The Epiftle. 1 St Pet. iii. 17. IT T is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well-doing, than for evil-doing. For Chrift alio hath once fuffered for fins, the juft for the unjuft; (that he might bring us to God) being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which alfo he went and preached unto the fpirits in prifon; which fometime were disobedient, when once the long fuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing; wherein few, that is eight fouls, were faved by water. The like figure whereunto, even baptifm doth alfo now fave us (not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the anfwer of a good confcience towards God) by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift: who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God, angels, and authorities, and powers being made fubject unto him. The Gospel. St Matth. xxvii. 57. W HEN the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea, named Jofeph, who alfo himself was Jefus difciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jefus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be deli vered. And when Jofeph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great ftone to the door of the fepulchre, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, fitting over against the fepulchre. Now the next day that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharifees came together unto Pilate, faying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver faid, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rife again. Command therefore that the fepulchre be made fure until the third day, left his dif PARAPHRASE. (Col. iii. 5.) we may likewife be buried with him, (Rom. vi. 4) fo that we may pass through death, as a gate opened to admit us to a joyful refurrection, through the merits of Jefus Chrift, who died for our fins, and zofe again for our juftification, (Rom. iv. 25.) Amen. PARA. ciples come by night, and fteal him away, and fay unto the people, He is rifen from the dead: fo the laft error fhall be worse than the firft. Pilate faid unto them, Ye have a watch, go your way, make it as fure as you can. So they went and made the fepulchre fure, fealing the ftone, and fetting a watch. Eafter-day. At morning Prayer, inftead of the Pfalm, [O come, let us, &c.] thefe Anthems fhall be fung or faid: C HRIST our paffover is facrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feaft. Not with the old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickednefs: but with the unleavened bread of fincerity and truth. 1 Cor. v. 7. C HRIST being raised from the dead, dieth no more: death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto fin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewife reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto fin: but alive unto God, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Rom. vi. 9. PARAPHRASE. On the firft ANTHEM for Eafter-Day. Chrift, our pafchal lamb, is facrificed for us, let us therefore celebrate a feaft as the Jews did, but not with the leaven of the Jewish law, (1 Cor. 5. 7.) nor with that finful leaven wherewith our Saviour reproaches the Pharifees, (Matt. xvi. 6. Mark viii. 15.) but with the unleavened bread of fincerity and real piety, which is required of us by the holy religion that we profefs, as chriftians, Paraphrafe on the fecond ANTHEM for Eafter-Day. Chrift being rifen from the dead, cannot die any more, having fub. dued death by his divine power, and afcended into heaven, a place to which the dominion of death does not extend; forafmuch as it was requifite for him to die once, to expiate the fins of the world, fo the death of fuch a perfon was abundantly fufficient to make atonement for the fins of all men and forafmuch as he now liveth, he liveth for ever in the eternal glory of the Father: I therefore exhort you to improve this truth for your edification. Be alfo dead unto fin, and endeavour totally to lofe all per ception C HRIST is rifen from the dead and become the first. fruits of them that flept. For fince by man came death: by man came alfo the refurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die: even fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive. I Cor. xv. 20. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost; Anfw. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen. The Collect. Α' Lmighty God, who through thine only begotten Son Jefus Chrift haft overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlafting life; We humbly befeech thee, that as by thy special grace preventing us, thou dost put into our minds good defires; fo by thy continual help we may bring the fame to good effect, through Jefus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghoft, ever one God world without end. Amen. PARAPHRA S. E. ception and relish of its pleasures; and, by leading a divine and fpiritual life, live unto God, and partake of the heavenly pleafures, even in this world, as far as it is poffible. Paraphrafe on the third ANTHEM for Eafter-day. Chrift is rifen from the dead, and as, whilft the Levitical law prevailed, the crop was fanctified by the firft fruits being offered to God, fo is Chrift, as it were, the first fruits of all thofe who, having been dead, rife up to everlafting life; for fince, by the man Adam, all men became fubject to death, fo by Chrift made man, all men are destined to rife again with heir bodies. Paraphrafe on the COLLECT for Eafter-Day. COLLECT O omnipotent God, who by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the dead, haft begotten us to a lively hope of our own immortality; (1 Pet. i." 3.) and haft by that opened the door, (John x. 3.) to eternal life; we humbly befeech thee that as by the operation of thy powerful grace, thou dot infpire us with good refolutions, fo by thy afifting grace, thou wouldft enable us to bring the fame to perfection; which we pray thee to do for the fake of Jefus Chrift oar Lord. Amen. The The Epiftle. Col. iii. 1. IF F ye then be rifen with Chrift, seek thofe things which are above, where Chrift fitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Chrift in God. When Chrift who is our life, fhall appear, then shall ye alfo appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleannefs, inordinate affection, evil concupifcence, and covetoufnefs, which is idolatry: For which things fake the wrath of God cometh on the children of difobedience. In the which ye alfo walked fometime, when ye lived in them. The Gospel. St John xx. 1. TH HE first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the fepulchre, and feeth the ftone taken away from the fepulchre. Then the runneth and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other dif ciple whom Jefus loved, and faith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the fepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other difciple, and came to the fepulchre. So they ran both together, and the other difciple did out run Peter, and came firft to the fepulchre; and he ftooping down, and looking in, faw the linen clothes lying, yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the fepulchre, and feeth the linen clothes lie; and the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in alfo that other difciple which came firft to the fepulchre, and he faw and believed. For as yet they knew not the fcripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the difciples went away again unto their own home. Monday in Eafter-Week. The Collect. A Lmighty God, who through thy only begotten Son us us the gate of everlafting life; We humbly befeech thee, that as by thy fpecial grace preventing us, thou doft put into our minds good defires, fo by thy continual help we may bring the fame to good effect, through Jefus Chrift our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghoft, ever one God, world without end. Amen. See the Paraphrafe on the Collect for Eafter-Day, p. 151. For the Epiftle. Acts x. 34. PE ETER opened his mouth, and faid, Of a truth I perceive that God is no refpecter of perfons; but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteoufnefs, is accepted with him. The word which God fent unto the children of Ifrael, preaching peace by Jefus Chrift, (he is Lord of all) That word (I fay) you know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptifm which John preached: How God anointed Jefus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppreffed of the devil: for God was with him. And we are witneffes of all things which he did, both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerufalem; whom they flew, and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and fhewed him openly; not to all the people, but unto witneffes chofen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to teftify, that it is he who was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witnefs, that through his Name whofoever believeth in him, fhall receive remiffion of fins. The Gofpel. St Luke xxiv. 13.. B EHOLD, two of his difciples went that fame day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerufalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all thefe things which had happened. And it came to pass that, while they communed together and reafoned, Jefus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden, that they fhould not know him. And he |