-me end important advice, when he exhorted them to" cast off the works of darkness, and to put on the armour of light;" that they might be able to resist the fiery darts of the wicked, and be made more than conquerors through Him that loved them. It was theirs to cultivate, and pray for all those holy dispositions which arm the soul against temptation, and are, at the same time, its ornament, and most honourable decoration." It was theirs, in dependance on a Saviour's grace, and under the guiding and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit, so to walk in all becoming consistency with their profession, as that it might be seen whose they were; to abstain from all intemperance and excess; from all levity of conduct and conversation; and to put a check upon all the turbulent passions of the natural mind. In short, it was theirs to" put on the Lord Jesus Christ;" that, being justified in His righteousness, and adorned with the same mind that was in Him, they might stand complete in Him; might manifest the beauty of the Christian character; and might not be ashamed before Him at His coming. That awful Te, dearest watch unto the timely r blessed Lord E murselves, lest at overcharged with su , and cares of this come upon you unawa all it come on all them e of the whole earth. and pray always, that worthy to escape all the lcome to pass, and to star af man "" e, then, with what script rks of darkness, and let us p and may the armour of event, with the end of all things, is at hand may we, dearest Christian brethren, be sober, and watch unto prayer! May we bear in mind the timely and affectionate words of our blessed Lord Himself: "Take heed unto yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life; and so that day come upon you unawares for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." We see, then, with what scriptural propriety our venerable forefathers themselves prayed, and have taught us to pray, in the collect appointed for the first Sabbath of this interesting season: "Let us cast away the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." Who among my hearers is doing so? Which of them have received grace to perform an act so purely and exclusively the act of a child of God? Oh! may the fruits of the Spirit abound in them and may the armour of light shine brightly upon them! Set, as they are, in the midst of so many and great dangers, may they pray without ceasing, and watch thereunto with all perseverance! There is a gracious promise which it is their privilege to plead : Thy light shall break forth as the morning, and thy darkness be as the noon day." In the rich abundance of the grace, mercy, love, faithfulness, and goodness of Almighty God in His dear Son, may it be unto them, both here and to all eternity, according to His word! SERMON II. THE PROFITABLE READING OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. Preached on the Second Sunday in Advent, 1829. ROM. xv. 4. "Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning; that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope." THE collect for the second Sunday in Advent is founded upon these words. Those holy men, whom it pleased God to raise up in times of great difficulty, and to make use of for the consolation and benefit of His church in this country, were well acquainted with the sacred writings, and very sensible of their great importance. They were well aware of the advantages to be derived from a careful and diligent study of the Bible, and, therefore, were desirous that every member of the church to which they belonged, should have a practical knowledge of its contents. In the first of those discourses, called Homilies, which they composed, and left for the instruction and edification of subsequent ages, and with which, unless a person be well acquainted, he has no right to speak of his churchmanship, or to give an opinion as to what the Church of England teaches, or does not teach, they enlarge upon the subject of the holy Scriptures in the highest and most reverential terms; and most earnestly recommend them to universal study and attention. "Unto a Christian man," they say, "there can be nothing either more necessary or more profitable than the knowledge of holy Scripture; forasmuch as in it is contained God's true word, setting forth His glory, and also man's duty. There is abundantly enough both for men to eat, and children to suck. There is whatever is meet for all ages, and for all degrees and sorts of men. These books, therefore, ought to be much in our hands, in our eyes, in our ears, in our mouths, but most of all, in our hearts. |