preached to them. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jefus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see ? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to fee? A man clothed in soft raiment ? Behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings houses. But what went ye out for to fee? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet, For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I fend my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

*

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 wickedness, we are fore let and hindered in running the race that is set 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 Ghost be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

The Epistle. Phil. 4. 4.

Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again, I fay, Rejoice. Let

your moderation be known unto all men.

L2

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 un derstanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jefus.

T

:

The Gospel. S. John 1. 19.

HIS is the record of

:

John, when the Jews fent Priests and Levites from Jerufalem, to ask him, Who art thou? And he confeffed and denied not; but confefsed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him what then? Art thou Elias? and he faith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an anfwer to them that sent us. What sayeft thou of thyself? f 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 Christ, nor Elias, neither that Prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not. He it is who coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoes latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

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

† Becareful for nothing, Sc. It is not from hence to be supposed that we are to lay afide all care and concern about worldly Things; but only that we must not indulge such an immoderate anxiety as will make us fretful and restless, so as to be distrustful of Providence, and negligent of the one Thing needful.

This is the Record of John, &c. It is plain from this Message of the Jews that at that Time they expected the coming of the Messiah; and that they were to be Baptized, either by him or fome of his Retinue, according to that Prophecy of Zacharias, chap, xiii. 1.

I He Said I am the Voice, &c. This answer of the

Baptift according to the prophecy of Ifaiah is in al lufion to a practice amongst the Eastern Kings; who in case of any public entry or proceffion were used to fend an Herald or Harbinger to give notice of their coming, and clear the Road before them.

† As Chrift Jesus was born for us of a pure Virgin, so must we alfo be born again from a state of Sin and Corruption to a Life of Righteousness and true Holiness. And this we are taught is to be effected through the Adoption and Grace, and daily renewing of God's Holy Spirit which he has promised to all that fincerely ask it.

The Collect.

A Lmighty 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 Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the fame Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

G

The Epistle. Hebr.1,

OD, who at sundry times, and in divers manners spake in time past 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 also he made the worlds. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express 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 majesty 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 shall be to me a Son? And again, * when he bringeth in the first-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

1

1

of fire. But unto the Son he faith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, 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 shall perish, but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the fame, and thy years shall not fail.

I

The Gospel. S. John 1. 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 shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same 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 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 Sons 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.

G

+ Saint Stephen's Day.

The Collect.

Rant, O Lord, that in all our fufferings here upon earth, for the teftimony of thy truth, we may stedfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and being filled with the holy Ghost, may learn to love and blefs our perfecutors by the example of thy first Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O blessed Jesus, who standest at the right hand of God, to fuccour all those that suffer for thee, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen. Then shall follow the Collect for the Nativity, which shall be faid

continually unto New-years Eve.

For the Epistle. Acts 7.55.

Tephen being full of the holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing 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 cast him out of the city, and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a