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all the emotion of the parent in the text, "O Lord, help thou mine unbelief.”— Grant me the assistance of thy Holy Spirit, that I may be enabled to remove those lets and hindrances which prevent my receiving thy word in all the fulness of its "breadth and depth."

To a mind oppressed thus by a painful sense of "its imperfect devotion" to the Saviour, some encouragement may be derived from a review of the passage before us. Are your hearts disquieted, my brethren, because you have not been able to achieve all the victories which are promised to faith ?—And have you, on this account, your doubts, and misgivings, your fears and tremblings, as to the great question, whether or no you believe aright?-Observe.-The faith of the very best men, of the men who have enjoyed the greatest advantages, has been subject to similar imperfection. "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you-how long shall I suffer you 1?"-To whom were these words

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addressed?-Not to the unbelieving Scribes not to the half-convinced multitude-but to his own chosen followers, to those who had shown their sincerity by leaving all that they possessed for his sake-fathers, and mothers, and houses, and lands, and sisters, and brethren-to men, who had been always with him, had seen all his works, had heard all his instruction, had marked his heavenly example constantly before their eyes, even these were the men who could not cast out the unclean spirit because of their unbelief.-Nor was this the only occasion on which their faith failed them. Nevertheless, it was sufficiently real, it was never utterly cast down, but bore them subsequently through many a bitter trial, many a cruel persecution, till it enabled them at length to finish a life of toil and suffering, by a death of triumphant martyrdom.

Surely we may infer from this that the perfectness of our faith is not the point so much to be insisted on, as its sincerity. The belief of the man who speaks in the

text was imperfect. The

The very words that he uses avow that it was so.-Yet Jesus does not even notice this circumstance, but immediately he rebukes the foul spirit, saying unto him, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him." -And this was done, because the same words which confessed the imperfection of the supplicant's faith, proved the sincerity of it, and his earnest desire to render it more complete.-" Lord, I believe-help thou mine unbelief."

Here lies the important lesson for us, my brethren. If I would endeavour to show, that God does not demand from us that which we cannot render-viz. a perfect faith, or a perfect service; it is not that I would encourage any one to rest satisfied at that point in his progress to which he may at this moment have attained-it is not that I would afford him a plea by which to quiet his conscience whenever it may be disposed to accuse him for his manifold defects-(the faith that can become thus inactive and

listless, is not only imperfect, but insincere)—but I would save him from despair at the view of his own weakness, by directing him to that which is his sure and only strength.-We feel that the pure and holy principles of the Gospel, which have been preached to us, do not operate upon our hearts with consistent uniform efficacy.-They never will do so in this life, while we have this treasure in earthen vessels.-But we are not, therefore, to be lightly reconciled to our infirmities, but to endeavour daily more and more to supply what is weak in nature, by what is strong in grace."Lord, I believe," must be still our cry"dead as is my heart to the wonders of thy Gospel, inconsistent too often as is my practice with the pure precepts of thy law, still I believe, I acknowledge no other Master,-" Help thou mine unbelief,"―stablish, strengthen, settle me, by the assistance of thy free Spirit."

Appeals such as this, my brethren, will not be made in vain.-To those who employ the means of grace aright, grace

will be given.

"When he was come

into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?—And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting 1.”—And without the employment of these means, nothing will be effected now.-Prayer must be made always to draw down upon us the aid of the Spirit.-Self-denial must be practised, the body must be kept under, and brought into subjection, that the Spirit may have room to act.

"Have you faith," therefore, my brethren ?-Pray that it may be increased.Pray that he who of his own free will has given you his word, would also give you understanding, that you may know and keep it.-There is but one man in the world to be really envied, and it is that happy individual, who can say in sincerity and truth-" Lord, I believe."

Or do you feel within you any thing of the evil heart of unbelief? Are your souls

1 Mark. ix 28, 29.

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