yourselves," and to try your faith a by this standard? Do not imagine that the knowledge here spoken of is a speculative acquaintance with divine truth : no ; it is such a knowledge as both justifiesb and sanctifies0 the soul; it is that knowledge in comparison of which St. Paul " accounted all things as dung and drossd." This is the knowledge which you must possess : and if you will think you have it, whilst your life and conversation give the lie to your profession, your doom is fixed : for thus saith God, by the Prophet Hosea : " Israel saith, my God, we know thee : Israel hath cast off the thing that is good : the enemy shall pursue hime :" yea, " every such person shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the glory of his power, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that knoiu not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ*." I say, then, to every one of you, " Examine whether ye be in the faith, and prove your own selvesg."]
2. The blessedness of practical Christianity ?
[To what a glorious state does true religion raise us • Men in all ages have accounted the Virgin Mother of our Lord blessed, because she was God's chosen vessel, to bring into the world the Lord of Glory. But I speak not too strongly, if I say, that the practical Christian is yet more highly honoured, and more truly blessed, than she, so far as her external relation to him was concerned : for our Lord, in answer to one who had congratulated her on her distinguished honours, saying, " Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked," replied, " Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep ith." True, indeed, such persons may not always possess a full assurance of their interest in Christ : God may, for wise reasons, permit their minds to be agitated with doubts and fears ; and Satan may, for a season, greatly harass and distress them. But, whilst they walk in darkness, the Lord will be a light unto them ; yea, he has authorized his servants to address them in these encouraging words : " Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God1. Yes, brethren, if only you are conscientiously endeavouring to approve yourselves to God in a holy and unreserved obedience, you need not fear. This very disposition emanates from God : it is itself a fruit and
a Job xx. 4 — 7. b Isai. liii. 11. c John xvii. 17.
<i Phil. iii. 8. e Hos. viii. 2, 3. f 2 Thess. i. 7—9.
s 2 Cor. xiii. 5. h Luke viii. 20, 21. and xi. 27, 28. • Isai. 1. 10.