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النشر الإلكتروني

This to be fa'd when any that have been

[* [* particularly particularly to to those the who defire now to offer up their retorturade, praises and thanksgivings for thy late mercies vouchsafed unto them.] We bless thee for our création, preservation, and all the blessings of this life, but above all for thine ineftimable love in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of Grace, and for the hope of Glory. And we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we may shew forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days, through Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghoft be all honour and glory, World without end. Amen. adh

A Thanksgiving for fair Weather.i

Lord God, who hast justly humbled us by thy late plague of immoderate Rain and Waters, and in thy Mercy, haft relieved and comforted our Souls by this seasonable and blessed change of Weather; we praise and glorify thy holy Name for this thy Mercy, and will always declare thy loving kindness from Generation to Generation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Paraphrafe on the general Thanksgiving.

O moit mighty God, and most merciful Father, we, who are not worthy of the leaft of thy Mercies, defire to offer up to thee our unfeigned Thanks for the various instances of thy goodness towards us, and all our fellow Creatures. We praise thee for forming us rational Beings, protecting us from the many dangers to which our frii Natures are exposed, and bestowing uponus fuch innumerable comforts and conveniencies for the present life; but above all for the invaluable delive'rance of our Souls from Sin and Death through Jesus Chrift, for the powerful means of improvement in Holinefs, and the glorious Hope of eternal Happinefs which thou haft fet before us as an encouragement to our obedience. And we beseech thee to impress

fuch innumerable comforts and conveniencies with respect to the present Life, such as Health, Friends, Food, and Raiment, &c. Eut when to these we add the unspeakable Love, which he has shewn to Mankind in our Redemption from Sin and Death by Jefus Chrift powerful Means of Grace he has afforded us to ou. Infirmities, viz. his Word, his Ordinances, and

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upon our Hearts such a deep sense of all thy Mercies as may render us truly thankful, not only with our lips, but by dedicating our lives torthy felvice in all Holiness, through Jesus Chrift, to whom with thee, and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all glory and praise for ever and ever.

Paraphrase on the Thanksgiving for fair Weather. O God the Lord of all things, who has justly chaftifed us for our Offences by the late afflicting ftorras of Rain; and has mercifully relieved our dutrefs by restoring to us fair Weather in due feafon; We offer unto thee our fincerest Thanks for this thy mercy towards us, and will always gratefully acknowledge thy goodness, through every period of our lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

his Holy Spirit-and the Hope of eternal Glory, which he has set before us to encourage our Obedienceferely the least return we can make for these invaluable Bleffings must be not only by offering up to him the facrifice of Praise with our Lips, but by dedicating our lives to his service in all Holiness and Righteousness.

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Note, that the Collect appointed for every Sunday, or for any Holy-day that hath a Vigil or Eve, shall be faid at the Evening Service next before.

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Almighty God, give us

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grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life (in which thy Son Jefus Chrift came to visit us in great humility;) that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen. This Collect is to be repeated every Day with the other Collects in Advent, until Christmas-Eve.

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The Epistle. Rom. 13. 8. WE no man any thing, but to love one that loveth another, hath fulfilled the law. shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Paraphrafe on the Collect for

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Most mighty God, as thy Son Jesus Christ was pleased to come down upon Earth, in great Humility, to Redeem us from all Iniquity; fo enable us now to forfake all the Vices of Heathen ignorance, and to acquire all those Virtues which may be a defence a

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For this, Thou
Thou shalt not

the first Sunday in Advent.
gainft Temptation, and an ornament to our Profeffion :
that at our Lord's second glorious appearance to
judge the World, we may be raised to eternal Happi-
ness, through him, who reigneth with thee and the
Holy Spirit both now and for ever."

• They are supposed to be so called, because they are generally collected out of the Epistles and Gospels that follow them, or because the Minifter, in these, cot

And the Offices which are appointed in this Season of Advent, are not only designed to prepare us for a due celebration of that event; but alfo for his second

kas into one Prayer the Petitions of the People.coming to judge the World, that we may then be

+ The Word Advent fignifies the coming or approach; and relates to that remarkable coming of our Saviour by his Birth, which we shortly after celebrate.

found acceptable in his fight. To this end we are taught to cast away the Works of Darkness, and put upon us the Armour of Light.

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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 Christ, and make not provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts thereof.

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The Gospel. S. Matth. 21. 1.

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HEN they drew nigh unto Jerufalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent 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 straightway he will send 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 ass, 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 fecond 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. or.

Put ye on the Lord Jesus Chrift, 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 set 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.

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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.

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Lessed Lord, who haft caufed all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wife hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digeft 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 haft given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Paraphrafe on the Collect for the second Sunday in Advent.

Gracions God, who didit cause the Books of the Old and New Teftament to be written for our instruction; give us. Grace so attentively to hear, fo faithfully to read, so diligently to apply, and so firmly to keep and treafure up in our Hearts what is contained in

Hofanna. The Word Hosanna signifies Save we besuch. Applied to Jesus on this occafion, it was of the fame import with our acclamation God Save 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 fed to permit People to fell and buy Oxen, Sheep, and Pigeons in it for Sacrifices: because thote who came from diftant parts of the Kingdom could not con.eniently bring such Things with them. There

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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 only 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 present in Jesus Chrift.

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The Epistle. Rom. 15. 4.0 d ☑ Hatfoever things things wer 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 Christ 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 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 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 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.

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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 Chriftian Moderation, with humble resignation to the will of God under all our Aflicions, and the comfortable Hopes of a blessed Immortality through Jesus Chrift.

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