a mock humility: God will not accept the work of my hands, miserable creature that I am: if He would, I am weak and can do nothing; I tremble in the very attempt. Well, does He not bid you work in fear and trembling? think you He does not know your weakness, that He cannot see your perplexity, that He seeks to disturb your reliance upon Him? For this very end it is that He says, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;" that by that work you may discover your true way, detect your hidden pride, cast away your own conceits, perceive your false confidence. He would arouse you from carelessness, awaken you from indifference. He says "work," but with fear of thy failing, that thou mayest have faith in Me: "work," but with trembling for thy success, that in Me thou mayest have confidence. As thou workest, so thou wilt see whose work it is—not thine, but Mine; not carried on by thy weakness, but in My strength. Didst thou think I had bidden thee do an impossibility, as though to mock thee in thy labour? Did sloth persuade thee to confide in Me because of thine own weakness? Is not this what I bid thee, while yet I bid thee work? Hear my words, O man! frail as thou art, weak as I know thee to be: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. FOR it is God which worketh in thee." Thus is My strength made perfect in thy weakness. I am working in thee, with thee, for thee. Where is thy boasting then? it is excluded by the law of My grace, which is sufficient for thee. Thou hadst not been willing to work My pleasure, if I had not wrought that will in thee: much less hadst thou done it if I

had not done it in thee: I it is which "work in you both to will and to do of my good pleasure.'

Is it not so, brethren in Christ? When God saw us lying under the curse to labour, yet knew our inability as infants, our unwillingness as adults, to fulfil our labour, did He not put forth His hand to help us? He saw us condemned to toil in an enemy's land, to till the ground which he had usurped. He "redeemed us from the hand of the enemy," in our baptism, taking us for His sons. Then He said, son, go work to-day in my vineyard." My beloved Son is there; He will teach thee thy work; He will help thee in thy labour; when thou art weary, He will refresh thee; when thou faintest, He will revive thee. Thus when "we had neither will nor power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God," He, by His grace in Christ, "prevented (went before) us, that we might have a good will," and continues working in us when we have that good will"."

Christian brethren! Is it our WILL to do the work of God? Perhaps in some it is not. For our will is free: God does not bind it but by our loving consent; we are free to do evil, as well as to work good, But He is willing to guide our will, if only we suffer Him: He will mould it, if we yield it to Him: Hẹ will strengthen it, if we submit it to Him. "Let there be first a willing mind." For this let us entreat Him to "stir up our wills:" thus are we in fact stirring up the gift that is in us by our baptism. In this mind let us " forth to our [spiritual] work and to our labour, until the evening" of our life—

go

7 Tenth Article.

weak in ourselves, yet strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." "The night cometh when no man can work ;" "the day is at hand" when it will be too late to work, for then the labourers will be called to " give them their hire." Now in the time of this mortal life" is the season for labour: all works of darkness we must cast away, for they are not the work of God to which we are called, nor will they profit us in the day of account. "In all [His] labour there is profit." Christian soul, dost thou desire days of joy, and peace, and truth? There shalt thou find them,-in doing His work. Learn to bear the yoke of Jesus; take it up betimes, put it on in thy youth, carry it cheerfully in thy manhood, bear it patiently in thy old age. At first, perchance, it may seem a burden, because thou art unused to it, but thy Lord will make it light. He is bearing it with thee. If thou couldest but perceive Him, would it not cheer thee? Pray Him to strengthen thy faith, that thou mayest see Him: remember it is His Advent, wherein He "came to visit us in great humility." He is about to show Himself unto thee as "the Carpenter the son of Mary," that so He may teach thee to labour, and convince thee that, having wrought Himself, He can suffer with thee in thy labour. Lift up thine eye of faith from off thy work and behold Him near thee. When thou seest Him by thee, it will ease thee of thy yoke, it will sweeten thy toil, it will lighten thy labour. Bear it all well and daily, so thou wilt learn to love it; it will bring with it its reward,-strength and peace here; strength in the heavenly food which now He gives at His altar to faithful and obedient souls,

F

peace in the vision of Himself sitting down with us at His table, where in this life He vouchsafes to feed

us.

This is God's " good pleasure," and "in His pleasure is life." Doing His pleasure we shall have peace here, joy unspeakable hereafter, amid His blest rewards in that life immortal, which He will give us when He shall come again in His glorious majesty.

SERMON V.'

ADVENT OFFERINGS.

ST. JOHN i. 42.

"He brought him to Jesus."

THIS day, my brethren, has a twofold character, and urges a double claim on our attention. For while the sounds of Advent are still ringing in our ears, while the season itself speaks to us of the "Voice of the Archangel, and the trump of God," the "great white throne," and Him that sitteth thereon; while now the thought of the Judgmentday begins to stir our hearts, we are bidden pause for a brief interval, take up the high festal strain, and, mingling our sobered services with the song of praise, rejoice with, and return thanks for, one of those whose warfare is accomplished, whose iniquity is for ever pardoned, who has received that "Crown of Life which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him." On this day, as it happens in the present year, the third of Advent, we of the Church commemorate the holy St. Andrew, the first of the glorious company of the Apostles, to know and confess the Lord.