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that He was raised to a Sovereign Power, that He is more excellent than the Angels, that He is the Son of God, and even that He is God over all bleffed for ever.

My Brethren,

ΤΗ

After the Leffon.

HIS Chapter, which treats of the Infinite Dignity of the Perfon of Jefus Chrift, fhews us how precious that Gift is that God made to us, when He gave us for a Redeemer Him that is his own Son, whom all the Angels worship, and whom He has made to fit on his Right-Hand in the highest Places: This ought powerfully to ftir us up to celebrate the immenfe Goodness of the Lord, and to pay to Jefus Chrift the most profound Homage and Adoration. By this alfo we ought to acknowledge the Excellency of the Covenant of Grace, and the Obligation we are under to obey the Gospel, and to live after a manner anfwerable to the Glory of our Calling, and to the incomparable Advantages which God has granted us.

The Second Leffon

St. LUKE, Chap. II. Ver. 1, to the 20th.

N this Chapter we have the Hiftory of the Birth of Jesus Christ.

IN

My Brethren,

WE

After the Leffon.

E have read to you the Hiftory of the Nativity of Jefus Chrift, the Remembrance of which is celebrated on this Day by the whole Church. Let us adore the Wonders of that Providence which brought the blessed Virgin to Bethlehem, to the End that the Meffiah might be born in that City, according to the Prophets. Let us join our Hymns to thofe of the Angels that declared the Birth of Jefus Chrift to the Shepherds. Let us rejoice with the Angels, that by this bleffed Nativity Peace has been given to the Earth, and that the Glory of God and his good Will towards Men, has been manifefted. Let us alfo learn, by the Example of the Shepherds that went to Bethlehem, to pay their Homage to the Lord Jefus, to adore Him with all the Reverence, and all the Zeal we are capable of, now that He is in Heaven, and continually to render to Him that Honour and Obedience which we owe Him.

The

1

The Day after CHRISTMAS.
The First Leffon.

ISAIAH, Chap. IX. Ver. 1, to the 6th.

SAIAH foretels that the People, who had been till then in Darkness, fhould be enlightned by the Preaching of the Gofpel: He alfo fpeaks of the Birth of Jefus Chrift, of his Glory, of his Divinity, and of the Establishment of his Kingdom.

T

After the Leffon.

HAT which we have now read, My Brethren, engages us to praise God for his having enlightned us with the Light of the Gospel when we were in the Darkness of Sin and of Death, and for caufing his Son to be born, whom He has given us for our Saviour and King. Let us return Him our humble and continual Thanks for the fame: Let us celebrate his Mercy, and fay at all Times, but particularly now with Hearts full of Zeal and Gratitude, what Ifaiah faid formerly in foretelling the Happiness that was referved for us: The People that walked in Darkness, have feen a great Light: They that dwell in the Land of the Shadow of Death, upon them bath the Light Shined. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the Government fhall be upon his Shoulderss And his Name fhall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

The Second Leffon..

St. LUKE, Chap. II. Ver. 21ft, to the 39th.

T. LUKE relates the Circumcifion of our Lord, the prefenting
Him to the Temple, and the Thanksgiving which the holy old

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Man Simeon, and the Prophetess Anna, returned to God.

After

After the Lellon.

My Brethren,

TH

HE Joy that Simeon and the Prophetess Anna fhewed, and the Thanks they gave to God for the Birth of Jefus Chrift, ought to ftir us up to praife the Lord, and to rejoice for that our Saviour was born to be the Light and the Salvation of all People. But we muft alfo learn from what Simeon faid to the Blessed Virgin, That if the Coming of Jefus Chrift is faving to thofe that receive Him with Faith, it is an Occafion of Scandal and Destruction to the Unfaith ful, and to thofe that obey not the Gospel.

NEW-YEAR'S-DAY in the Evening.

The First Leffon..

1 THESSALONIANS, Chap. V. Ver. 1, to 11.

ST

1'

T PAUL fpeaks of the Coming of Jefus Chrift: He fays, He will furprize the World; and he advifes the Faithful to prepare themfelves for it by Sobriety and Watchfulness.

W

J

After the Leffon,

E propofe to you, this Day, My Brethren, that which St. Paul teaches us in this Place concerning the laft Day, to the end, that you may seriously reflect upon the fame this first Day of the Year. You have heard how the Lord will come in a fudden and unexpected Manner; that the wicked will be furprized when they leaft expect it; that that Day will be a Day of Anguish and Terror for those that walk-in Darknefs, and that give themselves up to the Works of the Flesh; whereas there will be nothing but what is comfortable for the Faithful. Being then warned of thefe Things, and knowing how uncertain the Day of our Death is, and how dangerous it is to be furprized by it, let us walk in the Light; let us be fober and vigilant ; let us be cloathed with Faith, Hope, and Charity, let us edi fie and exhort one another; let us always be prepared for the Coming of our Lord, and for the Attainment of Salvation; let us employ therein, both the prefent Year and the whole Courfe of our Life, to the end that we may pafs and finish it happily, and whether we wake, and whether we fleep, we may live to our Lord Jefus Chrift. The

Amen.

The Second Leffon.

St. MATTHEW, Chap. XXV. Ver. 1. to the 30.

WHAT we are going to read, contains the Parable of the Ten

W Virgins, and that of the Talents.

My Brethren,

After the Leffon.

THE Parable of the Virgins is an admirable Picture, in which TH we fee on one hand, what will be the Joy and Truft of the Righteous, who fhall be prepared for the Coming of their Saviour at the laft Day; and on the other hand, what will be the Despair of the Wicked, and the Unprofitablenefs of the Attempts they fhall make to be received into Heaven. The Parable of the Talents, warns us that God will call every one of us to an Account for the Ufe' we have made of his Grace; that He will gloriously reward those that have used it as they ought; and that He will punish most rigoroufly thofe that have abufed it. Let us always fet these Divine Leffons before our Eyes. Let us remember, that we do not know when we fhall be called to appear before Jefus Christ, and to give up our Accounts; let us be like the wife Virgins, who had provided Oil for their Lamps, and like those wife Servants that improve, for the Honour of their Mafter, the Talents they had received, to the end, that when He fhall come, he may fay to us, Well done good and faithful Servant, enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord.

LESSONS for EASTER TIME.

Monday Morning for the First Week

The First Lesson, EXODUS, Chap. XII. Ver. 1,---28.

HAT we are about to read, contains the Inftitution of the
Pafloyer among the Jews.

WH

My Brethren,

TH

After the Leffon..

HE Hiftory of the Institution of the Paffover, may be confidered in Two Ways. First, In relation to the Jews, whom God had ordered to facrifice and eat a Lamb, and to fprinkle their Houses

with

with the Blood of that Lamb, to the end that they might acknowledge thereby that it was God who delivered them from Egypt. Secondly, We must confider the Passover and Figure of Jefus Chrift our Lord, who is our real Passover, the true Lamb of God that was facrificed for us, and whofe Blood has delivered us from the Wrath of God. And fince it happen'd as at this Time that our blessed Redeemer fuffered Death to releafe us, let us difpofe our felves to celebrate with Faith and Gratefulness, in the Festivals of Eafter, the Commemoration of the Infinite Mercy of God our Father, and of the Love of Jefus Chrift his Son, who by his Paffion and Death hath procured us Life and Salvation: To whom be given Glory and Bleffing for evermore. Amen.

Tuesday Evening of the First Week of EASTER. The First Leffon, EXODUS, Chap. XII. Ver. 1,--- 16.

G

YOD repeals the Law for the Obfervation of the Passover, and He establishes another Law; by which He obliges the Jews to confecrate to Him the First-Born. The Defign of which Law was, to put them in Mind, that God had spared their First-Born, when He had flain thofe of the Egyptians.

My Brethren,

TH

After the Leffon.

H E Commandment that God gave to the People of Ifrael, to celebrate the Pallover every Year, to the end that they may keep up the Memory of their Deliverance from Egypt, ought to put us in Mind of the Goodness of God towards us, and that we should teftifie our Gratitude to Him for it; particularly it fhews us, that the Remembrance of the great Deliverance we have obtained by the Death of Jefus Chrift, ought never to flip out of our Minds, and that it fhould always be celebrated in the Church by the Means of the Holy Supper, according to the Commands of our Redeemer. The Law which obliged the Jews to confecrate their First-Born to God, teaches us to render Homage to the Lord for all the Favours He has bestowed upon us, by imploying them in his Service, and to Religious Purposes, and to devote to his Glory our felves and all that is dearest to us.

Friday

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