Does any one here say-I can not have it; I have no faith, and I can not have it? What does that mean-I can not have faith? Is Christ deserving your confidence? Are God's invitations plain and certain ? Is it necessary to escape from hell, and to reach heaven? Must you be happy? Have you any indestructible thirst after happiness? Is the way to happiness made plain before you? Why, then, do you not take it? What is the meaning of saying, I can not believe?

It means this, as you must see if you recall what justifying faith is: I can not see that I am a lost sinner; I will not own it; and therefore I can not trust Christ's atoning sacrifice, and Christ's sanctifying grace. Is this what it means? Then what fatal pride there is in that man, or woman, or child, in this congregation, that ventures, in the face of facts that will silence all of us when we stand before the judgment-seat, and ought to silence all of us now, to say-I can not own that I am a helldoomed sinner; I can not own that I merit my Maker's eternal curse? We shall see it plainly enough hereafter, if we do not see it now; and there is nothing to account for the dullness of our vision, but the pride of our hearts. What fatal pride, if we should happen to own before God at the last, that in the face of all the clearest demonstration of his word, his attributes, and the workings of our own common sense, we denied that we deserved his eternal wrath!

Or does it mean-I can not trust Christ's great sacrifice, and perfect obedience, and declared love? What ingratitude to him! what causeless unbelief! Is it true, or is it not true, that that unseen, but Almighty Saviour is ready to intercede for you, and give you his Spirit, and carry you to heaven? Is it true, or is it not, that there is not one soul in this congregation, for whom Christ Jesus did not give his blood, and whom he is not now ready to make a child of God and an heir of heaven? What fatal, what damnable unbelief, if notwithstanding all this, any one in this congregation says-I can not trust him!

Or does it mean, that because he has revealed that he will save you by making you holy, by leading you to obey, by making you mortify your sins, by giving you the sanctifying Spirit through which all this may be done, you can not submit to that; you must hold your sins; you must still live in that which God forbids; you must still cherish that which God's law condemns? Why, in the face of such fearful sanctions, and notwithstanding such plain and reiterated commands, and when such infinite mercy is extended to you, to refuse salvation because you will cling to sin-O! it must silence every one at the last, if nothing else did; it must strike such an arrow of remorse into the miserable soul that will have then to own-I might have been rescued and blest forever, but I would not give up my rebellion against God. Alas! alas! it will deepen all the gloom of the condemnation, that is resting upon you already.

But if still you tell me that you are obliged to say, I can not believe;

are you to sit down in despair? Here is a fearful load of guilt upon you; must you sit down in despair? Do you say-What can I do? I am lost, I shall sink into perdition, I have not believed, I can not believe; all this is true, but I must sink into perdition, helpless and hopeless? You only half believe that; or you would not sit still and do nothing. Depend upon it, when any man says, I must sit still and do nothing, because I can not believe, he has only half a conviction of his melancholy state. A little deeper conviction of the absolute and intolerable misery to which such a state is leading, would make you at once begin to be active in doing what you can.

Do you say-What can we do? There are many things, God's word declares you not only can, but must do. It is our duty to believe in Christ at once. It is the duty of every man, woman, and child in this assembly, to believe in Christ now. There is evidence that ought to convince every one, at once, without any further examination; and the obligations resting upon us are such, that not one night ought to be lost; not one minute's delay ought to be interposed. Christ offers you and me salvation, if we trust him; and it is our duty to trust him now. We are lost, and he offers to save us from hell by his atoning sacrifice, by his sanctifying Spirit; and he only asks us to trust him. We ought to trust him now.

But if the hardness of any heart forbids it; if the habitual unbelief of any heart forbids; if the devoted love of sin, which still masters any one, forbids it; then what must follow? To do nothing? No. Listen to God's word, as you hope to be saved. God has required of just such persons-"Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Break off every habit of sin. Keep out of the way of temptation. Forsake the company that tempts. Do what you obviously can. No one compels you to seek bad company; no one compels you to place yourself in the way of temptation; Satan can not compel you to any external act. Therefore, break off these things. Break off whatever, in fact, interferes with your seeking salvation. Break it off at once. It is God's command.

Is there nothing that you can do? God's word declares-" Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Can not you call on him? Can not you at once begin to seek God's mercy? But you have not faith; and you have not earnestness. Still, call on him as you can. Begin to pray. Fasten upon your mind the necessity of salvation; and let the cry of your natural distress, if not the prayer of faith, ascend up before God.

God has said in his word-"The law is our schoolmaster to bring us

to Christ." Then, in other words, it is when men perceive how the law condemns them, that they flee to Christ as the only Saviour. Do not get rid of the sense of guilt; but fasten it on your mind. Meditate on God's holy law; look at all its precepts; apply them to your own case; see how you have violated them; acknowledge the condemnation that law pronounces. Let the humiliating thought rest there, till it compels you to seek salvation by Christ. "The law is our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we may be justified by faith.”

Meditate, further, as you can, upon the gospel of Christ: for "faith," we read, "cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." When any one will day by day read the Scriptures solemnly and seriously, and endeavor to understand them, and to impress them on his mind, it may be the duty in which God meets him. In the absence of that, how can you expect the blessing? If you despise God's word, if you neglect his gospel, can you look for salvation? Read it; meditate upon it. You may find, as thousands have, that in that obedience, however imperfect, to God's will, he may meet with you and save you.

These things, at least, you can do; and there are other similar directions in God's word, for those who are as yet in their sins. And till all these are done, and have been done long in vain, do not say you can do nothing. If you say so, my dear hearer, it is, depend upon it, because you are only half convinced, Once thoroughly persuaded that you are ruined without Christ, you will gratefully seize the opportunities for these habits, which he has required you at once, as condemned sinners, to exercise and to cultivate.

But how can we express adequately, my Christian brethren, the gratitude we ought to have to God through Christ, if indeed he has given us this inestimable blessing? How can we sufficiently deplore the condition of some among us, to whom it seems almost impossible that they should believe; to whom the difficulty in their way seems almost insuperable? And yet God has taught us to believe. Why? Why do we rest on Christ this night? Why do we now look up to our most loving Saviour, to deliver us from our guilt and ruin, from the curse of the law, from the malice of Satan, from his temptations, from the eternal wrath we have merited, from all evil; and to place us among his people in glory? Why, with a consciousness perhaps as complete as any one can have, that we are utterly deserving of eternal wrath, have we yet this confidence in Christ? blessing from God, for which it is impossible we thankful. Let us day by day exercise that faith. without our trusting in Christ still to save us. in him become more and more simple and complete.

O! brethren, it is a should be sufficiently Let not a day go by, may that confidence

And

DISCOURSE XXXIX.

JABEZ BUNTING, D.D.

THE Hercules of modern Methodism, as Dr. Bunting has been described, is a native of Manchester, England, and is now nearly fourscore years of age. He was educated by Dr. Percival, of Manchester, and numbered among his early religious friends, Dr. Adam Clarke, Dr. Coke, and Rev. Mr. Benson. His public career began in 1799, and he was stationed, alternately, at London, Liverpool, and Leeds. At the founding of the Wesleyan Theological Institute in 1835, then at Hoxton, and since at Richmond and Disbury, he was appointed its President; an office which he still holds, though only nominally. With the exception of two years, he has been Secretary of the Wesleyan Missionary Society since the year 1819. He has been four times President of the Conference; and is even yet regarded as the leading man in England in the large and influential body to which he belongs.

In personal appearance, Dr. Bunting is quite commanding; slightly above the ordinary height, of full figure, large and broad face, small, keen eyes, and white hair. His complexion is wonderfully fair for one of his age.

Dr. Bunting for years past has not preached very frequently; but whenever he is seen in the pulpit, it creates a universal sensation. An admirer describes him as an excellent preacher. His matter and style are both remarkable for their condensation. There is a separate idea in almost every second sentence he utters. He possesses a sound judgment, and a mind of considerable vigor. He is always above mediocrity; he frequently starts new trains of thought, and gives utterance to things which sufficiently strike the mind of the hearer, to justify the supposition that the impression made will be lasting. He is a sententious preacher. His discourses always bear traces of very careful preparation. And they are not only carefully prepared in the first instance, but being in most cases repeatedly preached in various chapels, and frequently in the same chapels at certain intervals of time, they are doubtless often retouched; and consequently ought to be of a very superior order of merit. Dr. Bunting, it is said, has only a limited number of what he himself considers good sermons. The statement is the more probable, as he has in some cases delivered the same discourse ten or twelve times over. What may appear

more surprising is the fact, that in some instances he preaches sermons which have not only been frequently preached before, but have actually appeared in print, and been extensively circulated. In some instances he has been induced, under peculiar circumstances, to apprize the congregation of the fact immediately after giving out the text. He has an aversion amounting to horror at seeing his discourses reported in any of the publications devoted to the reports of sermons; and it is said that his usual practice before commencing is to look round the chapel and see if he can dis

cover any reporter in it. When preaching a few years ago near Hammersmith, he observed a reporter with his note-book in his hand; when, after announcing the text, he said, "I see a reporter there," pointing to a particular part of the chapel, "for one of the pulpit publications. I beg to inform him, that the sermon I am now going to preach, was not only before delivered by me, but will be found in print." On another occasion, when preaching in Aldersgate chapel, he observed, after he had got fairly into the discourse, a young man taking notes in the front seat of the gallery on the left of the pulpit; when suddenly stopping in his sermon, and turning round to the other, he accosted him, by way of parenthesis, thus: "Young man, I see you are very busy in taking notes of my sermon. If you wish to remember it, you ought to try to do so when you go home, and not disturb a whole congregation peaceably assembled for the worship of God." The young man, however, went on with his notes as if nothing had happened.

The reverend gentleman's manner is represented as exceedingly quiet. He can hardly be said to use any gesture at all. His voice is clear; but in such a chapel as that in Great Queen street, he is hardly audible in the more distant parts of it. He speaks deliberately, but impressively, owing to the quality of his matter, and a seriousness which there is about his general appearance. He often closes his little clear eyes during the delivery of his sermon; perhaps altogether they are shut during half the time he is occupied with his discourse.

Dr. Bunting has not done much in the way of authorship. His best-known and largest work is his Life of the late Rev. Richard Watson, published in 1833. He has written several pamphlets, and published a few sermons. That which is subjoined is esteemed one of the most eloquent which he has ever put forth. It certainly does justice to his distinguished reputation.

THE GUILT AND GROUNDLESSNESS OF UNBELIEF.

"And he marveled because of their unbelief."-MARK, vi. 6.

WHEN he, by whom the world was made, condescended to dwell among men, and so was "in the world," the world "knew him not." He came unto his own, and his own received him not." They "hid, as it were, their faces from him; he was despised, and they esteemed him not." And by none of our Lord's countrymen was that saying more fully verified, than by the Nazarenes. In Nazareth he appeared as an infant; at Nazareth he was brought up; they had the honor of seeing the first indications of his superior wisdom and piety. It was at Nazareth that "the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was with him." To Nazareth he returned after his celebrated conversation with the doctors in the temple; and there he was subject to Mary, his real mother, and to Joseph, his reputed father; while he "increased in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and man." It was at Nazareth that he wrought in the occupation of a carpenter, till the time came for his commencing his public ministry. It