Parochial and Plain Sermons

T very commonly happens that men, who in youth or early lire lire in a thoughtless way, without restraint over themselves, hot indeed scoffing or objecting against religion, but running into sin more or less according to the accident of extenml temptations, as time goes on and they get o]der, or when they get settled in life, or from other causes, become more serious than they were, and turn out what is called respectable and excellent men. Nay persons who have gone farther than this, who lmve led really bad lives, beeu damkoErds and 1)rofiigates, or even unbelievers, are tamed down in the course of years, and become decent or well conducted, or even religious; nay, not only in al)pearance religious, but perhaps they become really good men, bent on doing their duty, and making up for what they bave doue a-ong, so that one cannot help feeling love and respect for them. And what is the conduct of the world in such cases? If is ve2r generous, or rather indulgent. If passes over every thing that has happened, and regards and treats them just as if they had never gone wrong. And what again is the conduct towards them of a great number of religious men? They conclude in the case of those who display a fifir appearance of seriousness in their present behaviour, that God has absolutely and utterly forgiven all that has passed, as if if had never been committed; and, with that sort of liberality, in so many ways now common,.so untrue, yet so easy fo those who exercise it, thcy give away freely what is hot thcirs to ve, and speak and act as if if lay with them fo pronounce God's "absolutiou and remission" of the sins of others. And what effect has such treatment on those who are the subjects of it? Of course, to make them forger that they have been sinners, and fo consider themselves on a level with those who bave never been sinners. So that they never look back af their past lires with fear; lmt, rather, when they speak of the past, there is in their tone sometimes even something of tenderness and affectiou for their former selves;or at best they speak of themselves in a sort of moralizing way, as they might of sinners they read of, as if if was hot now lhcir concern what they ten -ere, or as if the contrast between what they were md are did but set off to advantage their present spiritual state. And thus, without going to those somewhat extreme cases, where a man ahnost lnakes his former sins a mode of enering into God's favour, a sort of necessa W preparation for being spiritually-minded, and so far a sort of boast and glory, therê are a very great many cases, I fear, 'lere persons, religious and well- meaning, aeeording to the ordinary standard, are little or hot af MI impressed with the notion that their pas sins, whether from their moral eonsequenees, or as remembered by God, are a 1)resen disadvantage to them. This, I eoneeive, in one shape or other, to be a very eommon state of mind. For instance, I ean faney persons, espeeiNly ymmg persons, eoming into ternt)- ration, and ff'oto one cause or other, through God's merey, eseaping from ifl. Either the temptation went before they eould make up their nfinds to the sin, or their minds were diverted in other ways. And I ean faney them afterwards, if, is a shoeking thing to say, vexed with themselves that they did no commit the sin o whid they were tempted; as if ifi now would be over,- as if they would hOt in sueh a case be worse now than they aetually are, and they would have enjoyed the "plea.sures of sin for a season," but,, as if, is, had los an Opl,ortunity. Now a person who so feels, eleafly does nut understand tha sin lcaves a burden npon the soul, whieh has tobe gofi rid of. tIe thinks if, is done and over,—the question of guilt, pollution, punishment no oeeurring to him. Nothing surely is more eommon among persons of t.he most various eharaeters of mind than thus to think tha God foNets sin as soon as we forger it. Again: take another hsta.nce, applicable especially at this rime. Whole bodies of" men rush into sin, and while they sin, even do hOt allow t.hat they sin, becanse each shelters himself behind the other, and thinks that what is no one person's sia is no sia af ail. This of itself is a strange view of the case, yet it is very common. Men call themselves the tatio when they sin in a body, and think that the nation, being a naine, has not.lfing fo answer for, and may do what it will; that ifs acts are only the "course of events," and necessary, as the motiou of the earth. They do very rash acts, without the fear of God before their eyes, making large and bold chauges (whether allowal)ly or hot, is hot here the question; their plain fault being that they do hot (t& themselves whether or not it is allowable,—the questiou does not enter their minds); I say they make large changes,—tley endanger God's holy religion,— they encourage scoffers and deceivers. Then, perhaps, they see they have gone too far, and they change theh" course; perhal)S try fo reverse what they have done. Now the t]mug'ht never crosses them that any one has any thing to repent of; or, if they are determined fo put the blame on the nation, that the nation has any thhg to repent of. Accordingly, persons who hail the return of any portion of the nation to a sounder state of mind, never hint or seem to fed that a national sht bas been eommitted, that Almighty God has books in whieh are set down the events of every year and day, books which will be opened af the Day of Judglnent, and men àudged out of them. Fm-ther: perhaps particular 2)crso)ts have been forward in the evil course, in direct opposition to the cause of truth and holiness; and t/w change their mind and adopt another line of (what is called) politics. They are right in so doing; but no one ever seems to doubt that the change wipes out the fault, no one ever bas the real kindness to hint to them that they bave committed a sin: to show any recollection of the past is thought fo arise, as if ofn does, from personal feeling, and fo be impolitic and unwise. Such persons are hailed as u succour, not thoughtfully and religiously regarded as penitents. Mny other instunces might be given from which it is clear flut men commonly think u sin fo be cancelled when if is doue and over, or, in other words, that ncndnct is a eiation. If I were to give tlfis tom of mind a naine, I should caH it a practical Socinianism. ow i wi be answered ha he merits of out Lord • lesus Chris are sucien fo wash ou all sin, and ha they relly do wash i ouk Doubtless; bu tire question fo be decided is, wheher e bas promised fo apply His a-sucien merits a once on persons doing nothg more flmn changing heir mode of living. 8urely  any ruh of he ihlWis clear, if is ha He gives fo hose sqo as, no o hose who do no as. Ye he fac is, as I would muintain, that men in geneml do not te the trouble fo ask, or, in other svords, to repent; but they think the change, or appnrent change or improvement itself stnnds insad of repentance, as a so of means, a sacramental means, imparting forgiveness by itself, by its own rtue, as n work done;r they think tiret the state of grace in which they are is sd as to absorb (as if were) and consume a]l s as fast as if springs up in the heart;or they think that faith has this power of obliterating and annihflating sin, so that  fact there is nothg on the conscience to repent of. They consider faith as superseding repentance. Such seeln fo be their thoughts, as far as they have any on the subject. But, again: it may be objected t.hat we are told that "there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repentéth." But I reply as before, that the persons I ara speaking of do hot repent, unless the nmre fact of a.lnendment be repentance. We may, if we l,lease, maintain that there is no sueh thing as repentanee distinct Ïronl amendment that the fceling, whatever it is, which prompts amendment, is repentance, or includës repenta.uce; that the word repent,ncê is, practically speaking, but a figure uf speech, and means reformation. But let us Sl)eak plainly, if such is out meaning, and then we shall have to prove it from Scripture. ]:'or surely Scripture cannot be said thus to hide or dissipate repentance in other acts or courses of conduct. It surely deseribes it as a duty, distinct from other duties,—as a condition distinct, though of course inseparable, from other conditions, such as faith and amendmeut may be. We have instances of acts of faith in Scripture, and instances of acts of repentance; and it would be as reasonable to say there is no such Christian grace as faith, because it is ever joined with and lires in other graces, as to say that repentance is hot a real, substantive, and independent exercise of mind, because it presupposes f,'tith, and terminates in amendment. When St. l'eter said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God," this was an act of faith; when he "went out and wept bitterly," this was an act of repentance;—when the l'rodigal Son said, "I will arise and go to my father," this was an act of faith; when he said, "Make me as one of thy hired servants," this xvas an act of repentance. When "tlle Publican did no so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but smote pon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner," this was an act of repentance. When the woman who had been a sinner washed our Sa%ur's feet with ber tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head, this was an act of repentance in one who hved nmch. When Zacchwus gave hall his goods t} the p,»or, and restored f»urfi»ld what he had wrongfully c, btained, this was an act of repentance in one who would fain undo the pask They are acts of a mind, lingering and engaged in the past, as hope is engaged in contemplating the fnt«u'e. Ig is eommon enough present, to speak lightly of the past, as if i was pas and eould no be helped, as if we eould not reverse the past. We cannot fiterally revee i; yeg surely instances such as the foregoiug are the acts of persons who would if they eould; who, as ig were, are t3-ing fo do so, and in a manner doing so from the intense feeling of their hearts. egret, vexation, sorrow, such feelings seem to this busy, practical, unspiritual generation as idle; as something despical»le and unmanly,jus as tears may be. And many men think i religious to say tha such feelings argue a wan of faifl in Chris's neris. They are unhegeving, they are irmtional, if they are nothing more than remorse, bitgerness, goom, and despondeney. Such is "the sorrow of the wofld" which "worketh death." Yeg ghere is a "godly sorrow" also; a positive sorrowing for sin, and a deprecagion of its eonsequenees, and tlat quine distinc from faith or amendmen; and this, so far from Leing a barren sorrow, " worketh," as the Apost.le assures us, « repentanee to salvatiou, no tu be repented or" " Behold this selfsame t.hing," eoutinues the Apostle fo the Corinthians, "fla ye surrowed after a godly sort, wha earefiflness if wroughg in you, yea wha eleariug of yourselves, yea whag indignation, yea what fear, yea what Yehement desire, yea what zeal, yea what revengel In all things ye have approYed yourselves tobe clear lu this matter. '' Faith, then, ueither is repent.ance, nor stands instead of it. I[ere, however, we are met with auother objection. If is said if a man be changed iu heart and fe, this is a plain proof that he has been rêvisited l,y God's grace; aud if so, he is in God's favour, or in offset words, his past sins are already forgiven him. I answer by denying what is here assumed; I would say, then, tiret a man may be in God's favour, yet his sins hot absolutely forgiven; that faith briugs him, that is, his person, into God's favour, yet a long repentance may be the oy remedy for his past deeds; that faith l,rings him intu God's favour af once, that he may receiYe grace to repent continuaEy. It may seem a contradiction, first to say that Goal loYes a man, and next that some remnant of His displeasure is in store for him; but we are so profoundly ignorant of Him, whose thoughts and ways are hot as ours, that if we have proof of the fact in His inspired word, if is oto • wisdom to believe that if is a fact, and leave diculties to Him who in His good time will explain them. For instance; few persons, comparatively  2 Cor. vil 10» 11.

speaking, would maintain that a man once in a state of graee eamm fall away; now here in like manner, migh l»e asked hov ean God af 1.reseng love one whom IIe has appoined o everlasting punishment  As, then, souls may be a present in God's favour, whom IIe foresecs tobe tlis impeniten enemies, a.nd eompanions of devils fl»r ever, so others also lmteh more may 1)e in Hia favour, against wlloln ail unsett, led reekoning lies, t.he issue of wlfich is fitture, who have certain sins as yet unforgiven, and certain eonsequenees of sins as yet unprovided f,r. The ymmg man whom our Lord lade give up ail and t.ll,.w ]Iim, went away sorrowful and unforgiven; yet Christ is said to bave "loved lfim." Again, how is i that God is loving over all His works, yet is angry with the wieked? His love then does hot. neeessarily exelude IIis anger, nor His favour IIis severity, nor His graee His justice. I[ow He reeoneiles tlmse toget.her we know llOt; thus ranch we kllow, t.hat those who forsake t.heir sins, and eome o Him Rr graee, are in His favonr, and obtain wlm th l»u ha hey are forgiven ag once for ail he pas, we do hOt know. The following instnnees Dom Seript«re seem o provê t.he eontrary:mn David, for example, said to ghan, " I lave simed against the Lord," tMs ae of repent, anee was allowed o avail for muel. "'atlan said unto David, tlm Lord also hath pu away tly sin; la,o» dzalt ot die." e ext.reme deb of sin was remited; ye tlm Prophet goes on to say, « Howbeit, beeause by lSs deed t, hou has given grea occasion to the enelnies of he Lord o blasplmme, the elSld also tlm is

Clastiscmcnt amid 3[«ro,.  o3 born unto thee shall surely die."e David then hd the prospect of  punishment for his sin after it was remitted, and what did he do in consequence? he sought fo deprecate God; he exercised in hcts of repentance, that life of faith and prayer which had been renewed in him, if so be to deprecate God's wrath. As then he was llOt aowed fo take his restoration as a 1)roof that Goal would hot pUlsh, neither have we any ground to conclude, lncrely because G od vouchsafcs fo work in us what is good, that therefore what is past wiH nevcr rise up in judglnent against us. It lnay, or if lnay hot: we trust, nay lnay cheerflflly confide, that if we go on confessing, repenting, deprecating, and ln;king amends, if will hot: but there is no reason to suppose if wiH hot unless we do. Again: Moses was excluded from the lrolnised land for speaking unadvisedly with lfis lips. Was he therefore " blotted out of God's book?" Was he hot in a justified state, though under punishment? and does hot that great Saint show us how to meet the prospect of God's judgments, when he earnestly supplicates God to pardon him what seemed so slnall a sin, and to let hhu go over Jordan? And can we bave a more striking instance of this double condition in which we stand, after sinning and returning, than when so ïeat a Saint as Moses, who was faithful in aH the house of God, who saw God's face, and was the mediator for His people, yet beseeches Him, "O Lord God,.... I pray Thee, let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly nlountain, and Lebanon;" and the  2 Sain. xii. 13,

Ahnighf, y remains still unappeased, and " wil] hot hear" him, a, nd says, " Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this marrer?" Ye [oses, though he did no ça.in a,H he wouhl by his eaes prayer, gained something. His punishment xvas lightened. Ite was aHowed to a.scend Pisgh, and see the land. Again: when the prophet from 3udah had disobediently turned buck to the old prophet's bouse, and had death denounced against him, and was met by the lion, was he at t.ht noment in God's fvour or hot? Must. we suppose, hecause he died under a. judgment, that he died impenitent and nnreconciled, and had his portion with,ero]oam and the worshippers of calves Hc, wever, it may be objected to these instances, they corne from the Old Testament, that they took place before Crist came, and that little indeed is said in the New Testament about the chance of such judgments, and the necessity of such depreca.tion on the part of Christians. In answer, I allow tha.t there is very litfle in the New Testament concerning the punishment of Christians; but then there is as little said about their sins; so tht if Scripture negatives evers.hing which if is silent a.bot, it would be a.s easy to show that the Gospel does hot be]ong at a to those who bave ]apsed into sin, as tht çunishments are hot their loion, and penitential acts hot their duty. As fle sins of Christians are beyond the ordiny contempltion of Scripture, so are their remedies. It will ta.ke some rime fo show this of the New Testament, yet it is worth ttenpting it from its iml»ortance.  Dent. iii. 24-26. Yid. also Exod. xmxii.

I say, then, that nmny as are the passages in the New Testament, whieh deseribe a state of salvation, noue of them, exeepting one or t«vo, mention pard,n as anmng the colit««l privileges of that state, «r otherwise than as a gift once given on entering into it. The notion of sins in Christians, other than sins of infirmity, is,  • whatever reason, scarcely contemplated in _crlpture. And the few texts that speak of pardon, such as "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father," do hot deny tlmt neats are necessary fo interest ourselves in thtt pardon; whereas there are nmny text.s on the other hand which do allude to aets of 1)enitence and satisfaction as necessary in order to the pardon. For instance, St. Paul, as above cited, speaks of such acts in the case of the Corinthians; and St.,James as deeisively of "ncrcy,",i.e. ahnsgiving and the like, "rejoicing against jndgment." rov fo show this at length. Now, first, I need hardly caH to mind the passages in which sins are expressly deelared to be forgiven when persons rst enter into the kingdom of God. 'or instance, "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sms, says Ananias fo St. Paul before his baptism. So St. Peter to the multitude, "epent, and be bal»tized every one of you in the naine of Jesus Christ, for the 'enissio o] sins." But what was to follow "and ye shaH receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. '' This, then, was o be their state lcneeforth, hot a state of sinning, but of the Spirit of holiness; their divine birth and fe ),*ve..... in which were such as to need no fi g"., in the sense they had needed it before. Hcnce in the verses which a Acts xii. 16.  A«ts il. 38.

follow we read, "they continued stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and feowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers..... A that beeved were together, and had a things common, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men as every lnan had need; and they, COltinuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread froln house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having fa¥our with all the peol,le '' 0r agaiu, take St. l'aul's description, "eing justified by tit.h, we hure peaee with God through out Lord Jesus Christ, by w]mm we have aecess by fitith into this graee wherein we stand, and rejoiee in hope of the glory of God; and hot only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing tiret tribulation worketh patience, and patience experienee." And so he proceeds enumerating the fruits of the ]Ioly Ghost in the heart, but hot a word )otlç fresh sins and fresh forgiveness in that state; as if while we remain in the Holy Ghost, this eould hot be. Again, in the third chapter the smne Epistle, he speaks of "the remission of sins that are 2)ast," hot a word of sins which are fo corne. In another Epistle, he says that Christ is the Mediator "for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament;" he does hot say "under the sccond." St. Peter, in like lnamel', after going through the parts of a Christian eharaeter, faifl, virtue, knowledge, temperance, and the like, adds, "He that laeketh these things is bEnd, and eannot see açar off, and is tbrgetful of the clcc«nsi'9 ri'oto lds for»ter sins. ''r Thus  Acts il. 42-4î.  2 Pet. i. 9.

C/astiscmcnt amid fl[cr«y.  o 7 he reminds sueh  one of flm çormer eeansin, and is si]en bout any second elemsin çor ]ris lek ofholiness. ain, 8. &tire ddresses three e]sses oç Chrisfians, beginuers, fle manly, mxd fle mure; he reminds begilmers of the forgiveness of their sins, for this was the peculiar privilege of those who were just entering the kingdom" I write unto you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His amc's sake; ''s lmt this is hot said to the çt,her two; no, the ymmg men in the faith are those who "are stro,tg, and the word of God abideth in them, and they h««rc ovcrcome the wicked one;" and the elders are they who "have known Him that is fl'm the begilming." Thns is Christian life lnarked out,first forgiveness, then warfare, then eontelnplation; whereas the chier notion, that many lnen now have f a saving state, is but of a warNre whieh is disgraced with defeat, and of a contemplation disjoined from holiness. Far dibrent is the Apostles' way of viewing the Christian state. We are taken fro»t sin, hot foNiven in it lnerely. For instance; this is St. Peter's accourir of oto • election in Christ"Who His own self bare out sins in ttis own body on the tree, lhat we bciy dcad lo si.us, skoMd live uMo r@tco«sncss; by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye tcrc as sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. '' And St. Paul, "Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and «rifg u.Mo Himsclf a2)ccdiar 2)e02)lc, zealous of good works."  You see tha.t the Apostles' one broad idea of a state of sal-  1 John ii. 12. 9 1 Pet. il. 24, 25.  Tit. il. 14.

 oS Chastisc»zcct a/c/c/ ration is one, no, of sinning and being forgiven, bu of ho]iness; hough now men offen consider tha the est excellence of  Chrisian is fo cry ou, " 0 wretched man t.hat I ara!" Again, "I[ow much more shall the lhod of Christ, who through the Eternal Spiri offered l[imself viflout spog to God, purge your coscie,cefl'o, dcad works to serve the living G_ d Again, in another Epist.le ho speaks of firgiveness emplmtically as t]c fi,rgiveness, t]w rcdemption, a.s if t.here vere but one grea t rgivencss "," In vhom we lmve t]c redcmpion through I[is bbod, t]« frgiveness of sins;" and he says just lcfire rhum, "][e bath chosen us..... tlm.we s]wdd ],e ]w?y and without blame befi»re Him in love." And in another chapt.er, " Christ..... loved the Church nd gave IIimse]f for it, tha He migh sanctify if, clea.nsing it in the cashig of.watts" by the xvord;" t]cn is the forgiveness, and why? The Apostle proceeds, " Th«t He might presen it unto ttimself a Church, hot hving spo or xvrinkle, or any such thing, lmt tha i should be ]wl and vit.hou blemish." In like mamer, he prayers and good wishes which the Apost.les send their brethren do no contain any prayers for forgiveness. Tbis is remarkable; t]my pray God o bless them, and roulée them more and more holy, and he like, but hot to pardon their sins. No as if Çhristins do hot sin; I began by assuming hat, a]as, they do; I only say tha the New Testament mainly conemplaes Oem in a higher store, and gives ]ittle - formation how to t.rea hem as we actually find them; and therefore obliges us o bave recourse to he Old Testa-  Heb. ix. 14.  Eph. i. 7.  Eph. v. 26.

ment. For instance, St. Paul 1)rays for the Ephesians, that they may have " the spirit of «isdom and revclatio," h;ve the "eyes of their understandilig cMijldc,ncd," discern " the riches of the glory of God's inheritance," and "the exceeding greatness of His 1,ower;"" may be " strengthened with migltt by Itis Spirit lit the ilmer man," and 1,e "rooted and grounded in lovc. ''» He 1,rays for the Thessalonians that their "whole spirit and soul and I,ody may be preserved blamcless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ;-6 that " God which hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, may comfort their hearts, and stablish them in every good word and work; '' that "the Lord nmy lnake theln increase and abound in love one toward another..... fo the end that He may establish thêir hearts unblameable in holiness before God; ''s what a strong word "unblalneable" is, and " unblanmable bfore God!" This was what He aimed at for them, hot that. they should be forgiven, but that they should hot sin. Aga.in, for the Hebrews, that God would "make them ])cfcct in every good work to do His will,  oking in them that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ. '' In like nmnner, St. Peter tra.ys for his breflren, that God nmy "perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle them;" and St. Jude exhorts them "building up themselves on their lnost holy faith, traying in the Holy Ghost, fo kecl» tlwmselv«s in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life,"

and gives glory to Him "who is able to kee) them from falling" (he does not say to pardon, as if tlt«,t was the end of the Gospel), " and to prescrit them before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." Now, considering the number of passages I have ciuoted, surely it is very remarkable, even before we know what is to be found in other plces, even supposing a forg'iveness of sins, after the one great forgiveness and like it, is mentioned somewhere else, it is very remm'kal.le (I say) that it shofld hot be mentioned in all these. Can we doubt that undcr the Gospel sins were hot to be cxpcctcd, to say the least; atd, as far as thcse passages go, -«'ere hot »'o:idcd tbr in it? But let us turn out thoughts fo some more extended passages of Scripture. Consider, for instance, St. Patfl's Epistle fo the Ephesians, detached passag'es of which have already been cited. The whole of it is addressed to Christians; and though there is abundant mention of their blessedness as being such, in various ways, yet the idea of continu,al forgiveness does hot suggest itself as one of their privileges;—just as the forgiveness of sins is hot mentioned as a privflege to be enjoyed by Saints in leaven, or by the Angels, for they do hot need it, in like manner, Christians are called from sin unto holiness, and at least ought not to need it. Thus in the fourth and fifth chal)ters there is  description of the Church in the vay of precept which exactly ansvers to its actual state, as described in history, in the second chapter of the Acts. Christians were to be follovers of God as dear children, to walk in love as Christ had loved them, to-,valk circumspectly, to redeem the time, to be filled with the Spirit, and to be insta.nt in praises aud thanksgivings. Grievous crimes are mentioned also, and we are warned ginst t.hem; but how  does St. Paul for an instant suppose that  Christian, renmiuing a Christian, can be gnilty of them  Does he say, if a Christian is unclean, or covetous, 'or the like, tht of course he must repent indeed and mnend, but still that he is safe if he h faith? Fur from if; he speaks as if such sins were impossible in Chfistians; he does hot enter into the case of a Christialt who has been guilty of them. "For this ye know, flat no fornicator, nor unelean pers(m, nor eovetous man,.... bath any inhcrit«ncc in the kingdom of Christ and God." Therefore gle Apostle warns his breflren hot fo be "2)artaZ'crs with the ehfldren of disobedienee, for they cc,re darkness, but arc light in the Lord," in that Spirit, whose ri-uit is "goodness, righteousness, and truth," and in that light which deteets all that is e41; for the words have been spoken over them, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and afise ri'oto the dead, and Christ shall give thee ght.." Now eonsider, again, the sixth md eighth ehapters of fle Romans, whid are more remarkable because fley are in eontrast with other parts of the Epistle. In the seventh ehapter, St. Paul speaks of a state  which there was no forgiveness also; but of what state? one of spiritual death and despa; oto" state by narre'e. In it the absence of pardon is the cause of eternal woe, but  the Christian state it is the eonsequenee of the gift of graee. The Apostle declares that there is no condemnation to those who are in the Spirit; why? because "the righousness of the law  fiflfied in them;" how? by

I I 2 Ç/astiscmcn! amid "he aw o he piri o ]ie," or (s he says in Epise ls.quoed) bec,use he ffui o he 8piri is "goudness, righteousness, and truth." Again, in the sixth chapter, which also dcscribes the Christian state, therc is mt  hint of forgiveness beig a special privilege of  state of grace; but rather Christians, "being madc fl'ee froln sin," are said to becolne "the servants of 'igklcousncss." All this is very different from what the Apostle said in the third chapter, whcn speaking o[ our statc by nature, and justificatkm out of it. There forgiccc « si»ts is dwdt on. ]t, is remarkable tlmt if shouhl lkc be dwe]t on and that it should hot after- WRrçlS. Once more, consider the first chapter of t. James's Epistle. There tc-m2t«tio is spoken of, as it is by St. l'aul in a passage already quoted. St. Paul spcaks of if, mt as causing us to fall, but as a means of our becoming holier. "We glo T in tribulations ulso, knowing that tribulation worketh pat.ienee, and Eat.ienee experienee, and experienee hope, and hope nmketh wt admmcd, ''2 or as the Psahnist says, "They had an eye unto Him and were ligqatened, and their faces were hot ashamed;" a there is no shame in the Chureh. Sueh is St. Paul's view of trial to the Christian; sueh is St. Janms's also; "My brethren," he says, "eoun i aE jog when ye fa iuto divers temptations, knowig this, that the trying of yor faith worketh patience; and let patience have her perfeet work. '' Then he bids them ask of God wisdom, spks of good gifts and perfeet gifts eoming from the Father of Lights, and of pure rdigion and = Rom. v. 3-5. a Ps. xxxiv. 5.  James i. 2-4.

Clmstiscmcnt amM 3[croE.   3 undefiled; but hot a word of sins to be forgiven: on the eontrary, he deelares that wilful sin, such as temptations may occasion, is the beginning of a course which "when finished bringeth forth death;" whereas the real Christian ovcrcome temptation, or, as St. John says, "overcomes the wofld," Itot Mls under it. "Blessed is the man hat endureth temptat.ion, for when he is tried, he shall receive the c.row of 1oEc, whieh the Lord hafl promised to them that love IIim;" words which singularly correspond to St. PauI's at the eml of his trial, "I lta'c fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept faith; heneefort.h flere is laid up for inc a cw of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge shaH give me at that day; and hot to me only, but unto aH flem dso that love His appearing. ''s Moreover, there is this addit.ional remark to be ruade about St. James's Epistle, that, whereas there are one or two passages in which he addresses, hot Christians, but Jews, flere he does speak at once of conversion, submission, purification, and approach to God. Now it is hot srang'e he shod speak of llese things to the unregenerate; but it  strange he shmfld hOt also speak of them to Christians, if he eontemplated the case of Christians reducg themselves to a state that ke of the unregenerate. Sinee, then, he, as we as the ofler Apostles, does hot treat of an unhappy condition, whieh now oeem's so freciuently, itis hot wonderful that he and they do hot give its s3mptoms, dangers, or remees, or eflaNe, whether upon those judgments or flmse penitentM observances, whieh N the case of sNners as yet um'egenerate, file Gospel and the 01d Testament deseribe.  2 Tire. iv. 7, 8. IV]

However, I observe lastly, there arc instances of declcnsion both of faith and conduct i the Corinthians and Galatians. St. Parti writes to both. tte ala'aigus and remonstrates with them. I)oes he give thym one hint that if they believe in Christ's atonig power, those particular sins of theirs will be af once remitted? To sure up then, and apply what I have said:—When Christians have gone wrong in a.ny way, whether in 1,elief or in 1,factice, scandalously or secrêtly, if seems that 1,a.rdon is hot explicitly and defiuitely pronised thcm in Scripture as a matter of course; and the mere fact that thcy aftcrwards become better men ad are restored to God's favour, does not decide the question whether thcy are in every sense pardoned; for I)avid vas restored and yet was aftêrwards punished. If is still a question whether a debt is hot standing against them for their past sins, and is hot now operating or fo operate to their disadvant.age. What its payment consists in, and how it will be exacted, is quite another question, and a hidden one. If may be such, if they die under if, as to dinfinish their blessedness in heaven; or it may be a sort of obstacle here to their risin to certain high points of Christiau character; or if may be a hindrance to their ever attaining one or other pa'tictflar Christia grince in perfection,—faith, purity, or humility; or it ma.y prevent religion taking deep roof within them and imbuing their minds; or if may make then more liable to fall away; or if may hold them back from that point of attainmelt wlfich is the fulfilment of their trial; or if may forfeit for them the full assurance of hope; or it may lessen theh" peace ad comfol't in the intermediate state, or ex'en delay {heir knowledge there of {heir own salvation; or iL may involve *he neeessity of eert.ah tempora] punishments, grievons bodily disease, or sharp pain, or worldly affliction, or an unhappy death. 8ueh things are "' secrets of the Lord our God,"—not t.o be pried into, but to be acted upon. We are all nmre or less sinnem agahst His grace, many of us grievous sinners; and St. Paul and the other Apostles give us very seanty information what the consequences of such sin are. God may spare us, He may punish. In either case, however, our duty is to surrender ourselves into His hands, that IIe may do what He will. "It is the Lord," said pious Eli, when judgment came on him, "let Him do what seemeth Him good." Only let us beg of Him hot to forsake us in our miserable state; to take us up where we are, and make us obey Him under the circumstances into which sin has brought us. Ofly let us beg of Him to work all repentance and all righteousness in us, for we can do nothing of ourselves, and fo enable us to hate sin tntly, and confess it honestly, and deprecate His wrath continually, and to undo its effcts diligent]y, and fo bear His judgments cheerfully and manSùly. Let us beg of Him the spirit of faith and hope, that we lnay hot repine or despond, or accourir Him a hard toaster; that we may learn lovingly to adore the hand that aicts us, and, as if is said, fo kiss the rod, however sharlfly or long it smites us; that we may look on to the end of ail things, which will hot tarry, and fo the eoming of Christ whieh will at length save us, and hot faint on the rough way, nor toss upon coueh of thorns; in a word, that we may make the words of the text our ovn, which express all that sinners, repentant ald suffering, should feel, vhether towrds God or towards their tempter. "t',,ejoice hot against me, 0 mine eemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in d,rkness, the Lord shall be u light unto me. I will bear tle indignation of the Lord, ]»ecause I bave simed against Him; uutfl He plead my cause, and execlte judgment for me: He vill bring me forth to the light, and I sh,ll behold His righteousness."