called in question the reality of their faith. He received the man who said, "Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief." While he said to Peter, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ?" he took him by the hand and lifted him out of the water. Grant that doubting is sinful, is there a just man on earth that doeth good and sinneth not? Are not the love and patience, and other gracious dispositions of a Christian, also sinfully defective? Urge the admonition "Be not faithless, but believing," but neglect not to urge also, "Be ye holy, for I am holy. Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect." Would it not be dangerous to the interests of holiness, and discreditable to religion, if a person were supposed to be in possession of perfect assurance while subject to imperfection in every other respect? Is there not a proportional growth in all the members of the spiritual man? Would he not otherwise be a monstrous creature? Or is the exploded doctrine of sinless perfection in this life to be revived among us? He whose faith is faultless and his assurance perfect and unvarying, sees Christ as he is, and is already completely like him. He would not be a fit inhabitant of earth, and the only prayer he could put up would be, "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace."-" Let us go on to perfection." The genuine Christian is conscious of his remaining imperfection. "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."

On the other hand, it is no valid objection to the doctrine of the direct assurance of faith, that final salvation is only to be obtained after a persevering course of holy obedience, and patient suffering according to the word of God. If holiness were the condition of eternal life, then unquestionably there could be no genuine hope of the latter but what was founded on the former; nay there could be no such thing as an assurance of it in this life, for it is only "he who endureth to the end that shall be saved." But if salvation is of grace, if Christ is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him, and if there are in the New Covenant promises securing perseverance, and providing all needful assistance for the

discharge of duty and progressive advancement in the Christian life, then all that grace and ability, and all these securities enter into the matter and ground of faith, even from the beginning, and produce a well-founded, though humble, selfdenying confidence of final victory and eternal rest. It is the hope, not of being saved absolutely, but of being saved in God's way-not simply of getting to heaven, but of being meet for the inheritance of the saints in light-not of being crowned without a struggle, but of being enabled to fight the good fight, and made "more than conquerors through him that loved us."

Finally, Christian hope is the inseparable companion of faith in Christ. Some would separate these graces, or at least represent them as resting on different grounds, and embracing different objects. According to them the object of faith is the gospel; the object of hope, an actual interest in the salvation which the gospel reveals; the former resting on the testimony of God, the latter on that of our own consciences, and our

evidences of a gracious state. This does not appear to be

the doctrine of Scripture. They are, no doubt, distinct graces, the one regarding the promise as true, and the other regarding it as good. But they have the same ground-the infallible word of God;—and what is hope but the outgoing of the soul in the expectation of what it believes? We confound our views on this subject by the use made of the word hope in the affairs of this life. Worldly 'hopes are founded upon probabilities. We expect a benefit-we hope that our friend will bestow it; but having been often disappointed in such cases, we learn to moderate our expectations, and to guard against confidence. But surely it is otherwise with hope in God. "Let God be true, and every man a liar." Instead of indulging, we ought to check our unbelieving suspicions and fears, saying with the Psalmist, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul: still hope in God, for I shall yet praise him.” "All flesh is as grass, and the glory of man as the flower of grass: -but the word of the Lord endureth for ever; and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

SERMON XVI.

THE RECOVERED DISCIPLE.

LUKE, Xxii. 32.

"WHEN THOU ART CONVERTED, STRENGTHEN THY BRETHREN."

If there is any season in which the admonition, "Rejoice with trembling," might be dispensed with, it is surely when the believer is sitting at the table of his Saviour, commemorating that death by which he finished redemption, and receiving the sensible tokens of his love. And yet even there we have reason for mixed exercise, and for tempering our joy in Christ with a godly jealousy over ourselves. How forcibly is this practical truth impressed on our minds by the events recorded in the chapter before us, connected as they were with the first celebration of that divine ordinance! It was when sitting with his disciples at the table, and reaching to them the sacred memorials of his dying love, that Jesus had to say, "Behold the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table." This intimation caused, as it well might, "great searchings of heart." The disciples were "very sorrowful." But, alas, how deceitful is our goodness! how fitful and momentary our frames both of love and grief! What reason has the Saviour to complain of each of us, "What shall I do to thee?-and what shall I do to thee? for thy goodness is as the morning cloud, as the early dew it passeth away!" Scarcely was the feast over, and the table drawn, when the guests forgot themselves so far, as to enter into a most unseasonable, unseemly contest as to precedence in that kingdom, which they had been just taught sacramentally was to be established by sufferings and blood.

And, in spite of all their vows, next sun had not dawned, before the most resolute of their number had repeatedly and solemnly denied his master; and that, too, after being affectionately and faithfully warned of his danger. Lord, what is man? The best of men? Less than vanity, a lie, when left to himself. O how loudly does this fact sound in the ears of such of us as were lately at the Lord's table! How does it summon us to self-examination after supper as well as before it, to humiliation under a sense of our miscarriages and failures, even though they should only have been partial, to vigilance and circumspection, and humble walking before God! How does it call upon us to flee to the true hiding-place, and diligently to use all appointed means for fortifying our own minds and those of our brethren against temptation!

As preparatory to the holy communion, I directed your attention to the deeply interesting colloquy which the Saviour held with Peter, before his ascension, and in which he led him to profess his attachment to his master as often as he had denied him. On that occasion, Christ, after each reply, laid an injunction upon him: "Feed my sheep-feed my lambs." As if he had said, By this evince the sincerity and fervour of thy love to me, by tending, feeding, and watching over those, for whom I have laid down my life, and by dealing tenderly and gently with such of them as may be feeble or diseased, seeking that which is lost, bringing again that which has been driven away, binding up that which was broken, and strengthening that which is sick. This task Peter discharged, as an apostle and bishop of souls, in his personal ministry and by his written instructions; and not contented with his own exertions, he was not neglectful to stir up the pure minds of his fellowlabourers: The elders which are among you, I exhort, who am also an elder,"-" feed the flock of God." But as that charge relates especially to such as are called to fill a public office in the church, I reckon it more suitable to your circumstances and stations to turn your attention to the injunction which the Saviour gave to the same individual on another occasion : "When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren,"

The words of our text were addressed by our Lord to Peter, when he forewarned him of his mournful fall, and foretold his merciful recovery. "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." As if he had said, When the time shall come, that in answer to my prayer, thou shalt be recovered, by the grace of God, from thy fall, brought to a sense of thy sin, and restored to former peace of mind, look upon it as a duty peculiarly incumbent on thee, to use the experience which thou hast acquired, by doing every thing in thy power to fortify thy fellow-disciples against temptation, or to recover them from sin, if, like thyself, they shall fall through temptation. The words, therefore, teach us, That it is peculiarly incumbent on Christians who have been recovered from falls, to strengthen their brethren. And in discoursing from them we propose, in the first place, to make some observations on the recovery of fallen believers ;—in the second place, to explain the duty devolving on such as have been recovered, which is, to "strengthen their brethren;"— and, in the last place, to inforce the duty, by specifying the peculiar obligations which they are under to perform this office of brotherly kindness.

I. On the recovery of fallen believers.

1. I begin by remarking that true believers, as well as others, are liable to fall into sin. This is implied in all the warnings which the Scriptures give on this head. "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief." "Let us labour-lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." It is also evident from Scripture example, of which that of Peter is instead of a thousand. As some professors of religion may fall totally and irrecoverably from Christ, after very high and specious attainments, so genuine Christians may fall very foully, and, for a time, may remain in a desperatelike condition. The promises and provisions of the covenant of grace secure all those who are vitally united to Christ from total