SERMON VI.

SELF EXAMINATION.

2 Cor. 13. 5.

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your ownselves. Know ye not your

ownselves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

LET me beseech you, brethren, to do as you are here bidden. Let me remind you, you must soon be put upon your trial; and you had better now first search into your own condition. And let me add, though not with such full confidence of hope, as the apostle might well enjoy, let me add the verse next after the text: "But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates." (Ver. 6.) That is to say, St. Paul trusted that in the day when the secrets of all hearts shall be

disclosed, it will be found that he did his duty by the Corinthians; that he faithfully preached to them the Gospel, and affectionately urged them to embrace it. God grant that this may ever be the case with those who minister among you, my brethren! God grant that you at least, as St. Paul goes on to pray and say, 66 may do no evil;" and this, not in order "that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates." (Ver. 7.) For thus it is that the apostle avows the object which was nigh unto his heart. Thus affectionately did he care for the Corinthians. Thus modestly did he speak of his own services.

But for a minister of the Gospel to speak of himself, of his own faithfulness and zeal, at once without affectation of humility, and without risk of presumption, requires almost the skill of an apostle. And, therefore, merely reminding you, that in proportion as you have been taught faithfully you must be expected to make the further progress, I

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would exhort you, in the expectation of a change of ministers, to search and see what progress you are really making. I call on you this day to examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith;" to prove your ownselves." Charge yourselves with all your privileges; and then sum up all your sins. Note what is the real tenour of your lives. Find out what is the actual amount of your faith. God forbid that we should be your accusers; we who are ordained to be helpers of our brethren, to give them guidance, counsel, comfort! God forbid that we should take pleasure in reproving you! No; for every deficiency we behold in you we take shame to ourselves; for every transgression which you commit, we also must in some sort answer, whether we have done all that in us lies to teach you better. But on this very ground that we are answerable, as well as out of our regard for your souls that you perish not, we must be free to tell you if we suppose you to be in danger; we must call on you to examine and ascertain for your

selves how great your danger is. Examine, therefore, yourselves, brethren, we beseech you; "examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove your ownselves. Know ye not your ownselves how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"

The apostle here proposes a test, or means for proving your own selves, of the most searching and conclusive kind. "Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates." Either Jesus Christ is in you, or you are in the way to perish everlastingly. There is no middle course. You cannot serve two masters. Or, though you seem to yourselves to succeed in serving both, God, you may be sure, will give you none of his wages, as long as you persist in serving mammon. Examine, then, are you really serving God, and Him only? Examine, is Jesus Christ really in you? Examine, it amounts to nearly the same thing, examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith."

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I need not stay to tell you, at any

length, what that faith is in which you ought to be, in which you must be rooted, grounded, established, thriving, growing, bearing fruit. I need not now explain to you at large, that it is faith in God, the Father, reconciled to us; faith in God, the Son, crucified for us; faith in God, the Holy Ghost, making us holy. You all more or less know what the faith really is. Only you do not sufficiently consider, that to know what it is, falls far short of being in it. And you do not, I fear, feel sufficiently anxious to know whether you are in it or not. This is the point I now wish you to look into; this is the thing which I would now urge you to ascertain, if it be possible; whatever trouble it may cost you, whatever pain, whatever shame.

Take in hand for your standard the word of God. Take first the text before you; and try whether you are in the faith by trying whether Christ Jesus is in you. This, it is implied, must be the case, "Except ye be reprobates." Therefore, if this be not the case, if Christ