son, thou seekest to understand the anomaly, thou art fain to learn the order of things. Hear then a mystery unheard hitherto, behold an operation hitherto unknown, turn thine eyes upon a thing secret, hitherto unsuspected, learn of a work hitherto unwrought. "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee."

Fifth Responsory.

Drop down, ye heavens, &c., (p. 211.)

Sixth Lesson.

ALL the Trinity is at work in thee to

make thee conceive, but it is the Son of God alone Whose Person taketh Flesh in thee as thy Child. And "therefore also that Holy Thing Which shall be" conceived in thee, brought forth of thee, produced of thee, sprung of thee, "born of thee, shall be called the Son of God." For "He shall be great," He shall be the God of powers, the King of all ages, the Maker of all things. Behold, "blessed art thou among women," Virgin among mothers, Lady among damsels, Queen among sisters. Behold, for this "all generations shall call thee blessed," all the powers of heaven know thee to be blessed, all the Prophets tell that thou art blessed, all nations proclaim thee blessed. And, for us, blessed our faith calleth thee, blessed do our souls call thee, blessed doth our love call thee, blessed do our hymns call thee, and blessed shall my words call thee.

Sixth Responsory.

The Lord will teach us, &c., (p. 202.)

THIRD NOCTURN.

First Antiphon. The LORD shall give that which is good, and our land shall yield her increase.

Ps. lxxxiv. LORD, Thou hast been favourable, &c., (p. 67.)

Second Antiphon. He that is both God and Man shall come of the house of David, and sit in David's seat. Alleluia.

Ps. lxxxvi. Her foundation, &c., (p. 68.)

Third Antiphon. Tell it out among the people, and say: Behold, God our Saviour cometh.

Ps. xcv. O sing unto the LORD, &c., (p. 72.)

Verse. The Lord goeth forth from His holy place.

Answer. He cometh to save His people.

If this day be Ember- Wednesday, the following Lessons are not read, but, instead, those on p. 208, (but the Responsories are unaltered.)

Seventh Lesson.

The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gospel according to Luke (i. 26.)

AT that time: The Angel Gabriel was

sent from God, unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a Virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David: and the Virgin's name was Mary. And so on.

Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest [at Jarrow.] (On Luke i., and in the Homilies for the Winter Season. Ember- Wednesday in December.)

There is sent from God unto the Virgin Mary the Angel Gabriel, which name, being interpreted, signifieth "Strong-man-of-God." For he came as the messenger of Him Who was pleased to appear weak in order that He might prevail against the prince of the power of the air, (Eph. ii. 2,) of Him of Whom it is said by the Psalmist, "The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle," (xxiii. 8,) and again, "The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory," (10.) Therefore it was assigned to the Strong-man-of-God to announce that the Lord of hosts, mighty in battle, was coming to wage war against the powers of the air.

:

"And the Angel came in unto her, and said Hail, thou that art full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women."

Meetly is she styled "full of grace" who hath attained a grace gained by no other, that, namely, of conceiving and bringing forth the actual Author of grace.

Seventh Responsory.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, &c., (p. 181.)

"AN

Eighth Lesson.

ND behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His Name JESUS."

The name JESUS is interpreted “Saviour," or "Saving," to which meaning the Angel pointed when he said to Joseph: "Thou shalt call His name JESus, for He shall save His people from their sins." (Matth. i. 21.) He saith not that "He shall save the people of Israël," but that "He shall save His people," that is to say, a people gathered into one faith from among both the circumcised and the uncircumcised, who being thus gathered in, there should be one fold and one Shepherd. (John x. 16.)

"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David."

He, then, that was conceived in that virginal womb, and brought forth therefrom, was the Son of the Highest. He that in time was made of His mother (Gal. iv. 4) is God, begotten of the Father before all worlds. But if the same Person Who is Man is God, let Nestorius cease from saying that it was the Man only Who was born of the Virgin.

Eighth Responsory.

Receive, O Virgin Mary, &c., (p. 184,) with the following addition,

Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

Answer. And thou shalt be called blessed among all women.

Ninth Lesson.

"THEREFORE also that Holy Thing Which shall be born of thee shall

be called the Son of God."

We

JESUS alone is said to be born an Holy Thing, to distinguish such holiness from any holiness of ours. may indeed be made holy, but we are not born holy, for we are hampered by the corrupt condition of our nature, so that every one of us may well groan and say with the Prophet, "For, behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Ps. 1. 6.) He alone is absolutely and essentially Holy, Who to counteract the cor

ruptible condition in nature, was conceived without fleshly coition.

"That Holy Thing Which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." What can be said to this by a Nestorian, who, by denying that the Blessed Mary was Mother of God, flieth directly in the face of this truth? Here is a distinct statement that God is to come upon her, and therefore that the Thing to be born is the Son of God. What escape therefore is there from one of two conclusions, viz., either (1) that the Son of God is not God, or (2) that she who brought forth God is rightly called Theotokos, that is, Mother-ofGod?

The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God, &c.," is said.

LAUDS.

Antiphons as on March 25, (p. 1033,) without Alleluia.

Chapter. (Isa. xi. 1.)

THERE shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Flower shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him. Hymn. Hark a joyful voice, &c., (p. 183.)

Verse. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee.

Answer. And the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.

Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias. He shall sit upon the throne of David, and of his kingdom, for ever.

A Commemoration is made of the Week-day.

PRIME.

Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel, &c., (First Antiphon at Lauds.)

In the Short Responsory is said, Verse. Thou that art come into the world.

Chapter at the end. (Isa. xlv. 8.)

DROP down, ye heavens, from above,

and let the skies pour down the Righteous One: let the earth open, and let her bring forth the Saviour.

'Thou, O Lord, shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion.

Answer. Thou, O Lord, shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion.

Verse. For the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.

Answer. Have mercy upon Zion. Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

Answer. Thou, O Lord, shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion.

Verse. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down the Righteous One.

Answer. Let the earth open, and let her bring forth the Saviour."

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down the Righteous One.

Answer. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down the Righteous One.

Verse. Let the earth open, and let her bring forth the Saviour."

Answer. Let the skies pour down the Righteous One.

Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

Answer. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down the Righteous One.

Verse. "Send forth the Lamb, O Lord, the Ruler of the land.

1 Ps. ci. 14.

Answer. From the Rock in the wilderness unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.

NONE.

Antiphon. Behold the handmaid, &c., (Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)

Chapter as at the end of Prime.

Short Responsory.

Send forth the Lamb, O Lord, the Ruler of the land.

Answer. Send forth the Lamb, O Lord, the Ruler of the land.

Verse. From the rock in the wilderness unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.

Answer. The Ruler of the land. Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

Answer. Send forth the Lamb, O Lord, the Ruler of the land.

Verse. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee.

Answer. And the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.

SECOND VESPERS.

Same as the First, except the following:

Fifth Antiphon. Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.

Ps. cxxxi. LORD, remember David, &c., (p. 160.)

Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed Virgin. O maiden of maidens, how shall this be, since neither before nor henceforth hath there been, nor shall be such another? Daughters of Jerusalem, why look ye curiously upon me? What ye see is a mystery of God.

Commemoration of the Week-day. Antiphon, "O, &c."

JANUARY 23.

Espousal of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Joseph.

Greater Double.

Whatever is not specially given here

2 Isa. xvi. 1.

is taken from the Common Office for Feasts of the Blessed Virgin, (p. 894.)

FIRST VESPERS.

Antiphons, Verse and Answer, and Prayer from Lauds.

Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed Virgin. Let us tell again of the right worthy espousal of the glorious Virgin Mary, who gained the honour of Motherhood without losing the guilelessness of a Maid.

Where it is permitted, the following Commemoration of St. Joseph is made, before any other Commemoration what

ever.

Antiphon. Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the Angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife.

Verse. He made him lord of his house.

Answer. And ruler of all his substance.

Let us pray.

Help us, we beseech Thee, &c., (p. 1026.)

Then are made Commemorations of [the Second Vespers of] SS. Vincent and Anastasius, and of [the First Vespers of] St. Emerentiana.

At Compline the last verse of the Hymn is altered in honour of the Incarnation.

MATTINS.

Invitatory. Let us keep the BridalFeast of the Virgin Mary. * Let us worship Christ, her Son, and her Lord and ours.

FIRST NOCTURN.

First Lesson. Here beginneth the Song of Songs, (i. 1.) [THE Bride.] Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth-for better than wine are thine embraces, redolent

of the best perfumes! Thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the We will virgins love thee. Draw me! run after thee on the scent of thy perfume. The king hath brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will think of thine embraces more than of wine. I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

First Responsory.

This day was the Blessed Virgin Mary betrothed of the lineage of David. The same is she through whom the salvation of the world hath been manifested before the eyes of all believers. This is she whose glorious life hath given light to the world.

Verse. Let us keep with rejoicing the Bridal-Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Answer. The same is she through whom the salvation of the world hath been manifested before the eyes of all believers. This is she whose glorious life hath given light to the world.

Second Lesson.

[THE Bride.] Look not upon me be

cause I am black, because the sun hath tanned me. My mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; mine own vineyard have I not kept. Tell me, 0 thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest thy flock, where thou layest thee down at noon, lest I begin to turn aside after the flocks of thy companions.

[The Bridegroom.] If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherd's tents. I have compared thee, O my love, to my company of horses in Pharaoh's chariot. Thy cheeks are comely like a dove's, thy neck like strings of jewels.1

Second Responsory.

Let us keep right heartily the BridalFeast of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, that she may pray for us to our Lord JESUS Christ.

Verse. Let us keep with right hearty rejoicing the betrothal of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Answer. That she may pray for us to our Lord JESUS Christ.

Third Lesson.

NECKLACES of gold will we make for

thee, with inlaid work of silver. [The Bride.] While the king sat on his couch, my spikenard sent forth the smell thereof. A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me. He shall lie betwixt my breasts. My beloved is unto me as a bunch of cypress in the vineyards of Engaddi.

[The Bridegroom.] Behold, thou art fair, my love, behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.

[The Bride.] Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, comely.

[Both.] Our bed is of flowers, the beams of our house are of cedar, our rafters of cypress.

Third Responsory.

Let us tell again of the right worthy espousal of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The same is she whose lowliness the Lord regarded, she who by the message of an Angel conceived the Saviour of the world.

Verse. Let us keep right earnestly the Bridal-Feast of the most Blessed Virgin Mary.

Answer. The same is she whose lowliness the Lord regarded, she who by the message of an Angel conceived the Saviour of the world.

Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

Answer. The same is she whose lowliness the Lord regarded, she who by the message of an Angel conceived the Saviour of the world.

SECOND NOCTURN.

Fourth Lesson.

The Lesson is taken from the Sermons of St. Bernard, Abbat [of Clairvaux.] (2nd on Luke i. 26.)

THE

secret course of the counsel of God was for awhile to be hidden from the prince of this world. Not that God had any need to fear hin