The Gospel. St Luke xviii. 31.

TH

HEN Jefus took unto him the twelve, and faid unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerufalem, and all things that are written by the prophets, concerning the Son of man, fhall be accomplished. For he fhall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and fhall be mocked, and fpitefully entreated, and fpitted on. And they shall 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 afked 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 should 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 should 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 imme diately he received his fight, and followed him, glorifying God and all the people, when they faw it, gave praile

unto God.

The firft Day of Lent, commonly called Afb-wednesday.
The Collect.

thou haft made, and doit forgive the fins of all them that are penitent; create and make in us new and contrite

PARAPHRASE.

On the COLLECT for the firft Day of Lent.

O omnipotent and eternal being, who art fo far from hating thy crea tures, that thou loveit thofe whom thou chaftifeft, (Heb. xii.) and doft always few mercy to those who turn unto thee; (Josl iii. 14.)

we be.

feech

hearts; that we worthily lamenting our fins, and acknow~ ledging our wretchednels, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remiffion 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.

For the Epiftle. Joel ii. 12.

URN ye even to me, faith the Lord, with all your

weeping, and

TUR

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 kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a bleffing 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 thofe that fuck the breafts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her clofet; 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?

The Gofpel. St Matth. vi. 16.

WH

THEN ye faft, be not as the hypocrites, of a fad countenance for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to falt. 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

PARAPHRASE.

feech thee to make us clean hearts, and to renew right spirits within us, (Pfal. x.) that we, being touched with a godly forrow that worketh repentance, (2 Cor. i. 10.) and acknowledging our own wretchednefs, may obtain from thee, the Father of mercies, fuch an entire remiffion of our fins, that thou mayeft retain the memory of them no longer, and this we beg for the fake of Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PARA

unto men to faft, but unto thy Father which is in fecret, and thy Father, which feeth in fecret, fhall reward thee openly. Lay not up for yourfelves treafures upon earth, where moth and ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treafures in heaven, where neither moth nor ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor fteal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be alfo.

The first Sunday in Lent.

The Collect.

Lord, who for our fake didft faft farty 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 righteoufnefs and true holiness, to thy honour and glory; who liveft and reigneft with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, one God, world without end. Amen.

The Epiftle. 2 Cor. vi. 1.

WE

TE 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; behold, now is the day of falvation ;) Giving no offence in any thing, that the miniftry be not blamed; but in all things approving ourselves as the minif

PARAPHRASE.

On the COLLECT for the first Sunday in Lent.

O Lord Jefus Chrift, who, to fet us an example of abftinence, and teach us to refift the temptations of the devil, didst fast forty days and forty nights, (Matt. iv. 2.) give us grace to imitate thee in this virtue as far as our nature is capable, that when foever the flesh rifeth against the fpirit, (Gal. v. 14.) we may be enabled, by thy affiftance, to furmount its temptations, and may act according to thofe holy fuggeftions which thou doft infufe into our minds, by leading virtuous and holy lives, agrecable to the dictates of thy holy Spirit, fo that our conduct, for the time to come, may tend to the honour of thee, O bleffed Saviour, who liveft and reignet, &c. Amen.

PARA

"

ters 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-fuffering, by kindnefs, by the Holy Ghoft, 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 difhonour, 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.

The Gospel. St Matth. iv. 1.

T

HEN was Jefus led up of the fpirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fafted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he faid, If thou be the Son of God, command that thefe ftones be made bread. But he answered and faid, It is written, Man shall 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 fhall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they fhall bear thee up, left at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jefus faid unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and fheweth 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 fhalt thou ferve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and miniftered unto him.

The

The Second Sunday in Lent.

The Collect.

Au

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

The Epistle. Theff. iv. 1.

WE

E befeech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jefus, that as ye have received of us how you ought to walk, and to pleafe God, fo ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jefus. For this is the will of God, even your fanctification, that ye fhould abftain from fornication; that every one of you fhould know how to poffefs his veffel in fanctification and honour; not in the 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 alfo have forwarned you, and teftified. For God hath not called us unto uncleannefs, but unto holinefs. He therefore that defpifeth, defpifeth not man, but God, who hath alfo given unto us his Holy Spirit.

The Gospel. St Matth. xv. 21.

ESUS went thence, and departed into the coafts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came out

PARAPHRASE.

On the COLLECT for the fecond Sunday in Lent.

O Lord, who feeft that we are not fuficient of ourselves to think, much lefs to do, any thing of ourselves, but our fufficiency is of thee, (1 Cor. iii. 5) we intreat thee, by thy providential care, to defend both our fouls and bodies, the former from all temptations and evil fuggeftions, by which we may be betrayed into fin, and the latter from unhappy accidents and hoftile attacks; and this we beg for the fake of Jefus Chrift

pur Lord.

Amen.

PARA