PREFACE.

THIS volume of sermons is designed to be a continuation of a series of "REVIVAL SERMONS," published in one volume, a few years since; and which first volume has passed to a second edition. If it be asked why these discourses have been called Revival Sermons, the author would simply state, not only that they were designed to be of an awakening character, but were preached (in substance) in numerous revivals, and were blessed, to the hopeful conversion of many precious souls, of whom some fifty or more have become ministers of the gospel.

May He who was pleased to bless these disourses when they came from the PULPIT, bless them also now coming from the PRESS. And to his great name be all the praise.

REVIVAL SERMONS.

Second Series.

SERMON I.

PRECIOUS FAITH.

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have attained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.-2 PETER i. 1.

THE faith here called precious, is saving faith, or the faith of God's elect, and very truly may this be termed "precious faith." It is remarkable, my brethren, what stress is laid upon faith in the sacred volume. It is wonderful how prominent a place it is made to occupy in the system of divine revelation. The word faith, and its kindred terms, to believe and trust, are scattered over the sacred page like stars in the firmament of heaven! How common, for example, are such expressions as these: Have faith in God-the just shall live by faith-we walk by faith-justified by faith-sanctified by faith-great faith

-common faith-precious faith.

And how common are such phrases as these: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ-Dost thou believe on the Son of God?-Dost thou now believe? With regard to the equivalent term, trust, how common, particularly in the Old Testament! All persons who are familiar with their Bibles, must also be familiar with such expressions as these: They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion.-O! house of Israel, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield.-O! house of Aaron, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield.-It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in men. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. And again: He shall lift up a standard to the gentiles, and in him shall the gentiles trust.

And now, what is this faith, belief, or trust, so much spoken of, and upon which so much stress is laid in the sacred volume? Sad mistakes, fatal mistakes, have been made on the subject. Let us see to it, then, that we understand it clearly, that we understand it thoroughly.

Faith, in general, may be defined to be, credit given to the declaration or promise of another, on the authority of him who makes it; a full persuasion that what is affirmed is. true, that what is promised will be performed.

When Moses said unto Pharaoh, "Behold, tomorrow, about this time, I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail. Send now, therefore, and gather thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die." He that believed the word of the Lord, among the servants of Pharaoh, made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses, and he that believed not, left his servants and his cattle in the field.

Having said thus much touching the nature of faith in general, and its common operations, I wish now to call your attention to faith in Christ, the thing particularly referred to in our text; and which is so correctly and emphatically denominated precious faith. Take this view of the matter. There are certain declarations of the eternal God, touching man as a sinner in a lost and ruined state, such as these:-God hath concluded all under sin, that every mouth might be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God:-Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that sinneth:-and, By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight; the amount of which is simply this: that the sinner is (in and of himself) in a lost