Tr. 1. were finished, the dwelling-place, or house, being made ready, the master, for whofe ufes and convenience the world was railed out of nothing, and fo magnificently adorned, was to be introduced. Man was therefore created, and ftamped with the divine image. How noble is the being? How wonderful is the frame even of the body, which God hath bestowed upon us? How exquifite is the workmanship, and how admirable the contrivance of the organs of each fenfe, and of every other part? How excellently adapted to all our wants, to all the purposes of our being, and to the dominion over other creatures which he has conferred upon us? How noble is the erect pofture of our bodies, by which we caft our eyes all around us, and not only take a view of all the ravishing beauties of the earth, but alfo behold the heavens, our glorious country, the region of happy fpirits, and our future dwelling place, in a state of immortal glory and overflowing blifs. How amazing is the faculty of fpeech, which man enjoys above all other creatures! By which we mutually communicate every improvement, and make known to each other every thought of our mind, every defire of our heart, and every want which we feel! But all this falls fo far fhort of the excellence of our foul, or mind, that by this we are raised to a fuperior order of being, and bear the image of the Deity, the likeness of God himself, being fpirits, as God is the moft pure fpirit. With how admirable powers or faculties is our foul endowed? With understanding or a thinking faculty which reaches the heavens, penetrates the loweft abyffes, ranges through all beings, apprehends the most abftracted and fpiritual objects, diftinguishes falfhoods, and is capable of difcerning both divine and human truths. With a memory, which retains fuch a multitude and variety of things, without being crowded or confused; and prefents them to us diftinct and clear, when we have occafion to recall them. With free-will, by which we are masters of ourselves and our actions, and are capable of moral good. These powers, wonderful as they are, come not up to many other excellencies of which they are the fubject, and which the foul poffeffes, or is capable of, fuch are immortality, virtue, grace, fanctity, the knowhave been exempted from fafting in fome auftere religious orders and particular canons: But not all holydays, the joy of festivals being spiritual, and not incompatible with the practice of penance. See Dom. De l'Ifle, Hiftoire Dogmatique & Morale du Jeune, I. iii. ch. 3. p. 233.

ledge

ledge and love of God, the enjoyment or poffeffion of him and his infinite perfections in eternal glory. To God we owe a continual homage of praise and thanksgiving for his wonderful mercy in thus creating us, and this vaft univerfe for our ufe, as is expreffed in the pfalms, xcii. (Hebr. xciii.) and xciv. (Hebr. xcv.), &c. Likewife for all the other benefits of his providence, general and particular. God's glorious image being miferably defaced in us by fin, He mercifully redeemed us. By the death of our Saviour, and by his triumph over fin and hell, completed in his glorious refurrection, he has re-inftated us much more wonderfully, than he first created us out of nothing. With hearts overflowing with holy joy, and in raptures of adoration, love and gratitude for this infinite benefit, crowned with fo many other incomprehenfible graces and mercies, we praise his holy Name, particularly on this feftival; for which we may recite the fong of Zachary, the last pfalms of Lauds, &c. This must always be a main object of our devotions at the Sacrifice of mafs. And we are bound in return to make to God the most perfect facrifice of ourselves, in fentiments of compunction and. love, and to endeavour to fanctify our fouls on festivals by moft fervent prayer, and frequent devout ufe of the facraments.

Supplications for ourselves, families, and the whole church, make up another effential part of our devotions on Sundays and festivals. In our closets, or in the church, we ought to take on thefe days fome little time for felf-examination and for renewing our good refolutions in regard to every particular duty; alfo for holy meditation, pious reading, or fermons, and for the inftruction of others under our care. These, and the like duties, mentioned above, if duly complied with, will make our feftivals truly Sabbaths of the Lord, and have a powerful influence over our whole lives; for he who thus fanctifies the Sunday, will always live in great watchfulness over his own heart, in the fpirit and practice of religion, and in the careful discharge of all the duties of his refpective calling. His devotion on Sundays will always renew and much increase his fervor, in continually advancing in divine love, and in the perpetual facrifice of his heart, and all his actions to God. The caution which is given us by the word Remember, placed before this commandment, above

all

all the reft, intimates, that if this be duly attended to, Tr. 1. it will greatly enable us to keep all the reft: But if this is neglected, other Chriftian duties will be foon forgot, It fhews this holy law, to be of the highest importance in the duties of religion; the first of all others in a Chrif tian life.

THE

THE SECOND TREATIS E.

ON THE

HOLY TIME OF ADVENT.

A

CHAP. I.

On the Inftitution of ADVEN T.

DVENT (a) is a time of penance and devotion before Christmas, appointed by the church, to serve as a preparation to that great folemnity of the birth of Chrift. Festivals were commanded by God himself in the old law, to commemorate his principal benefits and mercies, that men might be more perfectly inftructed in them, bear them always in mind, be always thankful for them, and stirred up to difpofe themselves to receive the fruits of these wonderful myfteries. The feftivals of the new law of grace, ought to be celebrated with so much the greater preparation and devotion, as the mysteries which we commemorate transcend those of the old law, which, how wonderful foever, were no more than weak types and figures, and empty shadows of them. We must present ourselves before God in the spotless robes of purity and fancity, and in the fpirit

(a) This Latin word fignifies the coming, becaufe it ushers in and prepares us to celebrate worthily the festival of the coming of God, our Redeemer, in the flesh.

On the inftitution of Advent, fee du Cange in Gloffario Latino. v. Adventus, et in Gloffario Græco, v. Пapora. Menard, not. in Sacramentarium S. Greg. M. P. 215. vel. inter Opera S. Greg. M. T. ii. P. 445. Edm. Martenne de ant. Ecclefiæ Difciplinâ in Divinis Officiis, p. 65. Theoph. Raynaud Op. T. ii. p. 479. Thomaffin Tr. des Fetes, c. iv. p. 203. &c. et Tr. du Jeune, 1. i. c. 23. p. 174. et p. 2. c. 20. p. 48.5. et Hift. de l'Avent Joan. Freder. Meyer. Ecloga de Dominicis Adventus, at Gripswald in Pomerania, An. 1701. Also, Ecloga Evangelicæ Meycro-Neumeifterianæ, Hamburgi, T. i. fub initium. Abbot de l'Ifle Hift. Dogm. de Jeune Moral. De Jejunio Card. Lambertini poft. Bened. XIV. in Inftitutionibus, T. i. În. XI. de Adventu. Gavant. Comment. et Breviar. de Adventu. Merat. ibid. Goar. Leo Allatius.

and

and difpofitions of the most ardent devotion, especially on thefe days which are emblems of the eternal Sabbath of the heavenly Jerufalem, which we fhall celebrate with all the elect in uninterrupted hymns of adoration and praife. On these folemnities the whole people of God on earth unite their tears, prayers and facrifices of adoration and thankfgiving to glorify God, for his unfpeakable mercies. With what fervour ought we, their fellow members, who have the happiness to share so plentifully in thefe bleffings, to join them in this folemn duty and tribute: the immenfe treasure of divine graces, purchafed for us, and offered to us by these facred myfteries, will be imparted to us in fo much larger measures, as we fhall prefent ourselves on them more fervently purified and prepared; and fhall more earnestly implore the divine mercy, and offer purer homages of thanksgiving, adoration, and praise, in acknowledgment of thefe incomprehenfible heavenly favours. For this end vigils, or eves are appointed as a preparation for great feftivals. Lent, as a more folemn and longer vigil, or preparation before Eafter ; and Advent before Chriftmas, or the coming of Christ in the flesh, the fource of all the other great mysteries and graces of our redemption.

Advent confifts of four weeks, or at least four Sundays, which commence from the Sunday nearest St. Andrew's-day, whether before or after it, from the 27th of November to the 3d of December inclufive. Its inftitution feems as old as that of Christmas-day, though the difcipline of the church, in the manner of celebrating it, has not been the fame in all places and times. It was for feveral ages of forty days, or fix weeks, in the fame manner as Lent, and for fome time kept with a rigorous universal fast, in fome places of precept, in others of devotion. The church of Milan, tenacious of its ancient rites of discipline, observes to this day fix weeks of Advent, which was the ancient custom of the great church of Toledo, and of all Spain (which followed the Mozarabic rite in the liturgy), alfo of the churches in France before Charlemagne, as Martenne and Mabillon fhew from authentic monuments (1).. Hence in the Ambrosian rite at Milan, fix Sundays of Advent stand in the liturgy, and there the first Sunday of Advent is always the Sunday after the

(1) Martenne de ant. Monachorum ritibus, 1. iii. c. 1. Item ancienne Difcipline de l'Eglife fur les Offices, ch. 103.

feaft