and beaten way of peril, by avoiding the narrow path that leads to life eternal. He discovers not his danger until it is, perhaps, too late; and when he is unexpectedly awakened to a sense of his extremity, he may possibly neither have time for reformation, nor ability to repent. Wretched, therefore, in every point of view, is the man whom the Lord does not choose nor cause to approach unto Him.

Let us remember, that to withdraw altogether from the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, is practically to reject the doctrine of the atonement, "by which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all." By coming to his table, we at once solemnly testify and avow our faith in this merciful act of expiation. By absenting ourselves from it, we withhold that acknowledgment which is so eminently due from all who believe "that there is none other name whereby we can be saved, but only the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Let none of us falsely persuade our credulous hearts, that we actually absent ourselves from his altar, only because we respect him too highly to approach it unworthily,as this is really nothing better than a mockery of religion; it is a prostitution of her sacred name to the most unholy purposes; it is making her the cloak of our depraved appetites, the palliative of a criminal indisposition. There can be no possible respect for the Saviour in refusing his invita

tion, only because we have insulted him by neglect and rebellion. Our respect would be better shown by renewing our homage, and by resorting to his table to offer there the pledges of our sincerity.

Let us remember, that our Saviour only invites us to Heaven, as he invites us to his holy communion. Both invitations are given for our benefit, not for his. My brethren, ask your consciences then, and ask them with earnestness, if it can be safe to reject the invitation of your God.

SERMON XVII.

ON FAITH AND WORKS.

ST. JAMES, II. 17.

"Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."

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THE importance of faith as absolutely essential to salvation, is one of the most prominent doctrines of the Christian religion. St. Paul has dwelt upon it with so much eloquence and energy as a condition of justification, or absolution from sin, without expressing in distinct terms the necessity of works, that have been led into the error of supposing that faith alone, that is, a mere quiescent belief, is sufficient to bring them unto God. This fallacy, however, is sufficiently exposed in the General Epistle of St. James, where he expressly insists upon works, the fruits of faith, and the only demonstrative evidence of its identity, as especially necessary to salvation.

No good Christian will suffer himself for a

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moment to be persuaded, that the Apostles just named could have contradicted each other. We are, therefore, to inquire how this seeming difference arises, which we shall presently find to be more apparent than real.

Among the early converts to Christianity were many Jews, who, although they had been "baptized unto Christ," still contended, that without the ceremonial works of the law, salvation was not to be obtained. As their influence was considerable among the first Christians, their opinions extensively prevailed. With them, faith in Christ was but a secondary, whilst a regard to the ceremonies of their now abrogated law, that is, their ceremonial law, was a primary condition of eternal life. It was to explode this fatal error, that St. Paul so strongly insisted upon faith being the grand attribute of justification, as opposed to the works of the law, which were mere external rites, intended to shadow out what the incarnation and death of the Saviour had finally consummated. It is moreover clear, from the whole texture of the Apostle's reasonings upon this momentous question, that wherever the necessity of works as the means of salvation is denied, he generally refers to the ceremonial observances set down by the great Hebrew legislator, as binding upon the seed of Abraham only whilst they were subject to the ordinances of the Mosaic dispensation, from which they were absolved by the Christian. Where,