SERMON Lastly, he is a Prophet in άπоxáλviv: there is his third office, his prophetical; the light of prophecy is the light of revelation. A prophet, then, he is, to reveal unto us Divine Luke i. 77. mysteries, the will of his heavenly Father; "to give knowledge of salvation unto his people, by the remission of their sins." A complete Saviour now; God and man; God begotten the Son, coeternal with the Father, born into the world of a virgin, pure and immaculate; took our nature without sin, without imperfection; a King for the Gentiles, a Priest for Israel, a Prophet for both: a King to defend us, a Priest to purge us, a Prophet to instruct us. This the Saviour, God the Son. He our salvation too. Yet comes not salvation from him alone: from all three Persons, the whole Trinity, that; Tolpaoas, there is the Father, preparing, sending; pôs, from paos, there is the Son, prepared, coming; eis àπоkáλvw-How is that but by the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit?-there is the Holy Ghost, opening and enlightening our eyes that we may see him. All three plain enough in the text, as in the day: viderunt oculi, your own eyes are witnesses. Here is a sight indeed might well make old Simeon now desire to close up his eyes, to see no more; ne vitam hanc posthac aliqua contaminet ægritudine, all objects henceforth would but defile his eyes. III. But what tell you me of Simeon's theory—what of salvation, though never so great-what of in conspectu omnium, though never so general-what of light and glory, though never so excellent-if I may not back again to viderunt oculi mei-if I myself cannot perceive it-if it be so far distant off, that I cannot lay hold of it by mine own eyes of faith and hope-if I cannot see it to be mine, and with Gal. ii. 20. S. Paul apply it, "Who loved me and gave himself for me?” Omnium populorum is too large; all may, but all shall not, be saved. Viderunt oculi mei; that is somewhat, when mine own eyes can fix and dwell upon it. Nay, that is not full enough, if oi oplanuoì, these very eyes that so long expected it, the eyes of my body, shall not be partakers of it. If they, when they are fallen into dust, shall lie for ever folded up in eternal darkness,-if eyes that XIII. weep out themselves in devout tears with looking and SERMON expectation, shall not rise with these very bodies to that blessed vision,-what reward for all these sufferings? what recompence? 8. I will tell you how to see all, and stay no longer, nor go no further. This is the day of salvation, salvation-day; and, if ever, to-day he will be seen. Cast but your eyes up to the holy table thither, your very sense may there almost see salvation, behold your Saviour. There it is, there he is in the blessed sacrament. There it is prepared for you: "A body hast thou prepared;" his body, flesh and blood, [Heb. x. 5.] prepared well nigh to be seen, to be tasted. "Oh taste and Psa. xxxiv. see how gracious the Lord is." Go up thither, and with old Simeon take him in your hands, take him yet nearer, into your bowels. "Take, eat:" you shall hear one say so by and by. But stay not there upon your sense, upon the outward element. Look upon him with your other eye, the eye of faith; let it be viderunt oculi, let it be both; let it be viderunt mei, the applying eye of a special faith. And, that you may be sure not to go away without beholding him, there is lumen in the text; and it would do well in your hands to search the dark corners of your hearts, to examine them. While our hearts are darkened with sins and errors we cannot see him; and if after strict examination we be not found in charity, we are yet in tenebris. S. John tells us, Do but love your brother: "he that loves his brother 1 John ii. abideth in the light." The sum is, faith must be the eye, repentance and charity the light, by which you shall this day see your Saviour, and apprehend salvation: the three requisites, those, to a worthy communicant. So shall you there find light to guide you out of the darkness of sin and misery; glory to instate you in the adoption of the sons of God; salvation with glory-salvation here, glory hereafter. And when you have satisfied your eyes and hearts with this heavenly sight, go, return home to your private closets, shut up your eyes, never set open those windows to the vanities of the world again; but with a holy scorn disdain these painted glories, and let a veil of forgetfulness pass over them. For our viderunt must not end when the Eucharist is past; 10. [Psal. xx. SERMON when we depart this sacred place. "I will take the cup of XIII. salvation," says the Psalmist: there it is: do that here. But [Psal. cxvi. "I will rejoice in thy salvation;" do so, both here and at 12.] home. Et exultabo; and let me see you do so. Let not your joy be stifled in your narrow bosoms, but break out into expression, into your lips, into your hands; not in idle sports, excess of diet, or vain pomp of apparel-not that joy, the joy of the world, but the joy of the Holy Ghost. 5.] [Phil. ii. 12.] : It is salvation that you have heard and seen, and are yet to see to-day what is our duty now? If it be salvation, let us "work it out with fear and trembling." It is salvation to be "seen," some eminent work: let us then confess "We have seen strange things to-day." A most certain sure salvation it is: let not a sacrilegious, doubtful thought cast a mist upon it. It is "prepared ;" let us accept it;-prepared for all; let us thank God for so fair a compass, and not uncharitably exclude ourselves or others. God has enlarged the bowels of his mercy; let us not straiten them. It is "a light;" let us arise and walk after it. It is a "glory;" let us admire and adore it. Was our Saviour "seen?" so should we be every day in the congregation. Was he "prepared" to-day? let us be always [Ephes. vi. shod with the "preparation of the gospel of peace." Does he 15] "enlighten" us? Oh let us never extinguish or hide that light, till this light be swallowed up by the light of the Lamb; till this "dayspring from on high" prove midday; till gentium and Israelis be friendly united in Tò σwτýριov, and no darkness to distinguish them, no difference between light and glory; till the beginning and end of the text meet together in the circle of eternity; till viderunt oculi meet with gloriam; till our eyes may behold that light which is inaccessible, that light and glory which know no other limits but infinite, nor measure but eternity. To which He bring us, who this day put off his glory to put on salvation, that by his salvation we might at length lift up our heads in glory, whither he is again ascended, and now sits together with his Father and the Holy Ghost. To which Three Persons and One God be given all praise, and power, and thanks, and honour, and salvation, and glory, for ever and ever. Amen. A SERMON ON S. STEPHEN'S DAY. ACTS vii. 55, 56. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. He SERMON YESTERDAY'S Child is to-day, you see, become a man. But that is not the business. Yesterday was Christ's birthday, to-day S. Stephen's; for natalitia martyrum, the birthdays of the martyrs, were their death-days called: they then first said to be born, when they were born to execution. A day placed here so near to Christ's, that we XIV. SERMON XIV. might see as clear as day, how dear and near the martyrs are to him: they lie even in his bosom; the first visit he makes after his own death was to them, to encourage them to theirs; the first appearance of him in heaven after his return up, was to take one of them thither. And yet this is not all. Christ's birth and the martyr's death are set so near, to intimate how near death and persecution are to Christ's disciples, how close they often follow the faith of Christ; so thereby to arm us against the fear of any thing that shall betide us, even death itself, seeing it places us so near him, seeing there are sa fine visions in it and before it, so fair glories after it, as S. Stephen's here will tell you. And if I add that death is a good memento at a feast, a good way to keep us within our bounds in the days of mirth and jollity, of what sort soever, it may pass for somewhat like a reason why S. Stephen's death is thus served in so soon at the first course, as the second dish of our Christmasfeast. Nor is it, for all that, any disturbance to Christmas joys. The glorious prospect of S. Stephen's martyrdom, which gives us here the opening of heaven, and the appearance then of God's glory, and of Christ in glory, may go instead of those costly masques of imagined heavens, and designed gods and goddesses, which have been often presented in former times to solemnize the feast. We may see in that infinitely far more ravishing and pleasing sights than these, which all the rarity of invention and vast charges could ever show us. Here is enough in the text to make us dance and leap for joy, as if we would leap into the arms of Him in heaven, who stands there as it were ready to receive us, as he was to-day presented to S. Stephen. I may now, I hope, both to season and exalt our Christmas-feast, bring in S. Stephen's story, that part of it especially which I have chosen, so full of Christ, so full of glad and joyful sights and objects, that it must needs add, instead of diminishing, our joy and gladness. And yet if I season it a little now and then with the mention of death, it will do no hurt. I must do so, that you may not forget S. Stephen's martyrdom in the midst of the |