When man is deceiving himself, he is walking in a vain show. the woman came in the crowd, and timid, shrinking, doubting in her mind, yet touched the hem of the Saviour's garment, she had faith, and showed her faith, very weak and very imperfect, but real! 'If I may but touch!" And she drew near, came behind and touched. Of some make a difference. It is difficult here while speaking the truth, to speak it in love: while speaking in love, to speak the truth. On the one hand, there are despondent, almost despairing souls who are morbidly prone to seize upon such a word as this, and to say that because they have so few evidences within themselves of the presence of faith, or that because they have not the evidences which others have, they have, therefore, no faith at all; on the other hand, there are those who are ready to take advantage of the hope which is held out to these others, and to appropriate to themselves, and to wrest, to their own destruction, what was never meant for them. Are we, then, for fear of such results, to refrain from comforting those who are in any need of comfort, those to whom this would come like the very comforts of God, that while their faith may be feeble and imperfect, it is yet real, a faith which, therefore, He approves, and which He will assuredly improve. It will serve a good end to be reminded what the apostle is here exclusively speaking of: faith which has no results; faith which has no gratitude, and no love, and no desire to know the Saviour of the soul. If any one can truly say that he would not give up his hope in Christ for worlds, well, no matter how troubled or desponding he may be, here is evidence of his faith, and he, therefore, is not the man of whom the apostle speaks. The apostle has still another word to say, the point of which has often been missed. It has been thought that by the expression, "Thou believest that there is one God, thou doest well, the demons also believe and tremble," the apostle means to assert The principle is universal. that the faith of the demons was not saving faith, that though they believed in God, this belief of theirs had no saving effect. This may be true, but it is not the truth taught here. The whole of the passage is an argument to show that where there is faith there will be the results, and the appropriate results of faith, that it is impossible there could be faith without these results. If there be faith in a God of mercy who has offered mercy, there will be gratitude and service; a man cannot believe God to be his merciful Saviour, and not love Him; faith in a Saviour means love to that Saviour. But the principle is universal wherever faith is, these are the results of that faith. It holds in Heaven, on earth, in hell. The rebel angels believe in God as an Almighty Power whom they hate; well, faith in them has its appropriate results; they tremble, they fear, they cower in terror; this is the work their faith produces, this is the evidence of their faith. If we could be assured the rebel angels had no trembling dread, no fear of God, took no heed of His presence, lived as if He did not exist, should we not instantly conclude that they did not believe in Him, or that they did not believe in His power, His Almighty control? In Heaven they believe and love; on earth they believe and strive to love, rejoicing in hope; in hell they believe and tremble; no escape from the universal law, the universal fact. Rejoice with trembling. Hear the conclusion of the whole matter, salvation by faith is the offered salvation, and it is the only possible salvation. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on Him." Let us examine ourselves then, whether we be in the faith, to make sure we are in the faith, in the only satisfactory way, by producing the fruits of faith. SEEDS OF SERMONS ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS. THE Aspects of a Corrupt Nation. "IN THE TWELFTH YEAR OF AHAZ KING OF JUDAH BEGAN HOSHEA THE SON OF ELAH TO REIGN IN SAMARIA OVER ISRAEL NINE YEARS. AND HE DID THAT WHICH WAS EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, BUT NOT AS THE KINGS OF ISRAEL THAT WERE BEFORE HIM. AGAINST HIM CAME UP SHALMANESER KING OF ASSYRIA: AND HOSHEA BECAME HIS SERVANT, AND GAVE HIM PRESENTS. AND THE KING OF ASSYRIA FOUND CONSPIRACY IN HOSHEA FOR HE HAD SEnt messengers TO SO KING OF EGYPT, AND BROUGHT NO PRESENT TO THE KING OF ASSYRIA, AS HE HAD DONE YEAR BY YEAR: THEREFORE THE KING OF ASSYRIA SHUT HIM UP, AND BOUND HIM IN PRISON. THEN THE KING OF ASSYRIA CAME UP THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND, AND WENT UP TO SAMARIA, AND BESIEGED IT THREE YEARS. IN THE NINTH YEAR OF HOSHEA THE KING OF ASSYRIA TOOK SAMARIA, AND CARRIED ISRAEL AWAY INTO ASSYRIA, AND PLACED THEM IN HALAH AND IN HABOR BY THE RIVER OF GOZAN, AND IN THE CITIES OF THE MEDES. FOR SO IT WAS, THAT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAD SINNED AGAINST THE LORD THEIR GOD, WHICH HAD BROUGHT THEm up out of THE LAND OF EGYPT, FROM UNDER THE HAND OF PHARAOH KING OF EGYPT, AND HAD FEARED OTHER GODS, AND WALKED IN THE STATUTES OF THE HEATHEN, WHOM THE LORD CAST OUT FROM BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL, WHICH THEY HAD MADE." -2 Kings xvii. 1-8. HOSHEA, the king here mentioned, was the nineteenth and last king of Israel. He lived about 720 years or more B.C. After a reign of nine years his subjects were carried away captive to Assyria, and the kingdom of Israel came to an end. The selection we have made from this chapter presents to I. AS AN UNFORTUNATE IN- HERITOR OF WRONG. age there came down the corrupting influence of no less than nineteen princes, all of whom were steeped in wickedness and fanatical idolatry. The whole nation had become completely immoral and idolatrous. This kingthe last of the Israelitish-it is said, "did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him." If one shade better than his predecessors, he was, notwithstanding, a man whose character seems unredeemed by one single virtue. It is one of not only the commonest but the most perplexing facts in history that one generation comes to inherit, to a great extent, the character of its predecessor. The thoughts, the principles, and the spirit that animated the men of the past, come down and take possession of the minds of the men of the present. Though the bodies of our predecessors are mouldering in the dust they are still here in their thoughts and influences. This is an undoubted fact. It serves to explain three things First: The vital connection between all the members of the race. Though men are countless in number, and ever multiplying, humanity is one. All are branches of the same root, members of the same body, links in one chain. None can be affected without affecting others, the motion of one link propagates an influence to the end of the chain. None of us live unto ourselves. Solemn thought! Our very breathings may produce ripples upon the mighty lake of existence, which will spread in ever-widening circles to the very shores of eternity. There are mystic springs connecting us with the universe. Can we move without touching them? Can we give a touch that will not send its vibrations along the arches of the boundless future? The effects of a man's influence, either for good or evil, will be determined by his moral character. A bad man is a moral curse: the influence that streams from him will be moral poison. A good man, under God, is a blessing, his influence, like the living waters, will irrigate and beautify the mental districts through which they flow. Notice Secondly: The immense difficulty in improving the moral condition of the race. There have been men in every age and land who have "striven even unto blood" to improve the race. Poets have depicted the charms of virtue, moralists have reasoned against wrong, martyrs have died for the right; and during the last eighteen centuries throughout Christendom, the best men throughout all communions have struggled hard to bring the world's mind under the supreme reign of the true, the beautiful, and the good. But how miserable has been the result! Evil is everywhere the dominant force: dominant not merely in markets and governments, but even in conventional churches. Those of us who have lived longest in the world, looked deepest into its moral heart, and laboured most zealously and persistently for its improvement, feel like Sisyphus, in ancient fable, struggling to roll a large stone to the top of a mountain, which as soon as we think some progress has been made, rolls back to its old position, and that with greater impetuosity. Scripture everywhere recognises this difficulty, and speaks of the work as a "race," a "battle," a "crucifixion." I question whether the world is morally much better than it has ever been. Notice Thirdly: The absolute need of superhuman agency spiritually to redeem the race. Philosophy shows that a bad world cannot improve itself, cannot make itself good. Bad men can neither help themselves, morally, or help others. If the world is to be improved, thoughts and influences from superhuman regions must be injected into its heart. Moral goodness must come in a new form, and ply new agencies. Herein is the Gospel: 'When we were without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." A corrupt nation is here represented II. AS A GUILTY WORKER OF WRONG. Hoshea and his people were not only the inheritors of the corruptions of past generations, but they themselves became agents in propagating and perpetuating the wickedness. See what is said of Hoshea here. "The king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea." This is only one specimen or develop |