to cast yourself upon his justice when you come to die!

My friends, just let us calculate, from what has been now stated, the position in which you stand. You are without these spiritual sorrows of the beloved people of God. And what is the consequence?

(1.) You have first no penitent sorrow for all the immense amount of a life of sin and carnal opposition to the God that gave you birth. And therefore, you have not betaken you for refuge to the only sacrifice that could take your sins away! What is the consesequence? Not only that all that multitude of sin is with all its weight upon your head ;-but this one sin you have added, greater and heavier than all the rest, and more certainly doomed to damnation, that you have rejected, or slighted, or neglected, the atoning sacrifice of God's beloved Son! The blood of Jesus Christ, in the judgment-day, will not speak better things for your forgiveness, but cry, like the blood of Abel, for a testimony against you. You have practically invoked it, like the Jews when they crucified him, "Let it be upon our heads."

(2.) You have not experienced that careful and anxious sorrow, in seeking the knowledge of Christ, while on earth ;-and what complaint can you make, if then it is forbidden you to know him for all the ages of eternity? O what a scene will it be to such a soul, to behold at the last, when the veil is indeed removed, that same once suffering Redeemer, exalted on the throne of everlasting dominion, as the King of kings, and the Lord of lords!

(3.) And lastly, you have not been feeling that sorrow which comes to the children of God, because of their warfare with sin. You have not been toiling

on earth to be holy ;-and then can you blame the sentence, already mercifully told you before the time, that "without holiness you cannot behold the Lord," but "he that is unjust let him be unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still"?

My friends, it is the gracious office of the Holy Spirit of God, to give the broken and contrite heart. He "convinceth of sin." Jesus Christ is exalted, as a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to his people." None can give it to themselves. None ever did and no one ever will. It needs the Omnipotence that made the world.

Go home to-day, therefore, and beseech the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinner's Friend and Refuge, to give this gift to you. Be not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. Do not esteem it derogatory to the fancied dignity, and wisdom, and greatness of fallen man. The wisdom and learning of the world,-alas! what is it ?—The veriest folly, and abomination with God! "Whether there be languages they shall cease; whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away." The wealth of the world,-what is it? "Moth and rust doth corrupt it, and thieves break through and steal!” The whole of this natural world,-what is it? Yet a little while, and "the earth with its works shall be burned up, the sun shall be turned into darkness, the moon into blood, and the stars shall fall from heaven." But the cross of Jesus Christ! Here is wisdom! Here is strength and durability! unsearchable riches for every seeking soul! It is Jehovah's touchstone of trial, to see who it is that will serve and belong to him. And it is at the same time the wisdom and power of God. God is glorified in it. Angels are looking unto it. All the saints that have lived and died upon the earth have by it entered into heaven. And millions of souls that are now in glory are sing

ing its praises before the Saviour's throne. Brethren, let yours be the same inheritance. Share one hope with all the redeemed family. Let the free and offered grace of Jehovah join your names to their blessed number, and write them for all eternity, as saved sinners, in the Lamb's book of life.

SERMON XII.

TESTS OF TRUE RELIGION.

II. GOSPEL FAITH.

The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Gal. ii. part of ver. 20.

A SECOND main principle of distinction is here afforded us, between the life of those who are spiritual and those who are carnal still. It is the principle of Faith. The carnally-minded lives and walks by sight, but the life of a spiritual person is a life of faith; a life lived by faith; "the life which I now live," that is, since my conversion to God, since I am crucified with Christ, the life which I now live, "I live by faith." And that too, a particular faith; “by the faith :"-not a mere general faith in eternal, invisible things, but "by the faith of the Son of God:" that is, having the Son of God as its object, that Christ is he, with whom I am now crucified; and having the Son of God, having Jesus Christ as the Author and the Finisher of it: and thus believing his love to me, and that, for my behalf, he has been made a sacrifice to God. This, when it is felt and enjoyed, as a matter of absolute verity, not of self-delusion or credulity, but of realized experience, is the "life in the flesh" of every spiritual person. And therefore this, besides that

characteristic of godly sorrow I have spoken of, is a second distinguishing feature, between the people of God and all the rest of mankind. The sinner having felt his sins, and having mourned for those sins with godly sorrow, faith apprehends the remedy and conducts him to it. So that if any one asks the question, What is there really found in the life of the people of God, which is not in the rest of the world? one answer to it is, that they live by faith. If any one asks, What do I need to make me a spiritual person, and to number me with the saints? one need is faith. Or if any one earnestly enquires, How may I know that I am already amongst that blessed number? then one answer to be given is, Examine and see if your life is a life of faith. We must answer the question by another, by the question of St. Paul; Hast thou faith?" or by the question of the Saviour, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" It is the characteristic feature given by St. Paul of all the saints in every age, when reviewing their history from the beginning of the world, Abel, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and the saints in every age, that "by faith they obtained the promises, and wrought their righteousness, and lived and died in faith."

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It is very plain then, that a more deeply important subject cannot occupy our thoughts than this great subject of faith; seeing that it is one of the chiefest marks of distinction, by which we may all know if we are spiritual and belong to God: for that if we are so, then our life now in the flesh is lived by the faith of the Son of God, as having loved us, and given himself for us. And as this is such a very important question for every person to decide, it must always be a profitable and deeply interesting exercise to examine what Holy Scripture has really said and revealed upon this subject of faith. In