" trench about thee, and compass " (1) thee round, and keep thee " in on every side, 44. and shall " lay thee even with the ground, " and thy children within thee; " and they shall not leave in thee "one stone (m) upon another; "because thou knewest not the " time of thy visitation." 45. And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46. saying unto them, "It is " written, "My house is the house " of prayer:" but ye have made "it a den of thieves." 47. And he taught (n) daily in the temple.

(i) v. 42. "If, &c." A mode of expressing an earnest wish, "O that thou "hadst." When Moses made his anxious prayer to God, to forgive the Israelites for their sin in making the golden calf, his expression was, "Yet now, if thou wilt, for"give their sin; and if not, blot me, I "pray thee, out of thy book. Exod. "xxxii. 31."

(k) " Thy day," i. e. " the time of thy " trial or visitation." In Ps. cxxxvii. 7. the time when Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonians, is called " the day of Jerusa" lem." See ante, 32. note on Luke xxi. 25.

(1) v. 43. "Compass, &c." This was literally fulfilled: Titus surrounded the city with a wall 39 furlongs in length, and strengthened it with 13 forts, so that no persons could escape from the city, nor could any provision be carried in. The Christians had before had the opportunity of escaping, and had done so. See ante, 76. note (t) on Matt. xxiv. 31.

(m) v. 44. "One stone, &c." This, though a figurative expression, was literally fulfilled. The Jewish writer, Josephus, has given a full account of the

Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

O GOD, who declarest thy Almighty power most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle. 1 Cor. xv. 1.

BRETHREN, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand: 2. by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (0); 4. and that he was

destruction of Jerusalem, according to which every thing foretold by our Saviour, in Matthew xxiv. Mark xiii. and Luke xix. and xxi. was fully verified. Each of these gospels was promulgated many years before the event. The exact completion of our Saviour's predictions, was a strong proof of the truth of his religion, calculated to confirm the faith of those who had embraced it, and to bring over those who were examining its pretensions; and as these predictions were reduced into writing, and publicly circulated years before the event which completed them occurred, it could not be objected to them, (as it might, had they rested in memory only,) that they were made to correspond with the events after they had happened.

some

(n) v. 47. "Taught, &c." This fulfilled the prophecies in Hagg. ii. 7.9. See ante, 121. note on Luke xxii. 53. and Mal. iii. 1. ante, 69.

(0) v. 3. " According to the Scriptures." Is. liii. and see ante, 143. note on Luke xxiv. 46.

buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (p): 5. and that he was seen of Cephas (q), then of the twelve: 6. after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain (r) unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7. After that, he was seen of (s) James; then of all (t) the Apostles. 8. And last of all he was seen of (u) me also, as of one born out of due time. 9. For I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I (x), but the grace of God which was with me. 11. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

The Gospel. Luke xviii. 9. (y) JESUS spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous,

(p) v. 4. "According to the Scriptures." See ante, 137. note on John xx. 9.

(q) v. 5. "Cephas," i. e. "St. Peter." Our Lord gave him the name of Cephas when first he saw him, John i. 42.-One appearance to St. Peter, the day of the resurrection, is mentioned, Luke xxiv. 34. "They found the eleven gathered toge"ther, and them that were with them, "saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and "hath appeared to Simon;" another in Galilee, at the sea of Tiberias, is detailed in John xxi. 1 to 25.

(r) v. 6. "Unto this present." So that this epistle was written, whilst many who had seen our Saviour at his resurrection continued alive.

(s) v. 7. "James;" who (probably) was with Cleophas at Emmaus. See Luke xxiv. 13. &c. ante, 139.

and despised others: 10. "Two " men went up into the temple to

66

pray; the one a Pharisee, and "the other a publican. 11. The " Pharisee stood and prayed thus " with himself: God, I thank thee "that I am not as other men are "(z), extortioners, unjust, adul" terers, or even as this publican: "12. I fast twice in the week, I " give tithes of all that I possess." "13. And the publican, standing "afar off, would not lift up so "much as his eyes unto heaven, " but smote upon his breast, say" ing, "God be merciful to me

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us

(t) See Luke xxiv. 36. ante, 142. (u) v. 8. " Of me." After the ascension, at St. Paul's conversion. See Acts ix. 1 to 20. ante, 65, 66.

(x) v. 10. "Not I, &c." Throwing the merit from himself upon God's gracious interposition.

(y) See ante, 169. note on Acts x. 43. and ante, 183. note on Luke vi. 37.

(z) v. 11. " As other men are, &c." Referring to a false standard. The true test is, not whether we are better than others, but whether we are as good as God has required us to be? If we are not, we have sinned, and it is no excuse for us that others have sinned more. ante, 183. note on Luke vi. 37.

See

(a) v. 14. " Justified." In a condition to be treated by God's mercy as just, with his sins forgiven, cleared, absolved.

the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid; and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle. 2 Cor. iii. 4.

SUCH trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5. not that we are sufficient of ourselves to (b) think any thing, as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6. who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament (c); not of the letter (d), but of the Spirit; for the letter killeth (e), but the Spirit giveth life. 7. But if the ministration of (g) death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face (h) of Moses for the glory of his countenance; (which glory was to be done away;) 8. how shall not the ministration

of the Spirit be rather glorious? 9. For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of (i) righteousness exceed in glory.

The Gospel. Mark vii. 31.

JESUS departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 23. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34. and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, " Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." 35. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more

Deut. xi. 26. 28.; and Deut. xxviii. 1 to 68.

(g) v. 7. "The ministration of death," i. e. "the Mosaic law;" called in verse 9. "the ministration of condemnation," in opposition to what is called in verse 8. "the ministration of the Spirit;" and in verse 9. "the ministration of righteous"ness," viz. the religion of Christ, the Christian dispensation.

(h) " Behold the face, &c." This alludes to what occurred when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables, after he had been forty days and forty nights receiving the law from God: "Be"hold, the skin of his face shone; and "Aaron and the children of Israel were "afraid to come nigh him: and he put a " veil on his face, till he had done speaking "with them. Exod. xxxiv. 29 to 35."

(i) v. 9. "Of righteousness," because it treats its followers as if they had never sinned; as if they were righteous.

he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; 37. and were beyond measure astonished, saying, "He hath done "all things well: he maketh both "the deaf to hear, and the dumb " to speak."

Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity.
The Collect.

ALMIGHTY and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service; Grant, we beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that we fail not finally to attain

(k) The better to understand this short portion of Scripture, it is necessary to see what precedes it, and to attend to the drift of St. Paul's argument. He is endeavouring to convince the Galatian converts, that it is unnecessary for them to observe the Mosaic ordinances; he therefore reminds them that it was through faith, (i. e. belief in Christ,) and not from any observance of those ordinances, that they received the Holy Ghost. He notices that it was to Abraham, long before the Mosaic law, that the promise was made; that it was made to him as a reward of faith, and that that law had nothing in its nature which could procure that absolution from sin which faith in Christ would; and he lays it down as an axiom, that a promise or covenant once confirmed cannot be annulled, and then he proceeds with this passage. The argument is this-as God had made the promise to Abraham 430 years before the law was given, the giving of the law could not abridge or qualify that promise-that in truth it was given, not with a view to any such abridgement or qualification, but was an additional bargain between God and the Israelites, to prepare the Israelites at least for the coming of the Messiah, and was intended to operate only till his coming, and to be, as he expresses it in v. 24. "a schoolmaster to bring them "unto Christ." It was not binding upon the Gentile converts, and there was no reason they should adopt it. See a good explanation of this passage, 1. Towns. lxix.

thy heavenly promises, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

He

The Epistle. Gal. iii. 16. (4) To Abraham and his seed were the promises (1) made. saith not (m), "And to seeds," as of many; but as of one, " And to "thy seed," which is Christ (n). 17. And this I say, That the covenant (o) that was confirmed before of God in (p) Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise (q) of none effect. 18. For if the in

heritance (r) be of the law (s),

(1) τ. 16. "Promises." One promise occurs in Gen. xii. 3. " In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed:" and another, Gen. xxii. 18. " In thy" (i. e. "Abraham's) seed shall all the nations of "the earth be blessed." St. Paul recites the former of these promises, in ver. 8. of this chapter..

(m) "He saith not," i. e. " it is not said." (n) "Which is Christ." So that Christ, and Christ only, is that seed in whom the nations shall be blessed, and it is upon all his people, without distinction, upon the whole Christian church, that this blessedness shall come.

"the

(ο) υ. 17. "The covenant," i. e. "first promise to Abraham and his seed," which was made 430 years before the law was delivered to Moses. The promise in Gen. xii. was made about 1920 years before the time of Christ. The law was delivered to Moses about 1490 years before that æra: so that the interval between the promise and the giving of the law was just

430 years.

(p) "In Christ," i. e." with reference to “ him,” εἰς Χρισὸν. "In Christ" is omitted in the King's MSS.

"the

(g) "The promise," what is called in the beginning of the verse, "the covenant." (r) v. 18. " Inheritance," i. e. "right of partaking of the blessedness " mentioned in the promises."

(s) " Of the law, &c." i. e. " if it be "confined to those who observe the Mo"saic institutions, it is no longer referable