It was to

ye live after the flesh ye shall die." avowed and acknowledged Christians John

said,

"If any man love the world, the love of

the Father is not in him."

It is very pitiable when a man or woman, in order to save their hopes, and yet indulge their besetting sin, ask, in the face of these warnings, Where then is the perseverance of the saints? Where is it? Why, where it ever was and will be-with the saints. What have they to do with it, who are any thing but saints? Their certainty of persevering to the end, can be no security to a man who loves sin better than holiness, and the world more than heaven. a man is no saint, whatever be his creed. that saith, I know God, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." It may be in his creed, and on his tongue, and in his library; but the truth as it is in Jesus is not in his heart nor conscience.

Such "He

I do not, however, mean to say, that the truth is in no man, who disobeys any commandment of God. This is not what the Scriptures teach. They denounce, indeed, every man who sins wittingly and wilfully, especially if he plead the abounding of grace as his excuse. They anticipate his damnation, and declare it "just," before it is proved to be so at the judgment-seat. They do not, however, unchristianize every man who has any thing unchristian in his character. They set him the task of crucifying the lust, and abandoning the habit, that they condemn in him: and then, if he will not, they denounce him too, to the same doom with hypocrites and unbelievers. The real question, therefore, in our own case, is not, have we no sin?" but are we ready, for the sake of Christ and Heaven, to give up whatever sin we love, or have allowed to reign? Now I tell you again, that the mere resolution to give it up, or to watch against, or

even to pray against it, will not subdue it. Indeed, there will be no continued watching, nor unless there be also sowing to

intense prayer, the Spirit. This remark should not need to be repeated. We have both watched and prayed; and yet, there is something wrong remains in our habits and spirit; yea, something so wrong, that it often darkens all our hopes and completely upsets our enjoyment. Now this, whatever it be, must be put down by the force, and kept down by the weight, of all the truth which God has uttered on the subject. We must sow, if we would reap.

is sufficient for thee," is one of the kind assurances from the lips of the Saviour, which every Christian remembers and repeats. Like the New Song in heaven, it has never ceased on earth, since it began. It was a special message to Paul at first: but it has so suited and soothed all Believers, in all ages, that they have made it special to themselves; and kept it up so steadily, that it might be the very echo of the Saviour's voice, when he spoke to Paul from heaven. It is still the first thing which a Christian says to himself, whenever outward or in

ward troubles increase upon him. It is both the first and the last thing he says to others, when they are sinking under calamity or fear. In all spiritual emergencies it comes first to our lips, and is the last thing to lose its power on the heart. We can hope even against hope, whilst we keep hold of this assurance: and when we let it go, all hope goes with it for a time.

I need not say that it is let go at times, notwithstanding all its power to soothe and sustain. There are moments of darkness, or depression, or temptation, when even the unsearchable riches of the Saviour's grace seem insufficient to meet the wants and weakness of the soul. Then, its guilt seems to go beyond the riches of His pardoning grace; its depravity beyond the reach of His sanctifying grace; its anguish beyond the power of His reviving grace. All this is, indeed, a mistake; but still, it does occur. It is not uncommon. It ought, however, to be