Christian teachers-in other words, he points out to us what doctrine a minister of Christ must deliver, in order to preach the Gospel.

Now as St. Paul was under the immediate guidance of the Holy Spirit, and had that extraordinary assistance, which was to preserve him from all error while he was employed in laying open the truth as it is in Jesus Christ to nations who had not heard of his name, we cannot have a surer rule to make known to us what it is to preach the Gospel.

And it is the more necessary that you should carefully attend to this subject, as you may otherwise rashly charge those with failing to preach the Gospel, who follow, in all their instructions from the pulpit, the rule of teaching, which St. Paul, instructed as he was from heaven, has laid down; "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm (or declare) constantly, that they which have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works: these things are good and profitable unto men."

St. Paul then lays the foundation of Christian duty in belief: and the reason

of this he shews plainly in another place; "Without faith (or belief) it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to him must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him." This is so agreeable to common sense, that no argument can be required to make it clearer. The natural reason of man accepts it as a truth which must be admitted as soon as it is uttered.

To believe in God" means here to receive as undoubted truth whatsoever God has been pleased to make known in the Bible. Having first learned to look up to him with reverence, as the Being on whom we depend for life, and breath, and all things, we must go a step further, and be prepared to receive with dutiful submission whatever he, in his wisdom and goodness, has declared to us. When he acquaints us with what he has done or proposes to do, we must listen with serious attention, persuaded that such is the duty which creatures owe to their Creator: and we have every encouragement to do so, when we reflect

Heb. xi. 6.

that all the counsels and purposes of God have for their object the welfare of man.

If therefore God the Father sets before us in the Bible his gracious design of sending his beloved Son into the world to die for the sins of all mankind, and we read in the Gospels that, according to the words of our Church service," he suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried," we are bound to believe these things as firmly as if we had ourselves stood at the foot of the cross, when Jesus Christ shed his blood there in bitter agonies of body and soul.

If, again, God commands us to do, or to forbear doing, any thing which he points out, we must prove that we believe him to be our God, by paying a strict obedience to this his declared will; for how can we be said to have that belief in God which deserves to be called, belief, if it does not make us studious to please and fearful of offending him? Any other belief than this is worthless and vain; "the very devils," as St. James remarks," believe and tremble b."

b James ii. 19.

Here then we see the necessary connection between faith and good works. Not that we mean to call any actions which we can perform really good, in the strict sense of the word; for as "there is none good but one, that is God," (such is the declaration of Jesus Christ himself,) so none but he can do what is really and truly good; but by good works we here mean, such as, however imperfect, are done with the humble desire of pleasing God: the intention will therefore be accepted by him; and he will make allowance for the weakness and infirmities of those, who, on all occasions, use their best endeavours to be right.

Our doctrine and practice must go hand in hand; we must have a right belief, in order that we may act properly; and we must act properly as a proof that we have a right belief. This is well explained by St. James: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and desti

Matt. xix. 17.

tute of daily food, and one of you say unto him, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being aloned."

Now if such must be the conduct of a Christian, such must also be the teaching of a Christian minister. He must be "earnest in season and out of season;" must encourage those who are going on in the path of duty, who are bent on doing good works; must warn the feeble. minded, bid them beware how they leave off those things which the Gospel requires of them; and must rebuke those, who, unmindful of their Christian calling, either lead a careless, which is indeed a sinful, life, without any thought of their Almighty Father, and their Saviour Jesus Christ, or set the rules of the Gospel at defiance, and "do all uncleanness with greediness." And such was the course of teaching pursued by St. Paul. When he appeared before Felix, a

d James ii. 14-17.