righteousness.

GOSPEL. St. Matthewxi.11.

JES ESUS said: Verily I say unto you: Among them

that are born of women there

hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Friday.

LESSON. Isaiah lxii. 6.

THUS saith the Lord: I

have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which 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

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 high way; 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 Sion: Behold, thy salvation 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.

GOSPEL. St. John, i. 15. JOHN bare witness of the

Lord, and cried, saying: This was He of Whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: of His fulness have all we for He was before me. And For the law was given by received, and grace for grace. Moses, but 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.

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

INTROIT. Gaudete.

REJOICE in the Lord

alway; and again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men :

the Lord is at hand. careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer let your requests be made known unto God. Phil. iv. 4—6. PSALM. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding: shall keep your hearts and minds (v. 7). Glory. Rejoice.

COLLECT.

LORD Jesu Christ, Who at Thy first coming didst send Thy messenger to prepare Thy way before Thee: grant that the ministers and stewards

of

Thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready Thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; that at Thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in Thy sight. Who livest.

The Collects as above,

page 128.

EPISTLE. I Corinthians iv. I.

GRADUAL. Shew Thyself, O Lord, Thou that sittest upon the Cherubim: stir up Thy strength, and come. V. Hear, O Thou Shepherd of Israel Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep.

Alleluia, alleluia. V. Stir up Thy strength, O Lord, and

come and save us. Alleluia.

Ps. lxxx. 1, 2.

GOSPEL. St. Matthew xi. 2. NOW when John had

heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto Him: Art Thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them: Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them: And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John: What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see ? a man clothed

in soft raiment ? behold, they

went ye out for to see? a prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. The Creed.

OFFERTORY. Lord, Thou art become gracious unto Thy land: Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob : Thou hast forgiven the offence of Thy people. Ps. lxxxv. I.

Wednesday in Ember Week.

INTROIT. Rorate cæli.

DROP down, ye heavens,

from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation. Is. xlv. 8.

PSALM. And let righteousness spring up together: I the Lord have created it (v. 8). Glory. Drop down. COLLECT.

GRANT, we beseech Thee,

almighty God that the solemn feast of our redemption, which is now so near at hand, may be to us a help in this life present, and also bring us to the rewards of everlasting blessedness. Through the same.

Or this:

MAKE haste, we beseech

Thee, O Lord, and tarry not: and send to us the help of Thy heavenly grace: that those who trust in Thy loving-kindness, may mercifully be relieved by the comfort of Thine Advent. Who livest.

LESSON. Isaiah vii. 10. See the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25. GRADUAL. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call

upon Him: yea, all such as call upon Him faithfully. V. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh give thanks unto His holy Name. Ps. cxlv. 18.

GOSPEL. St. Luke i. 26. See the Feast of the Annun

ciation, March 25. OFFERTORY. Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb. St. Luke i. 28.

SECRET.

WE offer unto Thee, O

Lord, our oblations while we fulfil our healthful fast: grant, we beseech Thee, that by these holy services we may be made ready to celebrate the Birth of the everlasting Bread. Through the same.

COMMUNION. Behold, a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son: and shall call His Name Emmanuel. Isa.vii. 14.

POSTCOMMUNION.

BEING filled, O Lord, with the gift of Thy sal vation, we humbly beseech Thee: that, as we rejoice in the taste thereof, so we may ever be renewed by its effect. Through.

Friday in Ember Week.

INTROIT. Prope esto. BE Thou nigh at hand, O Lord, for all Thy commandments are true: as con

cerning Thy testimonies, I have known long since, that Thou hast grounded them for ever. Ps. cxix. 151, 152.

PSALM. Blessed are those that are undefiled in the way and walk in the law of the Lord (v. 1). Glory. Be Thou.

COLLECT.

LORD, raise up, we pray Thee, Thy power and come among us that we, who put our trust in Thy loving-kindness, may speedily be delivered from all adversities. Who livest.

LESSON. Isaiah xi. 1.

AND there shall

come

forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch and the Spirit of the Lord shall grow out of his roots: shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, 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 righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

GRADUAL. Shew us Thy mercy, O Lord: and grant us Thy salvation. V. Lord, Thou art become gracious unto Thy land: Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob. Ps. lxxxv. 7, I.

GOSPEL. St. Luke i. 39. AND Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda: and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the saluta

tion of Mary, the babe leaped

in her womb; and Elisabeth

was filled with the Holy Ghost: and she spake out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation

sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

OFFERTORY. Wilt Thou not turn again, O God, and quicken us, that Thy people may rejoice in Thee: shew us Thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us Thy salvation. Ps. lxxxv. 6.

LORD,

we beseech Thee, fulfil Thy mercy to Thy people who call upon Thee: and grant; that those whom Thou hast refreshed with the bounty of Thy gifts, may both more instantly ask for greater grace, and more in Thee. faithfully trust Through.

Saturday in Ember
Week.

INTROIT. Veni et ostende.

COME and shew us the

light of Thy countenance, O Lord: Thou that sittest upon the Cherubim, and we shall be whole. Ps. lxxx. 3, I.

PSALM. Hear, O Thou that leadest Joseph like a Shepherd of Israel : Thou sheep (v. 1). Glory. Come.

COLLECT.

GOD, Who seest that

we are afflicted by our own wickedness: mercifully