O Lord, from whom all good things do come: Grant to us thy humble
servants, that by thy holy inspiration we may think those things
that be good, and by thy merciful guiding may perform the same;
through our Lord Jesus Christ. _Amen_.
THE EPISTLE. St James i. 22.
Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer,
he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For
he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth
what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law
of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful
hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his
deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not
his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is
vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is
this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and
to keep himself unspotted from the world.
THE GOSPEL. St John xvi. 23.
Verily, verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye V shall ask the
Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked
nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may
be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: the
time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but
I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask
in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father
for you; for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved
me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from
the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world,
and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest
thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou
knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee:
by this we believe that thou earnest forth from God. Jesus
answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea,
is now come, that ye shall be scattered every man to his own,
and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the
Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in
me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation;
but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.