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SERMON XVII.

PRACTICAL BELIEF.

S. JAMES ii. 19, 20.

Thou believest that there is one God: thou doest well the Devils also believe and tremble: but wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

THE generality of mankind believe with a belief of one or other degree: from that high and full belief which overcomes the world, down to that low and imperfect belief which S. James here ranks by the side of the belief of the trembling devils. And all degrees may be properly divided into two kinds; the unpractical belief or faith which has no effect on the conduct, or as S. James expresses himself, the works; and the practical belief or faith which has a constant visible and invisible

effect on all the works of him who sesses it.

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Now unpractical faith goes a great way along in appearance with true and practical faith; it has the same profession, and uses the same words. Both confess the LORD JESUS, both glorify GOD for His mercy and justice and truth; both profess to look beyond things present and to be waiting for the day of the LORD; both profess good-will to men for their Master's sake. How often have we heard such words, and been afterwards made aware that the persons using them used them without much meaning. It may so happen that they may go on living a long time without any test coming to try their faith, and may therefore long have the reputation with their fellow men of what is really not theirs but some day the test does come. Let us put the case. A man professing to believe and live after the law of CHRIST, meets with cases of sickness and poverty: there is no other reason for his refusing to take them into his consideration than that he is indis

posed to do so. He contents himself with wishing them all good things and giving them none of his. Now S. James uses this very case as an illustration of faith without works. "If a brother or a sister be naked and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it have not works is dead, being alone."

In like manner as we are to judge of the failure in this great and cardinal Christian Grace, the giving of whatever we have to the supply of our brethren who have not, so are we, according to S. James' teaching, to judge of failure in all the rest. If a man professing faith is unbridled in the use of an angry tongue, if he is deceitful, if he is lustful, if he is intemperate in food or drink, if he is discontented, if he is covetous, we must say what does his faith in the Being of a GOD and the Atonement of a SAVIOUR profit

him? What is he the better for his Baptismal Regeneration, for his knowledge of mercy offered to every sinner? His faith is dead being alone. This is a dark sight for us to behold as a part of sacred truth, and is made more fearful to us by the illustration which S. James, under Divine Inspiration, made use of to bring it home to us. Such faith as this, brethren, is the faith of the Devils in the place of torment; who believe that there is a GOD, but do no good work, waiting from age to age in rebellion and apostasy from HIM, believing that one day their doom will be completed, and trembling at the thought of their own belief. I am sure all Christians will not scruple to own that the comparison of S. James has in it something more awful than even most of the comparisons of Holy Writ, and that we are fully empowered to draw from his use of so appalling an illustration, a suitable degree of intentional warning as to the danger of a belief in any degree resembling that of those miserable outcasts of

GOD.

"Thou believest that there is one GOD; thou doest well: the Devils also believe and tremble."

The consequence to which S. James points, which is the only consequence of ultimate importance, is the loss of the soul in the next life, that is, its being compelled to join that fearful company. And this certain consequence may be shown from other parts of the teaching of Holy Writ. The LORD JESUS expressly declares that "Every one that heareth these sayings of Mine and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." He said also, "Not every one that saith unto ME LORD, LORD, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth the will of My FATHER which is in Heaven. Many will say unto Me in that day, LORD, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name have cast out Devils, and in Thy name done many marvellous

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