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they fhall fcourge him, and put him to death; and the third day he fhall rife again. *And they understood none of these things: and this faying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pafs, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man fat by the way-fide begging: and hearing the multitude pafs by, he asked what it meant. And they told him that Jefus of Nazareth paffeth by. And he cried, faying, Jefus thou fon of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he fhould hold his peace: but he cried fo much the more, Thou fon of David, have mercy on me. And Jefus ftood and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, faying, What wilt thou that I fhould do unto thee? And he faid, Lord, that I may receive my fight. And Jefus faid unto him, Receive thy fight; thy faith hath faved thee. § And immediately he received his fight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. The first day of Lent, commonly called Afb-wednesday

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The Collect.

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Lmighty and everlasting God, who hateft nothing that thou haft made, and doft forgive the fins of all them that are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we

And they understood none of thefe Things. Our Lord's Difciples, through their ignorance of the Scriptures, could not imagine how the Things which Jefus had told them fhould happen to him. Becaufe as they had all along looked upon him as the Meffiah, and, as fuch, expected him to take upon himfelf the dignity and power of a temporal Prince; they could not fee how his having dominion over the World could be confiftent with the fufferings he had told them he must undergo. This blindness, which was the confequence of national prejudice, continued upon them till the Holy Spirit defcended upon them at the Feast of Pentecolt. + A certain blind Man, &. St. Matthew mentions two who received their Sight at that Time. But the reason why only one of them is taken notice of by St. Mark and Luke is, probably, becaufe one of the Beggars was more remarkable than the other, being the

Son of Timeus, who feems to have been a Person of fome diftinction; and that having fallen into poverty and blindness, he was forced to beg for his Bread.

Thy Faith bath faved thee. That is, thy Faith hath made thee a proper Object of this Mercy.

§ And immediately he received his Sight, &c. Thus, fays "Eramus, Jefus, by his Touch, cures the Mind "that is blinded with worldly Lufts; and gives light "for this end, that we may follow his steps.'

Lent. Is fo called from the antient Name of March, which by the Saxons was named Lenet, Monat, or Length Month because the Days then begin to exceed the Nights in length. For this reafon, as the forty Days Abftinence are generally a part of this Month, they were therefore called Lent.

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Afb-awednesday is fo called from the antient custom of Fafting that Day in Sackcloth and Ashes.

worthily lamenting our fins, and acknowledging our' wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness, through Jefus Chrift our Lord.

Amen.

This Collect is to be read every day in Lent, after the Collect appointed for the day.

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For the Epifle. Joel. 2. 12.

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URN ye even to me, faith the Lord, with all your heart, and with fafting, and with weeping, and with mourning. And rent. your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, flow to anger, and of great kindnefs, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return, and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meat-offering, and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, fanctify a faft, call a folemn affembly, gather the people, fanctify the congregation, affemble the elders, gather the children, and those that fuck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet; let the priests, the minifters of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them fay, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen fhould rule over them: wherefore fhould they fay among the people, Where is their God i wen

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The Gospel. S. Matth. 6. 16.

HEN ye faft, be not as the hypocrites, of a fad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men

--Paraphrafe on the Collect for Afb-wednesday. Moft might and eternal God, who loveft thy Creatures, and haft promised to pardon the Sins of fuch as are truly penitent: Infpire us with hearty Repentance for our Tranfgrefons, and new Refolutions of better Obedience for the future; that we thus fhewing a be

↑ Turn je even to him, &c. Obferve here that Fafting and all other outward figns of penitence will nothing avail without a real contrition and change of Heart, and turning to the Lord by a new Obedience. ‡ Blow the Trumpet in Zion, &c. This thews that it is not only requifite that every particular Perfon Lould fhew acts of Contrition for his Sins in private;

coming forrow for our Offences, and a sense of our mifery without thy Mercy, may obtain full Reconciliation with thee the God of all goodness, through Jefus Christ our Lord.

but that Times alfo fhould be fet apart for publick Humiliation for our national Offences; and that People may then offer up their united Supplications in the Affemblies, to avert God's difpleasure.

When ye faft, be not as the Hypocrites, &c. Our Lord herein teacheth us that on any occafion of abftinence we ought not to be formal and vain glorious, like those

to faft. Verily I fay unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou fafteft, anoint thine head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to faft, but unto thy Father which is in fecret : and thy Father which feeth in fecret fhall reward thee openly. § Lay for yourselves treafures upon earth, where moth and ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rut doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor fteal. For where your treafure is, there will your heart be alfo..

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The first Sunday in Lent.
The Collect..

Lord, who for our fake didft faft forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to ufe fuch abftinence, that our flesh being fubdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness and true 'holinefs, to thy honour and glory, who liveft and reigneft with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen. !.

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The Epiftle. 2. Cor. 6.1.

E then as workers together with him, befeech you alfo, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain: (for he faith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the Day of falvation have I fuccoured thee: behold now is the accepted time;

Paraphrafe on the Colle O Lord Jesus Christ, who, in order to prepare thyfelf for the Work of the Miniftry, didit undergo a forty Days Faft; teach us fo to mortify and deny our fenfual Defires and Appetites that every Thought may be Diffemblers, who at fuch Times, either covered their Faces with a Veil, or by melancholy Looks and Geftures, endeavoured to draw the obfervation of others. For fuch Fafts have no farther recompence to expect.

Lay not up for yourselves, &c. This precept very properly flows the preceding: for, in order to ren der our Fafting acceptable, it is neceffary, as Ifaiah recommends, that we deal our Bread to the hungry, and that we bring the Poor that are caft out to our Houfes: when we fee the naked, that we cover him, and that we hide not ourfelves from our own Flefh, Ifaiah lviii. 7

Let no one fuppofe, becaufe Abftinence is particu

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larly recommended at this feafon, that we are therefore at liberty freely to indulge our Appetites all the rest of the Year. For as the Flesh is an Enemy that we have to contend with through Life: fo it behoves us continually to keep a guard against its Allurements.

"We then as workers together, Sr That is, we, the Minifters of Christ, who are employed in the great Work of reconciling Men to God, intreat you not to receive the Gospel in vain, by neglecting to make a proper ufe of it: for now you have an opportunity thereby of promoting the Salvation of your Souls.

behold, now is the day of falvation.) Giving no offence in any thing, that the miniftry be not blamed; but in all things approving ourfelves as the minifters of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in neceffities, in diftreffes, in ftripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in faftings; by purenefs, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteoufnefs on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chaftened, and not killed; as forrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet poffeffing all things.,

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The Gofpel. S. Matth. 4. 1.

HEN was Jefus led up of the spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fafted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he, faid, if thou be the Son of God, command that thefe ftones may be made bread. But he answered and faid, It is written, Man fhall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and fetteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and faith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, caft thyself down; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they fhall bear thee up, left at any time thou dafh thy foot against a stone: Jefus faid unto him, It is written again, Thou fhalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

↑ Approving ourselves as the Minifters of God, &c. In the remainder of this Epiftle St. Paul gives us an account, in what manner he, and his fellow labourers behaved themselves in the office of the Ministry. And in their character has left every Minifter of Chrift a model, on which to frame his own. A proper portion of Scripture at the approach of the Ember-Falt, and wor

thy the most attentive confideration of all who, either have been, or are now to be, fent forth upon the fame Embally.

Then was Jefus led up, Sr. The probable reafon why our Lord was brought to this Trial was, not only that the Captain of our Salvation might be made perfect through Sufferings: but likewife that he might prove him.

Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and faith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then faith Jefus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and miniftered unto him. The Second Sunday in Lent..

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...The Collect.

Lmighty God, who feeft that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our fouls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may affault and hurt the foul, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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The Epistle. 1 Theff. 4. 1.

W. fub, that ay ye have received, of us how you ought to walk,

E befeech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Je

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and to please God, fo ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jefus. this is the will of God, even your fanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication; * that every one of you should know how to poffefs his veffel in fanctification and honour; not in the

Paraphrafe on the Collect for the fecond Sunday in Lents All powerful God, who knoweft that we are unable to defend or fupport ourselves; be thou our protector in all refpects, that our Bodies may be preferved from all worldly Calamities, and our Souls from all finful

Thoughts and Defires, with which our fpiritual Enemies may endeavour to infpire us. And this we beg for the fake of Jefus Christ our Lord.

felf to be the promised Seed that should bruife the Ser-Chrift made use of to repel the Temptations of Satan, pents Head; that as Man once fell by the wiles of the by quoting the holy Scriptures, fhews us, that it is by Devil, fo Man, in the Perfon of Chrift, might triumph the Word of God that we may defeat his attempts, and o er this grand Adverfary. From this example let us querch all the fiery darts of the wicked. 1:arn refolutely to refift the Temptations of Satan, and particularly fuch as might lead us into diftruft, or prefumption, ambition or avarice; or fuch as may any way tend to draw us off from the fervice of God, and the allegiance we owe him. The method which

How much does it concern us to make God our Friend, for then are we fure that greater is he that is for us, than they which be against us.

*That every one of you should know, &c. That is, that no Man fhould dishonour his Body (which is the

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