to do his work in the world, and to accomplish his will in the several stations assigned them by his infinite wisdom-some to extend the limits of his church, and others to cultivate its precious fruits, till the wilderness around us become a fruitful field, and our desert be made as the garden of the Lord.

Nor should it ever be forgotten, that in these spiritual labours a man is accepted with God, not according to that which he hath not, but according to that which he hath. And as in the harvest field there are labourers of various descriptions, from those who manage the sickle down to those who glean the ground; so let every one of us, in proportion to his particular ability, attempt something either in public or private for the general good. All, indeed, are not apostles, neither are all called to become public teachers; but as every man hath received the gift, so let them minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom and humility, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ our Lord.

that

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, seeing ye are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, all intended to shame your remissness and increase your activity, be ye not slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

174

SERMON XI.

1 JOHN III. 14.

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.

HAVING already, on different occasions, laid before you several kinds of evidence, by which the safe estate of the soul may be satisfactorily determined, I now call your attention to the last remaining evidence of this description which I mean to consider, and which we find very forcibly expressed in the words of my text. Every other mode of ascertaining our acceptance with God requires a long chain of reasoning, in which, if one link be wanting, the whole is rendered inconclusive and unavailable. Neither the witness of the Spirit, nor the existence of a true and lively faith, can be satisfactorily made out by the reasoning faculty of man, except through the intervention of an intricate and laborious process. But the apostle here points out a summary manner

of arriving at the desired conclusion-We know that we are passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.

Love is a temper of so divine a kind, that wherever it appears to be the ruling passion, we need inquire no further; this being sufficient of itself to denote the character of its possessor. Such a man carries about him the truest badge of discipleship: by this, saith our adorable Master, shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Of this sacred attainment a very glowing description is given in St. Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians-Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself; is not puffed up; doth not behave itself unseemly; seeketh not her own; is not easily provoked; thinketh no evil; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Wherever we discern this spirit, we there behold not only the fairest marks that can be exhibited of present grace, but likewise the strongest indications that can be furnished of future glory: for God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Let us suppose a Christian anxiously engaged in the painful work of selfexamination. After searching deeply, and inquiring minutely, he fails to find in himself those decisive characters of grace which he longed to discover there. He meets with nothing but deficiencies and imperfections; his knowledge is obscure, his faith is weak, his humility is doubtful, and his progress uncertain; insomuch that he can perceive nothing in his experience whereon he may reasonably take his stand, and say -Upon this I ground a satisfactory persuasion of my acceptance with God, and my adoption into his family. Now let us suppose that, in this state of anxious suspense, the doubting disciple's attention is drawn to the first epistle of John, where he presently discovers the encouraging passage now before us. What effect is this discovery calculated to produce upon him? Will he not immediately return to the investigation of his heart with such inquiries as these: Do I not sincerely love the children of God? Do I not, on all occasions, admire and honour them? And is it not the highest point of my ambition to have my name