mind from ascending in gratitude to the Source of all power, which is God. Therefore, because He was the Son of man, He hath given us an example, that, whatever we do or say, we should give the glory to Him from whom all things flow. For all things, as the apostle saith, "are of God." Therefore, "if any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Pet. iv. 11.) Eternal Source of every joy! Well may Thy praise our lips employ, Whose goodness crowns the circling year. While the great wheels of nature roll, The flowery spring, at Thy command, Thy hand in autumn richly pours Seasons, and months, and weeks and days, Still be the cheerful homage paid, O may our more harmonious tongues Saint Andrew's Bay. THE COLLECT. ALMIGHTY God, who didst give such grace unto Thy holy Apostle St. Andrew, that he readily obeyed the calling of Thy Son Jesus Christ, and followed Him without delay; Grant unto us all, that we, being called by Thy holy word, may forthwith give up ourselves obediently to fulfil Thy holy commandments; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. THE EPISTLE. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."-ROM. x. 9. HE importance of a bold confession of our THE faith may, I think, be collected from its being here coupled with faith itself, as necessary to our salvation. Not that such confession is independent of faith; but the very method of so putting it, shows the stress laid upon it. It is not enough to believe Christ in our hearts; for if we do not confess Him before men, He will disown us before His Father which is in heaven. How many ways there are, not only in a figurative sense, but in a solid and literal one, in which nominal Christians deny Him. I look on those as literally denying Him, who though, in a Christian country, they will not refuse His name, will fear to identify their understanding with His religion. But every circle and every period has its own trial. In the days of our fathers, the Christian who acknowledged the preciousness of the Cross of Christ, betrayed the weakness of his understanding; and he who at the present day confesses Christ, incurs the ridicule of many, and the rigid criticism of all upon his conduct and conversation. But let us not be disturbed thereby. He who will confess the doctrine of Christ, though it earn him the name of Antichrist, will be confessed before the angels of God. Whereas he who is ashamed of the teaching is ashamed of the Teacher, and the Teacher will be ashamed of him when He cometh in the glory of His Father. Be, therefore, ever steady, ever faithful: believe and speak the whole council of God. THE GOSPEL. "Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers."-MATT. iv. 18. HIS Gospel records the call of two pairs of brethren, THIS Andrew and Simon, and the two sons of Zebedee. What deserves our attention is the promptitude with which the summons was in both instances responded to. These "straightway left their nets," and those immediately left the ship and their father." "Whosoever putteth his hand to the plough, and looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom of God." When the voice of duty, which is the voice of Christ within us, calls upon us to make any sacrifice, let us at once make up our minds to comply with the demand, lest, while we hold parley and controvert its decision, we fall into the snare of Satan. Christ does not require us every day to leave our nets and fishing-boats; but we are required by Him to take up our cross daily and follow Him. Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave and follow Thee; |