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The Gofpel. St Matth. xi. 2.

TOW when John had heard in the prifon the works of Chrift, he fent two of his difciples, and faid unto him, Art thou he that fhould come, or do we look for another? Jefus anfwered, and faid unto them, Go and fhew John again those things which ye do hear and fee: The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gofpel preached to them. And blessed is he whofoever fhall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to fay unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to fee? A reed fhaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to fee? A man clothed in foft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings houfes. But what went ye out for to fee? A prophet? yea, I fay unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I fend my meffenger before thy face, which fhall prepare thy way before thee.

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The fourth Sunday in Advent.

The Collect.

Lord, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might fuccour us; that whereas through our fins and wickednefs we are fore let and hindered in running the race that is fer before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us, through the fatisfaction of thy Son our Lord; to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghoft, be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

PARAPHRASE

On the COLLECT for the Fourth Sunday in Advent.

O Lord, we beseech thee to ftir up thy ftrength and come and help us (Pfal. ixxx. 2.) and to afford us the powerful affiftance of thy grace, that we may not be retarded with the weight of fin, which doth fo eafily befet us, but may run with patience the race which is fet before us, (Heb. xii.

1.) and

The Epiftle. Phil. iv. 4.

Ejoice in the Lord alway; and again I fay, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing, by prayer and fupplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which paffeth all understanding, fhall keep your hearts and minds through Chrift Jesus.

TH

The Gospel. St John i. 19.

HIS is the record of John, when the Jews fent Priests and Levites from Jerufalem, to afk him, Who art thou? And he confeffed, and denied not; but confeffed, I am not the Chrift. And they afked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he faith, I am not. Art thou that Prophet? And he anfwered, No, Then faid they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an antwer to them that fent us. What fayeft thou of thy felf? He faid, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as faid the prophet Efaias. And they which were fent, were of the Pharifees. And they afked him, and faid unto him, Why baptizeft thou then, if thou be not that Chrift, nor Elias, neither that Prophet? John anfwered them, faying, I baptize with water; but there ftandeth one among you, whom ye know not: He it is, who coming after me, is preferred before me, whofe fhoes latchet I am not worthy to unloofe. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

PARAPHRASE.

1.) and that thy bountiful grace, which thou doft liberally beftow on alf that afk it with a devout heart, may defend and deliver us from all the temptations, by which we may be attacked, thro' the merits and fatisfac tion of Jefus Chrift, &c. Amen.

The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birth-day of CHRIST, commonly called Christmas-day.

The Collect.

Almighty God, who haft given us thy only begotten

Son, to take our nature upon him, and, as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit, through the fame our Lord Jefus Chrift; who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the fame Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

The Epiftle. Heb. i. 1.

OD, who at fundry times, and in divers manners, fpake in time paft unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom alfo he made the worlds. Who being the brightnefs of his glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our fins, fat down on the right hand of the Majefty on high: Being made fo much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they. For unto which of the angels faid he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? and again, I will be to him a Father, and he fhall be to me a Son. And again, when he bringeth in the firft-begotten into the world, he

PARAPHRASE.

On the COLLECT for the Nativity of Jefus Chrift.

O Almighty God, who haft given thy only begotten Son, (Job iii. 16.) not to take upon him the nature of angels, but to take on him the feed of Abraham, (Heb. ii. 16.) and to be born of a pure virgin, which birth we this day, with grateful hearts, commemorate; afford us, we befeech thee, thy grace, that we being born again into a fpiritual life, (John ii. 3. Pet. i. 23.) may receive the adoption of fons, (Gal. iv. 5.) and may daily be renewed in the fpirit of our minds, (Epb. iv. 23.) by the influence of the holy fpirit; which we beg for the sake of our ever bleffed Lord, &c. Amen.

O Lord,

faith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he faith, Who maketh his angels fpirits, and his minifters a flame of fire. But unto the Son he faith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a fceptre of righteoufnefs is the fceptre of thy Kingdom. Thou haft loved righteoufnefs, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning, haft laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They fhall perish, but thou remaineft; and they all fhall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vefture fhalt thou fold them up, and they fhall be changed; but thou art the fame, and thy years fhall not fail.

IN

The Gospel. St John i. 1.

'N the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The fame was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made, that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light fhineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man fent from God, whofe name was John. The fame came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was fent to bear witnefs of that light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his Name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and, we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.

GR

Saint Stephen's Day.

The Collect.

RANT, O Lord, that in all our fufferings here upor earth for the teftimony of thy truth, we may ftedfaftly look up to Heaven, and by faith behold the glory that fhall be revealed; and being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our perfecutors, by the example of thy firft Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O bleffed Jefus, who ftandeft at the right hand of God, to fuccour all thofe that fuffer for thee, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

Then fall follow the Collect of the Nativity, which shall be faid continually unto New-year's Eve.

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Tephen being full of the Holy Ghoft, looked up sted

STe

and of God,

Jefus

standing on the right hand of God, and faid, Behold, I fee the heavens opened, and the Son of man ftanding on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and caft him out of the city, and ftoned him and the witneffes laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whole name was Saul. And they ftoned Stephen, calling upon

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On the COLLECT for Saint Stephen's Day.

O Lord, we humbly pray thee that, in all our fufferings in this prefent world, (Rom. viii. 18.) in fupport of the teftimony of the gospel, we may, after the example of St Stephen, ftedfaftly look up to heaven, and by the ftrength of oar faith, obtain a profpect of the glory which shall be revealed hereafter in us; (Rom. viii. 18.) and being filled with the Holy Ghoft, (As vii. 55.) in like manner as that bleffed faint, who was first honoured with a crown of martyrdom, may learn to bless them who perfecute us, (Rom. xii. 14. Matt. v. 44.) encouraged thereto by the example of this noble martyr, who prayed for his murderers, that thou, O blefed Jefus, wouldft not lay their fin to their charge, (As vii. 20.) who standeft at the right hand of God, as St Stephen was then fupported by beholding thee; grant unto us all spiritual strength and fuccour, when we fafter for thee our only mediator and advocate. Amen.

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