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The Epistle. S. James 1. 22.

doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your Down selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into §the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein; he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this mans religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father, is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unfpotted from the world.

The Gospel. S. John 16. 23.

Verily, verily I fay unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Fa

ther in my Name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my Name; Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my Name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father himfelf loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am cone into the world; Again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we

Paraphrafe on the Collect for the fifth Sunday after Easter.

O God, the giver of all good Things, we, thy Servants, humbly beseech thee to inspire into our Minds

I For if any be a bearer of the Word, &c. That is, hearing will be of no service to us without doing.For, as a Man who in a Glass sees spots in his Face, but takes no care to wipe them off, so is he whom the Word hath shewed to himself, if he does not correct those Faults, which are thus represented to his view.

The perfect Law of Liberty. The Gospel is here

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good defires, and by thy merciful afsistance enable us to perfect them through Jesus Chrift.

called a Law of Liberty, because it frees us from the bondage of the Law of Meses, from the guilt, and punishment, and dominion of Sin; and treats us as Freemen and Sons, rather than Servants..

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Pure Religion and undefiled, &c. That Religion, which does not only appear fair to Men, but is aссерtable to God, confifts in Charity and Purity..

fure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: * and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but tbe of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

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Rant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have afcended into the heavens; so we may alfo in heart and mind thi ther afcend, and with him continually dwell, who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

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For the Epistle. Acts. 1. 1.

HE former treatise have I made, I O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghoft had given commandments unto the Apostles whom hehad chosen. To whon

Paraphrafe on the Collett for Afcenfion-Day.

Most mighty God, as we believe thy Son Jesus Chrift is gone up into Heaven; give us Grace, we beseech thee so to set our Affections on things above, and fo to purify our Hearts and Dispositions here, that

And yet 1 am not alone, because the Father, Sc. As if he had faid, " though I know that all ye my Difciples will defert me: yet I shall not be forsaken, for • God will stand by me, and assist my Truth and In"nocence." This alfo is the comfort of every fincere Chriftian amidst all the Troubles and Afflictions of human Life. For tho the World frowns around him, Calamities oppress him, and all his worthy Friends for fake him: yet the Lord of Hosts is still with him, the God of Jacob is his Refuge: who will comfort, and helo, and relieve him when and in what manner he sees it bett for him.

we may one Day be admitted to dwell with him for ever, who reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, to all Eternity.

tations, and the Troubles of this World; by his holy Life, his precious Death and by the powerful assistances of his Grace, enabling all the faithful to conquer their irregular Pasions and Defires. So that we have reason to be of good cheer on account of his glorious example, his meritorious expiation, and the strength whereby he has promised he will enable us to follow his steps.

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The former Treatise bave I made, &c. By the former Treatise is meant the Gospel by St. Luke. For he is generally allowed to have been the Writer of the Acts of the Apostles. For which, indeed, he was well qualified, on account of his being the Com

+ Be of good cheer I have overcome the World. Christ hath overcome the Wickedness, the Malice, the Temp-panion of St. Paul in his Travels.

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alfo he thewed himself alive after his paffion, by many infallible proofs, being feen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerufalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, faith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, * but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, † wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Ifrael? And he faid unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken thefe things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their fight. And while they looked ftedfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner, as ye have feen him go into heaven.

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The Gospel. S. Mark 16. 14.

Efus appeared unto the eleven as they fat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was rifen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gofpel to every creature. *He that believeth and is baptized, shall be faved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: in my Name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up ferpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the fick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, tand fat on the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with figns following.

* But ye ball be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many Days, &c. This happened about ten Days after at the Feast of Pentecost. And the Holy Spirit was thus given to the Aposiles, to render them powerful Witneffes of our Lord's Refurrection-to qualify them to give an exact account, as far as divine Wisdom saw it neceffary, of what our Saviour did and taught-and that they might be enabled to acquaint all Chriftians with all fuch Truths as were necessary to Salvation; and to declare unto them by the Spirit of prophecy what should be hereafter.

Wilt thou at this time reffore, &c. It is plain rom this passage that our Lord's Disciples had ftill

carnal notions of their Master's Kingdom-still fupposed that he would take upon him the authority of a temporal Prince; and now avenge himself upon his Adverfaries for their late cruelties towards him. Nor were thefetalse notions fully rectified till the Holy Spirit by its miraculous defcent guided the Apostles into all Truth.

Shall so come in like manner, &c. As he was taken up into Heaven in a bright fshining Cloud, attended by Angels-fo we are told that he shall come again at the last Day with his mighty Angels in a flame of Fire and fratch the Righteous up into the Clouds, 2 Thef. i, Z 8.1 Thef. iv. 16. 17.

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Sunday after Afcenfion-day.net
The Collect.

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God the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jefus Christ with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We befeech thee, leave us not comfortless; but send to us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us unto the fame place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

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The Epistle. I S. Pet. 4. 7. ιοκτήτη

HE end of all things is at hand; be ye things is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent

Paraphrafe on the Collect for the Sunday after Afcenfion day.

O infinitely glorious God, who hast highly exalted hy Son Jesus Christ in Heaven, and rendered him victorious over all his Enemies: leave us not deftitute we beseech thee of thy help and support; but grant us the

He that believeth and is baptized, &c. That is, he that believeth in the Gospel and is baptized, shall, by virtue of that Faith and Baptifm, be put into a state of Salvation; so that if he continue in that Faith, and do not wilfully recede from his baptifmal Covenant; the shall altually be saved. But he that perversely and contemptuously rejects the Gospel, even when he is convinced of its truth, and divine authority; he shall not partake in the benefits of Christ's Redemption-ball not fee Lay-but the Wrath of God abideth on him. John iii. 36.

comfort of thy Holy Spirit under all our distresses, and advance us to those heavenly Manfions where thy Son our Forerunner is entered before us, who reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

+ And fat on the right hand of God. This fignifies that Chrift, in his human nature, is exalted to the pofsession of all that glory and bliss which he had with the Father before the World was: and that all power is given unto him in Heaven and Earth. This confideration, as it ought to be a continual motive to Chriftian obedience, and heavenly Mindedness; fo it affords a powerful confolation under all worldly Afflictions: because we know that our Lord is gone before to prepare a place for us, that where be is we may be alp

charity among yourselves: § for charity shall cover the multitude of fins. Use hofpitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minifter the fame one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God: If any man minister, let him do it, as of the ability which God giveth, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

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The Gospel. S. John 15. 26. and part of the 16 Chapter. HEN the Comforter is come, whom I will fend unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceed. eth from the Father, he shall testify of me. And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whofoever killeth you, will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me; but these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them.

Whitsunday.
The Collect.

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YOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by the fending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things,

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The end of all Things, &c. That is, the end of the Jewish Church and State are at hand, see Luke xxi. 9. 34-35-36.

For Charity shall cover, &c. That is, where a Ferfon is possessed of real Charity it will induce him to treat his fellow Creatures with Gentleness, Meekness, and Forbearance, will engage him to draw a Veil ever their failing and infirmities, and mercifuly to over look such injuries and offences done to him as call not for publick justice. See Prov. x.

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And these Things will they do, &c. It may be ob

served here that tho Chriftianity is at present countenanced and supported by the civil Government: yet that saying of St. Paul's till in fome measure holds good (viz.) that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall fuffer perfecution. For as the conduct of a truly good Man is a continual reproach to the wicked, and therefore as offensive to them as the light to fore Eyes; so 'tis no wonder if they endeavour by calumny and detraction to reduce him as much as possible to their own level; and to harass and distress him according as they have power and opportunity.

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