This Collect is to be repeated every Day done, that it might be fulfilled with the other Collects in Advent, until which was spoken by the prophet, Christmas-day. The Epistle. Rom. xiii. 8. saying, Tell ye the daughter of OWE no man any thing, but to. Sion, Behold, thy King cometh love one another; for he that unto thee, meek, and sitting upon loveth another hath fulfilled the an ass, and a colt the foal of an law. For this, Thou shalt not did as Jesus commanded them; ass. And the disciples went, and commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou and brought the ass and the colt, shalt not bear false witness, Thou and put on them their clothes, shalt not covet; and if there be and they sat him thereon. And a any other commandment, it is very great multitude spread their briefly comprehended in this say-down branches from the trees, garments in the way; others cut ing, namely, Thou shalt love thy and strawed them in the way. neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; there- And the multitudes that went fore love is the fulfilling of the before, and that followed, cried, law. And that, knowing the time, saying, Hosanna to the Son of that now it is high time to awake David: blessed is he that cometh out of sleep; for now is our salva- in the name of the Lord; Hosantion nearer than when we believ-na in the highest. And when he ed. The night is far spent, the was come into Jerusalem, all the day is at hand; let us therefore city was moved, saying, Who is cast off the works of darkness, this? And the multitude said, and let us put on the armour of This is Jesus the Prophet of Nalight. Let us walk honestly, as zareth of Galilee. And Jesus went in the day; not in rioting and into the temple of God, and cast drunkenness, not in chambering out all them that sold and bought and wantonness, not in strife and in the temple, and overthrew the envying. But put ye on the Lord tables of the money-changers, Jesus Christ, and make not proand the seats of them that sold vision for the flesh, to fulfil the doves, and said unto them, It is lusts thereof. written, My house shall be called the house of but prayer; ye have made it a den of thieves. The Gospel. St. Matt. xxi. 1. WHEN they drew nigh unto The second Sunday in Advent. Jerusalem, and were come to Bethpage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two dis- BLESSED Lord, who hast causciples, saying unto them, Go into ed all holy Scriptures to be the village over against you, and written for our learning; grant straightway ye shall find an ass that we may in such wise hear tied, and a colt with her: loose them, read, mark, learn, and inthem, and bring them unto me. wardly digest them, that by paAnd if any man say ought unto tience, and comfort of thy holy you, ye shall say, The Lord hath Word, we may embrace, and ever need of them; and straightway hold fast the blessed hope of he will send them. All this was everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus for the powers of heaven shall be Christ. Amen. shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud The Epistle. Rom. xv. 4. WHATSOEVER things were with power and great glory. And written aforetime, were when these things begin to come written for our learning; that we, to pass, then look up, and lift up through patience, and comfort of your heads; for your redemption the Scriptures, might have hope. draweth nigh. And he spake to Now the God of patience and them a parable, Behold the fig Consolation grant you to be like tree, and all the trees; when they minded one towards another, ac-now shoot forth, ye see and know cording to Christ Jesus: That ye of your own selves, that summer may with one mind and one is now nigh at hand. So likewise mouth glorify God, even the Fa- ye, when ye see these things come ther of our Lord Jesus Christ. to pass, know ye that the king. Wherefore receive ye one an-dom of God is nigh at hand. Veother, as Christ also received us, rily I say unto you, This generato the glory of God. Now I say, tion shall not pass away till all be that Jesus Christ was a minister fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall of the circumcision, for the truth pass away; but my words shall of God, to confirm the promises not pass away. made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to Lord Jesus Christ, who at thy thee among the Gentiles, and sing first coming didst send thy unto thy name: And again he messenger to prepare thy way saith, Rejoice ye Gentiles, with before thee; grant that the Mihis people: And again, Praise the nisters and Stewards of thy mys. Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud teries may likewise so prepare him, all ye people. And again and make ready thy way, by Esaias saith, There shall be a root turning the hearts of the disobeof Jesse, and he that shall rise to dient to the wisdom of the just, reign over the Gentiles, in him that, at thy second coming to shall the Gentiles trust. Now the judge the world, we may be found God of hope fill you with all joy an acceptable people in thy sight, and peace in believing, that ye who livest and reignest with the may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. The Gospel. St. Luke, xxi. 25. AND there shall be signs in the The third Sunday in Advent. Father and the holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.. Amen. The Epistle. 1 Cor. iv. 1. sun, and in the moon, and in ET a man so account of us, the stars and upon the earth dis- as of the Ministers of Christ, tress of nations, with perplexity; and Stewards of the mysteries of the sea and the waves roaring; God. Moreover, it is required men's hearts failing them for fear, in stewards, that a man be found and for looking after those things faithful. But with me it is a very which are coming on the earth ; small thing, that I should be judged of you, or of man's judg-lus, and with great might succour ment: yea, I judge not mine own us; that whereas, through our self. For I know nothing by my-sins and wickedness, we are sore self, yet am 1 not hereby justified; let and hindered in running the but he that judgeth me is the race that is set before us, thy Lord. Therefore judge nothing bountiful grace and mercy may before the time, until the Lord speedily help and deliver us, come, who both will bring to light through the satisfaction of thy the hidden things of darkness, Son our Lord: to whom, with and will make manifest the coun- thee and the Holy Ghost, be sels of the beart: and then shall honour and glory, world without every man have praise of God. end. Amen. The Gospel. St. Matt. xi. 2. The Epistle. Phil. iv. 4. NOW when John had heard in REJOICE in the Lord always; the prison the works of Christ, and again I say, Rejoice. Let be sent two of his disciples, and your moderation be known unto said unto him, Art thou he that all men. The Lord is at hand. should come, or do we look for Be careful for nothing; but in another? Jesus answered and said every thing by prayer and sup unto them, Go, and show John plication, with thanksgiving, let again those things which ye do your requests be made known hear and see: The blind receive unto God. And the peace of their sight, and the lame walk, God, which passeth all underthe lepers are cleansed, and the standing, shall keep your hearts deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and minds through Christ Jesus. and the poor have the gospel The Gospel. St. John, i. 19. preached to them: And blessed is he whosoever shall not be of THIS is the record of John when the Jews sent Priests fended in me. And as they de- and Levites from Jerusalem to parted, Jesus began to say unto ask him, Who art thou? And he the multitude concerning John, confessed, and denied not; but What went ye out into the wil-confessed, I am not the Christ. derness to see? A reed shaken And they asked him, What then? with the wind? But what went Art thou Elias? And he saith, I ye out for to see? A man clothed am not. Art thou that Prophet? in soft raiment? Behold, they And he answered, No. Then that wear soft clothing are in said they unto him, Who art king's houses. But what went ye thou? that we may give an anout for to see? A prophet? yea, swer to them that sent us: What I say unto you, and more than a sayest thou of thyself? He said, prophet. For this is he of whom I am the voice of one crying in it is written, Behold, I send my the wilderness, Make straight the messenger before thy face, which way of the Lord, as said the proshall prepare thy way before thee. phet Esaias. And they which The fourth Sunday in Advent. were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said Lord, raise up, we pray thee, unto him, Why baptizest thou thy power, and come among then, if thou be not that Christ, nor The Collect. Elias, neither that Prophet? John time, Thou art my Son, this day answered them, saying, I baptize have I begotten thee? And again, with water; but there standeth I will be to him a Father, and he one among you, whom ye know shall be to me a Son? And again, not; he it is who, coming after when he bringeth in the first-beme, is preferred before me, whose gotten into the world, he saith, shoes latchet I am not worthy to And let all the angels of God unloose. These things were done worship him. And of the angels in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, he saith, Who maketh his angels where John was baptizing. spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he A The Nativity of our Lord, or the saith, Thy throne, O God, is for Birth-day of Christ, commonly ever and ever; a sceptre of righ called Christmas-day. teousness is the sceptre of thy The Collect. kingdom. Thou hast loved righLMIGHTY God, who hast teousness, and hated iniquity; given us thy only begotten therefore God, even thy God, Son to take our nature upon him, hath anointed thee with the oil of and as at this time to be born of a gladness above thy fellows. And, pure Virgin; grant that we, be-Thou, Lord, in the beginning ing regenerate and made thy hast laid the foundation of the children by adoption and grace, earth; and the heavens are the may daily be renewed by thy works of thine hands: they shall holy Spirit, through the same perish, but thou remainest; and our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth they all shall wax old as doth a and reigneth with thee and the garment; and as a vesture shalt same Spirit, ever one God, world thou fold them up, and they shall without end. Amen. be changed; but thou art the The Epistle. Heb. i. 1. same, and thy years shall not fail. GOD, who at sundry times, and The Gospel. St. John, i. 1. in divers manners, spake in TN the beginning was the Word, time past unto the fathers by the and the Word was with God, prophets, hath in these last days and the Word was God. The spoken unto us by his Son, whom same was in the beginning with he hath appointed heir of all God. All things were made by things, by whom also he made the him; and without him was not worlds; who, being the bright-any thing made, that was made. ness of his glory, and the express In him was life, and the life was image of his person, and uphold-the light of men. And the light ing all things by the word of his shineth in darkness, and the power, when he had by himself darkness comprehended it not. purged our sins, sat down on the There was a man sent from God, right hand of the Majesty on whose name was John: The same high; being made so much better came for a witness, to bear witness than the angels, as he hath by in- of the light, that all men through heritance obtained a more excel-him might believe. He was not Jent name than they. For unto that light, but was sent to bear which of the angels said he at any witness of that light. That was the true light, which lighteneth the adoption of sons. And, beevery man that cometh into the cause ye are sons, God hath sent world. He was in the world, and forth the Spirit of his Son into the world was made by him, and your hearts, crying, Abba, Fathe world knew him not. Hether. Wherefore thou art no came unto his own, and his own more a servant, but a son; and received him not. But as many if a son, then an heir of God, as received him, to them gave he through Christ.*** power to become the sons of The Gospel. St. Matt. i. 18. God, even to them that believe THE birth of Jesus Christ was on his name: Which were born, on this wise: When as his monot of blood, nor of the will of ther Mary was espoused to Jothe flesh, nor of the will of man, seph, before they came together, but of God. And the Word was she was found with child of the made flesh, and dwelt among us, Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her (and we beheld his glory, the glo- husband, being a just man, and ry as of the only begotten of the not willing to make her a public Father) full of grace and truth. example, was minded to put her The Sunday after Christmas-day. away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, a The Collect. ALMIGHTY God, who hast the angel of the Lord appeared given us thy only begotten unto him in a dream, saying, JoSon to take our nature upon him, seph, thou son of David, fear not and as at t this time to be born of to take unto thee Mary thy wife; pure Virgin grant that we, for that which is conceived in her being regenerate and made thy is of the Holy Ghost: And she children by adoption and grace, shall bring forth a Son, and thou may daily be renewed by thy ho- shalt call his name Jesus; for he ly Spirit, through the same our shall save his people from their Lord Jesus Christ, who liyeth sins. Now all this was done, that and reigneth with thee and the it might be fulfilled which was same Spirit, ever one God, world spoken of the Lord by the prowithout end. Amen. phet, saying, Behold, a Virgin shall The Epistle. Gal. iv. 1. be with child, and shall bring forth NOW I say, that the heir, as a Son, and they shall call his name long as a child, differeth Emmanuel, which being intera servant, though preted, is, God with us. Then Johe be lord of all; but is under seph being raised from sleep, did tutors and governors, until the as the angel of the Lord had bidtime appointed of the father. den him, and took unto him his Even so we, when we were chil-wife: And knew her not till she had dren, were in bondage under the brought forth her first-born Son; elements of the world; but when and he called his name Jesus. the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive nothing he is a The Circumcision of Christ. The Collect. ALMIGHTY God, who madest thy blessed Son to be circum6 |