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 bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. SECOND NOCTURN. Lesson IV. IN the latter days of the emperor Phocas, Chosroes, king of the Persians, having occupied Egypt and Africa, and taken Jerusalem, wherein were many thousand Christians, slew many of them, and carried the rest into captivity with Zachariah the patriarch. The Cross of the Lord, since Helena had placed it on Mount Calvary, had been reduced by countless distributions to a little fragment, which was also carried into Persia, A.D. 614. Heraclius, who succeeded Phocas after four years, was much vexed by divers wars and calamities, and twice sought peace at the hands of Chosroes: which both times was refused, unless he should deny the Crucified, Whom only the Romans might adore. Heraclius, abhorring this impiety, sought help of God, began, as it were, a sacred war, exhorting his soldiers to martyrdom, and bore the holy sign as his standard. After long contest, the might of the Persian hosts was broken, A.D. 627. Lesson V. CHOSROES therefore being con quered, and exiled beyond the Tigris, he appointed Medarses, his son, as his colleague. But this contumely being a grievous vexation to Siroes, the eldest son of Chosroes, he slew his father and brother, took the kingdom of Persia to himself, and made peace with Heraclius, who accepted the same on certain conditions, whereof the first was, that he should restore the Cross of the Lord. The captives then he set free: and, firstly, Zachariah the patriarch; and the holy relics of the Cross, encased in pure silver, were vouched for under the seal of the patriarch. Thus the Holy Cross was obtained, after fourteen years' detention among the Persians; and having been carried first to Constantinople, and the next year to Jerusalem, it was restored to its former place, by the grace of the God of victory. Thence began the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which from that time forth hath been yearly celebrated. Lesson VI. ON this same day, S. Louis, king of the French, A.D. 1241, brought in solemn processien to Paris, together with other instruments of the Passion, a portion of the Lord's Cross, which had been retained in Syria as a pledge of the Knights Templars, and which he had received from the emperor Baldwin, with other considerable portions, from which fragments had been wont to be given by the emperors to the Church and to their friends. Then that most pious king gave a bright example of Christian piety, when, his royal robes cast off, and his feet unshod, he bore into the city the instruments whereby the ransom of the world was paid. Lastly, he built, in the royal palace, a magnificent chapel, wherein to preserve that most holy sign of our redemption. THIRD NOCTURN. Lesson of the Holy Gospel according to S. John. Lesson VII. Chap. xii. AT that time: Jesus said unto the people of the Jews, Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the prince of this world be cast out: and I, if Ibe lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. And that which follows. A Homily of S. Leo the Pope. Christ being exalted on the Cross, beloved, it doth not so appear to the eye of our mind, as to the sight of the wicked, concerning whom it is said by Moses, Thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life. For there is nothing in the Crucifixion of the Lord having fear: but true faith is hereby justified, and an evil conscience tormented. Our understanding then, being enlightened by the Spirit of truth, perceives with a pure and free heart, and sees with the inward sight, the glory of the Cross, irradiating heaven and earth: as that whereof the Lord spake, when He said, touching His Passion, Now is the judgment of the 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. Lesson VIII. Lesson IX. THOU drewest, Lord, all things unto was Thee, when that which hidden under dark types in one Jewish temple, being made fully manifest, is devoutly celebrated throughout every nation. Now is brighter the order of the Levites, and more venerable that of the elders, and more sacred the unction of the priests: because the Cross is the fount of all blessing, and the cause of all grace; whereby to the faithful is given strength from weakness, glory from shame, life from death. Now also, the diversity of carnal sacrifices ending, the oblation of Thy One Body and Blood fulfils all different kinds of sacrifices; for Thou art the Very Lamb of God, Which takest away the sins of the world: and in Thee is accomplished the great mystery, that as one sacrifice is made for all victims, so one kingdom should be made of all nations. (VIGIL OF S. MATTHEW. Lessons as in the Common, p. 65, ex Lesson of the Holy Gospel according to S. Luke. ADMIRABLE power of the Cross!cept the 3rd, which is as follows. O ineffable glory of the Passion! wherein is the tribunal of the Lord, and the judgment of the world, and the power of the Crucified: thus, O Lord, Thou drawest all things unto Thee; and while Thou stretchest forth Thy hands all the day long to a disobedient and gainsaying people, the whole world acknowledges Thy Majesty. Thou, Lord, drewest all things unto Thee, when, in execration of Jewish sinners, all elements pronounced one sentence, by the obscured light of heaven, and the change of day into night, and the unaccustomed heaving of the earth. Thou, Lord, drewest all things unto Thee, when, the veil of the temple being rent, the Holy of holies was withdrawn from the unworthy priests, that figures might be turned into truth, prophecy into manifestation, and law into Gospel. Lesson III. Chap. v. AT that time: Jesus saw a publican named Levi sitting at the receipt of custom; and He saith unto him, Follow Me. And that which follows. A Homily of S. Ambrose the Bishop. This calling of the publican is mystical; for Christ bids him to follow Him, not with bodily step, but with affection. And so he who formerly derived covetous gains from bribes, and cruel gains wrung from the toils and perils of sailors, being called by the Word, left his own, he who was wont to seize the things of others; Ant. 3. To the people that should believe on the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ teachers and evangelists were sent in the mystery of the faith. In the First Nocturn, Lessons, Let of a calf's foot:* and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. y. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides. And. Ry. 3. 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. Glory. And. * a man so account, of the Common of MATTHEW, who is also called Levi, Apostles, p. 68. Ry. 1. I saw visions of God, and behold a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it. 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 out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Ry. 2. 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 once a publican, now become an Apostle, was the first to compose the Gospel of Christ, which he wrote in Judæa in the Hebrew language and characters, for the sake of those of the circumcision who had believed. By whom it was afterwards translated into Greek is not very certain. Moreover, that very Hebrew one is extant to the present day in the library of Cæsarea, which the martyr Pamphilus collected with such great care. I have also had an opportunity of copying given me by the Nazarenes, who use this volume in Berma, a city of Syria. In this Gos pel it is to be observed that wherever the Evangelist (whether in his own person, or in that of our Lord and Saviour) uses the witness of the Old Testament Scripture, he does not follow the Septuagint version, but the Hebrew original, from whence are these two texts: Out of Egypt have I called My Son; and, For He shall be called a Nazarene. * Ry. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings : they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. V. And their feet were straight feet: the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot. They turned. appearance of lamps: * whither the Spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. . And they went every one straight forward. Whither. A Sermon of S. John Chrysostom. Homily 1 on S. Matthew. WHEN Moses in the Old Testament ascended the mount, God descended; and in the New, when our human nature had been raised to heaven, the Holy Ghost came down from heaven. The Apostles did not, like Moses, come down from the moun From the Book of S. Epiphanius the tain bringing in their hands tables of Bishop, against Heresies. Lesson V. MATTHEW was the first who undertook to write a Gospel, for to him in the beginning was the task committed of preaching the Gospel; and that deservedly, for it was fitting that He Who had come for the salvation of the human race, and Who had said, I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance, should, for the example of those who were to be saved, enjoin the duty of preaching the Gospel upon him who had been converted from sin and raised from the office of a publican; in order that men might learn from him how great lovingkindness had been conferred upon them by Christ's coming. For after the remission of his sins, He bestowed upon him the power of raising the dead, cleansing the lepers, healing the sick, and putting devils to flight; in order that he might not only persuade his hearers by his words, but also preach by his deeds the good tidings to those that were lost, that they might be restored by penance. Ry. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the stone but bearing in their minds the Holy Spirit, and laden with a treasure of doctrines and gifts. So they attracted countless peoples; God speaking by their mouth to all who came. By whom Matthew also, filled with the Spirit, wrote the Gospel; Matthew the publican, for I will not be ashamed to give him the title which belongs to his trade, nor to do so to the others also. For this it is which shews the grace of the Holy Spirit and their virtue. Most suitably, indeed, did he call his book the Gospel, since he announced to all the taking away of the punishment, the pardon of sins, sanctification, justification, redemption, the adoption of sons, the inheritance of heaven, and brotherhood to the Son of God. Ry. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning: * and the fire was bright: * and out of the fire went forth lightning. V. It went up and down among the living creatures. And the. Glory. And out. THIRD NOCTURN. Ant. 1. They were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world: that they should be holy and blameless before God in love. Ant. 2. Let all the people declare their wisdom and let the Church of the saints be telling of their praise. Ant. 3. The Lord filled them with the spirit of understanding: and like showers they poured forth the eloquence of their wisdom. one who called them; although such mighty works and signs preceded, which no doubt the apostles had seen before they believed. Yea, truly, the brightness and majesty of the hidden divinity which shone even in His human countenance, might attract them at first view as they beheld Lesson of the Holy Gospel according Him. For if, as it said, there is to S. Matthew. Lesson VII. Chap. ix. AT that time: Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the receipt of custom, and He saith unto him, Follow Me. And that which follows. A Homily of S. Jerome the Priest. Book I. Comment. on S. Matt. ch. 9. such power in the loadstone and in amber as to attract to themselves iron rings and straws and litter, how much more could the Lord of all creatures draw to Himself those whom He called? Ry. As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four: * and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. y. When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. And their appearance. The other Evangelists, from respect and honour to S. Matthew, would not call him by his common name, but say Levi, for he had both names. But Matthew himself (according to that which Solomon says: The righteous man accuses himself in the beginning of his speech; and in another place: Confess thy sins that thou mayest be justified) calls himself both Matthew and publican, AND it came to pass as He sat at to shew his readers that none ought to despair of salvation who turn to better things, since he from a publican was suddenly changed into an Apostle. Ry. Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces and they four had one likeness. . The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl. And they four. Lesson VIII. PORPHYRY and the emperor Ju lian assert in this place either that the historian was ignorant and false, or that those who immediately followed the Saviour were foolish, as if they followed without reason any In Ember-tide, Lesson IX. is read from the Homily of the occurrent feria; otherwise as follows. Lesson IX. meat in the house, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus. They saw how a publican, turned from his sins to better things, had found a place of repentance; and on this account they did not despair of salvation themselves. For they do not come to Jesus while they remain in their former sins, as the Pharisees and Scribes complain; but in penitence: as the words of the Lord prove, when He says, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice; for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners. For the Lord went to feast with sinners, that He might have an opportunity of teaching them, and bestowing spiritual food upon those who had invited Him. [Ry. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them, * whithersoever the spirit was to go: * |