and the fame Spirit, ever one any thing made that was made. God, world without end. Amen. In him was life, and the life was The Epiftle. Heb. 1. 1. OD, who at fundry times and in divers manners fpake in time paft unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in thefe laft days fpoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom alfo he made the worlds; Who being the brightnefs of his glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our fins, fat down on the right hand of the Majefty on high: being made fo much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For W unto which of the angels faid 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 thall be to me a fon? And again, when he bringeth in the firftbegotten into the world, he faith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he faith, Who maketh his angels fpirits, and his minifters a flame of fire. But unto the son he faith, Thy Ethrone, O God, is for ever and ever; a fceptre of righteoufnefs is the fceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteoufnefs, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladnefs above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning haft laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. They thall perish; but thou remaineft: and they all thall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vefture fhalt thou fold them up, and they thall be changed; but thou art the fame, and thy years thall not fail. F The Gospel. S. John 1. 1. the light of men. And the light thineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man fent from God whofe name was John: The fame came for a witnefs, to bear witnefs of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was fent to bear witnefs 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 reccived him, to them gave he power to become the fons 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. Saint Stephen's Day. RANT, O Gour Tifferiors, that in all Then fhall follow the Collect of the Nativity, which fhall be faid continually unto New Year's Eve. For the Epifle. Acts 7. 55. I and the Word was with God. STEPHEN, being full of the and the Word was God. The fame was in the beginning with God. All things were made hy him; and without him was not Holy Ghoft, looked up ftedfaftly into heaven, and faw the glory of God, and Jefus ftanding on the right hand of God, and faid, faid, Behold, 1 fee the heavens opened, and the Son of man ftanding on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and topped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cat him out of the city, and ftoned him and the witneffes laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whofe name was Saul. And they ftoned Ste phen, calling upon God, and faying, Lord Jefus receive my Spirit, And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this fin to their charge. And when he had faid this, he fell asleep. The Gofpel. S. Matth. 23. 34. EHOLD, I fend unto you prophets, and wife men, and fcribes and fome of them ye fhall kill and crucify; and fore of them ye fhall fcourge in your fynagogues, and perfecute them from city to city; that upon you may come all the righteous blood thed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, fon of Barachias, whom ye flew between the temple and the altar. Verily I fay unto you, All these things fhall come upon this generation. O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, thou that killeft the prophets, and ftoneft them which are fent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen ga-. thereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your houfe is left unto you defolate. For I fay unto you, Ye fhall not fee me henceforth, till ye thall fay, Bleffed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Saint John the Evangelift's Day. The Collec ERCIFUL Lord, we befeech thee to caft 'thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that it being enlightened by the doctrine of thy bleffed Apoftle and Evangelift Saint John, may fo walk in the light of thy truth, that it may at length at tain to the light of everlafting life, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epifile. I S. John I. 1. HAT which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have feen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life: (for the life was manifefted, and we have feen it, and bear witnefs, and thew unto you that erernal life, which was with the Father, and was manifefted unto us;) that which we have feen and beard, declare we unto you, that ye alfo may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift. And thefe things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the meflage which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we fay that we have fellowthip with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, a he is in the light, we have fellowfhip one with another, and the blood of Jefus Chrift his Son cleanfeth us from all fin. If we fay that we have no fin, we deceive ourfelves, and the truth is not in us. If we confefs our fins, he is faithful and juft to forgive us our fins, and to cleanfe us from all unrighteoufnefs. If we fay that we have not finned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. The Gospel. S. John 21. 19. me. Then Peter turning about feeth the difciple whom Jefus loved following; which alfo leaned on his breaft at fupper, and faid, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter feeing him, faith to Jefus, Lord, and what fhall this man do? Jefus faith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to, thee? Follow thou me. Then went this faying abroad among the brethren, That that difciple fhould not die: yet Jefus faid not unto him. He thall not die; but, If I will that he tarry t tarry till I come, what is that to the young child and his mo thee? This is the difciple which ther, and flee into Egypt, and teftifieth of thefe things, and wrote thefe things, and we know that his teftimony is true. And there are alto many other things which Jefus did, the which if they thou'd be written every one, 1fuppofe that even the world itfelf could not contain the books that fould be written.. The Innocents' Day. The Coll:a. ALMIGHTY God, who out of the mouth of babes and fucklings naft ordained ftrength, and madeft infants to glorify thee by their deaths, Morti'y and kill all vices in us, and fo firengthen us by thy grace, that by the innocency of our lives, and conftancy of our faith even unto death, we may glorify thy hoy name, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. For the Epifle. Rev. 14. 1. LOOKED, and, lo, a Lamb flood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and fourthoufand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder:. and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps; and = they fung as it were a new fong before the throne, and before the four beafts, and the elders: and no man could learn that fong but the hundred and forty and four thoufand, which were redeemed from the earth. Thefe are they which were not defiled with women, for they are virgins: thefe are they which follow the Lamb whitherfoever Ke fie goeth: thefe were redeemed from among men, being the firft frults unto God, and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God. The Gospel. S. Matth. 2. 13. HE angel of the Lord ap Tpeareth to Jofeph in a dream, faying, Arife, and take be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will feek the young child to deftroy him. When he arofe, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfiled which was fpoken of the Lord by the prophet, faying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son. Then Herod when he faw that he was mocked of the wife men, was exceeding wroth, and fent forth and flew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coafts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wife men. Then was fulfilled that which was fpoken by Jeremy the prophet, faying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourn ing, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. The Sunday after Chriflmas-day. The Colle&. ALMIGHTY God, who haft 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 fame our Lord Jefus Chrift, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the fame Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. The Epifle. Gal. 4. x. N long as he is a child difOW I Ly that the heir as fereth nothing from a fervant, though he be Lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even fo we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God fent forth his Son, made of a woman, made made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of fons. And becaufe ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a fervant, but a fon and if a fun, then an heir of God, through Chris. The Gospel. S. Matth. 1. 18. THEs in was on this wife: When as his mother Mary was efpoufed to Jofeph, (before they came together, the was found with child of the Holy Ghoft. Then Jofeph her husband, being a juft man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily But while he thought on thefe things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, faying, Jofeph, thou fon of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghoft: and the thall bring forth a Son, and thou thalt call his name Jefus: for he fhall fave his people from their fins. (Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, faying, Behold, a Virgin fhall be with child, and thall bring forth a Son, and they thall call his name Emma nuel, which being interpreted is, God with us)" Then Jofeph being raifed from fleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till the had brought forth her firftborn Son. And he called his name JESUS. The Circumcifion of Christ. The Collect. LMIGHTY God, who madeft all things obey thy bleffed will, through the fame thy Son Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. The Epifle. Rom. 4. 8. LESSED is the man to whom BU the Lord will not impute fin. Comcth this bleffednefs then upon the circumcifion only, or upon the uncircumcifion alfo? For we fay that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteouf nefs. How was it then reuni ed? when he was in circumcifion, or in uncircumcition: not in circumcifion, but in uncir. cumcifion. And he received the fign of circumcifion, a feal of which he had yet being uncirthe righteoufnefs of the faith, the father of all them that becumcifed; that he might be lieve, though they be not circumcifed; that righteoufness might be imputed unto them cition to them who are not of alfo; and the father of circumthe circumcifion only, but allo walk in the tteps of that faith of had being yet uncircumcifed. our father Abraham, which he For the promife that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his feed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promife made of none effect. The Gospel. S. Luke 2. 15. AND it came to pafs, as the from them into heaven, the angels were gone away thepherds faid one to another, Let us now go even un o Bethlehem, and fee this thing which is come to país, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with hatte, and found Mary, and Jofeph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had feen it, they made known abroad the faying Athy bleffed Son to be cir- which was told them concerning cumcifed, and obedient to the law for man; Grant us the true circumcifion of the Spirit, that our hearts and all our members being mortified from all worldly and carnal lufts, we may in this child. And all they that heard it wondered at thofe things which were told them by the fhepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the the thepherds returned, glerify ing and prailing God for all the things that they had heard and feen, as it was told unto them. And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcifing of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was fo named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. The fame Colle, Epifle, and Gospel fhall ferve for every day after, unto the Epiphany. The Epiphany, or the Manifefta tion of Chrift to the Gentiles. The Collect, GOD, who by the leading of a far didft manifeft thy -only begotten Son to the Gen tiles; Mercifully grant, that we which know thee now by faith, may after this life have the frui tion of thy glorious Godhead, of through Jefus Christ our Lord. To Amen. The Epifle. Ephef. 3. 1. Fprifoner of Jefus Chrift for you Gentiles; if ye have heard of the difpenfation of the grace of God, which is given me to hyou ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the myftery (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Chrift) which in other ages was not made known unto the fons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy Apoftles and Prophets by the Spirit: That the Gentiles thould be fellowheirs, and of the fame body, and partakers of his promife in Chrift, by the Gofpel: whereof I was dmade a minifter, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unro me, who am lefs than the leaft of all faints, is this grace given, that I thould preach among the Gentiles the unfearchable riches of Chrift; and to make all men fee what is the fellowthip of the - mystery, which from the beginning of the world bath boen hid in God, who created all things by Jefus Chrift; to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wifdom of God, according to the eternal purpofe which he purpofed in Chritt Je fus our Lord: 'In whom we have boldness and accefs with contidence by the faith of him. The Gofbel. S. Math. z. 1. W HEN Jefus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in hold there came wife men from the days of Herod the king, bethe caft to Jerufalem, faylng, Where is he that is born King of the Jews for we have feen his ftar in the eaft, and are come to wrthip him. When Herod the king had heard thefe things, he was troubled, and all Jerufalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief pricfts and ferlbes of the people toge ther, he demanded of them, where Chrift thould be born? And they faid unto him, in Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is writen by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the leaft among the princes of Juda: for out of thee fhall come a Governor that thall rule my people Ifrael. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wife men, eaquired of them diligently what time the ftar appeared. And he fent them to Bethlehem, and faid, Go, and fearch diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worthip him alfo. When they had heard the king, they departed: and, lo, the star which they faw in the caft, went be fore them, till it came and ftood over where the young child was. When they faw the ftar, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the houfe, they faw the young child with Mary his m ther, and fell down and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treafures, they pretented unto him gifts; gold, and frankih |