November 12, 2022 :: Morning Prayer
Saturday after the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity
Here beginneth the 37th chapter of Sirach.
Every friend saith, I am his friend also: but there is a friend, which is only a friend in name.
Is it not a grief unto death, when a companion and friend is turned to an enemy?
O wicked imagination, whence camest thou in to cover the earth with deceit?
There is a companion, which rejoiceth in the prosperity of a friend, but in the time of trouble will be against him.
There is a companion, which helpeth his friend for the belly, and taketh up the buckler against the enemy.
Forget not thy friend in thy mind, and be not unmindful of him in thy riches.
Every counsellor extolleth counsel; but there is some that counselleth for himself.
Beware of a counsellor, and know before what need he hath; for he will counsel for himself; lest he cast the lot upon thee,
And say unto thee, Thy way is good: and afterward he stand on the other side, to see what shall befall thee.
Consult not with one that suspecteth thee: and hide thy counsel from such as envy thee.
Neither consult with a woman touching her of whom she is jealous; neither with a coward in matters of war; nor with a merchant concerning exchange; nor with a buyer of selling; nor with an envious man of thankfulness; nor with an unmerciful man touching kindness; nor with the slothful for any work; nor with an hireling for a year of finishing work; nor with an idle servant of much business: hearken not unto these in any matter of counsel.
But be continually with a godly man, whom thou knowest to keep the commandments of the Lord, whose mind is according to thy mind, and will sorrow with thee, if thou shalt miscarry.
And let the counsel of thine own heart stand: for there is no man more faithful unto thee than it.
For a man's mind is sometime wont to tell him more than seven watchmen, that sit above in an high tower.
And above all this pray to the most High, that he will direct thy way in truth.
Let reason go before every enterprize, and counsel before every action.
The countenance is a sign of changing of the heart.
Four manner of things appear: good and evil, life and death: but the tongue ruleth over them continually.
There is one that is wise and teacheth many, and yet is unprofitable to himself.
There is one that sheweth wisdom in words, and is hated: he shall be destitute of all food.
For grace is not given him from the Lord; because he is deprived of all wisdom.
Another is wise to himself; and the fruits of understanding are commendable in his mouth.
A wise man instructeth his people; and the fruits of his understanding fail not.
A wise man shall be filled with blessing; and all they that see him shall count him happy.
The days of the life of man may be numbered: but the days of Israel are innumerable.
A wise man shall inherit glory among his people, and his name shall be perpetual.
My son, prove thy soul in thy life, and see what is evil for it, and give not that unto it.
For all things are not profitable for all men, neither hath every soul pleasure in every thing.
Be not unsatiable in any dainty thing, nor too greedy upon meats:
For excess of meats bringeth sickness, and surfeiting will turn into choler.
By surfeiting have many perished; but he that taketh heed prolongeth his life.
Here endeth the first lesson.
Here beginneth the 4th chapter of John.
When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
He left Judæa, and departed again into Galilee.
And he must needs go through Samaria.
Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
And many more believed because of his own word;
And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilæans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judæa into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judæa into Galilee.