Isaac, and Jacob, was God the Son, the same who afterwards was made flesh.

That, by these words of our Saviour, the Jews themselves understood Him to assert Himself to be God, is evident; for we read further on, "then took they up stones to cast at Him;" that is to say, it was their purpose to put Him to death as a blasphemer. But Jesus, whose time was not yet come, hid Himself; withdrew Himself, probably miraculously, from their eyesight: and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them; their eyes, as it would seem, being holden so that they could not see Him.

You will have learned from all this, my brethren, what and who our Saviour really is; namely, that He is Son of God and also Son of man in one Person; that before the world was, He was in glory with the eternal Father and co-eternal Spirit; that by Him the Father created the worlds; that He also afterwards, coming down from heaven, became flesh for our sakes, and suffered for us upon the Cross. You will have seen that He came forth from God, and went to God. You will have seen that, whereas we are of this world, He was not of this world, yet, for our sakes, became of this world. You will have seen that if we keep His saying we shall never see death. You will have seen that He is the Light of the world, and that if we follow Him we shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

What remains, then, but that, considering these great truths most seriously, we should remember, that already we have been made one with the same blessed Saviour in our baptism; that as He took our flesh upon Him, so we have been made partakers of His; and that, as members of Him, we are called to the practice of a life such as His was.

Oh, that He Himself would give each of us grace to lay this to heart, and to consider that as He was born and died for our sakes, so for His sake we are bound to be continually seeking to glorify Him both in our life and in our death; that if we be but faithful to Him, He will be faithful to us; that if we deny Him, He will deny us; that if we willingly live in any one known sin, we are really denying Him; that we are bound to be continually improving in the knowledge and love of Him; that the Holy Ghost was given us for this end, that we might be perpetually advancing in holiness of life; and that if we have not driven Him from us, He is with us still.

May God give us all the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain that which He does promise, may He make us to love that which He does command, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

SERMON IV.

THE FIRST AND SECOND ADVENT.

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT.

ACTS i. 10.

And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."

If there be any subject to which, at this season of the year, our attention is particularly directed by the Church, it is this, the first and second coming of Jesus Christ. I propose, then, this morning briefly to consider these two awful events, pointing out at the same time what connexion they have with ourselves, who are here met together.

Now the great difference between the first and second coming of Christ is shewn in the Collect for the first Sunday in Advent, namely, that at His first advent He came in the time of this mortal life to visit us in great humility; but in His second advent He will come (this mortal life

of man being brought to a close) in glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead.

The first advent, then, of Christ is, you see, already past; the second advent is yet to be, when, as the two angels said to the Apostles, "that same Jesus whom they saw taken up into heaven, shall so come in like manner as they saw Him go into heaven."

Now consider these two Advents. In the first, as we have seen, Christ came in great humility. Consider the circumstances of this His humility. In what did it consist? Why, in this, that being in the form of God, and thinking it no robbery to be equal with God, He nevertheless "made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." That is to say, He, the Word of God, who was with God and was God, who, as He Himself saith of Himself, had glory with God before the world was, He by whom all things were made, did, in the fulness of time, come down from the infinite heaven into this world, His lower creation; and took into Himself a human body, being conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary: took into Himself a human body in such a complete manner, that from thenceforth He became perfect man as well as perfect God in one Person, the second Person of the Adorable Trinity. Now consider what a mystery was this! Try and bring 1 Philip. ii. 6.

your mind to reflect upon the greatness of this Event. How does it come to pass that we think of it so little? Is it because we have heard of it so often? I am afraid this is too much the case. I suppose, that if a person had never been told of it before, he would be wonder-struck at it. But we, who have known it from our childhood, think little of it. We think little of the only-begotten Son of God taking upon Himself our nature; of the everlasting Son of the Father, when He took upon Him to deliver man, not abhorring the Virgin's womb. Few of us seriously enter into the meaning of it. Few know Christ as being what He is. Too many put up with notions obtained at random, and never truly seek to know Him. Few study the holy Scriptures earnestly with this view, that they may come to a real knowledge of Christ. Few read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them. Few, by patience and comfort of that holy Word, embrace and hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life given them in our Saviour Christ.

Hence, even the first coming of Christ is not so much meditated upon as it ought to be. People are busy with their different worldly occupations, and in the bustle of them do not try to enter into these things. The Humiliation of the Eternal Word does not seem to them to contain anything especially awful in it. They take it for granted, as they do other things.

It is to them a matter