§ 5. Part of the Service for August 10th.
{117} The Feast of St. Laurence, Deacon and Martyr
[In order to understand parts of the following
Service, it may be necessary for the reader to have some knowledge of
St. Laurence's history; which may fitly be conveyed in the following
translation from St. Ambrose's Offices, as found in the British
Magazine, for January, 1834.
"We must not omit mention of the blessed
Laurence, who, on the sight of Sextus, his Bishop, going to martyrdom,
began to weep, not so much at his passion, as his own orphanhood. So he
called out to him, 'Whither goest thou, O my father, without thy son?
Whither can a Priest be hurrying without his Deacon? Never as yet didst
thou offer sacrifice without an attendant. How have I displeased thee?
Hast thou found me a degenerate son? Peter let Stephen suffer before
him. Thou, too, O my Father, show thine own graces in my person, offer
up to God him whom thou hast begotten, nor seize the crown of martyrdom
without a noble company to answer your good thoughts concerning them.'
"The Prelate answered, 'Nay, son, I leave thee
not, neither forsake thee; a fiercer combat is in store for thee. We, as
the old, are allotted the lighter skirmish, but youth must bear off a
more glorious triumph over tyranny. Thou wilt soon be called upon; cease
thy tears; in three days thou shalt follow me. Ill would it seem for me
who hold the third rank in the sacred ministry, to press into the first.
I leave to thee the legacy of my own constancy.'"
In consequence, three days after, Laurence was
arrested, and, after other tortures, broiled to death on a gridiron. St.
Ambrose adds, "when he was stretched upon the scorching gridiron, he
did but say, The meat is done; turn it over, and eat it.'" This
happened A.D. 258. Other particulars of his Martyrdom
will be found in the Service itself. It may be added, by way of
explaining an allusion in the above account, that "Priest," in the
language of antiquity, means one who has the power of consecrating the
Eucharist, i.e. Bishop and Presbyter, [Leitourgos], or as
our Service seems sometimes to express it, Minister; and that
this Deacon was the usual attendant on the Minister in the celebration.]
{118}
FIRST
VESPERS
|
O God, make speed to save me.
O Lord, make haste
to help me.
Glory be to the Father, &c.
As it was in the beginning, &c. Amen.
Hallelujah |
| (yy) Antiphon |
Laurence entered on his
Martyrdom, and confessed the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| Ps. 110. p. 76. (1) |
The Lord said, &c. |
| (yy) Antiphon |
Laurence entered on his
Martyrdom, and confessed the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. |
(zz) Antiphon |
Laurence hath wrought a good work, who by the
sign of
the Cross gave sight to the blind. |
| Ps. 111. p. 76. (2) |
I will give thanks, &c. |
| (zz) Antiphon |
Laurence hath wrought a good
work, who by the sign of
the Cross gave sight to the blind. |
(aaa) Antiphon |
My soul hangeth upon Thee, because my flesh
is burned
in the fire for Thee, O my God. |
| Ps. 112. p. 77. (3) |
Blessed is the man, &c. |
| (aaa) Antiphon |
My soul hangeth upon Thee,
because my flesh is burned
in the fire for Thee, O my God. |
(bbb) Antiphon |
The Lord hath sent His Angel, and hath
delivered me
from the midst of the fire, and I am not tormented. |
| Ps. 113. p. 77. (4) |
Praise the Lord, ye servants,
&c. |
| (bbb) Antiphon |
The Lord hath sent his Angel,
and hath delivered me
from the midst of the fire, and I am not tormented. |
(ccc) Antiphon |
Blessed Laurence prayed, saying, I give Thee
thanks, O
Lord, because I have been found worthy to enter Thy gates. |
| Psalm 117. (5) |
O praise the Lord, all ye
heathen: praise him, all ye
nations.
For his merciful kindness is ever more and
more towards
us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise
the Lord. |
| (ccc) Antiphon |
Blessed Laurence prayed,
saying, I give Thee thanks, O
Lord, because I have been found worthy to enter Thy gates. {119} |
(ddd) Text
2 Cor. ix. 6. |
Minister.—Brethren, he which soweth
sparingly shall
reap sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap
bountifully.
Thanks be to God. |
(eee) Hymn
[Invicte martyr
unicum. It is re-
markable that this
Hymn, which is
the only one of
those here trans-
ated which sa-
vours of Roman-
ism, is the only
one, except one
other, which is
not known to be
ancient. The rest
are either Ambro-
sian or Gregorian,
except one, which
is by Prudentius.
(Quicunque Chri-
stum.) Of the
Hymn Lux Alma
Jesu, the Trans-
lator cannot dis-
cover the Author.] |
Martyr of Christ, thy fight is won!
Following the Father's only Son,
O'er thy fall'n foes thou triumphest,
In heavenly courts a risen guest.
Use thou for us thy gift of prayer
To cleanse thy brethren's sin,
To sweeten earth's infectious air,
And gain us peace within.
For ever broken is the chain
That bound thy
body's hallowed fane;
As God hath
given thee, break the tie
Which links our
hearts to vanity.
To God the
Father, God the Son,
And
God the Paraclete,
Be praise, while
circling ages run
Beneath
the Eternal's feet. Amen. |
(fff) Verse and
Response |
Thou hast crowned him with glory and worship.
And makest Him to
have dominion of the works of Thy
hands. |
(ggg) Antiphon |
On the hot bars I denied Thee not, my God:
and, when
brought to the fire, I confessed Thee, O Christ. Thou hast
proved my heart, and visited me in the night: thou hast
tried me by fire, and hast found no wickedness in me. |
| Magnificat |
My
soul doth magnify the Lord, &c. |
| Antiphon |
On the hot bars I denied thee
not, &c.
The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.
Let us pray. |
| Collect |
Almighty God, who gavest to
blessed Laurence to over-
come the fire of his torture, grant to us, we beseech Thee,
to extinguish the flames of our vices, through the Lord.
Amen. |
|
(The Service ends as above in Vespers,
p. 80.) {120} |
MATIN
SERVICE
|
O Lord, open Thou my lips:
And my mouth shall show
forth Thy praise.
O God, make speed to save me.
O Lord, make haste to
help me.
Glory be to the Father, &c.
As it was in the
beginning, &c. Amen. Hallelujah. |
| (a) Invitatory |
Blessed Laurence, the Martyr
of Christ, is crowned, and
triumphs in heaven: come, let us worship.
Blessed Laurence, the Martyr of Christ,
&c. |
| Psalm 95 |
O come, let us sing unto the
Lord: let us heartily rejoice
in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with
thanksgiving: and
show ourselves glad in him with psalms.
Blessed Laurence, the
Martyr of Christ, is crowned,
and
triumphs in heaven: come, let us worship.
For the Lord is a great God: and a great King
above all
gods.
In his hand are all the corners of the earth:
and the
strength of the hills is his also.
Come,
let us worship.
The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands
prepared
the dry land.
O come, let us worship and fall down: and
kneel before
the Lord our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God: and we are the
people of
his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Blessed Laurence, the
Martyr of Christ, is crowned,
and
triumphs in heaven: come, let us worship.
Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not
your hearts:
as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in
the wilderness;
When your fathers tempted me: proved me, and
saw my
works. {121}
Come,
let us worship.
Forty years long was I grieved with this
generation, and
said: It is a people that do err in their hearts, for they have
not known my ways;
Unto whom I sware in my wrath: that they
should not
enter into my rest.
Blessed Laurence, the
Martyr of Christ, is crowned,
and
triumphs in heaven: come, let us worship.
Glory be to the Father, &c.
As it was in the beginning, &c. Amen.
Come, let us worship.
Blessed Laurence, the Martyr of Christ, is
crowned, and
triumphs in heaven: come,
let us worship. |
(b) Hymn
[Deus tuorum
militum.] |
O God, of Thy soldiers
The Portion and Crown,
Spare sinners, who hymn
The praise of the Blest;
Earth's bitter joys,
Its lures and its frown,
He weighed them and scorned,
And so is at rest.
Thy Martyr he ran
All valiantly o'er
A highway of blood
For the prize Thou hast given.
We kneel at Thy feet,
And meekly implore,
Our pardon may wait
On his triumph in heaven.
Honour and praise
To the Father and Son
And the Spirit be done
Now and always. Amen. {122} |
NOCTURN
I.
| (c) Antiphon |
Whither speedest thou without
thy son, O my father?
Whither, holy Priest, hurriest thou without attendant? |
| Psalm 1. (1) |
Blessed is the man, that hath
not walked in the counsel of
the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners: and hath not
sat in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord:
and in his law
will he exercise himself day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the
water-side:
that will bring forth his fruit in due season.
His leaf also shall not wither: and look,
whatsoever he
doeth, it shall prosper.
As for the ungodly, it is not so with them:
but they are
like the chaff, which the wind scattereth away from the
face of the earth.
Therefore the ungodly shall not be able to
stand in the
judgment: neither the sinners in the congregation of the
righteous.
But the Lord knoweth the way of the
righteous: and the
way of the ungodly shall perish. Glory be, &c. |
| (c) Antiphon |
Whither speedest thou, without
thy son, O my father?
Whither, holy Priest, hurriest thou without attendant? |
(d) Antiphon |
Forsake me not, O holy father, for I have
just laid out
those treasures which thou gavest me in trust. |
| Psalm 2. (2) |
Why do the heathen so
furiously rage together: and why
do the people imagine a vain thing?
The kings of the earth stand up, and the
rulers take
counsel together: against the Lord, and against his
Anointed.
Let us break their bonds asunder: and cast
away their
cords from us.
He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them
to scorn:
the Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath:
and vex
them in his sore displeasure.
Yet have I set my King: upon my holy hill of
Sion.
I will preach the law, whereof the Lord hath
said unto
me: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
Desire of me, and I shall give thee the
heathen for thine
inheritance: and the utmost parts of the earth for thy
possession. {123}
Thou shalt bruise them with a rod of iron:
and break
them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings; be
learned, ye that
are judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord in fear: and rejoice unto him
with re-
verence.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and so ye
perish from the
right way: if his wrath be kindled, (yea, but a little)
blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Glory be,
&c. |
| (d) Antiphon |
Forsake me not, O holy father,
for I have now laid out
those treasures which thou gavest me in trust. |
(e) Antiphon |
I desert thee not, O my son, neither do I
forsake thee;
but a higher conflict for the faith of Christ is in store for
thee. |
| Psalm 3. (3) |
Lord, how are they increased
that trouble me: many are
they that rise against me.
Many one there be that say of my soul: There
is no help
for him in his God.
But thou, O Lord, art my defender: thou art
my worship,
and the lifter up of my head.
I did call upon the Lord with my voice; and
he heard me
out of his holy hill.
I laid me down and slept, and rose up again:
for the Lord
sustained me.
I will not be afraid for ten thousands of the
people: that
have set themselves against me round about.
Up, Lord, and help me, O my God: for thou
smitest all
mine enemies upon the cheek-bone; thou hast broken the
teeth of the ungodly.
Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: and thy
blessing is
upon thy people. Glory be, &c. |
| (e) Antiphon |
I desert thee not, O my son,
neither do I forsake thee;
but a higher conflict for the faith of Christ is in store for
thee. |
(f) Verse and
Response |
Thou hast crowned him with glory and worship.
And makest him to have dominion of the works of Thy hands. |
The Lord's Prayer
(privately.) |
Our Father, &c.
And lead us not in to temptation,
But deliver us from evil. |
| Absolution 1. |
O Lord Jesus Christ, hearken unto the prayers of
thy {124}
servants, and have mercy upon us, who livest and reignest
with the Father and Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen. |
Benediction 1. |
Reader.—Sir, be pleased to bless us.
Minister.—The Father everlasting
bless us with a per-
petual blessing. Amen. |
Lesson 1.
Ecclus. li. 1-5. |
I will thank thee, O Lord and
King, and praise thee, O
God my Saviour, I do give praise unto Thy name;
For thou art my defender and helper, and hast
preserved
my body from destruction, and from the snare of the slan-
derous tongue, and from lips that forge lies, and hast been
mine helper against mine adversaries;
And hast delivered me, according to the
multitude of Thy
mercies and greatness of Thy name, from the teeth of them
that were ready to devour me, and out of the hands of such
as sought after my life, and from the manifold afflictions
which I had;
From the choking of fire on every side, and
from the
midst of the fire which I kindled not.
From the depth of the belly of hell, from an
unclean
tongue, and from lying words, from an unjust king, and
from an unrighteous tongue.
But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Thanks be to God. |
Response 1. |
Laurence, the Deacon,
wrought a good work, who en-
lightened
the blind by the sign of the Cross: and gave
the
treasures of the Church to the poor.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor,
and his
righteousness remaineth for ever.
And he gave the treasures of the Church to
the poor. |
Benediction 2. |
Reader—Sir, be pleased to bless us.
Minister.—The only begotten Son
of God vouchsafe to
bless us and help us. Amen. |
Lesson 2.
Ecclus. li. 6-9. |
My soul shall praise the Lord
even unto death, my life
was near to the hell beneath.
They compassed me on every side, and there
was no man
to help me: I looked for the succour of men, but there was
none.
Then thought I upon thy mercy, O Lord, and
upon Thy
acts of old, how Thou deliverest such as wait for Thee,
and savest them out of the hands of the enemies. {125}
Then I lifted up my supplication from the
earth, and
prayed for deliverance from death.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us. |
| Response 2. |
Thanks be to God.
My child, be not afraid, for I am with
thee, saith the
Lord. When thou
passest through the fire, thou shalt
not be burned,
neither shall the smell of fire pass upon
thee.
I will deliver thee from the bond of the
wicked, and
rescue thee from the hand of the mighty.
When thou passest through the fire, thou
shalt not be
burned, neither shall the smell of fire pass upon thee. |
Benediction 3. |
Reader.—Sir, be pleased to bless us.
Minister.—The grace of the Holy
Spirit enlighten our
thoughts and hearts. Amen. |
Lesson 3.
Ecclus. li. 10-12. |
I called upon the Lord, the
Father of my Lord, that He
would not leave me in the days of my trouble, and in the
time of the proud, when there was no help.
I will praise Thy name continually, and will
sing praise
with thanksgiving; and so my prayer was heard.
For thou savedst me from destruction, and
deliveredst me
from the evil time: therefore will I give thanks, and praise
Thee, and bless Thy name, O Lord.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us. |
| Response 3. |
Thanks be to God.
They bound down his
limbs upon the bars; but while they
ministered live coals, the deacon of Christ laughed them
to
scorn. Blessed Laurence, Martyr of Christ, inter-
cede
for us.
My night has no darkness, but all things grow
clear in the
light.
Blessed Laurence, Martyr of Christ,
intercede for us.
Glory be to the Father, &c.
As it was in the beginning, &c.
Blessed Laurence, Martyr of Christ,
intercede for us. {126} |
NOCTURN
II.
| (g) Antiphon |
Blessed Laurence prayed
saying, Lord Jesus Christ, God
from God, have mercy on Thy servant. |
| Psalm 4. (4) |
Hear me when I call, O God of
my righteousness: thou
hast set me at liberty when I was in trouble: have mercy
upon me, and hearken unto my prayer.
O ye sons of men, how long will ye blaspheme
mine
honour: and have such pleasure in vanity, and seek after
leasing?
Know this also, that the Lord hath chosen to
himself the
man that is godly: when I call upon the Lord, he will
hear me.
Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your
own heart
and in your chamber, and be still.
Offer the sacrifice of righteousness: and put
your trust in
the Lord.
There be many that say: Who will show us any
good?
Lord, lift thou up: the light of thy
countenance upon us.
Thou hast put gladness in my heart: since the
time that
their corn, and wine, and oil increased.
I will lay me down in peace, and take my
rest: for it is
thou, Lord, only, that makest me dwell in safety. Glory
be, &c. |
| (g) Antiphon |
Blessed Laurence prayed
saying, Lord Jesus Christ, God
from God, have mercy on thy servant. |
(h) Antiphon |
Romanus said to blessed Laurence, I see
before thee a
young man of fair countenance, hasten to baptize me. |
| Psalm 5. (5) |
Ponder my words, O Lord:
consider my meditation.
O hearken thou unto the voice of my calling,
my King
and my God: for unto thee will I make my prayer.
My voice shalt thou hear betimes, O Lord:
early in the
morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look
up.
For thou art the God that hast no pleasure in
wickedness:
neither shall any evil dwell with thee.
Such as be foolish shall not stand in thy
sight: for thou
hatest all them that work vanity.
Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing:
the Lord will
abhor both the blood-thirsty and deceitful man.
But as for me, I will come into thine house,
even upon the
multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship
toward thy holy temple. {127}
Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness,
because of mine
enemies: make thy way plain before my face.
For there is no faithfulness in his mouth:
their inward
parts are very wickedness.
Their throat is an open sepulchre: they
flatter with their
tongue.
Destroy thou them, O God: let them perish
through their
own imaginations: cast them out in the multitude of their
ungodliness: for they have rebelled against thee.
And let all them that put their trust in thee
rejoice: they
shall ever be giving of thanks, because thou defendest
them: they that love thy Name shall be joyful in thee.
For thou, Lord, wilt give thy blessing unto
the righteous:
and with thy favourable kindness wilt thou defend him as
with a shield. Glory be, &c. |
| (h) Antiphon |
Romanus said to blessed
Laurence, I see before thee a
young man of fair countenance, hasten to baptize me. |
(i) Antiphon |
Blessed Laurence answered, My night has no
darkness,
but all things grow clear in the light. |
| Psalm 8. (6) |
O Lord, our Governor, how
excellent is thy name in all
the world: thou that hast set thy glory above the heavens!
Out of the mouth of very babes and sucklings
hast thou
ordained strength, because of thine enemies: that thou
mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
For I will consider thy heavens, even the
works of thy
fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained.
What is man, that thou art mindful of him:
and the Son
of man that thou visitest him?
Thou madest him lower than the angels: to
crown him
with, glory and worship.
Thou makest him to have dominion of the works
of thy
hands: and thou hast put all things in subjection under
his feet;
All sheep and oxen: yea, and the beasts of
the field;
The fowls of the air, and the fishes of the
sea: and what-
soever walketh through the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Governor: how excellent is thy
name in all
the world! Glory be, &c. |
| (i) Antiphon |
Blessed Laurence answered, My
night has no darkness,
but all things grow clear in the light. |
(j) Verse and
Response |
Lord, thou hast set upon his head.
A crown of precious
stones. {128} |
The Lord's Prayer,
(privately.) |
Our Father, &c.
And lead us not into
temptation,
But
deliver us from evil. |
| Absolution 2. |
His pity and mercy help us,
who with the Father and the
Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, world without end. Amen. |
Benediction 4. |
Reader.—Sir, be pleased to bless us.
Minister.—God the Father Almighty be
favourable and
gracious unto us. Amen. |
Lesson 4.
(Sermon of St.
Leo, Pope.) |
While the fury of the heathen
powers raged against the
most chosen members of Christ, those chiefly who were in
the order of the Ministry, Laurence the Deacon, having not
only the dispensation of the Sacraments, but also of the
Church's store, incited the impious persecutor, who promised
himself a double price in one man, the gain of the sacred
treasure and the ruin of him who surrendered it. Instigated
therefore by this twofold flame, avarice and hatred of the
truth, to rob him of his treasure and of Christ, he demands
of the spotless Sacristan, those stores of the Church of
which he was greedy. To whom he, most holy Deacon, by
way of showing where they really were laid up, presented
vast multitudes of Christian poor, on whose food and
clothing he had expended wealth which could not be taken
away, but was irrevocably his from the sanctity of his
using.
But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Thanks be to God. |
Response 4. |
Whither speedest thou
without thy son, O my father?
Whither
hurriest thou, holy priest, without thy Dea-
con?
Thou never yet hast offered sacrifice without
attendant.
What hath in me displeased thy fatherly love?
in what
have I come short? make trial of his fitness to whom
thou hast entrusted the dispensation of the Lord's blood.
Thou never yet hast offered sacrifice
without attendant.
Reader.—Sir, be pleased to bless us. |
| Benediction 5. |
Minister.—Christ
grant us the joys of eternal life. Amen. |
Lesson 5.
(Sermon,
continued.) |
Therefore the disappointed
robber roars aloud, and kind-
ling into hatred of that religion, which had introduced such
an application of worldly goods, he attempts the plunder of
another treasure-house, not of gold or silver, to rob it of that
store which was of a more holy costliness. He bids Lau-
rence renounce Christ, and prepares against the stubborn {129}
courage of that Deacon's heart, dreadful tortures; and when
the first prove fruitless, he proceeds to fiercer. He tears and
shreds his limbs with continued scourging, next he gives
orders to broil them over the fire, so that, being stretched
upon the red hot bars, first on one side, then on the other,
the torment might be the greater, and the punishment more
protracted.
But thou, O Lord, have
mercy upon us.
Thanks be to God. |
Response 5. |
Forsake me not, O holy father, for I have
already laid
out my stores. I
desert thee not, my son, neither do I
forsake thee; but a
fiercer conflict for the faith of Christ
is in store for
thee.
We, as aged men, receive the onset of the
skirmish, thou
being young, will have to bear off a more glorious triumph
over the persecutor; the Deacon shall follow his Bishop on
the third day.
I desert thee not, my son, neither do I
forsake thee: but a
fiercer conflict for the faith of Christ is in store for thee.
But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Thanks be to God. |
Benediction 6. |
Reader.—Sir, be pleased to bless us.
Minister.—God kindle the fire of His
love in our hearts.
Amen. |
| Lesson 6. |
Thou gainest nothing, thou
availest nothing, O savage
cruelty! The mortal frame is gradually released from thy
tortures. Laurence departs heavenward, and thy flames fail
thee. The love of Christ surpassed the flame, and the fire
which burned around him was duller than that which was
kindled within him. O Persecutor, thou hast spent thy rage
upon the Martyr; thou hast spent it, and added to his
palm, while adding to his pain. For what part of thy de-
vice has not redounded to the conqueror's glory, when even
the instruments of his suffering are converted into deco-
rations of his triumph? Let us then rejoice, dearly beloved,
with a spiritual joy, and glory in the Lord concerning the
most blessed end of this famous man. God is wonderful
in His Saints, in whom He hath ordained for us a sanction
and an example, and hath so shown forth His glory through
the whole world, that from the rising to the setting sun,
among the refulgent lights of the Diaconate, Rome became
as honoured in her Laurence, as Jerusalem in Stephen.
But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Thanks be to God.
{130} |
| Response 6. |
Blessed Laurence cried out
and said, My God I worship,
Him alone I serve, and
therefore I fear not your tortures.
My night hath no darkness, but all things
grow clear in
the light.
And therefore I fear not your tortures.
Glory be to the Father,
&c.
And therefore I fear not your tortures. |
|
|
NOCTURN
III.
| (k) Antiphon |
They bound down his limbs upon
the bars: but while
they laid underneath live coals, the Deacon of Christ laughs
them to scorn. |
| Psalm 15 (7) |
Lord, who shall dwell in thy
tabernacle: or who shall rest
upon thy holy hill?
Even he that leadeth an uncorrupt life: and
doeth the thing
which is right, and speaketh the truth from his heart.
He that hath used no deceit in his tongue,
nor done evil to
his neighbour: and hath not slandered his neighbour.
He that setteth not by himself, but is lowly
in his own
eyes: and maketh much of them that fear the Lord.
He that sweareth unto his neighbour, and
disappointeth
him not: though it were to his own hindrance.
He that hath not given his money upon usury:
nor taken
reward against the innocent.
Whoso doeth these things shall never fall.
Glory be, &c. |
| (k) Antiphon |
They bound his limbs upon the
bars; but while they laid
underneath live coals, the Deacon of Christ laughs them
to scorn. |
(l) Antiphon |
Thou hast tried me with fire, and hast found
no wicked-
ness in me. |
| Psalm 17. (8) |
Hear the right, O Lord,
consider my complaint: and
hearken unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
Let my sentence come forth from thy presence:
and let
thine eyes look upon the thing that is equal.
Thou hast proved and visited mine heart in
the night-
season; thou hast tried me, and shalt find no wickedness
in me: for I am utterly purposed that my mouth shall not
offend.
Because of men's works, that are done
against the words
of thy lips: I have kept me from the ways of the destroyer.
{131}
O hold thou up my goings in thy paths: that
my footsteps
slip not.
I have called upon thee, O God, for thou
shalt hear me:
incline thine ear to me, and hearken unto my words.
Show thy marvellous loving-kindness, thou
that art the
Saviour of them which put their trust in thee: from such as
resist thy right hand.
Keep me as the apple of an eye: hide me under
the shadow
of thy wings.
From the ungodly that trouble me: mine
enemies compass
me round about to take away my soul.
They are inclosed in their own fat: and their
mouth
speaketh proud things.
They lie waiting in our way on every side:
turning their
eyes down to the ground;
Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey:
and as it were a
lion's whelp lurking in secret places.
Up, Lord, disappoint him, and cast him down:
deliver
my soul from the ungodly, which is a sword of thine;
From the men of thy hand, O Lord, from the
men, I say,
and from the evil world: which have their portion in this
life, whose bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure.
They have children at their desire: and leave
the rest of
their substance for their babes.
But as for me, I will behold thy presence in
righteous-
ness; and when I awake up after thy likeness, I shall be
satisfied with it. Glory be, &c. |
| (l) Antiphon |
Thou hast tried me with fire,
and hast found no wicked-
ness in me. |
(m) Antiphon |
When I was questioned, I confessed the Lord:
when I am
burned, I give thanks. |
| Psalm 21. (9) |
The King shall rejoice in thy
strength, O Lord: exceed-
ing glad shall he be of thy salvation.
Thou hast given him his heart's desire: and
hast not
denied him the request of his lips.
For thou shalt prevent him with the blessings
of good-
ness: and shalt set a crown of pure gold upon his head.
He asked life of thee, and thou gavest him a
long life:
even for ever and ever.
His honour is great in thy salvation: glory
and great
worship shalt thou lay upon him.
For thou shalt give him everlasting felicity:
and make
him glad with the joy of thy countenance. {132}
And why? because the king putteth his trust
in the Lord:
and in the mercy of the Most Highest he shall not miscarry.
All thine enemies shall feel thy hand: thy
right hand
shall find out them that hate thee.
Thou shalt make them like a fiery oven in
time of thy
wrath: the Lord shall destroy them in his displeasure, and
the fire shall consume them.
Their fruit shalt thou root out of the earth:
and their seed
from among the children or men.
For they intended mischief against thee; and
imagined
such a device as they are not able to perform.
Therefore shalt thou put them to flight: and
the strings
of thy bow shalt thou make ready against the face of them.
Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength:
so will we
sing, and praise thy power. Glory be, &c.
|
| (m) Antiphon |
When I was questioned, I confessed the Lord:
when I
am burned, I give thanks.
|
(n) Verse and
Response |
His honour is great in thy salvation.
Glory and great worship
shalt thou lay upon him.
|
The Lord's Prayer
(privately.) |
Our Father, &c.
And lead us not into temptation,
But
deliver us from evil.
|
| Absolution 3. |
The Almighty and merciful Lord absolve us
from the
chain of our sins. Amen.
|
Benediction 7. |
Reader.—Sir, be pleased to bless us.
Minister.—May the reading of the
Gospel be to us salva-
tion and a defence. Amen.
|
Lesson 7.
John xii. 24, 25. |
At that time Jesus said to His disciples,
Verily, verily, I
say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground
and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. He that loveth his life, shall lose it, and he that
hateth his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal.
|
Homily of St.
Augustine |
The Lord Jesus Himself was the corn of wheat
to be put
to death, and to be multiplied; to be put to death by the
unbelief of the Jews, to be multiplied by the belief of the
Gentiles. Therefore, exhorting us to trace the footsteps of
His passion, He says, "He that loveth his life shall lose it."
Which may be understood in two ways. He that loveth,
shall lose; that is, if thou lovest, thou shalt lose. If thou
wouldest possess life in Christ, fear not that death for
Christ {133} which is necessary. Or otherwise; He that
loveth his life, shall lose it. Love it not lest thou really
lose
it; love it not here, lest thou lose it eternally.
But
thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Thanks
be to God.
|
Response |
On the hot bars I denied Thee not, my God;
and when
brought to the fire, I
confessed the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thou hast proved, O Lord, and visited mine
heart in the
night-season.
And when brought to the fire, I confessed
the Lord
Jesus Christ.
|
Benediction 8. |
Reader.—Sir, be pleased to bless us.
Minister.—May he whose festival we
keep, intercede for
us to the Lord. Amen.
|
Lesson 8.
(homily,
continued.) |
The latter of these two seems rather to be
the sense of
the Gospel. For it goes on, "And he that hateth his life
in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal." Therefore,
as is said before, "He that loveth," that is, "in this world,"
he surely shall lose it; but "he who hateth," namely, "in
this world," shall keep it unto life eternal, A great and
marvellous saying, how it should be that a man should love
his life to its destruction, and hate it to its preservation. If
thou hast loved it perversely, then thou really hatest it; if
thou hast hated rightly, then thou hast loved it. Blessed are
they who so hate it while really saving it, as not to lose it
while loving it.
But
Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Thanks
be to God.
|
Response 8. |
O Hippolytus, if thou hast faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ,
I will both show thee
treasures, and promise thee life ever-
lasting.
The blessed Laurence said to Hippolyus, If
thou hast
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I will both show thee treasures, and
promise thee life ever-
lasting.
Glory be to the Father, &c.
As it was, &c.
I will both show thee treasures, and
promise thee life ever-
lasting.
|
Benediction 9. |
Reader.—Sir, be pleased to bless us.
Minister.—The King of Angels lead us
on to the fellow-
ship of the inhabitants of heaven. Amen. {134}
|
Lesson 9.
(Homily
continued.) |
But beware of the desire of self-murder
stealing on thee,
as if from the precept of hating thy life in this world. For
hence certain evil-tempered and perverse men, and to them-
selves more cruel and wicked murderers, give themselves
to the flames, drown themselves in the water, break their
bones down precipices, and so perish. This is not from
Christ's teaching, who even answered to the devil, suggest-
ing to Him such a fall, "Get thee behind me, Satan; it is
written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." But to
Peter he said, signifying by what death he should glorify
God, "When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself and
walkedst whither thou wouldest; but when thou art old,
another shall gird thee, and shall carry thee whither thou
wouldest not." Where he sufficiently intimated that he who
follows Christ's footsteps must be put to death, not by
himself but by another.
|
| Te Deum |
We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to
be the
Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee: the Father
everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud: the heavens and
all the
Powers therein, &c.
|
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