--the
religionist sin. To these Christianity superadds a new enemy--the
world and the things of the world. "If any man love the world, the
love of the Father is not in him."

The other word used in a peculiar sense is Faith. It is impossible for
any one to have read his Bible ever so negligently, and not to be
aware that the word Faith, or the grace of Faith, forms a large
element in the Christian system. It is said to work miracles, remove
mountains, justify the soul, trample upon impossibilities. Every
apostle, in his way, assigns to faith a primary importance. Jude
tells us to "build up ourselves in our most holy faith." John tells us
that--"he that believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is the born of
God;" and Paul tells us that, not by merit nor by works, but by trust
or reliance only, can be formed that state of soul by which man is
reckoned just before God. In these expressions, the apostles only
develope their Master's meaning, when He uses such words as these,
"All things are possible to him that believeth:" "O thou of little
faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

These two words are brought into diametrical opposition in the text,
so that it branches into a two-fold line of thought

I. The Christian's enemy, the World.
II. The victory of Faith.

In endeavouring to understand first what is meant by the world, we
shall feel that the mass of evil which is comprehended under this
expression, cannot be told out in any one sermon; it is an expression
used in various ways, sometimes meaning one thing, sometimes meaning
another;-but we will endeavour to explain its general principles--and
these we will divide into three heads; first, the tyranny of the
present; secondly, the tyranny of the sensual; and lastly, the spirit
of society.

1. The tyranny of the present.

"Christ," says the Apostle Paul, "hath redeemed us from this present
evil world;" and again, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this,
present world."

Let a stress be laid on the word _present_. Worldliness is the
attractive power of something present, in opposition to something to
come. It is this rule and tyranny of the present that constitutes
Demas a worldly man.

In this respect, worldliness is the spirit of childhood carried on
into manhood. The child lives in the present hour--to-day to him is
everything. The holiday promised at a distant interval is no holiday
at all--it must be either now or