the very breath of our bodies is to natural life. O therefore for the in-dwelling of this Divine Spirit! O for the communications of this heavenly grace! that we may have the same spirit of Faith with Paul, and therefore the same spirit of Patience unto the end!

SERMON XI.

FAITH, THE SOURCE OF ENERGY.

MARK Xi. 22, 23.

And Jesus answering, saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

FIRMNESS of mind is the principle of all that is great in man. This enables him to suffer with composure, and to act with energy.

And this firmness of mind, in all moral cases, will depend upon our Faith in God. This I have shown you already with respect to one of its manifestations, which is Patience of EndurLet us pray God for his grace and blessing, while I proceed to its further result, which is Energy of Action.

ance.

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Our Energy of Action will be in proportion to our Faith.

same.

This, I think, is the principle laid down by our Lord in the words that I have read to you. In its original application, it refers to that Faith by which his Apostles should be able to perform miracles, and to control nature: but we must never forget, that though the object of this Faith was different from that to which we are called, the essence of the disposition itself is still the Their Faith enabled them to work miracles in nature, because they were authorized and commanded to expect this power: Our Faith will not enable us, simply because we are not so commanded, nor so authorized. The object presented to their Faith, was a natural change; a revolution in matter: the object presented to our Faith is a moral change; a revolution in mind. And as they attained their object just in proportion to the Confidence they had of its attainment, so, I believe, shall we obtain our object, in proportion to the confidence that we possess of its attainment. Each man will be moral and holy in proportion as he exercises Faith in God: each man will gain that energy of mind, to which God has annexed success, in morals as well as in all things else, in proportion as his faith and hope are fixed on God.

"If you would be enabled to do the miracle which I have done, and which excites your wonder," says our Lord to Peter, "you must have confidence in God's intention that you should perform it, and in his Almighty power to effect it for, and by, you:-nay, the extent of this miraculous power will vary as the depth of this your confidence." And similarly, Brethren! as a general truth, If we would achieve a moral miracle,—if we would become alive to God and swift to do his will, this we shall attain, and this we shall accomplish, in proportion as we trust in God's intention that we should do so, and in his Almighty power to effect this for and in us. According to our Faith, so shall it be unto us ;-for, "if we have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, nothing"no moral achievement, also—“ shall be impossible to us."*

This I believe to be the general truth contained in this particular assertion of our Lord, and it is most important to our present subject; for, while it recognizes the fact which observation and experience teach us, that all Energy will be in proportion to our hope of success, it shows that this hope of success itself, in every moral case, cannot be gathered from ourselves,

* Matt. xvii. 20.

but must depend upon our Faith in God, our trust and confidence in Him, as our Friend, our Strength, our Faithful Favourer, and Patron.

All Energy, I think we must admit, depends upon Encouragement,-upon our hope of ultimate

success.

The

"Our powers," (says Dr. Johnson,) "owe much of their energy to our hope: possunt quia posse videntur. Where success seems attainable, diligence is enforced." And all experience is, I think, in favour of the theory, and justifies the proverb formed from it. The very expressions of mankind confirm it. language of weakness and of sloth is always that of mistrust: "Why speak you of these great and valuable objects to be attained? it is vain to think of them: it is useless to attempt them." The language of Energy, on the contrary, is always that of confidence and hope : "Talk not to me of difficulties; I see the possibility of attainment, and therefore I will attain." We never, in fact, really will, what we do not think attainable by us :-all action is the consequence of hope either expressed or implied. That which we see not possible we only wish for, long after, desire: that only which comes within our hopes we will. Urge your child to