fteal, Thou shalt not bear falfe witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour, therefore ‡ love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of fleep: for now is our falvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far fpent, the day is at hand; let us therefore caft off the works of darknefs, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in ftrife and envying. But § put ye on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and make not provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts thereof. W г The Gofpel. S. Matth. 21. 1. HEN they drew nigh unto Jerufalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then fent Jefus two difciples, faying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye fhall find an afs tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man fay ought unto you, ye fhall fay, The Lord hath need of them; and ftraightway he will fend them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken by the prophet, faying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and fitting upon an afs, and a colt the fole of an ass. And the difciples went, and did as Jefus commanded them, Love is the fulfilling of the Law. This it may be faid to be, both with respect to the first and fecond Table: because, as no one truly loveth God, who loveth not his Brother alfo; fo no Man loveth his Neighbour as he ought, who doth not love him for God's fake, And where our Love to Mankind is founded upon a religious principle, it will almost neceffarily make us to have a refpect unto all God's Commandments. Put ye on the Lord Jefus Chrift, i. e. let that Purity, Holiness, and Temperance which were fo remarkable in Christ Jefus be the conftant Garb and ornament of your Souls: that ye may therein be as vifibly dif tinguished to be his Difciples, as Men are by the Gar ments they wear. † By this action our Saviour intended to fhew that he was indeed the King, whom the Jews were to expect, but that his Kingdom was not of this World. Therefore let not thofe who profefs themselves his Followers fix their defires upon the enjoyment of temporal Glory and Dominion; but fet their affection on Things above, where Chrift fitteth at the right Hand of God; that at the Day of Judgment they may welcome his coming with Bleffea is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. and brought the afs, 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 ftrawed them in the way. And the multitudes that ( went before, and that followed, cried, saying, ‡ Hosanna to the Son of David: Bleffed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord, Hofanna in the higheft. And when he was come into Jerufalem, all the city was moved, faying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jefus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. * And Jefus went into the temple of God; and caft out all them that fold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the feats of them that fold doves; and said unto them, It is written, My house fhall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves. B Leffed Lord, who haft caufed all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in fuch wife hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digeft them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold faft the bleffed hope of everlafting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jefus Chrift. Amen. Paraphrafe on the Collect for the fecond Sunday in Advent. Gracious God, who didft caufe the Books of the Old and New Testament to be written for our inftruction; give us Grace fo attentively to hear, fo faithfully to read, fo diligently to apply, and fo firmly to keep and treafure up in our Hearts what is contained in Hofanna. The Word Hofanna fignifies Save we befeech. Applied to Jefus on this occafion, it was of the fame import with our acclamation God fave the King And Jesus went into the Temple, &c. The Jews, as they reckoned the outer Court of the Temple, where the Profelytes worshipped, no place of Sanctity; were ufed to permit People to fell and buy Oxen, Sheep, and Pigeons in it for Sacrifices: because thote who came from diftant parts of the Kingdom could not fo conveniently bring fuch Things with them. There them, that by the patience and comfortable Hope which they infpire us with, we may be proof against all the Temptations we have to encounter with through Jefus Chrift. by not chly many indecent but fraudulent practices were carried on, to the Prophanation of God's Houfe. By this Collect is plainly pointed out to us that a further means of preparation for our Lord's coming is a diligent study of the Holy Scriptures, fuch as will make a deep impreffion upon our Hearts; and that the best proof of this is when they produce in us patience, afford us comfort, and make us earnestly embrace the Hope of everlafting Life which they prefent in Jefus Chrift. W T sus The Epiftle. Rom. 15. 4. st. Hatfoever, things were written aforetime, were written for our fearning; that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and confolation grant you to be like-minded one towards another, according to Christ Jefus that ye may with one mind, and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Chrift alfo received us, to the glory of God. Now I fay, that Jefus Chrift was a minister of the circumcifion, for the truth of God, to confirm the prómifes made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy, as it is written, For this caufe I will confefs to thee among the Gentiles, and fing unto thy Name. And again he faith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and laud him, all ye people. And again, Efaias faith, There fhall be a root of Jeffe, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in him fhall the Gentiles truft. 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 Ghoft. A The Gofpel. S. Luke 21. 25. ND there fhall be figns in the fun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the fea and the waves roaring; mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be fhaken. And then fhall they fee the Son of man coming in the * Whatfoever Things were written, &. This paffage evidently fhews that the Bible is a Book not defigned for the amusement of the Idler, Food for the Difputer, or to fill us with that Knowledge which puffeth up, but that we may be thereby throughly furnished by its in ftruction, unto all good Works-that we may be filled with Meeknefs and Chriftian Moderation, with humble refignation to the will of God under all our Afflicions, and the comfortable Hopes of a blessed Immortality through Jesus Christ. clouds, with power and great glory; And when these things ‡ begin to come to pafs, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable, Behold the Fig-tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye fee and know of your own felves that fummer is now nigh at hand. So likewife ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I fay unto you, § This generation fhall not pafs away, till all be fulfilled: heaven and earth fhall pass away; but my words shall not pass away. O The third Sunday in Advent. The Collect. Lord Jefu Chrift, who at thy first coming didit fend thy meffenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the minifters and stewards of thy myfteries, may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobe L Paraphrafe on the Collect for O Saviour of the World, who, at thy first appearance, didit fend John the Baptift to prepare, the People for thy reception by the preaching of Repentance; give Grace to the Minifters of thy Word fo to imitate the Baptift's example, by labouring to convert Sinners ↑ And when these things begin to come to pass, &c. As our Saviour thus comforted his Difciples by affuring them that the destruction of Jerufalem, fhould be means of delivering them from the oppreffion of the Jews; To may every meek and patient Follower of Chrift comfort himself under every calamity by the approaching of the Day of Judgment, when all his Sorrows fhall be done away and every oppreffion fhall cease. § This generation fhall not pass &c. This expreffion plainly fhews that the foregoing prophecy relates to the deftruction of Jerufalem which happened about thirty-eight Years after our Lord's Crucifixion; when, it may be fuppofed that the greatest part of the People were living who were born at the Time of our Saviour's preaching. And tho' many of the circum ftances of this Prophecy may feem to be ftrongly defcriptive of the Day of Judgment: yet the figns in the Sun and in the Moon and in the Stars, or as St. Mat the third Sunday in Advent. from the paths of Error into the way of Righteoufness, that when thou shalt come again at the last Day to judge the quick and the dead, we may obtain Mercy and Favour from thee, who reigneft with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, one God, through all Eternity. thew and Mark exprefs it the Sun fhall be darkened, and the Moon fhall not give her Light, and the Stars fall fall from Heaven, thefe are figurative. Expreffions which fignified that the Jewish Government fhould be utterly diffolved, as alfo the Son of Man coming in a Cloud with Power and great Glory, fignified the Roman Armies who by the authority of Chrift fhould come to execute punishment on the Jewish Nation. As John the Baptift was fent to prepare our Saviour's way before him, with a view to his firft coming; fo the Minifters of the Gospel are appointed for the fame purpofe, with a regard to his fecond coming. It becomes them therefore to imitate his example, not only in calling Men to Repentance by their Doctrines; but allo in giving weight to their Doctrines by a life of frict Virtue. And it no less becomes the People to pay due attention to their Inftructions, and to pray that God will give fuccefs to their labours. dient to the wisdom of the just that at thy fecond coming to judge the world, we may be found an acceptable people in thy fight, who livest and reigneft with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. LE The Epiftle. I Cor. 4. 1. ET a man fo account of us, as of the minifters of Chrift, and stewards of the myfteries of God. Moreover, it is required in ftewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very finall thing, that I fhould be judged of you, or of mans judgment: yea, I judge not my own felf. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby juftified: but he that judgeth me, is the Lord. * Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifeft the counfels of the hearts; and then fhall every man have praise of God. The Gospel. S. Matth. 11. 2. ++ N° OW when John had heard in the prifon the works of Chrift, he fent two of his difciples, and faid unto him, Art thou he that fhould come, or do we look for another? Jefus anfwered and said unto them, Go and fhew John again those things which ye do hear and fee: The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, Therefore judge nothing before the Time, &c. i. e. beware of indulging yourfelves in evilfpeaking, or uncharitable cenfures against your Teachers, or the reft of your Chriftian Brethren; because you can neither be proper judges of the principles or ends of their actions. But wait with Humility for that great Day, when the Lord Jefus fhall appear, and call every Man to an account. Then, even the moft fecret actions fhall be laid open, and the inmoft Thoughts and Intentions of the Heart fhall be difclofed; and every Man fhall be rewarded according to his Works. Now when John had heard, &c. This Meffage from John to enquire whether Jefus was the Meffias or not, does not feem to have proceeded from want of Faith, (because that seems to have been established by and the poor have the gospel the extraordinary Teftimonies which were given to our Lord at his Baptism) but from difcontent that Jefus did not exert his power to deliver him from Prison: probably fuppofing, like the Jews, that the Kingdom of the Meffias would be temporal, and that he would preserve his People from the malice of their Enemies. Thus even good Men are sometimes apt to be diffatiffied with the dealings of Providence, through not con fidering for what wife purposes God may fuffer them to be tried and afflicted. For had our Saviour delivered John from Prifon, it would have been fo far from be ing a furtherance to the Gospel, that Men might have been apt to fay, that they two were combined together to advance each others reputation. |