hidden things of darkness, and will make manifeft the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praife of God. N The Gospel. Matt. xi. 2. OW 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 should come, or do we look for another? Jefus answered and faid unto them, Go and thew 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 bleffed is he, whosoever thall 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 foft clothing are in kings' houses. 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 shall prepare thy way before thee. Fourth Sunday in Advent. LORD, raise up (we pray among us, and with great might fuccour us; that whereas, through our fins and wickedness, we are fore let and hindered in running the race that is fet before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may fpeedily 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. The Epistle. 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; R but in every thing by prayer and fupplication, with thankigiving, let your requesis be made known unto God: And the peace of God, which paffeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Chrift Jefus. The Gospel. John i. 19. HIS is the record of John, THIS when the Jews fent priests and Levites from Jerufalem to atk him, Who art thou? And he confeffed, and denied not; but confeffed, I am not the Chrift. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he faith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then faid. they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that fent us. What fayest thou of thyself? 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 asked him, and faid unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Chrift, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, faying, I baptize with water: but there frandeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloofe. These things were done in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. -The Epistle. Heb. i. 1. who at fundry times din divers mannersspake in eftitit unto the fathers by the "ote mets, hath in these last day oken unto us by his Son, winom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom alfo he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the exprefs image of his person, 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 Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellentname 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 thall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firli-begotten into the world, he faith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he faith, Who maketh his angels spirits, 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 righteousness is the fceptre of thy kingdom: Thou haft loved righteoufness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anoint ed 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 shall perish, but thou re naineft; and they all fhall wax old, as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they thall be changed: but thou art the fame, and thy years thall not fail. The Gospel. 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 of I men. And the light shineth 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 bim might believe. He was not that Light, but was fent to bear witness 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. Saint Stephen's Day. The Collect. RANT, O GRAN Lord, that in all our fufferings here upon earth, for the teftimony of thy truth, we may ftedfaftly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and being filled with the Holy Ghoft, may learn to love and bless our perfecutors, by the example of thy first Martyr, Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O bleffed Jesus, who standest at the right hand of God to fuccour all those that fuffer for thee, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen. [Then shall follow the Collect of the Nativity; which shall be said continuallyuntil New Year's Eve.] For the Epistle. Acts vii. 55. STEPHEhon being fullup the Holy Ghoft, looked up ftedfaftly into heaven, and faw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and faid, Behold, I fee the heavens opened, and the Son of man franding 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 itoned him and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and faying, Lord Jesus, receive my fpirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this fin to their charge! And when he had said this, he fell asleep. The Gospel. Matt. xxiii. 34. BEHOLD, I fend un to you pro phets, and wife men, scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and fome of them shall ye fcourge in your fynagogues, and perfecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias fon of Barachias, whom ye flew be tween the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, thou that killeft the prophets, and stoneft them which are fent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you defolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall fay, Bleffed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. The Epistle. 1 John i HAT which was nom T beard, which we have hands vith our eyes, which we have med upon, and our hands have dled, of the Word of life; (for the Life was manifefted, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and thew unto you that eternal Life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye alfo may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift. And there things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we fay that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Chrift his Son cleanfeth us from all fin. If we say that we have no fin, we de ceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our fins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our fins, and to cleanfe us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not finned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. The Gospel. John xxi. 19. JESUS faid unto Peter, Follow me. 'Ther Peter, turning about, feeth the difciple whom Jesus loved following, which alfo leaned on his breaft at fup per, and faid, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter feeing him, faith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jefus faith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, That that difciple thould not die: yet Jefus faid not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he ALMIGHTY God, who out fucklings haft ordained strength, and madeft infants to glorify thee by their deaths; Mortify and kill all vices in us, and fo strengthen us by thy grace, that by the innocency of our lives, and conftancy of our faith even unto death, we may glorify thy holy Name, through Jesus Chrift our Lord. Amen. I For the Epistle. Rev. xiv. 1. LOOKED, and, lo, a Lamb ftood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: and they fung as it were a new fong before the throne, and before the four beafts and the elders: and no man could learn that fong but the hundred child, and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will feek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child, and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son. Then Herod, when he faw that he was mocked of the wife men, was exceeding wroth, and fent forth, and flew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coafts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wife men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, faying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning; Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. A The Collect. LMIGHTY God, who hast 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 made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit, through the fame our Lord Jesus Chrift, who and the fame Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. that we being regenerate, and N The Epistle. Gal. iv. 1. and forty and four thousand liveth and reigneth with thee which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whitherfoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firft-fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. The Gospel. Matt. ii. 13. fay, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a fervant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors, until the time appointed of the father. Even fo we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fuiness of the time Son made of a woman, made eth to Jofeph in a dream, was come, hedefim faying, Arife, and take the young under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of fons. And because ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a fervant, but a fon; and if a fon, then an heir of God through Chritt. T The Gospel. Matt. i. 18. HE birth of Jetus Chrift was on this wife: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Jofeph, before they came toge ther, he was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Jofeph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to but her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, faying, Jofeph, thou fon of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And the thall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall fave his people from their fins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, faying, Behold, a Virgin thall be with child, and thall bring forth a son, and they thall call his name Emmanuel; which being interpreted, is, God with us. Then Jofeph, being raised from fleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife and knew her not till the had brought forth her first born fon and he called his name JESUS. things obey thy bleffed will, through the fame thy Son Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. The Epistle. Rom. iv. 8. BLESSED is the man to whom ☑ the Lord will not impute fin. Cometh this bleffedness then upon the circumcifion only, or upon the uncircumcifion alfo? we fay that faith was reckoned to Abraham for rightcoufnefs. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcifion, or in uncircumcifion? Not in circumcifion, but in uncircumcifion. And he received the fign of circumcifion; a feal of the righteoufness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcifed; that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcifed; righteousness might be imputed unto them alfo and the father of circumcifion to themwho are not of the circumticion only, but who alfo walk in the fieps of that faith of our father Abra- | ham, which he had, being yet uncircumcifed. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his feed through the law, but through the righteoufnels of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. A The Gospel. Luke ii. 15. ND it came to pafs, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds faid one to another, Let us now go even unto Beth lehem, and fee this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord bath made known unto us. And they came with hafte, and found Mary and Jofeph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had feen it, they made known abroad the faying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pon dered them in her heart. And |
