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Rant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the Spirit to think and I do always fuch things as be rightful; that we who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epiftle. I Cor. 10. I.

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Rethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, bow that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all paffed through the fea; and were all baptized unto Mofes in the cloud, and in the fea; and did all eat the fame spiritual meat, and did all drink the fame fpiritual drink: (for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Chrift.) But with many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness. *Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not luft after evil things, as they alfo lufted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were fome of them; as it is written, The people fat down to eat and drink, and rofe up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as fome of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Chrift, as fome of them alfo tempted, and were destroyed of ferpents. Neither murmer ye, as fome of them alfo murmured, and were deftroyed of the deftroyer. Now all thefe things happened unto them for enfamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he ftandeth, take heed left he fall. There hath no temptation taken you, but fuch as is com

Paraphrafe on the Collect for Give us Grace, we befeech thee, O Lord, both to think and act always according to thy righteous Commandments; that we, who cannot ferve thee acceptably,

Now these things were our examples, &c. The historical account of the manner in which God dealt with the Ifraelites for their Wickedness is a warning 1 us to avoid their Crimes, left otherwife we be like, them in their punishments.

Wherefore let him that thinketh, &c. That is, from the foregoing examples of the Ifraelites, we, as Chriftians fhould learn, that as they who were once the

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the ninth Sunday after Trinity.
without thy affiftance, may by thee be enabled to obey
thee in all Things, through Jefus Christ our Lord.

People of God fell away into Idolatry, and were de prived of their Privileges: fo are we alfo liable to be drawn afide from our Duty, and lofe the divine favour: which fhould always induce us to keep in mind St. Paul's caution; because of Unbelief they were broken off, and thou ftandeft by Faith. Be not high minded; but fear. Rom. xi. 20.

mon to man: but God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

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The Gofpel. S. Luke 16. 1.

Efus faid unto his difciples, $There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and the fame was accufed unto him that he had wafted his goods. And he called him, and faid unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy ftewardship; for thou mayeft be no longer steward. Then the steward faid within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig, to beg I am afhamed. I am refolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardhip, they may receive me into their houfes. So he called every one of his lords debtors unto him, and faid unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred meafures of oil. And he faid unto him, Take thy bill, and fit down. quickly, and write fifty. Then faid he to another, And how much oweft thou? And he faid, An hundred measures of wheat. And he faid unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourfcore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wifely for the children of this world are in their generation wifer than the children of light. And I fay unto you, Make to yourfelves friends, of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

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The tenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

ET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers thy humble fervants; and that they may obtain their peti

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of

means they might enjoy for advancing their spiritual welfare, and particularly to employ both their Time and Money in promoting the Converfion of Sinners, which, of all offices in their power, was moft acceptable to God, as well as most beneficial to Man. ·

tions, make them to ask fuch things as fhall please thee, through Jefus Chrift our Lord.

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Amen.

The Epiftle. I Cor. 12. I.

Oncerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto thefe dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God, calleth Jefus accurfed; and that no man can fay that Jefus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghoft. Now there are diverfities of gifts, but the fame Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the fame Lord. And there are diverfities of operations, but it is the fame God, who worketh all in all. *But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the fame Spirit; to another faith by the fame Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the fame Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy; to another difcerning of Spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the felf-fame Spirit dividing to every man feverally, as he will.

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The Gospel. S. Luke 19. 41.

ND when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, faying, If thou hadst known, even thou at least in

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Paraphrafe on the Collect for We beseech thee O Lord, mercifully to accept the Prayers of thy People; and that their Petitions may be

But the Manifeftation of the Spirit is given, &c.

The reafon why this portion of Scripture is propofed

to our Meditation is, that we might be reminded whence our good Gifts come-awakened to a conicientious improvement of them-thankful for, and contented with what we have received-humble and modeft in our opinion of ourselves-diligent in the Bufinefs of our particular Callings-ufeful to the Body of Christians in general-tender and refpectful to our Brethren-compaffionate to their Failings, liberal and kind to their Wants, and glad of their Advantages, for

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the tenth Sunday after Trinity.

granted, teach them to afk fuch Things as are accord-
ing to thy Will, through Jefus Chrift our Lord.
thele are the good qualities this Epiitle aims at promot

ing: And wept over it. The miseries of Chrifts bit-
tereft Enemies had more influence to afflict and me't
his Soul, than the admiration, the acclamations and
hofannas of his Friends to elate him with joy. His
weeping was a glorious inftance of his humanity, and is
fo far from letfening the dignity of his character that
it greatly exalts it. Let every Mortal then wonder
and imitate.

this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days fhall come upon thee, that thine enemies fhall caft a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every fide, and fhall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee: and they fhall not leave in thee one ftone upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy vifitation. And he went into the temple, and be. gan to caft out them that fold therein, and them that bought, faying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple.

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The eleventh Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

God, who declareft thy Almighty power moft chiefly in fhewing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us fuch a meafure of thy grace, that we running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promifes, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treafure, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. The Epiftle. 1 Cor. 15. 1.

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Rethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein ye ftand. By which alfo ye are faved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our fins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried; *and that he rofe again the third day according to the Scriptures; and that he was feen of Cephas, then of the twelve. After that, he

Paraphrafe on the Collect for the eleventh Sunday after Trinity.

O God who principally fheweft thy power by acts of Mercy and Beneficence, mercifully afford us fuch fpiritual affiftance, as may enable us fo faithfully to obey

And that he rofe again the third Day, &c. In this paffage of Scripture St. Paul endeavours to eftablifh the truth of our Lord's Refurrection, in oppofition to fome Corruptions which had crept into the Church

thy Will, that we may attain that heavenly Inheritance, which thou haft promised to all thofe that truly love and ferve thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

of Corinth-as a proof of the poffibility of our Bodies being raifed again-and as a pledge of our Resurrection by virtue of Chrift's conquest over Death exemplified in his own.

was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this prefent; but fome are fallen afleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the Apostles; and laft of all he was feen of me alfo, as of one born out of due time: For I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to be called an Apostle, because I perfecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me, was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I, or they, fo we preach, and fo ye believed. The Gospel. S. Luke 18. 9.

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Efus fpake this parable unto certain which trufted in themfelves, that they were righteous, and despised others; Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharifee, and the other a Publican. The Pharifee flood and prayed thus with himfelf, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican. I faft twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I poffefs. And the Publican standing afar off, would not lift up fo much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breaft, faying, God be merciful to me a finner. I tell you, this man went down to his houfe juftified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself, shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself, fhall be exalted.

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Lmighty and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear, than we to pray, and art wont to give more than

+ For I am the leaft of the Apostles, &c. &c. From St. Paul's example here we thould learn to entertain a humble and modeft opinion of our own performancesfrequently to recollect even those faults from which we are reclaimed; as a guard against fpiritual Pride to endeavour to make reparation for our paft mifconduct by future diligence and zeal in the difcharge ofour Duty-and thankfully to afcribe our Reformation, and im

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provement in Holiness to the goodnefs of God, and the operations of his bleffed Spirit.

Jefus pake this Parable, &c. The tendency of this Parable is to fhew that pride, uncharitable cenfoioufnefs, and contempt of our Brethren, are a means to render our religious fervices an abomination to God: and that humility and felf-abafement are the most pro per difpofitions to appear with before him.

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