have been baptized ; they go to the Lord's table ;" — but they can tell jrou no more. Of all the essential doctrines of the Gospel the}' are totally ignorant. Of faith, and grace, and repentance, and holiness, and spiritual mindedness they know nothing at all. But, forsooth ! they are Churchmen, and so the}' hope to go to heaven ! There are myriads in this condition. It sounds sad, but unhappily it is only too true.
Let us settle firmly in our minds that connection with a good Church and good ancestors is no proof whatever that we ourselves are in a way to be saved. We need something more than this. We must be joined to Christ himself b}' a living faith. We must know something ex- perimentally of the work of the Spirit in our hearts. " Church principles," and " sound Churchmanship," are fine words and excellent party cries. But they will not deliver our souls from the wrath to come, or give us boldness in the day of judgment.
We are taught for another thing the true marks of spiritual sonship. Our Lord makes this point most plain by two migh^ sayings. Did the Jews say, " We have Abraham to our father"? He replies, "If ye were Abra- ham's children ye would do the work of Abraham." — Did the Jews say, "We have one Father, even God"? He replies, " If God were your Father ye would love Me."
Let these two sayings of Christ sink down into our hearts. They supply an answer to two of the most mis- chievous, yet most common, errors of the present day. What more common, on one side, than vague talk about the universal Fatherhood of God? "All men," we are told, " are God's children, whatever be their creed or re- ligion ; all are finally to have a place in the Father's house, " where there are many mansions." — What more common, on another side, than high-sounding statements about the effect of baptism and the privileges of Church-membership ?
JOHN, CHAP. VIII. Ill
" By baptism," we are confidently told, " all baptized people are made children of God ; all members of the Church, without distinction, have a right to be addressed as sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty."
Statements like these can never be reconciled with the plain language of our Lord in the passage before us. If words mean anything, no man is really a child of God, who does not love Jesus Christ. The charitable judgment of a baptismal service, or the hopeful estimate of a cate- chism, may call him by the name of a son, and reckon him among God's children. But the reality of sonship to God, and all its blessings, no one possesses who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. (Ephes. vi. 24.) In matters like these we need not be shaken by mere asser- tions. We may well afford to despise the charge of un- dervaluing the sacraments. We have only to ask one question: "What is written? What saith the Lord?" And with this saying before us, we can only come to one conclusion : " Where there is no love to Christ, there is no sonship to God."
We are taught, lastly, in these verses, the reality and character of the devil. Our Lord speaks of him as one whose personality and existence are be37ond dispute. In solemn words of stern rebuke He says to His unbelieving enemies, "Ye are of your father the devil," — led by him, doing his will, and showing unhappily that you are like him. And then He paints his picture in dark colors, describing him as a "murderer" from the beginning, as a " liar " and the father of lies.
There is a devil ! We have a mighty invisible enemy alwa}rs near us, — one who never slumbers and never sleeps, — one who is about our path and about our bed, and spies out all our ways, and will never leave us till we die. — He is a murderer ! His great aim and object is, to ruin us for- ever and kill our souls. To destroy, to rob us of eternal