seek them, and shalt not find them, | that walk therein I the LORD have even them that contended with thee: called thee in righteousness, and will they that war against thee shall hold thine hand, and will keep thee, be as nothing, and as a thing of and give thee for a covenant of the nought. For I the LORD thy God people, for a light of the Gentiles: will hold thy right hand, saying unto to open the blind eyes, to bring out thee, Fear not; I will help thee. the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the Ry. The sceptre (p. xx.) prison-house. Lesson III. FEAR not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. Ry. I must decrease (p. xx.) TUESDAY. Of Isaiah the Prophet. Lesson I. Chap. xlii. Ry. Behold now (p. xxi.) Lesson III. I AM the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the in habitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands. The LORD shall go forth as a mighty BEHOLD my servant, whom I up-man, he shall stir up jealousy like a hold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench he shall He bring forth judgment unto truth. shall not fail nor be discouraged, till Lesson II. THUS saith GOD the LORD, he man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. Ry. Virgin of Israel (p. xxi.) WEDNESDAY. Of Isaiah the Prophet. after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them | garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, | beginning of the world men have not and the voice of melody. Ry. I have sworn (p. xxii.) Lesson II. HE EARKEN unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. Ry. We will not depart (p. xxii.) Lesson III. HEARKEN unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose hearts is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation. Ry. Behold how great (p. xxii.) THURSDAY. Of Isaiah the Prophet. Lesson I. Chap. lxiv. OH that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, as when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. For since the heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O GOD, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Ry. Sound (p. xx.) Lesson II. THOU meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. Ry. The sceptre (p. xx.) : Lesson III. BUT now, O LORD, Thou art our Father we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire and all our pleasant things are laid waste. Ry. I must decrease (p. xx.) FRIDAY. Of Isaiah the Prophet. Lesson I. Chap. lxvi. HEAR the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified : but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed, A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies. Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Ry. Unto us (p. xxi.) Lesson II. SHALL I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy GOD. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: that ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. Ry. Behold, now (p. xxi.) Lesson III. As one whom his mother com forteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. Ry. Virgin (p. xxi.) At Matins, Invitatory of Christmas Eve. To-day ye shall know: as below. Hymn, Verbum supernum, p. 4. The Antiphons, Psalms, Y Y., Lessons, and RZR7. in the First and Second Nocturns are of the 4th Sunday; in the 3rd Nocturn, the Antiphons and Pss. of the Sunday, the Y. of Christmas Eve, with its three Lessons and RZR. Lauds of Christmas Eve, with commemoration of the Sunday. The Office of Christmas Eve shall be said in like manner at the Hours. A Homily of S. Jerome the Priest. Book I. Comment. S. Matt. i. simple virgin, but of one espoused? Why was He not conceived of a First, in order that by the genealogy of Joseph the origin of Mary might be demonstrated: secondly, that she might not be stoned by the Jews as an adulteress; thirdly, that, fleeing into Egypt, she should have a comforter. But the martyr Ignatius adds a fourth reason why He was conceived by one espoused That the Birth, saith he, might be concealed from the devil, If Christmas Eve falls on Sunday, while he supposed Him to be begotten, the office is said as follows. not by a virgin, but by a wife. CHRISTMAS DAY. Inv. CHRIST is born to us: * O come let us worship. Ps. Venite. p. 3. HYMN.—JESU, Redemptor omnium. JES Whose death for all redemption won, Before the worlds, of GOD Most High Begotten all ineffably: The FATHER's Light and Splendour Thou, Their endless Hope to Thee that bow: Proceededst from the FATHER'S Throne. Whence sky, and stars, and sea's abyss, And earth, and all that therein is, And we who, by Thy precious Blood THEN Joseph, being a just man, From men, and from the Heav'nly Host. and unwilling to accuse her, was minded to put her away privily. If he which is joined to an harlot is one body; and it is written in the law, that not only sinners, but those who are aware of others' sins are held guilty, how can Joseph, hiding his wife's sin, be written a just man? But this is the testimony of Mary, that Joseph, knowing her chastity, and marvelling what should come to pass, hid in silence that of which he knew not the mystery. Ry. Sanctify yourselves, ye children of Israel, saith the LORD, for to-morrow the LORD shall come down * and shall take away from you all your sicknesses. . To-morrow the iniquity of the earth shall be done away, and the Saviour of the world FIRST NOCTURN. Amen. Ant. The LORD said unto Me, Thou art My SoN, this day have I begotten Thee. Ps. ii. Quare fremuerunt. p. 5. Ant. The LORD proceeding as a Bridegroom out of His chamber. xix. Cœli enarrant. p. 14. Ps. Ant. Full of grace are Thy lips, therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Ps. xlv. Eructavit cor meum. p. 27. V. As a Bridegroom. Ry. The LORD proceeding out of His chamber. The three following Lessons from Isaiah are read without title. shall reign over us. And. Glory. NEVERTHELESS And. the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light : they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood: but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Ry. To-day the King of Heaven vouchsafed to be born of a virgin that He might recall lost man to the heavenly kingdom. * The armies of the angels rejoice: because Eternal Salvation hath appeared to the human race. . Glory to GOD in the Highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. The armies. Glory. And repeat, Ry. To-day, down to . Glory to GOD. Lesson II. Chap. xl. COMFORT ye, comfort ye my people, saith your GOD. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our GoD shall stand for ever. Ry. To-day true peace came down to us from Heaven: * to-day, through all the world, the skies drop down honey. V. To-day, the day of new redemption, of ancient determination, of eternal felicity, hath dawned upon us. To-day. Lesson III. Chap. lii. AWAKE, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed. Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak : behold, it is I. Ry. Whom have ye seen, O shepherds, tell and proclaim to us, Who hath appeared upon earth? * We |