son be, after this merciful reception, to love and obey his indulgent parent! Having been forgiven much, he would love much. And shall we be less grateful to our Father which is in heaven; to him who has borne with our wanderings so long, and is willing to receive us on our return? No: let it be our constant study and our earnest prayer, to perform his commands, to live to his glory, and to devote ourselves wholly, both body and soul, to that Saviour who so loved us that he gave himself for us, to purify us unto himself, as a peculiar people zealous of good works. Amen.

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SERMON XXII.

THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.

1 JOHN iii. 8.

He that committeth sin is of the devil.

THE devil is described in Scripture as an evil spirit of great power, subtlety, and malice. He is the god of this world he rules in the hearts of the wicked, and endeavours by all means to prevent their turning to God that they may live. The Bible warns us to be ever on our guard against his devices. A similar lesson is taught in our baptismal service, in which we promise, God being our helper, to renounce the devil and all his works, as well as the pomps and vanities of the world, and the sinful lusts of the flesh. Now, in order to renounce the works of the devil, we should know what they are; and the text gives us this information: "He that committeth sin is of the devil." The devil is the spirit of evil, as God is the Spirit of holiness. There are crimes indeed to which Satan, being a spirit,

is not tempted; but even to these he may tempt us, as he endeavoured to take advantage of our Lord himself, by means of the appetite of hunger, which a spirit could not feel. All mankind are either the children of God, or the children of this evil spirit; and the state of their hearts and affections, and the conduct of their lives, prove to which family they belong. For the fruits of the Holy Spirit are "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." The image of Satan, then, as exhibited in the unregenerate mind of man, is the very contrary to all this: but in order to point it out more fully, I shall mention some of those sins which seem most strongly to mark this awful likeness, particularly what are called spiritual wickednesses, which fall in an especial manner within the province of Satan's dominion.

But before we proceed to this enumeration, it will be necessary to make one remark on the text-namely, that it speaks of a wilful and habitual commission of sin, rather than of those infirmities which remain even in the most consistent Christian. The Apostle John tells us, in this very Epistle, that, "if any man say that he hath no sin, he deceives himself, and the truth is not in him." If, then, we are sincerely and earnestly praying and striving against all sin, we are not to conclude that our

efforts are vain, our prayer unheard, and that we are the children of Satan, because we have not yet attained a complete victory over it. There will continue innumerable blemishes, nay, too many blots, in the most exalted character. But God can judge where the heart is truly right with him. We have the consolation of knowing, if such be our case, that we have a High Priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; and a gracious Father, who for his sake will abundantly pardon them. At the same time, sin retains all its wickedness, by whomever committed. In proportion as the Christian falls into it, he loses the image of God, and acquires that of Satan; the evidences of his conversion are obscured; his peace and hope are clouded; and it is not till he has again turned in deep repentance and contrition to his offended God, and sought pardon through the renewed grace of a merciful Saviour, that he has any right to cherish a hope that he is a sincere, however imperfect, follower of Jesus Christ.

First. The first feature of resemblance to Satan which I shall mention consists in hatred to God, and all that is like God. This was clearly seen in the first temptation in paradise, by means of which the Divine image in the human race was tarnished, and whatever was "earthly,

sensual, and devilish" was introduced into the world. Some of the ways in which this hatred to God, and whatever is like God, is displayed, are as follow.

1. In open blasphemy, infidelity, and impiety.-It is not always, indeed, that the resemblance is thus plainly marked: it often takes less visible shades of likeness; but where it assumes so clear a character, there can be no hesitation in forming a judgment. Blasphemers are spoken of in the Revelations as members of "the synagogue of Satan:" deliberate unbelievers are said to have "their minds blinded by the god of this world ;" and thus of grossly impious persons of every kind.

2. But another way in which hatred to God, and all that is like God, betrays itself, is in a dislike to the character, conduct, and principles of his faithful servants.-We see this exemplified in the persecution which our Lord himself met with upon earth: we see it in the conduct of the world towards his saints and martyrs, both before and after his coming: we see it in the opposition made in all ages to scriptural doctrines, and a devout self-denying life. Whatever is done to subvert the spiritual kingdom of Christ; to dethrone him in the hearts of individuals; to pervert or ridicule the precepts or doctrines of his word; to throw false colours around what is sinful, or to defame what is holy,