luft of concupifcence, even as the Gentiles, which know not God; + that no man go beyond, and defraud his brother in any matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all fuch, as we also have forewarned you, and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holinefs. He therefore that defpifeth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath alfo given unto us his holy Spirit.? The Gofpel. S. Matth. 15. 21.

JES

९

ESUS went thence, and departed into the coafts of Tyre and Sidon: and behold a woman of Canaan came out of the fame coafts, and cried unto him, faying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou fon of David, my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. § But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and befought him, saying, Send her away, for fhe crieth after us. But he answered and faid, I am not fent, but unto the loft sheep of the houfe of Ifrael. Then came fhe and worshipped him, faying, Lord, help me. But he answered and faid, It is not meet to take the childrens bread, and to caft it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters table. Then Jefus answered and faid unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: *be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

The third Sunday in Lent.
The Collect.

WE

E befeech thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty defires of thy humble fervants, and stretch forth the right

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Veffel, the Dwelling and Inftrument of the Soul) by Lufts of Uncleannefs, and fuch abominable Affections and Practices, as the ignorant Heathen indulged.

That none go beyond, or defraud, &c. That is, that no one invade anothers right, or tranfgrefs the ftated bounds of fuch enjoyments, by fuch Lufts as are either injurious to Marriage, or against the ufe of Nature: for a fevere vengeance will certainly over take all

.fuch.

But he answered her not a Word: He did not feem to regard her, intending that the greatness of her "Faith bould be made to appear because it not only

juftified his Conduct in working a Miracle for a Heathen, but was a sharp rebuke to the Jews for their infidelity.

* Be it unto thee, even as thou wilt. The fuccefs which this Canaanitish Woman met with from Jefus, teaches us two Leffons of great importance. First, that God is no refpecter of Perfons, but always accepts the fincere and fervent Prayer of an humble penitent Heart. Secondly, that it is our Duty to continue in Prayer with earneftnefs, tho' an Anfwer be long deferr'd."

If we expect our Prayers to be heard, we must be careful to offer them up with Faith, Sincerity and Fer

hand of thy Majefty, to be our defence against all our enemies, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epifle. Ephef. 5. 1.

BE

E ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a facrifice to God for a fweet-smelling favour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh faints; neither filthinefs, nor foolish talking, * nor jefting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean perfon, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Chrift, and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them; For ye were fome times darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light; (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them: For it is a fhame even to speak of those things which are done of them in fecret. But all things that are reproved, are made manifeft by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifeft, is light. Wherefore he faith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Chrift fhall give thee light.

The Gospel. S. Luke 11. 14.

ESUS was cafting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But fome of them said, * He cafteth out devils

JES

Paraphrase on the Collet for the third Sunday in Lent.

Molt mighty God we intreat thee to hearken to the incere Petitions of thy humble Servants, and to pre

vency. For how fhall we hope that God will regard thofe Prayers which we pay no attention to ourselves.

Nor Jeft ng. This expreffion, from the company it is join'd with, plainly fignifies fuch Jefting, as tends to Scurrility and Obscenity, fuch as injures

ferve us by thy Power against the affaults of all our Adverfaries, for the fake of Jefus Chrift our Lord.

the Characters of the abfent or prefent, or inspires the Mind with lacivious and filthy Ideas. For otherwife, Jefting, in its general importance, feems neither to be unlawful, nor unbecoming a Chriftian.

He cafteth out Devils, &c. Thus we may obferve

through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. And others tempting him, fought of him a fign from heaven. But he knowing their thoughts, faid unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to defolation; and a houfe divided against a house, falleth. If Satan alfo be divided against himself, how fhall his kingdom ftand? because ye fay that I caft out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub caft out devils, by whom do your fons caft them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God caft out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace; but when a ftronger than he fhall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth. *When the unclean fpirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, feeking reft; and finding none, he faith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he and taketh to him feven other fpirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in, and dwell there; and the laft ftate of that man is worfe than the firft. And it came to pafs as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lift up her voice, and said unto him, Bleffed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou haft fucked. But he faid, Yea, rather bleffed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it.

Q 2

that when the Heart is grown hardened in Iniquity it will be apt to turn thofe very means, which are made ufe of for its Reformation, to Contempt and Reproach, will thut out Conviction, and impiously blafpheme even God himself, rather than hearken to inftruction. -Wretched ftate indeed! How should this teach us to guard against the first inlets of Vice: for hardly do we know where we shall be able to ftop. When we have once forfaken the courfe of our Duty; we are no longer fure of the protection of Providence, and may pafs to fuch lengths, as it may be hard, very hard to

draw back.

* When the unclean Spirit, &c. This Parable is defigned to teach Men in every Age the danger of refift ing their Convictions, and breaking through their good Refolutions. The effect being commonly that they are rendered much more hardened and abandoned than before; according to the observation of St. Peter, If after they have escaped the Pollutions of the World through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jefus Chift, they are entangled therein, and overcome; the latter end is worse than the beginning, 2 Pet. ii. 20.

The fourth Sunday in Lent.
The Collect.

G

Rant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deferve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved, through our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. Amen.

The Epiftle. Gal. 4. 21.

TEL

Ell me, ye that defire to be under the law, do ye not hear. the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two fons, the one by a bond-maid, the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bond-woman, was born after the flesh; but he of the free-woman was by promise. *Which things are an allegory; for thefe are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerufalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerufalem which is above, is free; which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travaileft not: for the defolate hath many more children than fhe which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Ifaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh, perfecuted him that was born after the Spirit; even fo it is Nevertheless, what faith the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her fon; for the fon of the bond-woman fhall not be heir with the fon of the free-woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bond-woman, but of the free. Paraphrafe on the Collect for the fourth Sunday in Lent.

now.

Moft mighty God, tho' we humbly acknowledge may mercifully be relieved from all our Afflictions, that our Sins defervedly call for thy Judgments upon for the fake of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. us; yet we intreat thee to grant that by thy help we

Which things are an allegory: That is, the foregoing hiftorical account of Abraham, and his two Sons, contains alfo a myftical or spiritual meaning, because those two Sons reprefent the two Covenants of the Law and the Gofpel. From whence St. Paul reafons that as Abraham was advised by Sarah to caft out the Bond-Womap Hagar, and her Son Ishmael, fo ought the Law of Mofes to be abolished, and give

place to the Gofpel. As the Gofpel Difpenfation is here juftly reprefented to us as a state of perfect freedom, in oppofition to the flavish ceremonies of the Law

this ought to excite in all Chriftians a lively fenfe of their Happiness, and the warmest Gratitude to God,. and induce them diligently to walk worthy of their Adoption.

The Gofpel. S. John 6. 1.

JE

ESUS went over the fea of Galilee, which is the fea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he fat with his difciples. And the paffover, a feaft of the Jews, was nigh. When Jefus then lift up his eyes, and faw a great company come unto him, he faith unto Philip, Whence fhall we buy bread that these may eat? (And this he faid to prove him; for he himself knew what he would do.) Philip anfwered him, Two hundred penny-worth of bread is not fufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peters brother, faith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley-loaves, and two fmall fishes: but what are they among fo many? And Jefus faid, Make the men fit down. Now there was much grafs in the place. So the men fat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and † when he had given thanks, he distributed to the difciples, and the difciples to them that were fet down, and likewise of the fishes, as much as they would. When they were filled, he faid unto his disciples, § Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be loft. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley-loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jefus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world. The fifth Sunday in Lent. The Collect.

E beseech thee, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon thy people; that by thy great goodness they may

be go

W

+ When he had given Thanks. This is a fufficient example to us for thofe forms of addrefs to Almighty God, upon the ufe of his Gifts for our Refreshment; tho' they are highly reasonable in themselves had we had neither any Command nor Example for them. Only let us take heed that we do not convert them into mere farms by a thoughtlefs indecent utterance.

$ Gather up the Fragments, &c. This Command feems to have been given not only to fhew the neceffity, reality, and greatnefs of the Miracle: but likewife to teach us that our Charity ought to be conducted, with Prudence and Economy-and that our expences even upon proper objects, fhould be bounded by fuch proportions as the circumftances of our affairs will allow.