Tbe Gospel. St Matth. xi. 2.
TOW when John had heard in the prison the works of

Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and faid unco him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for ano. ther? Jesus answered, and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see : The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and th@pcor have the Gospel preached to them. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to fee? A reed snaken with the wind ? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment ? behold, they thar wear foto clothing are in kings houses. But what went ye out for to fee? A prophet ? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I lend my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare chy way before thee.

The fourth Sunday in Advent.

The Colleet.

Lord, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come

among us, and with great might succour us ; that whereas through our fins and wickedness we are fore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountitul grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us, through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord; to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

1

PA RA PHRASE On the COLLECT for the Fourth Sunday in Advent. O Lord, we beseech thee to stir up they strength and come and help us, (Pjnl. ixxx. 2.) and to afford us the powerful afinance of thy grace, tha! we may not be retarded with the weight of sin, which doth so easily befes us, but may run with patience the race which is set before us, (Heb. xii.

1.) and

The Epistle.. Phil. iv. 4.
Ejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, Rejoice.

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The
Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every
thing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, lec
your requests be made known unto God. And the
of God, which paffeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

And the peace

The Gospel. St John i. 19.
\HIS is the record of John, when the Jews sent Priests

and Levites from Jerusalem, to ask him, Who art
thou? And he confeffed, and denied not; but confessed,
I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then?
Art thou Elias? And he faith, I am not. Art thou that
Prophec? And he answered, No, Then said they unto
him, Who are thou? that we may give an antwer to them
that sent us. What sayelt thou of thyself? He said, I am
the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the
way oi the Lord, as said the prophet Efaias. And they
which were fent, were of the Pharisees. And they alked
him, and said unto him, Why baprizest thou then, if thou
be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that Prophet? John
anfwered them, saying, 1 baptize with water ; but there
ftandeth one among you, whom ye know not : He it is, who
coming after me, is preferred before me, whole shoes lac-
chet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done
in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

PA RA P H R A SE.
1.) and that thy bountiful grace, which thou doft liberally bestow on alf
that ask it with a devout heart, may defend and deliver us froin all the
imptations, by which we may be attacked, thra' che merits and satisfac-
tion of Jesus Chrift, &c. Ainen,

The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birtb-day of CHRIST, commonly

called Christmas-day.

A

The Colleet.
Lmighty God, who hast given us thy only begotten

Son, to take our nature upon him, and, as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin ; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed By thy Holy Spirit, through the same our Lord Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the fame Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Tbe Epistle. Heb. i. 1.
OD, who at sundry times, and in divers manners,

fpake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our fins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high : Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? and again, I will be io him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son. And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he

PA RA PHRASE.

On the COLLECT for tbe Nativity of Jesus Chriji. O Almighty God, who haft given thy only begotten Son, (John iii. 16.) not to take upon him the nature of angels, but to take on him che feed of Abraham, (Heb. ii. 16.) and to be born of a pure virgin, which birth we this day, with grateful hearts, commemorate ; afford us, we beseech thee, thy grace, that we being born again into a spiritual life, (John ii. 3. 1 Pir. i. 23.) may receive the adoption of sons, (Gal. iv. 5.) and may daily be renewed in the spirit of our minds, (Epb. iv. 23.) by the influence of the holy spirit ; which we beg for the sake of our everbleed Lord, &c. Amen.

O Lord,

faith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he faith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a Aame of fire.' But unto the Son he faith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever ; a sceptre of righteoulness is the sceptre of thy Kingdom. Thou halt loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundation of the earth ; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest ; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment ; and as a vefture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed ; but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

The Gospel. St John i. 1. N the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with

God, and the Word was God. The fame was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not any ching made, that was made. In bim was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The fame came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which lightech every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him nor.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his Name : Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth,

GR

Saint Stephen's Day.

The Colle&t.
RANT, O Lord, that in all our sufferings here upon

earth for the teftimony of thy truch, we may ftedfastly look up to Heaven, and by faith behold the glory chat shall be revealed ; and being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors, by the example of thy first Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O bleffed Jesus, who ftandest at the right hand of God, to fuccour all those that suffer for thee, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen. Then fall follow the Collect of the Nativity, which shall be faid continually

unio New-year's Eve.

For the Epiftle. Aêts vii. 55.
Tephen being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up

stedfastly into heaven, and faw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him : and the witneffes laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon

P. ARAP H AS E.

On the COLLECT for Saint Stephen's Day. O Lord, we humbly pray thee that, in all our sufferings in this present world, (Rom. viii. 18.) in support of the testimony of the gospel, we may, after the example of St Stephen, fed fally look up to heaven, and by the strength of oar faith, obtain a prospect of the glory which hall be revealed hereafter in ws; (Rom. viii. 18.) and being filled with the Holy Ghost, (12s víi. 55.) in like manner as that blested faint, who was first honoured with a crown of martyrdom, may learn to bless them who perfecute us, (Rom. xii. 14. Mart. v. 44.) encouraged thereto by the example of this noble martyr, who prayed for his murderers, that thou, o blefted Jesus, wouldst not say their sin to their charge, ( Aers vii. 20. who fandeft at the right hand of God, as St Stephen was then supported by beholding thee ; grant unto us all spiritual strength and fuccour, when we fater for thee our only mediator and advocate. Ainen,