5. any time, “ Thou art (k) my Son, “ Lord, in the beginning hast “ this day have I begotten thee?”

“ laid the foundation of the And again, “ I will (1) be to

56 earth; and the heavens are the “ him a Father, and he shall 66 works of thine hands : They 11. 6. “ be to me a Son ?" And again, " shall perish, but thou remain

when he bringeth in the first- est ; and they all shall wax old, begotten into the world, he saith, “ as doth a garment ; and as a 12.

“ And (m) letalltheangels of God vesture shalt thou fold them 7. “ worship him.” And of the “ up, and they shall be changed:

angels he saith,“ Who (n) maketh " but thou art the same, and

“ his angels spirits, and his mi- “ thy years shall not fail.” 8. " nisters a flame of fire.” But

unto the Son he saith, “ () Thy
“ throne, O God, is for ever

The Gospel. John i. I. “ and ever: a sceptre of righte- Inthe (q) beginning was the Word,

ousness is the sceptre of thy and the Word was with God, and 9.

“ kingdom: Thou hast loved the Word was (r) God.
“ righteousness, and hated ini. same was in the beginning with

quity; therefore God, even GodAll things were made by 3.
" thy God, hath anointed thee him; and without him was not
“ with the oil of gladness above any thing made that was made.

thy fellows.” And,“ () Thou, In him was life; and the life was 4.

The 2.

10.

for ever.

(&) “Thou art my Son.” This is from never again under his descendants; and Ps. ii 7. and is therefore a confirmation the line of Solomon has ceased for that the prophecy there related to our centuries to have any dominion : but Saviour. The same may be collected the throne of Christ is established for from Acts xiii. 33. and Heb. v. 5. evermore; he has built God a spiritual

(1) “ I will be," &c. This is probably house, the Church of Christ ; and he is from ı Chron. xvii. 13. which, though it settled in the house and kingdom of God might be thought to apply to Solomon,

His dominion, according to was perhaps intended to apply to our Dan.vii.

14. " is an everlasting dominion, Saviour only. God ordered Nathan to “ which shall not pass away, and his kingforbid David from building him an house, “ dom that which shall not be destroyed.” but to tell him that he would raise

up

his (m) “ Let all the angels,” &c. This v. 6.
seed after him, which should be of his is supposed to be taken from Ps. xcvii. 7.
sons, and establish his kingdom. “He (n) “ Maketh,” &c. This is from v.7.
(said the word of God) « shall build

me a house, and I will establish his (0) “ Thy throne,” &c. This is from
“ throne for ever.
I will be bis Fatber,

Ps. xlv. 7, 8.
“ and he shall be my Son. And I will () “ Thou, Lord.” This is from v. 10
• not take my mercy away from him, as Ps. cii. 25 to 27.
“ I took it from him that was before (9). “In the beginning with God.” In v. I.
" thee," (viz. Saul) ; " but I will settle Gen.i. 1. "in the beginning God created,"
“ him in mine house and in my kingdom the word translated « God” is in the
“ for ever; and his throne shalt be esta-

plural number, but joined with a verb in “ blished for evermore."

This seems

the singular; and it is so used 30 times much more applicable to the spiritual in the short history of the creation there kingdom of our Saviour, (who was, ac- given : so that Moses might understand, cording to the flesh, of the sons of Da- that though there was only one God, yet vid), than of Solomon. Ten of the tribes in that one God were distinct existencies. revolted from Solomon's son, and were (r) See ante 12. note (d).

Ps. civ. 4.

0.8.

5. the light of men. And the light

Saint Stephen's Day. shineth (s) in darkness; and the

The Collect. darkness comprehended it not. Grant, O Lord, that in all our 6. There was a man sent from God, sufferings here upon earth, for 7. whose name was (t) John. The the testimony of thy truth, we same came for a witness, to bear

may stedfastly look up to heaven, witness of the Light, that all inen and by faith behold the glory that 8. through him might believe. He shall be revealed; and being

was not that Light, but was sent filled with the Holy Ghost, may

to bear witness of that Light. | learn to love and bless our per9. That was the true Light, which

secutors, by the example of thy lighteth every man that cometh

first Martyr, Saint Stephen, who 10. into the world. He was in the

prayed for his murderers to thee, world, and the world was made O blessed Jesus, who standest at

by him, and the world knew him the right hand of God to succour 11. not. He came unto his (u) own, all those that suffer for thee, our 12. and his own received him not. But only Mediator and Advocate. as many as received him, to them

Amen. gave he power to become the

(Then shall follow the Collect of the Nativity: sons of God, even to them that which shall be said continually until New

Year's Eve.] 13. believe on his name: which were

born(x), not of blood, nor of the For the Epistle. Acts vii. 55.

will of the flesh, nor of the will Srephen, being full of the Holy 14. of man, but of God. And the

Ghost, looked up stedfastly into Word was made (y) flesh, and heaven, and saw the glory of dwelt among us, (and we be- God, and Jesus standing on the held his glory, the glory as of right hand of God, and said, the only begotten of the Father,) Behold, I see the heavens opened, 56. full of grace and truth.

and the Son of man standing on

ye are

(s) “Shineth in darkness,” that is, “ in

a generation which would not see, which “ did not open its eyes, whose foolish “ hearts" (according to Rom. i. 21.) “ Weredarkened." The reason is assigned, John iii. 19, 20. “Light is come into the " world, and men loved darkness rather “ than light, because their deeds were evil. “ For every one that doeth evil hateth “ the light, neither cometh to the light, “ lest his deeds should be reproved." See post, 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4.

() “John," that is, not the Evangelist, but the Baptist, the messenger

who was
to prepare

the
way

for the Messiah.
See ante 32. Matt. xi. 2. & 34.—John i.
19.

(u) “ His own,” i. e. the Jews.
(x) “ Born,” &c. that is, receiving a
spiritual, not a natural birth : having,

as St. Paul expresses it, Rom. vii. 15.
" received the Spirit of adoption, where-
" by we cry, Abba, Father ;" that is,
whereby we are entitled to call God
our Father, and become his sons. So
Gal.iv. 6. St. Paul

says,

“ because
sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of
“ his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba,
“ Father.” And St. John

says,
“ hold what manner of love the Fa-
" ther hath bestowed on us, that we
" should be called the sons of God.”
I John üi. And in 1 John v. I. he
says, 6 whosoever believeth that Jesus
“ 'is the Christ, is born of God.” See
also 1 John . 29.—1 Peter i. 3. and
23.

(y) “ Flesh," i.e. in the person of v. 14. Jesus Christ.

66

D4

57. the right hand of God. Then of Zacharias son of Barachias,

they cried out with a loud voice, whom ye slew between the

and stopped their ears, and ran temple and the altar. Verily I say 36. 58. upon him with one accord, and unto you, All these things shall

cast him out of the city, and come upon this (a) generation. stoned him: and the witnesses O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that 37. laid down their clothes at a young killest the prophets, and stonest man's feet, whose name was

them which are sent unto thee, 59. Saul(z). And they stoned Stephen, how often would I have gathered

calling upon God, and saying, thy children together, even as a 60. “ Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. hen gathereth her chickens under

And he kneeled down, and cried her wings, and ye would not ! with a loud voice, “ Lord, lay not Behold, your house is left unto 38. “ this sin to their charge!” And

you desolate. For I say unto you, 39. when he had said this, hefell asleep. Ye shall not see me henceforth,

till (6) ye shall say,

Blessed
The Gospel. Matt. xxiii. 34.

" is he that cometh in the name

" of the Lord.”
BEHOLD, I'send unto you pro-
phets, and wise men, and scribes :
and some of them ye shall kill
and crucify; and some of them

Saint John the Evangelist's Day.
shall ye scourge in your syna-

The Collect.
gogues, and persecute them from
35. city to city : that upon you may Merciful Lord, we beseech

come all the righteous blood shed thee to cast thy bright beams of
upon the earth, from the blood light upon thy Church, that it
of righteous Abel unto the blood being enlightened by the doctrine

1

v. 59.

(2)“ Saul.” The same person who was geance

should
come upon

the generation
afterwards miraculously converted, and is of men then living; and independently
known by the name of St. Paul. In Acts of those who perished at the time of the
vii. 1. which immediately follows this destruction of Jerusalem, which happened
account, it is said, “ and Saul was con- in less than forty years after this pro-
." senting unto his death." In the account phecy, immense numbers perished in the
St. Paul gives of his conversion, (A&ts interim. Our Saviour stated (Matt. xxiv.
xxii. 20. he states, that in his trance, in
the Temple, he said unto the Lord, « tion, and kingdom against kingdom,
" when the blood of thy martyr Stephen " and that there should be famines, and
" was shed, I also was standing by, and “ pestilences, and earthquakes in divers
-“ consenting unto his death, and kept “ places ;” but that those were only
" the raiment of them that slew him." “ the beginning of sorrows." And ac-
The A&ts are supposed to have been cordingly in the interim, between this
written by St. Luke ; and he was with prophecy and the destruction of Jerusa-
St. Paul 12 years, from A. D. 46 to lem, as many as 100,000 are said to have
A. D. 58; so that he is likely to be perished in Palestine by wars and civil
correct as to what he writes about commotions. 2 Newt. on Proph. 146.
St. Paul. In 1 Cor. xv. 9. St. Paul says

5

Wats. Theol. Tr. 121. 3. See ante 30.
of himself, that he was not meet to (note on Luke xxi. 32.)
be an apostle, because he persecuted the

(6) « Till ye shall say,” i.e. (per. o. 39 Church of God.

haps) till this shall be the general cry, 0.36.

(a) "This generation.” This is there. “ Blessed,” &c. fore another assertion,that some signalven

of thy blessed Apostle and Evan- which we have seen and heard, gelist Saint John, may so walk in declare we unto you, that ye the light of thy truth, that it may also may have fellowship with at length attain to the light of us : and truly our fellowship is everlasting life, through Jesus with the Father, and with his Christ our Lord. Amen.

Son Jesus Christ. And these 4.

things write we unto you, that The Epistle. John i. 1. your joy may be full

. This then 5.

is the message which we have That which was (c) from the heard of him, and declare unto beginning, which we have heard, you, that God is light, and in which we (d) have seen with our him is no darkness at all. If we 6. eyes, which we have looked

say that we () have fellowship upon, and our hands have hand- with him, and walk in darkness, we 2. led of the (e) word of life; (for the lie, and do not the truth : But 7.

life was manifested, and we have if we walk in the (8) light, as he
seen it, and bear witness, and is in the light, we have fellow-
shew unto you that eternal life ship (b) one with another, and the

which was with the Father, and blood of Jesus Christ his Son 3. was manifested unto us ;) that (i) cleanseth us from all sin. If we 8.

v. I.

(c) “ From the beginning,” i.e. (per. haps) determined upon from the earliest

times, from the fall of Adam. 2. I,

(d)“ Have seen,” &c. It was natural for St.John to press strongly upon the persons to whom he writes what had pressed strongly upon his own mind; and what could make a stronger impression on any one's mind than the conviction of his own senses? His faith had for its foundation what he had himself seen, &c. that for which he had the assurance of his own

eye-sight. v. 1,

(c)“ The Word of Life," that is,“our " Saviour Jesus Christ." He is also denoted by the expressions in the next verse “ the Life,” and “ that Eternal “ Life which was with the Father.” So St. John says in his Gospel, John i. 14. “ The word was made fesh” (that is in the

person of Jesus Christ), “and dwelt

among us.”
1.6. • Fellowship,” i.e. Participation.

St.John expresses this fellowship elsewhere
in very strong terms. Thus, 1 John iii.
24.“ He that keepeth his” (viz. God's)
“ commandments, dwelleth in him” (viz.
God), “ and he” (viz. God) in “ him.”
So John iv. 12, 13.

or If we love
one another, God dwelleth in us, and
" his love is perfected in us;" and v.15.
“ Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is

“ the Son of God, God dwelleth in him,
" and he in God.” It is perhaps upon
the same ground that St. Paul calls the
converts “ the Temple of God," 1 Cor.
iii. 16, 17.-vi. 19.—2 Cor. vi. 16.

(8) “ Light,” i. e. perfect purity. v.7. “ Darkness," i.e. impurity.

(b) For “one with another," the King's 0.7. MSS, reads “ with him,” which seems more agreeable to the context.

(i) “Cleanseth us.” So Rev.i. 5. Jesus v. 7. Christ is said to have washed us from our sins in his “ own blood.” And accord. ing to the language of our Liturgy, he made “ by his one oblation of himself

once offered, a full, perfect, and suffi. “ cient sacrifice, oblation and satisfac" tion for the sins of the whole world.” By requiring so great a sacrifice, God has shewn his utter detestation of sin ; and if we refuse to perform the terms upon which forgiveness of sins is offered unto us, (by endeavouring to lead godly lives, by repenting of the sins we have committed, and by feeling and expressing thankfulness to God for his mercies), what are we to expect ? We are assured by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, X. 26. that “ there remaineth

say (k) that we have no sin, we de- Then Peter turning about,

ceive ourselves, and the truth is seeth the () disciple whom Jesus 9. not in us. If we (1) confess our loved, following,

loved, following, which also sins, he is faithful and just to for- leared on his breast (P) at supper,

give us our sins, and to cleanse us and said, “ Lord, which is he that 10. from all unrighteousness. If we betrayeth thee?” Peter seeing

say, that we have not sinned, we him, saith to Jesus, " Lord, and make (m) him a liar, and his word “ what shall (9) this man do?" is not in us.

Jesus saith to him, “If I will that

" he tarry (r) till I come, what The Gospel. John xxi. 19.

" is that to thee? follow thou 20. Jesus (1) said unto Peter, Follow me.” Then went this saying