justification, or forgiveness of sin through the blood-shedding of our Lord Jesus Christ, the point chiefly laboured in all the early chapters of the Epistle; and then the practical duties of a holy life insisted on in the latter chapters. Thus it is, for instance, in the Epistle to the Romans. The first and chiefest part of that Epistle is occupied in setting forth man's sinfulness by nature-the condemnation in which he stands before God-the means of escaping this condemnation,

that it is not by any law, whether of Moses or of any other, seeing that no man has kept the law so as to stand innocent; but that it is by Christ only, and by faith in Him that we can hope to stand forgiven; for that " as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Well then, having explained at great length this leading truth of the Gospel, and enforced it upon hearers by no means willing to receive it, he thinks it time to guard this same truth from abuse; and, accordingly, the latter chapters of this epistle are almost entirely taken up in exhortations to plain, positive, every-day duties, which no man must think himself excused from because he had been before taught that justification came by faith in Christ, and not by works which man can do. For this is the language now, "Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you; bless and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise

in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." And after this follow many other maxims of a like sort, relating to the various every-day duties of life. So that, as I have said, the Apostle is careful, most careful, to make no severance between the faith of a true Christian and what ought to be a true Christian's works.

The Epistle to the Ephesians, from which my text is taken, is still constructed upon the same principle. First, i. e. in the earlier chapters, comes the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ, as before-largely set forth - stoutly insisted on so that there should be no mistake as to the true foundation on which a Christian's salvation must rest. "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances." Such is the language of the former part of the Epistle to the Ephesians. Justification by faith in the blood of Christ is the theme here. But then all the latter chapters are, in their turn, filled with exhortations to the plainest and most homely duties of common life. "This ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." "Be not drunk with

wine." 66 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands. Husbands, love your wives. Children, obey your parents. in the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ: not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening; knowing that your master also is in Heaven; neither is there respect of persons with Him."

SO

St. Paul might subject himself, you see, in all this, to be called, in the language of our day, a legal preacher plain spoken is he upon the necessity of all these active duties of life; but he flinched not from declaring the whole counsel of God, let people say of him what they might. He knew of what vast importance it was that the truth should not be evil spoken of through the ill lives of those who professed to hold it; and he knew besides that a close connexion there ever ought to be, and ever must be, between the faith a Christian professes and the life he leads. And this point in my argument brings me to an explanation of what that connexion is which subsists between faith and good works, even as it is set forth by St. Paul, and adopted by our Church.

Now that connexion is expressed, I think, in another verse of this same chapter from which my text is taken. "Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light; for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth." Here, therefore, we may gather in what light goodness and righteousness and truth are regarded by this Apostle, or, in other words, in what light good works are regarded by him, and therefore ought to be regarded by us, even as fruits of

a right faith. Not as though they entitled us to heaven of themselves, or had any merit which should procure for us so great a prize of themselves—since we are elsewhere expressly told that "by grace we are saved through faith; and that not of ourselves ;" and again, "we are justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," but as though a good life, good works-call it by what name you will-is a proof and token that our faith is quick and lively; such proof and token as cannot possibly be wanting, wherever such sound faith there is. And the connexion which is thus established between a right faith and a good life, in the writings of the Apostle, is adopted in the articles of our own Church, of which the eleventh and twelfth speak after this manner :— "We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works or deservings; wherefore that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort. Albeit that good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith; insomuuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known, as a tree discerned by the fruit."

Now the frame of mind in which we ought to go away from the contemplation of these great and leading Christian truths, is this:

First of all, we must feel most earnest and hearty thankfulness to our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, that He hath taken our burden upon Him; that He has submitted to the stripes whereby we are healed. Amazing it is, that any man should be found in the world slow and slack to avail

himself of the doctrine of forgiveness through Christ alone; slow and slack to fly to the Cross as the sure and sole anchor on which to stay his hopes of immortality. For let a man honestly examine himself, set his own heart to work to represent to him his secret as well as his presumptuous sins, and how can he do else than stand self-condemnedhow can he do else than despair of presenting himself before a Being in whose eyes even the stars are not clean, and challenge Him to a controversy with him nevertheless? He feels he must feel, if his own scrutiny of himself has been honest that he is only a subject for pardon and not for praise. One would think that a man could not set his sins before him, without being ready to exclaim, with Job, "Oh! that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat !" Oh! that I had some resource beyond myself to which I could repair! that I had some means of blotting these transgressions out of my conscience, where they stand to condemn me, which I have done, and which I cannot undo of myself. Sure I am that where no such feeling as this ever entered a man's breast, that man cannot know himself-must be deceived in the estimate he makes of himself and will be woefully surprised at the position in which he will find himself at the great day of doom, when his character will be turned inside out, and his "inner man 99 be laid open both to others and to himself. That resource beyond himself which Job longed for, but did not fully make out, we have clearly made known unto us; life and immortality being brought to light by the Gospel, and God having pointed to us with his own finger, "Behold the Lamb." My friends, if we would meet the judgment without confusion of face, we must cast far, far away from us all idea of pleading not guilty. That plea will never serve any child of man. The Judge will frown