door, is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice tand he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him; for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow; but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. * All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy: I am come, that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. : Trinity Sunday. servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, in the power of the divine Majesty to worship the unity; We beseech thee, that thou wouldest keep us stedfaft in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest one God, world without end. Amen. Paraphrafe on the Collect for Trinity Sunday. .. O most mighty and eternal God, who hast taught us thy Servants, according to the profession of a right Faith to acknowledge the Divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and in the power of thy Majesty to + And be calleth his own Sheep by Name, &c. This is in allusion to the customs of Judea, where Shepherds had Names for their Sheep, who answered to them as Dogs and Horses do with us, following to the Pastures, and wherever their Shepherds thought fit to lead them. The moral meaning of this circumstance is, that good Men are obedient to the inftructions of good and faithfol Teachers, who shew them their Duty both by precept and example with great plainness; not conceal worship one God; we beseech thee to keep vs firm in this belief and continually to preserve us from all evil, who livest and reignest one God for ever and ever. ing it because it may be disagrecable to their inclina tions. All that ever came before me, &c. That is, a'l those who in former times affumed the character of Teachers of Religion, without commission from me are impostors, whose only design is to fleece the People whom they pretend to instruct, and to promote their own worldly interest at the expence of Mens Souls. 1 A For the Epistle. Rev. 4. 1. : Fter this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard, was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one fat on the throne, *and he that fat, was to look upon, like a jasper, and a fardine ftone; and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in fight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty feats; and upon the feats I faw #four and twenty elders fitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded || lightnings, and thunderings, and voices. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was ta sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beaft had a face as a nian, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them §fix wings about him, and they were full of eyes within, and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory, and honour, and thanks to him that fat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four : And be that fat, was, to kok upon, &c. As the Perfon on the Throne here represents God the Father; fo these appearances denote his power, and justice, and Mercy, and the faithfulness of his Covenant to Mankind. I Four and twenty Elders, &c. These represent the Elders or Bishops of the Churches about Jerufalem, fitting with the B shops of that City in Council || Lightnings and I bunderings, &c. These import the threatnings of God's fierce anger and vengeance against the Jews. + A Sea of Glass, &c. &c. This denotes the People of Ifrael, as the Glass does their Actions and ConSciences clearly seen through by this great Judge. The four Beasts, or living Creatures tignity four Apottes, and that all the People should be gathered under their Ensign by the profession of the Gospel. And those being full of Eyes intimate that the Persons fignified by them were endued with the gift of Prophecy, and al manner of neceffary gifts and illuminations of the Spirit. Six Wings about him. These denote their zeal and readiness to propogate the Gospel; and the num ber of their Eves denotes their perfest knowledge of the Types and Prophecies of the old Testament; and their foreknowledge of momentous events under the New: and they cease not continually to give praise to God. and twenty elders fall down before him that fat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and caft their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou haft created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created:ααίου : T : Here was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The fame * came to Jesus by night, and faid unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and faid unto him, Verily, verily I fay unto thee Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus faith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mothers womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit. Marvel not that I faid unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it lifteth, and thou hearest the found thereof; but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; fo is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and faid unto him, Art thou a master of Ifrael, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily I fay unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have feen, and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly Came to Jesus by Night. He came to Jesus privately for fear of his Brethren of the Council, who were generally Christ's Enemies, † Except a Man be born again, &c. That is, unless a Man be reformed from all Iniquity, in his Mind, Will, and Affections, by the ope ation of the Holy Spiit, and fo become as it were, a new Creature, he cannot be aveal Chriftian, nor partake in the Bieffings and A a Promises of the Gospel. The being born again was a form not altogether unknown to the Jews; because the admiffion of a Profelyte into their Church was looked on by them as a second Birth to him: as his natural Parents and Relations were looked upon as no longer such: and the Profelyte himself was thought to have received a new Soul by the change of his Keligion. things, and ye believe not; how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things? *and no man hath afcended up to heaven, buthe that came down from heaven, even the Son of man who is in hea ven. And as Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wilderness: even fo mult the Son of man be lifted up; that whofoever believeth in bim, should not perish, but have eternal life. The first Sunday after Trinity. The Collect.. God, the strength of all them that put their trust in thee; Mercifully accept our prayers: and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing without thee, grant us the help of thy grace, that in keeping thy commandments we may please thee, both in will and deed, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. B The Epistle. 1 S. John 4. 7. Eloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God fent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his Son to be the propitiation for our fins. ‡ Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath feen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have feen and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confefs that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love caflcth out fear; because fear hath torment: He that feareth, is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not feen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God, love his brother alfo. Paraphrafe on the Collect for the first Sunday after Trinity. O God, who art the defender and support of all that rely upon thee; lend a merciful Ear to our petitions; and because through our natural weakness, we are not able, without thy alistance, to serve thee acceptably; * And no Man bath afcended into Heaven, &c. Neither Mofes norany Prophets afcended into Heaven to receive their commifion and instruction from thence: but Jesus Chrift came down from Heaven and therefore must have been intimately acquainted with the Councels of the Father. Nay he was at that very time in Heaven, even whilft he was upon Earth; and therefore must have been a messenger of much higher dignity than any that came before him. I Belored, of God so loved us, we ought, &c. The enable us by thy Grace so faithfu'ly to obey thy precepts proper way to express our grateful fenfe of God's Love This T Here was a The Gospel. S. Luke 16. 19. : certain rich man who was clothed in purple, and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate full of fores; and defiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich mans table: nmoreover, the dogs came and licked his fores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abrahams bofom: the rich man alfo died, and was buried. And in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments, and feeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried, and faid, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. + But Abraham faid, Son, remember, + But Abraham, said, Son, remember, &c. This parable teaches usthat Men shall be punished hereafter no merely for the groffer Crimes of Murder, Adultery, Injustice, Oppression, or Lying: but likewife for their Luxury and Extravagance, and abuse of the Riches and worldly Blessings which Providence has bestowed upon them. And on the other hand it affords como t and encouragement to all whose circumstances are ftrait and low in the World. If their poverty be fustained with patience, contentment and trust. God; if they |