FRIDAY. All as in the Psalter. Of the 1st Book of Samuel. Chap. viii, Lesson I. THEN all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah; and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. Ry. I took thee. p. xxvii. Of the 1st Book of Samuel. all the nations. But the thing dis-NOW there was a man of Benjamin, pleased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. Ry. Saul hath slain. p. xxvii. Lesson II. AND the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. Ry. Ye mountains of Gilboa. p. xxvii. AND Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly and there was not among the children of Israel & goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. Ry. I have sinned. p. xxviii. A 2 the servant answered Saul again, and Ry. Thou hast heard. p. xxviii. the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me? Ry. Prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve Him only: * and He will deliver you out of the hands of your enemies. 7. Return unto Him with all your hearts, and put away AND they went up into the city: the strange gods from among you. And. Lesson II. the parlour, and made them sit in AND Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into And Samuel said unto the and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high in his ear a day before Saul came, place. Now the LORD had told Samuel saying, To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land the chiefest place among them that of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint were bidden, which were about thirty him to be captain over my people persons. Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! This same shall reign over my people. Ry. Hearken, O LORD. p. xxix. SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY. Inv. Let us worship. Ps. Venite, p. 3. Hymn. Nocte surgentes, p. 4. Ants. Pss., and Y.y. of Pss. p. 5. FIRST NOCTURN. Of the 1st Book of Samuel. Lesson I. Chaps. ix. and x. THEN Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is. And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to-day, and to-morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them: for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house? And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it shoulder, and that which was upon it, by thee. And the cook took up the and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house. R. GOD is the hearer of all; He sent His Angel and took me from my father's flock: * and anointed me with the anointing of His mercy.. The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He hath delivered me. And. Lesson III. AND they arose early and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of GOD. Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? Ry. The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, * and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies. y. GOD hath sent forth His mercy and truth; He hath delivered my soul from among lions. He. Glory. He. SECOND NOCTURN. From the Exposition of S. Gregory the Pope on the Books of Samuel. Lesson IV. Book 4. Chap. 5. on 1 Sam. 10. SAMUEL took a vial of oil, and poured it on his head. No doubt what is denoted by this unction is that which is even now practically set forth in Holy Church, because whoso is placed in the highest post, receives the sacrament of unction. And because the unction is itself a sacrament, it is right that he who is advanced be outwardly anointed, that he may be inwardly strengthened by the power of the sacrament. Let us therefore first examine with some care the qualities of oil. Oil, then, floats on the top of other fluids; oil feeds fire; oil is wont to heal wounds. By the first, therefore, it signifies the goodness of mercy, because it is written of the LORD: His mercy is over all His works. Because it feeds fire, it denotes the grace of preaching, which enlightens the understanding of the elect. Ry. Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. * For the hand of the LORD was with him; he killed the Philistine, and took away the reproach from Israel. Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? For. . Lesson V AND because wounds are healed by oil, this clearly implies that the wounds of our sins are to be washed away. Let the king's head, then, be anointed, because his understanding is to be filled with the spiritual grace of the Teacher. Let him have oil for his anointing, let him have abundant mercy, which he is to set above other virtues. Let him have oil, in order that he may, by his speech, shine powerfully on others whilst cherishing the fervour of the HOLY GHOST within himself. him have no less the oil of medicine, that he may wisely determine how to wash away the foulness of sins, and restore diseased minds to health. Let * for there the Ry. Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you: mighty of Israel are fallen. ✯. All ye mountains that are round about it, the LORD visit you, but let Him pass over from Gilboa. For. Lesson VI. BUT Saul is anointed from a vial; not to foreshow doctrine, but to signify things to come. A vial is a small vessel: what is the reason, then, that Saul is anointed from a vial, save that he is rejected at the last? For because he afterwards refused to obey the LORD, he heard from Samuel, Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He also hath rejected thee from being king. For he who received spiritual grace, and yet was to be cast away, held but a little, like a vial of oil. And this is aptly observed even in the rules of Holy Church. For very often men who are not perfect in the love of GOD and their neighbour, receive the dignity of the episcopate. * Rz. I took thee from thy father's house, saith the LORD, and set thee to feed the flock of My people. And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, establishing thy throne for ever. y. And I made thee a great name like unto the name of the great | lations; and ye have said unto him, Now men that are in the earth, and have Nay, but set a king over us. caused thee to rest from all thine therefore present yourselves before enemies. And. Glory. And. the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands. The lessons for the third Nocturn of the Second Sunday after Trinity are set down at the end of the Proper of the Seasons in order, with those of the other Sundays, from this time forth till Advent. Ry. vii. I have sinned above the number of the sands of the sea; my transgressions are multiplied, and I am not worthy to behold and see the height of heaven for the multitude of mine iniquities: for I have provoked Thy wrath, and done evil before Thee. y. For I acknowledge my faults and my sin is ever before me: against Thee only have I sinned. And. Ry. viii. Two Seraphim cried one to the other: Holy, Holy, Holy, LORD GOD of hosts: * the whole earth is full of His glory. V. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST, and these three are one. Holy. Glory. The whole. This R. is said after the 8th Lesson on Sunday, till Advent. But on Wednesday and Saturday, till the 1st Sunday in August, when the RyRZ. are used from the 3rd Nocturn of Sunday, in its place is said the 2nd Ry. of the following Monday; and in place of the 3rd, the 3rd of the same Monday. MONDAY. Of the 1st book of Samuel. Lesson I. Chap. x. AND Samuel called the people to gether unto the LORD to Mizpeh; and said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD GOD of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: and ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribu Ry. Remember Thy covenant, O LORD, and say to the angel that destroyeth, Stay now thine hand, that the earth be not made desolate, nor every living soul be destroyed. V. Even I it is that have sinned, and done evil indeed: but as for these sheep, what have they done? let Thy wrath, I pray Thee, O LORD, be turned away from Thy people. That. Lesson II. AND when Samuel had caused all the tribe of Benjamin was taken. the tribes of Israel to come near, When he had caused the tribe of Benjamín to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him he could not be found. Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff. And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, GoD save the king. Ry. Thou hast heard, O LORD, the prayer of Thy servant. that he should build a temple to Thy Name: * bless LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts GoD had touched. But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace. Ry. Hearken, O LORD, to the cry and to the prayer which Thy servant prayeth before Thee to-day, that Thine eyes may be open, and Thine ears attent toward this house night and day. y. Look down, O LORD, from Thy holy habitation, from heaven. Glory. Toward. TUESDAY. Of the 1st Book of Samuel. Lesson I. Chap. xii. And Egypt. Now therefore stand still, that Ry. And it came to pass. p. xxxv. AND they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe. AND Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. now, behold, the king walketh before you and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, the king of the children of Ammon And when ye saw that Nahash here I am witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: Nay; but a king shall reign over us: came against you, ye said unto me, whose ox have I taken? or whose ass when the LORD your God was your have I taken? or whom have I de-king. Now therefore behold the king frauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness. Ry. LORD if Thy people. p. xxxiv. Lesson II. whom ye have chosen, and whom you have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you. If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God. Ry. I took thee. p. xxvii. WEDNESDAY. Of the 1st Book of Samuel. AND Samuel said unto the people, SAUL reigned one year; and when It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of he had reigned two years over Israel, Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand |