man takes hold of Christ, as it were, with a drowning man's grip. Another but touches the hem of His garment; but the sinner who does the former is not a bit safer than the one who does the latter. They have both made the same discovery, namely, that while all of self is totally untrustworthy, they may safely confide in Christ, calmly rely on His Word, and confidently rest in the eternal efficacy of His finished work. That is what is meant by believing on Him. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life" (John 6:47).

Make sure of it then, that your confidence is not reposed in your works of amendments, your religious observances, your pious feelings when under religious influences, your moral training from childhood, and the like. You may have the strongest faith in any or all of these, and perish everlastingly. Don't deceive yourself by any "fair show in the flesh." The feeblest faith in Christ eternally saves, while the strongest faith in aught beside is but the offspring of a deceived heart - but the leafy twigs of your enemy's arranging over the pitfall of eternal perdition.

God, in the gospel, simply introduces to you the Lord Jesus Christ, and says: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17)." "You may," He says, "with all confidence trust His heart, though you cannot with impunity trust your own."

Blessed, thrice blessed, Lord Jesus, who would not trust Thee, and praise Thy Name?

"I do really believe on Him," said a sad-looking soul to me one day, "but yet, when asked if I am saved, I don't like to say 'yes', for fear I should be telling a lie." This young woman was a butcher's

daughter in small town in the Midlands. It happened to be a market-day, and her father had not then returned from market. So I said, "Now suppose when your father comes home you ask him how many sheep he bought today, and he answers 'ten'. After a while a man comes to the shop, and says, 'How many sheep did your father buy today?' and you reply, 'I don't like to say, for fear I should be telling a lie."

"But," said the mother (who was standing by at the time), with righteous indignation, "that would be making your father the liar."

Now, don't you see that this well-meaning young woman was virtually making Christ out to be a liar, saying, "I do believe on the Son of God, and He says I have everlasting life, but I don't like to say I have it, lest I should be telling a lie." What daring presumption!

"But," says another, "how may I be sure that I really do believe? I have tried often enough to believe, and looked within to see if I had got it, but the more I look at my faith, the less I seem to have."

Ah, friend, you are looking in the wrong direction to find that out, and your trying to believe but plainly shows that you are on the wrong track. Let me give you another illustration to explain what I want to convey to you.

You are sitting at your quiet fireside one evening, when a man comes in and tells you that the station-master has been killed that night on the railway. Now it so happens that this man had long borne the character in the place for being a very dishonest man,