Almighty and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear
than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire
or deserve: Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving
us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us
those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the
merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. _Amen_.
THE EPISTLE. 2 Cor. iii. 4.
Such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: not that we are
sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our
sufficiency is of God: who also hath made us able ministers of the
new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter
killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of
death written and engraven in stones was glorious, so that the
children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses
for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away;
how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For
if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the
ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
THE GOSPEL. St Mark vii. 31.
Jesus, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, came unto the
sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And
they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his
speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took
him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and
he spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he
sighed, and saith unto him, _Ephphatha_, that is, Be opened. And
straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was
loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should
tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great
deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying,
He hath done all things well; he maketh both the deaf to hear, and
the dumb to speak.