art Lord, to the glory of God the Father. All glory, praise and adoration be unto thee, who, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit, didst go and preach unto the spirits in prison. All glory, praise and adoration be to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, that thy soul was not left in hell, nor did the Holy One see corruption; and as Christ our Head was shown the path of life, rose from the dead, entered that presence where is fulness of joy, and became the first-fruits of them that slept; so, O heavenly Father, may we be delivered from the fear of death, count life ours and death ours, and follow him into life everlasting. May we willingly partake of the sufferings of the present time, that we may rise to partake with him of the glory to be revealed in us. Hear us, for his name's sake.

CXII.

SATURDAY EVENING.

FOR DELIVERANCE FROM FEAR OF DEATH, AND CONFIDENCE IN TIME OF DARKNESS.

O Lord Jesus, our rest and our life, we thank thee, O Lamb of God, that thou hast taken away the sins of the world, and after thy death didst enter the grave and wast buried, that we might be delivered from the fear of death and the grave, and that all their sting and curse might be taken away and for ever removed from us. We bless thee that thou,

by thy sufferings, rest in the grave, and resurrection,

hast won for us an everlasting Sabbath. Help us also, gracious Lord, that we may know and find thy grave to be the tomb of all our sins. May we be wholly delivered from the fear of the grave by thy burial in it, and willingly, if thou call us thereto, sleep in it as in a chamber of rest for thy saints. May we know that thou, by thy holy grave, hast consecrated and made holy all the graves of thy saints, till the glorious morning of the resurrection awaken our sleeping dust to partake of thy heavenly and everlasting kingdom. Praised be thou for ever.*

Grant, O Lord, that as we are baptized into the death of thy blessed Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, so by continually mortifying our corrupt affections, we may be buried with him; and that, through the grave and gate of death, we may pass to our joyful resurrection, for his merits who died, and was buried, and rose again for us, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.t

O Lord, who didst so overrule the hatred of the chief priests that in their care to make sure the sepulchre of Jesus against his resurrection, they did but call attention to the wonderful truth and furnish the most unexceptionable witnesses to its reality,— help us in all the present triumphing of the wicked to have perfect confidence in thee. However thy

* From Bunsen's Liturgy for the Passion Week, in German. t Collect for the day.

truth may be opposed, may we know that it must ultimately be victorious, and in the darkest seasons may we repose in thee with perfect peace. May we all be numbered among the true disciples of Christ, who, after preparing spices and ointments, rested on the Sabbath, according to thy commandment, and in their early hasting to the tomb received the assurance of the blessed fact of his being risen from the dead. So may we show all love to our Saviour and his cause in its deepest humiliation, keep all thy commandments, and at length be made joyful in resurrectionglory, through Jesus our Redeemer. Amen.

Moveable Feasts and Fasts.

CXIII.

ADVENT SUNDAY.

PREPARATION FOR THE JUDGMENT TO COME.

O God, who made the world and all things that are therein, who art Lord of heaven and earth, and art now in the midst of us, for in thee we live, and move, and have our being; help us ever to remember that thou hast appointed a day in which thou wilt judge the world by that man, even Jesus our Lord, whom thou hast appointed. Give us grace in every thing so to labour, that we may be accepted of Thee in that day. O may we never lose sight of the solemn truth, that we must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad.

And with the judgment yet to come, help us also to realize now the grace of God which bringeth salvation; the good tidings of great joy unto all people, that there is a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. May we believe thy love, O God, in sending thine only-begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. May we rejoice in the assurance that

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thou didst not send thy Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved; and that he that believeth on him is not condemned.

May we all of us know the day of our visitation, the season of grace, and the accepted time. While it is called day, may we hear the voice of the Son of God and live; yet a little while the light is continued, may we walk in it. While we have the light may we believe in the light, and be the children of the light. O Jesus, thou true light of the world, enlighten our darkness, and enable us to follow thee, that we may not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.

Enable us all to look unto Jesus as our great High Priest, who has entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; having by his one offering perfected for ever them that are sanctified. May we know and be assured that now once in the end of the world he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

May every one of us with joyful confidence also believe not only that Christ was once offered to bear the sin of many; but also that unto them that look for him, he shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

O grant unto us grace to be thus looking for him. May we be among those expecting this blessed hope and looking for the Lord, and grant unto us all the quickening, purifying, and sanctifying power of this