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a treasure, and by admiring that great patience and goodness of God, which spared us when we deserved punishment. What we can reserve from the necessities of nature and our worldly affairs which those necessities engage us in, ought to be applied to the noblest purposes; the glory of God, the good and salvation of men. Nay, even the affairs of this life may be sanctified by considering ourselves as the instruments of providence, and by faithfully discharging the duties of our station with a regard to another world more than this. And the best method, in order to this end, is to live by rule; to assign to all our actions their proper season, and such a portion of it only as may be necessary for them; whereby time will never lie upon our hands, nor sting us with regret when it is past. Men of estates may lay hold on futurity, by founding hospitals and schools for the relief and instruction of the poor. All Christians may dedicate their whole lives to God's service in the days of their youth; and may make such public declarations in behalf of religion, that they may put themselves under a necessity of living virtuously, by cutting off any retreat to vanity and folly.

THE PRAYERS.

FOR TRUE MORTIFICATION.

ALMIGHTY God, who madest thy blessed Son to be circumcised, and obedient to the law for man; grant me the true circumcision of the spirit, that my heart, and all my members, being mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts, I may in all things obey thy blessed will, through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR DELIVERANCE FEOM THE POWER OF SIN.

O BLESSED Jesus, who by the purity of thy life, and the meritorious sufferings of thy death, hath purchased for us an eternal inheritance; deliver me by the power of thy grace from the greatest evil, my sins; and reform and reduce my heart to the obedience of thy laws. Make me carefully to avoid all those occasions that have formerly betrayed me to folly, all those practices that heighten my corrupt inclinations and passions, and alienate my mind from the love of God. Give me a constant supply of courage and resolution to resist the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the Devil; that being rescued from the dominion of my corrupt af fections, by being turned from darkness to light, I may be assured thou wilt deliver me from eternal death and hell-torments, which are the punishments due unto my transgressions. Grant this through the virtue of that sacred name thou didst this day receive; to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

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FOR A RIGHT USE OF TIME.

ALMIGHTY God I adore thy infinite patience, which hath not cut me off in the midst of my follies; I magnify thy wonderful goodness which hath spared me thus long, and indulged me a larger time of repentance. Let me no longer abuse that precious treasure, which thou hast allotted me as a proper season to work out my own salvation, and to secure that happiness which is great in itself, and infinite in its duration. Let me bid adieu to all those vain amusements, those trifling entertainments, and cruel diversions, which have robbed me of

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many valuable hours, and endangered the loss of my immortal soul. Let me no longer waste my time in ease and pleasure, in unprofitable studies, and more unprofitable conversation; but grant that by diligence and honesty in my calling, by constancy and fervour in my devotions, by moderation and temperance in my enjoyments, by justice and charity in all my words and actions, and by keeping a conscience void of offence towards God and man, I may be able to give a good account of it in the day of judgment; and be accepted in and through the merits of Jesus Christ, my only mediator and advocate. Amen.

СНАР. Х.

THE EPIPHANY, JANUARY 6.

Q. What Festival does the church celebrate this day?

A. The Epiphany, or the Manifestation of our Saviour Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

Q. To what Gentiles was our Saviour this day manifested?

A. To the wise men of the East, called Magi, who were famous for all sorts of learning, especially celebrated for their knowledge and skill in astronomy; and in the East, their priests and men of the best quality dedicated themselves to these studies. Though some authors are of opinion, that the Greek word, we translate wise men, is in the Scripture always taken in the worst sense, for men practising magical and unlawful arts; and if it be so understood, it magnifies the power and grace of Christ the more, that, among the Gentiles, men of such a profession should be the first adorers of that blessed Jesus.

Q. What other signification has the word Epiphany? A. It signifies Christ's appearance in the world, the nativity of our Saviour; which, among the ancients, is commonly styled the appearing simply, or the appearing of God. And the feast of the nativity being celebrated twelve days, of which the first and the last, according to the custom of the Jews in their feasts, were high or chief days of solemnity, each of these might fitly be called Epiphany in that sense, and not only referring to the star, though not excluding but containing it also, as a special circumstance belonging to the nativity. Besides, the word has been farther made use of to express the glorious manifestation of our Saviour's baptism, and his miraculous power at the marriage in Cana, by turning water into wine."

Q. How did God manifest the birth of our Saviour to the wise men?

A. By a luminous appearance of a star in the lower region of the air, observed by those wise men to differ from the ordinary stars of heaven; which as a new prodigious sight, seemed to them to presage something of great moment and consideration. For new stars among the Gentiles, were sometimes looked upon as omens, that infants born at the time of their appearance should arrive at great power. The appearance of the star, and the journey of the Chaldæan wise men, are mentioned by Chalcidius, the Platonist. It seems not improbable, what some authors have suggested, that this seeming star, which appeared to the wise men in the East, might be that glorious light which shone upon the Bethlehem shepherds, when the angel came to impart to them the tidings of our Saviour's birth; which at a distance

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might appear like a star, or, at least, after it had thus shone upon the shepherds, might be lifted up on high, and then formed into the likeness of a star,

Q. How could the wise men guess at the birth of our Saviour from the appearance of this star?

A. Some think they might receive light in this matter from the prophecy of Balaam," or from some other prophecies in Daniel; but as one seems too obscure for the determining any particular time, so the others were probably not known to the Chaldæans. It is more likely they might be governed by that general expectation, the world was then in, of an universal monarch; and by the particular expectation the Jews had of the Messias' coming in that age, which might easily be promulged to the neighbouring nations. Though besides this, some way of divine revelation may be supposed by their calling him King of the Jews. For when God gave an extraordinary sign, we may well imagine he would take care to have it understood.

Q. How did they learn that our Saviour should be born in Bethlehem?

A Upon their arrival at Jerusalem, they published the cause and design of their journey, which gave great uneasiness to Herod, who was jealous of any competitor; upon which Herod enquired of those who had greatest skill in the ancient prophecies, what place was assigned for the birth of the expected Messias; when he understood that Bethlehem was marked out for that honour, he communicated to the wise men the determination of the chief priests and scribes, with a design to destroy this young prince if they discovered him; strictly charging them to bring him word, pretending that he would

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Numb. xxiv. 17.

Mat. ii. 2.

* Mat. ii. 4,

8.

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