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for our transgressions by thy late heavy and dreadful visitation and now in the midst of judgement remembering mercy, hast redeemed our souls from the jaws of death; We offer unto thy fatherly goodness ourselves, our souls and bodies, which thou hast delivered, to be a living sacrifice unto thee, always praising and magnifying thy mercies in the midst of thy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The First Sunday in Advent.

The Collect.

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

(a) "Owe," &c. i.e. "have no debts or "propensities, but those of benevolence." It is one of the great characteristics of Christianity, that it ma makes general benevolence, and whatever has a tendency that way, a most important duty. When a lawyer asked our Saviour, which was the great commandment in the law, and our Saviour answered, "thou shalt love " the Lord thy God with all thy heart, " and with all thy soul, and with all thy " mind, this is the first and great com" mandment;" he immediately added, " and the second is like unto it, thou " shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." See Matt. xxiii. 36. See also Luke x. 25. In John xiii. 34. our Saviour, just before he was betrayed, says, " a new command"ment I give unto you, that ye love one " another, as I have loved you, that ye " also love one another. By this shall "all men know, that ye are my disciples, " if ye have love one to another." St. Paul says, Gal. v. 14. "all the law is " fulfilled in one word, even in this, " thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy" self;" and in his famous eulogium upon charity, or general benevolence, he says,

" though I have the gift of prophecy " and understand all mysteries, and all "knowledge, and though I have all "faith, so that I could remove moun"tains, and have no charity, I am no"thing: and though I bestow all my "goods to feed the poor, and though I

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give my body to be burned, and have " not charity, it profiteth me nothing." St. James says, " if ye fulfil the royal law "according to the scripture, thou shalt " love thy neighbour as thyself." St. John dwells very much upon this essential duty. "He that saith he is in the light; " and hateth his brother, is in dark"ness even until now." 1 John ii. 9. Again, "He that loveth not his brother, "abideth in death." 1 John iii. 14. So, " Let us not love in word, neither " in tongue, but in deed and truth; " and hereby we know that we are " of the truth; and shall assure our "hearts before him." 1 John iii. 18. Again, I John iv. 7, 8. " Beloved, let " us love one another, for love is of "God, and every one that loveth is " born of God, and knoweth God: he " that loveth not, knoweth not God."

4.11.

So in verse 12. "If we love one another, "God dwelleth in us, and his love is per"fected in us." And in v. 20. "If a " man say I love God, and hateth his " brother, he is a liar;" that is, the thing is impossible, for the only way in which we can love God, is by keeping his commandments, and "this command"ment have we from him, that he who "loveth God, love his brother also." 1 John iv. 21. Many other passages there are which inculcate the duty of benevolence, and it would be well for every one who is indignant for an injury he has received, or feels any emotion of tancour or ill-will, to search them out, and lay them to heart.

(b) "Salvation," i. e. The great change they were to experience for the better at the time so often alluded to by the expressions, "the day of the Lord," " the " coming of the Lord," &c." The first converts to Christianity underwent great trials. The prophets Zechariah and Malachi had intimated that they would. The former, Zech.xiii. 9. says, "I" (that is, the Lord) "will bring the third part" (meaning those who should not be cut of for their disbelief) through the "fire, and will refine them as silver is

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refined, and will try them as gold " is tried." And Malachi iii. 2. says of the Messiah, " who may abide the "day of his coming, and who shall " stand when he appeareth-for he is "like a refiner's fire, and like ful"ler's sope: and he shall sit as a re" finer and purifier of silver, and he "shall purify the Sons of Levi, and

purge them as gold and silver." Our Saviour also apprized the apostles and his other disciples, that "they should "be bated of all men for his Name's "sake," Matt. x. 22. and xxiii. 9. "that they should be delivered up to the councils, and scourged in the synagogues," Matt. x. 17. "that the bro"ther should deliver up the brother to

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"death, and the father the child," &c. Matt. x. 21.; and it is obvious from the Epistles in the New Testament, that they were severely persecuted. St. Paul enumerates what be had gone through, 2 Cor.xi. 24, 25. " of the Jews five times " received I forty stripes save one, thrice "was I beaten with rods, once was I " stoned," &c. St. Stephen was stoned to death, Acts vii. 59, 60. "Herod killed "James, the brother of John, with the " sword," Acts xii. 1, 2, 3. St. Paul, before his conversion, made havock of the church, Acts viii. 3. and xxvi. 10. St. Paul, in 2 Thess. i. 4. speaks of "their Patience and Faith in all their " persecutions and tribulations which "they endured;" and St. Peter, I Pet. iv. 12. speaks of their persecutions and afflictions as "the fiery trial, which " was to try them." One of the great arguments to inspire them with fortitude and resolution was this, that at the period referred to by the coming of the Lord, they should experience a signal deliverance. Our Saviour had expressly promised them, that "he who should endure to the end should be saved," Matt. x. 22. and xxiii. 13. and that the prospect of this event might not be too remote, he assured his apostles, Matt. x. 23. that "they should not have

gone through the cities of Israel till "the Son of Man should be come;" and after his famous prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, &c. in Matt. xxiv. 34. he tells them, that " that generation " should not pass, till all those things " were fulfilled;" thereby intimating that they should occur before the persons then living should all be dead. The same intimation occurs in Luke xxi. 32. post 30. See also John xxi. 22. This topic wasaccordingly pressed upon the converts with great force by the authors of the Epistles. In Philipp. i. 6. St. Paul expresses his confidence, that "he who had

begun a good work in the converts at "Philippi, would perform it until the day

nearer than when we (c) believed. 12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us 13. put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

14. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

" of Jesus Christ," as if the period would arrive in their time; and in Philipp. iv. 5. he says, "The Lord is at hand." The author to the Epistle to the Hebrews presses them to hold fast the profession of their faith, without wavering, &c. &c. " and so much the more as ye see the day " approaching," Hebr. x. 25. St. Paul charges Timothy to keep a particular commandment without spot, " until the

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appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ," as if he fully expected it in Timothy's time, I Tim. vi. 14. In Tit. ii. 11 to 14. St. Paul says, "The grace of "God that bringeth salvation hath ap"peared to all men, teaching us, that " denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, " we should live soberly, righteously, " and godly in this present world, look" ing for that blessed hope, and the glorious " appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself " for us, that he might redeem us from "all iniquity, and purify unto himself " a peculiar people, zealous of good "works." St. James advises the brethren to " be patient, unto the coming of "the Lord:" " to stablish their hearts, " for the coming of the Lord draweth " nigh :" "not to grudge one ano"ther, lest they should be condemned; " for behold the Judge standeth before "the door," James v. 7, 8, 9. St. Peter speaks of the afflictions the converts had undergone, "that the trial of their " faith might be found unto praise, " and honour, and glory, at the appear"ing of Jesus Christ," 1 Peter i. 7. Lastly, St. John says, 1 John ii. 28. "And now little children, abide in him, " that when he shall appear, we may have " confidence, and not be ashamed before

" him at his coming." Many other passages might be added, but it is sufficient to adduce these. They have all a strong tendency to shew, that the prophecies recorded in St. Matthew were well known to the disciples before the destruction of Jerusalem, and that the Epistles were written before that event. The prospect of a most extraordinary judgment from God upon the unbelievers, and of signal deliverance to those who embraced and held fast the faith, was admirably calculated to inspire the converts with courage and perseverance, and was therefore a topic likely to be brought forward by the disciples whilst that prospect continued. After the event it would have been absurd. Jerusalem was destroyed in the year of our Lord 70; the Epistle to the Romans is supposed to have been written about A.D.58; that to the Philipp. A.D. 59; the 1st to Timothy A.D. 64; that to the Hebrews A. D. 63; St. James's A. D. 61; the 1st of St. Peter A. D. 64; and the 1st of St. John, A. D. 69. It is asserted that no Christian perished at the siege of Jerusalem, 2 Newton's Prophecies, 154, 160.5 Watson's Tracts, 134.; and the immense slaughter among their inveterate enemies the Jews, would of course tend greatly to relieve them from persecution. It is observable, that "the day," the day of the Lord, "the coming or appearing of " the Lord," are spoken of as things of which the converts were before apprized. There is no explanation what is meant, as would probably have been the case, had not the meaning been fully understood.

(c) " Believed," i. e. "first believed." .

" need of them;" and straight* way he will send them." All his was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the : prophet, saying, " (d) Tell ye the " daughter of Sion, Behold, thy " King cometh unto thee, meek, " and sitting upon an ass, and a 6. " colt the foal of an ass." And the disciples went, and did as 7. Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their

I garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, " Hosannah to the Son " of David! Blessed is he that " cometh in the Name of the

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"est!" And when he was come 10. into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" 11. And the multitude said, " is Jesus, the prophet of Naza"reth of Galilee." And Jesus 12. went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and said unto them, "It is written, “My (e) 13. "house shall be called the house " of prayer; but ye have made "it a den of thieves."

Second Sunday in Advent.

The Collect.

BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we

5. (d) "Tell," &c. This prophecy is in Zech. ix. 9. The passage is, "Rejoice "greatly, O daughter of Zion: Shout "O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold thy "King cometh unto thee; he is just, " and having salvation: lowly, and rid

ing upon an ass, and upon a colt the "foal of an ass: and I will cut off the "chariot from Ephraim, and the horse "from Jerusalem, and the battle bow "shall be cut off: and he shall speak

peace unto the heathen," &c. This was calculated to shew that his was not to be a kingdom of worldly pomp or grandeur.

1.13. (c) "My house." Is. lvi. 7. God says, "My house shall be made a house of

prophecy, Hagg. ii. 7. be considered as fulfilled: "the desire desire of of all nations" (i.e. the Messiah) "shall come, and I will fill " this house with glory, saith the Lord "of Hosts. The silver is mine, and the "gold is mine, saith the Lord of Hosts. "The glory of this latter house shall be

greater than of the former, saith the " Lord of Hosts, and in this place will " I give peace, saith the Lord of Hosts." This prophecy was delivered after the temple built by Solomon had been de. stroyed, and whilst the building of the second temple (after the return from the Babylonish captivity) was going forward. This second temple was greatly inferior to the first in splendour and magnificence; and it was only in having the presence of the Messiah, and being the scene of part of his miracles, and the school of his teaching, that its glory surpassed, or was at all equal to, that of the former. The expressions, "The silver " is mine," &c. were perhaps intended to intimate that the glory was not to be of that kind. Bishop Chandler has commented ably upon this prophecy. Chandler's Defence of Christianity, 86 to 101.