them; and straightway he | will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the fole of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them; and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying,

BLE

Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple; and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

The second Sunday in Advent.

The Collect. LESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Epistle. Rom. xv. 4. W WHATSOEVER things were written aforetime, were written for our learning; that we through patience, and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one towards an

other, according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind, and one mouth, glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. Now I say, that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises 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 thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy Name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that

shall rise to reign over the | see the Son of Man coming Gentiles, in him shall the Gentiles trust. 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.

The Gospel. St. Luke xxi.

25.

ND there shall be signs AND in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they

in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable, Behold the fig-tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled: heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away.

The third Sunday in Advent.

the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewads, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is

The Collect. LORD Jesu Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to pre-a very small thing that I pare thy way before thee; should be judged of you, or Grant that the ministers and of man's judgement: yea, I stewards of thy mysteries judge not mine own self. may likewise so prepare and For I know nothing by mymake ready thy way, by turn- self, yet am I not hereby ing the hearts of the diso-justified; but he that judg bedient to the wisdom of the eth me is the Lord. Therejust, that at thy second com-fore judge nothing before the ing to judge the world we time, until the Lord come, may be found an acceptable who both will bring to light people in thy sight, who the hidden things of darklivest and reignest with the ness, and will make manifest Father and the Holy Spirit, the counsels of the hearts; ever one God, world without and then shall every man have praise of God.

end. Amen.

The Epistle. 1 Cor. iv. 1. LET a man so account

of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of

The Gospel. St. Matth. xi. 2.

NOW when John had

heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two

of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them: And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the

multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings'houses. But what went ye out for to see? a prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

The fourth Sunday in Advent.

The Collect. O LORD, raise up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

The Epistle. Phil. iv. 4.

REJOICE in the Lord alway, and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing: but in every thing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The Gospel. St. John 1. 19.

T

TH

i.

HIS is the record of John, when the Jews sent Priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that Prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He

said, I am the voice of one

crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that Prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you,

whom ye know not: He it is who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not wor

thy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD, OR THE BIRTH-DAY
OF CHRIST, COMMONLY CALLED

The Collect.

Christmas-Bay.

world without end. Amen.

Son, this day have I begotLMIGHTY God, who ten thee? And again, I will hast given us thy only-be to him a Fatlier, and he begotten Son to take our shall be to me a Son? And nature upon him, and as at again, when he bringeth in this time to be born of a the first-begotten into the pure Virgin; Grant that we world, he saith, And let all being regenerate, and made the angels of God worship thy children by adoption him. And of the angels he and grace, may daily be re-saith, Who maketh his annewed by thy Holy Spirit; gels spirits, and his ministhrough the same our Lord ters a flame of fire. But Jesus Christ, who liveth and unto the Son he saith, Thy reigneth with thee and the throne, O God, is for ever same Spirit, ever one God, 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.

The Epistle. Heb. 1. 1. Go 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

The Gospel. St. John i. 1.

angels, as he hath by inhe-Word, and the Word was beginning was the

ritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my

with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All

Saint Stephen's Bay.

BE STEPHEN, being full of B prophets, and wise men,