after death, and how it concerns his soul? Surely not, for if he did so, could he possibly act as he does? That his mortal life is short he does feel and know; if he was equally convinced that his life after death will be endless, and that if ill-spent now it will be for ever miserable then, would he still be ungodly? These thoughts, though not solely referring to the text which we have been considering, lead to a general reflection which may be stated. What a man really believes, that he will act upon. No one doubts this in human affairs: it is equally true in spiritual. Have any of us ever been perplexed with the seeming contradiction of the words of St. Paul, “A man is justified by faith,"* and those of St. James, "By works a man is justified, and not by faith only ?"† O vain dispute! Assuredly from these words great questions may be raised with reference to some things, as for instance, in the case of deathbed repentance, which though awfully doubtful, no one can venture to call impossible; or other cases when from any reason the proof of faith cannot be given. But what are they to us? The simple explanation of these texts for us who are living and acting, the sufficient explanation within reach of all men's understanding, is surely this; that Faith, unless it produce works, is not Faith at all. St. James adds, "Faith without works is dead;" but that which is dead is not, does not exist, as is too obvious to need to be repeated. The faith which St. Paul means is the faith which produces good works, as any simple-minded person could at once see from his writings, even if he had not said so distinctly. But he has said so. That which availeth, he says to the Galatians, is faith: what faith? "faith which worketh by love." The works which St. James means are the necessary, the unavoidable proof or evidence of faith : "I will show thee," he says, "my faith by my works.”† Wilful sin then is of unbelief: in so far as any man wilfully sins, it is because he is so far wanting in a true and living belief. And so it may have been well to have considered for a time the essential importance of a real belief in the deep things of Revelation, especially in that great and first mystery, the Godhead of the Everlasting Redeemer of mankind. He who believes this will assuredly believe the Gospel which He revealed. Let us not suppose that this real belief can be formed in those who have it not, or improved in those who have it in some measure, at once, by the mere wish, or by any act of the understanding. Let us remember those main means to it which were mentioned before; prayer, submission, active obedience; using and striving after these, let us meditate on this great mystery of Godliness, GOD manifest in the flesh, in our measure and at fitting opportunities. Such an one there is at this time, when the Church is preparing again to begin that long course of yearly commemoration of the Advent, the Birth, the manifestation, the trials, suffering, and Death, the Resurrection, the Ascension of our Blessed Lord, and the descent of the Holy Spirit that followed it; ending with the reverent contemplation of that unspeakable object of our faith and love, One GOD in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the Blessed and Undivided Trinity. * Gal. v. 6. James ii. 18. Read in November. ON PSALM CVII. 34. A fruitful land maketh he barren: for the wickedness of them which dwell therein. (Read at Hagley on March 23, 1847, the Eve of the General Fast-Day, on account of the Famine in Ireland and Scotland.) TO-MORROW being the day appointed by public authority for a general fast, and national humiliation before God, on account of the famine now prevailing in the greater part of Ireland and in some parts of Scotland, it may be well for us to consider beforehand what the cause, and the meaning, and the object of this appointment are. It is well for me to speak to you on such a subject, as master of this house and in this matter as in others, you have important duties towards each other, by mutual example, as members of one household. The people of England are called upon to mourn and to pray for their brethren in Ireland and Scotland, who are dying of starvation. It is easier to talk about this than really to feel it. It is hardly possible for us in this country to have any idea what starvation really is. In fact, anywhere within the ordinary knowledge of English people, a real famine, such as this is, has not occurred for centuries. We read often in the Bible of great famines, which happened in those old days and in Europe, hundreds of years ago, such things were known. But in most countries improvement in outward and worldly matters has advanced so much, that an absolute want of food throughout a country can very seldom happen. The judgments indeed of God may of course bring about any results which to him may seem good but I am speaking of the course of things as it may ordinarily be expected to take place. For it is nothing miraculous, or unaccountable, which has happened in Ireland. It is the total destruction (from some natural cause) of one particular crop, that of potatoes. Now in England any one crop might be destroyed in this manner, and still, though very great distress would follow, the people would not die of starvation. If the wheat crop were to perish the people might fall back on the barley crop, and so on; and whatever happened, the enormous wealth of this country would have to be exhausted to get food from all parts of the world, under the Poor Law of this land, before any person could be starved to death. Such is the law it is very possible that some persons might perish, but it would not be literally from being unable to obtain food, but from other reasons, such as the great dislike which is so properly felt by most persons in this country to coming upon the parish. But in Ireland it is very different. In most parts of that country the poor, that is to say nearly half the population, know hardly anything even of bread, and have absolutely no food whatever but potatoes, of which they usually eat a very large quantity. When the potatoes fail them they have nothing at all to fall back upon. Moreover they do not depend upon money and money wages as in England. In England the labourers depend almost entirely upon the money they receive: what little land they hold goes to procure them : some additional comforts, but for their subsistence they depend on their wages. In Ireland it is just the reverse. The main dependence of the poor man is on his bit of land, and what he earns besides goes very little way towards his support; and when the potatoes fail he is lost. In the last place, there is no effectual Poor Law in Ireland at all; relief from the parish hardly exists ; and with a very large population there is very much less wealth among any of the people than in England. Such is the ordinary state of things in Ireland; the causes of it would take too long to speak of, or what should be done to improve it for the future. But it is clear that while this country is comparatively safe, unless some most unusual visitation of God's wrath should occur, from absolute famine, the poor of Ireland have always been depending upon a single resource; and when that resource failed immediate famine ensued. Almost in one day, towards the end of last summer, the crop of potatoes throughout nearly the whole of Ireland was blighted and destroyed. In a moment, the Almighty "called for a dearth upon the land, and destroyed all the provision of bread."* And of course, 'when that happened, whatever was to be done for permanently improving the state of the country, the first thing was to save the people from dying by famine. I said that it is difficult for us to feel or understand really what absolute starvation must be. Even the poorest in this country can hardly ever know what it is to rise in the morning and not know where it is possible-I do not say easy, or convenient, or agreeablebut where it is possible for them to find their daily meal. *Psalm cv. 16. |