are, I verily believe, scarcely known by most people. The doctrine is seldom inquired into. All you expect from the Bible is, that it should tell you your duty: and this (you are vain enough to think) you sufficiently know already, without looking any further. Now while this neglect of the word which God speaks continues, faith is impossible: you have nothing to believe: we need not ask, "How is it that you have no faith?"

2. Because you take it for granted, without careful examination, that you are true believers. You were born in a Christian land-baptized-confirmed; you say the Creed often; you never have listened to the lies of the Infidel or the Scoffer; you are ready to confess the truth of every thing contained in the Bible. And this you consider to be Christian faith! not remembering, that by its fruits alone is faith to be discerned. Bible truths are not a mere list of facts, which you may agree to, and then immediately forget. To believe them is to feel them-to stand in awe of them-to love them-to make them the guide of our path, the source of comfort, love, peace, and joy. Now if you are content, without experiencing these effects, to persuade yourself still that you have faith, you shew not only your blindness, but the very reason why you have no faith: SELF-SATISFIED, you are ignorant at once of its nature and its value.

3. Because you seek not true faith, as the special gift of God, by continual prayer.-Many who take some pains in religion, are more intent on increasing their knowledge, than on gaining divine grace and strength. If what they read of God and Christ be fully proved, and clearly true, they never doubt of their power to believe it. But-whatever may be the case in other things-in things pertaining to God it does not necessarily follow, that evidence produces belief. Unbelief is the child of an evil heart, not of an ignorant mind;

hence spiritual grace is necessary, to make us believe the simplest truths of the Bible. Do you then pray daily" Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!"

"Lord, increase my faith!" Give me the seeing

eye, the hearing ear, the understanding heart!-All these things are from God alone;1 and he "will be inquired of" for them. See to it, therefore, whether this be not the cause of your having no faith-" you have not, because you ask not."3-It is, once more,

4. Because you do not sufficiently stir up the gift of God, when once it is within you.-You have had solemn seasons of deep conviction, and realizing faith in things unseen. But you suffer them to pass away unimproved. You do not labour to keep near to God: the Holy Spirit is grieved, and departs. Oh set more value on his precious visits!

"Feel after Christ

and find him,"4 more and more. Imitate that "blessed people," who "know the joyful sound" of his gospel, and who "walk in the light of his countenance; 195 otherwise your faith will soon wither, fail, and die. And now let me ask you—

Is the state which has been described an INNOCENT one? How can it? to disbelieve the living and true God! Is it a SAFE state? Assuredly not! seeing that all power is in his hand; and he is a jealous God !— Is it an INCURABLE one? No, thank God! Use but the proper means-study of the Scriptures-self-examination-prayer; and you have every encouragement to hope, that you shall attain to "the faith of God's elect."6 With Christ for your

teacher, there is not a single lesson which may not be learned-and so learned, as to "yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness," even quietness and assurance for ever." 8

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1 Prov. xx. 12. ? Ezek. xxxvi. 37. 3 James iv. 2. 6 Titus i. 1. 7 Heb. xii. 11.

5 Psa. lxxxix. 15.

4 Acts xvii. 27. 8 Isa. xxxii. 17.

SERMON X.

PSALM ciii. 1-5.-Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

In this world of tribulation and distress, the grand remedy against corroding care is thus prescribed by the Apostle Paul-" In every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." The prescription, you may observe, does not merely look forward to the hope of future good, to be obtained by prayer; it has also a backward look, to mercies already received; and on these we are directed to dwell with thanksgiving, ¡in order that grateful thoughts of the past, connected with cheerful hopes for the future, may the more effectually lighten our present burden.

Among other grounds for thankfulness, we have great reason to praise God for the many examples of this excellent spirit recorded in holy Scripture-and more especially in the Psalms of David.-One beautiful specimen of his grateful love to God is here before us in my text. May that Holy Ghost, who "anointed "

Phil. iv. 6.

David to be" the sweet Psalmist of Israel," enable us (like him) to reflect upon

I. THE MANY BENEFITS WHICH WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE LORD.

2

"All his benefits," the Psalmist would fain commemorate; but a task like that were hopeless, as he himself, in another place, acknowledges-" they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."-It is, however, a goodly catalogue of benefits, which he here within the compass of three verses enumerates, as having been bestowed on himself. 1. He "forgiveth all thine iniquities."

King David, you see, knew that he was a sinner, as well as you and I. Here, moreover, he felt that his greatest wants lay: no benefit could do him good, till his "iniquity was forgiven, and his sin purged."3 And he knew that it was forgiven-all of it! And he knew also, that, when he should again commit iniquity, God would again "restore his soul "4-would bring him back by the rod, but would still forgive. How could he know all this?' He learned it by faith, laying hold of God's general promises: he saw it in the blood of sacrifices: he patiently waited for, and stedfastly trusted in, the Christ that was to come.

"5

O ye doers of iniquity, that Christ is come at last; and if you turn to him in godly sorrow and stedfast faith, your sins too are freely "forgiven you for his name's sake." Oh come to him for this benefit! See your need of it— ask it-claim it-accept it! If you do this sincerely, it is yours: you may now say to your soul-- God, for Christ's sake, forgiveth all thine iniquities.'

1 2 Samuel xxiii. 1.
4 Psalm xxiii. 3.

2 Psalm xl. 5.
3 Isaiah vi. 7.
5 1 John ii. 12.

Till this grand benefit is obtained, you have no right to look for any other. But, with this, all the rest will follow; as, for example

2. He "healeth all thy diseases.”

David's thanksgivings in this Psalm are supposed to have been called forth by a recovery from some dangerous disease.-It well becomes those, who have experienced such deliverances, to be very thankful to that gracious and almighty God, who alone can "heal our sickness.”—But he can, and does, perform greater cures than these. The health of the soul is of far more importance; and its diseases far more dangerous, than any which afflict the body. Those diseases are, fatal ignorance-a depraved taste-sinful passions—a crooked will-a hatred of the good Physician-a love of death. These are in themselves incurable: but wherever the Lord forgives iniquity, all these diseases are healed; his love through Christ confers the former benefit-his spiritual grace effects the latter. David had experienced this. His spiritual constitution had been changed; and though the old evils would from time to time break out afresh, still the cure was proceeding, and was sure to be complete at last. Have you any such evidence that your iniquities are forgiven? Is your heart also changed? and can you doubt who hath done this, or to whom your thanksgivings are due ?

3. He “redeemeth thy life from destruction.”

God had recently delivered his servant from going down into the pit.--Yet this, at the best, was but a temporary redemption. David well knew, what has since taken place, that, within a little while, death could no longer be kept aloof-that he must inevitably lay down his life in the grave. But he was assured of a more glorious redemption hereafter. "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine