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1. Charity may be considered as a spring of comfort, because it frees us from the fear of death, and delivers us from a thousand other terrors, which trouble the peace of worldly men. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love, hoping all things, casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He there fore, that feareth, is not made perfect in love."TE

2. Charity is consoling, because it assists and encourages us in the discharge of our several duties. When we glow with affection to God and our neighbour, works of piety and charity are performed, not only without pain, but with heart-felt sensations of secret delight. "This is the love of God that we keep his commandments: and to those who sincerely love him, his commandments are not griev ous." Thus a tender mother, loses her repose, without repining, that she may attend to the wants of her restless infant: thus an affectionate father labours with pleasure, for the support and education of his children; and thus, with every testimony of joy, the primitive christians relieved and supported one another. The admirable effects produced by this unfeigned love, are described by St. Luke in the following terms: "The multitude of them that believed, were of one heart and one soul; neither said any of them, that aught of the things which he possessed, was his own: but losing sight of every selfinterested view, they had all things common.

Here we behold that, eminently accomplished by Christ, which was anciently prefigured under Moses in the desert, when the manna was so equally distributed among the people that "he who gathered much, had nothing over, and he who gathered little, had no lack." Happy were these fleeting days of christian fellowship! Days that bad long been promised by God, and of which a foretaste had been given in the land of Canaan, when it was ordained that during the year of Jubilee, the poor should be permitted to share the comforts of their richer neigh

bours. It must be allowed that a multitude of insincere professors overspreading the church in these melancholy times, will not permit this method to be generally adopted among us which would, nevertheless, be entirely practicable in a country inhabited by the affectionate followers of Jesus. But, at the same time, it is no less true, that every individual, who is possessed of real charity, is still treading in the steps of his elder brethren, and waiting only the return of favourable times to prove, that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever;" and that unfeigned charity, in the same circumstances, will ever produce the same effects.

It is impossible too highly to exalt this charity, which springs from a grateful sense of the redemption that is in Jesus. He, who is unacquainted with this grace, is a stranger to every real virtue, and utterly destitute of that "holiness without which no man shall see the Lord." Hence we find the Apostle Paul so frequently connecting "holiness" with "love;" or rather pressing the latter, as that in which the former may be said principally to consist. God, saith he, "hath chosen us in Christ, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Let Christ dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men: to the end that he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God."

Knowledge alone "puffeth up," but charity, added to knowledge, edifieth and conducts the soul, from grace to grace," unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Happy they, who have attained to this high degree of spirituality, from which,

with a look of pure beneficience they can smile on all around them! Such may join the first professors of christianity, and say; "We have known and believed the love, that God hath to us :" and, penetrated with a deep sense of his affection, we declare from happy experience, that God is hue; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him." The love of these persevering disciples may, in a scriptural sense, be termed perfect; since it enables them to bear a just, though faint resemblance to the God of love. Their hearts are as replete with charity, as sparks are filled with fire: and doubtless the smallest spark may be said to shine, with a degree of perfection, in its little sphere, as well as the brighter, sun in his more boundless course.

St. Paul, who preached this charity with so much fervency, declares, that it was kindled in his heart by the love of Christ; and upon this account he labours to found it upon those doctrines, which are universally despised by every class of deists. In his epistle to the Romans, which contains sixteen chapters, he employs eleven in laying this solid foundation, while the duties of charity are declared only in the five remaining chapters. Like a wise master-builder, before he attempts to raise this sacred edifice, he endeavours to remove out of the way the ruins of corrupted nature, and the rubbish of self-love. But had he endeavoured to do this, without calling in to his aid the doctrines of the Gospel, he would have acted as ridiculously as Archimedes, had that philosopher attempted the removal of earth, without having first secured a solid footing suited to his purpose.

The most powerful motives employed by this Apostle, in urging us to the practice of christian charity, are the love of God, and the compassion of Christ. God, saith he, "commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us : and, ye know the grace of our Lord Je.

sus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye, through his poverty, might be rich." Now, whoever is sensible of the power, and tastes the sweetness, of these two grand truths, feels himself, at the same time, carried to every good work, in the same manner as the miser is led to those actions, which serve to increase his hoard. For, "being saved by grace, through faith," in these very truths, "we are created by Christ Jesus unto good works. Who gave himself for us," on this sole account, "that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

The consolatory doctrine of a gratuitous pardon offered to sinners, a token of God's unfathomable love, is another motive frequently made use of to the like purpose. "Put on," continues the same Apos

tle, as the elect of God, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." Yes, it not only covers the sins of others, by considering their doubtful actions in the most fovourable point of view, and by overlooking the most unpardonable of their failings; but may in some measure, be said to cover their own offences, since God, for Christ's sake, has promised to overlook our transgressions as we give proof of a forgiving temper toward our brethren. Discord entered into the world by sin. Hence we see unregenerate men not only separated from God, but divided among themselves: and hence, by the rebellion of his growing passions against his enfeebled reason, every unrighteous man is at war with himself.

Dreadful as these evils are, we are here presented with a perfect remedy for them all. He, who

created man upright, hath sent his Son to re-establish harmony in the world, to reduce our passions under the government of love, to subject our reason to the authority of truth, and to subdue the whole man under the sweet yoke of charity manifested in the flesh; "that charity,” which is destined to reign for ever, and whose happy empire is called the" Kingdom of Heaven." The Father of glory,” says St. Paul, hath put all things under the feet of Christ, and hath given him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him, that filleth all in all. Ye, who sometimes { were far off, are now made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace," between Jews and Gentiles, between man and man," who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, that he might reconcile both unto God in one body, by the cross, having slain the enmity" by that perfect charity, of which he gave so many wonderful proofs. "Now, therefore," we who are actuated by the same spirit of love," are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God; and are built upon the same foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. In whom the whole building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord : In whom also ye are builded together for an habitation of God, through the spirit of charity."

The minister, who feels the force of this overcoming motive, cannot fail to place it continually before his hearers. The various parts of his public discourses as naturally incline to this grand point, as the several parts of a solid edifice mutually rest upon the common foundation. "There is one body," saith he with the Apostle," and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. As we have many mem- s

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