from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which be profitable for us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epistle. Rom. 8. 12. Rethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: *but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the fons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear: but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Chrift: if fo be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. B The Gospel. S. Matth, 7. 15. Eware of false prophets, which come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits: Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. 1 The ninth Sunday after Trinity. • The Collect. 1 Paraphrafe on the Collect for the eighth Sunday after Trinity. O God, the governor of the World, protect us we beseech thee from whatever may be injurious to us, and But if ye through the Spirit do mortify. &c. From this passage of Scripture we are instructed that a fure token by which we may discover those that belong to Chrift is, that they do not indulge themselves in fenfual pleasures, but mortify and fubdue their irregular Pafions and Defires; and diligently pursue the dictates give us us all fuch Tnings as thou seest will be for our benefit, for the fake of Jesus Christ our Lord. of the Spirit of God. I Not every one that faith, &c. It is not the bare profeßion, or preaching of the Gospel, that will carry any Man to Heaven; but a confcientious and diligent observance of the Rules of Life laid down down thert. Brethren, Rant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the Spirit to think and ☑ do always fuch things as be rightful; that we who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epistle. I Cor. 10. I. D Rethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, bow that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the fea; and were all baptized unto Mofes in the cloud, and in the fea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink: (for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ.) But with many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness. * Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not luft after evil things, as they also lufted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people fat down to eat and drink, and rofe up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as fome of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as fome of them alfo tempted, and were destroyed of ferpents. Neither murmer ye, as fome of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed left he fall. There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is com Paraphrafe on the Collect for Give us Grace, we befeech thee, O Lord, both to think and act always according to thy righteous Commandments; that we, who cannot serve thee acceptably, * Now these things were our examples, &c. The historical account of the manner in which God dealt with the Hraelites for their Wickedness is a warning 10 us to avoid their Crimes, lest otherwise we be like them in their punishments. Wherefore let him that thinketh, &c. That is, from the foregoing examples of the Ifraelites, we, as Chriftians should learn, that tas they who were once the ex the ninth Sunday after Trinity. People of God fell away into Idolatry, and were de prived of their Privileges: so are we also liable to be drawn aside from our Duty, and lose the divine favour: which should always induce us to keep in mind St. Paul's caution; because of Unbelief they were broken off, and thou standeft by Faith. Be not high minded, but fear. Rom. xi. 20. a mon to man: but God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation alfo make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. The Gospel. S. Luke 16. 1. Esus faid unto his difciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and the fame was accused unto him that he had wafted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy ftewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward faid within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig, to beg I am ashamed. I am refolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lords debtors unto him, and faid unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred meafures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and fit down quickly, and write fifty. Then faid he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wifer than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends, of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. L ET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and that they may obtain their peti There was a certain rich Man who had, &c. As the crafty Steward in this Paralle seized the opportunities and advantages in his way for promoting his worldly intereft fo our Saviour hereby endeavoured to excite his Disciples to improve, in like manner, the means they might enjoy for advancing their spiritual welfare, and particularly to employ both their Time and Money in promoting the Converfion of Sinners, which, of all offices in their power, was moft acceptable to God, as well as most beneficial to Man. tions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epistle. C I Cor. 12. Ι. Oncerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God, calleth Jefus accursed; and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the fame Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the fame God, who worketh all in all. *But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the fame Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy; to another difcerning of Spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the self-fame Spirit dividing to every man severally, as he will. A The Gospel. S. Luke 19. 41. ND when he was come near, he beheld the city, *and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee: and they shall not leave in thee one ftone upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. And he went into the temple, and be. gan to cast out them that fold therein, and them that bought, saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple. Cc We beseech thee O Lord, mercifully to accept the * But the Manifestation of the spirit is given, &c. The reason why this portion of Scripture is proposed to our Meditation is, that we might be reminded whence our good Gifts come-awakened to a conicientious improvement of them-thankful for, and contented with what we have received-humble and modest in our opinion of ourselves-diligent in the Bufiness of our particular Callings-useful to the Body of Christians in general-tender and respectful to our Brethren-compassionate to their Failings, liberal and kind to their Wants, and glad of their Advantages, for the tenth Sunday after Trinity. And wept over it. The miseries of Christs bitterest Enemies had more influence to afflict and me't his Soul, than the admiration, the acclamations and hosannas of his Friends to elate him with joy. His weeping was a glorious instance of his humanity, and is so far from lessening the dignity of his character that it greatly exalts it. Let every Mortal then wonder and imitate. The eleventh Sunday after Trinity. The Collect. God, who declarest thy Almighty power most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us such a meafure of thy grace, that we running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promifes, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epistle. 1 Cor. 15. 1. B Rethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein ye stand. By which alfo ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received, how that Chrift died for our fins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried; *and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures; and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve. After that, he Paraphrafe on the Collect for the eleventh Sunday after Trinity. O God who principally shewest thy power by acts of Mercy and Beneficence, mercifully afford us such spizitual affiftance, as may enable us fo faithfully to obey And that he rose again the third Day, &c. In this passage of Scripture St. Paul endeavours to establish the truth of our Lord's Refurrection, in opposition to fome Corruptions which had crept into the Church thy will, that we may attain that heavenly Inheritance, which thou hast promised to all those that truly love and ferve thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. of Corinth-as a proof of the possibility of our Bodies being raised again and as a pledge of our Refurrection by virtue of Chrift's conquest over Death exemplified in his own. |