pray with the understanding," and shall be enabled better to co-operate with the design of the Church, in appointing them. We shall offer up no unmeaning petition, but shall apply ourselves, in well-directed endeavours to discipline our hearts, and frame our conduct according to the tenor of the petitions which we utter.

The Collect for the First Sunday in Advent will be the principal subject of this day's discourse.

A

This Collect opens with a petition for Grace; and the purpose for which we especially implore that grace, is expressed in the very language of St. Paul in the text—which I have selected from the epistle appointed for the day. That purpose is, that "we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light." Thus, and for this purpose, we begin the season of Advent by asking for God's Grace.

By referring to the epistle, we may perceive, that the Collect supplies something, which the Apostle has omitted to express; though there cannot be the slightest doubt, that of course he considered it as necessarily "let us therefore cast

understood.

He

says

1 Cor. xiv. 15.

off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." Were we to take these words as they stand, we might reason from them that to cast off the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light, was the entire and unassisted work of man; just as from some passages, we might, (unless we considered the tenor of other parts of Scripture,) conclude, that man had no part in working out his salvation, but that all was to proceed from the Spirit. But a comparison of Scripture with Scripture, shews that the agency of both is required; and that where either is mentioned singly, according to the immediate scope of the argument, it is not meant to be spoken of as exclusively. While, on the one hand, man cannot, without the Spirit, bring forth fruit to perfection; on the other hand, the Spirit will not continue his assistance, where man supinely perseveres in receiving "the grace of God in vain."

The Church then supplies what the Apostle necessarily understood, though the immediate scope of his argument did not require that he should express it. We are to pray for the Grace of God, to enable us " to cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light."

By this Grace, which we ask, we may un

derstand that " daily renewing" of the Holy Spirit, which is necessary even to the regene rate, through every period of life; and which is required no less for our advancement towards spiritual perfection, than for maintaining us in that state of salvation, in which we are placed at our baptism.

Though we then are made children of God, and members of Christ; we must not only be born again, but we must “ grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour';" and must "give diligence to make our calling and election sure." To effect this, and to persevere unto the end, we should be clothed in the " armour of light,” or as it is elsewhere termed, the "whole armour of God."

It is thus described, in all its several parts, by St. Paul: "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth; and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"."

8 2 Pet. i. 10.

1 2 Pet. iii. 18.

b

Ephes. vi. 14. et seq.

that grace,

be

The petition of the Collect, then, is for which with proper diligence and exertion, will enable us on His day of joyous commemoration, to present ourselves before the Captain of our Salvation, fully equipped for, and wholly devoted to his service. We be enabled to appear pray, that we may fore him as we ought to appear-that we may range ourselves under his banner as his "faithful soldiers and servants," prepared to "fight manfully against sin, the world, and the devil'." To appear thus, let us have renounced all the works, and have trampled under foot every badge of the enemy-let us have bound ourselves to the service, and taken the arms of our blessed leader, "let us cast away the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”

From the petition for the grace of God to enable us to cast off the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, the Collect proceeds to suggest to us two most powerful, efficacious and Scriptural MOTIVES, calculated to operate, the one upon our affections, the other upon our fears; and thus excites us to strive diligently, that our conduct may be in unison with our petitions.

'Baptism Office.

One of these motives is presented to us in that part of the Collect, in which we pray, that we may" cast off the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now, in the time of this mortal life in which the Son of God came to visit us in great humility."

As

This is, surely, the first ground, on which a Christian should be appealed to. His should be a "faith which worketh by love." He is, therefore, most judiciously and appropriately reminded of that great and unexampled work of love, the coming of the Redeemer in the flesh, to visit and to save a lost world. he prays to God for grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on him the armour of light, the very words of his prayer suggest to him the noblest of all inducements, to co-operate strenuously with that Grace, in accomplishing the object of his petition. They suggest the kindling recollection of His love and condescension, who "came to visit us in great humility." Can a more generous, or, to an ingenuous mind, a more forcible appeal be offered? Can the faithful Christian be furnished with a more cogent reason for casting off the works of darkness, and putting on the armour of light? Can his devotion and his gratitude be called forth by a subject more adapted to excite their strongest im