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though they had many and great spiritual advantages, they had no religion. They saw the miracles and heard the sermons of Christ, but they had no real godliness in their hearts.

It will be of no avail to any of us to say in the day of judgment, 'We heard the gospel constantly, and never absented ourselves from a place of worship; or if we were obliged to stay at home, we read the Bible or some good book for ourselves,' if this is all we can say. For this is not enough. A person may do all this, and yet be a miserable castaway. The question is, what use and improvement do we make of our religious opportunities? what spiritual benefit do we derive from them? what good does our attendance on ordinances, and hearing of sermons, do to our souls? This is the point; for if, living as we do in a Christian land, and enjoying the light of the gospel, our hearts and lives are notwithstanding graceless and godless, what is our Christianity worth? and wherein can it profit us in the day of account? Observe,

once more,

The difference between the real and the nominal Christian; and the difference is this, the one bears fruit, and the other bears none. There is often no difference between them in name. Worldly and unbelieving people of all classes and descriptions, are called Christians, as well as those who really belong to Christ. There is often no difference between them in privilege, as I have already observed. The same gospel is preached to them; the same means of grace are afforded them. There is often no difference between them in profession, for many of all ranks and kinds will profess faith in the Saviour, and to have a hope of everlasting

life through Him. But the Christian beareth fruit. His religion is not all profession, nor feeling, nor imagination; there is something solid and substantial about it. It is a religion of doings, as well as of sayings; and influences the life, as well as operates upon the heart. While, on the other hand, the hypocrite, the mere pretender to religion, beareth no fruit. None of the fruits of righteousness grow on that tree. It is not rooted in Christ; it is not supplied with His grace as its sap; and all that it bears therefore is a crop of useless leaves, which make a fair show indeed, but do no real good, and a few blossoms of promise, which are soon blighted, and come to nothing.

This is the essential difference between Christian people and the people of the world. "Ye shall know them by their fruits," said our Lord. "Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?" But a man who should go to gather grapes from a thorn bush, would not act a more foolish part, than one who expected to find the fruits of conversion, such as prayerfulness, and spirituality of mind, and carefulness about the soul, and love for the Bible, and anxiety for the promotion of the kingdom of Christ, in an unconverted heart.

In conclusion, let me offer three words of advice. Improve your privileges. They are many and great; do not despise them or neglect them. What Christ said to His disciples about their religious privileges, He might say to us about ours. "Many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." To this effect the apostle, Heb. ii. argues, if the Jews, who lived in dark days, and had few privileges in comparison, if they were

disobedient, and escaped not the just judgments of God," how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" we, who live under the clear light of the gospel, and are surrounded with religious advantages never granted to any before! But, moreover, Let no one rest satisfied with profession, with an outward form of religion; for what will that avail him, if destitute of inward principles and solid graces? Would the farmer be satisfied, if he saw the trees in his orchard, year after year, go on bearing nothing but leaves? No; and what would he do with them? Have them all cut down, and plant others in their room. And will Almighty God be satisfied with an empty show, an unsubstantial appearance of religion in any one? No. "I come seeking fruit on this fig tree;" and woe be to that fig tree, on which, after all the pains bestowed upon it, He finds none ! And let us all

remember,

That the final visit of God to our souls, to examine into their state, and to pronounce their doom, draweth nigh. We have none of us any time to lose; the axe is at the root-death is at the door. God is fast filling up all the remaining vacant places in heaven with plants of righteousness from earth; and every day many an unfruitful and barren fig tree is cut down, and cast out of the vineyard to be burnt.

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And if God were to come this night, and pronounce our sentence, what would it be? would it be, transplant it to heaven,' or 'cut it down to hell? Should we be to all eternity in the blessed company of the saved, or the miserable crowd of the lost? May the Holy Spirit impress these solemn questions on our minds, and keep them in our memories, for Jesus Christ's sake.

SERMON VI.

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LUKE iv. 25, 26, 27.

Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian."

THE text is part of a discourse which our Lord delivered in the synagogue of Nazareth, the place where He had been brought up, on His first visit to it after the commencement of His public ministry.

The people of Nazareth had in those days a very bad character; insomuch, that when Philip told Nathanael that the Messiah was come, and come out of Nazareth, he would scarcely believe it, but asked, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth ?"

And it appears that the people of Nazareth well deserved their bad character. They seem to have had no regard for spiritual things, and to have felt no interest in the saving doctrines which Christ preached. When He came to visit them, they rejected His words, and in the very middle of His sermon they rose up, and thrust Him out of the

city, and led Him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast Him down headlong; and this on the Sabbath day, when they had an opportunity, the only one they were ever likely to have, of hearing from the lips of the Saviour Himself, the things which pertained to their everlasting peace!

Here we see the awful hardness and obstinacy of men's hearts. So great were the pride and prejudice of the people of Nazareth, that they put the words of eternal life away from them, and drove the Saviour of sinners out of their town.

We see here again, that the greatest spiritual privileges and means of grace are lost and thrown away upon many souls. Here was the best preacher, even Jesus Christ Himself-the most important of subjects treated on; but no good effect was produced; no man was made serious, and brought to solemn consideration of his latter end. The word preached did not profit these ungodly and unbelieving people of Nazareth. They had great advantages and privileges, but they lost them all through neglect; and when the day of judgment comes, the sermon they heard that Sabbath in the synagogue will condemn them, because the way of life and peace was pointed out to them, and they refused to walk therein.

In discoursing on the words of the text, I shall be led to consider,

I. THE ALLUSIONS MADE.

II. THE DOCTRINES IMPLIED.

III. THE PRACTICAL IMPROVEMENT.

I. THE ALLUSIONS MADE. In the text Christ alludes to two stories found in the Old Testament Scripture, the story of the widow of Sarepta, and that of Naaman the Syrian.

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