Let us not only wish, but pray and strive

Advent meditations from John Keble, Sermons for the Christian Year

Anyone who suggests that the Reformation killed Christian spirituality in England will have to reckon with Fr John Keble (1792-1866), parish priest, professor, poet, and leader of the Oxford Movement. His volume of poems, The Christian Year (1827), while somewhat florid for today’s tastes was a best-seller in his time, spreading High Church teachings in memorable verse. It was, however, his controversial sermon entitled “National Apostasy” in the University Church of St Mary in Oxford, which set the Catholic movement in the Church of England aflame. The following words from an Advent sermon give some sense of his fire. In a time when as little as weekly reception of the Sacrament was uncommon even among Roman Catholics, he exhorts lay Christians of the Church of England to rouse themselves for a discipline of frequent Communion, daily morning prayer, and regular confession. All this he entreats in the nowadays unfashionable but undeniably biblical terms of spiritual warfare. Onward, Christian soldiers! — T.P.

Romans. xiii. 12.

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”

I do not know that we can well find a more profitable subject for our meditations on the four Fridays of this Advent, than the four collects appointed by the Church for the four several weeks. The first of them,¹ which we have now been using for nearly a week, is appointed also, as you know, to be repeated during the whole season: being in fact a prayer. that we may use that season aright. For the petition which we here ask of God is, that we may cast away all evil works, and clothe ourselves in all good works, before it is too late: and the very purpose of the season of Advent is, to remind us that it will soon be too late. Let us try, for a short time, to think earnestly of these things; for indeed they are more to us than any thing else can be.

As persons when they are called, and arise in the morning, presently begin to put on their clothes, so the Apostle invites us, and we pray in the Church for help, to put on the armour of light: the clothes which are proper to be worn in the day time, while we are about our work, and the full light is shining upon us. And these clothes are called “armour,” because our condition in this world is a warfare, a continual war against the world, the flesh, and the devil, and our calling is that of soldiers; and has been so ever since that time, when we were sealed “with the sign of the Cross, in token that we were to fight under Christ’s banner, and to continue His faithful soldiers.” Now what this Christian clothing, or armour of light is, we know from other places of Holy writ. There is “the shield of faith;” entire belief in the great things out of sight. There is “the helmet of salvation;” hope, that through Christ we may be saved, on our true repentance and dutiful obedience. There is the “breastplate of love” and true charity, to guard our hearts from evil and selfish desires. There is “the sword of the Spirit, that is, the Word of God;” His holy commandments, deeply fixed in our heart, and always ready for our use, that by the remembrance of them we may put away proud, unkind, impure, foolish imaginations. This is the armour of light: these are the portions of a Christian man’s armour, which lie, as it were, by his bedside, when he awakes in the morning, and which Christ expects him to put on, as he would his clothing, to prepare himself for the duties of the day. How is he to put it all on? By good thoughts and good resolutions; considering beforehand what he will have to do that day; what temptations he is likely to meet with, and how he may best prepare against them. And this cannot be, without earnest prayer; therefore the Christian warrior will be very punctual and very attentive in his morning prayers. …

I entreat you, therefore, for God’s sake, do not stay considering, whether it is really worth your while to set about holy duties, such as prayer and Communion, but, having been called, awake and bestir yourselves at once. The night of our world is far spent; the day of God’s world is at hand. You may hide your eyes and stop your ears, and try to bury yourself again in your sinful slumbers; but none of all this will prolong your time, or stay the coming of your Lord one moment, any more than your shrinking under the bed clothes will keep the sun back from rising. In His own time He will be here: even now He stands at the door and knocks, and very soon lie will be in the room. What would you wish to be found doing when He comes in? Drinking, and rioting, and making merry? Practising unclean ways, and gazing and longing after evil things? Striving and quarrelling and grudging against one another? Surely not, my brethren: you would not wish to be so found of Him: nor yet that, coming suddenly, He should find you sleeping. Rather you would desire, that He may find you kneeling on your knees, in fervent prayer, confessing your many sins: or waiting on some of those whom He calls His brethren, busy about some work of mercy: or patiently enduring His chastisements: or, at least, honestly and religiously going on with the task which His Providence orders for you. This is how we would wish to be found. Let us not only wish, but pray and strive, and by His grace we shall be found so doing indeed.

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THE COLLECT

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.