thy church, to love that Word which he believed, and both to preach and receive the fame, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epifle. A&t v. 12.

Y the hands of the Apoftles were many figns and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. And of the reft durft no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) Infomuch that they brought forth the fick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the leaft the fhadow of Peter paffing by might overfhadow fome of them. There came alfo a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerufalem, bringing fick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean fpirits: and they were healed every one. The Gospel. St. Luke xxii. 24.

ND there was alfo a ftrife among them, which of them should be accounted the greateft. And he faid unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordfhip over them; and they that exercife authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye fhall not be fo:

but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth ferve.

and Socrates write, that he preached likewife in India.-Orig. in Gen. lib. . Socr. lib. i. cap. 15. But that he preached the gospel in the Indies, is a truth which is moft evidently confirmed by the teftimony of Pantænus, the famous Chriftian philofopher, who was mafter of the Chriftian univer fity at Alexandria, about the year 180, but refolving to take upon him the office of a miffionary, went and preached the gofpel in India, and after fome time returning home fafe to Alexandria, he made this report concerning his miffion; that he found in the hands of fome of the Indians St. Matthew's gofpel in Hebrew, which was brought among them by St. Bartholomew, and that the original book was kept among them to that day.-Eufeb. Hift. Eccl. lib. v. cap 10. Some more modern authors relate, That he was crucified, like St. Peter, with his head downwards; others, that he was flead live; which last account is most probable, crucifixion being a Roman punifhment; and fince it is not recorded, that he ever returned from among the barbarous Indians, excoriation was a death which was most likely to be inflicted by the rude cruelty of thofe favages.

The Collect This prayer for the zeal of the church was compofed originally by Gregory, and improved in 1662. Before that time it ran thus: "To preach that which he taught;" thefe words were altered, because there is no writing of his extant. The introitus was pfalm cxv.

For whether is greater, he that fitteth at meat, or he that ferveth? is not he that fitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that ferveth. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and fit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael.

St. Matthew the Apostle.

The Colle.

Almighty God, who by thy bleffed Son didft call Matthew from the receipt of cuftom, to be an Apos tle and Evangelift: Grant us grace to forfake all covetous defires, and inordinate love of riches, and to follow the fame thy Son Jefus Chrift, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghoft, one God, world without end. Amen.

The Epifle. 2 Cor. iv. 1.

'HEREFORE, feeing we have this miniftry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have re

The

St. Matthew] This Apoftle wrote the gofpel which bears his name, about eight years after Chrift's afcenfion, (Euleb. in Chron.) juft before the Apoftles difperfed themfelves, to go to preach the gospel in foreign parts. He undertook this work at the intreaty of the converted Jews in Palestine, who being defirous to have fome memoirs of our Saviour's life left with them, that they might have recourfe to in the Apoftle's abfence; St. Matthew, complying with this their defire, wrote this excellent gofpel which we now have in our hands. He wrote his gofpel in the vulgar Hebrew or Syriack, as all antiquities do agree.-Eufeb. Hift. Eccl. lib. vi. Iren. lib. iii. cap. 1. Epiph. Hær. xxix. and lvii. S. Cyr. Catech. xv. And it should seem that all the Apoftles took a copy of it with them when they went to travel.-Eufeb. lib. v. cap. 10. And Athanafius fays, that the Greek tranflation we have thereof was made by Jacobus Minor bishop of Jerufalem, and our Lord's brother.-Athan. in Synop. He was a man of extraordinary abftinence, his only food being pulfe, berries, and coleworts, without any flesh, (Clem. Alex. Pæd. lib. 1. cap. 1;) by which great abftemioufnefs, when he had brought his ftomach into diforder, he was perfuaded by St. Paul to drink a little wine which he had totally abstained from before-Chryf. upon 1 Tim. v. 23. The province allotted for his preaching the gofpel, as ancient writers relate, was thiopia, (Orig. in Gen. lib. iii. Socrat. lib. i. cap. 15) from whence we do not read that he ever returned, but probably fuffered martyrdom there.

The Colle This prayer against covetoufnefs was compofed 1549. The introitus was pfalm cxvii.

nounced the hidden things of dishonefty, not walking in craftinefs, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourfelves to every man's confcience in the fight of God. But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, left the light of the glorious Gofpel of Chrift, who is the image of God, fhould fhine unto them. For we preach not ourfelves, but Christ Jefus the Lord; and ourselves your fervants for Jesus' fake. For God who commanded the light to fhine out of darkness, hath fhined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift.

The Gospel. St. Matt. ix. 9.

ND as Jefus paffed forth from thence, he faw a man, named Matthew,fitting at the receipt of custom: and he faith unto him, Follow me. And he arofe, and followed him. And it came to pafs, as Jefus fat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and finners came and fat down with him and his difciples. And when the Pharifees faw it, they faid unto his difciples, Why eateth your master with publicans and finners? But when Jefus heard that, he faid unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are fick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not facrifice: for I am come not to call the righteous, but finners to repentance.

St. Michael and all Angels.

The Collect.

Everlasting God, who haft ordained and conflituted the fervices of Angels and men in a wonderful order; Mercifully grant, that as thy holy Angels alway do Thee fervice in heaven; fo by thy appointment they may Cuftom] That is, receiving the toll or tribute due to the Romans upon fhips navigating the lake of Genefaret, on which Capernaum was fituated. St. Michael] This feftival is celebrated by the church, in thankfulness. to God for the benefits we received by the miniftry of the holy angels: and because St, Michael is recorded in fcripture as an angel of great power

fuccour and defend us on earth, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE

The Epiftle. Rev. xii. 7.

HERE was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was caft out, that old ferpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was caft out into the earth, and his angels were caft out with him. And I heard a loud voice faying in heaven, Now is come falvation, and ftrength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Chrift: for the accufer of our brethren is caft down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the fea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a fhort time.

A

The Gospel. St. Matt. xviii. 1.

T the fame time came the difciples unto Jefus, faying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jefus called a little child unto him, and fet him in the midst of them, and faid, Verily I fay unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye fhall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whofoever therefore fhall humble himself as this little child, the fame is greatest in the kingdom of the heaven. And whofo fhall receive one fuch little child in my Name, receiveth But whofo fhall offend one of thefe little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the

me.

and dignity, and as prefiding and watching over the church of God, with a particular vigilance and application, (Dan. x. 13) and triumphing over the devil, (Rev. xii. 7; Jude ix.) it therefore bears his name.

The Collect] This prayer for the protection of angels was adopted 1549, from the Sac. of Greg. The introitus was pfalm cxiii.

depth of the fea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it muft need be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and caft them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be caft into everlafting fire. And if thine eye of-fend thee, pluck it out, and caft it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be caft into hell-fire. Take heed that ye defpife not one of thefe little ones: for I fay unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

St. Luke the Evangelift.
The Collect.

LMIGHTY God, who calleft Luke the Phyfician, whose praise is in the Gofpel, to be an Evangelift and Phyfician of the foul; May it please thee, that by

St. Luke] This Evangelift wrote his gospel about seven years after his conjunction with St. Paul, whom he never left till his death. He is recorded to have written this excellent work in Achaia and Bæotia, whilft St. Paul ftaid there, which was in the year of Chrift 58.-Hier. Præf. Met. He is faid to have written his Gospel to hinder the faithful from being poifoned by the heretical relations of the Corinthians, a very early race of heretics fprung up in the church-Epith. Hær. li. He wrote his book of The Acts of the Apostles about three years after, in the fifth year of Nero, and of Chrift 61. There has been a general tradition concerning this faint, that he was not only a phyfician, but an eminent painter in his time; that he painted the Virgin Mary, (Niceph. lib. xiv. cap. 2) St. Peter and Paul, ibid. lib. ii. cap. 23; and (if we credit Metaphraftes) our Saviour himfelf.-Metap. in xviii. Octob. How St. Luke difpofed of himself after St. Paul's martyrdom at Rome, is not fo very certain: Epiphanius fays he preached in Dalmatia, in Gaul, Italy, and Macedonia.-Epiph. Hær. li. Others affirm, that when he left Rome, he returned into the East, and that from thence he went to preach in Africa, and that he converted the Thebans to the faith.-Ecum. in Lucam. That he at laft fuffered martyrdom, the best authors of antiquity allow.-Nazianz. i. Orat. in Jul. Gaudent. Tract. de. ded. Bafil. The later Greek writers relate his death with more particularities, faying, that he was crucified or nailed to the branches of an olive tree, there not being upon the place dry wood fufficient to make a crofs for him to fuffer on.-Niceph. lib. ii. cap. 42.

The Collect This prayer for spiritual health was composed in 1549. The introitus was pfalm cxxxvii.

S