have pleasure in unrighteousness. That delusion I call fatal, which, if continued until death, must present the miserable man before the door of heaven to cry, "Lord, Lord, open to me;" and to hear the Lord from within say, "I know you not, depart from me." The charms of the adversary are sometimes broken, before the time of grace has elapsed; but he who is under their influence cannot be savingly united to the Head of the church.

Fatal delusions not unfrequently arise from the pride of reasoning. The unsanctified mind may give rational assent to the truth, that the scriptures were given by inspiration of God; it may, at the same time, so pervert the testimony of the Most High, as to account Jesus a man, or something less than God, mighty to save, by rendering that obedience to the law, which he did not owe for himself. One who is under this delusion cannot look to Jesus as the author and finisher of faith, If believe that the Son of God was incayou pable of "bringing in everlasting righteousness," you cannot receive him as the Lord your righteousness, your strength, and all your salvation. Men who cannot comprehend their own being, reject the Anointed of the Lord, because they cannot fathom the mysteries of God manifest in the flesh.

To them no less than to the Jews and Greeks, is HE a Rock of offence, which they

strive to remove, or undermine and bury by criticism, because they have stumbled on it, and are broken, but it returns upon them in their works, to grind them to powder.

Another fatal delusion is that of supposing our own personal righteousness sufficient for our acceptance in the day of judgment. If any one thinks to plead what he has done, or what he has not done, as the ground of his acceptance, or the reason for the remission of his sins, he attempts to establish his own righteousness, and does not submit to the righteousness of God. While a man's pride, or ignorance of the spirituality of the law, allows him to think that he has done his duty, or by some meritorious actions has made sat isfaction for his deficiences, he will never resort to the Saviour of sinners. If one can save himself by prudence, benevolence, or reformation, what need has he of redemption by another? No delusion is more common than this. If you do not feel, that you have no goodness of heart, no excellence of character, which can save you from hell, you are without the least degree of saving faith.

Another delusion, not less fatal, is that of trusting to a crucifix, to an image of Christ, to ceremonies of human invention, instead of reposing the guilty soul upon the merits of the Saviour. The delusion, which those are under, who expect to be saved through the merit of their convictions, terrors, and devotional

exercises, is of the same family, and effectually excludes him who died for sinners, from the office of meritorious Deliverer. Of other errors, which frequently destroy the souls of infatuated men, I have time only to say, "beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

THE SIXTH class of persons, who have no saving faith, comprehends all those, who are absolutely destitude of all the other Christian graces. Faith never exists alone. It is the most luminous star in a vast constellation. All the graces may not be discovered at the same moment, but they all exist together in the renewed mind. Some cloud may cover a part of the "milky way" from the naked eye, but the stars which compose it are not blotted out of existence. The man, however, who has not faith, has NOT ONE of the graces of the Spirit; he is "free from righteousness ;" and there cannot be found in him ONE good thing towards the Lord God of Israel.

Where you find one truly pious affection, you may expect more, and will not be deceived; but where some one beside faith mani. fests not itself, conclude that faith itself is wanting. It is the nature of faith to produce HOPE; for if any one believes that all good things are treasured in Jesus, and that he shall become a partaker of them, he will hope,

until the actual possession comes. We always hope for that which we believe to be both desirable and obtainable. The existence of hope, therefore, will frequently prove that faith previously existed; even as fruit presents to the mind evidence that the tree which produced it must have had a previous being.

Examine your own minds, my hearers, and if you find no hope that eternal life, the love of God, and the friendship of Jesus, shall be your portion, you may positively decide that you are destitute of faith.

Search, also, for the grace of EVANGELICAL REPENTANCE, and if you find within your selves no regret that you have sinned against your merciful God and Redeemer, no desire to abstain from ungrateful conduct in future, no feeling of displeasure at yourselves for vileness, No hatred of transgression which does not arise from fear of punishment, you must come to the same melancholy conclusion.

LOVE has no existence in the man who is destitute of faith. He cannot affirm, with truth, that he ever felt his affections drawn forth towards his God. He never felt himself pleased, when God is honoured. From attachment to Jesus, he was never grieved at the dishonour done to Christ's cause. Should. any man abuse the character of an earthly friend whom he loves, he would be indignant;

but he knows nothing of holy displeasure with sin, because he is not a friend of God.

Love induces us to please the object of that passion, even at the expense of many personal gratifications, but the man without faith, never makes it his business to please God, by imitating the example of his Son.

Love to mankind is inseparably connected with devotion to God. If we take pleasure in our Creator, we shall in his creatures; and if we love the Redeemer, we shall love his redeemed ones. If then you have no sincère desire of doing good, as you have opportunity; if you do not wish to be useful in the world; if you are without compassion for the abandoned; if you feel no complacency in the good; if you are destitute, entirely, of meekness, forbearence, patience, and beneficence, you are separated from Christ, you are "none of his." Where there is no active goodness, there is no efficient faith. Would you be satisfied, were you to do no good? Then you have not the spirit of Christ.

To enumerate all the Christian graces, which, under different forms, present themselves, would require volumes. It is enough for us to know, that the pious person is a follower of Jesus, and will, in the changing scenes of life, exemplify, with different degrees of light, all the shades of the Christian character. Where this is wholly wanting there is not the feeblest faith in Jesus Christ.