truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the "Fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorifie God for his mercy, as it is written, For this caufe I will confefs to thee among the Gentiles, and fing unto thy rame. And again he faid, Rejoyce, ye Gentiles, with This people. And again, Praife the Lord,all ye Gentiles, and laud him, all ye people. And again, Efaias faith, There shall be a root of Jeffe, and he that shall rife to reign over the Gentiles, in him fhall the Gentiles truft Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the holy Ghost. alli Nd The Gofpel. S. Luke 21.25. And there fhall be figns in the fun, and in the moon, and in the ftars; and upon the earth diftrefs of na:ions, with perplexity, the fea and the waves roaring: mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking af ter those things which are coming on the earth: for he powers of heaven fhall be fhaken. And then fhall they fee the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come o-pafs,then look up; and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a paeable, Behold the fig-tree, and all the trees; When hey now shoot forth, ye fee and know of your own elves that fummer is now nigh at hand. So likewife ye, vhen ye see these things come to pafs, know ye that The kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I fay unto You, This generation fhall not pafs away,till all be fulilled: Heaven and earth fhall pass away; but my vords fhall not pass away. t The third Sunday in Advent. Lord Jefu Chrift, who at thy first coming didft fend thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the minifters and stewards of thy myfteries may likewife fo prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wifdom of the juft, that at thy fecond coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable People in thy fight who liveft and reigneft with the Father and the hol Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. L The Epiftle. 1 Cor.4.1. Et a man fo account of us, as of the minifters off Christ, and stewards of the myfteries of God Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man b found faithful. But with me it is a very fmall thing that I fhould be judged of you, or of mans judgement yea, I judge not mine own felf. For I know nothing b my felf,yet am I not hereby juftified, but he that judg eth me, is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing befor the time, until the Lord come; who both will bring t light the hidden things of darkness, and will make ma nifeft the counfels of the hearts, and then fhall ever man have praise of God. The Gospel. S.Matth. 11.2. Ow when John had heard in the prison the work of Chrift,he fent two of his difciples, and faid un to him, Art thou he that should come, or do we loc for another? Jefus anfwered and faid unto them, G and fhew John again thofe things which ye do hear a fee: The blind receive their fight, and the lame wal the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, the dea are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preache to them. And blessed is he whofoever shall not be offend ed in me. And as they departed, Jefus began to fay u to the multitudes concerning John, what went ye o into the wilderness to fee? A reed fhaken with the win But what went ye out for to fee? A man clothed foft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing a in kings houfes. But what went ye out for to fee? prophet? yea, I fay unto you,and more then a prophe For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I fe ny meffenger before thy face, which fhall prepare thy orvay before thee. en The fourth Sunday in Advent. Lord, raife up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us,and with great might fuccour us; hat whereas through our fins and wickednefs we are Core let and hindred in running the race that is fet before s, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help nd deliver us, through the fatisfaction of thy Son our Lord; to whom with thee and the holy Ghost be hoour and glory, world without end. Amen. The Epiftle. Phil.4.4. Royce in the Lord alway, and again I fay, Rejoyce. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing: but in every hing by prayer and fupplication with thankfgiving, let our requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which paffeth all understanding, shall keep your earts and minds through Chrift Jefus. THi The Gofpel. S. John 1.19. "His is the record of John,when the Jews fent priefts and Levites from Jerufalem to ask him, Who art hou? And he confeffed,and denied not; but confeffed, am not the Chrift. And they asked him, What then? rt thou Elias? And he faith, I am not. Art thou that rophet? And he answered, No. Then faid they unto im, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to hem that fent us. What fayeft thou of thy felf? He aid, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord,as faid the prophet faias: and they which were fent,were of the Phaifees. And they asked him, and faid unto him, why aptizeft thou then, if thou be not that Chrift,nor Elias, either that prophet? John answered them, faying, I aptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom whom ye know not. He it is who coming after me, preferred before me,whofe fhoes latchet I am not wor thy to unloofe. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The Nativity of Our L ORD, Or the Birth-day of CHRIST, Commonly called Christmas-day. A The Collect. Lmighty God, who haft given us thine only be gotten Son to take our nature upon him, and a at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by a doption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy hol Spirit, through the fame our Lord Jefus Chrift, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the fame Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. The Epiftle. Heb. 1. 1. Od who at fundry times, and in divers manner Ifpake in time paft unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days fpoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom alfo h made the worlds. Who being the brightnefs of his glo ry, and the exprefs image of his perfon,and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had b himfelf purged our fins, fat down on the right hand o the Majefty on high: Being made fo much better the the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a mor excellent name then they. For unto which of the angel faid he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father and he fhall be to me a Son? And again, when he bring eth in the first-begotten into the world, he faith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the an els he faith, VVho maketh his angels fpirits, and hi |