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him called. And he asked for a writing-table, and wrote, faying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he fpake, and praifed God. And fear came on all that dwelled round about them: and all these fayings werenoifed abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea. And all they that had heard them laid them up in their hearts, faying, What manner of child fhall this be? And the hand of the Lord was with him. And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghoft, and prophefied, faying, Bleffed be the Lord God of Ifrael; for he hath vifited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of falvation for us in the houfe of his fervant David; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been fince the world began: that we should be faved from our ene mies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; the oath which he fware to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered cut of the hand of our enemies might ferve him without fear, in holiness and righteoufnefs before him, all the days of our life. And thou, Child, fhall be called the Prophet of the Higheft: for thou shalt go be fore the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; to give knowledge of falvation unto his people by the remiffion of their fins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day fpring from on high hath vifited us, to give light to them that fit in darknefs and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed ftrong in fpirit, and was in the deferts till the day of his fhewing unto Ifrael.

St. Peter's Day.

The Collect.

Almighty God, who by thy Son Jefus Chrift didft give to thy Apoftle Saint Peter many excellent gifts, St. Peter] This Apoftle, when he and his brethren divided themselves to preach the gofpel, (if we may credit the latter Greek writers) conftituted a Chriftian church at Cæfarea Palestine, called otherwife Turris Stratonis; from thence he came to Sidon, and placed another bishop there:

and commandedft him earnefly to feed thy flock; Make, we beseech thee, all Bifhops and Paftors diligently to preach thy holy Word, and the people obediently to fol low the fame, that they may receive the crown of everlasting glory; through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

A

The Epifle. Acts xii. 1.

BOUT that time Herod the king ftretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the fword. And because he faw it pleafed the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter alfo. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prifon, and delivered him to four quarternions of foldiers to keep him; intending after Eafter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prifon; but prayer was made without ceafing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the fame night Peter was fleeping between two foldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prifon. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light fhined in the prifon:

He next converted many of the inhabitants of Berytus, another town of Phoenicia, and fettled a bishop likewife in that country. He then extended the gospel to Billos, another city of Phoenicia; after that to Tripolis; next to Antandros, a town of Phrygia; proceeding to the ifland of Aradus, to Balancea and Panta, he carried on his preaching to Laodicea, where converting many, and curing the fick, he fettled a bishoprick--Metaph. Surius. But befides St. Peter's preaching in thefe neighbouring towns of Judea, St. Jerom fays, he converted many to the faith in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Bithynia, and at laft fettled a bithoprick, where he himself fome time prefided, in Antioch.-Hier. Script. Eccl. Some time after this he came to Rome, as Eufebius, Iræneus, St. Cyprian, Lactantius, and other authors relate, where he was crucified by Nero. Being first fcourged, he was led out to be crucified upon the hill called Janiculus, defiring to be faftened to the crofs with his head downwards, alleging, that he thought himself unworthy to die exactly after the fame manner with his Lord. Hier. Script. Eccl. Eufeb. Hift. lib. iii. Auguft. de Sanct. The more modern Greek writers defcribe his perfonage thus: "His body was indifferently fpare, upright, and fomewhat tall, his face pale, and in a manner white; the hair of his head and beard curled, though not bushy; his eyes were black, and fomething bloodshot; his eye-brows were thin, his nofe longer than ordinary, being big at the end, and a little bending downwards."-Niceph. lib. ii. cap. 37.

The Collect] This prayer, for bishops and preachers to be diligent in their office, was compofed 1549. The introitus was pfalm cxliv.

and he fmote Peter on the fide, and raised him up, faying, Arife up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel faid unto him, Gird thyfelf, and bind on thy fandals: and fo he did. And he faith unto him, Caft thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he faw a vifion. When they were past the first and fecond ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city, which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and paffed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himfelf, he faid, Now I know of a furety, that the Lord hath fent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

WHEN

The Gospel. St. Matt. xvi. 13.

WHEN Jefus came into the coafts of Cæfarea Phi lippi, he asked his difciples, faying, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they faid, Some fay that thou art John the Baptift; fome Elias; and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He faith unto them, But whom fay ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and faid, Thou art Chrift, the Son of the living God. And Jefus answered and faid unto him, Bleffed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I fay alfo unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatfoever thou fhalt bind on earth, fhall be bound in heaven; and whatfoever thou shalt loofe on earth, fhall be loofed in heaven,

Thou art Peter] Пerpos, (Petros) is Greek for a rock. Cephas is derived from a Syriac word which fignifies a rock. The allufion is retained in the Arabic, Spanish, Italian, and French verfions; but not in the English.

Upon this rock] Upon thee, as upon a rock: Peter was the first apof tle who preached to the Jews, Acts ii.; and he was the firft alfo who hed to the Gentiles, Acts x. But the other apostles were founda Jones, as well as Peter; Ephef. ü. 20.

St. James the Apostle.

The Collect.

RANT, O merciful God, that as thine holy Apoftle

GR

Saint James, leaving his father and all that he had, without delay was obedient unto the calling of thy Son Jefus Chrift, and followed him; fo we, forfaking all worldly and carnal affections, may be evermore ready to follow thy holy commandments, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen.

IN

The Epiftle. A&cts xi. 27.

(And part of chap. xii.)

thofe days came prophets from Jerufalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and fignified by the Spirit, that there fhould be great dearth throughout all the world; which came to pafs in the days of Claudius Cefar. Then the difciples, every man according to his ability, determined to fend relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea. Which also they did, and fent it to the elders by the hands of

St. James] i. e. The Great, or the Elder, the fon of Zebedee, and brother of John. The Spaniards have a notion that after our Saviour's afcenfion, he came to preach in their country, upon which account he is acknowledged the tutelar faint of Spain; but that is a story raised without any ground, no ancient author making mention thereof; and it does not appear that this apostle ever stirred out of Judea during his life, he undergoing marty: dom there very early; for he was killed by Herod in the 2d year of Claudius, about eight years after Chrift's afcenfion. He was the first of the apostles that fuffered martyrdom, being brought to that trial by the wicked vainglory of Herod Agrippa, who, being newly advanced to his kingdom, was willing to do fome popular act to please the generality of the Jewish people, who, being managed by the priests, had conceived a great hatred against the Chriftians; which he taking notice of, thought he could not do them a more obliging favour, than to flay before their faces one of the chief teachers of this new fect. This was the occafion of the martyrdom of this bleffed faint. Eufebius relates this particular circumftance at his martyrdom, out of Clement of Alexandria. Clement in his aforefaid book afferts a very memorable ftory of St. James, which he tells as a tradition handed down from his ancestors, viz.:-" That the person who had given in information againft St. James, and had been witness against him at his trial, when he faw him fo readily laying down his life for Chrift, he likewife confeffed himfelf a Chriftian, and fo they both together were led to execution. St. James for fome li tle time revolving in his mind the ftrangeness of this accident, accofts him with this evangelical falutation, "Peace be to you;" and he kiffed him, and so they were both beheaded together."-Eufeb. Eccl. Hift. lib. ii. cap. 8.

The Collect This prayer, for grace to attach ourselves to the cause of Chrift, was compofed in 1549. The introitus was pfalm cxlviii.

Barnabas and Saul. Now about that time Herod thé king ftretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the fword. And because he faw it pleafed the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter alfo.

THE

The Gofpel. St. Matt. xx. 20.

HEN came to him the mother of Zebedee's children, with her fons, worshipping him, and defiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She faith unto him, Grant that thefe my two fons may fit, the one on thy right hand, the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jefus anfwered and faid, Ye know not what ye afk. ask. Are Are ye able to drink of the cup that I fhall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptifm that I am baptized with? They fay unto him, We are able, And he faith unto them, Ye fhall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptifm that I am baptized with: but to fit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it fhall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jefus called them unto him, and faid, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercife authority upon them. But it fhall not be fo among you: but whofoever will be great among you, let him be your minifter; and whofoever will be chief among you, let him be your fervant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minif ter, and to give his life a ranfom for many.

St. Bartholomew the Apoftle.

The Collect.

Almighty and everlasting God, who didft give to thine Apostle Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach thy Word: Grant, we beseech thee, unto

St. Bartholomew He is recorded by the ancients to have preached the gospel in the Greater Armenia, and to have converted the Lycaonians to Chriftianity.-Chryf. in xii. Apoft. Others fay he preached to the Albanians, a people upon the Cafpian Sea. Hier. de Script. Eccl. Origen

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