and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the fcriptures, the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village whither they went; And he made as though he would have. gone further. But they conftrained him, faying, Abide with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is far fpent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pafs, as he fat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their fight. And they faid one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the fcriptures? And they rose up the fame hour, and returned to Jerufalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, faying, The Lord is rifen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. 2 Tuesday in Eafter-week. The Collect.. Lmighty God, who through thy only begotten Son Jefus Chrift, haft overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly befeech thee, that as by thy fpecial grace preventing us, thou doft put into our minds good defires; fo by thy continual help we may bring the fame to good effect, through Jefus Chrift our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.' For the Epiftle. Acts 13. 26. EN and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whofoever among you feareth God, to you is the word Με Paraphrafe on the Colled for Tufday in Easter Week. O most mighty God, who through Jefus Chrift haft overcome the fharpness of Death, and opened the king dom of Heaven to all Believers; grant we beseech thee, that as by thy Grace we are enabled to think those + Did not our Heart burn within us, Sc. Which implies that they were deeply affected with his difcourfe, as they had been wont to be before time, by his Doc things that be good, fo by thy affiftance we may bring forth the fruits of righteoufnels, through the fame thy Son, who reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. trine, which to them appeared to be a proof of his being the fame divine Teacher. 1 of this falvation fent. For they that dwell at Jerufalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets, which are read every fabbath-day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet defired they Pilate that he should be flain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a fepulcher. But God raised him from the dead: and he was feen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerufalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. And we declare unto you §glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the fame unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jefus again, as it is alfo written in the fecond Pfalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he faid on this wife, I will give you the fure mercies of David. Wherefore he faith also in another Pfalm, Thou shalt not fuffer thine holy One to fee corruption. For David after he had ferved his own generation by the will of God, fell on fleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and faw corruption. But he whom God raised again, faw no corruption: Be it known unto you therefore, men, and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of fins: *and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be juftified by the law of Mofes. Beware therefore, left that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye defpifers, and wonder, and perifh: for I work a work in your days, a work which you shall in no wife believe, though a man declare it unto you. I They have fulfiled them condemning tim. Who can fufficiently admire the Wifdom and Goodness of God, who in the work of our Redemption hath fo amazing ly brought Good out of Evil: and converted the malicious dengns of the Jews into a means of promoting the Salvation of Mankind! Well may we fay with St. Paul, Rom. xi. 33. O the depth of the Riches both of the Wifdam and Knowledge of God! how unfearchable are his Judgments, and his Ways paft finding out! Glad Tidings. In this paffage is well explained the meaning of the Word Gospel according to its origi nal Signification. And by him all that believe are juftified. Sc. Thatis,' through the meritorious Death of Jefus Chrift, all who fo truly believe as to repent and forfake their Iniquities, fhall be cleared and acquitted from the guilt and conde J The Gofpel. S. Luke 24, 36. Efus himself ftood in the midst of them, and faith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had feen a fpirit. And he faid unto them, Why are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold, my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and fee; for a fpirit' hath not flesh and bones, as ye fee me have And when he had thus fpoken, he fhewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he faid unto them, Have ye here any meat? and they gave him a piece of a broiled fifh, and of an honey-comb. And he took it, and did eat before them.. And he faid unto them, Thefe are the words which I fpake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Mofes, and in the Prophets, and in the Pfalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and faid unto them,Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Chrift to fuffer, and to rife from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remiflion of fins ifhould be preached in, his Name among all nations, beginning at JerufalemAnd ye are witneffes of these things todt noy elas ewood is not 101 The First Sunday after Eaftoricide dy widt A The Collect 07 Lmighty Father, who haft given thine only Son to die for our fins, and to rife again for our juftification Grant us fo gavet Paraphrafe on, the Collect for Moft mighty Father of Mankind, who gaveft thy Son Jefus to die as a Sacrifice for our Sins, and to rife again that he might procure our Abfolution by prefenting this Atonement before thee, as our Interceffor; grant, that as the Jews diligently-cleanfed their Houses from nation of those Sins, from which they could not have been exempted by the Laru of Mojes. Then opened be their Underflonaings, It is one thing to open or explain the Scriptures; and another, to open their Understandings to perceive them. Chrift did the latter, probably by giving them now fome Fint fruits of that Sprit of Prophecy, which fell nore plentifully upon them at the Day of Penticoft. And certain to the foft Sunday after tafer it is, that tho' every Chriftian in the ftudy of the Scriptures ought to make a proper ufe of the reafon with which God has endowed him, and of thofe other helps which Learning and Science wil afford him; yet he fhould not neglect alfo to pray with David, Open mine Eyes, O Lord, that I may jie the sonorous things of thy Law. to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may alway ferve thee in purendfs of living and truth, through the merits of the fame thy Son Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. W The Epiffle. S. John 5. 4. Hatfoever is born of God, over cometh the world; +and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jefus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jefus Chrift; not by water only, but by water and blood: and it is the Spirit, that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witnefs in earth, the fpirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witnefs of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God, which he hath teftified of his Son. He that be lieveth on the Son of God, hath the witness in himself: He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son, hath life, and he that hath not the Son, hath not life, on it on bi odV i.l ton blir The Gofpel. S. John 20. 19. THE in HE fame day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were fhut, where the difciples were affembled for fear of the Jews, came Jefus and stood in the midft, and faith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands andhis fide. ↑ And this is the Victory that overcometh, Co. By vercoming the World is meant the getting above the temptations of this wicked world, its evil principles and practices, its pomps and vanities. And the Faith by which this Victory is obtained, implies a firm affent to our Saviour's Doctrines, a ftedfaft reliance upon the Merit of his Sufferings and an affured expectation of his glorious promifes. Then were the difci || This as he that came by Water and Blood, &c. That is, for the belief which is required of us we have the strongest evidence; even the innocence of Chrift's Life, the Merits of his Death, the Teftimony of God at his Baptifm, the Miracles at his Crucifixion, the Signs and Wonders done by him, and by others in his Name, in the Power of the Holy Ghoft, the Spirit of Truth. ples glad when they faw the Lord. Then faid Jefus to them again, Peace be unto you: As my Father hath fent me, even fo fend I you. And when he had faid this, he breathed on them, and faith unto them, *Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose foever fins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever fins ye retain, they are retained. A 1 The Second Sunday after Eafter. Lmighty God, who haft given thine only Son to be unto us both a facrifice for fin, and alfo an enfample of godly life; Give us grace that we may always moft thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit, and also daily endeavour ourselves to follow the bleffed steps of his most holy life, through the fame Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. TH The Epiftle. I S. Pet. 2. 19. HIS is thank-worthy, if a man for confcience toward God endure grief, fuffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye fhall take it patiently? But if when ye do well, and fuffer for it, ye take it patiently; this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Chrift alfo fuffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye fhould follow his fteps: Who did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he fuffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: § who his own felf bare our fins in his Paraphrafe on the Colle for O all powerful God, who gaveft thy only-begotten Son to be both an Atonement for our Sins, and an Example of Holiness; give us Grace to accept the inva • Receive ye the Holy Ghoft, &c. Which feems to be as if he had faid, "I hereby give you authority to "act as my Apoftles. Which authority I will fhortly "confirm to you by the defcent of the Holy Spirit upon you: whereby you fhall be qualified to declare "the only terms on which Mens Sins fhall be pardoned, by delivering my Precepts and Doctrines to the "World in Truth," the fecond Sunday after Eafter. Leaving us an Example, &c. And where can we find a more perfect one? The best of mere Men have had their failings and infirmities: and no one can fafely be followed in all refpects without an exception. But in Jefus we behold a pattern of every Virtue; which the more we contemplate, the more we must admire, and the more we imitate, the more we shall promote our own happiness. |