Or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? SELECTION 73 SUITABLE FOR LENTEN SERVICES ISAIAH 63: 7-16 I WILL make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, And the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, And according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For he said, Surely, they are my people, children that will not deal falsely: So he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, And the angel of his presence saved them: In his love and in his pity he redeemed them; And he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and grieved his holy Spirit: Therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he that put his holy Spirit in the midst of them? That caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses? That divided the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? That led them through the depths, as an horse in the wilderness, that they stumbled not? As the cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused them to rest: So didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. Look down from heaven, And behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: Where is thy zeal and thy mighty acts? The yearning of thy heart and thy compassions are restrained toward us. For THOU art our father, though Abraham knoweth us not, And Israel doth not acknowledge us: Thou, O LORD, art our father; thy name. SELECTION 74 SUITABLE FOR LENTEN SERVICES JOB 19 THEN Job answered and said, How long will ye vex my soul, And break me in pieces with words? These ten times have ye reproached me: Ye are not ashamed that ye deal hardly with me. And be it indeed that I have erred, Mine error remaineth with myself. If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, And plead against me my reproach. And taken the crown from my head. He hath broken me down on every side, and I am gone: And my hope hath he plucked up like a tree. He hath also kindled his wrath against me, And he counted me unto him as one of his adversaries. His troops come on together, and cast up their way against me, And encamp round about my tent. me, He hath put my brethren far from And mine acquaintance are wholly estranged from me. My kinsfolk have failed, And my familiar friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in my house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight. I call unto my servant, and he Know now that God hath sub- giveth me no answer, verted me in my cause, And hath compassed me with his net. Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard. I cry for help, but there is no justice. He hath walled up my way that I cannot pass, And hath set darkness in my paths. He hath stripped me of my glory, Though I intreat him with my mouth. My breath is strange to my wife, And my supplication to the children of mine own mother. Even young children despise me; me: And they whom I loved are turned against me. My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, And I am escaped with the skin of my teeth. Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; For the hand of God hath touched me. Why do ye persecute me as God, And are not satisfied with my flesh? Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! That with an iron pen and lead They were graven in the rock for ever! But I know that my redeemer liveth, And that he shall stand up at the last upon the earth: And after my skin hath been thus destroyed, Yet from my flesh shall I see God. Whom I, even I, shall see on my side, And mine eyes shall behold and not as a stranger. SELECTION 75 SUITABLE FOR LENTEN SERVICES ISAIAH 43: 1-13, 25 BUT now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, And he that formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee: And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, The Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour; I have given Egypt as thy ran som, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou hast been precious in my sight, and honourable, and I have loved thee; Therefore will I give men for thee and peoples for thy life. Fear not; for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the East. And gather thee from the west; And my daughters from the end of the earth; Every one that is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory; I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, And the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled: Who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified: Or let them hear, and say, It is truth. Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: That ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he; Before me there was no God formed, Neither shall there be after me. And beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and I have saved, and I have shewed, and there was no strange god among you: Therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and I am God. I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, Seek judgement, relieve the oppressed, Judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; SELECTION 76 SUITABLE FOR LENTEN SERVICES He hath led me and caused me to walk in darkness and not in light. Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day. He hath caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my reins. I am become a derision to all my people; and their song all the day. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath sated me with wormwood. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; And I will not remember thy great is thy faithfulness. sins. ISAIAH 1:16-18 WASH you, make you clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; Cease to do evil: Learn to do well; The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh after him. It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. For the LORD will not cast off for ever. For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. SELECTION 77 SUITABLE FOR LENTEN SERVICES PSALM 51:1-17 HAVE mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: And my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in thy sight: That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and glad ness; That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy pres ence; And take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation: And uphold me with a free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, |