the Son of man coming in a with me it is a very small thing cloud with power and great that I fhould be judged of you, glory. And when these things or of mans judgment: yea, I begin to come to pafs, then look judge not mine own felf. For I up, and lift up your heads; for know nothing by my_self, yet your redemption draweth nigh. am I not hereby juftified, but And he fpake to them a para- he that judgeth me, is the Lord. ble, Behold, the fig-tree, and Therefore judge nothing beall the trees; When they now fore the time, until the Lord fhoot forth, ye fee and know of come, who both will bring to your own felves that fummer light the hidden things of darkis now nigh at hand. So like- nefs, and will make manifeft wife ye, when ye fee thefe the counfels of the hearts; and things come to pafs, know ye then fhall every man have that the kingdom of God is praise of God. nigh at hand. Verily I fay unto you, This not pals away, filtration fal- The third Sunday in Advent. The Golpel. S. Matth. 11. 2. Ow when John had N in the prison the wonkard Chrift, he fent two of his die. fciples, and faid unto him, Art thou he that fhould come, or do we look for another? Jefus, answered and faid unto them, Go and fhew John again thoie O Lord Jefu Chrift, who at things which ye do hear and thy firft coming didft fee: The blind receive their fend thy meffenger to prepare fight, and the lame walk, the thy way before thee; Grant lepers are cleanfed, and the that the minifters and ftewards deaf hear, the dead are raised of thy myfteries, may likewife up, and the poor have the fo prepare and make ready thy Gospel preached to them. And way, by turning the hearts of bleffed is he whofoever fhall the difobedient to the wisdom not be offended in me. And as of the juft, that at thy fecond they departed, Jefus began to coming to judge the world, we fay unto the multitudes conmay be found an acceptable cerning John,What went ye out people in thy fight, who liveft into the wilderness to fee? A and reigneft with the Father reed fhaken with the wind? But and the Holy Spirit, ever one what went ye out for to fee? God,world without end. Amen. A man clothed in foft raiment? behold, they that wear foft clo The Epiftle. 1 Cor. 4. 1. thing are in kings houfes. But Et a man fo account of us, what went ye out for to fee? A as of the minifters of prophet? yea, I fay unto you, Chrift, and ftewards of the and more than a prophet. For myfteries of God. Moreover, it this is he of whom it is writis required in ftewards, that a ten, Behold, I fend my mef man be found faithful. But fenger before thy face, which L C hall 7 The Gofpel. S. John 1. 19. His is the record of John, Twhen the Jews fent Priefts The fourth Sunday in Advent. and Levites from Jerufalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he The Collect. Lord, upower, and and not the Christ. Lord, raise up (we pray confeffed, and denied not; but come among us, and with great And they asked him, What might fuccour us; that where then? Art thou Elias? And he as through our fins and wicked- faith, I am not. Art thou that nefs, we are fore let and hin- Prophet? And he answered,No. dred in running the race that Then said they unto him, Who is fet before us, thy bountiful art thou? that we may give an grace and mercy may speedily answer to them that fent us. help and deliver us, through What fayft thou of thy felf? the fatisfaction of thy Son our He said, I am the voice of one Lord; to whom with thee and crying in the wilderness, Make the Holy Ghost be honour and straight the way of the Lord, as glory, world without end. A faid the prophet Efaias: and they which were fent, were of the Pharifees. And they asked men. The Epifile. Phil. 4. 4. and again I fay, Rejoyce. baptizeft thou then, if thou be Let your moderation be known not that Chrift, nor Elias, neiunto all men. The Lord is at ther that Prophet? John answer hand. Be careful for nothing: ed them, faying, I baptize with but in every thing by prayer water; but there standeth one and fupplication with thankfgi- among you,whom ye know not. ving, let your requefts be made He it is who coming after me, known unto God. And the is preferred before me, whose peace of God which paffeth all fhoes latchet I am not worthy understanding, fhall keep your to unloofe. These things were hearts and minds through done in Bethabara beyond JorChrift Jefus. dan, where John was baptizing. The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birth-day of Chrift, commonly called Christmas-Day. A The Collect. 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 Virging Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy chil may daily be renewed by thy The Epiftle. Heb. 1. 1. dien by adoption and grace, G and in divers manners spake fpake in time paft unto the fa- but thou art the fame, and thy thers by the prophets, hath in years fhall not fail. thefe laft days fpoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath ap pointed heir of all things, by I The Gofpel. S. John 1. 1. N the beginning was the Word, and the Word was whom alfo he made the worlds. with God, and the Word was Who being the brightness of God. The fame was in the behis glory, and the exprefs image ginning with God. All things of his perfon, and upholding all were made by him, and withthings by the word of his power, out him was not any thing when he had by himself pur- made that was made. In him ged our fins, fat down on the was life, and the life was the right hand of the Majefty on light of men. And the light fhihigh: Being made fo much bet- neth in darkness, and the darkter than the angels, as he hath nefs comprehended it not. by inheritance obtained a more There was a man fent from excellent Name than they. For God, whofe name was John. nnto which of the angels faid The fame came for a witness, to he at any time, Thou art my bear witness of the light, that Son, this day have I begotten all men through him might be thee? And again, I will be to lieve. He was not that light, him a Father, and he fhall be but was fent to bear witness of to me a Son? And again, when that light. That was the true The bringeth in the first-begot- light,which lighteth every man ten into the world, he faith, that cometh into theworld. He And let all the angels of God was in the world, and the world worship him. And of the an- was made by him, and the gels he faith, Who maketh his world knew him not. He came angels fpirits, and his minifters unto his own, and his own rea flame of fire. But unto the ceived him not. But as many Son he faith, Thy throne, O as received him, to them gave God, is for ever and ever, a he power to become the fons of fceptre of righteoufnefs is the God, even to them that befceptre of thy kingdom. Thou lieve on hisName: which were haft loved righteoufnefs, and born, not of blood, nor of the hated iniquity; therefore God, will of the flesh, nor of the will even thy God, hath anointed of man, but of God. And the thee with the oyl of gladness Word was made flesh, and above thy fellows. And thou, dwelt among us, (and we beLord, in the beginning haft held his glory, the glory as of laid the foundation of the the only begotten of the Fa¡ earth; and the heavens are the ther) full of grace and truth. works of thine hands. They fhall perifh, but thou remain"eft; and they all fhall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture fhalt thou fold them G Saint Stephens Day. -up, and they fliall be changed; earth, for the Tony at thy C 3 truth truth, we may ftedfaftly look in your fynagogues, and perfe up to heaven, and by faith be- cute them from city to city; hold the glory that fhall be re- that upon you may come all vealed; and being filled with the righteous blood fhed upon the Holy Ghoft, may learn to the earth, from the blood of love and blefs our perfecuters, righteous Abel, unto the blood by the example of thy first Mar- of Zacharias, fon of Barachias, tyr Saint Stephen, who prayed whom ye flew between the for his murderers to thee, O temple and the altar. Verily I bleffed Jefus, who ftandeft at fay unto you, All these things the right hand of God to fuc- fhall come upon this generaticour all thofe that fuffer for on. O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, thee, our only Mediator and thou that killeft the prophets, Advocate. Amen. and ftoneft them which are fent Then shall follow the Collect unto thee; how often would I of the Nativity, which frall have gathered thy children tobefaid continually unto New- gether, even as a hen gathereth years Eve. her chickens under her wings, For the Epifile. Acts 7.55. and ye would not. Behold, Tephen being full of the your houfe is left unto you deHoly Ghoft,looked up fted- folate. For I fay unto you, Ye taftly into heaven, and faw the fhall not fee me henceforth, till glory of God, and Jefus ftand- ye fhall fay, Bleffed is he that ing on the right hand of God, cometh in theName of the Lord and faid, Behold, I fce the hea ST vens opened, and the Son of Saint John the Evangelifts Day. man ftanding on the right hand The Collect. of God. Then they cried out With a loud voice, and flopped M thee to care thy bright Erciful Lord, we beseech their ears, and ran upon him beams of light upon thy Church, with one accord, and caft him that it being enlightned by the out of the city, and ftoned him; doctrine of thy bleffed Apostle and the witneffes laid down and Evangelift Saint John, may their clothes at a young mans fo walk in the light of thy feet, whofe name was Saul. And truth, that it may at length they ftoned Stephen,calling up- attain to the light of everlasting on God, and faying, Lord Je- life, through Jefus Christ our fus, receive my fpirit. And he Lord. Amen. kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this fin to their charge. And when he had faid this, he fell asleep. The Gospel. S. Matth. 23. 34. Behold, I fend unto you pro V The Epiftle. 1 S. John 1. 1. which we have heard,which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handphets, and wife men, and led of the word of life; (For fcribes, and fome of them ye the life was manifefted, and we fhall kill and crucifie; and have feen it, and bear witness, fome of them shall ye fcourge and fhew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Fa- die: yet Jefus faid not unto ther, and was manifested unto him, He fhall not die; but, If I us) That which we have feen will that he tarry till I come, and heard declare we unto you, what is that to thee? This is that ye alio may have fellow- the difciple which teftifieth of fhip with us; and truly our these things, and wrote these fellowship is with the Father, things, and we know that his and with his Son Jefus Chrift. teftimony is true. And there are And these things write we unto alfo many other things which you, that your joy may be full. Jefus did, the which if they This then is the meffage which fhould be written every one, I we have heard of him, and de- fuppofe that even the world it clare unto you, that God is felf could not contain the books light, and in him is no dark- that should be written. nefs at all. If we fay that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in We The Innocents Day. Almighty God, who out of the mouths of babes light, we have fellowship one and fucklings haft ordained with another, and the blood of ftrength, and madeft infants to Jefus Chrift his Son cleanseth glorifie thee by their deaths; us from all fin. If we fay that Mortifie and kill all vices in us, we have no fin, we deceive our and fo ftrengthen us by thy felves, and the truth is not in grace, that by the innocency of us. If we confefs our fins, he is our lives, and conftancy of our faithful and juft to forgive us faith even unto death, we may our fins, and to cleanfe us from glorifie thy holy Name, through all unrighteoufnefs. If we fay Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. that we have not finned, we make him a liar, and his Word is not in us. JE I For the Epiftle. Rev. 14. 1. Looked, and lo, a Lamb The Gospel. S. John 21.19. ftood on the mount Sion, Efus faid unto Peter, Follow and with him an hundred forty me. Then Peter turning a- and four thousand, having his bout, fceth the difciple whom Fathers name written in their Jefus loved, following, which foreheads. And I heard a voice alfo leaned on his breaft at fup- from heaven, as the voice of per, and faid, Lord, which is many waters, and as the voice he that betrayeth thee? Peter of a great thunder: and I feeing him, faith to Jefus, heard the voice of harpers Lord, and what fhall this man harping with their harps: And do? Jefus faith unto him, If I they fung as it were a new fong will that he tarry till I come, before the throne, and before what is that to thee? Follow the four beafts, and the elders thou me. Then went this faying and no man could learn that abroad among the brethren, fong,but the hundred and forty that that difciple fhould not and four thoufand, which were C 4 redeemed |
