bles and adversities, whensoever they oppress us," we may "put our whole trust and confidence in God's mercy ;"* and may realize in our own happy experience, the comfort of that promise" As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

* Prayers in the Litany.

91

SERMON V.

ADVENT SUNDAY.

ROMANS xiii. 12.

"THE NIGHT IS FAR SPENT, THE DAY IS AT HAND: LET

US THEREFORE CAST OFf the works of DARKNESS,
AND LET US PUT ON THE ARMOUR OF LIGHT."

THE recurrence of Advent Sunday has, no doubt, in the minds of most of us, been ever associated with the conviction that another of those periods into which the life of man is divided is nearly at its close, -that another year has almost passed away from us, bearing on its bosom a faithful-and God grant it be not a fearful -record, of the thoughts and actions of us all.

The Church, in her computation of time, is peculiar, and stands alone; other

calculations are made according to the progressive motion of the sun; but the ecclesiastical year is computed from the season of Advent, and by this rule are all the services of our Church regulated. The fact is at once curious and interesting, and indeed it is instructive. It was the appointment of creative wisdom that "the sun should rule the day," should guide man's calculations in this world, and rule, in point of time, the actions of man's life. But man, and the world he inhabits, and time itself, shall be no more; "the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood;"* but the soul of man is not thus perishable; and the Church, which guards and guides the best interests of that soul, and is equally imperishable with it, for "her foundations are upon the holy hills;" "the gates of hell shall never prevail against her ;"-the Church requires a period more fixed, more certain, and nearer approaching that eternity to

* Joel ii. 31.

† Matt. xvi. 18.

which she is ever pointing, than anything of earth or time could supply. She finds that period, to guide her in her services, not in the dawning of a created sun, but in the blessed advent of the Sun of Righteousness, "who arose with healing in his wings," "prepared before the face of all people a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of God's people Israel."† We are still among the living, my brethren, and in mercy are again permitted to commemorate the anniversary of this great event; let us not permit this holy season to pass us by, without the encouragement of some salutary and improving thoughts.

The yearly return of any period, at which some event of interest has happened to us, we are accustomed to celebrate with congratulations and with joy; and have we not good reason to observe this season. of Advent with deep religious thankfulness, when we know that it is the time in which our Saviour "came to visit us in *Malachi iv. 2. † Luke ii. 31, 32.

great humility," the time in which we were blessed with all our means of grace and hopes of glory. The meaning of the word Advent is "coming," and the four Sundays which precede Christmas day, are set apart by our Church that we may prepare our minds by proper religious cultivation, for a due celebration of the nativity, or birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, of his first coming in the flesh; we need no better guidance in our religious exercises at this season, than the services selected for these Sundays: a careful attention to them will show us how we may best endeavour to prepare ourselves, not only for the celebration of our Lord's first Advent, but also for the expectation of that day, when he shall come again "in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory,"* to judge both the living and the dead,—to separate the sheep from the goats, and apportion to each their due reward. The main point

* Matthew xxiv. 30.