much, because no man was found worthy to open the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me: Weep not; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 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 living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb, as it had been slain, having seven Horns, and seven Eyes, Which are the seven Spirits 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 opened the book, the four living creatures 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 the saints.

Second Responsory.

Blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary, Mother of God, that didst believe the Lord. There hath been a performance in thee of those things which were told thee. Lo, thou hast been exalted above the choirs of Angels. Pray for us unto the Lord our God.

Verse. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Answer. Pray for us unto the Lord our God.

Third Lesson.

AND they sung a new song saying:

Lord, 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 people and nation and hast made us unto our God a kingdom and priests; and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many Angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was thousands 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-all of them I heard 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 living creatures said: Amen. And the four-and-twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him That liveth for ever and ever.

Third Responsory.

Before the Angels will I sing praise unto Thee, and will worship toward Thy holy temple. And I will praise Thy Name, O Lord.

Verse. For Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth; for Thou hast glorified Thine holy Name on us.

Answer. And I will praise Thy Name, O Lord.

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

Answer. And I will praise Thy Name, O Lord.

SECOND NOCTURN.

*

First Antiphon. They that work righteousness, O Lord, even they, shall abide in Thy tabernacle, and dwell in Thy holy hill.

Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide, &c., (p. 10.)

Second Antiphon. This is the generation of them that seek the Lord,* that seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Ps. xxiii. The earth is the LORD'S, &c., (p. 124.)

Third Antiphon. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous, * and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Ps. xxxi. Blessed are they, &c., (p. 24.)

Verse. Let the righteous rejoice before God.

Answer. Yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

Fourth Lesson.

The Lesson is taken from the Sermons of the Venerable Bede, Priest [at Jarrow.] (18th upon the Saints.) DEARLY beloved brethren: This day we keep, with one great cry of joy,

a Feast in memory of all God's holy children; His children, whose presence is a gladness to heaven; His children, whose prayers are a blessing to earth; His children, whose victories are the crown of the Holy Church; His chosen, whose testifying is the more glorious in honour, as the agony in which it was given was the sterner in intensity, for as the dreader grew the battle, so the grander grew the fighters, and the triumph of martyrdom waxed the more incisive by the multiplicity of suffering, and the heavier the torment, the heavier the prize. And it is our Mother, the Catholic Church, spread far and wide throughout all this planet, it is she that hath learnt, in Christ JESUS her Head, not to fear shame, nor cross, nor death, but hath waxed lealer and lealer, and, not by fighting, but by enduring, hath breathed into all that noble band who have come up to the bitter starting-post the hope of conquest and glory which hath warmed them manfully to accept the race.

Fourth Responsory.

The Forerunner, &c., (p. 1116.)

Fifth Lesson.

a verity thou art blessed, O my

God's mercy beateth full upon thee; thine adornment is the glorious blood of victorious Martyrs, and thy raiment the virgin whiteness of untarnished orthodoxy. Thy garlands lack neither roses nor lilies. And now, dearly beloved brethren, let each one of us strive to gain the goodly crown of one sort or the other, either the glistening whiteness of purity, or the red dye of suffering. In the army in heaven peace and war have both chaplets of their own, to crown Christ's soldiers withal.

Fifth Responsory.

These are they, &c., (p. 809.)

Sixth Lesson.

MOREOVER, to this also hath the unutterable and boundless goodness of God seen, that He spreadeth not the time of working and wrestling, neither maketh it long, nor everlasting,

and, as it were, but for a moment, so that in this short and scanty life there is wrestling and working, but the crown and the prize is in a life which is eternal. So the work is soon over, but the wage is paid for ever. And when the night of this world is over, the Saints are to see the clearness of the essential light, and to receive a blessedness outweighing the pangs of any torment, as testifieth the Apostle Paul, where he saith: "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Rom. viii. 18.)

Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.] (Bk. i. on the Lord's Sermon.)

If it be asked what is signified by the mountain, the said mountain may well be understood to figure the higher and greater commandments of righteousness, since those that have been given to the Jews are the lesser. The one God, in an excellent order of times, gave, by His holy Prophets and servants, His lesser commandments unto the people whom it still behoved to be bound by fear, but by His Son He gave the greater, unto the people whom it now beseemed to set free by love. But whether it be the lesser to the lesser, or the greater to the greater, all are alike the gift of Him Who alone knoweth what is in each epoch the seasonable medicine of mankind.

Seventh Responsory.

'Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning, and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding.

Verse. Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Answer. And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding.

Eighth Lesson.

NEITHER is it marvel that the greater

commandments be given touching the kingdom of heaven, and the lesser touching a commonwealth upon earth, since both are alike the gifts of that one God Who is the Maker alike of heaven and of earth. This higher and greater righteousness, then, is that whereof the Prophet saith: "Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God" (Ps. xxxv. 7.) Thus is that Teacher, Who alone can give such teaching, mystically represented as teaching upon a mountain.

"And when He was set." The attitude of sitting while teaching appertaineth to the majesty of His instruction.

"His disciples came unto Him❞— nearer in the body, to hear those precepts, by the fulfilment of which they should be nearer in spirit.

1 Luke xii. 35, 36.

"And He opened His Mouth, and taught them, saying:" These words "And He opened His Mouth," appear redundant to the sense. It may possibly be that this more pompous introduction is adopted on account of the exceptional length of the discourse to follow. But it may also be that these words are not really redundant, but the pointed declaration that He now opened His Own Mouth, Who, under the Old Law, had been used to open the mouths of the Prophets.

Eighth Responsory.

At midnight there was a cry made: Behold! the Bridegroom cometh! go ye out to meet him!

Verse. Trim your lamps, O ye wise virgins.

Answer. Behold! the Bridegroom cometh! go ye out to meet Him!

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

Answer. Behold! the Bridegroom cometh! go ye out to meet Him!

Ninth Lesson.

AND, now, what saith He?

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their's is the kingdom of heaven." We have read where it is written concerning the lusting after temporal things: "The wandering of the desire is vanity and presumption of spirit." (Eccl. vi. 9.) Presumption of spirit signifieth rashness and pride. We are used to say of proud people that they are men of high spirit, and we say well, since "spirit" is only one of the Latin names for wind. (It is so used, for instance, in Ps. cxlviii. 8, "Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy wind.") Who hath not heard the proud spoken of as puffed up," as if they were blown out with wind? Hence, alas, the Apostle saith: "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." (1 Cor. viii. 1.) By the poor in spirit," who are here called blessed, are rightly to be understood such as are lowly and fear God, that is, have not got minds puffed up with windy vanity.

66

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

2 Matth. xxiv. 42.