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men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. I suppose you all understand what this means. A good tree will bring forth good fruit: a good heart will, with God's grace, bring forth a good life: a Christian faith will produce, with God's grace, a Christian practice. I say with God's grace: for as the best trees require the rain, and dew, and sunshine from Heaven to bring forth fruit, so none of us can do the thing which is good, unless God's Holy Spirit which comes down from Heaven, help us to do it. You will, therefore, be able to know a good Christian by his works. If you see him holy, humble, kind-hearted and good, he shews himself a Christian indeed: if you see him slothful, insolent, quarrelsome, drunken, wanton, he shews that Christ is not in him, but that the devil has posses

sion of him, and will carry him into ever lasting fire. For remember our Saviour says also, Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Every wicked Christian must expect to fall into that hell-fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels. You would yourselves cut down the tree, which you had planted and taken care of, if it brought forth no fruit or bad fruit. So God will cut us down for ever, if we do not shew forth our faith by a holy and virtuous and religious life. For not every one that saith unto me, says our Saviour, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in Heaven. You see what a stress is laid by Jesus Christ on a holy life. You know he has told you to ask and ye shall receive, to pray to your Father which is in Heaven for all good things you want. And he therefore expects you to call upon him, saying, Lord, Lord. But he always ex

pects you to do his will, to obey his orders, and to live like Christians. It is on this account I am so anxious about those of you, whom I have christened or intend to christen. They who have been christened, are they who say to their Saviour, Lord, Lord: we come to thy Church to be baptized in thy name: we call ourselves Christians after thee, O Christ: we promised to renounce the devil and all his works: we have promised to believe in God the Father, who hath made us, in God the Son, who hath redeemed or saved us, in God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth or maketh us holy. We promise to keep God's holy will and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of our lives. You, who are christened, have said all this, but unless you go on to do what you have promised, you will never enter into the kingdom of Heaven. He will say to you as he himself tells us, I never knew you: I never have seen you acting as my servants: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Of

what use then will baptism be to you, if you continue the same evil practices? It will procure you Christian burial, but of what use will that be to you, if your soul

shall be condemned to hell,

Our blessed Saviour ends his discourse with these remarkable words. Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built a house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And 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 floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. No house, you know, can stand the fury of the storm, which is weak in itself, and stands upon a weak foundation.

So unless you build your hopes of salvation in Christ upon the foundation of a new heart and a new life, you will never shew yourselves to be Christians, you will never shew that you have the faith of a Christian. When the evil days of sickness and death come upon you, all your hopes will be thrown down: the building you have made will be weak, and will fall before the storm. But if you hear the sayings of Christ, and do them, you will shew that Christ dwells in you through faith in him. And then whether you live or die you will be his. In sorrow and in grief he will comfort you: he will make all your bed in your sickness; and when ye are passing through the dark valley of the shadow of death, his rod and his staff will guide you and support you into the abodes of everlasting peace. Thus ends our Lord's most excellent discourse. No wonder the people were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them, as one who had authority. Be persuaded then, to listen to him and

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