For Peace and Deliverance from our Enemies.

O ALMIGHTY God, who art a strong tower of defence unto thy servants against the face of their enemies; We yield thee praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance from those great and apparent dangers wherewith we were compassed. We acknowledge it thy goodness that we were not delivered over as a prey unto them; beseeching thee still to continue such thy mercies towards us, that all the world may know that thou art our Saviour and mighty Deliverer, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For restoring Public Peace at Home.

O ETERNAL God, our heavenly Father, who alone makest men to be of one mind in a house, and stillest the outrage of a violent and unruly people; We bless thy holy Name that it hath pleased thee to appease the seditious tumults which have been lately raised up amongst us; most humbly beseeching thee to grant to all of us grace, that we may henceforth obediently walk in thy holy commandments; and leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, may continually offer unto thee our sacrifice of praise

For Deliverance from the Plague or other common Sickness.

O Lord God, who hast wounded us for our sins, and consumed us for our transgressions by thy late heavy and dreadful visitation; and now in the midst of judgement remembering mercy, hast redeemed our souls from the jaws of death; We offer unto thy fatherly goodness ourselves, our souls and bodies, which thou hast delivered, to be a living sacrifice unto thee, always praising and magnifying thy mercies in the midst of thy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Or this.

We humbly acknowledge before thee, O most merciful Father, that all the punishments which are threatened in thy law might justly have fallen upon us, by reason of our manifold transgressions and hardness of heart. Yet seeing it hath pleased thee of thy tender mercy, upon our weak and unworthy humiliation, to asswage the contagious sickness wherewith we lately have been sore afflicted, and to restore the voice of joy and health into our dwellings; We offer unto thy divine Majesty the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, lauding and magnifying thy glorious Name for such thy preservation and providence over us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The First Sunday in Advent.

The Collect.

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works(a) of darkness, and put upon us the armour (a) of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge

(a) "The works of darkness," and "the " armour of light," expressions borrowed from the Epistle, Rom. xiii. 12.

(6) v. 8. "Owe, &c." i. e. "have no " debts or propensities, but those of bene"volence. It is one of the great characteristics of Christianity, that it makes general benevolence an important duty. When a lawyer asked our Saviour, which was the great commandment in the law, and our Saviour answered, "thou shalt "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, " and with all thy soul, and with all thy "mind, this is the first and great com"mandment;" he immediately added, " and the second is like unto it, thou " shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." See Matt. xxiii. 36. See also Luke x. 25. In John xiii. 34. our Saviour, just before he was betrayed, says, " a new commandment "I give unto you, that ye love one another, " as I have loved you, that ye also love " one another. By this shall all men know, " that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." St. Paul says, Gal. v. 14., "all the law is fulfilled in one word, even " in this, thou shalt love thy neighbour as "thyself;" and in his famous eulogium upon charity, or general benevolence, he

says, "though I have the gift of prophecy " and understand all mysteries, and all " knowledge, and though I have all faith, " so that I could remove mountains, and "have not charity, I am nothing: and "though I bestow all my goods to feed the "poor, and though I give my body to be " burned, and have not charity, it profiteth " me nothing." St. James says, "if ye " fulfil the royal law according to the scrip"ture, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy"self, Jam. ii. 8." St. John dwells very much upon this essential duty. "He that saith he " is in the light; and hateth his brother, is " in darkness even until now. 1 John ii. 9." Again, "He that loveth not his brother, "abideth in death. 1 John iii. 14." So, "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue, " but in deed and truth; and hereby we "know that we are of the truth; and shall "assure our hearts before him. 1 John iii. "18." Again, 1 John iv. 7, 8. "Beloved, " let us love one another, for love is of "God, and every one that loveth is born of "God, and knoweth God: he that loveth " not, knoweth not God." So in verse 12. "If we love one another, God dwelleth in " us, and his love is perfected in us." And "this commandment have we from him,

loveth (c) another hath fulfilled the (d) law. 9. For this; "Thou " shalt not commit adultery, Thou "shalt not kill, Thou shalt not " steal, Thou shalt not bear false " witness, Thou shalt not covet;" and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly compre

"that he who loveth God, love his " brother also. 1 John iv. 21." Many other passages inculcate the duty of benevolence, and it would be well for every one who is indignant for an injury received, or feels any rancour or ill-will, to search them out, and lay them to heart.

(c) v. 8. "another," i. e. indefinitely, " mankind," all within our reach.

(d) "The Law," i. e. " of Moses;" that part which points out our duty to our neighbour, the last six commandments. See Middl. 438.

(e) v. 10. " No ill," but "all good;" not inoperative, but active.

(g) v. 11. "Salvation," i. e. "The great change they were to experience for the better at one of the times so often alluded

to by the expressions, "the day of the Lord," and "the coming of the Lord." There are three periods to which these expressions are supposed to refer, the destruction of Jerusalem, the general judgment at the end of the world, and an expected intermediate appearance of our Saviour. See 2 Lightf. 241. 626. 1073, 1074. Mede, 708. 2 Newt. 142. 2 Hales, 1042 to 1060, and 1270 to 1286, and Grotius, Pole, and Hamm. on Matt. xxiv. 3. The first is probably what is here contemplated. The first converts underwent great trials. Zechariah and Malachi foretold that they would. Zech. xiii. 9. Mal. iii. 2. Our Saviour did the same. Matt. x. 17. 21. 22. Matt. xxiii. 9. but he gave them the assurance that "he who "should endure to the end should be saved. "Matt. x. 22. Matt. xxiii. 13." that they should not have gone through the cities of Israel till the Son of Man should be come, and that that generation should not pass till all those things were fulfilled. Matt. x. 23. Matt. xxiv. 34. See also Luke xxi. 32. and John xxi. 22. This topic was accordingly pressed upon the converts with great force by the authors of the Epistles. In Philipp. i. 6. St. Paul expresses his confidence, that "he who had begun a good work in

"the converts at Philippi, would perform "it until the day of Jesus Christ," as if the period would arrive in their time; and in Philipp. iv. 5., he says, "The Lord is at hand." The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews presses them to hold fast the profession of their faith, without wavering, &c. &c. " and so much the more as ye "see the day approaching. Hebr. x. 25." St. Paul charges Timothy to keep a particular commandment without spot, "until "the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ," as if he fully expected it in Timothy's time, 1 Tim. vi. 14." In Tit. ii. 11 to 14. St. Paul says, "The grace of God that " bringeth salvation hath appeared to all " men, teaching us, that denying ungod" liness and worldly lusts, we should live "soberly, righteously, and godly in this " present world, looking for that blessed "hope, and the glorious appearing of the " great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ," (or, even the glorious appearance of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ), "who "gave himself for us, that he might re"deem us from all iniquity, and purify " unto himself a peculiar people, zealous " of good works." St. James advises the brethren to "be patient, unto the coming " of the Lord:" "to stablish their hearts, "for the coming of the Lord draweth " nigh:" "not to grudge one another, "lest they should be condemned; for be"hold the Judge standeth before the door, "James v. 7, 8, 9." St. Peter speaks of the afflictions the converts had undergone, " that the trial of their faith might be found "unto praise, and honour, and glory, at "the appearing of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter "i. 7." Lastly, St. John says, 1 Johnii. 28. "And now little children abide in him, " that when he shall appear, we may have "confidence, and not be ashamed before " him at his coming." Many other passages might be added, but these are sufficient. They have all a strong tendency to shew, that the prophecies recorded in Matthew xxiv. were well known to the dis