SERMON XXIII.

2 CORINTHIANS, iv. 13.

We having the same spirit of faith, (according as it is written,

I believed, and therefore have I spoken ;) we also believe, and therefore speak.

In these words is contained a short and simple account of the feelings which urged the Apostles to go about from one country to another, spreading the knowledge of Christ. We believe, says St.

. Paul, and therefore we speak. We are men who have heard tidings wonderful and most interesting to us, and to all mankind : we know too that they are not more wonderful than true; and, therefore, our hearts are hot within us, till we have repeated them to others, that they also may rejoice as we do. The secret or the mystery of God's mercy through Christ is too great to be confined within our own bosoms : we should in vain strive to hide it, it would force its way to our lips, because it is always in our hearts; and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Our words, therefore, are not forced, nor do we set ourselves to speak to Christ as a task or a business; it is the most natural subject on which our tongues can be employed : we believe and we cannot help speaking of it. Such speaking, as was natural, did not fail to find many listeners. The people amongst whom the Apostles came, saw plainly that they were in earnest about the matter; that the tidings which they brought had really got possession of their minds, and that they only wished to make known to others what had been and was every hour, so great a source of comfort to themselves. This impression of sincerity was all that was wanted; for the Apostles had themselves eaten and drunken with our Lord after that he was raised from the dead, and therefore did not speak upon guess or uncertainty. They knew in whom they had believed, and thus their belief was as sure as it was earnest, and they might well speak according to it.

In a higher strain, yet somewhat to the same purpose, are the words of Christ himself. The sheep hear the voice of the good shepherd, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out; and when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice; and a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers.” “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.” The good shepherd is listened to and followed, because he loves his sheep, and is even ready to lay down his life for them; but a stranger is not followed, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep; and, therefore, when he seeth the wolf coming, he leaveth the sheep and fleeth. If we are spoken to for our own sakes, we are certainly more disposed to listen to the speaker; but, if we think that he is but speaking for some ends of his own, and does not greatly care about what he is saying, we are apt to turn away from him with suspicion and indifference.

Undoubtedly what has been here said, applies to Christian ministers in a particular manner; and offers the best explanation why so much of their preaching has remained without effect. Few, it is to be hoped, have been so wicked as to preach to others what they themselves believed to be a lie; but many thousands have spoken of that in which they had no lively or strong belief, and have spoken therefore tamely and unprofitably. They have spoken because it was their business to speak, just as a lawyer repeats what he finds put down in his brief, and argues upon it to the best of his skill, in order to acquire a reputation in his profession. And such speaking may indeed persuade, when the persuasion costs us nothing: it may move a juryman to give his verdict, because he himself is not personally affected by the nature of that verdict: but when the business is to persuade a man to make great sacrifices, to give up his favourite passions, to deny himself, and to change his nature from bad to holy; then it is needful that the speaker should be himself thoroughly in earnest ; that he should himself be deeply convinced of the importance of what he is recommending; that he is inviting others to take his medicine, because he has tried it and found it of service to himself. A stranger, indeed, may

, produce great effect by his preaching, although he be not thus entirely sincere, because we may in charity, as we know nothing to the contrary, presume that his life and heart agree with his words; but where a man is known, nothing will answer but a holy life; no preaching will win souls, but that which is seen manifestly to come forth from him naturally ; that he believes, and therefore he speaks. And the consideration of this truth should be ever present to the minds of all who are ministers, or who look forward to becoming so hereafter; lest they should vainly think to make up by talents and learning for the want of a sanctified spirit, and thus lose the souls of their hearers, and bring down a double measure of condemnation on their own.

All, however, are neither ministers, nor likely to

become such; and it cannot be for the edification of any one, to tell him only what concerns another. But many who are not ministers, are teachers, many more are parents, or masters; and almost all are likely at one time or other of their lives to fill either these relations, or some other in which they will wish to influence the conduct of others. To all these then, the words of the text afford a perpetual lesson ; let them believe, and so let them speak: or if they do not, they may be sure that their words will ever be spoken in vain. Now I wish it to be understood, that when I say “let them believe, before they speak," I mean to use the word 66 believe” in the same sense that the Apostle does, and in fact in which the Scripture generally uses it. He has no notion of that cold, that languid, that sleeping acquiescence in the truth of the Gospel message, which some men choose to call “ Belief.” He supposes that if a man really believed that he would find a treasure hidden in his field, that he would arise and look for it without delay; and if he saw him taking no steps to get it, he would certainly conclude that his belief in the reality of its existence was not very sincere, or at any rate, that it was not very strong. In the same way, those persons are called unbelievers in Scripture, who, having heard the great tidings of salvation, are not actively aroused by them, whether they declare that they believe