no God," and cafting off all fears, he hastens down the road that leads to death, and receives the doom which awaits "all those who forget God."

He on the left reprefents one who, while profeffedly a follower of Chrift, yet loves the honours, riches, and pleafures of the world. He thinks the Bible may be a true book, and heaven worth having when he can have no more of earth, therefore he is found in the way. He profeffes to love God, but in works he denies him; he makes, confequently, no progrefs heavenward. The world is too much for him; it obtains more and more power over him, until it, after having made him miferable on earth, finks him into the gulf of woe, where he receives his portion with the "hypocrites and unbelievers."

When in the light of faith divine,
We look on things below,
Honour, and gold, and fenfual joy,
How vain and dangerous too!

Honour's a puff of noify breath
Yet men expose their blood,
And venture everlasting death,
To gain that airy good.

While others ftarve the nobler mind,

And feed on flining duft,

They rob the ferpent of his food,

T' indulge a fordid lust.

The pleasures that allure our fenfu
Are dangerous fnares to souls;
There's but a drop of flattering fweet,
And dafh'd with bitter bowls.

DR. WATTS.

"Seeft thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?"-JAMES ii. 22.

FAITH AND WORKS.

Lo! where the Boatman ftems the flowing tide,
And aims direct his little bark to guide;
With both oars working he can headway make,
And leave the waters foaming in his wake;
But if one oar within the boat he lays,

In useless circles round and round he plays.
So Faith and Works, when both together brought,
With mighty power, and heavenly life are fraught,
To help the Chriftian on his arduous road,
And urge him forward on his way to God:
If Faith or Works, no matter which, he drops,
Short of his journey's end he furely stops.

Look at the honeft waterman plying at his

daily occupation.

on the other fide.

guides his little boat. By pulling both oars with equal ftrength, he makes rapid progress, and fteers ftraight. He leaves the waters foaming in his track; this is called his wake. If he should lay in either of his oars, his progress would at once be stopped. As long as he plies both, he goes a-head; but let him pull but one ever fo hard, and he could not advance a foot. Round and round he would float, in eddying circles, for ever. In vain would his paffengers await his arrival-in vain would his wife and little ones expect his return; he would never more return; probably drift out to fea, and be loft in the immenfity of old ocean.

The above engraving is an emblem of Faith and Works united. The Chriftian has a cc calling," or occupation, in which he makes progress fo long as faith and works are united. They are to him as a propelling power, urging him forward in his pathway to immortality. He exerts a

holy influence wherever he goes, and leaves a brilliant track behind him. It is feen that a man of God has been there. But let him lay in one of his oars; let it be faid of him, "He hath left off to do good," and his progress in the divine life will at once be checked. Let him lay afide "Faith," and the effect will be the fame. He may, indeed, go round and round, like a millhorse, in a circle of dry performances, but he will never reach the Chriftian's home. In vain will his friends, who have gone before him, expect his arrival; he will never fee the King in

his beauty. The current of fin will bear him outward, and downward, and land him eventually in the gulf of the loft.

Some there are who have "faith," yet who are destitute of "good works." "The devils believe," but they neither love nor obey-devils they continue. Deifts again, men who believe in the being and unity of God, but reject the Bible as an infpired book, have faith. But are their works perfect [good] before God?-will their faith fave them? All antinomians are of this class.

Some, on the other hand, strive to abound in "works," who yet are deftitute of "faith." Cain, who brought his offering, and flew his brother Abel, was of this class. The Pharifees, who paid tithes of all they poffeffed, and who cried out, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" were also of this number. The profeffors of "good works," in our own day, who have no true faith in Chrift, are of this number; for all offerings whatsoever, that are not perfumed with the odour of Chrift's facrifice, they are an abomination to the Lord.

In Abraham we fee faith and works admirably combined. "He believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness," "and he was juftified by works, when he had offered Ifaac his fon upon the altar.” "Thus faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect."

In fine, where there is a fcriptural “faith,”

that faith which is the evidence or conviction of unfeen realities, there will be "works" correfponding thereto, as furely as there is life while the foul is in the body.

On the other hand, where there is no true' faith, there can be no "works" acceptable to God, no more than there can be life when the foul has left the body. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead alfo."