commencing with a few reprobate boys of Hamburgh, only waiting upon God's help and goodness, has now a whole village full of boys and girls, reclaimed and saved, and is sending out on the right hand and on the left brethren to occupy posts of usefulness in every land. Remember the brother Gossner, of Berlin, and how mightily God has helped him to send out not less than two hundred missionaries, throughout the length and breadth of the earth preaching Christ, while he has for their support nothing but the bare promise of God, and the faith which has learned to reach the hand of God, and take from it all it needs. And need I remind you of a story we told you last Friday night-the story of pastor Harms, in Hermaunsburg, where, by the power of that man's faith in preaching the Word, he has seen the barren wilderness made to blossom like the rose, till his Church has become a very model of what a Church of God ought to be, a living working body, from which he sends out missionaries to the coast of Africa, having nothing for their supply but the offerings of the people, drawn from them by the exercise of prayer and faith. I was reading a memorable passage in his life, where he says, he was wanting to send his missionaries out to the Gallas tribe in Africa, but could not find any means; and so he says, "Then I knocked diligently on the dear God in prayer; and since the praying man dare not sit with his hands in his lap, I sought among the shipping agents, but came to no speed; and I turned to Bishop Gobat in Jerusalem, but had no answer; and then I wrote to the missionary Krapf in Mornbaz, but the letter was lost. Then one of the sailors who remained said, 'Why not build a ship, and you can send out as many and as often as you will.' The proposal was good; but, the money! That was a time of great conflict, and I wrestled with God. For no one encouraged me, but the reverse; and even the truest friends and brethren hinted that I was not quite in my senses. When Duke George of Saxony lay on his death-bed, and was yet in doubt to whom he should flee with his soul, whether to the Lord Christ and his dear merits, or to the pope and his good works, there spoke a trusty courtier to him: Your Grace, Straightforward makes the best runner.' That word has lain fast in my soul. I had knocked at men's doors and found them shut; and yet the plan was manifestly good and for the glory of God. What was to be done? Straightforward makes the best runner. I prayed fervently to the Lord, laid the matter in his hand, and, as I rose up at midnight from my knees, I said, with a voice that almost startled me in the quiet room: Forward now, in God's name! From that moment there never came a thought of doubt into my mind." Friends! the Churches of Christ have no need of the modern machinery which has supplanted the simplicity of faith. I verily believe, if the Lord swept the committees, secretaries, and missionary societies out of the universe, we should be better without them if our Churches would but trust God, send out their own men, raise the money to support them, and believe that God would bless them. I hope the Church will soon say, like David in Saul's clanking armour, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tried them," and with only her sling and her stone, confident in her God, I trust she will confront her foe. We can do all things, if we can but trust Christ. "All things are possible to him

that believeth;" but nothing is possible to your schemes, and to your systems. God will sweep them away yet, and happy shall be that man who shall lead the van in their utter destruction. Go ye up against her, take away her bulwarks, for they are not the Lord's; he did not ordain them, nor will he stand by them. Act in faith, O ye people of God, and prove the power of prayer, for "all things are possible to him that believeth."

5. There is another point, upon which I have already intrenched, that is, in the service of God"all things are possible to him that believeth." I know the devil will say to you, "Why, you have no gift." And what if you have not? If you have the gift of faith, you may do somewhat, and fulfil your mission. Perhaps you are a minister; you have been labouring in a village with very little success. Brother, may it not be that you did not believe that God would give you success? For if you had believed it you would have had it. You are not straitened in God, but straitened in your own bowels? I know what it is to go to my chamber and feel ashamed of many a sermon I have preached, and moan and groan over it; and I have known what it is to discover, within a month, that the sermon has been far more useful in conversion than those which I thought had something about them which might render them effective. The fact is, God wants not our power, but our weakness; not our greatness, but our nothingness. Oh, brother, if God has called thee to a work that is ten times harder than you have strength to perform, go and do it in his strength, and "all things are possible to him that believeth." I would that this age would breed a few extravagant men: we are getting so dull, so cold, so common-place-we all run in the same cart-rut, imitating one another; in the sight of one of the heroes of old, we little men do walk under their huge legs, and peep about to find ourselves dishonourable graves; and all this is because we have left off faith. Let a man believe that God has called him to a mission; let him say, "Forward, in God's name!" and that man will tell upon his times, and carve his name in the rock of ages, and leave memorials behind him which angels shall gaze upon when the names of emperors and kings have been swept into oblivion. Men and brethren in this Church! many and many a time have I stirred you up to faith, and there are some few of you who begin to know what faith means; but, oh, I fear me there are many of you still that have not come to the fulness of the meaning of faith. To live in a region of miracles, to be called fanatics, to see God's hand as visibly as you see your own, to recognise Him as greater than second causes, to find Him as one whose arm you can move, whose power you can command, to stand in an extraordinary position, far above the place where reason can put you to know that you are a distinguished, separated, specially-favoured child of God. Oh! this is heaven begun below. Believe me, I often marvel how people can think that the present attainments of the Church are all the Church can expect. I look upon decent tradespeople, respectable ministers, and amiable women, and so forth, doing something, but doing very, very little, and I am apt to say, "What! what! Is this all Christ shed his blood for-to make us do this? Is this all the Holy Ghost does, to

make a man get through a decent sermon on a Sunday? Is this all? Is this God's work? I see God's work in nature, and there are towering Alps, and roaring seas, and cataracts lashed to fury; but I look on God's work in the Church-little, little, little everywhere. Littleness is stamped upon the brow of to-day; we do not do and dare; and I am inclined to think that until we see some great and daring deed attempted, and some great and marvellous thing done for Christ, we shall not see the glory of the Lord revealed, so that all flesh shall see it together. What are we doing here, all of us cooped up in this little island, all of us living in England? "The world lieth in the wicked one." How is it our hearts beat not for the heathen? We must stay at home; we have calls. But is not the call of God louder still, if we had but faith? But we are so carnal-we live so much on "the things that are seen," that we cannot do a rash, brave, imprudent act for the Master. God help us to do it! Then shall the Church arise and put on her beautiful garments; and woe to thee, Askelon, when Israel's God is in the camp! Woe to thee, Gaza, for thy gates shall be carried on our shoulders, when once we believe we are strong enough to bear them to the top of the hill, posts and bars and all! "All things are possible," in the service of God, "to him that believeth."

Finally, when we shall come to die, sickness shall cause us no anxiety; the solemn mysteries of the last article shall give us no alarm; the grave shall be no place of gloom; judgment shall know no terrors; eternity shall have no horrors; for to him that believeth, all things are possible, and death and death's shade give way before faith. Heaven yields to faith; hell trembles at it; earth is powerless before it, and lies in the hand of the faithful man, like clay upon the potter's wheel, to be moulded as he wills.

II. I come to my last point, and may God bless it. WHERE LIES, THEN, THE SECRET STRENGTH OF FAITH? It lies in the food it feeds on; for faith studies what the promise is-an emanation of divine grace, an overflowing of the great heart of God; and faith says, "My God could not have given this promise, except from love and grace; therefore it is quite certain that this promise will be fulfilled." Then faith thinketh, "Who gave this promise?" It considereth not so much its greatness, as "Who is the author of it?" She remembers that it is God that cannot lie-God omnipotent, God immutable; and therefore she concludeth that the promise must be fulfilled; and forward she goes in this firm conviction. Then she remembereth, also, why the promise was givennamely, for God's glory, and she feels perfectly sure that God's glory is safe, that he will never stain his own escutcheon, nor mar the lustre of his own crown; and therefore she concludeth that the promise must and will stand. Then faith also considereth the amazing work of Christ as being a clear proof of the Father's intention to fulfil his word. "He that spared not his own Son, but freely delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Then faith looks back upon the past, for her battles have strengthened her, and her victories have given her courage. She remembers that God never has failed her; nay, that he never did once fail any of his children. She recollecteth times of great peril, when deliverance came-hours of

awful need, when as her day her strength was; and she says, "No; I never will be led to think that he can now forswear himself, and change his character, and leave his servant. Faith, moreover, feeleth that she cannot believe a hard thing of her dear God. Is it wrong to use that expression? I must use it, for he is dear to me! I think this is one of the things I have repented of above all other sins I have committedthe sin of ever doubting him who loves me so well that he had sooner die than I should perish, and did die that I might live. What! that God so dear to my soul-do I doubt him? I would not spread a report that my father was a liar, or that my mother would forswear herself. No, blessed parents, ye would not be unkind to me; and, my blessed God, my faith knoweth that thou canst not be unkind; thy love will make thee faithful even if thy faithfulness were not enough of itself. If our God can leave us, then indeed am I mistaken in his character. If I can dare something for God, and he can leave me, then have I misread Scripture. I do not believe,, young warrior, if God shall prompt you to dash into the thick of the battle, that he will leave you, as Joab did Uriah, to fall by the arrows of the enemy. Only dare it, and God will be greater than your daring. But we refuse to be honourable. A little hardship, a little difficulty, a little danger, and we shrink back to our ignoble sloth. Oh that we would rise to the glory of believing!

Dearly beloved, I have tried thus to stir up your souls; but I am very conscious that we cannot have this faith in Christ, except as we have more of his Holy Spirit. But then we have the promise-"If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Ask for more faith. This Church is enough of itself for the conversion of the whole world, if God will give us faith enough. If the little band at Jerusalem were all that was wanted, a band of more than two thousand faithful men and women might be enough, if we had faith. And look at all the Churches around: would their success be as little as it is, if they had more faith? All things are possible, and yet we do nothing! Everything within our reach, and yet we are poor! Heaven itself on our side, and yet we are defeated! Shameful unbelief! be thou put to death for ever! Glorious faith! live thou in our souls! I hope that both sinner and saint will believe in the mercy, and goodness, and truth of God, as revealed in Christ, and that we will take this home with us for to-day's meal-"All things are possible to him that believeth."

"Faith treads on the world and on hell;

It vanquishes death and despair;
And, O! let us wonder to tell,

It overcomes heaven by prayer,—

Bids sins of a crimson-like dye

Be spotless as snow and as white;
And raises the sinner on high

To dwell with the angels of light."

SELF-DELUSION.

A Sermon

DELIVERED ON SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 19TH, 1862, BY

REV. C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"Many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”—Luke xiii. 24. EVERY wise merchant will occasionally hold a stock-taking, when he will cast up his accounts, examine what he has on hand, and ascertain decisively whether his trade is prosperous or declining. Every man who is wise in the kingdom of heaven, will do the same by himself; he will always cry, "Search me, O God, and try me;" and he will frequently set apart special seasons for self-examination, to discover whether things be right between God and his soul. The God whom we worship is a great heart-searcher; and of old his servants knew him as "the Lord which searcheth the heart and trieth the reins of the children of men." We who are called to be mouth for God unto the people, feel ourselves impelled to stir you up in his name to make diligent search, for we would not have you come short of the promised rest. We should be unfaithful to your souls if we did not warn you against deception, and excite you to solemn trial of your state. That which every wise man does, that which God himself does with you, I may well exhort you to do with yourselves this morning. O may God help you to deal very faithfully with your own hearts. Let the oldest saint here look well to the fundamentals of his piety, for grey heads may cover black hearts; and let not the young believer, in the first flush of his joyous faith, despise the word of warning, for the greenness of youth may be joined to the rottenness of hypocrisy.

I shall not this morning aim to introduce doubts and fears into your minds; nay, verily, but I shall hope the rather that the rough wind of self-examination may help to drive them away. It is not security, but carnal security which we would kill; not confidence, but fleshly confidence which we would overthrow; not peace, but false peace which we would destroy. I am sure I am right in taking such a text as this, and in desiring to force it home upon your attention; for Christ, speaking to his own disciples, says, "I say unto YOU." Notice with great care how he repeats the personal pronoun, you, ye, yourselves, some twelve times in a few verses; as if this were a matter specially belonging to professors; a subject which ought to come under our immediate notice, not as having reference to aliens and foreigners from the commonwealth of Israel, but to us, the professed followers of Jesus.