that thou in thy life-time receivedft thy good things, and likewife Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And befides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: fo that they who would pafs from hence to you, cannot; neither can they pafs to us, that would come from thence. Then he faid, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldeft fend him to my fathers house: for I have five brethren; that he may teftify unto them, left they alfo come into this place of torment. Abraham faith unto him, They have Mofes and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham; but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he faid unto him, If they hear not Mofes and the prophets, neither will they be perfwaded, though one rofe from the dead. The fecond Sunday after Trinity. Lord, who never faileft to help and govern them whom thou doft bring up in thy ftedfast fear and love; Keep us, we befeech thee, under the protection of thy good providence, and make us to have a perpetual fear and love of thy holy Name, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. M The Epiftle. 1 S. John 3. 13. Arvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have paffed from death unto life, because we love the brethren: he that loveth not his brother, abideth in death. Who Paraphrafe on the Collect for O Lord, who doft continually aflift and defend those who are firmly inftructed in the fear and love of thee. Let thy gracious Providence always preferve us, and are rich in Faith and Virtue; there is a Time coming, when he will not neglect them, though. Men may. And they, who fo haughtily and coldly look down upon their fufferings in the mean while, may find caufe to envy their happiness. For, when the gay and fleeting Vanities of this World fhall be reduced to a Coffin and a Shroud, the pity or fcorn of furvivors; then hall the godly poor be conveyed from grief and labour the Jecond Sunday after Trinity. infpire us perpetually with a filial fear and affection for) thee through Jefus Christ our Lord. to Manfions of Peace and Joy, and Glory everlasting.. We know that we have pased, . As Charity to our Brethren is a ture evidence of our being real Chriftians, and in a state of Regeneration; fo is Malice as fure a mark of our being in an unregenerate and damnable ftate. Every malicious Man being in the Eye of God a Murderer in the difpofition of his Heart, and the construction of God's Law.. Mat. v. 21. 22. foever hateth his brother, is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, becaufe he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whofo hath this worlds good, and feeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compaffion from him; how dwelleth the love of God in him? § My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed, and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and fhall affure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, than have we confidence towards God. And whatfoever we afk, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his fight. And this is his commandment, that we fhould believe on the name of his Son Jefus Chrift, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments, dwelleth in him, and he in him: and hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. The Gofpet. S. Luke -14. 16. A Certain man made a great fupper, and bade many; and fent his fervant at fupper-time to fay to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. And they all with one confent began to make excufe: The first faid unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and fee it; I pray thee have me excufed. And another faid, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee have me excufed. And another faid, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that fervant came and fhewed his Lord these things. ́ ́ My little Children, let us not love in Word, & The Love we are bound to must not confift, in outward profeffion only, but maft prove its fincerity by action.. A certain Man made a great Supper, &c. In this, Parable of the Marriage Feaft, by the invitations of the Guefts, and the fuccefs of thofe invitations, our Saviour, defcribed the fuccefs which the Gospel, that invitation to the great Feast of Heaven, should meet with among Then the Jews; and foretold, that though it was to be offered with every circumftance that could recommend it, they would reject it with difdain, preferring the prefent Life to that which is to come; while the Gentiles would em brace the Gofpel with readiness, and thereby be prepared to fit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Abodes of the bleffed. the mafter of the houfe being angry, faid to his fervant, Go out quickly into the freets and lancs of the city, and bring in hither the pcor and the maimed, and the halt and the blind. And the fervant faid, Lord it is done as thou haft commanded, and yet there is room. And the Lord faid unto the fervant, Go out into the highways, and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my houfe may be filled. For I fay unto you, that none of thofe men which were bidden fhall taste of my fupper. The third Sunday after Trinity. The Collect. Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom thou haft given an hearty defire to pray, may by thy mighty aid be defended and comforted in all dangers and adverfities, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. A The Epiftle. S. Pet. 5. 5. ་ IL of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God refifteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble your felves,therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; cafting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Be fober, be vigilant, because your adverfary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom refift ftedfast in the faith, knowing that the fame afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Chrift Jefus, after that ye have fuffered a while, make you perfect, ftablish, ftrengthen, fettle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Paraphrafe on the Collect for O Lord, we intreat thee graciously to hear our petitions; and grant, that we, to whom thou haft given fuch a fenfe of our wants and infirmities, as induce us Be clothed with Humility. The original Word which we render her, be clothed, is of peculiar elegance fignifying properly an upper Garment, girt about over the reft, as a diftinction of Servants. Hereby the Apofle the third Sunday after Trinity. to afk thy aid and protection, may, by thy powerful r TH The Gospel. S. Luke 15. 1. Hen drew near unto him all the publicans and finners for to hear him. And the Pharifees and fcribes murmured, faying, This man receiveth finners, and eateth with them. * And he fpake this parable unto them, faying, What man of you having, an hundred fheep, if he lofe one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is loft, until he find it?, and, when he hath found it, he layeth it on his fhoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, faying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my fheep which was loft. I fay unto you, that likewife joy'shall be in heaven over one finner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine juft perfons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of filver, if the lofe one piece, doth not light a candle, and fweep the house, and feek di ligently till fhe find it? And when the hath found it, fhe calleth her friends and her neighbours together, faying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had loft. Likewife I fay unto you, There is joy in the prefence of the Angels of God, over one finner that repenteth. Ο 10. The fourth Sunday after Trinity. The Collect God, the protector of all that truft in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy; increafe and multiply upon us thy mercy, that thou being our ruler and guide, we may pafs through things temporal, that we finally lofe not the things Paraphrafe on the Collect for the fourth Sunday after Trinity. O God, the defender of all that religiously rely on thy protection, our only ftrength, the giver of all goodness; fhew thy Mercy to vards us abundantly, that under thy governance and direction, we may fo And be Jpake this Parable, &c. The Pharifees having murmured at our Saviour's charitable condefcention in preaching to, and endeavouring to promote the converfion of fome noted Sinners. He spoke this and the following Parable in order to fhew that fo pafs, through this tranfitory ftate of things that we fail not to attain the eternal joys of another. Grant this, O Father, for the fake of Jefus Christ our Lord. the converfion of Sinners is a thing highly acceptable to God; and confequently that whatever has a tendency thereto is fo far from being inconfitent with goodness, that it is the very perfection of it eternal: Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jefus Christs fake our Lord. Amen. I The Epifle. Rom. 8. 18. Reckon that the fufferings of this prefent time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifeftation of the fons of God. *For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reafon of him who hath fubjected the fame in hope: Because the creature itself alfo fhall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now: And not only they, but ourselves alfo, which have the firft-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves, groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. BE The Gofpel. S. Luke 6. 36. E ye therefore merciful, as your Father alfo is merciful. † Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye fhall not be condemned: forgive, and ye fhall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you: good meafure, pressed down, and fhaken together, and running over, fha'l men give into your bofom. For with the fame measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? fhall they not both fall into the ditch? The difci le is not above his mafter; but every one that is perfect shall be as his mafter. And why beholdeft thou the mote that is in thy brothers eye, but perceiveft not the beam that is in thine own eye? For the Creature was made subject, &c. That is, all Mankind are become liable to Corruption, not by choice, but through the just difpenfation of God, who hath inflicted Death upon them: yet this not without end or hope: for a time is coming, when this Death fhall be fucceeded by a happy Immortality, and this effect of Adam's Sin taken off from his pofterity. ✦ Judge not that ye be not judged, B. Be not cenfo rious, leit you make both God and Man your Enemies. Con the Blind lead the Blind, &c. The meaning is, the Scholar is in a fair way to be tinctured with the opinions of his Mafter. If therefore the Mafter is in an error, the Scholar will probably be fo likewife; or which reafon they who pretend to inftruct others ought to be well informed themfelves in the Doâring they are to deliver. |