October 17, 2024

Evening Prayer

Thursday after Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Our Father, whichwho art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done inon earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them thatthose who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

O Lord, open thou our lips.
And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Praise ye the Lord.
The Lord's Name be praised.

PSALM 89.

My song shall be alway of the lovingkindness of the Lord; with my mouth will I ever be shewing thy truth from one generation to another.
For I have said, Mercy shall be set up for ever; thy truth shalt thou stablish in the heavens.
I have made a covenant with my chosen; I have sworn unto David my servant;
Thy seed will I stablish for ever, and set up thy throne from one generation to another.
O Lord, the very heavens shall praise thy wondrous works; and thy truth in the congregation of the saints.
For who is he among the clouds, that shall be compared unto the Lord?
And what is he among the gods, that shall be like unto the Lord?
God is very greatly to be feared in the council of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him.
O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto thee? thy truth, most mighty Lord, is on every side.
Thou rulest the raging of the sea; thou stillest the waves thereof when they arise.
Thou hast subdued Egypt, and destroyed it; thou hast scattered thine enemies abroad with thy mighty arm.
The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine; thou hast laid the foundation of the round world, and all that therein is.
Thou hast made the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy Name.
Thou hast a mighty arm; strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Righteousness and equity are the habitation of thy seat; mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
Blessed is the people, O Lord, that can rejoice in thee; they shall walk in the light of thy countenance.
Their delight shall be daily in thy Name; and in thy righteousness shall they make their boast.
For thou art the glory of their strength, and in thy lovingkindness thou shalt lift up our horns.
For the Lord is our defence; the Holy One of Israel is our King.
Thou spakest sometime in visions unto thy saints, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him.
My hand shall hold him fast, and my arm shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not be able to do him violence; the son of wickedness shall not hurt him.
I will smite down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
My truth also and my mercy shall be with him; and in my Name shall his horn be exalted.
I will set his dominion also in the sea, and his right hand in the floods.
He shall call me, Thou art my Father, my God, and my strong salvation.
And I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
But if his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgements;
If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; I will visit their offences with the rod, and their sin with scourges.
Nevertheless, my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my truth to fail.
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips: I have sworn once by my holiness, that I will not fail David.
His seed shall endure for ever, and his seat is like as the sun before me.
He shall stand fast for evermore as the moon, and as the faithful witness in heaven.
But thou hast abhorred and forsaken thine Anointed, and art displeased at him.
Thou hast broken the covenant of thy servant, and cast his crown to the ground.
Thou hast overthrown all his hedges, and broken down his strongholds.
All they that go by spoil him, and he is become a reproach to his neighbours.
Thou hast set up the right hand of his enemies, and made all his adversaries to rejoice.
Thou hast taken away the edge of his sword, and givest him not victory in the battle.
Thou hast put out his glory, and cast his throne down to the ground.
The days of his youth hast thou shortened, and covered him with dishonour.
Lord, how long wilt thou hide thyself, for ever? and shall thy wrath burn like fire?
O remember how short my time is; wherefore hast thou made all men for nought?
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? and shall he deliver his soul from the hand of hell?
Lord, where are thy old lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?
Remember, Lord, the rebuke that thy servants have, and how I do bear in my bosom the rebukes of many people;
Wherewith thine enemies have blasphemed thee, and slandered the footsteps of thine Anointed: Praised be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Here beginneth the 10th chapter of Wisdom of Solomon.
She preserved the first formed father of the world, that was created alone, and brought him out of his fall,
And gave him power to rule all things.
But when the unrighteous went away from her in his anger, he perished also in the fury wherewith he murdered his brother.
For whose cause the earth being drowned with the flood, wisdom again preserved it, and directed the course of the righteous in a piece of wood of small value.
Moreover, the nations in their wicked conspiracy being confounded, she found out the righteous, and preserved him blameless unto God, and kept him strong against his tender compassion toward his son.
When the ungodly perished, she delivered the righteous man, who fled from the fire which fell down upon the five cities.
Of whose wickedness even to this day the waste land that smoketh is a testimony, and plants bearing fruit that never come to ripeness: and a standing pillar of salt is a monument of an unbelieving soul.
For regarding not wisdom, they gat not only this hurt, that they knew not the things which were good; but also left behind them to the world a memorial of their foolishness: so that in the things wherein they offended they could not so much as be hid.
But wisdom delivered from pain those that attended upon her.
When the righteous fled from his brother's wrath, she guided him in right paths, shewed him the kingdom of God, and gave him knowledge of holy things, made him rich in his travels, and multiplied the fruit of his labours.
In the covetousness of such as oppressed him she stood by him, and made him rich.
She defended him from his enemies, and kept him safe from those that lay in wait, and in a sore conflict she gave him the victory; that he might know that godliness is stronger than all.
When the righteous was sold, she forsook him not, but delivered him from sin: she went down with him into the pit,
And left him not in bonds, till she brought him the sceptre of the kingdom, and power against those that oppressed him: as for them that had accused him, she shewed them to be liars, and gave him perpetual glory.
She delivered the righteous people and blameless seed from the nation that oppressed them.
She entered into the soul of the servant of the Lord, and withstood dreadful kings in wonders and signs;
Rendered to the righteous a reward of their labours, guided them in a marvellous way, and was unto them for a cover by day, and a light of stars in the night season;
Brought them through the Red sea, and led them through much water:
But she drowned their enemies, and cast them up out of the bottom of the deep.
Therefore the righteous spoiled the ungodly, and praised thy holy name, O Lord, and magnified with one accord thine hand, that fought for them.
For wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb, and made the tongues of them that cannot speak eloquent.
Here endeth the first lesson.
My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me; and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy, hath holpen his servant Israel; as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Here beginneth the 3rd chapter of Galatians.
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Here endeth the second lesson.
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

O Almighty and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things that thou wouldest have done, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed; Give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that both our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments, and also that by thee we being defended from the fear of our enemies, may pass our time in rest and quietness, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night, for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.