the Lord Himself, the actual Mind which these Scriptures explain, the actual mysteries of what these ministers are the stewards.

All the Advent lessons which you have learnt hitherto, indispensable as they are as means of bringing you to Christ, would be like an arch without its keystone, were it not for the lesson of the present Sunday: "Lord, raise up Thy power, and come among us."

This is a lesson you are taught frequently in a general manner, but this last week in Advent applies it more particularly to the two subjects we have been considering during the two preceding weeks. The lesson, in a general way, is, that without Christ we can do nothing; but the particular lesson which this Sunday at this season teaches, is, that without His special grace, neither His blessed Scriptures, nor His faithful ministers, can avail for your salvation; that, though the race is set before us, though both the Scriptures and the ministers do point out our way very plainly, yet we are so let and hindered from following it, and that, too, by our own sins and wickedness, that unless the Lord Himself raise up His power and come amongst us, and with great might succour us, it is no use to set it before us, for we cannot follow it.

Now this, I am afraid, must be plain enough

to all; all must see, by their own conduct, that they do not act up to even what they know; and, though the Scripture warns them, and their minister calls out to them, and they feel and know, in their own hearts, that both God's Word and God's servants do speak the plain truth, yet that they do not act up to that which they see to be necessary for their salvation. I think this must be plain to all; yet, as it will be satisfactory to see that God has foreseen and foretold that it will be so, I will point out two passages of Scripture where the very thing is spoken of. You must remember the Parable of the Sower-you must recollect that all the seed that he sowed was good, just as all the Word of God is good, but that the good seed produced a very different crop, according to the place where it fell the wayside, or the hard-bound hearts, were it never came up at all-the stony-ground, where it sprung up directly, and never had soil enough, that is, depth of principle enough, to come to anything-the thorny ground, that is, the worldly-trading minds, where there were so many weeds that the good seed got choked—as well as the good ground, where the very same seed that had failed elsewhere now produced its crop; and that even that crop was not at all alike, but some thirtyfold, and some sixty

fold, and some an hundredfold. The goodness of the seed alone, then, is not sufficient, though that seed be the Word of God.

Nor is the faithfulness and painstaking of the minister for who could be more painstaking and faithful than St. Paul, and who turned so many to the fold of Christ? yet we cannot read a chapter in the Acts without seeing, that if there were many who were converted by his ministry, still there were many who were not, and we cannot say that he did not labour for the one as well as for the other. It is not the faithfulness of the minister that will avail. No doubt if there were no seed, and no sower, there would be no crop-that is, if we do not take the outward means, we shall stand no more chance of bringing forth good works, or, consequently, of going to Heaven, than a field would stand a chance of bearing a crop of wheat were we never to sow it. But good seed and good farmers alone is not enough; no crop will come up without the dew, and the rain, and the sun, from Heaven.

Why should this be so? I do not mean in our fields; we should never think of asking such a question about them; we should say it is the nature of the seed to want warmth and moisture, and we should be quite satisfied. But why is it so with the hearts of men? Why will not the

study of God's Word, and good explanation from men who are authorised to explain it, make us good men? We see it does not, but we want to know why. Perhaps the Gospel and

We think it ought.
Epistle for the day

will explain this to us, and show us why it is consistent with God's way of governing our hearts to teach us that something more is necessary.

You know how much God hates self-righteousness and self-confidence, and what we should call conceit-in fact, that nothing does let and hinder us in our road to Heaven so much. The Parable of the Pharisee and Publican would show you that, even if our Saviour's words, and St. Paul's cautions, "not to be high-minded," "if we think we stand, to take heed lest we fall," and a thousand such, were all blotted out of the Bible.

Now suppose a man had worked out for himself a line of conduct from the Bible, by mere intellect and study, without prayer or help from the Sacraments, or from God's Ministers, or his Ordinances, or anything He has commanded us to hallow, what would be the result? Would he not be puffed up in his own conceit? Would not his own success blind his eyes to his Saviour, and make him think that he had saved himself?

Or, suppose the people were all, and all at once, to be turned by the voice of the minister-suppose they were at once to give ear, not only to see their sins, and to be turned from them, but joyfully and eagerly to follow out that good path which he who had been set over them was tracing for them, always coming to Church, because he told them "not to forsake the assembling of themselves to together," always seeking the blessed Sacraments, because he convinced them that it was the true bread of life, and the true water of purification-suppose all this were the case, no doubt it would be a blessed thing for the people, but what a trial would it be for the miister a trial that even Moses, the meekest of men, could not bear. If even Moses, and Aaron, the saint of the Lord, "spake unadvisedly with their lips, and gave not God the glory, but said, Hear now, ye rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock?" whereas it was God who brought it by their means, how much more likely should we be, we to whom God has given so much greater a commission, and a stewardship so much higher, how much more likely should we be to say or think, do you expect us to forgive you your sins, or to give you the Body and Blood of Christ, or to bring you the peace of God