proper portion of happiness or misery, according to what he has done in the body, whether it be good or evil. Under all these characters God must be viewed : if any one be excluded, his Gospel is mutilated, and his glory obscured. Let us then be equally ready to view him under any of these characters. Let us look to him for a full salvation through the death of his Son : if made partakers of that salvation, let us give all the glory to his free grace, and his electing love : and then let us walk before him in a conscientious performance of every duty, under a firm expectation, that our final sentence shall be according to the dictates of perfect equity. This is to be in the spirit of the Gospel ; and if any restrict it to more partial views, they only betray their ignorance or pride, and will find themselves awfully mistaken in the last day.]
2. How to estimate our own character —
[The persons who have such an exclusive fondness of the deeper doctrines of predestination and election, are ready to pour contempt on evidences, as though an inquiry into the evidences of our conversion were mere legality. A favourite notion with them is, that faith is the only evidence of faith. But this is a grievous error. That faith does carry its own evidence along with it, just as love, or any other grace does, we readily allow. A person who relies simply and entirely on God, has a consciousness that he does so, and may, if this consciousness be confirmed by other evidence, be assured that his faith is genuine. But men may have a full persuasion in their own minds that they are right, and yet may be under a fatal delusion. This was the case with Paul, whilst he perse- cuted the Church of Christ : he "verily thought that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus." The Scrip- tures furnish us with unnumbered marks whereby to judge of our state. The Epistles of St. John are full of theme ; and our blessed Lord cautions us strongly against that presump- tuous confidence that would exclude an appeal to themf: he bids us judge of ourselves by the fruits that we produceg; and assures us, that in this way only can we guard against final disappointment and everlasting ruinh. To all then would we say, examine whether you are proceeding in " a patient continuance in well-doing:" for the Judge himself will assuredly at the last day institute a strict inquiry into your works, and determine your state according to them1: and " whatever you have sown, that, and that only, shall you reap to all eternity V]
e See 1 John iii. 10, 14, 19—21, 24. { Matt. vii. 21—23.
g Matt. vii. 16—20. h Matt. vii. 24—27.
1 Matt. xxv. 31—46. k Gal. vi. 7, 8.