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rit." In the 3rd Chapter of Galatians, and the 25th verse, it is said, that "faith is come," that is, as the distinguishing gift of the Gospel dispensation; and in the 5th Chapter and 22nd verse, that the "fruit of the Spirit is faith." In the 6th Chapter of the Ephesians, and the 23rd verse, the apostle asks for the Ephesians, "love with faith, from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." In the 1st Epistle to Timothy, 1st Chapter and 14th verse, he says, that the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love." In the case of Simon Peter, the Saviour himself prayed for him that his "faith should not fail." And then we find that disciple, describing all believers, as "those who had obtained," or received, "like precious faith with himself."

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2. Here therefore, beloved brethren, is the Giver and the gift. But is it a gift for all? Is it a gift that all may plead for, and plead with assurance to obtain? Verily it is. O how precious, because how express is the assurance, that the gifts of the Gospel dispensation are gifts for all! "How much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts;" to whom? "to all that ask him." The "fruit of the Spirit is faith;" and to whom will he give the Spirit? "to all that ask him." 66 Every good gift cometh down from the Father of Lights;" but to whom will he give them? He "giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not." He has "opened the door of faith to all the Gentiles." He has, it is said in the 17th Chapter of the Acts, and the 31st verse, "offered faith unto all men:" and speaking of that by the prophet, and of all the blessings of the Gospel dispensation, as a feast of fat things, of wine and milk, he says to all, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, and he that hath no money, come without money and price and buy them." "Whosoever will," says the Saviour, to close, as it

* Luke xxii. 32. 2 Pet. i. 1.

were, the Blessed Volume with one express and universal assurance, "whosoever will let him come, and take of the water of life, and take it freely." "The Spirit and the Church say, Come, and whosoever is athirst, whosoever will, let him come.’

And therefore, beloved brethren, while we encourage you to come and to seek for faith, and that, most affectionately wishing that you may seek and may obtain it, we also declare it to be guilt upon you if you obtain it not. To be without perfect faith, without faith in its full assurance, is so far a measure of guilt and sin, because God is not unwilling to bestow it, but because we neglect it and therefore have it not. To have little faith is still greater sin, but still, with the smallest portion, the sin is pardoned and the soul is saved. But to have no faith, when Christ has died to obtain it, and God has offered to bestow it, to be destitute of all faith, is sin that will ruin and destroy the soul.

IV. I must now just mention our fourth particular; the means of faith, or How is faith? Hav、 ing seen that it is a gift, of which God is the Giver, and a gift for all, then the only remaining point is the means of seeking it. Briefly these are three :

1. First, the means of prayer. For this we have the example of all the disciples; "Lord, increase our faith." A true believer will pray for it every day. "I have prayed for faith," said a godly minister now living, writing to his father, a bishop in a neighbouring kingdom, "I have prayed for faith, till the blood has burst forth from my nostrils."

2. Secondly, the means of the Word:

"Faith

* See Matt. vii. 11. Gal. v. 22. Luke xi. 13. James i. 17, 5. Isa. lv. 1. Rev. xxii. 17.

+ Luke xvii. 5.

cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Therein "the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." And all that have any experience of heavenly things have found this true. It is in the studying of that living Word that difficulties die, and light is sown for the righteous, and gladness and confidence for the true in heart.

3. And thirdly, the means of duty: "If any will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God."+ A man that lives in transgression will never have faith, or believe the truth of Revelation. It is the beam in the eye, that hides the view of Jehovah. Faith is the fruit of the Spirit, and he that grieves the Spirit, and quenches the Spirit, exchanges confidence for darkness, and faith for habitual unbelieving. Those, says St. Paul, who "put away a good conscience;" those "make shipwreck of faith."‡ For though "with the perfect the Lord will be perfect, with the froward he will show himself froward."§

My dear brethren, the very name of Christ's Church, of which we are members, is "the household of faith."|| May many that are now unbelievers be added to it from amongst us by that gift of God, and may the Lord increase the faith of us all by the work of his Spirit, till, like that of the Thessalonians, our faith" groweth exceedingly;" till we "all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ!"¶

Rom. x. 17.-i. 17. † John vii. 17. +1 Tim. i. 19. § Psa. xviii. 26. Gal. vi. 10. 2 Thess. i. 3. Eph. iv. 13.

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THE state of heart which is here described as the state of a Christian believer, the fruit of the other two which have been discussed, is the third great test of true religion which I propose to specify. It is calculated to lead us to several particulars of profitable consideration. It opens up at once, in the mind of every sincere seeker after God, a wide field of selfexamination to some it is the ground of much reproof, and to others of some encouragement. In order to calculate and apply the character which the text describes to us, we must endeavour to look at it in six points of view ;

I. As a clase test of religious principle; II. As a total exclusion to false confidence; III. As a vital point for personal enquiry ; IV. As a question calling for some allowances; V. As a state of attainment liable to great preventions;

VI. As an object of endeavour admitting of great and gracious helps.

I

I. Consider it first as a close test of religious principle. It is the plain testimony of Scripture, that such an experience as the text describes, this love of Christ constraining us, is the only substance and life of religion in the soul of man. What love of Christ the apostle spoke of, is plain from the rest of the verse, and what he meant by its constraining us, is plain from the verse that follows it. The love which he spoke of was this, that whereas "all were dead, Christ died for all." And the constraining was this,— the cool, deliberate judgment of the mind, ("because we thus judge,") "that he died for all, that they which live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who died for them and rose again." The love of Christ to believers, applied to them by the Holy Ghost, produces in believers love to Christ; and then that love constrains them to live to him; their life is a service of love to their Lord and Saviour; whatever he has spoken, they remember; whatever he has revealed of the Father, of heaven, of eternity, of the things to come, is the theme of their meditation; whatever he did, is their pattern; whatever he has commanded they practise, both as to how they are to live towards God, and how they are to live with each other; what he has forbidden they forsake; what he has promised they plead for and obtain,— they search out all those "great and precious promises," and daily look up to the throne of his glory, to have those promises fulfilled.

This, and nothing short of this, is true religion. It is an action, a strong inward action, of the principle of love, love to the Saviour in the soul of man. It is a working of love, grounded on two things, the two dispositions described in the two preceding sermons; viz. on a conscious experience of the need of such a Saviour to pardon and subdue sin; and on a believing faith, which is the gift of God, that Christ has

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