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his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. And Abram and Nahor took them wives the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

Ry. In the selfsame day. p. cix.

QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY.

Inv. as Septuagesima, p. xcix. Hymn, Ants., Pss., V. of Nocts., as in the Psalter, p. 5.

FIRST NOCTURN.

Of the Book of Genesis.

Lesson I. Chap. xii.

NOW the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in

thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the

LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot

went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of

Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

Ry. The LORD spake unto Abraham, saying: Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into a land that I will tell thee of: * and I will make of thee a great nation. V. Blessing, I will bless thee, and I will magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed. And.

Lesson II.

AND the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon. the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. And there was a famine in the land and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto

Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon therefore it shall come to thee, that they shall say, This is his pass, when the Egyptians shall see wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister; that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of

thee.

by the oak at Mamre, he saw three Ry. While Abraham was standing * he saw men coming up in the way: three and adored One. V. Behold, Sarah thy wife shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Isaac. He saw.

Lesson III.

AND it came to pass, that, when

Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. And Pharaoh

called Abram, and said, What is this |

that thou hast done unto me? why

didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

Ry. The LORD did tempt Abraham, and said unto him: * Take now thy son, thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, and offer him up for a burntoffering upon one of the mountains which I shall tell thee of. . And when he was called by the LORD, he answered, Here am I; and the LORD said unto him. Take. Glory. Take.

SECOND NOCTURN.

Lesson V,

HE therefore added the details to

prove his love; lest Abraham should seem to have begun without counting the cost, or should in any way prevaricate as to the heavenly command. But, as the precepts were heaped together, lest any thing should escape notice, so also were the rewards set forth that there might be no despair. He is tempted as a bravo man, he is incited as a faithful man, he is stirred up as a righteous man: and rightfully did he go forth as the LORD spake to him. And Lot went out with him. The famous saying of one of the seven wise men, Follow GOD, Abraham accomplished. He anticipated in deed that which the wise

Of the book of S. Ambrose the Bp. on man recommended in words, and folthe Patriarch Abraham.

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lowing GoD, went forth from his own country.

Ry. The angel of the LORD called Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said: I will bless thee, * and will multiply thee as the stars of heaven. y. Thy seed shall possess the gate of thine enemies, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth

be blessed.

And.

Lesson VI.

votion it was that was implanted BUT because before this he had

in such a man. For that virtue is the first in order, which is the foundation of the others; and rightly did GOD require it of him in the first place, saying, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house. It had been enough to say, From thy country. For that comprised the going from his kindred, and from his father's house.

Ry. The angel of the LORD called Abraham, saying: * Lay not thine hand upon the lad, for now I know that thou fearest GOD, Y. And when he stretched forth his hand to slay his son, behold the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said. Lay.

another country, that is, the land of the Chaldæans, out of which Terah, the father of Abraham, went forth, and settled in Charran: and because he brought with him his nephew, although it was said, Depart from among thy kindred; let us consider whether this may not also be said to depart from our country, to go forth from sojourning in this country, that is, in our flesh, from which S. Paul went forth according to that word of his: Our conversation is in heaven.

Ry. GoD of my master Abraham, direct my way: * that I may return in safety to the house of my master. y. I beseech Thee, O LORD, show mercy to Thy servant. That. Glory. That.

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THIRD NOCTURN.

Lesson of the Holy Gospel according to S. Luke.

A

Lesson VII. Chap. xviii. T that time: JESUS took unto Him the twelve, and said unto them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. And that which follows.

A Homily of S. Gregory the Pope.

Hom. 2 on the Gospels.

Our Redeemer, foreseeing that His disciples' minds would be troubled by His Passion, told them long before of

the sufferings of that Passion, and of the glory of His Resurrection: that when they saw Him die according to His word, they might not doubt but He should also rise again. But as they, yet carnal, could in no wise receive words of mystery, He proceeded to a miracle. Before their eyes the blind received his sight: that they who could not accept the doctrine of the heavenly mystery, might be strengthened to faith by a deed of heavenly power.

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Ry. I came this day unto the well, and prayed to the LORD, saying, LORD GOD of Abraham, prosper my request this day. . Therefore the damsel shall say, Give me water from the pitcher that I may drink, and she shall say, Drink, my lord, and I will give thy camels drink also, let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son. LORD.

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the human race, for, having been expelled in Adam from the joys of paradise, and ignorant of the clearness of supernal light, it suffers the darkness of condemnation. But it is enlightened by the presence of its Redeemer: so that by aspiration it enjoys an interior light, and advances in the path of a life of good works.

Ry. The word of the LORD came to Abraham, saying: *Fear not, Abraham, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. y. I am the LORD thy GOD, Who brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees. Fear not.

Lesson IX.

BUT see how it is said that when JESUS draws nigh to Jericho, the blind man is enlightened. Jericho is by interpretation, the moon; but in Holy Scripture the moon is set for the weakness of the flesh; because its waning figures the weakness of our mortal bodies. When therefore our Creator approaches Jericho, the blind returns to light: for, when GoD assumed the weakness of our flesh, mankind regained the light which it had lost.

As GOD was subjected to human things, so man is thereby raised to things Divine. And this blind man is rightly said to be seated by the wayside, begging. For the Very Truth hath said, I am the Way.

Ry. The blind man sat by the way while the LORD passed by, and called to Him, and the LORD said unto him, * What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? LORD, that I may receive my sight. V. And JESUS stood and commanded him to be brought, and when He was come near, He asked him,

saying. What. Glory. LORD.

On the following Wednesday and Saturday, instead of this R. is said the 1st Ry. of Monday.

MONDAY.

Of the Book of Genesis. Lesson I. Chap. xiii. AND Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he

Lesson III.

had, and Lot with him, into the south. before GoD, and walked in His And Abram was very rich in cattle, in ways. And. silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai; unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

Rz. Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre : * and built there an altar unto the LORD. . And the LORD said unto him, Lift up now thine eyes and look for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And built.

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Lesson II.

ND there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan and Lot journeyed east.

Ry. Abram believed GOD; and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: And he was called the Friend of GOD. Y. He was also righteous

AND they separated themselves the
one from the other. Abram
dwelled in the land of Canaan, and
Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain,
and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
But the men of Sodom were wicked
and sinners before the LORD exceed-
ingly. And the LORD said unto Abram,
after that Lot was separated from him,
Lift up now thine eyes, and look from
the place where thou art northward,
and southward, and eastward, and
westward for all the land which thou
seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy
seed for ever. And I will make thy
seed as the dust of the earth.
Ry. The LORD did tempt. p. cxiv.
TUESDAY.

Of the Book of Genesis.

Lesson I. Chap. xiv.
ND there went out the king of

AN
Sodom, and the king of Go-
morrah, and the king of Admah, and
the king of Zeboim, and the king of
Bela, (the same is Zoar;) and they
joined battle with them in the vale of
Siddim; with Chedorlaomer the king
of Elam, and with Tidal king of
nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar,
and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings
with five. And the vale of Siddim was
full of slimepits; and the kings of
Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell
there; and they that remained fled to
the mountain. And they took all the
goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all
their victuals, and went their way.
And they took Lot, Abram's brother's
son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his
goods, and departed.

Ry. The angel of the LORD. p. cxiv.
Lesson II.

ND there came
A
one that had
escaped, and told Abram the
Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of
Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol,
and brother of Aner: and these were

confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on

the left hand of Damascus. And he

brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

Ry. The angel of the LORD called. p. cxiv. Lesson III.

AND the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high GOD. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high GOD, possessor of heaven and earth and blessed be the most high GOD, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave

him tithes of all.

Ry. GoD of my master. p. cxiv.

ASH WEDNESDAY.

To-day before Matins in Choir are said the Gradual Psalms.

Abs. The Almighty and merciful LORD. Ben. The Evangelical lection.

Lesson of the Holy Gospel according to S. Matthew. Lesson I. Chap. vi.

AT that time: JESUS said unto His disciples: When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance. And that which follows.

A Homily of S. Augustine the Bishop. 2nd Book on the Sermon on the Mount.

It is plain by these commands that

all our endeavours are to be directed

after inward joys: lest, seeking our reward without, we be conformed to this world, and lose that promise of happiness, which is so much the more sure and stedfast, as it is more inward, whereby GoD hath chosen us to be conformed to the image of His Son. But in this chapter it is very chiefly to be observed that not only of the splendour and pomp of bodily things, but also even of squalid, dismal things is it possible to make a boast; and this is so much the more dangerous, as it deceiveth under the name of GOD's service.

Ry. I came this day. p. cxv. Ben. The Divine help.

Lesson II.

HE therefore that exceedeth in un

If a double Festival occurs on this day, or on a Sunday in Lent, it is transferred to the next day not similarly preoccupied. On other days in Lent, till Holy Week, if a Double or Semi-or double Festival occurs, its commemoration is used, and 9th Lesson of the Homily of the Feria.

During the whole of Lent, till Holy Week, on Monday shall be said the Office of the Dead, on Wednesday the Gradual Psalms.

On this and every other feria, till the 1st Vespers of the 1st Sunday in Lent, Hymn, Chapter, and all else at Matins are said as in the ordinary course of the Psalter through the year.

due care of his body, in raiment, in splendour in other matters, is easily convicted by these very things of being a follower of the pomps of the world, nor doth he deceive any one by a feigned image of holiness. But he, who, while he professeth Christianity, by unwonted foulness and slovenliness draweth the eyes of men upon him when he doeth this by choice, and doth not endure it of necessity, it may be concluded, from the rest of his deeds, whether he doeth this from contempt of unnecessary raiment, or

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