All are not believers who believe themselves to be such. The divine touchstone is, "by their fruits ye shall know them."

When Christians are sometimes led to doubt the sincerity of their faith, it is often attributed to the temptation of Satan; but this may not always be the case.

Had the church of Laodicea exercised a holy jealousy over herself, that very fear of self-deception would have indicated much self-knowledge and spiritual discernment; and might, through grace, have preserved her from degenerating into that state of lukewarmness, which evidently originated in pride and self-conceit.

Satan not unfrequently harasses the true believer with desponding fears; while he buoys up the mere nominal professor with presumptuous hopes. These desponding fears, if indulged to excess, are injurious to the believer's advancement in holiness. They wound his peace, and are dishonourable to a faithful, loving Saviour.

Yet if these fearful apprehensions lead him to closer self-examination, and greater searchings of heart; to more fervent supplication, and increased watchfulness; then Satan is foiled, and the believer, rescued from the power of the enemy, through the unfailing grace of the Redeemer, is made to come off more than conqueror, and to sing with joy in the ways of the Lord. When the believer in Jesus has attained to this happy state, his soul is in a right frame humble, watchful, and holy. Being taught in the school of Christ to know himself and his Saviour, he proceeds with steady step towards the heavenly Canaan, under the equipoising influence of hope and fear.

Every thing which can comfort the child of God is recorded by the pen of eternal truth. As his

salvation is all of grace in its origin, so is it also in its progress and consummation. "God is faithful

who hath promised." "He who hath begun the good work, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Nothing can be stronger than the following assurance of love and mercy which is made to every penitent sinner, flying for refuge to the cross of Christ: "God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us; which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

Yet, in the Holy Scriptures, we meet with many alarming passages, which ought to awaken our solicitude, and cause us to ponder the path of our feet.

"The just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." "If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries."

"It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come; if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." "If after they have escaped the pollutions of the

world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome; the latter end is worse with them than the beginning; for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to depart from the holy commandment delivered unto them."

These and other similar passages show us the importance of that proverb, "the fear of the Lord tendeth to life, and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil."

How many do we see in the course of our lives, who, after flourishing for a season, begin to fade and die! Is it not because the root of the matter was not in them? because their hearts were never savingly changed? because they were never really and truly in a state of grace?

St Peter calls such characters, "spots and blemishes." St Jude styles them, "spots in your feasts of charity"-" clouds without water-trees without fruit, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever!"

Awful words indeed! O what need there is for close examination, lest haply we should be found amongst those self-deceivers who fancy themselves to be something while they are nothing; and who, after they have made a noisy profession before men, will prove at last mere castaways! The blessed Saviour has not left us at uncertainties in these important inquiries. He has given us solid marks whereby to judge of our true state and character: "If ye love me, keep my commandments”—“ ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you' "follow me."

As love is the surest evidence of faith; so obedience is the truest test of love. How vain then is that profession which is destitute of these graces!

Universal holiness is the distinguishing mark of genuine Christianity: "Be ye holy, for I am holy," is the command of him who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.

Supreme love to the Lord Jesus Christ is the governing principle of every believer. This sacred attachment to the Saviour forms the grand distinction between the children of God and the children of the wicked one.

A man may make a reputable profession of religion for a season, and appear like a flourishing tree, and a fertilizing cloud; but if his heart be destitute of "the true grace of God," he will be found at last to resemble the character reprobated by St Jude"without fruit" and "without water. In seasons of temptation he will wither away, not having a rooted principle of grace in his heart; and thus manifest to the church and the world, by his declension and apostasy, that he was never truly ingrafted into Christ by faith.

The force of temptation soon destroys his feeble attachment to the visible church; and he remains a solemn warning to all who call themselves Christians, of the danger of false profession.

O blessed Lord, preserve me, thy unworthy creature, from this awful state of self-delusion. give me true grace, deep repentance, and fervent Love. Unite Unite my soul to thyself, in the bonds of the everlasting covenant. Let sin be my daily aversion; and holiness my everlasting delight. Prepare me for the enjoyment of thyself here; and crown all thy mercies with the gift of thyself, as my everlasting portion, in thy kingdom of glory.

In seasons of doubt and of gloom,
When Satan would drive to despair,
Then Christ is the life of my hope,

And hope is the life of my prayer.

My sins, like a death-bearing cloud,
Oft hide the dear cross from my view;
But Jesus, dispersing the mist,

Disperses the enemy too.

How kind is our merciful God,

His word and his promise how true!
He bids me take courage and fight,
With crucified Jesus in view.

Should Satan come in like a flood,
And fill me with grief and dismay,

The Spirit appears to my aid;
His standard drives Satan away.

By nature unable to stand,

Or vanquish temptation to sin;
Through Jesus, almighty to save,

The crown we are certain to win.

XLV. ON SELF-DECEPTION.

A GOOD thought does not consist in simply thinking about good things. We may meditate upon the most excellent subjects, and even feel some delight in them, whilst our meditations are neither pleasing to God nor profitable to ourselves.

From the habit of attending a Gospel ministry, and reading religious publications, we may be led into an evangelical train of thinking; and yet, both the faithful preacher and the pious author may be to us only as the summer shower falling upon the

barren rock.

"Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your ownselves," is the monitory voice of revealed truth. There is a danger of being satisfied with the sentimentalism of religion. If a person can express himself with energy and elegance on the