placed on it. And then I preach to you the words, with which the whole earth will resound from the one end of heaven even to the other. "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me." Here indeed I see the righteous justified by his works; I see that no man whatever shall be justified without them. Neither is it any niggardly, calculating payment of good works, which will be blessed with this transporting welcome: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Unto me, to whom you are indebted for redemption and its countless blessings, this is a repayment of love. I accept it as such. But love is no niggard, no calculator in paying the immeasurable debt it owes. But further, I observe no different words addressed to the rich and to the poor. Before the King shall be gathered all nations; all ranks and degrees in one stupendous assembly. And the same qualification is expected to be found in them all: no man is exempted on account of his poverty or his meanness: each, according to his ability, must have done good with the talents entrusted to him. Away then, my poorer brethren, with that deceitful temptation of the Devil, which

would whisper to you, that because ye have but little, ye are not gladly to give of that little. You owe a debt of love to your brethren as deeply as your richer and nobler neighbours: and as severe an inquisition will assuredly be made from you-only, it will be according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not'. And when you read the chapter, which I have recommended to your solitary perusal, ask conscience whether it does not tell you of money wasted on selfish or unworthy pleasure, of time thrown away, or worse than thrown away, which might have been charitably employed; of a tongue which, as a fountain, hath sent forth bitter waters instead of sweet 2? and then on your knees bless God, that a day of grace is yet afforded you, on which you may recover your strength; that you have yet time graciously vouchsafed to you, in which the faith, to which you pretend, may evidence its justifying power by justifying works.

SERMON X.

THE LOVE OF GOD.

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

MATTHEW Xxii. 37, 38.

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”

THROUGH all the works of God there reigns a wonderful variety united with an analogy and resemblance equally remarkable. Take for instance the human countenance. Each nation of the earth has a peculiar cast of features, by which they may generally be known; and though the likeness be stronger between men of the same country and especially of the same family, yet still we never see two human beings whose faces are identified with each other; between whom we cannot trace broad lines of distinction. All this diversity, however, takes place within very narrow limits. The most ignorant and unobservant cannot but perceive that we are sepa

rated by an impassable barrier from all other animals ; and the very idea of a man being created, in whom any one of these features is wanting, or even greatly distorted, is shocking to the imagination. The case is the same, if we consider our intellectual powers. The judgment, the imagination, the memory, the passions of mankind, have infinite shades of difference. No two minds are alike, any more than any two faces. And yet all men not only possess each of these faculties, which together make up our idea of the soul, but there is that general similarity in our ways of acquiring and retaining knowledge, in the methods of interesting our imagination and exciting our feelings, that by consulting our own internal self we learn most effectually to work upon the minds and sympathies of our fellow-creatures.

These examples are trite and generally acknowledged. But we may profitably extend the speculation to the subject of religion, and thereby detect the fallacy of that flimsy reasoning, by which unbelievers attempt to persuade themselves that all modes of worshipping and serving God are alike acceptable to him. It is true that certain differences of opinion and sentiment will always exist among the children of God. Their ideas will never be perfectly alike, any more than their minds are which conceive those ideas. But still there are grand landmarks of our faith; there are immovable foundations of the temple of God; there are essential features which distinguish all those who are "born

again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God '" Two of these you have just heard proclaimed in the gospel for the day; they proceed from the lips of him who is the way, the truth, and the life; they are therefore beyond the reach of cavil or gainsaying, and demand your most serious attention, if you set any value on the offer of salvation-it is the first and great commandment, that you love God with all your powers of spirit and body; and it is the second that you love your neighbour as yourself. These two duties are the essence of all religion; together they make up the grand Christian grace of charity; and if you possess it not, the loftiest attainments of knowledge, the eloquence of men and angels, the most tormenting acts of self-denial, the most profuse liberality and almsgiving, are declared by St. Paul to be as valueless in the sight of God, as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal2; they are false and hollow virtues, which will shrink into nothing before the searching flames of the last day.

We will confine ourselves to the "first and great commandment," the Love of God. Surely we are anxious to know whether we have part and lot in this matter? How then are we to ascertain whether we do possess the predominant love of God, which Jesus requires of us? I apprehend that if we examine ourselves by the same tests which determine

1

1 Pet. i. 23.

2 1 Cor. xiii. 1, 2,

3.