II. EPISTLE, Isaiah 49. 5, 6.
The Coming of the Lord.

AND now saith Jehovah that formed me

from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and that Israel be gathered unto him (for I am honorable in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God is become my strength); yea, he saith, It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

II. GOSPEL, Luke 1. 39-45.

Mary and Elisabeth.

AND Mary arose in these days and went

into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth.

And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said,

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me? For behold, when the voice of thy salutation came into mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfilment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord.

III. EPISTLE, Jeremiah 33. 14-16. The Branch of Righteousness. EHOLD, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the

BE

house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah.

In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name whereby she shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness.

A

III. GOSPEL, Luke 1. 46-55.

The Song of Mary.

ND Mary said,

My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaid:

For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;

And holy is his name.

And his mercy is unto generations and generations

On them that fear him.

He hath showed strength with his arm;

He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.

He hath put down princes from their thrones,

And hath exalted them of low degree. The hungry he hath filled with good things;

And the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath given help to Israel his servant,

That he might remember mercy (As he spake unto our fathers) Toward Abraham and his seed for ever.

THE BAPTIST.

Collect. Almighty God, who didst send Thy chosen servant, John the Baptist, that he through his preaching and baptism should prepare the way for Tny Son, Jesus Christ: grant us Thy grace that we according to his word may amend our sinful lives, and steadfastly follow Him of whom John bare witness; through Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN.

I. EPISTLE, Isaiah 40. 1-8.
The Herald Preaching Comfort.

COMFORT ye, comfort ye my people,

'saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her

warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.

The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain: and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.

The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the

flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever.

I. GOSPEL, Luke 1. 57-80.

The Birth of John the Baptist.

Now Elisabeth's time was fulfilled that

she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her; and they rejoiced with her.

And it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.

And they made signs to his father, what he would have him called. And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, blessing God.

And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judæa. And all that heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, What then shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people,

And hath raised up a horn of salvation
for us

In the house of his servant David
(As he spake by the mouth of his holy
prophets that have been from of old),
Salvation from our enemies, and from
the hand of all that hate us;
To show mercy towards our fathers,
And to remember his holy covenant;
The oath which he sware unto Abra-
ham our father,

To grant unto us that we being de-
livered out of the hand of our ene-
mies

Should serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before

him all our days.

Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High:

For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways;

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people

In the remission of their sins,
Because of the tender mercy of our
God,

Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us,

To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death;

To guide our feet into the way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.

II. EPISTLE, Acts 17. 22-31.

God the Creator and Lord of All Things. ND Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said,

AND

Ye men of Athens, in all things I perceive that ye are very religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, To AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore ye worship in ignorance, this I set forth unto you. The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man. The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commanded men that they should all everywhere repent: inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

II. GOSPEL, Luke 1. 5-25. The Message of the Angel to Zacharias. was in the days of Herod, king THERE of Judæa, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all

the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in

years.

Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn unto the Lord their God. And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.

And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to bring thee these good tidings. And behold, thou shalt be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou believedst not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marvelled while he tarried in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: and he continued making signs unto them, and remained dumb.

And it came to pass, when the days of his ministration were fulfilled, he departed unto his house.

And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord done unto me in the days wherein he looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men.

He will not always chide;

Neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins,

Nor rewarded us after our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth,

So great is his lovingkindness toward them that fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Like as a father pitieth his children,
So Jehovah pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our frame;

He remembereth that we are dust.
As for man, his days are as grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flour-
isheth.

For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;

And the place thereof shall know it no

more.

But the lovingkindness of Jehovah is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him,

And his righteousness unto children's children;

To such as keep his covenant, And to those that remember his precepts to do them.

AND

III. GOSPEL, Mark 6. 14-29. The Death of John the Baptist. ND king Herod heard thereof; for his name had become known: and he said, John the Baptizer is risen from the dead, and therefore do these powers work in him. But others said, It is Elijah. And others said, It is a prophet, even as one of the prophets. But Herod, when

he heard thereof, said, John, whom I beheaded, he is risen.

For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. For John said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. And Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him; and she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was much perplexed; and he heard him gladly.

And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a sup

per to his lords, and the high captains, and the chief men of Galilee; and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and them that sat at meat with him; and the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went out, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptizer. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou

forthwith give me on a platter the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat at meat, he would not reject her.

And straightway the king sent forth a soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring his head: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the damsel; and the damsel gave it to her mother.

And when his disciples heard thereof, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

Collect. O God, who in Thy divine wisdom hast sent Thy holy angels to serve them that shall inherit salvation: grant us grace, O heavenly Father, to resist the enemy of our souls and by Thy help to gain the victory over all evil; through Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN.

I. EPISTLE, Revelation 12. 7-12. Michael Contending against the Dragon. ND there was war in heaven: Michael

AND

and his angels going forth to war with the dragons; and the dragon warred and his angels; and they prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying,

Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.

I. GOSPEL, Matthew 18. 1-10. The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. IN that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me: but whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea.

Woe unto the world because of occasions of stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions come; but woe to that man through whom the occasion cometh!

And if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.

And if thine eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire.

See that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.

II. EPISTLE, Psalm 113. 1-7.

No One Like unto God.

PRAISE ye Jehovah,

Praise, O ye servants of Jehovah, Praise the name of Jehovah. Blessed be the name of Jehovah

From this time forth and for evermore.

From the rising of the sun unto the

going down of the same
Jehovah's name is to be praised.
Jehovah is high above all nations,
And his glory above the heavens.
Who is like unto Jehovah our God,
That hath his seat on high,
That humbleth himself to behold

The things that are in heaven and in the earth?

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, And lifteth up the needy from the dunghill.

AN

II. GOSPEL, Mark 10. 13-16.

Jesus and the Children.

ND they were bringing unto him little children, that he should touch them: and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with indignation, and said unto them,

Suffer the little children to come unto me; forbid them not: for to such belongeth the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein. And he took them in his arms, and

reached to heaven; and, behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Jehovah is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

them.

But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were moved with indignation, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these are saying?

And Jesus saith unto them, Yea: did ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

And he left them, and went forth out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there.

given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.

And I heard the number of them that were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel.

After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in