O God, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom
nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon
us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so
pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things
eternal: Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake
our Lord. _Amen_.
THE EPISTLE. Rom. viii 18.
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the
earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation
of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity,
not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in
hope: because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of
God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth
in pain together until now. And not only they, but our selves
also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the
redemption of our body.
THE GOSPEL. St Luke vi. 36.
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge
not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be
condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall
be given unto you; good measure, pressed clown, and shaken together,
and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the
same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you
again. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the
blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is
not above his master; but every one that is perfect shall be as
his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy
brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own
eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me
pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest
not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out
first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see
clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.