SERMON LXXIII.

Saint Andrew's Day.

Rom. x. 9-21. St. Matt. iv. 18-22.

BRINGING UNTO CHRIST.

Philip cometh and telleth Andrew, and again Andrew and Philip tell JESUS. And JESUS answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of Man should be glorified.-ST. JOHN xii. 22, 23.

THESE words occur on an occasion of great interest.

death; and some Greeks desirous to see Him were thus brought to Him by St. Andrew; and, recognizing in them the gathering together of the Israel of God, our Lord in very impressive words spoke of the fruits of His Passion, and the glory that should follow. Thus St. Andrew comes forth like a star in the glowing sunset, which betokens that glorious morrow of our Lord's Resurrection; the first star which appeared before the heavens were filled with the bright multitude, of them "that turn many to righteousness." Thus when by the overruling of God he is chosen as it were by St. Philip to bring the Greeks unto Christ at the Passover, he appears as if

offering "the sheaf of the first-fruits" of that harvest of the world which the ensuing Pentecost was to bring in,the first and forerunner of that glorious band whose feet are beautiful upon the mountains.

It is then this their mission which St. Paul describes in the Epistle, the Holy Jerusalem, no longer local and temporal, but built up by faith in Christ, in Whose foundations are the names of the Twelve Apostles; for in this Apostleship, this building up "in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship," is laid the spiritual Temple of God throughout the world;-not of the law nor of the seed of Abraham, nor afar off in time and space, but brought most intimately near.

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, aud shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Thus St. John says, "Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God." 2 To this the nature and amplitude of the Temple to be built without hands, on Jesus Christ, the Corner Stone, the Old Testament abundantly testifieth. For the Scripture saith, adds the Apostle, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: since that hour we may add when St. Andrew with Philip brought those Greeks unto Christ and He so graciously received them as the first-fruits of His Cross. For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved. "Thou that hearest prayer," it is

1 Levit. xxiii. 10.

21 St. John iv. 3.

as it were the very name of our God,-"Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come." In that saving Name shall the kingdom be.

And hence arises the necessity of Apostleship which is here eloquently set forth. How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! The coming in of the Kingdom of Heaven, the rising of the Sun of righteousness, the morning upon the mountains, a light breaking forth on them that sat in darkness and the shadow of death, the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: all these are the Scriptural expressions which describe the planting of the Church of God in the world. This passage itself derives a new and peculiar force in being thus put forth on St. Andrew's day; and St. Andrew's day as clothed in this Scripture breaks forth upon us in a new light as the morning from above; the first red streak of dawn, while as yet the light and clouds intermingle and contend with each other.

But they have not all obeyed the Gospel. For Esaias, when about to describe "the arm of the Lord," and the sufferings of Christ, saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound, as says the Psalmist, when about to speak of the going forth of Christ as the sun from his chamber, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the end of the world. But I say, Did not

Israel know? Yes, indeed; for while the Old Testament dwells so much on the calling and coming in of the Gentiles, it declares at the same time that the Gospel had been first fully and with long forbearance declared to Israel. For first Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought Me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after Me. But to Israel He saith, implying that they had been called to long and painfully, but called to in vain, All the day long I have stretched forth My hands unto a disobedient ani gainsaying people.

Thus does St. Paul in the Epistle describe the gathering in of the world unto the obedience of Christ by means of the Angelic, Evangelic heralds of the new covenant, the Apostles. And as the Church is now again about to raise her Advent trump, speaking of all the comings of Christ, in humility and in glory, by His Word and by His Grace, in His Ministry and Sacraments, so with great propriety she introduces this her minor note on her Saints' days, commemorating that Apostleship by means of which the knowledge of it hath filled the world. Nor could any description of it be found more full and expressive than this of St. Paul, showing how it all lay hidden and bound up in the Old Testament, established in the New, and bound up in the very Apostleship of Christ from the Father.

In this the Apostleship is Christ Himself calling upon the world, Twelve in One-and One in Twelve. As the foundations of His Church they are emphatically called "the Apostles of the Lamb," and as such partaking not only in His Apostleship, but also in His Cross and

martyrdom, as thereby being made conformable unto His death. And St. Andrew in his own cross might have called to mind his Lord's words when he first brought those Greeks to Him, to be fulfilled in some sense after their measure even in His Apostles. "Jesus answered them saying, The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone; but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit." "And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me." And then, with awful and glad acquiescence receiving the Cup, He added, "Father, glorify Thy name." "And a voice came from Heaven saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." After this example did the Apostles feel that by their own martyrdom this the glory of the Father and their Master's glory was sealed and ratified, and that, watered by their blood, that seed of eternal life which is the Word of God would find more abundant increase.

With this reference, and as especially appropriate to St. Andrew's day, may be understood the last words of the Epistle which St. Paul quotes from the Prophet, “ All the day long have I stretched forth my hands." For this expression has always been supposed to contain a hidden allusion to the figure of our Blessed Lord upon the Cross, as there stretching forth His hands in an agonizing death, as it were, in a beseeching attitude of appeal to a people that beeded Him not, as expressing His earnest desire to embrace them in those His arms of mercy, while the day of salvation lasts. Such was the form in which He appealed to the Jews after His Passion and Resurrection, for forty years pleading with them, until the night of destruction came on that unbelieving city and nation.