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then fent Jefus two difciples, faying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye fhall find an afs tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man fay aught unto you, ye fhall fay, The Lord hath need of them: and straightway he will fend them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, faying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and fitting upon an afs, and a colt the foal of an afs. And the difciples went, and did as Jefus commanded them, and brought the afs and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they fet him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way, others cut down branches from the trees, and ftrawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, faying, Hofanna to the Son of David: Bleffed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord, Hofanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerufalem, all the city was moved, faying, Who is this? And the multitude faid, This is Jefus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jefus went into the temple of God; and caft 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,

An afs] This animal, however ignoble in our own country, is of value and confideration in the Eaft. In Palestine and Syria, princes and magiftrates formerly rode upon them. See Judg. v. 10; 2 Sam. xvi. 2.

Bring them unto me] It has been fuppofed by fome commentators, that the afs and colt were the property of one of Chrift's difciples; and therefore the directions of the mafter (as it might properly have been translated) were immediately complied with.

Spreading their garments] Spreading garments, and ftrawing branches in the way of conquerors and princes, were cuftomary modes of fhewing great refpect amongst the Orientals in ancient times; fee 1 Maccab. xiii. ♫1; 2 Maccab. x. 7; and Weffelingii Herod. Uran. fect. 99.

Hosannah] An Hebrew compound, fignifying " fave now."

Temple] That is, the outer court of it, called the court of the gentiles. Money-changers] Extortionate and covetous men, who fat in the great refort of the foreign Jews who came to Jerufalem, at the great feftivals, that they might cheat them in the exchange of foreign for Jewish coin. Doves] Thefe birds were kept there for the convenience of thofe who had an offering of that kind to make. See Luke ii, 24; Levit. xi. 6.

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My houfe fhall be called the houfe of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.*

The fecond Sunday in Advent.

The Collect.

BLeffed Lord, who haft caufed all holy Scriptures to be

written for our learning; Grant that we may in fuch wife hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold faft the bleffed hope of everlafting life, which thou haft given us in our Saviour Jefus Chrift. Amen.

WH

The Epistle. Rom. xv. 4.

Hatfoever things were written aforetime, were writ ten 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 likeminded one towards another, according to Chrift Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Wherefore

receive ye one another, as Chrift alfo 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 promifes made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written,

In many country churches, particularly in the North of the kingdom, it the cutlom for the people to exclaim after the gofpel, "Thanks be to thee, O Lord." This is enjoined in the Scotch liturgy, and is borrowed from the Eastern church. In the ancient Liturgia Syrorum Jacobitarum, at was directed, that on every day throughout the year, with one exception, this thunkigiving thould be repeated by the prieft: "Domino noftro Jefu Chrifto, hymni, laudes, et benedictiones propter verba ejus viva ad nos; et parti cjus qui mifit illum, &c." Renaudotius, tom. ii. 21.

Bad This humble petition to Almighty God for a bleffing on our ttudy of his holy word, is another fpecimen of the ability of the Reformers in facred compofition. It was incorporated into our liturgy in Edward the Vith's reign, and occurs in his firft Prayer-Book. The introit to this Sunday was cxxth pfalm.

ve one another] I exhort ye, therefore, to live in harmony with otwithstanding your differences in opinion on fpeculative and ts, remembering that Chrift has received us all into one comowship, for the fervice and honour of God.

For this caufe I will confefs to thee among the Gentiles, and fing unto thy Name. And again he faith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praife the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and laud him, all ye people. And again, Efaias faith, There fhall be a root of Jeffe, and he that fhall rife to reign over the Gentiles, in him fhall the Gentiles truft. 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 Ghoft.

The Gospel. St. Luke xxi. 25.

AND there fhall be figns in the fun, and in the moon,

and in the ftars; and upon the earth diftrefs of nations, with perplexity, the fea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven fhall be fhaken. And then fhall they fee the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when thefe things begin to come to pafs, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he fpake to them a parable, Behold the fig-tree, and all the trees; when they now fhoot forth, ye fee and know of your ownfelves, that fummer is now nigh at hand. So likewife ye, when ye sce these things come to pafs, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I fay unto you, This generation fhall not pafs away, till all be fulfilled: heaven and earth fhall pass away; but my words fhall not pafs away.

The Third Sunday in Advent.
The Collect.

Lord Jefu Chrift, who at thy first coming didft fend
thy meffenger to prepare thy way before thee;

The powers of heaven, &c.] The whole of this paffage is in the bold figurative phrafeology of Eaftern prophecy, to denote that the Jewish rulers, their temple, worship, and polity, would be overturned and deftroyed. The powers of heaven are the heavenly bodies; fun, moon, and stars.

Redemption draeth nigh] As the most bitter enemies of the Chriftians were the Jews, fo their deftruction relieved the former from one terrible fpecies of perfecution.

Grant that the minifters and ftewards of thy mysteries may likewife fo prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the difobedient to the wisdom of the juft, that at thy fecond coming to judge the world, we may be found an acceptable people in thy fight, who livest and reigneft with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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LET a man fo account of us, as of the minifters of

Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in ftewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very finall thing, that I fhould be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine ownfelf. For I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby juftified; but he that judgeth me, is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifeft the counfels of the hearts; and then fhall every man have praise of God.

NOW

The Gofpel. St. Matt. xi. 2.

OW when John had heard in the prifon the works of Christ, he fent two of his difciples, and faid unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jefus answered and faid unto them, Go and shew

The Collect This collect, for fuccefs upon the labours of the miniftry, was compofed and introduced at Charles the IId's review, in lieu of the following fhort and general prayer: "Lord, we beseech thee give ear to our prayers, and by thy gracious vifitation lighten the darknefs of our heart, by our Lord Jefus Chrift." The epiftles and gofpels for these three Sundays are highly appropriate, and were appointed to them from very great antiquity. The introit for this Sunday was the 4th pfalm.

For I know nothing, &c.] For I am confcious to myself of nothing evil: Nihil mihi confcius fum.-Vulgate; Erafmus; Grotius. Yet I do not reft my vindication on this, but on the judgment of God at "the latter day."

That fhould come] That is, the Meffiah, whofe coming had been foretold, Zac. ix. 9. This was not an expreffion of unbelief in the Mefhahfhip of Jefus, but an expoftulation. John, who entertained the fame erroneous opinions of the princely character of Chrift, and of his being a great temporal deliverer of the Jewish people, with the difciples, and his countrymen in general; John, I fay, under thefe impreffions, was aftonifhed that Meffiah fhould neglect his forerunner, (Dan. ix. 25) and suffer him to fanguifh in prison, and be subject to the capricious cruelty of a tyrant.

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John again thofe things which ye do hear and fee: The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raifed up, and the poor have the gofpel preached to them. And bleffed is he whofoever fhall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jefus began to fay unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to fee? A reed fhaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to fee? A man clothed in foft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to fee? A prophet? yea, I fay unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I fend my meffenger before thy face, which fhall prepare thy way before thee.

The Fourth Sunday in Advent.

The Collect.

Lord, raife up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us, and with great might fuccour us; that whereas through our fins and wickednefs, we are fore let and hindred in running the race that is fet before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us, through the fatisfaction of thy Son our Lord; to whom with thee and the Holy Ghoft be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

The Epistle. Phil. iv. 4.

REJOICE in the Lord alway, and again I fay, Re

joice. Let your moderation be known unto all

Shall not be offended in me] That is, to whom my humble appearance and doctrines fhall not be a caufe of offending, or falling off from a belief in the gospel.

The Collect This prayer for grace and affiftance in our Chriftian cause is compiled, for the most part, from the Euchologion, or service of the Greek church. It occurs in Edward's and James's prayer-books, differing in arrangement a little from the prefent form. At the review in Charles Ild's reign, it was fettled as it now ftands, and the words "through the fatisfaction of thy Son our Lord," added. The introitus for this Sunday was the 5th pfalm.

Moderation] Rather meeknefs, clemency, and a difpofition to forgiveRefs; for fuch is the meaning of the Greek word.

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