SATURDAY
BEFORE THE FIRST SUNDAY OF AUGUST
And that is called the first Sunday of the month, which is on the first day, or nearer to thefirst day of that month: so that if the first day is Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, then the first Sunday of the month, on which is placed the book of Scripture to be begun, is the one that precedes the first day. But if it is Thursday, Friday or Saturday, it is the one that follows. And on the preceding Saturday on the Magnificat is placed the Antiphon from that proper, omitting any other that may happen to occur.
But the proper, that is the Responsories of that book, if they do not take place because of the occurrence of a Double Feast on Sunday, on the first day during the week on which the Office happens to be of the Feria, the of the first Nocturn of the Sunday are inserted, omitting the other , if there happen to be some proper to that Feria, and observing also the rest which is prescribed in the Rubric of the seventh Responsory.
On Magnificat, Antiphon.
Wisdom hath builded her house, * she hath hewn out her seven pillars: she hath
subdued the nations, and in her own might hath she trodden down the necks of
the proud and lof-ty.
The Collect which occurs in the order of the other Sundays, as below, p. 657
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THE FIRST SUNDAY OF AUGUST
Here are placed the books of Solomon, and the readings are from them until the first Sunday of September.
IN THE FIRST NOCTURN
Here begin the Proverbs of Solomon.
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Lesson j Ch. 1
T
HE proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; to know wisdom and inslruction; to perceive the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; to give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: to understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old, When there were no depths I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water, * Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth.
When he prepared the heavens, I was there, then was I by him, as one brought up with him.
Lesson ij
T
HE fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. My son, if sinners entice thee,consent thou not. If they say, come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit.We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: cast in thy lot among us: let is all have one purse.
I alone compassed the circuit of heaven, and walked in the waves of the sea, and in every people and nation I got a possession. * In the greatness of my strength I have trodden on the necks or the haughty and proud.
I dwelt in high places, and my throne is in a cloudy pillar. In the.
Lesson iij
M
Y son, talk not thou in the way with them: refrain thy foot from their path:. for their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. Wisdom crieth without: she uttereth her voice in the streets; she crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
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Send out wisdom from the throne of thy glory, O Lord, that being present she may labour with me: * That I may know at all times what is pleasing to thee.
Give me wisdom, O Lord, that sitteth by thy throne. That I. Glory be. That I.
IN THE SECOND NOCTURN
From the Treatise by S. Ambrose, Bishop, On Psalm 119
Lesson iv Sermon v
T
HE fear or the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, says the Prophet. What else is the beginning of wisdom but renouncing the world? For it is foolish to savour of worldly things. In short, as the Apostle says, The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. But that very fear of the Lord, unless it be according toknowledge, is worth nothing. in fact it is greatly lacking. For even the Jews have the zeal of God, but, because it is not according toknowledge. they draw down upon themselves the divine displeasure through that very zeal and fear. They manifest the fear of God in circumcising their children and in keeping the sabbath, but because they are unaware that the law is spiritual they dobut circumcise the body and not the heart.
Give me wisdom, O Lord, that sitteth by thy throne, and reject me not from among thy children: * ForI am thy servant, and the son ofthine handmaid.
O send her out from the throne ofthy glory, that, being present, she may labour with me. For I.
Lesson v
A
ND why do I speak of the Jews? For there are some even among ourselves who are in fear ofthe Lord. but not according unto knowledge, and they make rules that are too hard for human nature to bear. They possess fear, in that it seems to them that by enforcing good works they are acting in the interests ofdiscipline; but they are unwise in this, that they are inconsiderate concerning the limitations ofhuman nature. and do not take into account howmuch it is able to bear. Let not fear be thus unreasonable. For indeed true wisdom begins with the fear of God, noris wisdom spiritual at all without this fear ofGod; neither should fear be without wisdom.
The fear ofthe Lord is the beginning ofwisdom: * A good understanding have all they that do thereafter; the praise of it endureth for ever.
Love is the keeping ofher laws, for all wisdom is the fear of the Lord. A good.
Lesson vj
H
OLY fear is indeed a good base for the Word. For as some statue may be set on a base, and then, when it has been soplaced, its beauty is enhanced and it
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stands more firmly; so is the Word of God better placed on holy fear, and it takes firmer rootin the breast ofa God-fearing man; thus the Word will not fall away from that man's heart, nor will the birds come and carry it off, as would happen to a careless and negligent man.
Remove far fromme vanity and lies, O Lord: * Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient for me,
Two things have I required of thee: deny me them not before I die, Give. Glory be. Give.
vij. OLord, Father and Governor of all my whole life, leave me not to their counsels: give me not a proud look, but turn away from thy servants always a haughty mind: turn away fromme concupiscence, * And turn away from me vain hopes, OLord.
Leave me not, OLord, lest mine ignorances increase and my sins abound. And turn.
viij. One Seraph cried unto another, and said, * Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of
hosts: * The whole earth is full of his glory.
There are Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these Three are One. Holy, holy. Glory be. The whole.
¶ The Responsories of this Sunday are said on the other Sundays until the first Sunday of September.
Throughout the week when the Responsories are taken from the third Nocturn of the Sunday, on Wednesday and Saturday after the second and third Lesson is placed the second and third Responsory of Monday following.
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Monday
From the Proverbs of Solomon.
Lesson j Ch. 3
M
Y son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path.
O Lord, Father and God of my life, leave me not, lest I fall before mine adversaries: * Lest mine enemy rejoice over me.
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Lay hand upon the shield and buckler: and stand up to help me. Lest mine.
Lesson ij
B
E not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Great are thy judgments, O Lord, and cannot be expressed. * Thou hast made thy people mighty and honourable.
Thou hast brought them through the Red Sea and led them through much water. Thou hast.
Lesson iij
M
Y son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whomhe delighteth. Happy isthe man thatfindeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it isbetter than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Thine eyes did see all that is in the heart of man, O Lord, and in thy book were all my members written. * Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
For the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginatiom of the
thoughts. Man. Glory be. Man.
¶ The proper Responsories of this Monday and Tuesday are repeated on all Mondays and Tuesdays until the first Sunday of September.
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Tuesday
From the Proverbs of Solomon.
Lesson j Ch. 5
M
Yson, attend unto my wisdom, andbow thine ear to my understanding: that thou mayest regard discretion, and thatthy lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of a strange woman drop asan honeycomb, and her mouth if smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways: * For they
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shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head.
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. For they.
Lesson ij
H
EAR me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours bein the houseof a stranger: and thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, and say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me !
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: * A good understanding have all they that do thereafter; the praise of it endureth for ever.
Love is the kceping of her laws, for all wisdom is the fear of the Lord. A good.
Lesson iij
A
ND why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
Remove far from me vanity and lies, O Lord: * Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient for me.
Two things have I required of thee: deny me them not before I die. Give. Glory be. Give.
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Wednesday
From the Proverbs of Solomon.
Lesson j Ch. 8
D
OTH not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple, understand wisdom: and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.
O Lord, Father and Governor of all my whole life, leave me not to their counsels: give me not a proud look, but turn away f rom thy servants always a
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haughty mind: turn away from me concupiscence, * And turn away from me vain hopes, O Lord.
Leave me not, O Lord, lest mine ignorances increase and my sins abound. And turn.
Lesson ij
F
OR my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They areall plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom isbetter than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
Great are thy judgments, O Lord, and cannot be expresscd. * Thou hast made thy people mighty and honourable.
Thou hast brought them through the Red Sea and led them through much water. Thou hast.
Lesson iij
I
WISDOM dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the Lord isto hate evil: pride, and arrngancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Counsel ismine, and sound wisdom: I amunderstanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
Thine eyes did see all that is in the heart of man, O Lord, and in thy book were all my members written. * Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
For the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. Man. Glory be. Man.
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Thursday
From the Proverbs of Solomon.
Lesson j Ch. 10
A
WISE son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death. The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked. He becometh poor that dealeth witha slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
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He that gathereth in summer isa wise son: buthe that sleepeth in harvest isa son that causeth shame.
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. When there were no depths I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. * Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth.
When he prepared the heavens, I was there, then was I by him, as one brought up with him. Before.
Lesson ij
B
LESSINGS areupon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. The memory of the just isblessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot. The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall. He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known. He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool
shall fall.