SAINT MATTHIAS'S DAY. The Collect. the Lord JESUS went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed who was surnamed Justus, and two, Joseph called Barsabas, O ALMIGHTY GOD, who into the place of the traitor Judas, didst choose thy faithful servant Matthias, to be of the number of the twelve apostles; grant that thy Church, being Matthias. always preserved from false apostles, may be ordered and guided by faithful and true pastors, through JESUS CHRIST our Lord. Amen. For the Epistle. Acts i. 15. And they prayed, and said, Thou, LORD, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen; that he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles. The Gospel. IN those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of the names together were about an hundred and twenty ;) Men and Ibrethren, this Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which St. Matt. xi. 25. the HOLY GHOST by the mouth AT that time JESUS answerof David spake before concern- ed, and said, I thank thee, O ing Judas, who was guide to Father, LORD of heaven and them that took JESUS. For he earth, because thou hast hid was numbered with us, and had these things from the wise and obtained part of this ministry. prudent, and hast revealed them Now this man purchased a field unto babes. Even so, Father, with the reward of iniquity; for so it seemed good in thy and falling headlong, he burst sight. All things are delivered asunder in the midst, and all unto me of my Father; and no his bowels gushed out. And man knoweth the Son, but the it was known to all the dwellers FATHER, neither knoweth any at Jerusalem; insomuch as that man the FATHER, Save the SON, field is called in their proper and he to whomsoever the SON tongue, Aceldama, that is to will reveal him. Come unto say, The field of blood. For me all ye that labour and are it is written in the book of heavy laden, and I will give Psalms, Let his habitation be you rest. Take my yoke upon desolate, and let no man dwell you, and learn of me; for I am therein and his bishopric let meek and lowly in heart: and another take. Wherefore of ye shall find rest unto your these men, which have compa- souls. For my yoke is easy, nied with us all the time that and my burthen is light. THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE The Collect. favoured, the LORD is with thee; blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and WE beseech thee, O LORD, cast in her mind what manner pour thy grace into our hearts; of salutation this should be. that as we have known the And the angel said unto her, incarnation of thy Son JESUS Fear not, Mary; for thou hast CHRIST by the message of an found favour with GOD. And angel; so by his cross and behold thou shalt conceive in passion we may be brought thy womb, and bring forth a unto the glory of his resurrec- son, and shalt call his name tion, through the same JESUS CHRIST Our Lord. Amen. For the Epistle. Isa. vii. 10. MOREOVER, the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy GoD; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my GoD also? Therefore the LORD himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. The Gospel. St. Luke i. 26. AND in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from GOD unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the LORD GOD shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The HOLY GHOST shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of GOD. Elisabeth, she hath also conAnd behold, thy cousin ceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the LORD; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. ST. MARK'S DAY. The Collect. O ALMIGHTY GOD, who Hail, thou that art highly hast instructed thy holy Church with the heavenly doctrine of | plieth, according to the effectual thy evangelist Saint Mark; working in the measure of give us grace, that being not every part, maketh increase of like children carried away with the body, unto the edifying of every blast of vain doctrine, itself in love. we may be established in the truth of thy holy Gospel, through JESUS CHRIST our Lord. Amen. The Gospel. St. John xv. 1. itself, except it abide in the I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. The Epistle. Ephes. iv. 7. Every branch in me that beareth UNTO every one of us is not fruit, he taketh away; and given grace, according to the every branch that beareth fruit, measure of the gift of CHRIST. he purgeth it, that it may bring Wherefore he saith, When he forth more fruit. Now ye are ascended up on high, he led clean through the word which captivity captive, and gave I have spoken unto you. Abide gifts unto men. (Now that he in me, and I in you. As the ascended, what is it but that branch cannot bear fruit of he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of CHRIST; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of GOD, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of CHRIST that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and As the Father fro, and carried about with hath loved me, so have I loved every wind of doctrine, by the you: continue ye in my love. sleight of men, and cunning If ye keep my commandments, craftiness, whereby they lie in ye shall abide in my love; even wait to deceive; but speaking as I have kept my Father's the truth in love, may grow up commandments, and abide in into him in all things, which is his love. These things have the head, even CHRIST: from I spoken unto you, that my whom the whole body fitly joy might remain in you, joined together, and compacted and that your joy might be by that which every joint sup-| full. be SAINT PHILIP AND SAINT JAMES' DAY. The Collect. O ALMIGHTY GOD, whom truly to know is everlasting life; grant us perfectly to know thy Son JESUS CHRIST to be the way, the truth, and the life; that following the steps of thy holy apostles, Saint Philip and Saint James, we may steadfastly walk in the way that leadeth to eternal life, through the same thy Son JESUS CHRIST Our Lord. Amen. heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the LORD hath promised to them that love him The Gospel. St. John xiv. 1. AND JESUS said unto his disciples, Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in GOD, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many manThe Epistle. St. James i. 1. sions; if it were not so, I would JAMES, a servant of GOD, have told you. I go to prepare and of the Lord JESUS CHRIST, a place for you. And if I go to the twelve tribes which are and prepare a place for you, scattered abroad, greeting. My I will come again, and receive brethren, count it all joy when you unto myself; that where ye fall into divers temptations; I am, there ye may be also. knowing this, that the trying And whither I go, ye know, of your faith worketh patience. and the way ye know. Thomas But let patience have her saith unto him, LORD, we perfect work, that ye may be know not whither thou goest, perfect and entire, wanting and how can we know the nothing. If any of you lack way? JESUS saith unto him, wisdom, let him ask of GOD, I am the way, the truth, and that giveth to all men liberally, the life: no man cometh unto and upbraideth not; and it shall the Father but by me. If ye be given him. But let him ask had known me, ye should have in faith, nothing wavering: for known my Father also: and he that wavereth is like a wave from henceforth ye know him, of the sea, driven with the wind, and have seen him. Philip saith and tossed. For let not that unto him, LORD, show us the man think that he shall receive Father, and it sufficeth us. any thing of the LORD. A JESUS saith unto him, Have I double-minded man is unstable been so long time with you, in all his ways. Let the brother and yet hast thou not known of low degree rejoice in that he me, Philip? He that hath seen is exalted, but the rich in that me, hath seen the Father; he is made low; because as and how sayest thou then, the flower of the grass he shall Show us the Father? Believest pass away. For the sun is no thou not that I am in the sooner risen with a burning Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak | the LORD. Then departed unto you, I speak not of myself; Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek but the Father that dwelleth Saul: and when he had found in me, he doeth the works. him, he brought him unto Believe me, that I am in the Antioch. And it came to pass, Father, and the Father in that a whole year they assemme; or else believe me for the bled themselves with the very works' sake. Verily, Church, and taught much peoverily, I say unto you, He that ple: and the disciples were believeth on me, the works that called Christians first in AnI do shall he do also; and tioch. And in these days came greater works than these shall prophets from Jerusalem unto he do; because I go unto my Antioch. And there stood up Father. And whatsoever ye one of them, named Agabus, shall ask in my name, that will and signified by the SPIRIT, I do, that the FATHER may be glorified in the SoN. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. SAINT BARNABAS THE APOSTLE. The Collect. O LORD GOD Almighty, who didst endue thy holy apostle Barnabas with singular gifts of the HOLY GHOST ; leave us not, we beseech thee, destitute of thy manifold gifts, nor yet of grace to use them alway to thy honour and glory, through JESUS CHRIST Lord. Amen. our For the Epistle. Acts xi. 22. that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Cæsar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea. Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. The Gospel. St. John xv. 12. THIS is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command TIDINGS of these things you. Henceforth I call you came unto the ears of the Church not servants; for the servant which was in Jerusalem: and knoweth not what his lord they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch: who, when he came, and had seen the grace of GOD, was glad; and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the LORD. For he was a good man, and full of the HOLY GHOST, and of faith: and much people was added unto doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the |