from us all hurtful things, and to give us thofe things which be profitable for us, through Jefus Christ our Lord. The Epifle. Rom. 8. 12. Amen. Rethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: For if ye live after the flesh, ye fhall die: *but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye fhall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the fons of God. For ye have not received the fpirit of bondage again to fear: "but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our fpirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Chrift: if fo be that we fuffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. B The Gospel. S. Matth, 7. 15. Eware of falfe prophets, which come to you in fheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye fhall know them by their fruits: Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thiftles? Even fo every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye fhall know them. Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father who is G Rant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the Spirit to think and do always fuch things as be rightful; that we who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. The Epiftle. 1 Cor. 10. 1. BR Rethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, bow that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all paffed through the fea; and were all baptized unto Mofes in the cloud, and in the fea; and did all eat the fame fpiritual meat, and did all drink the fame fpiritual drink: (for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Chrift.) But with many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness. *Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not luft after evil things, as they alfo lufted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were fome of them; as it is written, The people fat down to eat and drink, and rofe up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as fome of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as fome of them alfo tempted, and were deftroyed of ferpents. Neither murmer ye, as fome of them alfo murmured, and were deftroyed of the deftroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for enfamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed left he fall. There hath no temptation taken you, but fuch as is com Paraphrafe on the Collect for Give us Grace, we hefeech thee, O Lord, both to think and act always according to thy righteous Commandments; that we, who cannot ferve thee acceptably, Now these things were our examples, &c. The hiftorical account of the manner in which God dealt with the Ifraelites for their Wickedness is a warning to us to avoid their Crimes, left otherwife we be like, them in their punishments. Wherefore let him that thinketh, &c. That is, from the foregoing examples of the Ifraelites, we, as Chriftians fhould learn, that as they who were once the the ninth Sunday after Trinity. People of God fell away into Idolatry, and were de prived of their Privileges: fo are we alfo liable to be drawn afide from our Duty, and lose the divine favour: which fhould always induce us to keep in mind St. Paul's caution; because of Unbelief they were broken off, and thou ftandeft by Faith. Be not high minded, but. fear. Rom. xi. 20. mon to man: but God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. JES The Gofpel. S. Luke 16. 1. Efus faid unto his difciples, §There was a certain rich man who had a fteward, and the fame was accufed unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy ftewardship; for thou mayeft be no longer fteward. Then the fteward faid within himfelf, What fhall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig, to beg I am ashamed. I am refolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardhip, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lords debtors unto him,' and faid unto the firft, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred meafures of oil. And he faid unto him, Take thy bill, and fit down quickly, and write fifty. Then faid he to another, And how much oweft thou? And he faid, An hundred measures of wheat. And he faid unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wifely: for the children of this world are in their generation wifer than the children of light. And I fay unto you, Make to yourfelves friends, of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. The tenth Sunday after Trinity. The Collect. ET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble fervants; and that they may obtain their peti As There was a certain rich Man who had, &c. the crafty Steward in this Parable feized the opportunities and advantages in his way for promoting his worldly intereffo our Saviour hereby endeavoured to excite his Difciples to improve, in like manner, the means they might enjoy for advancing' their spiritual welfare, and particularly to employ both their Time and Money in promoting the Converfion of Sinners, which, of all offices in their power, was most acceptable to God, as well as most beneficial to Man. tions, make them to ask fuch things as fhall please thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. C Amen. The Epiftle. I Cor. 12. I. Oncerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto thefe dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God, calleth Jefus accurfed; and that no man can fay that Jefus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the fame Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the fame Lord. And there are diverfities of operations, but it is the fame God, who worketh all in all. *But the manifeftation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the fame Spirit; to another faith by the fame Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the fame Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy; to another difcerning of Spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the felf-fame Spirit dividing to every man severally, as he will. A The Gofpel. S. Luke 19. 41. ND when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, faying, If thou hadst known, even thou at least in C Paraphrafe on the Collect for We beseech thee O Lord, mercifully to accept the Prayers of thy People; and that their Petitions may be But the Manifeftation of the Spirit is given, &c. The reafon why this portion of Scripture is propofed to our Meditation is, that we might be reminded whence our good Gifts come-awakened to a conicientious improvement of them-thankful for, and contented with what we have received-humble and modeft in our opinion of ourselves-diligent in the Bufinefs of our particular Callings-ufeful to the Body of Christians in general-tender and refpectful to our Brethren-compaffionate to their Failings, liberal and kind to their Wants, and glad of their Advantages, for c the tenth Sunday after Trinity. granted, teach them to afk fuch Things as are accord- *And wept over it. The miseries of Chrifts bittereft Enemies had more influence to afflict and met his Soul, than the admiration, the acclamations and hofannas of his Friends to elate him with joy. His weeping was a glorious inftance of his humanity, and is fo far from letfening the dignity of his character that it greatly exalts it. Let every Mortal then wonder and imitate. this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days fhall come upon thee, that thine enemies fhall caft a trench about thee, and compass thee Found, and keep thee in on every fide, and fhall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee: and they shall not leave in thee one ftone upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy vifitation. And he went into the temple, and began to caft out them that fold therein, and them that bought, faying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple. The eleventh Sunday after Trinity. The Collect. God, who declareft thy Almighty power most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us fuch a measure of thy grace, that we running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promifes, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. B The Epiftle. 1 Cor. 15. 1. Amen. Rethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein ye ftand. By which alfo ye are faved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto first of all, that which I also received, how that Chrift died for our fins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried *and that he rofe again the third day according to the Scriptures; and that he was feen of Cephas, then of the twelve. After that, he you Paraphrafe on the Collect for the eleventh Sunday after Trinity. And that he rofe again the third Day, &c. In this paffage of Scripture St. Paul endeavours to eftablish the truth of our Lord's Refurrection, in oppofition to fome Corruptions which had crept into the Church thy Will, that we may attain that heavenly Inheritance, which thou haft promised to all thofe that truly love and ferve thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. of Corinth-as a proof of the possibility of our Bodies being raised again and as a pledge of our Refurrection by virtue of Chrift's conquest over Death exemplified in his own. |