lastingly." And, with this confidence, there will arise in our hearts a sense of fervent gratitude to our Redeemer, who has done for us what we never could have accomplished; who has, by the merits of his precious death, made an atonement for the sins, which must otherwise have remained unatoned for; and by his own sinless life of sorrow and suffering, has perfected that obedience which God required, but which we ourselves never could have paid. This does not, however, comprehend the whole extent of the Redeemer's mercy. He came, not to save us in our sins, but to rescue us from their debasing bondage. He died, not in order that the persevering and presumptuous offender might be forgiven, but that pardon might be granted to the pious and the penitent. He knew well, besides, what was in man; he knew that holiness and repentance are God's gifts; and he left us, therefore, his blessed Spirit to fill our hearts with those heavenly graces, which we can attain by his inspiration alone. To this gracious Comforter, then, must we look for that chastening of the soul, that humility and meekness of temper, that disregard to the things of this world, that longing after heavenly treasures, that sure hope of a joyful resurrection through the merits of Jesus; which constitute the truly Christian character.

This is the nature of the faith in Christ. It

remains, now, that we consider briefly what are the proofs of its presence in our hearts. And here, my brethren, let us not deceive ourselves, for it is a point on which many have been deceived. The indwelling of this faith may be as easily known, as a tree by its fruits. We read, that "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." Faith, therefore, worketh, and it worketh by love. It consists not in a mere profession of belief; no such declaration, however solemnly made, however long persisted in, will be of the slightest avail, if no signs of the humbled and grateful heart appear. For the due consideration of the manifold and unmerited mercies we have received, through the death and resurrection of our blessed Lord, must excite in our souls a holy and reverential love to him, and that love will of necessity impel us to practice all those duties and charities, which he has enjoined. And let us bear in mind, that although we may not hope to approach that perfection of holiness which he exhibited in his own character, and proposed to us as our model; yet may we, through God's grace, daily come nearer and nearer to the glorious pattern. And whilst we mourn over the sinfulness of our hearts, whilst we acknowledge that they are in themselves incapable of devising any thing that is good, that "they are deceitful

above all things, and desperately wicked; let us not pervert these expressions to our own destruction, and madly imagine, as some have done, that we can work out our own salvation without either fear or trembling; or that, because God works in us, we are, therefore, called upon for no exertion, no vigilance, no painful self-denial. St. Paul declares, "Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity," or as the more correct rendering would be, "and have not love, I am nothing."

At some future period, my brethren, with God's blessing, I may advert to this most important and interesting subject again, and point out the beautiful harmony which exists between St. Paul and St. James on the very point, in which they have not unfrequently been absurdly arrayed against each other. Let us, at present, ere we separate, deduce a brief lesson of comfort from what has preceded.

It appears, then, that God has been pleased in his mercy, for Jesus Christ's sake, to accept our faith in the merits of his atonement, instead of that perfect obedience, which, however powerful it might have been, when observed, to unbar the eternal gates of God's mercy, was a service which, with our imperfections, we never could have dis

charged. With the most fervent gratitude, then, let us thank him for his compassion, and our Redeemer for his vast and unmerited mercy. Let us implore that Saviour to help our unbelief; to fill our souls with love to himself; to strengthen our trust in his promises; and to shed upon our hearts the inspiration of his grace. And let us remember, that if he does so visit us, and we may rest assured he will, if we ask in truth and sincerity, such an outpouring of his Spirit will incline us always to do his will: and though we may often err, yet our humble endeavours will still be "to let our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven." In such a faith as this the just shall live; live in this world, my brethren, though poor and afflicted and bereaved, yet in joy and hope; looking forward to Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith: and they shall live hereafter, shall live through never ending years of happiness, in the presence of that Saviour, in whose intercession they humbly trusted on earth, and who now reigns on high, as he himself has mercifully declared, to welcome his good and faithful servants into the joy of their Lord.

SERMON IX.

JAMES II, 14.

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and hath not works? Can faith save

him?

THERE has been no more fertile source of error amongst men, than that which has arisen from perusing God's written word, without that deep and solemn reverence for its contents, with which every contrite sinner should approach these sacred records. There are many who read the scriptures in order to support opinions previously conceived; and in the fulfilment of their mistaken purpose, wrest and pervert the text of revelation, until they make prophets, and Saviour, and apostles, utter doctrines totally at variance with the plain import of their language, and subversive of the first principles of the Christian faith. The Sadducees of old bore something of this character; they had determined beforehand