steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour, therefore I love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of fleep: for now is our falvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore caft off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honeftly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But § put ye on the Lord Jesus Chrift, and make not provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts thereof. W The Gospel. S. Matth. 21. I. HEN they drew nigh unto Jerufalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then fent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over againft you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man fay ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and 1 straightway he will fend them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and fitting upon an afs, and a colt the fole of an ass. + And the disciples went, and did as Jefus commanded them, I Love is the fulfilling of the Law. This it may be faid to be, both with refpect to the first and second Table: because, as no one truly loveth God, who loveth not his Brother also so no Man loveth his Neighbour as he ought, who doth not love him for God's fake. And where our Love to Mankind is founded upon a religious principle, it will almost necessarily make us to have a respect unto all God's Commandments, for Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, i. e. let that Purity, Holiness, and Temperance which were so remarkable in Christ Jesus be the constant Garb and ornament of your Souls: that ye may therein be as visibly dif tinguished to be his Disciples, as Men are by the Garments they wear. † By this action our Saviour intended to shew that he was indeed the King, whom the Jews were to expect, but that his Kingdom was not of this World. Therefore let not those who profess themselves his Followers fix their defires upon the enjoyment of temporal Glory and Dominion; but fet their affection on Things above, where Christ sitteth at the right Hand of God; that at the Day of Judgment they may welcome his coming with Bleffea is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. 1 and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, 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, † Hofanna 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 said, 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 feats 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 Lessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wife 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. Paraphrafe on the Collect for the second Sunday in Advent. Gracious God, who didit cause the Books of the Old and New Testament to be written for our instruction; give us Grace so attentively to hear, so faithfully to read, so diligently to apply, and so firmly to keep and treafure up in our Hearts what is contained in Hosanna. The Word Hosanna signifies Save we befeech. Applied to Jesus on this occafion, it was of the fame import with our acclamation God Jave the King And Jesus went into the Temple, &c. The Jews, as they reckoned the outer Court of the Temple, where, the Profelytes worshipped, no place of Sanctity; were ufed to permit People to fell and buy Oxen, Sheep, and Pigeons in it for Sacrifices: because thote who came from distant parts of the Kingdom could not fo conveniently bring such Things with them. There them, that by the patience and comfortable Hope which they inspire us with, we may be proof againft all the Temptations we have to encounter with through Jesus Chrift. by not chly many indecent but fraudulent practices were carried on, to the Prophanation of God's House. + By this Collect is plainly pointed out to us that a further means of preparation for our Lord's comingis a diligent study of the Holy Scriptures, such as will make a deep impression upon our Hearts; and that the best proof of this is when they produce in us patience, afford us comfort, and make us earnestly embrace the Hope of everlasting Life which they prefent in Jesus Christ. The Epistle. Rom. 15. 40 od te W Hatfoever things were written aforetime, were written our ر 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 Christ Jefus: 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 Chrift alfo received us, to the glory of God. Now I fay, that Jefus Chrift 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 fing 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 shall 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 1. The Gospel. S. Luke 21. 25. ND there shall be signs 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 the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they fee the Son of man coming in the * Whatsoever Things were written, &. This passage evidently shews that the Bible is a Book not defigned for the amusement of the Idler, Food for the Disputer, or to fill us with that Knowledge which puffeth up, but that we may be thereby throughly furnished by its in struction, unto all good Works-that we may be filled with Meekness and Christian Moderation, with humble resignation to the will of God under all our Aflicions, and the comfortable Hopes of a blessed Immortality through Jesus Chrift. clouds, 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 fummer 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. Lord Jefu Christ, who at thy first coming didit fend thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the minifters and stewards of thy myfteries, may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobe L Paraphrafe on the Collect for O Saviour of the World, who, at thy first appearance, didit send John the Baptist to prepare the People for thy reception by the preaching of Repentance; give Grace to the Ministers of thy Word so to imitate the Baptift's example, by labouring to convert Sinners † And when these things begin to come to pass, &c. As our Saviour thus comforted his Disciples by affuring them that the destruction of Jerufalem, should be means of delivering them from the oppreffion of the Jews; to may every meek and patient Follower of Chrift comfort himself under every calamity by the approaching of the Day of Judgment, when all his Sorrows shall be done away and every oppression shall ceafe. This generation shall not pass &c. This expression plainly shews that the foregoing prophecy relates to the deftruction of Jerufalem which happened about thirty-eight Years after our Lord's Crucifixion; when, it may be supposed that the greatest part of the People were living who were born at the Time of our Saviour's preaching. And tho' many of the circumstances of this Prophecy may seem to be strongly descriptive of the Day of Judgment: yet the figns in the Sun and in the Moon 'and in the Stars, or as St. Mat the third Sunday in Advent. from the paths of Error into the way of Righteousness, that when thou shalt come again at the last Day to judge the quick and the dead, we may obtain Mercy and Favour from thee, who reignest with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, one God, through all Eternity. thew and Mark express it the Sun shall be darkened, and the Moon shall not give her Light, and the Stars shall fall from Heaven, these are figurative. Expreffions which signified that the Jewish Government should be utterly diffolved, as also the Son of Man coming in a Cloud with Power and great Glory, fignified the Roman Armies who by the authority of Christ should come to execute punishment on the Jewish Nation. || As John the Baptist was sent to prepare our Saviour's way before him, with a view to his first coming; so the Ministers of the Gospel are appointed for the fame purpose, with a regard to his second coming. It becomes them therefore to imitate his example, not only in calling Men to Repentance by their Doctrines; but also in giving weight to their Doctrines by a life of flrict Virtue. And it no less becomes the People to pay due attention to their Instructions, and to pray that God will give success to their labours, dient 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. L ET a man fo account of us, as of the minifters 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 mans judgment: yea, I judge not my own 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. Ni OW when John had heard in the prison the works of Chrift, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and fee: The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel * Therefore judge nothing before the Time, &c. i. e. beware of indulging yourselves in evilspeaking, or uncharitable cenfures against your Teachers, or the reft of your Chriftian Brethren; because you can neither be proper judges of the principles or ends of their actions. But wait with Humility for that great Day, when the Lord Jesus shall appear, and call every Man to an account. Then, even the most secret actions shall be laid open, and the inmost Thoughts and Intentions of the Heart shall be disclosed; and every Man shall be rewarded according to his Works. ‡ Now when John had heard, &c. This Message from John to enquire whether Jesus was the Messias or not, does not seem to have proceeded from want of Faith, (because that feems to have been established by pro the extraordinary Testimonies which were given to our Lord at his Baptifm) but from discontent that Jesus did not exert his power to deliver him from Prison : bably suppofing, like the Jews, that the Kingdom of the Meffias would be temporal, and that he would preserve his People from the malice of their Enemies.Thus even good Men are sometimes apt to be dissatiffied with the dealings of Providence, through not considering for what wife purposes God may suffer them to be tried and afflicted. For had our Saviour delivered John from Prison, it would have been fo far from be ing a furtherance to the Gospel, that Men might have been apt to say, that they two were combined together to advance each others reputation. |