there was none to help;
and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own
arm brought salvation unto me, and my fury it upheld me. And I
will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in
my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth. I will
mention the loving-kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the
Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the
great goodness towards the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed
on them, according to his mercies, and according to the multitude
of his loving-kindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people,
children that will not lie: 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 vexed his Holy Spirit; therefore he was turned to be their
enemy, and he 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 shepherd of his flock? where is he
that put his Holy Spirit within him? that led them by the right
hand of Moses, with his glorious arm, dividing the water before
them, to make himself an everlasting name? that led them through
the deep as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not
stumble? As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of
the Lord caused him 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 strength, the sounding of thy bowels, and of thy
mercies towards me? Are they restrained? Doubtless thou art our
Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge
us not: Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer, thy name is
from everlasting. O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy
ways? and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy
servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. The people of
thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries
have trodden down thy sanctuary. We are thine: thou never barest
rule over them; they were not called by thy name.

THE GOSPEL. St Mark xiv. 1.

After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened
bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might
take him by craft, and put him to