FRIDAY Evening of the First Week in EASTER.

The First Leffon.

GENESIS, Chap. XXII. Ver. 1,---19. WHAT we are about to read, contains the Hiftory of AbraAfter the Leffon.

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Onfider, Chriftians, this remarkable History with great Attention. You fee therein the Truth of what St. Paul and St. James teaches, that Abraham fhewed his Faith by his Works, when he offered his only Son; and confequently by that, we cannot be justified without Obedience and good Works. Imitate that noble Example which teaches you to love God above all Things, to offer to Him all that is dearest to you, to fubmit your felves to his Will, even in the hardest and moft unpleasant Things, and to depend upon his Promifes and upon his Providence. But above all, at this holy Time, the Marks that! Abraham gave to God of his Love, in offering up his Son Ifaac, ought to put you in Mind of the Infinite Love which God has fhewn us in delivering up his only Son to the Death for us; and let it engage. you to return Him your Thanks in the Participation of the Holy Supper, and in the whole Conduct of your Life.

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The Second Leffon.

St. JOHN, Chap. XVII.

HIS contains the Prayer that Jefus Chrift made before his Death, in which He prays, Firft, For himself. Secondly, For his Apostles. And, Laftly, For all thofe that believe in Him."

My Brethren,

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After the Leffon.

N this admirable Prayer that Jefus Chrift made before He offered Himself as a Sacrifice upon the Crofs, we ought chiefly to obferve his great Zeal for the Glory of God his Father, and his great Love for the Apostles, and for all his true Difciples. We fee here, with how much Warmth and Tenderness our Lord recommends his Elect to his Father; the Care that He takes of them, and the De

fire that He has to take them up to Heaven, and to make them Partakers of his Glory. Since Jefus Chrift does fo tenderly love his Difciples, and that He did not make that Prayer for the World, and for the Unbelievers, it ought ftrongly to incline us to feparate our felves from the World, and to remain united to our Saviour by a fincere Love and true Faith, to the end that we may be of the Number of thofe for whom He formerly offered up that Prayer, and for whom He now intercedes in Heaven.

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HOLY FRIDAY..

FTER the Second Leffon, which is the History of the Crucifixion, and of the Death of Jefus Chrift our Lord, taken out of the Four

Evangelifts.

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E have read to you, Chriftians, the Hiftory of the Paffion, and of the Death of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which happened as on this Day, and which you have now folemnly commemorated in the Sacrament of the Holy Supper; let the Remembrance of this Death be always before your Eyes; look upon it as the wonderful Means by which it has pleafed God to fave us, and as the cleareft Mark that God has ever given us of his Love: Celebrate always this Infinite Mercy of the Heavenly Father, who hath deliver'd up his Son to the Death for your Redemption: Love heartily this charitable Saviour, who has loved you fo well, and has fuffered fo much for you. Learn by his Example, to fuffer and bear your Crofs with Patience: Let the Crofs and the Death of Jefus Chrift, ferve alfo to crucifie in you the Flesh and the Lufts thereof, and to deftroy the Power of Sin therein, to the end that henceforwards you may no more live to your Selves, but to Him that is dead and raised up again for you. To whom be given Glory and Praife by Men and Angels, both now and for evermore. Amen.

ASCENSION-DA Y.

AFTER the Second Leffon for this Day, on which is read the History of the Afcenfion, as it is related in the Gospel, and in the Book of the Acts of the Apofttes.

Hriftians, who have heard the History of the Afcenfion of Jefus Chrift, the Remembrance of which, you celebrate this Day, rejoice in the Triumph of your Saviour, adore Him in the Glory in which He is at the Right-Hand of his Father; remember that He

He is enter'd into Heaven, that He may there intercede for you, that He may prepare an everlasting Habitation, and raise your Hearts and Defires thither: Afpire continually to that glorious Manfion into which our Saviour is entred: Think of Things that are on High, and not of those that are upon Earth, to the end that when Jefus Christ shall return from Heaven at the laft Day, you may be taken up thither to live and reign there with Him for ever.

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The Monday Morning after Trinity Sunday.
The First Leffon.

HEBREWS, Chap. II.

T. Paul exhorts Chriftians to obey the Gofpel: He speaks of the Humiliation of the Son of God, and of the Glory to which He has been raifed; and he fhews that Jefus Chrift was to fuffer Death for the Expiation of our Sins, and for redeeming us from the Power of the Devil. 2

My Brethren,

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After the Leffon.

HIS Chapter teaches you the Ufe that you ought to make of the Two Mysteries that you have commemorated during these Holidays; which are the Miffion of the Holy Ghoft, and the Death of our Lord Jefus Chrift. St. Paul teaches us therein, that after the Gofpel was preached by Jefus Chrift, and by the holy Apostles, and confirmed by the Gift of the Holy Ghoft, we fhall be wholly inexcufable if we neglect fo great Salvation, and if we disobey the Gospel. He informs us afterwards, that the Son of God took our Nature, to the end that He might make Expiation of our Sins as a High Priest, and die for all Men; which are powerful Motives for us to have Recourfe to God by Jefus Chrift, with a perfect Truft, and to fly from Sin, leaft we fhould fall again under the Power of the Devil and of Death, from which we have been delivered.

The Second Leffon.

S. MATTHEW, Chap. XXV. Ver. 14,----30.

THIS contains the History of the Talents.

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After the Leffon.

THE Meaning of this Parable, My Brethren, is, that God gives his Grace to Man in a different Measure; that fome make a good Ufe of this Grace, and improve it to the Glory of their Mafter; but that others render it unprofitable; that God will call both one and the other to an Account; that He will reward thofe that have made fuch Ufe of his Gifts as they ought; and that He will punish thofe that have made an ill Ufe of them. We propose this Parable to you now, that we may teach you to make a proper Ufe of the Spiritual Favours that God has bestowed upon you, in receiving you to his Table, and that you may now carry them away with you, to the Advancement of his Glory, and your own Salvation, by perfevering in Holiness and in good Works; to the end that when He shall come, He may fay to you, Well done good and faithful Servant, enter thou into the foy of thy Lord.

The EVE of a FAST.

The First Leffor.

ISAIAH, Chap. LVIII.

OD commands the Prophet to rebuke fharply the Sins of the Jews, and particularly the Hypocrifie with which they performed their Fafts. He fhews them the Way of true Fafting, and He promifes to hear and to bless those that shall call upon Him with Sincerity, and fhall turn to Him.

My Brethren,

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After the Leffon.

HIS Chapter fhews us what kind of Fafting God rejects, and what are those which He approves. God declares moft exprefly, that He hath no Regard to the Fafts of Hypocrites, no more than to the Devotion of thofe who only humble themfelves for one Day; but that the true Way of Fafting, is to afflict our Souls, to reform our Lives, to practife Charity, to do Juftice, to renounce our own Will, and to ferve God with Faithfulnefs, Love and Refpect. Lafely,. God promifes in this Chapter, to hearken to thofe that will faft af ter fuch a Manner, to deliver them, and to heap up his Favours up

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on them. We exhort you, My Brethren, to confider well thefe Things, fince that you are to humble your felves extraordinarily to Morrow before the Lord, and to the End that your Faft may be acceptable to Him.

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The Second Leffon

St. MATTHEW, Chap. VI. Ver. 1,----18.

UR Lord teaches his Difciples how they should give Alms, how to pray, and how to faft; and above all, to avoid Hypocrifie in the Exercises of Religion

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After the Leffon.

HE Saviour of the World teaches us, My Brethren, to avoid VainGlory and Hypocrifie in all the Acts of Religion, and particularly in Prayer and Fafting. So if you defire that the Faft which you are near to celebrate, fhould be acceptable to the Lord, and that your Prayers fhould be effectual, discharge this folemn Devotion with Sincerity, with Humility, and as in the Prefence of God, who fees what paffes in your Hearts; to the End that God feeing in you fuch Difpofitions, may hear your Prayers, and that your Fafting may obtain, by his Mercy, the Pardon of your Sins, and all the other Favours you fhall ask of Him.

The END

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PRAYERS