present, he will shrink from addressing Him familiarly, or using unreal words, or deciding on his own judgment what God's will is, or addressing Him in a familiar posture of body.

There is a sense, and a true sense, in which the invisible presence of God is more awful and overpowering than if we saw it. And so, again, the presence of Christ, now that it is invisible, brings with it high and mysterious feelings, such as nothing else can inspire. When He was going away, He said to His disciples, "I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice." Yet He had at another time said, "The days will come when the Bridegroom shall be taken from them; and then shall they fast in those days." They were to joy because Christ was come, and yet weep because He was away. Such is the state of mind which they are in, who believe that the Son of God is here, yet away; is at the right hand of God, yet in His very flesh and blood among us; is present, though invisible. It is a feeling of awe, wonder, and praise, which cannot be more suitably expressed than by the Scripture word fear; or by holy Job's words, though he spoke in grief, and not as being possessed of a blessing: "Behold, I go forward, but He is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive Him: on the left hand, where He doth work, but I cannot behold Him He hideth Himself on the right hand, that I cannot see Him. Therefore am I troubled at His presence; when I consider, I am afraid of Him" (Job xxiii. 8, 9, 15).

Godly fear must be a duty, if to live as in God's sight is a duty, must be a privilege of the Gospel,

if the spiritual sight of " the King in His beauty" be one of its privileges. Fear follows from faith necessarily, as would be plain, even though there were not a text in the Bible saying so. But, in fact, Scripture abounds in precepts to fear God. Such are the words of the wise man: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. i. 7). Such, again, is the third commandment, in which we are solemnly bidden not to take God's name in vain. Such the declaration of the prophet Habakkuk, who, beginning by declaring, "The just shall live by his faith," ends by saying, "The Lord is in His holy temple; let the whole earth keep silence before Him" (Hab. ii. 4, 20). Such is St. Paul's, who, in like manner, after having discoursed at length upon faith as "the realising of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," adds, "let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear" (Heb. xii. 28). Such St. Luke's account of the Church militant on earth, that "walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, it was multiplied" (Acts ix. 31). Such St. John's account of the Church triumphant in Heaven, "Who shall not fear Thee," they say, " O Lord, and glorify Thy name; for Thou art holy" (Rev. xv. 4). Such the feeling recorded of the three Apostles on the Mount of Transfiguration, who, when they heard God's voice, "fell on their face, and were sore afraid" (Matt. xvii. 6).

And now, if this be so, can any thing be clearer than that the want of fear is nothing else but want of faith? We have no fear when we exer

cise no acts of faith. What, you will ask, are acts of faith? Such as these: to come often to prayer, is an act of faith; to kneel down instead of sitting, is an act of faith; to strive to attend to your prayers, is an act of faith; to behave in God's house otherwise than you would in a common room, is an act of faith; to come often to the most Holy Sacrament, is an act of faith ; and to be still and reverent during that sacred service, is an act of faith. These are all acts of faith, because they all are acts such as we should perform, if we saw and heard Him who is present, though with our bodily eyes we see and hear Him not. But, "blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed:" for, be sure, if we thus act, we shall, through God's grace, be gradually endued with the spirit of His holy fear. We shall in time, in our mode of talking and acting, in our religious services and our daily conduct, manifest, not with constraint and effort, but readily and naturally, that we fear Him while we love Him.

But oh! frail hearts, and spirits dark!
The seasons' flight unwarn'd we mark ;
And miss the Judge behind the door,1
For all the light of sacred lore.

Yet is He there; beneath our eaves
Each sound His wakeful ear receives.
Hush, idle words, and thoughts of ill,
Your Lord is listening; peace, be still.

Christ watches by a Christian's hearth,
Be silent, "vain deluding mirth,"
Till in thine altered voice be known
Somewhat of resignation's tone.

1 See St. James v. 9.

Services for the Second Sunday in Advent.

Morning Lesson, Isaiah v.
Evening Lesson, Isaiah xxiv.
Epistle, Romans xv. 4.
Gospel, St. Luke xxi. 25.

The Collect.-Blessed Lord, Who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that, by patience and comfort of Thy holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which Thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The general Collect, which is read every day throughout this season, shews the design, and movingly excites the devotion of it. The time of Advent, or coming, is dedicated to the belief and contemplation of the twofold coming of Christ. There are two outward Advents of our Lord; the first in great humility, the second in glorious majesty, attended with triumph to the good, and terror to the bad.

In the mean time, while the accepted time, the day of salvation, lasteth, if we hope to reap the blessings of His first, and be prepared to lift up our heads with joy at His last coming, we must endeavour carefully to secure His intermediate, invisible, spiritual Advent, His coming and dwelling in our hearts by faith, hope, and love. After He had come in great humility, He was exalted in glory to the highest heavens; yet He is still ever present with His Church by His Spirit, to

the end of time, according to His own unfailing promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

This invisible Advent He also promised to His disciples when they sorrowed at His leaving them; for He said, "I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you." Again, "If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him (by the Divine Comforter, three being one), and make our abode with him" (John xiv).

If we would dwell in Christ, and invite Christ to dwell in us, we must dwell together in unity; and being thus rooted and grounded in love, Christ shall make His Advent into our hearts. Division, schism, or splitting into parties, is a sure symptom of a deluding spirit: "These are they who separate themselves (says the Holy Ghost by St. Jude), sensual, having not the Spirit." We must take heed to the true and steady light of God's sure Word, which is a lamp to our path in the dark night of this life. The Church is the candlestick upon which this light is placed-the pillar it is and ground of the truth. The services of this season direct us to the proper means for securing our Lord's presence in our hearts, by His Word, the Holy Scriptures, written for our learning, and the Sacraments of His Divine institution.

The Collect for this day adores His Name for the inestimable blessing of the Holy Scriptures; and prays for grace that we may so devoutly hear and learn, and treasure in our hearts His Holy Word, that we may know, and keep, and do it;