SCRIPTURE ECHOES ❖ IN OUR ÷ CHURCH'S : COLLECTS. * Advent Sunday. FOR PREPAREDNESS FOR CHRIST'S SECOND ADVENT. Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which Thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when He shall come again in His glorious Majesty to judge both the quick and dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through Him Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Ο Amen. UR Lord's two Advents are dwelt upon in this Collect, so grand in its language, so striking in its contrasts. Our Lord came to this world. Though He was the Son of God, He came to visit us (Luke xix. 44) in great humility (Phil. ii. 5-8; 2 Cor. viii. 9); and this humility He exhibited by taking our mortal life upon Him (Rom. viii. 3; Heb. ii. 17). The object of this coming was to lift man out of darkness (Eph. iv. 18) into light (Mal. iv. 2; John viii. 12; Matt. iv. 16). And this great object He accomplished at the climax of His humiliation, when He died on the cross (Phil. ii. 8). Having done this, He ascended up on high. Such was the first Advent, with its mighty results. 9 But He will come again (John xiv. 3; Acts i. 10, II; 1 Tim. vi. 14), this time in glory (Matt. xvi. 27; xxiv. 30; xxv. 31; Luke xxi. 27), to judge the living and dead (John V. 22, 27; 2 Tim. iv. 1; Rev. XX. 11-13), and to dispel for ever all the gloom of sin (2 Pet. i. 19; Heb. ix. 28). We believe this, and looking forward to it in joyful hope, and looking back at what He accomplished when He first came, we ask God to grant that the benefits of His first Advent may be wrought in us, and that we may be prepared for the day of His second coming, which is nigh at hand (see Epistle for day, Rom. xiii. 11, 12; Rev. xxii. 12, 20), by casting off the works of darkness (Gal. v. 19-21; Eph. iv. 25, 28, 31; v. 3, 4, 11; Col. iii. 8), as a man waking out of sleep casts off the robes of night, and by putting on the garments of light, i.e., of Christ's righteousness. But we are still in a world of sin where we want something more than garments; we must have armour for the battle (Eph. vi. 11, 14-17). So that when the daylight shall actually come, we who have, by His grace, made good use of the opportunity of this mortal life (2 Cor. vi. 2; Eph. v. 16), may rise with Him to the life immortal. I'm waiting for the Coming, Of His unfailing Word. His Coming draweth nigh, And with my loins well girded, I ask Him to prepare me Before His Face to stand. I long to be all ready, And cleansed from every sin, Harriet Hobson, 1875. Second Sunday in Advent. FOR GRACE TO STUDY GOD'S WORD ARIGHT. Blessed Lord, Who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort of Thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which Thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. H OW beautiful and how needful is the teaching of this ledge (i.) That God, Who is here addressed by the unusual title of Blessed (Mark xiv. 61), has caused it to be written (2 Tim. iii. 16; 2 Pet. i. 21). (ii.) That it was all written for our learning (see Epistle for the day, Rom. xv. 4, and 1 Cor. x. 11). (iii.) In it we have a blessed hope which is given us in Jesus Christ. And this is the hope of the return of our Saviour (Tit. ii. 13), when He will bring for us the full blessings of everlasting life (Heb. ix. 28; 1 Pet. i. 5). As all these great truths which concern us so deeply are revealed in this book, we may well ask for grace-not merely to hear (Rom. x. 17; Neh. viii. 1, 2; Jas. i. 22) and read (Deut. xvii. 19; Isa. xxxiv. 16) the Scriptureswhich people may do without real profit—but also to mark (Ps. cxix. 67; Luke viii. 21; John xvii. 6), learn (Ps. cxix. 11, 16; Deut. vi. 6; xi. 18), and inwardly digest them (Ps. cxix. 103, 111; Jer. xv. 16; Ezek. iii. 1–3; Matt. iv. 4); that is, to understand and really feed on God's Word, which is the true end of our reading. We long, as God's children, thus to be able to study God's Word, so that by patiently waiting God's time (2 Thess. iii. 5; Jas. v. 7, 8), and by receiving comfort from that study, we may embrace and never let go (Gen. xxxii. 26) our blessed Advent hope, which the world may scoff at (2 Pet. iii. 4), but which we hold fast as one that is sure and certain (2 Pet. iii. 9, 12, 14). To those who love Thee, gracious Lord! A guide to all who, travelling here, O gracious Saviour! God of love, To read, to mark, to learn Thy will, And till in glory Thou dost come Doing Thy will, till that great day When from this earth we're called away To dwell, O Lord! with Thee. Isbell. Third Sunday in Advent. FOR A BLESSING ON GOD'S MINISTERS. O Lord Jesu Christ, Who at Thy first coming didst send Thy messenger to prepare Thy way before Thee; grant that the ministers and stewards of Thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready Thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at Thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in Thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. ΤΗ HIS is one of the latest in date of the Collects, but right well have the compilers harmonized it with the last; there, we dwelt upon one means of preparation for Christ's coming-the study of His Word; here, we think of another-the work of His ministers. This prayer, together with those for St. Stephen's Day and First in Lent, is addressed to our Lord Himself (see Acts vii. 59, 60; ix. 5, 6, 17; 1 Cor. i. 2), and in it we refer once again to His two Advents. John the Baptist was the messenger sent to prepare the way for the first (Mal. iv. 5; Matt. xi. 10). This he did by telling the people of their sins (Matt. iii. 2), and by pointing them to Jesus Christ as their Saviour (John i. 22, 23, 29, 36), and by putting Christ forward and himself behind on all occasions (John iii. 28, 30, 31). The ministers of the Gospel are in like manner to prepare the way for the second by making JESUS CHRIST the topic of their preaching (2 Cor. iv. 5). They are called here ministers (1 Cor. iii. 5; iv. 1), literally, in the Latin, rowers in a galley who take their time from their captain (how suggestive an expression !); and also stewards of God's mysteries (Rom. xvi. 25, 26; Eph. i. 9, 10; Col. i. 26–28). God has seen fit to reveal to mankind the great truths of |