apply our hearts unto wisdom Turn thee again O Lord at the last and be gracious unto thy servants O satisfie us with thy mercy and that soon so shall we rejoyce and be glad all the days of our life Comfort us again now after the time that thou hast plagued us and for the years wherein we have suffered adversity Shew thy servants thy work and their children thy glory And the glorious Majesty of the Lord our God be upon us prosper thou the work of our hands upon us O prosper thou our handy-work Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen ¶ Then shall follow the Lesson taken out of the fifteenth Chapter of the former Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 15.20 NOw is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that slept For since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive But every man in his own order Christ the first-fruits afterward they that are Christs at his coming Then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God even the Father when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death For he hath put all things under his feet But when he saith all things are put under him it is manifest that he is excepted which did put all things under him And when all things shall be subdued unto him then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the dead And why stand we in jeopardy every hour I protest by your rejoycing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord I die daily If after the manner of men I have fought with beast at Ephesus what advantageth it me if the dead rise not Let us eat and drink for to morrow we die Be not deceived evil communications corrupt good manners Awake to righteousness and sin not for some have not the knowledge of God I speak this to your shame But some man will say how are the dead raised up And with what body do they come Thou fool that which thou sowest is not quickned except it die And that which thou sowest thou sowest not that body that shall be but bare grain it may chance of wheat or of some other grain But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him and to every seed his own body All flesh is not the same flesh but there is one kind of flesh of men another flesh of beasts another of fishes and another of birds There are also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial but the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another There is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars for one star differeth from another star in glory So also is the resurrection of the dead It is sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption It is sown in dishonour it is raised in glory It is sown in weakness it is raised in power It is sown a natural body it is raised a spiritual body There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body And so it is written The first man Adam was made a living soul the last Adam was made a quickning Spirit Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual but that which is natural and afterward that which is spiritual The first man is of the earth earthy the second man is the Lord from heaven As is the earthy such are they that are earthy and as is the heavenly such are they also that are heavenly And as we have born the image of the earthy we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Now this I say brethren that flesh and bloud cannot inherit the kingdom of God neither doth corruption inherit incorruption Behold I shew you a mystery We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory O Death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. ¶ When they come to the Grave while the Corps is made ready to be laid into the Earth the Priest shall say or the Priest and Clerks shall sing MAn that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live and is full of misery He cometh up and is cut down like a flower he fleeth as it were a shadow and never continueth in one stay In the midst of life were are in death of whom may we seek for succour but of thee O Lord who for our sins art justly displeased Yet O Lord God most holy O Lord most mighty O holy and most merciful Saviour deliver us not into the bitter pains of eternal death Thou knowest Lord the secrets of our hearts shut not thy merciful ears to our prayers but spare us Lord most holy O God most mighty O holy and merciful Saviour thou most worthy Judge eternal suffer us not at our last hour for any pains of death to fall from thee ¶ Then while the earth shall be cast upon the Body by some standing by the Priest shall say FOrasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed we therefore commit his body to the ground earth to earth ashes to ashes dust to dust in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile body that it may be like unto his glorious body according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself ¶ Then shall be said or sung I Heard a voice from heaven saying unto me Write From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit for
they cried out the more exceedingly Crucifie him And so Pilate willing to content the people released Barabbas unto them and delivered Jesus when he had scourged him to be crucified And the souldiers led him away into the hall called Pretorium and they call together the whole band And they clothed him with purple and platted a crown of thorns and put it about his head and began to salute him Hail king of the Jews And they smote him on the head with a reed and did spit upon him and bowing their knees worshipped him And when they had mocked him they took off the purple from him and put his own clothes on him and led him out to crucifie him And they compel one Simon a Cyrenean who passed by coming out of the countrey the father of Alexander and Rufus to bear his cross And they bring him unto the place Golgotha which is being interpreted the place of a scull And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrhe but he received it not And when they had crucified him they parted his garments casting lots upon them what every man should take And it was the third hour and they crucified him And the superscription of his accusation was written over THE KING OF THE JEWS And with him they crucifie two thieves the one on his right hand and the other on his left And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith And he was numbred with the transgressours And they that passed by railed on him wagging their heads and saying Ah thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days save thy self and come down from the cross Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes He saved others himself he cannot save Let Christ the king of Israel descend now from the cross that we may see and believe And they that were crucified with him reviled him And when the sixth hour was come there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying Eloi Eloi lama sabachtbani which is being interpreted My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And some of them that stood by when they heard it said Behold he calleth Elias And one ran and filled spunge full of vinegar and put it on a reed and gave him to drink saying Let alone let us see whether Elias will come to take him down And Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost And the vail of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom And when the centurion which stood over against him saw that he so cried out and gave up the ghost he said Truly this man was the Son of God Wednesday before Easter The Epistle Heb. 9.16 WHere a testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the testatour for a testament is of force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all whilst the testatour liveth Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without bloud for when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law he took the bloud of calves and of goats with water and scarlet wooll and hyssop and sprinkled both the book and all the people saying This is the bloud of the testament which God hath enjoyned unto you Moreover he sprinkled likewise with bloud both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry And almost all things are by the law purged with bloud and without shedding of bloud is no remission It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices then these For Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entreth into the holy place every year with bloud of others for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself And as it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the Judgment so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation The Gospel S. Luke 22.1 NOw the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh which is called the passover And the chief Priests and Scribes sought how they might kill him for they feared the people Then entred Satan into Judas sirnamed Iscariot being of the number of the twelve And he went his way and communed with the chief Priests and captains how he might betray him unto them And they were glad and covenanted to give him money And he promised and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude Then came the day of unleavened bread when the passover must be killed And he sent Peter and John saying Go and prepare us the passover that we may eat And they said unto him Where wilt thou that we prepare And he said unto them Behold when ye are entred into the city there shall a man meet you bearing a pitcher of water follow him into the house where he entreth in And ye shall say unto the good-man of the house The master saith unto thee Where is the guest-chamber where I shall eat the passover with my disciples And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished there make ready And they went and found as he had said unto them and they made ready the passover And when the hour was come he sat down and the twelve Apostles with him And he said unto them With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer For I say unto you I will not any more eat thereof until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God And he took the cup and gave thanks and said Take this and divide it among your selves For I say unto you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come And he took bread and gave thanks and brake it and gave unto them saying This is my body which is given for you this do in remembrance of me Likewise also the cup after supper saying This cup is the new Testament in my bloud which is shed for you But behold the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table And truly the Son of man goeth as it was determined but wo unto that man by whom he is betrayed And they began to enquire among themselves which of them it was that should do this thing And there was also a strife among them which of them should be accounted the greatest And he said unto them The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them
not faithless but believing And Thomas answered and said unto him My Lord and my God Jesus saith unto him Thomas because thou hast seen me thou hast believed blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his Name The Conversion of Saint Paul The collect O God who through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Saint Paul hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world Grant we beseech thee that we having his wonderful Conversion in remembrance may shew forth our thankfulness unto thee for the same by following the holy doctrine which he taught through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen For the Epistle Acts 9.1 ANd Saul yet breathing out threatnings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues that if he found any of this way whether they were men or women he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem And as he journeyed he came near Damascus and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And he said who art thou Lord And the Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks And he trembling and astonished said Lord what wilt thou have me to do And the Lord said unto him Arise and go into the city and it shall be told thee what thou must do And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless hearing a voice but seeing no man And Saul arose from the earth and when his eyes were opened he saw no man but they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus And he was three days without sight and neither did eat nor drink And there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias and to him said the Lord in a vision Ananias And he said Behold I am hear Lord. And the Lord said unto him Arise and go into the street which is called Straight and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus for behold he prayeth and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight Then Ananias answered Lord I have heard by many of this man how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy Name But the Lord said unto him Go thy way for he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my Name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my Names sake And Ananias went his way and entred into the house and putting his hands on him said Brother Saul the Lord even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest hath sent me that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales and he received sight forthwith and arose and was baptized And when he had received meat he was strengthened Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues that he is the Son of God But all that heard him were amazed and said Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this Name in Jerusalem and came hither for that intent that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests But Saul increased the more in strength and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus proving that this is very Christ The Gospel S. Matth. 19.27 PEter answered and said unto Jesus Behold we have forsaken all and followed thee what shall we have therefore And Jesus said unto them Verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel And every one that hath forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my Names sake shall receive an hundred-fold and shall inherit everlasting life But many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first The Presentation of Christ in the Temple commonly called The Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin The collect ALmighty and everliving God we humbhly beseech thy Majesty that as thy Only begotten Son was this day presented in the Temple in substance of our flesh so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen For the Epistle Mal. 3.1 BEhold I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in behold he shall come saith the Lord of hosts But who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like a refiners fire and like fullers sope And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and he shall purifie the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness Then shall the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years And I will come near to you to judgment and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against false swearers and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages the widow and the fatherless and that turn aside the stranger from his right and fear not me saith the Lord of hosts The Gospel S. Luke 2.22 ANd when the days of her purification according to the law Moses were accomplished they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons And behold there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon and the same man was just and devout waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Ghost was upon him And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lords Christ And he came by the Spirit into the temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law