king infallible, the anchor of all your hope, the refuge in all your necessity, your own mighty God, your omnipotent friend and Father, your victorious Prince of peace? And behold a Holy Spirit revealed in the Scriptures, who helps and teaches those for whom the Saviour thus atones. Behold him the strongest consolation in trouble, the chief confidence in prayer, the great hold in temptation, the mighty assurance unto the end. And does it not beget patience in adversity and comfort in affliction, to find the good evidence which is found in Scripture of the personality of Him of whom come these heavenly gifts? "I the Lord have called thee in righteousness; I will hold thine hand; I will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house'." "Turn ye to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope2." Lastly, all the things written aforetime having been written for our learning, we shall find it to be our duty as believers, to fulfil the divine intent herein, and read them daily. If we have the inclination to comply with the will of God, we shall not be without the desire to know it perfectly, to comprehend it fully, and to apply it practically; and as we do this, so shall we most certainly be either wise or foolish, careful or heedless, zealous or perverse, in the things that concern our salvation. Be it also remembered, that we cannot have the excuse of ignorance, if we are within reach of the Scriptures; that we cannot be beyond their reach, if we possess them; that none of us ought to be without them, if they may be purchased at a small cost. Let us then read a portion of the Old or New Testament daily. Let us begin, if we have not begun already, to do this immediately. And if we have begun already, let us continue the work begun, for we surely have found it profitable. And let us read methodically, read regularly, read above all, with prayer. And he who inspired the Scriptures, and inspired them for our learning, he who imparts to them all their interest, and invites us to search them diligently, will imprint them indelibly on our souls, and "fulfil the good pleasure of his goodness therein, and the work of faith with power*." 1 Isai. xLii., 6, 7. 2 Zech. ix., 12. 3 A Bible may be obtained at any Christian Knowledge Depository for 1s. 6d. ; a Testament for 6d. ; and a Prayer Book for 6d. * 2 Thess. i., 11. THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. THE EPISTLE. 1 Cor. iv., 1 to 5. LET a man so account of us, as 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self, 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. It is justly due to the ministers of our Apostolical Church, that they should be accounted as ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. They derive their commission through the Bishops that ordained them, through the Bishops of preceding ages, and finally through the Apostles, from Christ himself. Hence none can establish so high a claim to the ministerial office; none can be held to be so "truly called, sent, and chosen'!" Greatly should they be revered and honoured by their people for their Master's and for their work's sake; for their Master is the Holy Saviour, and their work the salvation of souls. And yet it too often happens that in discharging their duties as servants of Christ, they are called to account by their people. They are thought to speak too boldly, too plainlythey are "judged of man's judgment." They are reproved for their reproof of sin. But this the Apostle strongly deprecates; and his admonition should not be unheeded. He tells us that a steward of the mysteries of God, that is, of his counsels and purposes once secret but now revealed, is to all intents and purposes a steward, and answerable to none but his Master. "It is a very small thing," says he, "that I should be judged of you or of man's judgment." A steward, that is, a man entrusted with the care, management, and distribution of his master's property, is accountable to his own master alone. And a steward of the mysteries of God is placed, as a steward, in the same position. It is required in all, but especially in such stewards, that a man be found faithful; and “he that judgeth them is the Lord." Since, then, the present is not the time, nor man the authority, to pass judgment upon the ministers of Christ, be it the aim of all members of their congregations to "take in good part their godly admonitions," and ever to respect 1 Art. xxiii. their office; and instead of deeming them worthy of blame for a faithful publication of the truth, thank them unceasingly for their zeal and diligence, and make better preparation in future for that fearful day of the Lord, which shall reveal faithfulness and unfaithfulness both in ministers and hearers, "bring to light all hidden things of darkness,” make manifest the counsels of all hearts, and cause every man really faithful to have "praise of God." Our services, as well as our ministers, are now reminding us of the approaching festival of Christ's Nativity, and of his second coming. Let not these seasonable warnings be altogether lost upon us, as though we were deaf, asleep, or inanimate, but let them receive, as they respectively occur, our promptest attention. The Epistle for the day shows us, in the first place, that the ministers set over us, are the ministers of him, whose nativity we shall presently celebrate. And who was he? Not a mere man, like ourselves; not an ordinary prophet, wise man, or scribe under the Jewish dispensation; not a worldly wise. philosopher or uninspired legislator; but Christ, the Son of God; even God in the form of man. The Epistle shows us, further, the nature of the ministerial office, describing it as a stewardship or office of trust under Christ, and giving us to understand, that it must, as such, involve great responsibility and most diligent service. The Epistle shows us once more, that the ministerial office, thus full of responsibility and constraining in obligation, concerns the destinies of man, and in its discharge encounters opposition. And the Epistle shows us finally, that the advent of Christ, the stewardship of his mysteries, and the destinies of man, as here set forth, all severally point to a final day of account, when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, and the issues of all destinies decided. How should this doctrine affect the ministers of Christ, and to what results, both in preaching and living, should it lead? It should gender great watchfulness. Prayer for increased stedfastness, habitual diligence, unwearied perseverance, should be the minister's frequent resort and main dependance. Knowledge should be acquired by study -self-examination should be frequent and unsparing-personal frailties should be searched out-faith should be ascertainedgrowth in grace should be the constant object of hope, exertion, and anxiety. And why should the minister of Christ be thus personally watchful? Because he is the minister of Christ, and unless he sufficiently shows forth the power of the Gospel in his life, he cannot sufficiently exhibit it in his preaching. And how should the responsibilities of ministers affect their preaching? Assured that they are responsible to a merciful but just Master; remembering that they are accountable for all the souls committed to them, and that for their fidelity, as stewards of that sacred trust, they must render an account in the day of judgment, they must take great heed unto their doctrine. They must preach the cross of Christ, and proclaim the fall of man. They must encourage the penitent to fulfil his repentance, and declare that "the wages of sin is death'." They must point out the power of divine grace, the wiles of the devil, the rule of duty, the damnation of unbelievers. Nothing must be kept back; every thing must be made manifest. No class must be exempted from blame; no condition shut out from mercy. No time, no place, must be deemed unseasonable for these ministrations. By the way and in the house, as well as in the sanctuary and on the Sabbath, must words be spoken whereby we may be saved; words which must be heeded, for they are spoken with authority, even with authority given of God, and which man can neither give nor take away. Ministers may very possibly be poor, unknown, uninfluential, and even destitute of acuteness, worldly wisdom, and many outward qualifications, as compared with some of their people; but they have a commission not of this world, which places them far above any of them, yea above kings and princes, even the commission of "ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." Finally, does it seem irrelevant or inappropriate, that we who are not of the ministry, should understand its origin, nature, duties, obligations? Not at all, when the relative position in which we stand to it is considered; when it is considered, that we are the people to whom Christ's ministers are sent; that over us they are set, among us they minister, and for our souls they are accountable. How often is a minister set at nought, lightly esteemed, never heeded, never heard, disobeyed! How often is he even blamed for openly denouncing sin, boldly rebuking vice, freely speaking the truth, plainly delivering the message of his heavenly Master! These, then, are good reasons for making ourselves acquainted with the office and duty of a minister of Christ; an office and duty appertaining unto us, and imposing upon us manifold obligations in return. Gratitude is the least 1 Rom. vi., 23. return we can make for a care of us, love of us, solicitude for us thus unbounded; for so immense a responsibility incurred, so unceasing a diligence evinced in our behalf. And oh, may we ever give heed to the ministry of our ministers, which will be the best return we can make them. And may we ever be led, by a merciful dispensation of the grace of God, to think well of them as ministers sent by him; to make allowance for their human infirmity; to reverence their office; never to blame them, slander them, thwart them; willingly to cooperate with them; greatly to love them; always to pray for them; readily to defend them; and most sincerely to desire their success. And is there not a day coming, when we shall greatly wish to have done all this, if we have not done it now? Oh yes, that day is indeed coming, yea, must speedily come, when every thing will be made manifest. The faithfulness or unfaithfulness of the minister; the obedience or disobedience of the people; the ministrations made effectual or ineffectual; the opportunities taken or not taken; the means of grace used or abused; all in that great day of Christ's second advent will be made manifest; and he alone who has been really faithful "will have praise of God." THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. THE EPISTLE. 4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men: The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and suppli cation, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. There is no feature in the Gospel that so completely falls in with our wishes, adapts itself to our necessities, gains a hold on our affections, enlists our sympathies on its side, as its tendency to disperse all the mists and clouds of trouble. Without the Gospel, and without its great subject and author, man is ever in a state of doubt, fear, solicitude, disquietude. Trouble, his strongest enemy and most inveterate tormentor, is the parent of all his discomforts, and in its thousand shapes and forms, hems him in on every side. There is trouble from the cradle to the grave; trouble in every class and condition; trouble wherever there is life; trouble in mind as well as in body; trouble often springing up in joy. It was thus before the Gospel came, |