man a mere pretender to charity; so must we, in the case which the comparison is brought to illustrate, pronounce the fruitless professor, the man who says he has faith, but has not works,-a mere pretender to faith. There is no charity in the one case; there is no faith in the other. Deceive not yourselves, with such a "name to live." "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." Let the words of Christ himself,-words alike of warning and of encouragement, be deeply impressed upon your minds, and present always, with practical power, to your remembrance :-" Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand;

and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell and great was the fall of it.”*

May God the Spirit so carry home his own word, as effectually to convince of sin all who have not yet believed in Christ, as he is revealed in the testimony of the gospel! May he carry it home to the awakening of the profligate, of the thoughtless, of the proud, of the "rich man, who glories in his riches; of the mighty man, who glories in his might; of the wise man who glories in his wisdom;" of the self-righteous man, who glories in his virtue ;-and bring them all, in their common character of sinners, to the foot of the cross, as suppliants for mercy!

The words of the text and context were uttered by the lips of the faithful and gracious Redeemer himself. They are alike characterized by the weight of authority, the fidelity of warning, and the persuasiveness of

love.

"Hear, and your souls shall live :”—

*Matth. vii. 24-27.

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

THE END.