William Law, Priest, 1761

The Collect:

Rite I:
Almighty God, whose servant William Law taught us to hear and follow your call to a devout and holy life: Grant that we, loving thee above all things and in all things, may seek thy purpose and shape our actions to thy will, that we may grow in all virtue and be diligent in prayer all the days of our lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honor and glory now and for ever. Amen.

Rite II:
Almighty God, whose servant William Law taught us to hear and follow your call to a devout and holy life: Grant that we, loving you above all things and in all things, may seek your purpose and shape our actions to your will, that we may grow in all virtue and be diligent in prayer all the days of our lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory now and for ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Ecclesiasticus 1:11-20

¹¹ The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation,
    and gladness and a crown of rejoicing.
¹² The fear of the Lord delights the heart,
    and gives gladness and joy and long life.
¹³ Those who fear the Lord will have a happy end;
    on the day of their death they will be blessed.

¹⁴ To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
    she is created with the faithful in the womb.
¹⁵ She made among human beings an eternal foundation,
    and among their descendants she will abide faithfully.
¹⁶ To fear the Lord is fullness of wisdom;
    she inebriates mortals with her fruits;
¹⁷ she fills their whole house with desirable goods,
    and their storehouses with her produce.
¹⁸ The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom,
    making peace and perfect health to flourish.
¹⁹ She rained down knowledge and discerning comprehension,
    and she heightened the glory of those who held her fast.
²⁰ To fear the Lord is the root of wisdom,
    and her branches are long life.

Psalm: Psalm 128

¹ Happy are they all who fear the Lord, *
and who follow in his ways!
² You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
³ Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table.
⁴ The man who fears the Lord *
shall thus indeed be blessed.
⁵ The Lord bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
⁶ May you live to see your children’s children; *
may peace be upon Israel.

First Lesson: 2 Peter 1:3–11

³His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants in the divine nature. ⁵For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, ⁷and godliness with mutualaffection, and mutual affection with love. ⁸For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. ¹⁰Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. ¹¹For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.

Gospel: Matthew 6:1-8

¹ ‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² ‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. ³But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁵ ‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. ⁶But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁷‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

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