a true and holy charity. We may say and pretend that we love them; but it will be nothing but a mere animal affection; and the first thing that occurs to tempt us to shew that we do not really love them, will at once plainly shew that, loving not our brother upon the principle of religion, we neither love God nor man. It will be the love of self only which then engrosses the whole heart.

In further consideration of this holy grace of charity, it must have fallen to the lot of most of us to perceive, how seldom the real and scriptural rules of charity are applied at those especial times in which they are so immediately necessary. Many who, nevertheless, do understand what is meant by charity, and at the same time pray for charity in their hearts, still continue without its fruits, unhappy in themselves, and the frequent cause of much unhappiness among those with whom they pass their days.

Need we spend time and labour in proving that a vast proportion of sin and unhappiness arises from the neglect of the plain and easy laws of Christian charity? It will be better to leave a truth so well known everywhere, for silent meditation, and to consider, while we now meet together for spiritual instruction and reproof, the cause and the cure of those common failings and infirmities which abound

or not, exactly as Christian charity is broken or cultivated.

·The great cause of the loss of charity, nay, of the loss of the common feeling of natural affection among the tenderest relationships of life, is selfishness the not loving our neigh bour as ourselves, but ever seeking our own in opposition to our brother's good. Instances of this truth are so common in every rank of human society, that they are manifest to us all.

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Every occasion of giving and of taking unjust offence may easily be traced up to this bitter root of selfishness. Something done or something said which pride or personal convenience resents; something omitted or something forgotten which pride or personal convenience expects and thinks to be due, may always be found the real cause of that uncharitable, unfriendly conduct, of those harsh and unbrotherly feelings and expressions, of those unkind and evil thoughts, of which Christians are so often guilty one towards another. In exact proportion as the selfish spirit becomes subdued, these things cease; and wherever, through God's Holy Spirit, selfishness is quite subdued, there only true charity flourishes and abounds. Were it everywhere subdued, the whole complexion of society would be changed: the Christian grace of charity would be

come a practical principle in daily life; and love on earth would grow more and more, until it became finally complete in Heaven.

Let those who spend their days in hatred and ill-will, rather than in love and charity towards their fellow-creatures let those especially who embitter each other's lives by unkind actions, irritating words, or uncharitable thoughts, examine their own hearts, and they will find that a selfish temper and a proud spirit are the great cause of their own and their neighbour's unhappiness. They will see that, however they may endeavour to "keep the whole law," yet offending in this one great and essential point, they are "guilty of the whole;" and that should they be called to their account with such an unsubdued temper, with such remains of pride in their soul, they could not be meet for the kingdom of Christ, which, in the highest sense, is the kingdom of peace and love.

If evil like this be made manifest to the conscience of any who are here; if members of Christian families know that these very ills embitter their days, and add many a pang g to the real trials of life, let us seriously examine whether there be not a further cause of the daily quarrel and unkind conduct than the mere casual circumstance which provokes it; let them see whether it be not something more

deeply seated within, whether their principle be good, their faith sound and active, their ends and objects such only as the Gospel approves and gives.

If that self-examination shew that the soul itself be in error, no wonder that the habits, opinions, and conduct of daily life be all full of evil. It will be in vain to cleanse the stream whose waters are poisoned at the fountain: it is there that the remedy must be applied, or the evils will continue and increase. If the genuine fruits of a professed Christian brotherhood do not appear, there must be some secret unforsaken sin, some impure unhallowed principle, which stops the prayer, prevents all growth in grace, and inflicts a course of suffering upon the impenitent and unawakened sinner. Were the known doctrines of the Gospel acted upon, and the certainty of a future judgment practically remembered; were the mercies and redeeming love, the holy example of a once crucified Saviour, indeed the foundation and daily incentive of social duty, some better progress in Christian brotherhood would be made, and the sad ills arising from pride and selfishness would gradually cease.

In considering the neglect or misunderstanding of Christian charity as one great cause of sin, there is one remark upon the

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subject which cannot be too forcibly impressed upon every one of us. It is a common error in the estimate of what Christian charity might effect in making whole societies and families happy, to call things of daily occurrence, and wherein the exercise of Christian graces are required, little; and then to suffer them to go on unchecked and unreformed. But can this be either wise or true? whole of our life is made up, for the most part, of little things; and if we suffer these, in the management of temper, disposition, and habit of life, to pass by unheeded, will not the very opportunities of spiritual improvement in this world be lost to us for ever? and will they not rise up in judgment against us in the world to come? It is, on the contrary, in these very things, which are falsely called little things, that the great duties of watchfulness, self-denial, and Christian brotherhood, almost entirely consist. Not a day, not an hour passes wherein we meet each other, but an opportunity is given to us for the conquest of some bad and selfish feeling, for the acquirement of some heavenly grace, or for the improvement of some Christian virtue in the exercise of a holy charity. These days and these hours being suffered to pass unimproved, add grievous

ly to the cup of human sorrows, and deprive

the little span of life of no small portion of its