verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” This speaks of the dispensation of the Spirit, which takes place during the time that he is absent with the Father; and here is the promise, that believers on him should do the same works that he did, and “greater works than these should they do, because he went to the Father

My brethren, what can this mean, or what can these "greater works" be? We do, indeed, find, that some of those who immediately followed Jesus performed works similar to his works; that the sick were healed, that the diseased were with a word recovered into health again, and even that the dead were raised, though not under such remarkable circumstances, as in his own works. Of this deseription of work, where is the record of "greater work" than Christ's work? Where is such a record as the raising of Lazarus, who was four days buried, and, as his sister testified, was in a state of incipient corruption? There is no record of such a work having been performed by the disciples as the raising of Lazarus. There were wonderful works performed by Paul, and Peter, and other of the disciples; but nothing, comparatively speaking, to equal this work. But our Lord says that they should do "greater works" than these.

Now," greater" and "less" are words of comparison in our sight; as regards God, all works are equally easy with him. Thus "greater" or "less" are spoken of in condescension to our capacities; and this is a common feeling amongst men to whom Christ addressed himself, that that which belongs to the soul is of greater value than that which belongs to the body. "Be not afraid of thein that kill the body," said he; "but I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear. Fear him, who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell." And again he said, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world," which would be of great advantage to the body, "and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Many similar passages might be quoted manifestly setting the soul in a much superior point of view, and making what belongs to the soul greater, of more value, of more consequence than what belongs to the body.

Now, it is remarkable, that it was not the design of God in the ministry of the Lord Jesus, there should be the conversion of souls carried on; he lived to be the Gospel, rather than to preach it. Christ was the Gospel, in order that the disciples might preach Christ, or preach the Gospel. Christ is the glad tidings embodied; he lived and died the Gospel, in order that afterwards it might be preached. While he lived and died, few men, if any, were really and truly converted to God, few men were snatched from the bondage of the devil; few of those greatest works were done-the greatest works on the face of the earth that God has directed the attention of men to. Greater works than all that occupy the attention of statesmen, greater works than all that occupy the attention of naval and military commanders, greater works than occupy the attention of philosophers upon the earth, are the works that rescue immortal spirits from the damnation of hell; works that rescue the descendants of Adam, (into whose nostrils God breathed the breath of life, so that he became a living soul) the mmortal descendants of Adam from sinking into immortal torments. These are the "greater works." Oh, my brethren, we talk so lightly of the conversion of sinners that the magnitude of it loses its effect on us; we do not appreciate it; we have no adequate ideas connected with it. The salvation of a soul, of an immortal spirit, is of more value than a whole world of matter; and there are

mmortal spirits all around us, just propt up by a frail, sickly, and tottering prop of flesh, which, if withdrawn from them, would allow them to fall headlong into hell. There are thousands and tens of thousands all around us. Oh, we should appreciate this work more. It is the greatest work man can be instrumental in accomplishing. It was to be carried on when the Lord Jesus went to the Father, because when he went to the Father he would send the Holy Ghost. It is by the Holy Ghost that the Saviour's work is quickened into life; it is by the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son that an immortal spirit is snatched from the burning, and rescued from that death which is the end of sin.

These were the works which they were to do, greater than miracles in nature; these were the works "greater" than Christ did. Christ did works for evidence; he did works to give infallible proofs of who he was: the Apostles did works, and connected with the works what Christ said. Christ's works were given as signs that we might believe that he is the Christ the Son of God; the Apostle's works were done, that believing, we might have life through his name. The outward signs in nature are let down to what is in the natural man; God appeals to human reason, as we have seen-appeals to sense. Man has nothing to be appealed to; except God would descend, in the first instance, so low as to appeal to what man has, he cannot appeal to him at all. When he does descend so low, he descends with the sense of evidence. To preach is a descent to man's sense; it is God's condescension to man's sense. This is in order to take first steps to win him to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; but then, believing he stands upon a higher ground, then he begins to imbibe life; he begins to find a "greater work" then; he begins to perceive that the outward sign was the appeal to his lower faculty, to his sense, his reason, in order to bring him up higher, that he might imbibe and enjoy eternal life.

You see that in order to force belief upon men, or, at least, in order to give them an opportunity which leaves them inexcusable if they believe not, the original appeal must be to what is already in man. When God would work a work which should appeal to the ignorant Philistines, how was it done? When the ark was carried amongst the Philistines, had one of God's prophets gone down to them and suggested some high revelation respecting some service to be carried on in the temple, it would have had no effect on the Philistines, it would have been appealing to something not in them. But he dealt with them by appealing to their senses. When the ark of God was put up in the house of Dagon, the image of Dagon fell down. There was an appeal to the senses of the Philistines. When they put it up again it fell down again, and was broken in pieces; moreover, the land was plagued with various plagues of emerods and mice that God sent amongst the people. And when some of their infidel hearts doubted whether this was by accident, or by the hand of God, God made another appeal to their senses. They put the ark on a new cart; two cows were put to it, whose calves were taken home from them. The Philistines knew that the instinct of the animals would lead them where their young were; but instead of that the kine went forward directly, lowing, and running toward the land of Israel, with the ark of the God of Israel on the cart. There was an appeal to what was in the Philistines; there was a condescension to the state of the Philistines' mind; there was one of the smaller works. But when the ark of God was brought back, and all the contents of

the ark were enjoyed by David and his people, singing round it, there was a greater work; there was the enjoyment of life in that. The outward sign was the smaller one, and the contents of the communication the enjoyment of the greater one.

Refer to the passage, to which reference has been so frequent, in John xx. "Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written." What for? What are the the signs written for? "But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and (then there is another step) that believing ye might have life through his name." The signs led to the belief, belief leads to the life. This was the progress. The signs descend to the infidel to lead him up to faith; faith communicates with God, and he has life, and has it more abundantly. Now, is not faith higher than sight? and is not that which belongs to the Spirit a greater work than that which belongs to the sense? and is not the work entrusted to the Apostles, and therefore a greater work, in this sense, than the works which their Master did. "Greater works than these (the miracles) shall ye do, because I go to my Father."

Now, my brethren, it is of great consequence that we understand the comparative value of things. There are two principles which I wish to set before you. The one is the difference between the origin and the contents of the cominunication from heaven; the origin requiring reasonable proof, and, when that is furnished, it being then reasonable that we submit to the contents. The other is, that the use of signs, and wonders, and miracles, is to give infallible proofs of the origin; whereas the contents are higher, they are the enjoyment of the life with God. Now, when we hear of signs, and wonders, and outward manifestations, being exalted above the spiritual and inward life, we have Scripture turned upside down, and that declared to be greater which the Scripture declares to be the lower, and that declared to be the lower which the Scripture declares to be the greater.

But, observe further, we are taxed with carnal and worldly principles, with coldness, with unbelief, and every thing that is mischievous, when we demand proof; and we are told these are things not to be proved. I mention this to guard the unwary. It is said in a high tone of apparently spiritual feeling, "These are things not to be proved by human reason; they are matters of faith, matters of spirit; they are to be perceived in the spirit, in communion with God; and, if you stand upon carnal human reasoning, you cannot receive them; they are not to be so received." So we are told; and it seems plausible. But I ask, Is it the origin of the communication, or the contents, that are spoken of? If they mean that the contents are not to be judged by reason, I say, Very well; but you are premature in presenting the contents; I want proof of the origin first. If you were to go to an intelligent heathen, to a Brahmin, and set before him some of the more spiritual principles contained in the Scriptures, and he were to say, "I cannot understand them; I want a proof;" it would be most unfair to say that he was an infidel because he did not receive those principles : there is nothing in him which can receive it. We are only to lay before him what God has laid before us-the signs which appeal to what is in him. He wants reasonable proof of the origin before he can place dependence on the contents. And what we say now to some of our brethren is, Give us reasonable proof of the divine origin of these communications before you demand our implicit faith in their contents. You tell us that God speaks. It is an awful

saying the alternative is frightful. To allow yourselves to admit that God is speaking, when it may be but a fallible creature, is dreadful. Your assumption is so awful, your alternative so frightful, that we cannot move a step without infallible proof of the origin of these communications. The Lord Jesus gave infallible proofs of the origin of his communications, and therefore we are contented and happy to receive their contents, and to submit to them without having them proved and we submit, with joy of heart, to many sublime mysteries in the Scriptures, because the divine origin of the Scriptures has been proved.

But now let this principle be established; let it be placed before our brethren, who are endeavouring to proselyte us to the assumption of God speaking among them: let this principle be examined fairly. They ask us to place the same sort of confidence on that speaking that now place in the Bible. If God speaks we can judge of it in no other way than we do by the Bible, and are they not bound to give us such proof that we can judge of it as by the Bible. If they do, then with what delight shall we submit to the contents. But where is the proof-where is the infallible proof that it is from God? When they assert, that it is more important than faith-more important than regeneration, that it is that without which the Church is Babylon, and with which the Church is the Church; then we stumble because the principles of Scripture are subverted. When they declare that the Lord Jesus was exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give the Holy Ghost, and that he received gifts for men; certainly we agree to this, that he gave forth those gifts for men, and that he gave some prophets, and some apostles, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; and that he gave languages supernaturally, and interpretations of languages. All this is true: we do not require proof of this, because it is contained in the Scriptures, the origin of which is already proved to us; but when they go another step, and say that some of our countrymen have these gifts-that is not contained in the Scriptures: therefore we want proof of it. The other is contained in the Scriptures; and so far we have proof, and rejoice to declare those things out of the Scriptures; but as soon as the assumption of these things is claimed by persons not named in the Scriptures at all, then there is something needed before we can rely with confidence on the contents of what is uttered.

My dear brethren, I do entreat you with all carefulness to watch yourselves respecting this question; it is one which is calculated to do much mischief if lightly regarded. Suppose that, in these frightful days of infidelity and blasphemy, God were pleased to revive these smaller works, these appeals to man's sense; suppose that, in these days, God were to revive such gifts for missionary labour, as would supersede the slow, the laborious, the praiseworthy, but still laborious and, in many respects, fallible and difficult work of translating the Scriptures into divers tongues; suppose he were to qualify man to declare amongst the heathen the Word of God in their own language; and suppose that he were to qualify his church at home to make appeals to the senses of the infidels by whom we are surrounded-the deists, and even the atheists, by whom the most favoured states in Christendom are pestered at this day; suppose he also said this---“Take heed to these things, lest the devil, by aping these things, and endeavouring to gain credit for these assumptions, were to harden your heart against the realities when they do appear, and so indispose you to receive any account of God's wonderful workings, that there might be a wonderful work wrought, which you would in no wise believe, though a man give proof of it;" I say, therefore, it is a subject for much prayer and watchfulness. I say not this

as laving any doubt respecting the present pretensions; for there is not a shadow of proof; they have not been able to offer a shadow of proof to any reasonable being-and it is only a matter of common sense--there is a total absence of any thing like proof; but I say, should it please God to give proof at any time, to meet the necessities of the case; should it please him to put forth his hand to these lower works-(for we rejoice to think he is constantly doing higher works, and we experience delight in the higher works; and, thanks be to his name, we live with our God in peace and joy and love in the Holy Ghost)--but suppose he were to do these lower works, to appeal to the infidels around; then. what I wish to guard against, is such a state of mind, from false assumptions, as indisposes us to receive the evidence of truth.

Let it ever be remembered, that our Lord Jesus Christ did not require confidence from his apostles in what he said, without giving them infallible proofs of the truth of what he was saying; that, before he demanded from them, as a reasonable submission to the authority of God, faith in the contents of his communications, he gave them reasonable proofs, addressed to what was in man, of the origin of that communication. I know that this is an objection brought. that such proofs are not always effectual, that they do not always produce belief. It is true; yet they are suitable for the purpose; and just as the Gospel does not always work conversion, though suitable to the purpose, signs wrought, do not always overcome unbelief, though they be suitable to the purpose. It is no disparagement to an instrument, to say that, though suitable to its purpose, it will not accomplish that without a powerful agent to work it. And it is true, there is a powerful instrument in man's heart, which neither testimony nor miracles will overcome, without the secret and invisible agency of God himself. The turning point in every man's case, in the last resort, is a matter of the "exceeding abundant" grace of God; but God uses means, and when he exerts his grace, he does it in the hearing of the Gospel and the seeing of the sign: not always in hearing, neither always in seeing We read of persons in the Scriptures who when they saw the miracles wrought, blasphemed instead of being convinced; and we hear of persons who, when they hear the Gospel preached, instead of being converted, gnash with their teeth in enmity against the preacher. Nevertheless, by means of preaching, many were convinced; and by means of the Gospel many were converted. These are the instruments, though they are not always effectual. Therefore, the argument derived from the insufficiency of miracles, in regard to faith, is not effectual to the view of the case I have been giving.

But I must conclude. I felt it necessary to examine this question respecting the nature of evidence, and what it is we want the proof of before we can rely on what remains behind. I felt it reasonable to set this inquiry before your minds; for I am deeply persuaded that, for want of attention to this, many have shrunk from a reasonable examination of the pretensions of certain persons around us, lest, in exercising that reason, they should themselves have been blaspheming, and yielding to criminal principles instead of submitting by faith; and that there is an unadvised and unexamined submission to faith, which is not christian for christian faith is a reasonable thing after all; and we are commanded by the Apostle, to be able to give a reason for the hope that is in us. I entreat you to observe, that, though we cannot reason on every one of the contents of what God says, but that we have reasonable proof that it is God that says them. The one point, that it is he that speaks, is the point to be proved