of pennance unto remission of sins as it is written in the Book of the sayings of Isaiah the Prophet 4. A voice of one crying in the Desart prepare the way of our Lord make straight his paths 5. Every valley shall bee filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low and crooked things shall become straight and rough wayes plaine 6. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God The Explication 1. BY Tetrarch we are here to understand a Commander of the fourth part of the kingdome of Paleâ—â—ina equally divided by the Roman Emperours into four Provinces and those committed to the care of four chief Commanders called Tetrarchs The reason why the Evangelist is here so exact as to specifie Tiberius the Roman Emperour and all the four temporall Commanders under him of â—alestina divided as above into four Provinces as also the spirituall Commanders which were the High Priests of Ierusalem at the time of Iohn the Baptists preaching and pointing out our Saviour Iesus Christ to be the Messias or Redeemer of all mankinde was because the verity of our Saviours birth death and passion should be left to after ages as a truth so abundantly testified that never any doubt should be rationally made thereof since all that are here named had some remarkable hand in the passages of our Saviours life and death as namely Tiberius the Emperour who was so taken with the reports of our Saviours singular sanctity of life and miracles that hee contended mainly to have him placed among the Roman gods but failed in the attempt by divine Ordinance because it had been an Indignity for him that was the onely true God of all the world to have obtained an after-place among the Idols and false gods of the Romans Pilate as having condemned Christ to be crucified Herod Antipas for having unjustly committed to prison Iohn the Baptist the fore-runner of Christ because he reprehended him for marrying Herodias wife to his brother Philip so these two brothers are brought in upon one account Lastly Lysanias because he about that time did endeavour to recover the Kingdome of Iudea for Antigonus in casting out Hircanus made King thereof by the Roman Emperour and Herod for backing Hircanus against Lysanias in the quarrel as above was by Augustus Cesar and Anthonie his colleague preferred to the crown of Iudea with the exclusion of the said Hircanus from that crown these four principall Commanders being men famous in the world at that time and having all notice of our Saviours prodigious miracles they are recorded as Testimonies beyond all exception of the truth thereof 2. As also were the two Priests Annas and Caithas ' whereof the latter was then and all the three years of our Saviours preaching high-Priest before whom he was first convented after he had been by Judas betrayed into the hands of the Jews that conspired his death and 't is here specially remarked that in the conjunction of these above named circumstances the word of our Lord the divine Command fell upon John the Baptist Son to Zachary in the desart that he should preach the coming of our Saviour and baptize in water to shew that he was the fore-runner of him who afterwards was to baptize in spirit Christ Jesus but whether this command this word of God came to the Baptist by some Angell or an expresse Messenger from heaven or onely by an internall Inspiration to John himself so to doe is not certain neither is it much materiall since either way gave Authority enough as appeared by Christ so solemnly avowing him afterwards 3 4. Besides the coming of John the Baptist into the Country of Jordan was foretold we see by the Prophet Isaias as in these three following verses doth clearly appear By his preaching the baptisme of pennance unto remission of sinnes is not understood that remission of sinnes was had by Iohn's but should be had by Christ his baptism So Iohn did onely by preaching pennance dispose to the receiving remission of sins which was given by the baptisme of Christ for originall and by the Sacrament of Confession for all actuall sin and Iohn for this preaching is called a voyce of one crying in the desart c. 5. Note this Verse as spoken now by Iohn the Baptist is not so much propheticall of what shall be done hereafter as exhorting to what is fit for the present to doe since he came to prepare the way for Christ rather than to foretell what should be done by him or by us after him so this Future tense is here to be understood as a command or counsell in the Present tense as if he should say Let every valley be filled every hill made levell c. So to even the way for the King of Heavens coming since upon Kings approaches such preparations are usually made to shew the duties and zeals of Subjects laying themselves and all they have levell at the feet of their Soveraign whence by Valley here understand the dejected by Mountain or Hill the proud Soul by Crooked understand wicked by Rough stubborn by Plain gentle Souls and then take the Morall thus That if we will shew our selves loyall and loving subjects to Christ and prepare his wayes for him as Iohn the Baptist exhorteth we must raise up our dejected and suppress our proud thoughts we must streighten our crooked and even our rough wayes by confessing our sins so to make him see he shall not come amongst rebellious and refractory subjects but finde us ready to conform or ply our selves alwayes and to all purposes by his holy Grace according to his sacred will and pleasure 6. The genuine sense of this last Verse is also by the same trope of the future to make an exhortation to us in the Present tense as if the Evangelist or the Prophet Isaias spake now in the Baptists name and let all flesh that is every man see not onely with the eyes of his Soul or understanding but with those of his Body the Salvation of God namely the Messias God and Man our Saviour Iesus Christ either in his Person living in the Sacrament of the Altar or on his Throne of Judgement at the latter day or as he is now in the midst of you that doe not take notice of him see I tell you I am his forerunner sent before him to point him out unto you and that done to recede that you may not longer be diverted from looking towards himself by deceiving your selves as you doe to think I am the Messias No I must be diminished cut off and set out of your way though upon another seeming pretence namely Herodias her malice to me for speaking against her unlawfull Marriage age but indeed to give way that Christ may be exalted in yours and in all the worlds esteeme as it is fit and absolutely necessary it should be according as I tell you Iohn 3. ver 30. He must encrease and I be diminished Note though now as these
contracted through the frailtie of humane nature when Christ our Lord came to shew mercy and give pardon not onely to his own chosen people the Jewes but even to all the Gentiles to all sinners how enormous soever Tell me now beloved is it not with reason Saint Gregory calls the prayers of holy Church Sacraments Mysteries when they are set to the same tune that the mysterious Scripture sings unto the people out of the Preachers mouthes for such we may account the Expositours of holy Writ to be And what marvell if we finde the Antiphon leading the tune to the prayer to point at the latter of these two women rather then at the former since we have heard this was a Gentile that a Jew For hence we that are Gentiles are taught to pray peculiarly for pardon of our owne sinnes moved thereunto especially by the benignitie of our Lord who though he first called the Jew yet he first converted the Gentile because as this Antiphon tells us the Gentiles faith was stronger then the Jews and therefore the obstinate Jew shall not be converted till the latter day when we are to have onely one shepheard and one fold of sheep one Christian Church made up both of Jews and Gentiles and for that reason we do not distinguish in the prayer between them because as it is now onely our prayer to God so hereafter it will be theirs as well as ours without putting the Church to the trouble of a new prayer upon that occasion of increasing the number of her children And assuredly that happy time will come with the greater increase if we with fervour say this prayer in the mean time first for the amâ—ndment of our own lives and for the perfecting our selves as in this dayes Epistle Saint Paul exhorteth us and next for the conversion of the stiff necked Jews prefigured to day in the after reviving of Jairus his daughter from death to life though Christ went first about that worâ— when he had before cured the woman of her twelve years issue of bloud first indeed calling the Jew but last converting him as was said above And for further reason of applying this prayer thus to the other service of the day I remit the pious Christian to the Expositours upon the 20.21.22 verses of the following Gospell Suffice it here is enough to shew that the connexion of parts in holy Churches services hath not been wanting hitherto in some measure or other and out of that little I am able to find I doubt not but deeper souls more habituated to meditation then I am will retrive much more The Epistle Philip. 3. v. 17. c. 4. v. 1. c. Chap. 3.17 Be ye followers of me Brethren and observe them that walk so as you have our form 18 For many walk whom often I told you of and now weeping also I tell you the enemies of the Crosse of Christ 19 Whos 's end is destruction whose God is the belly and their glorie in their confusion which mind worldly things 20 But our conversation is in heaven whence also we exspect the Saviour our Lord Jesus Christ 21 Who will reform the body of our humilitie configured to the body of his glory according to the operation whereby also he is able to subdue all things to himself Chap. 1. Therefore my dearest brethren and most desired my joy and my crown so stand in our Lord my dearest 2 Euodia I desire and Syntiche I beseech to be of one mind in our Lord. 3 Yea and I beseech thee my sincere companion help those women that have laboured with me in the Gospell with Clement and the rest my coadjutours whose names are in the book of life The Explication 17. BE not onely followers of my words but of my actions for so he means by bidding them walk live as they do who follow the form of his Apostolical life and actions Happy instructions for the Priests to do themselves as they exhort others to do and in this shew they are truly ministers of the new not of the old law whence Christ bid the people hear believe and obey but not to do as they did themselves that Mat. 23.4 laid huge burdens on their neighbours shoulders and would not carry the least burden on their own Happy sheep that had now shepherds who would not onely let them out into the pastures but defend them from the wolves by loosing their lives rather then expose their sheep to danger as S. Paul did who in persecution gave his flock a pattern of constancy even to the death rather then he would not follow to a tittle his own form whereby he had taught them born in peace and persecution how to serve God 18. This verse again argues the Apostle reports to good life as well as to doctrine when he tells them here many live contrary to the rule he had framed for them for though they beleeve rightly yet they live they walke awry they keep not the direct path of perfection but follow wayes of their own invention and are to those so fondly wedded that rather then leave their own brainsick imaginations they will even deny what no reason can doubt of These are Schismaticks and Sectaries of whom the Apostle often warned the faithfull and now with teares in his eyes moves the Philippians to beware of them again and tells them they are so far from being Christians that they are enemies to Christ for so he means here by the Crosse of Christ And why his enemies Because they mangle his doctrine in pieces believing what they list thereof and rejecting what they please Of this sort were in those dayes Simon Magus who said Christ himself went off from the Crosse and onely left his picture hanging there and Cerinthus who would needs separate Jesus from Christ and teach that Jesus did indeed truly die and rise again from the dead but that Christ was impassible and so went off from the Crosse leaving Jesus there to die Thus while they invent foolish pieties they become blasphemously impious whence it was Saint Paul said 1 Cor. 2.2 He knew nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified to shew the fondnesse of those who would separate Jesus from Christ and deny Christ to have suffered at all whence he calls these the enemies not of Jesus nor of Christ but of the Crosse of Christ that is such as deny Christ to have been really and truely crucified For beating down of which the Church brought up the use of crucifixes erected in all places And those also who make such simple imaginations the ground of Libertinisme Saint Paul calls enemies to the Crosse of Christ those who teach austeritie of life and mortification to be needlesse under pretence that Jesus hath suffered all punishment due for sinne and so pâ—ofesse it a kinde of injurie and prejudice to our Saviours passion for any man since that time to use mortification 19. But see the Apostles judgement of such Sectaries while he sayes
so have their names written in the book of life are predestinate and cannot choose but be saved But this is farre from the genuine sense of the Apostle who had before so much inculcated perseverance in good works as in this Epistle we have heard his meaning therefore must be that those who by Baptisme are first adopted children of God and by a holy life preserve their favour in the sight of God are at last written in the book of glory as at first they were in the book of grace as who should say he did exhort them that were first innocents to be at last Saints and so deserve to be finally inrolled Commanders of the heavenly Militia after they had been once listed souldiers of the militant Church of Christ The Application 1. THe doctrine of sincerity last Sunday inculcated is this day prosecuted by S. Paul to the Philippians and lest they should misunderstand him he tells them plainly he requires as sincere a Christianity in them as they found to be in himself while he makes his own rule of life their pattern and example to follow him by and doth not fear to fright them from their onely nominall Christianity by declaring those to be enemies to the Crosse of Christ who do not really sincerely take up the same and carry it as well as they pretend to do it who have not their conversation in heaven while they presume to hope their bodies shall go thither though their souls be wallowing here in the mire of flesh and bloud Finally lest they should be deterr'd from following S. Pauls Rule out of a despair of arriving to his perfection in Christianity which in those dayes was and still should be Synonyma with saintity he exhorts them at least to follow the examples of the two virtuous Matrones here set before their eyes Euodia and Syntiche as also those of his sincere companion though not an Apostle and of the rest of his Coadjutors in the propagation of the faith of Christ 2. Yes yes beloved 't is a holy sincerity that now our charity must bring along with her to her journeys end and therefore no marvell 't is two dayes together inculcated by holy Church nor can there be a greater sincerity then that to day before our eyes that of the Primitive Church and consequently that is it we should endeavour now to have indeed and not to fain for as we glory to be Christian Catholicks so we should endeavour to be as sincerely such as they from whom we are descended 3. And for as much as holy Church knows rightly well there is no saintity on earth free from iniquity no sincerity that is not waited on by some hypocrisie or other therefore while she preacheth perfection she prudently prayes for absolution especially now that she draws to the close of her annuall piety now that she brings her charity towards her journeys end lest vanity runne away with part of her holy labours For that is the safest step to saintity which tramples on iniquity treads it under foot those stand firmest in the grace of God that are alwayes begging new favours by asking pardon for old offences and they shew sincerity of their love to God who desire to cancell all their obligations to the devil who are not content with pardon for their guilt of sinne unlesse they may be loosened from the bands thereof from their affections unto sinne And for as much as charity is taught to march out of the field of this life with such a sincerity with such a sincere desire of saintity Therefore holy Church brings her towards her journeyes end now praying for it as above The Gospel Mat. 9. v. 18. c. 18 As he was speaking this unto them behold a certain Governour approched and adored him saying Lord my daughter is even now dead but come lay thy hand upon her and she shall live 19 And Jesus rising up followed him and his disciples 20 And behold a woman which was troubled with an issue of bloud twelve years came behind him and touched the hemme of his garment 21 For she said within her self If I shall touch onely his garment I shall be safe 22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said have a good heart daughter thy faith hath made thee safe And the woman became whole from that hour 23 And when Jesus was come into the house of the Governour and saw minstrels and the multitude keeping a stirre he said 24 Depart for the wench is not dead but sleepeth And they laughed him to scorn 25 And when the multitude was put forth he entred in and held her hand and the maid arose 26 And this bruit went forth into all that countrey The Explication 18. THat is as he was giving a reason why his disciples did not fast so rigorously as those of John the Baptist did and as also the Pharisees were wont to do which were onely voluntary and not legall fasts Then came in this Governour who was a chief officer in the Synagogue called Jairus which signifies Illuminatour or teacher of the people By Adoration is here literally meant falling at Christs feet which yet he did not do before news was brought him by his servants that now his daughter was dead lo then he believes firmly and in testimony thereof prostrates himself and in the very manner of his language saying now my daughter is dead he blames his not believing and asking help sooner but to make amends for his not hoping Christ could cure his sick daughter he invites him to go home and revive her though she now were dead not that he doubted but his power at a distance would suffice but that he had heard Christ was accustomed to touch those whom he healed in Capharnaam and this was on the sea coast of Galilee not farre from the same town famous for Christ his miracles 19. That this is the genuine sense of the verse above is gathered the rather from Christ his going immediately to undertake the cure even after the same manner namely by a touch of his sacred hand for we do not hear any rebuke given to Jairus for want of Faith but Christ resting satisfied his belief was full resolved to give him full satisfaction to his Faith and hope by reviving as was desired his dead daughter taking his disciples as witnesses to this his gracious condescending and working this miracle Yet this notwithstanding the Centurions Faith was above this of Jairus who onely asked a word saying Mat. 8.8 speak the word onely and held himself not worthy the honour of Christ his entring his house 20 21. 22. Note this woman was a Gentile and it wants not mystery to have the twelve yeares of her diseases continuation upon her here made mention of in regard it alludes to the twelve years age of Jairus daughter whom Christ was going to raise from death to life and thereby gives us to understand Christ by his ordaining to do those two miracles at
ordinary but ultroneous Tythes of things he needed not to pay Tyâ—hes for This relates to what went before as vaunting himself to be the only chast the onely just man living chast as fasting which is the mother of chastity just as giving Tythes of all he had 13. The Publicane a true Type of humility standing his reverential distance from the Altar confessing him elf unworthy to come nearer to the place where the Pharisee proudly stood not daring to lift up his eyes to heaven where he had offended the whole Court the Saints and Angels whose inspirations he had contemned whose prayers defrauded God whose commands he had broken he knocks his breast his heart in token of sorrow and repentance for his sinnes By saying he is a sinner he confesseth his habit of sin by saying have mercy on me he doth not blame either fortune the world or the devil but himself meerly and layes all the load on his own shoulders as true penitents ought to do 14. More then he is as much as to say not absolutely but in respect of the Pharisee he was justified because the one humbled himself the other exalted himself Whence Optatus Milevitanus sayes well lib. 2. against the Donatists Better in some sort are the sinnes of an humble spirit then the pretended or boasted Innocency of an arrogant person The Application 1. THis whole Gospel is summ'd up in these few words of the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner For we see there is nothing else aym'd at in the whole Text but a condemnation of the Pharisees pride and a commendation of the Publicans humility or rather of his humble charity That is such a love as renounceth all proper merit and hath recourse to nothing but the mercy of Almighty God such a love as likes but dares not look to heaven such a love as hates all sin but hath no other hope of sayntity then from the mercy of God Almighty such a love as believes God hath power to save a soul but that he cannot manifest this Power without his mercy first appear because he cannot save a sinner unlesse he mercifully give him first leave to repent his sins 2. Thus we see beloved how charity goes shod with humility when in her journey she is handed on by Faith and Hope But that which to me is most admirable in this dayes service is to see the little end for which Almighty God is manifesting his power most of all by his mercy and how he is besought to multiply that mercy for the maâ—ifestation of his power both to men and Angels upon so small an account as making us pursue our own felicity onely that is to say the Promises he hath made unto us of much better gifts in the dayes of glory then he hath yet bestowed upon us in these our dayes of grace 3. Yes yes beloved our good God hath much to do with wicked sinners We may say with much more reason of mans salvation as the Romans did of erecting their Empire Tantae molis erat O what a huge attempt it was to set up the Roman Nation and to make them Monarchs of this world So if we look upon the final end of God Almighties exercised power and multiplyed mercies over us it is meerly to save his Christian people meerly to make them Monarchs of the next world eternal Emperours everlasting Triumphers over death sin devil and damnation after they had been slaves to them four thousand years together Nay so fond Almighty God is of his darling man that he is even content to bestow his utmost Power his extended omnipotency his multiplyed mercies on him to beget but a desire in him onely of his own felicity which consists in the promises of the next world not in the possessions of this Say then the Prayer above and see how it petitions onely this desire here to make us capable of all the joyes in heaven and of all the Treasures there On the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Mark 7. v. 37. HE hath done all things well he hath caused the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer ALmighty everlasting God who out of the abundance of thy pitty dost exceed as well the merits of thy suppliants as their desires pour out thy mercy upon us that thou mayst forgive what our conscience is afraid of and adde even what our prayer dares not presume to ask The Illustration HOw apposite is this admirable Prayer unto the Epistle and Gospel of this day which are nothing else but meer relations to the abundance of that pity whereby God doth exceed as well the merits as the desires of his suppliants and whereby he did pour out his mercy upon his people forgiving them what their own conscience was afraid of and adding what their prayer durst not presume to ask Say beloved was it not an abundance of pity that Christ gave us S. Paul and other Apostles to preach unto us the story of his life passion death and resurrection were not these works of his pity exceeding as well the merits as the desires of his suppliants when no mortal durst have desired so much misery to Christ because no man was able to deserve his God should suffer so much for him were not then the mercies of Heaven poured out upon us when our redemption was purchased at so deare a rate to Jesus Christ and was not St. Paul justly afraid something might lurk in his conscience unforgiven when he ends this dayes Epistle saying his having persecuted the Church of God made him unworthy to be called an Apostle and that since he was what he was by the grace of God he durst not presume to ask so great a favour O how literally is this whole Epistle exhausted in this excellent Prayer And what are the cures done upon the deaf and dumb related in the Gospel but an abundance of like pity in Jesus Christ but like excesse of his mercy poured out upon these diseased people what the amazement in the beholders of these miracles closing up the said Gospel but an acknowledgment that the guilt of their consciences made them afraid to be in the presence of so good a God and that the grant of the cure was a thing added freely by Christ as done in more ample manner then they durst presume to aske though with a faint desire and a fainter faith they had presented those diseased people to our Saviour to be cured Say now beloved was I rash in falling upon this bold attempt to shew a sympathy between the Prayers of holy Church and the preaching part of her Services Rather I am to ask God pardon that I did often doubt it was not true because I was many times too lazy to beat it out by way of meditation but now that I see the thing is certainly true I shall not be troubled if I fail at any time in so
once would let us know the dead child being a Jew represents the expiration of the Jewish Synagogue by the plantation of the Church of Christ For as this diseased Gentile fell sick when Jairus his child was born so the Gentiles fell to their brutish Idolatry figured by the Bloudy Flux when the Jewes were born to right belief in Abraham and therefore as Christ went to raise this child from death to life and by the way first healed the diseased woman so he came first to the Jewes yet the Gentiles received and believed in him before the Jewes whose conversion or being raised from the death of infidelity to the life of Faith is not to be till after all Gentiles are first reduced and then at last even the Jewes shall generally be converted This is the mystical sense of the present story prosecuted in these three verses onely we are to observe by this womans Faith that the Gentiles are of much more easie and entire belief then the Jewes besides this place gives a great ground for the Catholick doctrine of revering reliques since here the woman was cured by the onely touch of our Saviours garments hemm and Eusebius writes that she in memory of this favour shewed unto her made a coat like that of our Saviours and kept it religiously in her house and that diverse who were diseased went away from her perfectly cured upon the sole touch of this garments hemm also 23. 24. The musick our Saviour found here was onely such as usually in those dayes did accompany all burials Our Saviours saying the child is not dead did not deny but she was so for all that onely his meaning was she should live again and therefore he accounted her death but a sleep in the sight of God because her soul was not summoned to the barre of Judgement being to return and lead a longer life in this world though this saying of Christ might also import his modesty in not making difficult his works to get thereby popular applause However they knew and so did Christ the child was really dead to all humane power of recovery but that they might see death to God was but as sleep to nature since he that could out of nothing make all things could much more easily out of a dead body make a living creature and so as to God death and sleep are much alike in respect of privation of life whence it is frequent for Christ to call death obdormition or sleeping onely thus he did in Lazarus his case after he was four dayes buried Joh. 11.44 and thus you see here he doth in this present case of the dead child But as commonly men judge of all things by outward appearances and of other mens powers by comparing them to their own so here these mourners laugh at Christ for saying the dead child was onely asleep as who should say they held it impossible for him to revive her which argues they were sufficiently satisfied she was truly dead to all this world 25. 26. Note his bidding them depart when he sayes she is not dead argues that their diffidence in his power did not deserve the honour to be eye-witnesses of the miracle how it was done though afterwards they had proof enough it was most true and again it argues he was not seeking popular applause when he went in alone leaving the company without taking onely the child's parents and his disciples with him S. Mark sayes Peter James and John to shew it was not ultroneous fasting that conferred sanctity of which you heard before but a lively Faith and an ardent love to God wherewith his Apostles were endowed and so fit to be now witnesses of his and after workers of as great miracles themselves though they did not run the vain-glorious wayes of Pharisaical fasting or the like Note the Scripture phrase is here pathetical saying Christ held the childs hand in such sort probably as officers take hold of such as they arrest to carry away with them and so shew their power over them for thus our Saviour seemed to snatch the body of this child from death and to command her soul from entring into hell but to animate again the body thereby to shew he had perfect dominion over life and death And it seems the manner of this was extraordinary when the story of it ends by saying it was divulged all the countrey over for a famous miracle though St. Mark sayes Christ gave the girle to her parents bidding them say nothing Mar. 5.43 to shew his modesty and that he sought not the worlds applause but onely Gods honour and glory Yet their disobedience in this was not unseemly The Application 1. THis Gospel of the Jewes and Gentiles Infidelity is as we heard in the Explication made a whole Type of all Iniquity whatsoever and yet is most peculiarly proper to the Epistle inculcating so sincere a sayntity as above because as to that sayntity pardon of iniquity is necessary and this pardon is mystically represented in the raising Jairus his daughter from the brink of death which is the natural punishment of sinne so to the said sayntity there is also necessary a detestation of all affection to sin which detestation is also represented by the cure upon the woman sick of the Issue of bloud not unfitly likened to reiterated or accustomary sinne which argues a huge affection thereunto 2. What then more proper for Christians at the reading of this holy Text then first to procure an act of contrition for all guilt of sinne upon their soules and next to detest all affection to any sinne whatsoever especially to those which have been formerly to them accustomary for those are properly bonds which we have sealed to the devil while we hamper our selves with giving them up as our well advised acts of our yet most abominable wicked deeds 3. Say now beloved if our holy Mother have not fram'd a fitting Prayer when to this purpose she brings charity to day upon her knees preparing her self for the grand account she is next Sunday put in mind to make By petitioning as above an acquittance of her sinful debts by absolution from the guilt thereof and a cancelling of all her bonds to the devil by teating her affections to sin in pieces and planting her love from hence upon Almighty God above On the four and twentieth Sunday after Pentecost The Antiphon Matth. 24.34 AMen I say to you this Generation shall not passe untill all be done Heaven and Earth shall passe but my word shall not passe saith our Lord. Vers Let my prayer c. Resp Even as Incense c. The Prayer STirre up we beseech thee O Lord the wills of thy Faithful that they more diligently preparing the fruit of thy divine work may receive the greater remedies of thy mercy The Illustration WE are this day closing up the Ring of our devotion which we desire all the devotes of our sodality to wear in testimony they are of