forth his withered hand; and in the very act of endeavouring to obey the precept, received power to obey it. At the command of Jesus, strive ye to enter in at the strait gate, and you shall not strive in vain, You shall be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. You shall have power to overcome every intervening obstacle. You shall be enabled to endure unto the end. So shall an entrance be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

SERMON XXIV.

THE MARKS OF TRUE FAITH, STATED AND EXPLAINED.

II CORINTHIANS, XIII. 5.

ye

be in the

Examine yourselves, whether
Faith: Prove your ownselves,

THERE is no truth more clearly stated in Scripture, than that Faith is indispensably necessary to salvation. We are expressly told, that without Faith it is impossible to please God; that by grace we are saved through Faith; that he who believeth not is condemned already; and that all unbelievers shall have their portion in the lake, which burneth with fire and brimstone. At the same time it is no less clearly stated, that all men have not Fuith. If we read of some, who believe to the saving of their souls, we hear also of others, who have an evil heart of unbelief; who concerning faith have made shipwreck; who, because the God of this world hath blinded their minds, believe not.-While

7

such are the representations of the word of God, who does not perceive the importance of St. Paul's admonition in the text, Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your ownselves?

In urging the Corinthians to institute this enquiry into their state, the apostle probably was apprehensive, that there might be among them some who were deceiving themselves by a false shew of religion; who, while they assumed the title of believers, had really no just pretensions to the character. To such persons, the examination prescribed might be attended with incalculable benefit. By disclosing to them the insincerity of their Christian profession, it would destroy their vain confidence; and thus, through the divine blessing, might eventually lead them to build their hopes on a less dangerous foundation.

There might be others, also, to whom a compliance with the apostle's exhortation would be highly profitable. There might be persons who entertained considerable, though needless fears of their interest in the Redeemer; persons, who in fact possessing unequivocal evidences of a true and living Faith, yet, from want of duly investigating them, continued to class themselves with unbelievers, and formed the most gloomy conclusions concerning their spiritual state. Let these persons,

however, be persuaded to examine themselves, whether they be in the faith; let them prove their ownselves. What will be the result of such an enquiry? Convinced that their fears are groundless, their conclusions unreasonable, they will cast aside their despondency, and will go on their way rejoicing.

But were characters of these descriptions to be found only in the times of the apostle? Doubtless they are to be found in all ages. Doubtless the admonition may be as profitably applied in this, as in any preceding age of the church, for the purposes of detecting the self-deceiver, and of administering strength and consolation to the weak and afflicted Christian.

Such is the application which I design to make of this admonition. In prosecuting the design, I shall address,

I. Those, who assert that they have Faith. II. Those, who fear that they have not Faith.

And may that Holy Spirit, who only can discover to the heart its errors, or can shine upon his own work of grace in the soul, bless the discussion of this momentous subject to the conviction, or to the comfort of all concerned!

I. My brethren, you assert that you have Faith. Far is it from my intention to deny the assertion. God grant that it may be true!

But I would wish to suggest the possibility of its being false. You may possibly be deceived in the sentiments which you entertain of your. selves. You may possibly think more favourably of your state, than in reality you ought to think. What conduct then does wisdom prescribe? In a matter on which conse quences so important to your everlasting interests are suspended, it warns you to proceed with caution. While a possibility exists of your being mistaken, where a mistake must be attended with irretrievable ruin; it warns you to pause, before you decidedly form your opinion; to investigate with attention the grounds on which your conclusion is built. Your edifice, if it be founded on a rock, will not be less secure, because you shall have examined the foundation: and your confidence will be proportionally augmented by the conviction, thus acquired, of its firmness and stability. Suffer me then to propose some leading topics for your serious examination.

1. Are your views of Faith correct and Scriptural? Such views indeed are not essential to the attainment of Faith. You may have attained to True Faith, though you may neither distinctly conceive, nor be able accurately to define it. You cannot however know that you have attained to it, without having formed some just apprehensions respecting it.