ift you up."

LV.

_PROFESSION AND PRACTICE._

18th Sunday after Trinity.

S. Matt. xxii. 42.

"What think ye of Christ?"

INTRODUCTION.--Many men are Christians neither in understanding nor in
heart. Some are Christians in heart, and not in understanding. Some
in understanding, and not in heart, and some are Christians in both.
If I were to go into a Temple of the Hindoos, or into a Synagogue of
the Jews, and were to ask, "What think ye of Christ?" the people there
would shake their heads and deny that He is God, and reject His
teaching. The heathens and Jews are Christians neither in
understanding nor affection. But there are, and always have been pious
men who have not known Christ, but have lived good self-denying lives,
lived a great deal better than most Christians, and have died, yearning
to see God, whom they groped after, but did not find. I should say
these were Christians in heart, though not in understanding. If I were
to put the question to you, "What think ye of Christ?" you would answer
at once that He is very God, of one substance with the Father, and also
very Man, of the substance of His Mother, the God-Man, your Redeemer,
and Saviour, and Lord. When I hear the answer, I say--Well! here we
have indeed Christians in their understanding. Now I want to know
further, are you Christians in heart and affection? S. Paul says that
in his time there were some who were Christians in profession, that is,
in understanding, and there their Christianity came to an end. "They
profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him, being
abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." Is
it in any degree so with you?

SUBJECT.--The true Christian is he who is such in understanding and in
affection, or, in other words, in profession and in practice.

I. It is very necessary to have a good understanding of Christ and His
truth. "Without faith it is impossible to please God; for he that
cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of
them that diligently seek Him." There are certain truths, the
knowledge of which we believe are necessary to salvation. That is,
without an understanding of certain definite revealed truths, there is
not much chance of salvation, for the ignorance of these truths is
proper in a Christian, and without a knowledge of them, a Christian is
not able to live a spiritual and a Christian life. These truths are
contained in the