But thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, though thou be least among Me thousands of Judah; yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me, who is to be the ruler in Israel;

Whose goings forth have been of old; even from the days of eternity.

Hark, how the Almighty Father introduces his Son, commanding first all the angels of God to worship him.

Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee; thou art my Son, and I will be thy Father.

I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance; and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou art mine elect, my servant whom I have chosen, to raise up the tribes of Judah, and to restore the preserved of Israel.

I will give thee a light for the gentiles: that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the earth.

Hark, how the ancient prophets rejoice in the Messiah and in soft and gentle words foretel his compassionate office. He shall come down as rain into a fleece of wool; and as drops of dew distilling on the earth.

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; and gently lead those that are with young.

He shall gather the lambs with his arms; and carry them in his bosom.

The bruised reed shall he not break; nor quench the smoking flax.

Righteousness and peace shall flourish in his days; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened; and the ears of the deaf be made to hear.

Then shall all the tongues of the dumb be loosened; and the lame man shall leap as an hart.

Thus, O Jesus, did thy holy prophets prophesy of thee thus did thy servants sing thy praises.

Wonder, O my soul, at the mercies of thy Lord; how in finitely transcending even our utmost wishes.

The eternal Wisdom himself comes down, to clothe him. self with our miserable nature.

Had thy Saviour been less than God, we could never have believed the mysteries of his doctrine.

Had he not been man, we could not have had a suffering Redeemer; nor the powerful motives of his holy example. Had he been merely man, his sufferings would have want

ed that infinite merit, by which they atoned for our trans gressions.

Had he been only God, he could never have died upon the cross, nor suffered the least of those afflictions he so gloriously

overcame.

O blessed Jesus! both God and man art thou in thy glorious person; teach us, as both, to adore and follow thee.

Be thou our God, and teach us to adore thee; be thou our guide, and teach us to follow thee.

O thou eternal King of heaven, display towards us thy grace and glory.

So rule us here, that we may obey thy grace; so favour us hereafter, that we may enjoy thy glory.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

THE LESSON. From ISAIAH.

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high. nountain. O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God. Behold, the Lord will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. With righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity the meek of the earth. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard lie down with the kid. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Thus, holy Jesus, did the ancient prophets foretel thy per fections, and the blessed changes thy doctrines should produce; the cruelty of the proud should be softened into meek. ness, and the innocency of the weak be protected by the strong. This was thy wise and gracious design; to make us happy, by making us holy.

Thou who alone art mighty in power, verify, we beseech thee, these glorious predictions: defend the good, and rebuke the wicked, and fill the earth with thy knowledge; that all discord and animosity may utterly cease, and truth and justice govern the world.

This was thy wise and gracious design; to make us happy by making us holy.

THE HYMN.

Hither, ye faithful, haste with songs of triumph;
To Bethlehem haste, the Lord of life to meet :
To you this day is born a Prince and Saviour-
O come and let us worship at his feet.

O Jesus! for such wondrous condescension
Our thanks and praises are an offering meet;
Now is the word made flesh, and dwells among us,
O come and let us worship at his feet.

Shout his Almighty name, ye choirs of angels,
Let the celestial courts his praise repeat;

Unto our God be glory in the highest,

O come and let us worship at his feet.

O GOD! who every year renewest the holy joy of thy Church, by the welcome festival of her Saviour's birth; grant, we beseech thee, that we may, with devout affection, welcome this first rising of the Sun of Righteousness, and, with holy sincerity and zeal, follow him through his suffering yet glorious course, increasing in knowledge, in truth, and in love; till in the end we arrive at the perfect glories of his heavenly rest; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who, with thee, and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

[Add the Collect for the Day.]

OFFICE FOR THE EVENING.

Repeat the Introductory Devotions, in the Morning Office, marked 1, 2, 3, and then add]

4. Blessed be thy glorious name, O glorious Son of God, and blessed be thy mercy for ever; thou hast graciously fulfilled what thy prophets foretold, and entered on the office of man's Redeemer.

To-day for us our Lord was born-come let us adore him.

[The repeat the Psalm in the Morning Office.]

THE LESSON.-TITUS ii. 11.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men; teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly

in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Thus, O Jesus, thou dost teach us to remember that thou art a spiritual Redeemer, come to enlighten our dark minds, to renew our depraved affections.

For thou hast bought us unto thyself, to be a peculiar per ple, zealous of good works.

0 may the light of thy truth shine into our hearts, and the beams of thy grace purify and redeem them; that so we may humbly and joyfully expect the eternal fruition of thy glorious presence.

For thou hast bought us unto thyself, to be a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

THE HYMN.

How matchless is thy form, O King'
Thy mouth with grace o'erflows;
Because fresh blessings God on thee
Eternally bestows.

Gird on thy sword, most mighty Prince,
And clad in rich array,

With glorious ornaments of power
Majestic pomp display.

For thy firm throne, O God, is fix'd

For ever to endure ;

Thy sceptre's sway shall always last,
By righteous laws secure.

To Father, Son, &...

O HOLY and ever blessed Jesus! who, beng the eterna. Son of God, and most high in the glory of the Father, didst vouchsafe for us sinners, to be born of an humble virgin, and to be subject to the weakness, the wants, and sorrows of our nature, to accomplish our redemption; excite in us, we beseech thee, a due sense of thy infinite love, that adoring thee as our Lord and our God, and believing in thee as our allsufficient Saviour, we may evermore trust in thy infinite merits, imitate thy holy example, and obey thy righteous commands; that thus we may finally enjoy thy glorious promises, living and reigning for ever with thee, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest, God blessed for ever, world without end. Amen.

Add the Collect for the Day.]

282

Devotions for St. Stephen's Day.

ST. STEPHEN, full of grace and courage, resolutely prolaimed the gospel of his Master; and none could resist the wisdom and spirit with which he spake.

He boldly set before the Jews their awful guilt, and the awful guilt of their forefathers, as betrayers and murderers of the just One, and of those who foretold his coming.

When they expressed against him their rage and fury, he looked steadfastly up, and saw the heavens opened, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.

While they stoned him, he triumphantly called upon his Saviour, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit; and, kneeling down, implored the pardon of his murderers, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.

O MOST great and glorious Lord God, the bountiful bestower of all blessings, who in thy first martyr St. Stephen, has vouchsafed to thy Church an eminent example of all Christian graces, kindle in our hearts, we beseech thee, a zealous emulation of his faith and courage, his zeal and constancy, his patience and resignation, his meekness and love; that imitating his constancy in maintaining thy truth, and his charity in forgiving our enemies, we may finally be received into the everlasting kingdom of peace and love, there to enjoy the exalted vision of the face and excellency of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; to whom be glory and power, honour and adoration, thanksgiving and praise, now and for ever. Amen.

[Add the Collect for the Day.]

Devotions for St. John the Evangelist's Day.

THIS is the favourite disciple who leaned on our Lord's breast at his last supper, and to whom were revealed the secrets of heaven.

This is he, in whom meet all those glorious titles of Apostle, Evangelist, Prophet, and Confessor.

This is he, who, above all those glorious titles, delights in this one, incomparably greater than they all--the disciple whom Jesus loved.

Ile alone had the sympathy and courage to assist at the