& the herd of fwine. And he faid unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of fwine; and behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place, into the fea, and perifhed in the waters. And they that kept them. fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the poffeffed of the devils. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jefus : and when they faw him, they befought him that he would depart out of their coafts. The fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. O Lord, we beseech thee to keep thy Church and houshold continually in thy true religion, that they, who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace, may evermore be defended by thy mighty power, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. The Epiftle, Col, 3. 12. 16 P UT on therefore (as the elect of God, holy and beloved) bowels of mercies, kindnefs, humblenefs of mind, meeknefs, long-fuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Chrift forgave you, fo alfo do ye. And above all these things put on *charity, which is the bond, of perfectnefs. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which alfo ye are called in Paraphrafe on the Collect for the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. O Lord, preferve, we beseech thee, thy Church, the Houfhold of God, in the profeffion of a true Faith; that they, who depend only upon thy powerful protection And when they were come out, &c. Jefus permitted the Devils to enter into the Swine, probably, not only to fhew the reality of the poffeffion, but alfo how great the power and malice of evil Spirits are, if they are not reftrained and at the fame Time to punith the Gadarenes for keeping Swine, which were a fnare to the Jews; and to try whether they would be more affected with the lofs of their Cattle, than with the recoVry of the Men, and his heavenly Doctrine. That we may offer up an acceptable Service to God through Jefus Chrift it is neceffary, that we have and fupport, may always be fafe from Calamities through the Merits of Chrift Jefus. a right Faith. For as are our Principles, fuch will be our Practice. * Charity, which is the Bond of Perfectness, i. e. If the principle of our actions be the Love of Mankind, founded upon the Love of God and his Love to us, it will make us perfect in all manner of good Works. for no one loveth Mankind as he ought who doth not love God, and he who truly loveth God will love his Fellow-Creatures alfo.-And he who is a Lover of Mankind will be fo far from injuring them, that he will be difpofed on all occafions to do them every act of kindnefs and beneficence in his power. one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Chrift dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in pfalms, and hymns, and fpiritual fongs, finging with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatfoever ye do in word + or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, giving thanks to God, and the Father by him. The Gofpel. S. Matth. 13. 24. T HE kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good feed in his field. But while men flept, his enemy came and fowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was fprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares alfo. So the fervants of the houfholder came, and faid unto him, Sir, didft not thou fow good feed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He faid unto them, An enemy hath done this. The fervants faid unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? ‡ But he said, Nay; left while ye gather up the tares, ye root up alfo the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harveft; and in the time of harvest I will fay to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. § The fixth Sunday after the Epiphany. The Collect. O God, whose bleffed Son was manifefted, that he might deftroy the works of the devil, and make us the fons of God, 02 ↑ And whatsoever ye da in word or deed, &c. In all our Words and Actions, whether of folemn worship or others, we must addrefs ourfelves to God, and hope for his acceptance by Jefus Chrift; for he is the only Perfon, through whom all Mercies are derived to us, for which we pray to, or praise God. The Kingdom of Heaven, fignifies the ftate of the Gofpel, the Sower is Christ, the Field is the World, as our Saviour interprets it at the 37th and following Verfes of this Chapter, the Enemy is the Devil, and the Tares, the Children of the Wicked one. But be faid, Hay; &c. The reafon why God difallows of the Tares being gatherd up, that is, of wicked and heirs of eternal life; Grant us, we beseech thee, that having this hope, we may purify ourselves, even as he is pure; that when he fhall appear again with power and great glory, we may be made like unto him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghoft, he liveth and reigneth ever one God, world without end. Amen. The Epiftie. 1 S. John 3. 1. upon BE we Ehold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed us, that we fhould be called the fons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the fons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we fhall be but we know, that when he fhall appear, fhall be like him; for we fhall fee him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whofoever committeth fin, tranfgreffeth also the law: for fin is the tranfgreffion of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our fins; and in him is no fin. +Whofoever abideth in him, finneth not: whofoever finneth, hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth fin is of the devil: for the devil finneth from the beginning. For this purpose the fon of God was manifested that he might deftroy the works of the devil. The Gospel. S. Matth. 24. 23. fixth Sunday after the Epiphany. Paraphrafe on the Collect for the O God, whofe Son Jefus Chrift came into the World, to overcome Satan, by deftroying his wicked Works, and to procure for us the glorious Privileges of the Sons of God and Heirs of Salvation; teach us, therefore, who have this Hope to become like that Saviour here in We shall be like him, for we fball fee him, &c That is, we shall be like Chrift, for he fhall change our vile Body into the likenefs of his glorious Body; and we shall fee bim as be is not in the lowly Condition in which he appeared upon Earth, but in the Glo ry which he had with the Father, before the World was. + Whosoever abideth in him finneth not. That is, who foever is a cal Chriftian doth not allow himself in the practice of any known Sin, T Hen if any man fhall fay unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. *For there fhall arife falfe Chrifts and false prophets, and fhall fhew great figns and wonders; infomuch that (if it were poffible) they fhall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore, if they shall fay unto you, Behold, he is in the defert, go not forth: behold, he is in the fecret chambers, believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the weft: fo fhall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wherefoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of thofe days, fhall the fun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, And then shall appear the fign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they fhall fee the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he fhall fend his angels with a great found of a trumpet, and they fhall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. + The Sunday called Septuagefima, or the third Sunday before Lent. The Collect.. O *For there fball arife falfe Chrifts, &c. As the Gof pel from whence this is taken is part of our Saviour's Prophecy concerning the deftruction of Jerufalem, fo the falfe Chrifts and falfe Prophets here fpoken of relate to what is told us by the Hiftorian Jofephus, (viz.) "that many Impoftors and Magicians perfuaded the "People to follow them into the Defart, where they "promifed to fhew them manifeft Signs and Wonders done by God"-as alfo to what is related of Simon Magas, Acts viii. 9. 10. that he bewitched the Samaritans Jo with bis Sorceries, that they all gave heed to him from the leaft to the greatest, saying this Man is the great power of God. Lord, we befeech thee favourably to hear the prayers of thy people, that we who are justly punished for our offen+ The Sun fhall be darkened, &c. By this is meant that the Ecclefiattical and Civil State of the Jews hould be deftroyed, which are compared, according to the Eaftern Language, to the Sun, Moon and Stars. And be ball fend bis Angels, c. i. e. when Jeru falem fhall be deftroyed, Chrill will send forth his Minifters to preach, and convert great numbers to the Faith, through all parts of the World. Septuagefima Sunday is fo called, because (reckoning from the beginning of the Week before it) it is feventy days before Eafter. Then it was that fome of the primitive Chriftians were ufed to begin their forty Days Abftinence of Lent, omitting on this occafion Thurfdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Thursdays be caufe of the Lord's Supper, and Afcenfion, on that Day. Saturdays, because thereon our Saviour retted in the Grave, in Token of our future Reft; and Sundays" because of his Refurrection on that Day. ces, may be mercifully delivered by thy goodness, for the glory of thy Name, through Jefus Chrift our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. The Epiftle. I Cor. 9. 24. • Now ye not, that they which run in a race, run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain. § And every man that ftriveth for the maftery is temperate in all things: now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.... I therefore fo run, not as uncertainly fo fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into fubjection, left that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a caft-away. :: The Gospel. S. Matth. 20. I. "Tho HE kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an houfholder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and faw others standing idle in the market-place, and faid unto them, Go ye alfo into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the fixth and ninth hour and did likewife. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others ftanding idle, and faith unto them, Why ftand ye here all the day idle? They fay unto him, Because no 11. for Septuagefima Sunday. Paraphrafe on the Collect O Lord, we întreat thee mercifully to hear our Petitions, that we whom thou justly chaltifeft for our Sins, may of thy goodness be graciously relieved from our Afflictions, that we may live to thy Glory, through the Merits of thy Son our Saviour, who reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. And every Man that triveth, &c. The phrafes in the Epiitle for this Day allude to the Ifthmian Games, which were celebrated by the Corinthians every five Years, at a place called Ceuchrea; and confifted of Run. ning, Wrestling, Boxing, &c. Therefore as the Combatants on thele occafions were used to prepare them felves for them by a courfe of Exercife and fpare Diet; fo, St. Paul fays, ought Christians willingly to fubdue their Paffions and Appetites by Mortification and Selfdenial: because the Prize we contend for is fo much fuperior to theirs theirs being only a Crown of Olive or Bays; ours a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away. *The Kingdom of Heaven is like, &c. The true de fign of this parable is to fhew that the Jews who had the Gospel firft propofed to them, would be the last in receiving it. The Houtholder reprefents God, |
