and straightway he will send The Second Sunday in Advent. them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and fitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them; and brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their cloaths, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna, to the Son of David: blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerufalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude faid, this is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that fold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that fold doves, and faid unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. B W The Collect. Lessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. The Epiftle. Rom. xv. 4. Hatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning; that we, through patience, and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope. Now the God of patience and confolation grant you to be like minded one towards another, according to Chrift Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. Now I say, that Jesus Christ was a minifter of the circumcifion, for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name: And again he faith, Rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people: And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. And again Efaias faith, There shall be a root of Jeffe, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in him fhall the Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. A The Gospel. St. Luke xxi. 25. NDthere shall be figns in the fun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the fea and the waves roaring; mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on theearth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they fee the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable, Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye fee and know of your own selves, that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away. The Third Sunday in Advent. The Collect. Lord Jesus Chrift, who at thy first coming didft send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; grant that the Ministers and Stew ards of thy myfteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world, we may be found an acceptable people in thy fight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. The Epistle. L 1 Cor. iv. 1. ET a man fo account of us, as of the Ministers of Chrift, and Stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing, that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own felf. felf. For I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby juftified; but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifeft the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. The Gospel. St. Matth. xi. 2. OW when John had heard in the prifon the N 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 send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The Fourth Sunday in Advent. The Collect. that Lord, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might fuccour us; 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 ther? Jesus answered and faid may speedily help and deliver unto them, Go, and show us, through the fatisfaction of John again those things which thy Son our Lord; to whom, ye do hear and fee: The blind with thee and the Holy receive their fight, and the Ghoft, be honour and glory, works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and faid unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for ano lame walk, thelepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the to them: And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus 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 foft clothing are in kings world without end. Amen. The Epistle. Phil. iv. 4. way; and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which paffeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The T The Gospel. St. John i. 19. HIS is the record of John when the Jews sent Priests and Levites from Jerufalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confefsed, 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 faid they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us: What fayeft 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 sent were of the Pharisees, 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, faying, I baptize with water; but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who, coming after me, is préferred before me, whose shoes latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. gotten 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 Chrift, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, G world without end. Amen. The Epistle. Heb. i. 1. OD, who at fundry 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 person, and up holding 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 fomuch better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my fon, 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 ministers 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 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 remaineft; 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 him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended 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 wasthetrue light, which lighteneth 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. The Gospel. St. 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 gotten Son to take our nature without him was not anything upon him, and as at this time made, that was made. In to be born of a pure Virgin; The Sunday after Christmas-day. Almighty God, who haft grant |