beamsoflight uponthyChurch, that it being enlightened by the doctrine of thy bleffed Apoftle and Evangelift Saint John, may fo walk in the light of thy truth, that it may at length attain to the light of everlasting life, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Epiftle. 1 S. John 1. 1. Hat which was from the beginning, whichwehave heard, which we have feen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life; (for the life was manifefted, and we have seen it, and bear witnefs, and fhew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us) That which we have feen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye alfo may have fellow fhip with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the meffage which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darknefs at all. If we fay that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darknefs, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jefus Chrift his Son cleanfeth us from all fin. If we say that we have no fin, we deceive ourfelves, and the truth is not in us. If we confefs our fins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our fins, and to cleanfe us from all unrighteoufnefs. If we fay that we have not finned, we make him a liar, and his Word is not in us. The Gofpel. S. John 21. 19.7 low me. Then Peter turning about, feeth the difciple whom Jefus loved, following, which alfo leaned on his breast at fupper, and faid, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him, faith to Jesus, Lord, and what fhall this man do? Jefus faith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Then went this faying abroadamong the brethren, that that difciple shouldnot die: yet Jefus faid not unto him, He fhall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? This is the difciple which teftifieth of thefe things, and wrote these things, and we know that his teftimony is true. And there are alfo many other things which Jefus did, the which if they should be written every one, I fup pofe, I with women, for they are vir gins: these are they which fol low the Lamb whitherfoever he goeth: these were redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto God, and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God. The Gospel. S. Matth. 2. 13. appeareth to Jofeph in a dream, faying, Arife, and take the young child, and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will feek the young child to destroy him. When he arofe, he took the young child and his mother by night,and departedinto Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken of the Lord by the prophet, faying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son. Then Herod, when he faw that he was mocked of the wife-men, was exceeding wroth, and fent forth, and flew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coafts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquir HE angel of the Lord For the Epiftle. Rev. 14. 1. Looked, and lo, a Lamb ftood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Fathers name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: and they fung as it were a new fong before the throne, and before the four beafts, and the elders; and no man could learn that fong, but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeem-ed of the wife-men. Then was ed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, faying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. the law, that we mignt receive the adoption of fons. And becaufe ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a fervant, but a fon; The Sunday after Christmas-day. and if a fon, then an heir of The Collect. ALmighty God, who haft given us thy only begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to beborn of a pure Virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit, through the fame our Lord Jefus Chrift, who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the fame Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. The Epistle. Gal. 4. I. WOW Ifay, that the heir as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a fervant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors, until the time appointed of the father. Even fo we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world; But when the fulness of the time was come, God fent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under No a God through Christ. The Gospel. S. Matth. 1. 18. T HE birth of Jefus Chrift was on this wife: When as his mother Mary was espoufed to Jofeph,(before theycame together) the was found with child of the holy Ghost. Then Jofeph her husband, being ajust man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, faying, Jofeph, thou fon of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her, is of the holy Ghoft. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou fhalt call his name Jesus; for he fhall fave his people from their fins. (Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, faying, Behold, a Virgin fhall be with child, and fhall bring forth a Son, and they fhall call his Name Emmanuel, which being interpret ed, B faith, which he had yet being uncircumcifed; that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcifed; that righteousness might be imputed unto them alfo: And the father of circumcifion to them who are not of the circumcifion only, but also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcifed. For the promise that he fhould be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his feed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. The Epistle. Rom. 4. 8. Leffed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute fin. Cometh this bleffedness then upon the circumcifion only, or upon the uncircumcifion alfo? For we say, that faith | was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcifion, or in uncircumcifion? not in circumcifion, but in uncircumcifion. And he received the fign of circumcifion, a feal of the righteousness of the The Gofpel. S. Luke 2. 15. A ND it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the fhepherds faid one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and fee this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and Jofeph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the faying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it, wondered at those things which were told them them by the fhepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the fhepherds returned, glorifying and praifing God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. And when eight And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcifing of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was fo named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. The fame Collet, Epiftle, and Gofpel fhall ferve for every day after, unto the Epiphany. you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when ye read ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Chrift) which in other ages was not made known unto the fons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apoftles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles fhould be fellowheirs, and of the fame body, and partakers of his promife in Chrift, by the Gofpel: where-of I was made a minifter, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am lefs than the The Epiphany, or the Manifestation of Christ to the Gen-leaft of all faints, is this grace tiles. given, that I fhould preach among the Gentiles the unfearchable riches of Chrift; and to make all men fee what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jefus Chrift: To the intent that now unto theprincipalities andpowers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wifdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Chrift Jefus our Lord. In whom we have boldness and accefs with confidence by the faith of him. The |