avho hath believed our report ? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed ? Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again. He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart ; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him. Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him ; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue ; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Jesus cried and said. He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not : for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him : the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of June 1, Mom. S. JOHN, XIIT. Dec. 3, Evev, myself ; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and Avhat I should sj^eak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting : whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I spea,k. CHAPTER XIII. June 1, Morning; Dec. 3, Evening. 1^ OW before the feast of the passover, when JAI Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Isciiriot, Simon's son. to betray him ; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God ; he riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments ; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wjxsh the dis- ciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter : and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet ? Jesus answered and said unto him. What I do thou knowest not now ; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him. Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him. If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also imj hands and my head. Jesus saith to him. He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit : and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him ; therefore said + -^ June 2, Mom. S. JOHN, XIII. Dec. 4, Even. he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you ? Ye call me Master and Lord : and ye say well ; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet ; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord ; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. I speak not of you all : I know whom I have chosen : but that the scrip- ture may be fulfilled. He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that receiveth whom- soever I send receiveth me ; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. June 2, Morning ; Dec. 4, Evening. WHEN Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it ? Jesus answered. He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the June 3, Mom. S. JOHJf, XIV. Dec. 5, Even. son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into hini. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast ; or, that he should give something to the poor. He then having received the sop went immediately out : and it was night. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said. Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified u\ him, God shall also glorify liim in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me : and as I Siud unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come ; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another ; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou ? Jesus answered him. Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now ; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him. Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. Jesus answered him. Wilt thou lay down thy life for iny sake ? Verily, verily, I say unto thee. The cock shall not crow, till thou bast denied me thrice. CHAPTER XIV. June 3, Morning ; Dec. 5, Evening. LET not your heart be troubled : ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's 1 June 3, Moi-n. S. JOHN, XIV. Dec. 5, Even. house are many mansions : if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself ; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest ; and how can we know the way 1 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life : no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also : and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him. Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip '] he that hath seen me hath seen the Father ; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father ? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of my- self : but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me : or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also ; and greater works than these shall he do ; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may fibide with you for ever ; even the Spirit of June 3, Mom. ' S. JOHN, XIV. Dec. 5, Even. truth ; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him : but ye know him ; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless : I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more ; but ye see me : because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me : and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to hiuL Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world ? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words : and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings : and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you : not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father : for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, Jtme 4, Mom. S. JOHN, XV. Dec. 6, Even. ye might believe. Hereafter I will not talk much with you : for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father ; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence. CHAPTER XV. June 4, Morning ; Bee. 6, Evening. I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away : and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch can- not bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches : He that abid- eth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit : for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered ; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my Avords abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit ; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you : continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love ; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my com- mandment, That ye love one another, as t have [. June 4, Mom. S. JOHN, XY. Dec. 6, Even. loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants ; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth : but I have called you friends ; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain : that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own : but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Ee- member the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have prsecuted me. they will also persecute you ; if they have kept my saying, they will keep your's also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin : but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin : but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from June 5, Morru S. JOHN, XVI. Dec. 7, Even. the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which pro- ceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me : and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. CHAPTER XVI. June 5, Morning ; Dec. 7, Evening. THESE things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues : yea, the time cometh, that whosoever kiQeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may re- member that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go my way to him that sent me ; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou ? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth ; It is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; hut if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment : of sin, because they believe not on me ; of righ- teousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more ; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth : for he shall not speak of himself ; but whatsoever he shall hear, June 6, Morn. S. JOHN, XVI. Dec. S, Even. that shall he speak : and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me : for he shall re- ceive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine : therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. .June 6", Morning; Dec. 8, Evening. A LITTLE while, and ye shall not see me : and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father, Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little whde. and ye shall not see me : and again, a little while, and ye shall see me : and. Because I go to the Father ? They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while ? we a\nnot tell what he saith. Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, 'Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me : and again, a little while, and ye shall see me ? Yerily, verily, I Sciy unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice : and ye shall besorrowfid, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come : but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow : but I wUl see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Yerily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name : ask, and ye shall June 7, Morn. S. JOHX, XVII. Dec. 9, Even. receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs : but the time Cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name : and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you : for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world : again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee : by this we believe that thou eamest forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe ? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone : and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation : but be of good cheer ; I have overcome the world. CHAPTER XVII. June 7, Morning ; Dec. 9, Evening. THESE Avords spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come ; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee : as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true June 7, Mom, S. JOHN, XVII. Dec. 9, Even. God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth : I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world : thine they were, and thou gavest them me ; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me ; and they have received them, and have known surely that I cjime out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them : I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me ; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine ; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. \\'hile I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name : those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition ; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee ; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in them- selves. I have given them thy word ; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the' world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even June 8,Mor7i. S. JOHN, XVIII. Dec. 10, Even. as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth : thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word ; that they all may be one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us : that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them ; that they may be one, even as we are one : I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one ; and that the Avorld may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am ; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me : for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. righteous Father, the world hath not known thee : but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it : that the love wherewith tliou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. CHAPTER XVIII. June 8, Morning ; Dec. 10, Evening, WHEN Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples. And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place : for f, June S, Morn. S. JOHN, XYIIL Dec. 10, Eveii. Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples. Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, Cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon hun, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye ? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then 5\sked he them again, Whom seek ye ? And they said, Jesus of Naza- reth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he : if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way : that the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which ^hou gavest me have I lost none. Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ? Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, and led him away to Annas first ; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple : that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door with- out. Then went out that other disciple, which June 9, Mom. S. JOHN, XVIII. Dec.U, Even. ■was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto jter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples ? He saith, I am not. And the ser- vants and ofl&cers stood there, who had made a fire of coals ; for it was cold : and they warmed themselves : and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself. The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world ; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort ; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me ? ask them which heard me, what I liave said unto them : behold, they know what I said. And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so ? Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil : but if well, why smitest thou me ? Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest. And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him. Art not thou also one of his disciples ? He denied it, and said, I am not. One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut otf, saith. Did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter then denied again : and immediately the cock crew. June 9, Morning : Dec. 11, Evening. THEN led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment : and it was early ; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled ; but that they might — June 9, Mora. S. JOHN, XYIII. Dec. 11, Even. eat the passover. Pilate then went out unto them, and said, "What accusation bring je against [ this man ? They answered and said unto him, I If he were not a malefactor, we would not have I delivered him up unto thee. Then said Pilate | unto them. Take ye him, and judge him according to Tour law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawfal for us to put any man to death : that the sa}Tng of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die. Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said imto him. Art thou the King of the Jews ? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others teli it thee of me ? Pilate answered. Am I a Jew ? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me : what hast thou done ? Jesus answered. My kingdom is not of this world : if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews : but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then ? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith imto him. What is truth ? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith imto them, I find in him no fault at all. But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover : will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews ? Then cried they all again, saying. Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. June 10, Mom. S. JOHN, XIX. Dec. 12, Even. CHAPTER XIX. June 10, Morning ; Dec. 12, Evening. THEN Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, and said, Hail, King of the Jews ! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth agam, and saith unto them. Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them. Behold the man ! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him : for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him. We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid ; and went again into the judg- ment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou ? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee ? Jesus answered. Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above : therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him : but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend : whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus June 10, Morn. S. JOHX, XIX. Dec. 12, Even. forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour : and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King ! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them. Shall I crucify your King ? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Ctesar. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the 'place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha : where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writinsr was, JESUS OF NAZAEETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews : for the -place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city : and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, Tlie King of the Jews ; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered. What I have written I have written. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part ; and also his coat : now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be : that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith. They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. June 12, Mom. S. JOHN, XIX. Dec. IZ, Even. Junel2, Morning ; Dec. 13, Evening. NOW there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the loife of Cleophas, and ISIary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother. Woman, behold thy son ! Then saith he to the disciple. Behold thy mother ! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar : and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished : and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs : but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out l^lood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true : and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scriptiu-e saith. They shall look on him whom they pierced. And after this Joseph of June 13, 3Iom. S. JOHN, XX. Dec. 14, Even. Arimathsea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus : and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nico- demus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden ; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day ; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand. CHAPTER XX. June 13, Morning; Dec. 14, Evening. THE first day of the week cometh ^Mary ^Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them. They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together : and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying ; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes June 13, Morn. S. JOHN, XX. Dec. U, Even. lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping : and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her. Woman, why weepest thou 1 She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her. Woman, why weepest thou ? whom seekest thou ? She, sup- posing him to be the gardener, saith unto him. Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni ; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her. Touch me not ; for I am not yet ascended to my Father : but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father ; and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. June 14, J[oni. S. JOHN, XX. Dec. 15, IJven. June 14, Morning; Dec. 15, Evening. THEN the same day at evenincr, being the first dm/ of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you : as my Father hath sent me, even so send t you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Eeceive ye the Holy Ghost : whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them ; aiid whose soever sins ye retam, they are retained. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto Mm, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them : then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said. Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands ; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side : and be not faitliless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed : blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. And many j other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of + June 15, Morn. S. JOHN, XXL Dec. 16, Even. his disciples, which are not written in this book : but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing ye might have life through his name. CHAPTER XXI. June 15, Morning; Dec. 16, Evening, AFTER these things Jesus shewed himself jljL again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias ; and on this wise shewed he himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didy- mus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immedi- ately ; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore : but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Chil- dren, have ye any meat ] They answered him, No. And he said unto them. Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. There- fore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him., (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship ; (for they Avere not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus June 15, Morn. S. JOHX, XXI. Dec. 16, Even. saith unto them. Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Sunon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three ; and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him. Who art thou ? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish like- wise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed hunseK to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these ? He saith unto him. Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me ? He saith unto him. Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Sunon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me ? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me ? And he said unto him. Lord, thou knowest all things ; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee. When thou wast young, thou girdedst thy- self, and walkedst whither thou wouldest : but when thou shalt be old, thoti shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry tJue whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith imto him. Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following ; Ju7ie 16, Morn. THE ACTS, I. Jan. 2, Even. which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee ? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do ? Jesus saith unto him. If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? follow thou me. Then went this sajdng abroad among the brethren, that that . disciple should not die : yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die ; but. If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things : and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. ACTS OP THE APOSTLES. CHAPTER L June 16, Morniag ; Jan. 2, Evening. THE former treatise have I made, Theophi- lus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen : to whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God : and, being assembled together with them, comm^mded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, Ju)iel6,Mor7t. THE ACTS, I. Jan. 2, Even. saith he^je have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water ; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, sa}-ing. Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ? And he said unto them. It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jeru- salem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was tiiken up ; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel ; which also said. Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and ]Matthew, James the son of Alpha?us. and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together June 17, M(ym. THE ACTS, II. Jan. 3, Even. were about an hundred and twenty.) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was niunbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity ; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem ; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be deso- late, and let no man dweU therein : and his bishoprick let another take. Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, that he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots ; and the lot fell upon Matthias ; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. CHAPTER IL June 17, Morning ; Jan. 3, Evening. AND when the day of Pentecost was fully Jl\.. come, they were all with one accord in one Jwie 17, Morn. THE ACTS, IT. Ja7i. 3, Even. place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing micrhty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fixe, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelhng at Jerusalem Jews, devout men. out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were con- founded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they Avere all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak GaUlseans ? and how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born ? Parthians, and jMedes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in jMesopotamia, and in Judcea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phiygia, and Pamphylia, in Egy])t, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Eome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the won- derful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another. What meaneth this ? Others mocking said. These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them. Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words : for these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel ; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour June 18, Morn. THE ACTS, II. Jan. 4, Even. out of my Spirit upon all flesh : and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams : and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit ; and they shall prophesy : and I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath ; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke : the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come : and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. June 18, Morning ; Jan. 4, Evening. E men of Israel, hear these words ; Jesus Y of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know : him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain : whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death : because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved : there- fore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad ; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope : because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life ; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, June 18, Mam. THE ACTS, II. Jan. 4, Even. that he is both dead and biiried, and his sepul- chre is with lis unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne ; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul wa« not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens : but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Kow when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles. Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them. Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off. even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying. Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized : and the same day there were added vMo them about three thousand souls. And they continued June 19, Morn. THE ACTS, III. Jan. 5, Even. stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellow- ship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul : and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common ; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all Tnen, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and ha\dng favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. CHAPTER III. June 19, Morning ; Jan. 5, Evening. NOW Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple ; who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said. Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said. Silver and gold have I none ; but such as I have give I thee : In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up : and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God : and June. 19, Morn. THE ACTS, III. Jan. 5, Even. they knew that it wos he which sat for alms at the Beautiful crate of the temple : and they w^ere filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering. And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this ? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk I The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus ; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was deter- mined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you ; and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead ; whereof we are witnesses. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know : yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his pro- phets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Eepent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord ; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you : whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitu- tion of all things, which God hath spoken by June 20, Morn. THE ACTS, IV. Jan. 7, Even. the mouth of all his holy prophets since the ■world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me ; him shall je. hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. CHAPTER IV. June 20, Morning ; Jan. 7, Evening. AND as they spake unto the people, the priests, jl\. and the cjiptain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached tlirough Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day : for it was now eventide. How- beit many of them which heard the word believed ; and the number of the men was about five thousand. And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, and Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered June 20, 3[(ym. THE ACTS, IT. Jan. 7, Even, together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked. By what power, or by what name, have ye done this ? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them. Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole ; be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at noucrht of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveUed ; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among them- selves, saying, What shall we do to these men ? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem ; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak hence- forth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them. Whether it June 20, Mom. THE ACTS, IV. Jan. 7, Even. be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people : for all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed. And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said. Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is : who by the mouth of thy ser^'^ant David hast said. Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things 1 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now. Lord, behold their threatenings : and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal ; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together ; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. June 21, 3Iorn. THE ACTS, V. Jan. 8, Even. June 21, Morning; Jan. 8, Evening. A ISTD the multitude of them that believed were J\. of one heart and of one soul : neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own ; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus : and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that hicked : for as many as were possessors of lauds or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet ; and distribution was made imto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. CHAPTER V. But a certain man named Ananias, with Sap- phira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back 'part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certiiin part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own ? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power I why liast thou conceived this thing in thine heart ? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost : and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and June 22, Morn. THE ACTS, V. Jan. 9, Even. carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her. Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much ? And she said. Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye hare agreed together to tempt the Spirit oi the Lord ? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost : and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, bui:ied her by her hus- band. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people ; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon^s porch. And of the rest durst no man join himself to them : but the people magnified them. And believers were the more added to the Lord, mul- titudes both of men and women.) Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bring- ing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits : and they were healed every one. .June 22, Morning ; Jan. 9, Evening. THEN the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles, and put June 22, Morn. THE ACTS, V. Jan. 9, Even. them ill the common prison. But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him. and called the coimcil together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors : but when we had opened, we found no man within. Now when the high priest and the oiptain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence : for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council : and the high priest asked them, saying. Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in tliis name I and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doc- trine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to he a June 22, Mom. THE ACTS, V. Jan. 9, Even. Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his ■witnesses of these things ; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. Then stood there up one in the council, a Phari- see, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space ; and said unto them. Ye men of Israel, take heed to your- selves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these daj^s rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody ; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves : who was slain ; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Gali- lee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him : he also perished ; and all, eveii as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, Kefrain from these men, and let them alone : for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought : but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it ; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. And to him they agreed : and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they com- manded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. June 23, J/ora. THE ACTS, VI. Jan. 10, Even. CHAPTER VI. June 23, Morning ; Jan. 10, Evening. A ND in those days, when the number of the J\. disciples was multiplied, there arose a mur- muring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the mul- titude of the disciples iinto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. "Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, fiiU j of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And tliis saying pleased the whole multitude : and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Xicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of An- tioch : whom they set before the apostles : and when they had prayed, they kid their hands on them. And the word of God increased ; and the number of the disciples multiphed in Jeru- salem greatly ; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certiiin of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they ! Jiine 25, Mom. THE ACTS, VII. Jan. 11, Even. Stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him., and caught him, and brought him to the council, and set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law : for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Closes delivered us. And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. CHAPTER VII. June 25, Morning; Jan. 11, Evening. THEN said the high priest. Are these things so? And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken ; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he Avas in Meso- potamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him. Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldseans, and dwelt in Charran : and from thence, when his father was dead, he re- moved him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so 'much as to set his foot on : yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land ; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God : and after that shall they come forth, and serve June 25, Mom. THE ACTS, YII. Jaru 11, Even, me in this place. And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day ; and Isaac begat Jacob ; and Jacob begat the twelve patri- archs. And the ]xitriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt : but God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt ; and he made him go- vernor over Eg}-pt and all his house. Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction : and our fathers found no sustenance. But when Jacob heard that there was com in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren ; and Josephs kin- dred was made known unto Pharaoh. Then sent Joseph, and called his ftither Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, and were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem. But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. The same dealt subtilly with our kin- dred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live. In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up lq his father's house three months : and when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. And Moses was June 25, Mom. THE ACTS, VII. Jan. 11, Even. learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian : for he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them : but they understood not. And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren ; why do ye wrong one to another 1 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us ? Wilt thou kdl me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yes- terday? Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush, W^hen Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight : and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord cjime unto him, sayinrj, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet : for the place where thou standest is holy ground. I have seen, I have seen the afiliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. June 26, Mom. THE ACTS. YU. Jan. 12, Even. June 26, Morning ; Jan. 12, Evening, THIS IMoses whom they refused, saying, "Who made thee a ruler and a judfre ? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bash. He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me ; him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers : who received the lively oracles to give unto us : to whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Eg>^t, saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us : for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egj'pt, we wot not what is become of him. And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven ; as it is written in the book of the pro- phets, ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices hy the space of forty years in the wilderness ? Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them : and I will carry you away beyond Ba- bylon. Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to Jtme 26, Morii. THE ACTS, VII. Jan. 12, Even. the fashion that he had seen. Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David ; who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built him an house. How- beit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands ; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool : what house will ye build me ? saith the Lord : or what is the place of my rest ? Hath not my hand made all these things ? Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost : as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted ? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One ; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers : who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Be- hold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him : and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and say- ing. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. - And he June 27, Morn. THE ACTS, Vm. Jan. 13, Even, kneeled down, and cried ^\'ith a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. CHAPTEE YIII. And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church whicli was at Jerusalem ; and they were all scattered abroad tliroughout the regions of Judrea and Samaria, except the apos- tles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. Jurie 27, Morning; Ja)i. 13, Evening. THEN Philip went down to the city of Sa^ maria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, cr}'ing with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them : and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man, called Simon, which before- time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one : to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, beciiuse that of long time he had be- witched them with sorceries. But when they be- lieved Philip preaching the things concerning June 27, Mom. THE ACTS, VIII. Jan. 13, Even. the kincrdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also : and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and won- dered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John : who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost : (for as yet he was fallen upon none of them : only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he oifered them money, saying. Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him. Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be pur- chased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter : for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I per- ceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jeru- salem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. [28J Jime 28, Mom. THE ACTS, VIII. Jan. 14, Even. June 28, Morning; Jan. 14, Evening. A XD the aiigel of the Lord spake unto Philip, J\. saying. Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went : and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her trea- sure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias. and said, Understandest thou what thou readest / And he said, How can I, except some inan should guide me ] And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this. He Avas led as a sheep to the slaughter ; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth : in his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation ] for his life is tiiken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this ? of himself, or of some other man \ Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they aime unto a certain water : and the eunuch said. See, hert is water ; what doth hinder me to be baptized ? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he an- swered and said, 1 believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And h.e commanded the chariot June -30, M&rn. THE ACTS, IX. Jan. 15, Even. to stand still : and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch ; and he baptized liim. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more : and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus : and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Csesarea. CHAPTER IX. June 30, Morning ; Jan. 15, Evening. AND Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and J\. slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the liigh priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus : and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven : and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? And he said. Who art thou. Lord ? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest : it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? And the Lord said unto him. Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth ; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man : but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither did Ju}i€ 30, Morn. THE ACTS, IX. Jan. 15, Even. eat nor drink. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias ; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said. Behold, I am here. Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street Avhich ls called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus : for, behold, he prayetli, and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem : and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind aU tliat call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way : for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel : for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house ; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales : and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the s}aiagogues, that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said ; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that July 1, Mom. THE ACTS, IX. Jan. 16, Even, intent, that he might bring them bound unto the cliief priests ? But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ. July 1, Morning ; Jan. 16, Evening. A ND after that many days were fulfilled, the J\. Jews took counsel to kill him: but their laying await "wa-s known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket. And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples : but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jeru- salem. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians : but they went about to slay him. Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified ; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the com- fort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named ^neas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, ^neas, Jesus Christ maketh thee July 2, Mom. THE ACTS, X. Jan. 17, Even. ■whole : arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord. Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas : this woman was full of good works and alms- deeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died : whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought hun into the upper chamber : and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed ; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes : and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was kno^^Ti throughout all Joppa ; and many believed in the Lord. And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner. CHAPTER X. ■ Jvly 2, Morning ; Jan. 17, Evening. THERE was a certain man in Csesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian hand, a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much Jiilij 2, Mom. THE ACTS, X. Jan. 17, Even. alms to the people, and prayed to God alwaj. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said. What is it. Lord 1 And he said unto him. Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a me- morial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter : he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side : he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him con- tinually ; and when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa. On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour : and he became very hungry, and would have eaten : but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth : wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Pdse, Peter ; kill, and eat. But Peter said. Not so. Lord ; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spalce unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice : and the vessel was received up again into heaven. Now while July 3, Morn. THE ACTS, X. Jan. 18, Even. Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate, and called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. While Peter thought on the rision, the Spirit said unto him. Behold, three men seek thee. Arise there- fore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing : for I have sent them. Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius ; and said. Behold, I am he whom ye seek : what is the cause where- fore ye are come ] And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee. Then CiiUed he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him. Juhj 3, ilorning; Jan. 18, Evening. AND the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And CorneHus waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends. And as Peter was coming in, Cor- nelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, say- ing. Stand up ; I myself also am a man. And as he talked with him, he went in, and found . many that were come together. And he said unto them. Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation : but God July 3, Morn. THE ACTS, X. Jan. 18, Even. hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore came I U7ito you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for : I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me ? And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour ; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. Send there- fore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose sur- name is Peter ; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side : who, when he oometh, shall speak unto thee. Immediately therefore I sent to thee ; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. Then Peter opened Ids mouth, and said. Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons ; but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righte- ousness, is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ : (he is Lord of all :) that word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached ; how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power : who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil ; for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things M'hich he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem ; whom they slew and hanged on a tree : him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly ; not to [28j5 Juhj 4, Morn. THE ACTS, XL all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he com- manded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God ' to he the Judge of quick and dead. To him give . all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remis- sion of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, i the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the I word. And they of the circumcision which I believed were astonished, as many as came with I Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was ! poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they I heard them speak with tongues, and magnify i God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid I water, that these should not be baptized, which i have received the Holy Ghost as well as we ] j And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they liim to tarry certain days. '' CHAPTER XL July 4, Morning; Jan. 19, Evening. A ND the apostles and brethren that were in J\. Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the cir- cumcision contended with him, saying. Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them. But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying, I was in the city of Joppa praying : and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great July 4, Morn. THE ACTS, XI. Jan. 19, Even. sheet, let down from heaven by four corners ; and it came even to me : upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter ; slay and eat. But I said, Not so, Lord : for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth. But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. And this was done three times : and all were drawn up again into heaven. And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me. And the spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house : and he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him. Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter ; who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water ; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ ; what was I, that I could withstand God ? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying. Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that July 4, Mom. THE ACTS, XI. Jan. 19, Eveiu arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch. spake unto the Grecians, preacliing the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them : and a ^eat number believed, and turned unto the Lord. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem : and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who. when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and fuU of the Holy Ghost and of faith : and much people was added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul : and when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto An- tioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world : which came to pass in tlie days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea : winch also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. July 5, Morn. THE ACTS, XII. Jan. 20, Even. CHAPTER XII. July 5, Morning; Jan. 20, Evening. NOW about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered Aim to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him ; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison : but prayer was made with- out ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains : and the keep- ers before the door kept the prison. And, be- hold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison : and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him. Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him ; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel ; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the firet and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city ; which opened to them of his own accord : and they went out, and passed on through one street ; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter July 5, Mom. THE ACTS, XII. Jan. 20, Even. was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and fr(rm all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark ; where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter s voice, she opened not the gat€ for glad- ness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter con- tinued knocking : and when they had opened th^ door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter. And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Csesarea, and there abode. And Herod M'as highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon : but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace ; because their country was nourished by the king's country. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat July 6, Mom. THE ACTS, XIII. Jan. 21, Even. upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And im- mediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory : and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. But the •word of God grew and multiplied. And Barna- bas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled thei7' ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was JMark. CHAPTER XIII. JiUy 6, Morning; Ja7i. 21, Evening. "VrOW there were in the church that was at -LM Antioch certain prophets and teachers ; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Gyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said. Separate me Barna- bas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fiisted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia ; and from thence they sailed to Cypms. And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews : and they had also John to their minister. And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they/ found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jer whose name was Bar-jesus : which was with/ deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, ap/ / man ; who called for Barnabas and S/ X desired to hear the word of God. B/ x^ *' + r July Q, Morn. THE ACTS, XII I. Jan. 21, Even. \ the sorcerer (for so i^ his name by interpretation) i withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the fiiith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, full of all subtilty and all { mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of ; all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert i the right ways of the Lord ] And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a I darkness ; and he went about seeking some to I lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphyha : and John departing from them returneil to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, sajing, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhorta- tion for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of I Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it. And about t^e time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness. And when he had desti'oyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided j,;heir land to them by lot. And after that he Julij 7, Mom. THE ACTS, XIII. Jan. 22, Even. gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the pro- phet. And afterward they desired a king : and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king ; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man^s seed hath God according to his pro- mise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus : when John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am ? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. July 7, Morning ; Jan. 22, Evening. MEN and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you fear- eth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in con- demning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him from the dead : and he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. And we declare July 7, Mom. THE ACTS, XIII. Jan. 22, Even. unto you glad tidiugs, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath ful- filled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again ; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, noio no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give yoa the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fiithers, and saw corruption : but he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore, men and breth- ren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins : and by him all that believe are justiiied from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of iSIoses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets ; Behold, ye despis- ers, and wonder, and perish : for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas : who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled July 8, Morn. THE ACTS, XIV. Jan. 23, Even. with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blas- pheming. Then Paul and Barnabas Avaxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you : but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the j Lord : and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and ex- pelled them out of their coasts. But they shook ofi" the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. CHAPTER XIV. July 8, Morning ; Jan. 23, Evening. A ND it came to pass in Iconium, that they j\. went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great nmltitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil afiected against the brethren. Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testi- mony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. Juhj S, Mom. THE ACTS, XIY. Jan. 23, Even. But the multitude of the city was divided : and part held with the Jews, and part with the apos- tles. And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefullv, and to stone them, they were ware of it, and fled nnto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth roimd about : and there they preached the gospel. And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a crip- ple from his mother^s womb, who never had walked : the same heard Paul speak : who sted- fastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter ; and Paid, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things I We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein : who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful sea- July 9, Morn. THE ACTS, XV. Jan. 24, Even. sons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them. And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the citj'-, supposing he had been dead. How- beit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city : and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed Avith fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia : and thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples. CHAPTER XV. \ily 9, Morning ; Jan. 24, Evening. ND certain men which came down from Judsea taught the brethren, and said, Ex- A^ --f H July 9, Morn. THE ACTS, XV. Jan. 24, Even. cept ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles : and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. And when they were come to JeriLsalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That ic was needful to circum- cise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us ; and put no ditterence between us and them, purifving their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear ] But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and July 9, Mo^-n. THE ACTS, XV. Jan. 24, Even, wondei*s God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me : Simeon hath declared how God at the lirst did visit the GentUes, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets ; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down ; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up : that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God : but that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas ; namely., Judas surnamed Barsa- bas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren : and they wrote letters by them after this manner ; The apostles and elders and brethren send greet- ing unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia : Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subvert- ing your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law : to whom we gave no such July 10, Morn. THE ACTS, XV. Jan. 26, Even. commandment : it seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent there- fore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things ; that ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication : from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. >. July 10, 3Ioniing: Jan. 26, Evening. SO when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch : and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle : which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. And Judas and Sila.s, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them. And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles. Notwith- standing it pleased Silas to abide there still. Paul also and Biirnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas. Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was iSIark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who i departed from them from Pamphylia, and went ; not with them to the work. And the contention July 10, Morn. THE ACTS, XVI. Jan. 26, Even. was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other : and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus ; and Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches. CHAPTER XVI. Then came he to Derbe and Lystra : and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed ; but his father was a Greek : which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him ; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters : for they knew all that his father was a Greek. And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia : but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by JMysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night ; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, im- mediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us July II, Morn. THE ACTS, XYI. Jan. 21 , Even. for to preach the gospel unto thera. Tlierefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Nea- polis ; and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of JMacedonia, and a colony : and we were in that city abiding certain days. And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made ; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought iis, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us. July 11, Morning ; Jan. 27, Evening. A KD it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a jl\. certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us. which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying : the same followed Paul and us, and cried, sa^-ing, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrates, saying. These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach cus- July 11, Morn. THE ACTS, XVI. Jan. 27, Even. toms, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Eomans. And the multitude rose up together against them : and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and com- manded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely : who, havmg received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fost in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God : and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken : and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm : for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said. Sirs, what must I do to be saved ? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes ; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. And when it was day, the magis- trates sent the Serjeants, saying, Let those men ^^ July 1-2, Morn. THE ACTS, XVII. Jan. 2S, Even. go. And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul. The magistrates have sent to let you go : now therefore depart, and go in peace. But Paul said vmto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Eomans, and have cast us into prison ; and now do they thrust us out privily ] nay verily ; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. And the Serjeants told these words unto the magistrates : and they feared, when they heard that l;hey were Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. And they went out of the prison, and entered into the home of Lydia : and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed. CHAPTER XYII. Jiili/ 12, Morning ; Jan. 2S, Evening. "T^rOW when they had pa.ssed through Araphi- Xl polis and Apollonia, they came to Thessa- lonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews : and Paul, as Ills manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the deiid ; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you. is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas ; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring July 13, Mom. THE ACTS, XVII. Jan. 29, Even. I them out to the people. And wheji they found \ them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also ; whom Jason hath received : and these all do contrary to the decrees of Csesar, saying that there is another king, om Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And when they had tiiken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go. And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea : who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed ; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. But when the Jews of Thessa- lonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. And then imme- diately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it ■were to the sea : but Silas and Timotheus abode there still. And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens : and receiving a com- mandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed, July 13, Morning; Jan. 29, Evening. *VrOW while Paul waited for them at Athens, Xl his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore dis- puted he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily July 13, Morn. THE ACTS, XYII. Jan. 29, Even. with them that met with hira. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say I other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods : because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him unto Ai*eopagus, saying. May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is ? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears : we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) Then Paul stood in the midst of IVIars' hill, and said. Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands ; neither Is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things ; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the tiice of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation ; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us : for in him we live, and move, and have our being ; as certain also of your own poets have said. For we are also hLs offspring. Forasmuch then as we + JuIyl4,Monu THE ACTS, XVIII. Jan. 30, Even. are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at ; but now commandeth all men every where to repent : because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained ; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked : and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed : among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. CHAPTER XVIII. July 14, Morning ; Jan. 30, Evening. AFTER these things Paul departed from XjL Athens, and came to Corinth ; and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla ; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome :) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought : for by their occupa- tion they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they opposed themselves, and bksphemed, he shook his rai- ment, and said unto ihem, Your blood h& upon July 14, Morn. THE ACTS, XVIII. Jan. 30, Even. your own heads ; I am clean : from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the sjTiagogue, be- lieved on the Lord with all his house ; and many of the Cbrinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision. Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace : for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee : for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection "with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, saying, This fellow per- suadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. And when Paul was now about to open 7m mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you : but if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it ; for I will be no judge of such matters. And he drave them from the judgment seat. Then all the Greeks took Sos- thenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things. And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and saUed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila ; having shorn his head in Cenchrea : for he had a vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them _ _ ^ July 15, Morn. THE ACTS, XIX. Jan. 31, Even. there : but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. When they desired him to tarry longer time with th^m, he consented not ; but bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusa- lem : but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus. And when he had landed at Csesarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch. And after he had spent some time tlure^ he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. July 15, Morning; Jan. 31, Evening. A ND a certain Jew named Apollos, born at J\. Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord ; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue : whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him : who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace : for he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scrip- tures that Jesus was Christ. CHAPTER XIX. And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus : and finding Juhj 1-3, Morn. THE ACTS, XIX. Jan. 31, Even. certain disciples, he said unto them, Have ye received the HoIt Ghost since ye believed ] And they said imto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them. Unto what then were ye ])aptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should beheve on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them ; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and per- suading the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and beheved not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and sepa- rated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. And this continued by the space of two years ; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. And God wrought special mii-acles by the hands of Paul : so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spuits went out of them. Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, July 16, Morn. THE ACTS, XIX. Feb. I, Even. and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spuit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know ; but who are ye ? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ej^hesus ; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men : and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand incces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed. Juhj 16, Morning; Feb. 1, Evening. A FTER these things were ended, Paul purposed j\. in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, say- ing, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Eras- tus ; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season. And the same time there arose no small stir about that way. For a certain man named De- metrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the crafts- men ; whom he called together with the work- men of like occupation, and said. Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. More- over ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands : July 16, Mom. THE ACTS, XIX. Feb. 1, Even. SO that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought ; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying. Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And the whole city was filled with confusion : and having caught Gains and Aris- tarchus, men of ISIacedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre. And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suflered him not. And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre. Some therefore cried one thing, and some another : for the assembly was confused ; and the more part knew not w^herefore they were come to- gether. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people. But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesiiins. And when the townclerk had appeas^ the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet ■My 17, Morn. THE ACTS, XX. Feb. 2, Even. blasphemers of your goddess. Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies : let them implead one another. But if ye enquire any thing con- cerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly. CHAPTER XX. July 17, Morning ; Feb. 2, Evening. A ND after the uproar was ceased, Paul called J\. unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia. And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, and there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea ; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarcbus and Secundus ; and Gains of Derbe, and Timotheus ; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophinms. These going before tarried for us at Troas. And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days ; where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came to- gether to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow ; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many July IS, Morn. THE ACTS, XX. Feb. 3, Even, lights in the upper chamber, -where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fiillen into a deep sleep : and as Paul was long- preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing Mm said. Trouble not yourselves ; for his life is in him. WTien he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted. And we went before to ship, and sailed imto Assos, there intending to take in Paul : for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to INIitylene. And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios ; and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium ; and the next day we came to Miletus. For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he Avould not spend the time in Asia : for he hasted, if it were ]X)ssible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. July 18, Morning; Feb. 3, Evening. 4 ND from l^Iiletus he sent to Ephesus, and XjL called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I haA'e been -with you at all seasons, serving the Lord ^vith all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews : and how I kept back nothing that was profitable Juhj 18, Mom. THE ACTS, XX. Feb. d, Even, unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, testify- ing both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there : save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the chm-ch of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an in- heritance among all them which are sanctified. I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or — ■■■ — -i- July 19, Mom. THE ACTS, XXI. Feb. 4, Even apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these | hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and" fell on PauFs neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see hLs face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship. CHAPTER XXL July 19, Morning; Feb. 4, Evening. A ND it came to pass, that after we were gotten juL. from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara : and finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth. Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre : for there the ship was to unlade her burden. And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days : who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. And when we had accomplished those days, we de- parted and went our way ; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till loe were out of the city : and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship ; and they returned home again. And when we had finished Jtdy 20, M