"willeth not that any should perish," for this it is that He adds year after year to your life, and thus is it that you have reached another new year's day. To those who have been led to seek salvation where alone it is to be found, in Jesus Christ, and are anxious to prove themselves the faithful servants of Him who hath bought them with the price of his own blood, is more time given in which to glorify the name of their Lord, which is their greatest desire, to "gather fruit unto life eternal," to trade with the talents committed to them, and to lay up more treasure in heaven. To those who are still "halting between two opinions," endeavouring to serve at the same time God and mammon-which they of course are forced to own in their hearts is impossible-the long-suffering God again says, "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve; "If the Lord be God, follow him;"" Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have trans

gressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die?" While to those who are still living in open sin is time yet given to think on their ways, if any haply will turn and seek after God; for God hath declared that He hath "no pleasure in the death of him that dieth," "wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye 2. To which of these classes do you belong? This is indeed an important inquiry to make of yourselves, for on it depends not only the happiness of your years to come, but of eternity. Still there is a word for each. If your consciences tell you that you are not like those first mentioned, oh, let not any more days of the new year pass over your head till you have cried earnestly to God through Christ, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Thou hast most graciously promised, "A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you 3." Oh may these be granted to me.' Such a cry, put up in earnest, and in the name of the Lord Jesus, will not be turned away. And now it is that it must be offered, in this accepted time, this day of salvation. We know not how soon that may be fulfilled which was seen by St. John, when God

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3 Ezek. xxxvi. 26.

showed unto him " things which must be hereafter," and he saw a "mighty angel come down from heaven," who, standing "upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein. are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer '." Then eternity will begin : oh may it be a happy one to every one of you; God has indeed shown that it is His will that you should be thus happy, in that He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. And now you are invited by God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to come unto Christ that you may have life, and may receive His renewing and sanctifying Spirit, that you may be made "meet to be partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light." Oh, hearken to the invitation now, and pray God to lead you in His ways, which are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths peace. So shall this be indeed a happy new year to you if you spend it on earth, and if not you will find that "to die is gain," and you shall be happy when time shall no longer be reckoned by days, and months, and years, but when eternity shall have begun; and you will never tire of praising Him who spared you to see that your own ways led to destruction, that no real or lasting happiness could be found in any thing which the world calls pleasure, and who led you to know Him who is the way, the truth, and the life, whom truly to know is everlasting life; for thus hath our Saviour Himself declared, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

ON THE COLLECT FOR ADVENT SUNDAY.

As I was passing the door of a village school in my way to Church early in December last, I heard a little voice repeating these words, "that we may cast off the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light." I

1 Rev. x. 6, 7.

had often heard those words before, and knew that they were part of the beautiful collect for Advent Sunday, which is repeated every day from that Sunday till Christmas; but often as I had heard them, it struck me when I heard them that morning, that if I had been the child's teacher, I should have found it difficult to explain them, never having sufficiently considered their meaning. İ I therefore determined to ask the first friend I could meet with, who was in the habit of attending the Sunday School, how these words were to be understood, and I fortunately overtook a very steady young man, who was walking homewards after Church, and entered into conversation with him. He promised to call again for me in the evening, and to continue the explanation he had not time to finish, as we walked to church, and the distance. being two miles, we had time for much discourse by the way. The night was very dark, and my companion observed, "How suitable is this season for those deeds of wickedness which must be done in secret. The works of Satan and his servants are rightly called in the collect the works of darkness, for they shun the light of day, which would expose them to the danger of discovery and punishment.

"You find, if you read the epistle for this Sunday, that the words, whose meaning you asked me to explain, are taken from it; therefore we are sure they are the words of truth, being contained in the Scriptures. In many other places Satan is called the prince of the power of darkness, and his angels, the rulers of the darkness of this world. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, to call mankind from darkness to light, but so great was the power which Satan had gained, that men loved darkness more than light, and rejected the Saviour who came to open their eyes, and to turn them from Satan unto God."

"How unaccountable," I exclaimed, "was the conduct of the Jews towards our Lord at His first coming. Can you understand why they refused to receive Him as their King and as their Redeemer?"

"Our collect for this day," replied my friend, "will help me to answer that question. If Jesus had appeared as a King, surrounded with pomp and splendour, they

would have readily acknowledged Him as the Messiah, who was foretold by the prophets as coming to restore again the kingdom to Israel; but because He came "in great humility," as a lowly infant, born in a manger, of poor parents, and of a family who could boast no earthly honour, but were rather looked on with contempt, from their living in a city out of which it was thought no good thing" could come; therefore He "was despised and rejected of men."

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Though it is not for us to scan the counsels of God," said I, yet may we not venture to enquire why the Saviour thus condescended to take upon Himself our nature, in its lowest and humblest form, when all conditions of life were in His power?"

"The Scriptures," said my friend, "have not left us in any uncertainty upon that point. We are told that it was not only as a sacrifice for our sins, but for an example to us that Jesus came into the world: He took upon Himself the form of a servant, to teach us that whoever would enter into His kingdom must be willing to minister to the wants and distresses of others, even as He ministered; must be poor in spirit, as He was meek and lowly in heart; must patiently bear the injuries or reproaches he may meet with for the Gospel's sake, even as He when He was reviled, reviled not again; and must obediently walk in the love and fear of God, even as He kept His Father's commandments and abode in His love."

"But before we part, let me ask you one more question, What is meant by putting on the armour of light? I can see how needful it is for us to forsake the works of darkness, but how may we be enabled to obtain that light which Jesus came to give?"

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Light," said my friend, "is both a guide and a defence. You see as we walk along this road to our church, though the night is so dark, the lamps serve to show us the way, so that we are in no danger of wandering, and they also protect us from being attacked by any evil disposed persons, for by their light we should be able to see if any such were lurking near us, and they would not venture to molest us where they knew we could easily see who it was that attacked us, and bring them to pun

ishment. Now thus it is with the light which Jesus has given us. It is both armour to defend us, and it is a lamp to our feet, and a lantern unto our paths. The light of His Word shows us who are our enemies; it exposes all the hidden snares of Satan. When our hearts have been, by God's Holy Spirit, enlightened to discern good from evil, we are no longer likely to choose darkness, where we know danger must lurk, but we strive to walk in the light, to make the Bible our rule of life and conduct, and daily pray that in every thought, word, and deed, we may have a single-eye to God's glory; for thus, as our Lord hath taught us, shall our whole body be full of light."

"I think," said I, "I remember a sermon on the armour of God, which, what you say now, has brought to my mind. Perhaps you heard it, and can recollect how our minister explained it.”

"Yes," he replied, "I well remember that sermon, The minister told us that God had provided us with armour to defend us against the attacks of Satan, and that we were only required to put it on. He said we must be girded with truth, our hearts must be right with God, we must be sincere when we profess to serve Him. Not that we can be perfect, but we may truly desire to be God's servants, and thankfully accept the righteousness which He has wrought for us, and which, as a breastplate, will secure the heart which Christ has purchased, from becoming Satan's prey. Like Jesus, our feet must be ready and willing to carry the glad tidings of the Gospel, or comfort to the afflicted, and to convey to the returning sinner the message of pardon and peace. In doing this work, we shall need that holy boldness which the hope of salvation will give us; as a helmet guards the soldier's head, and enables him to rush fearlessly into the battle. Above all, if we take the shield of faith, having a firm reliance on the declarations of God's word, resisting every attempt which Satan makes against us by that sword of the Spirit with which Jesus baffled him in the wilderness, opposing to his lying temptations, the unerring truths of Scripture, we shall be enabled to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.