The Epiftle. S. James 1. 22. E ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own felves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whofo looketh into §the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein; he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be bleffed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this mans religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father, is this, To vifit the fatherlefs and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unfpotted from the world. VE The Gospel. S. John 16. 23. Erily, verily I fay unto you, Whatfoever ye fhall ask the Father in my Name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye afked nothing in my Name; Afk, and ye fhall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: the time cometh when I fhall no more fpeak unto you in proverbs, but I fhall fhew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye fhall ask in my Name: and I fay not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father himfelf loveth you, because ye have loved and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am cone into the world; Again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His difciples faid unto him, Lo, now speakeft thou plainly, and fpeakeft no proverb. Now are we me, Paraphrafe on the Collect for O God, the giver of all good Things, we, thy Servants, humbly beseech thee to infpire into our Minds I For if any be a bearer of the Word, &c. That is, hearing will be of no fervice to us without doing. For, as a Man who in a Glafs fees fpots in his Face, but takes no care to wipe them off; fo is he whom the Word hath fhewed to himself, if he does not correct thofe Faults, which are thus reprefented to his view. The perfect Law of Liberty. The Gospel is here the fifth Sunday after Eafter. called a Law of Liberty, because it frees us from the Pure Religion and undefiled, &c. That Religion, which does not only appear fair to Men, but is accep table to God, confifts in Charity and Purity.. fure that thou knoweft all things, and needeft not that any man fhould ask thee: by this we believe that thou cameft forth from God. Jefus anfwered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye fhall be fcattered every man to his own, and fhall leave me alone: * and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but tbe of good cheer, I have overcome the world. G The Afcenfion-day...: 11: The Collect. Rant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy only begotten Son our Lord Jefus Chrift to have afcended into the heavens; fo we may alfo in heart and mind this ther ascend, and with him continually dwell, who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the Holy Ghoft, one God, world without end. Amen. T For the Epifle. Acts. I. I. HE former treatife have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jefus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the Apostles whom hehad chofen. To whom Paraphrafe on the Collett for Afcenfion-Day. Moft mighty God, as we believe thy Son Jefus Chrift is gone up into Heaven; give us Grace, we befeech thee fo to fet our Affections on things above, and fo to purify our Hearts and Difpofitions here, that And yet I am not alone, because the Father, &c. As if he had faid, though I know that all ye my Difciples will defert me: yet I fhall not be forfaken, for "God will stand by me, and affift my Truth and In"nocence."-This alfo is the comfort of every fincere Christian amidst all the Troubles and Afflictions of human Life. For tho' the World frowns around him, Calamities opprefs him, and all his worthy Friends for fake him yet the Lord of Hofts is ftill with him, the God of Jacob is his Refuge: who will comfort, and help, and relieve him when and in what manner he fees it belt for him. ↑ Be of good cheer I have overcome the World. Chrift hath overcome the Wickedness, the Malice, the Temp we may one Day he admitted to dwell with him for ever, who reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, to all Eternity. 1 1 alfo he fhewed himself alive after his paffion, by many infallible proofs, being feen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and being affembled together with them, commanded them that they fhould not depart from Jerufalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, faith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, * but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time reftore again the kingdom to Ifrael? And he faid unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the feafons which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye fhall receive power after that the Holy Ghoft is come upon you; and ye fhall be witneffes unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and untò the uttermoft part of the earth. And when he had spoken thefe things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their fight. And while they looked ftedfaftly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men ftood by them in white apparel; which also faid, Ye men of Galilee, why ftand ye gazing up into heaven? This fame Jefus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner, as ye have seen him go into heaven. The Gospel. S. Mark 16. 14. Efus appeared unto the eleven as they fat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardnefs of heart, be JEG * But ye fall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft not many Days, &e. This happened about ten Days after at the Feast of Pentecoft. And the Holy Spirit was thus given to the Apofiles, to render them powerful Witneffes of our Lord's Refurrection to qualify them to give an exact account, as far as divine Wisdom faw it neceffary, of what our Saviour did and taught and that they might be enabled to acquaint all Chriftians with all fuch Truths as were neceffary to Salvation; and to declare unto them by the Spirit of prophecy what hould be hereafter. Wilt thou at this time reftore, &c. It is plain from this pallage that our Lord's Difciples had ftill carnal notions of their Master's Kingdom-still fuppofed that he would take upon him the authority of a temporal Prince; and now avenge himself upon his Adverfaries for their late cruelties towards him. Nor were thefetalfe notions fully rectified till the Holy Spirit by its miraculous defcent guided the Apostles into all Truth. Shall fo come in like manner, &c. As he was taken up into Heaven in a bright fhining Cloud, attended by Angels-fo we are told that he fhall come again at the laft Day with his mighty Angels in a flame of Fire; and match the Righteous up into the Clouds, 2 Thef. i, z 8.1 Thef. iv. 16. 17. * cause they believed not them which had feen him after he was rifen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gofpel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, fhall be faved; but he that believeth not, fhall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: in my Name fhall they caft out devils, they fhall fpeak with new tongues, they fhall take up ferpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they fhall lay hands on the fick, and they hall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and fat on the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with figns following.. Ο Sunday after Afcenfion-day. God the King of glory, who haft exalted thine only Son Jefus Chrift with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We befeech thee, leave us not comfortless; but send to us thine Holy Ghoft to comfort us, and exalt us unto the fame place whither our Saviour Chrift is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the Holy Ghoft, one God, world without end. Amen. "TH The Epiftle. S. Pet. 4. 7. I HE end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent Paraphrafe on the Collect for O infinitely glorious God, who haft highly exalted hy Son Jefus Chrift in Heaven, and rendered him vic torious over all his Enemies: leave us not deftitute we befeech thee of thy help and fupport; but grant us the He that believeth and is baptized, &c. That is, he that believeth in the Gofpel and is baptized, fhall, by virtue of that Faith and Baptifm, be put into a state of Salvation; fo that if he continue in that Faith, and do not wilfully recede from his baptifmal Covenant; the fhall actually be faved. But he that perverfely and Ss have the Sunday after Afcenfion day. + And fat on the right hand of God. This fignifies that Chrift, in his human nature, is exalted to the poffeffion of all that glory and bliss which he had with the Father before the World was: and that all power is given unto him in Heaven and Earth. This confideration, as it ought to be a continual motive to Christian he and all Afflictions; be partake in the benefits of Chrift's Redemption-ball caufe we know that our Lord is gone before to prepare a not fee Lijbut the Wrath of God abideth on him. John place for us that where he is we may be at iii. 36. vinced of its truth, and divine authority; he fhall not powerfully Mindednefs, fo it affords a charity among yourselves: § for charity fhall cover the multitude of fins. Ufe hofpitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even fo minifter the fame one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man fpeak, let him speak as the oracles of God: If any man minister, let him do it, as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jefus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. The Gospel. S. John 15. 26. and part of the 16 Chapter. WHEN the Comforter is come, whom I will fend unto you WHEN from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceed. eth from the Father, he fhall teftify of me. And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. These things have I fpoken unto you, that ye fhould not be offended. They fhall put you out of the fynagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whofoever killeth you, will think that he doeth God fervice. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me; but these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. Whit funday. The Collect. Go YOD, who as at this time didft teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by the fending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the fame Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, The end of all Things, &c. That is, the end of the Jewish Church and State are at hand, fee Luke xxi. 9. 34. 35. 36. For Charity fhall cover, &c. That is, where a Ferfon is poffefled of real Charity it will induce him to treat his fellow Creatures with Gentleness, Meeknefs, and Forbearance,-will engage him to draw a Veil ever their failing and infirmities, and mercifuly to over look fuch injuries and offences done to him as call not for publick juftice. See Prov. x. 2.. ↑ And these Things will they do, Sc. It may be ob Z ferved here that tho' Christianity is at prefent countenanced and fupported by the civil Government: yet that faying of St. Paul's fill in fome measure holds good (viz.) that all that will live godly in Chrift Jefus, fhall juffer perfecution. For as the conduct of a truly good Man is a continual reproach to the wicked, and therefore as offenfive to them as the light to fore Eyes; fo 'tis no wonder if they endeavour by calumny and detraction to reduce him as much as poffible to their own level; and to harafs and distress him according as they have power and opportunity. |