Morning Prayer
Psalm 48. Magnus Dominus.
1 GREAT is the LORD, and highly to be praised * in the city of our God, even upon his holy hill.
2 The hill of Sion is a fair place, and the joy of the whole earth; * upon the north side lieth the city of the great King: God is well known in her palaces as a sure refuge.
3 For lo, the kings of the earth * were gathered, and gone by together.
4 They marvelled to see such things; * they were astonished, and suddenly cast down.
5 Fear came there upon them; and sorrow, * as upon a woman in her travail.
6 Thou dost break the ships of the sea * through the east wind.
7 Like as we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God; * God upholdeth the same for ever.
8 We wait for thy loving kindness, O God, * in the midst of thy temple.
9 O God, according to thy Name, so is thy praise unto the world’s end; * thy right hand is full of righteousness.
10 Let the mount Sion rejoice, and the daughters of Judah be glad, * because of thy judgments.
11 Walk about Sion, and go round about her; * and tell the towers thereof.
12 Mark well her bulwarks, consider her palaces, * that ye may tell them that come after.
13 For this God is our God for ever and ever: * he shall be our guide unto death.
First Lesson:
Isa 44:1 23
44:1 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: 2 Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: 4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. 5 One shall say, I am the LORD’s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel. 6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. 7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. 8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any. 20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? 21 Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. 22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. 23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.
Second Lesson:
Gal 5:16 25
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Evening Prayer
Psalm 18:1-20 Diligam te, Domine.
1 I WILL love thee, O LORD, my strength. * The LORD is my stony rock, and my defence;
2 My Saviour, my God, and my might, in whom I will trust; * my buckler, the horn also of my salvation, and my refuge.
3 I will call upon the LORD, which is worthy to be praised; * so shall I be safe from mine enemies.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me, * and the overflowings of ungodliness made me afraid.
5 The pains of hell came about me; * the snares of death overtook me.
6 In my trouble I called upon the LORD, * and complained unto my God:
7 So he heard my voice out of his holy temple, * and my complaint came before him; it entered even into his ears.
8 The earth trembled and quaked, * the very foundations also of the hills shook, and were removed, because he was wroth.
9 There went a smoke out in his presence, * and a consuming fire out of his mouth, so that coals were kindled at it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down, * and it was dark under his feet.
11 He rode upon the Cherubim, and did fly; * he came flying upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his secret place, * his pavilion round about him with dark water, and thick clouds to cover him.
13 At the brightness of his presence his clouds removed; * hailstones and coals of fire.
14 The LORD also thundered out of heaven, and the Highest gave his thunder; * hailstones and coals of fire.
15 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them; * he cast forth lightnings, and destroyed them.
16 The springs of waters were seen, and the foundations of the round world were discovered, * at thy chiding, O LORD, at the blasting of the breath of thy displeasure.
17 He sent down from on high to fetch me, * and took me out of many waters.
18 He delivered me from my strongest enemy, and from them which hate me; * for they were too mighty for me.
19 They came upon me in the day of my trouble; * but the LORD was my upholder.
20 He brought me forth also into a place of liberty; * he brought me forth, even because he had a favour unto me.
First Lesson:
Wisdom of Solomon 11:21 12:2
21 For thou canst shew thy great strength at all times when thou wilt; and who may withstand the power of thine arm? 22 For the whole world before thee is as a little grain of the balance, yea, as a drop of the morning dew that falleth down upon the earth. 23 But thou hast mercy upon all; for thou canst do all things, and winkest at the sins of men, because they should amend. 24 For thou lovest all the things that are, and abhorrest nothing which thou hast made: for never wouldest thou have made any thing, if thou hadst hated it. 25 And how could any thing have endured, if it had not been thy will? or been preserved, if not called by thee? 26 But thou sparest all: for they are thine, O Lord, thou lover of souls. 12:1 For thine incorruptible Spirit is in all things. 2 Therefore chastenest thou them by little and little that offend, and warnest them by putting them in remembrance wherein they have offended, that leaving their wickedness they may believe on thee, O Lord.
Second Lesson:
Acts 5:29 42
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. 33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. 34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; 35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. 36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. 37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. 38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: 39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. 40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.