The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birth-Day of CHRIST,

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commonly called CHRISTMAS DAY.

The Collect.

LMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; grant that we, being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit, through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth, with thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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The Epistle. Heb. i. 1.

OD, who, at sundry times and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who, being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son. And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre

of thy kingdom; thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish, but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

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The Gospel. St. John i. 1.

N the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. And the Light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John; the same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light: that was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world: he was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not: he came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his Name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.

The Light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.]—" The Light shone or shined in darkness." The same with the sentences which shortly follow :-"He was in the world, &c. and the world knew him not. He came to his own and his own received him not."

The Collect.

RANT, O Lord, that in all our sufferings here

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upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, we may steadfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of thy first martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O blessed Jesus, who standest at the right hand of God to succour all those that suffer for thee, our only Mediator and Advocate.

Amen.

Then shall follow the Collect of the Nativity, which shall be said continually unto New-year's Eve.

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For the Epistle. Acts vii. 55.

TEPHEN, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge, And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

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The Gospel. St. Matth. xxiii. 34.

EHOLD, I send unto you prophets and wiseunto a men and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city; that upon you may come all the righteous

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blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; for I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord.

SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY.

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The Collect.

ERCIFUL Lord, we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that it, being enlightened by the doctrine of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John, may so walk in the light of thy truth, that it may at length attain to the light of everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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The Epistle. 1 St. John i. 1.

HAT which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have

And our hands have handled of the Word of Life; for the Life was manifested, &c.; that eternal Life which was with the Father, and was manifested to us.]-By the words, "that eternal Life which was with the Father," understand, "that Word of Life which was eternally with the Father;" or, the same with St. John, i. 1. (see, above, the Gospel for Christmas Day,) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God." "The same was in the beginning with God." "In him, [the Word]" continues the Gospel, "was Life;" and thus, in this Epistle, the same "Word" is called the "Word of Life," "the Life which was manifested," and "that eternal Life which was with the Father." Again, in the Gospel referred to, we are told, that "the Life [which was in the Word] was the Light of men,' ," and "was the true Light," and here, in this Epistle, we find a recurrence to the same imagery of Light, and perceive that in both portions of Scripture, the Word, the Life, and the Light, are always the same person.

handled of the Word of Life; (for the Life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal Life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us ;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, That God is Light, and in him is no darkness at all: if we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth; but if we walk in the Light, as he is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us: if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness: if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The Gospel. St. John xxi. 19.

ESUS said unto Peter, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved, following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter, seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, That that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? This is the

And walk in darkness.]—" And yet walk in darkness."

We have fellowship with one another.]—" We have fellowship with God, as God with us."