This is that charity, that love, that benevolence, which distinguishes a Christian from a man of the world. This is, indeed, as we have seen, an affection peculiar to the children of God, the disciples of Christ, the heirs of glory.

If, therefore, we have faith, let us add to it charity. To cultivate and exercise this benevolent affection, we are urged by the purest motives and the highest considerations. Blessings temporal and eternal are promised to those, who work the works of faith with love, and continue patient in well-doing. And the example of Him, who causeth the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust, is set before us for our imitation. "God is not unrighteous, to forget our work and labor of love." "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." "Blessed is the man that considereth the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble." "In this was manifest the love of God toward us; because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." "To do good, therefore, and communicate, forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

Finally, brethren, let love abound, let it be without dissimulation, let us love not in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Reverting to our text, I add; let us remember, that all the Christian graces spring from a common principle; and that all the Christian virtues are necessary to constitute a complete and consistent Christian character. Let us, therefore, examine ourselves, that we may learn, whether we are in the faith; and let us "give all diligence, that we may add to our faith, virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge tem

perance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity." May all these things be in us and abound, and so may an abundant entrance be ministered unto us into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.-AMEN.

LECTURE XI.

SYMMETRY OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.

2 PETER I. 5-7.

GIVING ALL DILIGENCE, ADD TO YOUR FAITH VIRTUE, AND TO VIRTUE KNOWLEDGE, AND TO KNOWLEDGE TEMPERANCE, AND TO TEMPERANCE PATIENCE, AND TO PATIENCE GODLINESS, AND TO GODLINESS BROTHERLY KINDNESS, AND TO BROTHERLY KINDNESS CHARITY.

HAVING delivered eight lectures on this text, and distinctly treated of the eight Christian graces and virtues, particularly named in it, as constituent parts of the Christian character, it may have been supposed that the subject was sufficiently exhausted to induce me to bring this series of lectures to a close. But the very term of exhortation, "add," suggests the importance and seems to require a distinct consideration of the connection between these several constituent parts of character, and their bearing on each other. Although, therefore, I have occasionally adverted to this topic, in the previous discussions, the importance of the subject will justify me in devoting the time allotted to a single lecture, to a more particular consideration of the connection between the several parts and elements which constitute the Christian character; thus showing their bearing on each other, their mutual subserviency to each other's development and maturity, and the tendency of the whole combined, to produce symmetry and perfection of character.

With a view to the accomplishment of this object, I must invite your attention to two distinct general remarks.

In the first place, I remark, that some of these qualities are essential to the Christian character. All indeed, as I shall have occasion to remark in the sequel of the discourse, are important; and perhaps in some measure and to some degree, indispensable. But the necessity of some of them is more especially obvious; so that whatever else we find in the character of a man; if we do not find these traits clearly developed, we are not authorized to view him as a Christian, nor to encourage him to hope for the salvation of the gospel.

1. Such, I remark, is faith; faith in God, the Father of all, and the rightful sovereign of the universe; faith in Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and man, possessing the nature and attributes of both, and therefore able to reconcile and save all that come unto God by him; faith in the Holy Spirit, by whose influence and operations the blood of the atonement is applied, the heart renewed and the soul sanctified.

Such a faith is indispensably necessary in the religion of a sinner; because faith is the constituted condition of justification and the moving principle of all holy action. Hence says an inspired apostle: "he that cometh unto God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of all them that diligently seek him." Hence the author of the Acts of the Apostles declares, that "there is no other name given among men, whereby we must be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ." Hence, I may add, the Holy Spirit is promised to those and to those only, who feel their weakness and unworthiness, and humbly ask for divine assistance. Hence I subjoin, once more, that we

see the propriety and force of that inspired declaration: "Without faith it is impossible to please God; and of that other declaration, of the same authority: "Ye are justified by faith, without the deeds of the law;" and even of that solemn declaration of Christ himself: "He that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned." Thus obvious is it, that faith is an essential and fundamental principle in the Christian character; so essential, that without it, no one can be saved; so essential, that all the provisions of the gospel, all the manifestations of divine mercy, and all the overtures of divine grace, are unavailing without it; so essential, that all pretensions to piety and virtue, and all external expressions and appearances of morality and religion, without it, are vain; yes, so essential, that while a man rejects or doubts these leading truths of Christianity, we are not authorized to receive him into Christian fellowship, or to encourage him to hope for pardon and eternal life. He may be a man of amiable temper, of kind sympathies, of worldly wisdom, and external habits of morality; like the young man in the gospel, whom Jesus is said to have loved, he may have so many amiable qualities, as to claim our respect and affection. But, while destitute of Christian faith, like that young man, he lacks one thing essential to Christian character; and like him, if he repents not, he will go away in sorrow, and be banished forever from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power. Let no one, therefore, look for a Christian character, or expect to find a single Christian virtue, fully developed and permanently enduring, where there is no genuine, established and living faith. For without this, no other grace can live and grow. This is, indeed, not only essential to the whole, as the very instrument of justification; but it is intimately