And, now, what shall we say to those who have true scripture knowledge of the way to be good, and to do good, who have come out and declared themselves to be separate from sinners, but who are not yet separate from sin. Think of the scandal you bring upon the faith of Christ, and the followers of Christ, by your sad inconsistency. Brethren! dear brethren! your's is, indeed, the very highest profession of goodness. You deem the virtues of the world and the worldly to be unworthy of the name of goodness, you profess to follow Him who did no sin, whose thoughts, words, and actions, were perfect goodness. Your love of worldly gain, I say to one-your bitter envying, your unkindness, I say to another-your unruly tongue and ungoverned temper! I say to a third,—are those the fruit of the Spirit? the fruit, I say, for I am commissioned to look for fruit. The apostle describes most plainly the fruit for which I seek. The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth. In all-observe-and if in all, why not in you? If any one knows what it is to be good in the highest sense, and to do good in the best way-it is you, and you know all this allowed sin to be wrong, to be downright bad; and worse, far worse in you than in others; simply, because you know so much better than others, profess so much more than

others. Alas! with what a tremendous power of condemnation do these words come down upon you, "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." Bring forth your sin, therefore, at once, and slay it before God, and whatsoever your hand findeth to do, do it, for this reason, the time is short-and there is no place of repentance in the grave, no cry for pardon, no entreaty for admission heard or answered when the door is shut; whatsoever you know to be wrong, resolve in God's strength, to die rather than to do it; whatsoever you know to be right, do it with your might; or, however little your sin, you are living in sin, even in wilful sin, and the soul that sinneth, it shall die-for "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

Dr. Chalmers has admirably remarked, that "there is not so much as a single half hour in the whole current of a man's history, which the gospel might not cheer by its comforts, or guide by its rules, or enlighten by its informations and principles." This is what I wish to impress upon you. It matters not where your sphere is, or what you are, as to the place you fill in society. It matters not what trade you follow, or what business you are engaged in; the question to be answered by you all is-What have you done there to God? Do you come from the warm and airy

drawing-room? Do you come from the little unknown chamber of some narrow alley? Do you come from behind the counter of the busy shop? Do you come from the housekeeper's room? or from the kitchen? or from the stable yard? Do you come from the midst of a large cheerful family or from the solitude of a lodging? Do you come from the bedside of some sick friend or relation, or have you yourself but lately risen from the bed of suffering? What have you done -I say to all and to each of you-in your own proper place to God? Yes, and whatever your state or station may be, I may also say, you must take this as a general rule. You do not come to the house of God to listen for others, but for yourself, for your one individual self. I ask you most seriously and most affectionately, what have you done to God? I do not enquire now, what your opinions may be? what your advantages may have been? how much of the true light you have had the privilege to enjoy? but, what influence have those opinions had on your practice? how have you used those advantages? how have you lived up to that light? "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

In the Lord's vineyard, every tree of His planting is a tree of righteousness, and every tree of righteousness is a fruit-tree. We see

Him not, but He comes constantly to every tree, and seeks for fruit. If we are His, the fruit of the Spirit will be found in us," Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." If we are His, the family likeness to Christ will be seen in us. His simplicity of life, His singleness of eye, His meekness of wisdom, His truth, His pureness, His love, His patience; in short, the light of His holiness will shine so clearly and so steadily in us, that men will glorify Him in

us.

They do, indeed, strangely mistake the real nature of the religion of Christ, who suppose that it is merely a change of opinions that we desire to see in those who follow Him. It is this fatal mistake which leads many to suppose that it is so easy a thing for them to be religious when they will, and if they will. It is easyblessed be His holy name!-in God's way. It is, (I do not say not easy,) it is impossible in any other way! We look not merely for a change of opinions, but a change of principles, a change of life, a change of services; and this manifold change can only proceed from a change of heart. The one is the work of man, the other invariably the work of God. I often desist at once when I find an unbeliever, or a false believer, or a half believer, meeting my anxiety and earnestness about

the conversion of his heart and the salvation of his soul with a host of arguments, and yet with a cold, careless, self-sufficient spirit. It appears, indeed, to me, that it is but of little consequence what that man's opinions are, while his heart is set up in a spirit of unhumbled defiance and self-sufficiency. I retire within myself as utterly unable to help, and therefore utterly unfit to dispute with him; and feel that prayer in my own closet for that man is the only way in which I can meet his case.

Once more, I urge upon you the holy argument of this plain Scripture. "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." Are you, I ask again, the child of godly parents? Have you been guarded carefully from the influence of bad example, warned early against the treachery of a naturally deceived heart, instructed from the word of God, and brought under all the means of grace from which a child can profit. Did your gentle mother make you kneel down before God, and teach you to pray to Him for light and peace, and leave no way untried of bringing you to your Saviour? Great have been your privileges; tremendous will be the sentence brought upon you, if, with ten talents, you have made little or no improvement of them.-Are you, I say to another, in a very different plight? Have you seen