may see in the parable recorded at the end of the eighteenth chapter of St. Matthew.

We

And, Fourthly.-A peaceable temper is another branch of meekness. We must be of that temper, as, if it be possible, and as much as lieth in us, to live peaceably with all men. must really desire to be at peace with all men, and use all honest endeavours actually to be so. We must do nothing, as far as we may avoid it, that will any way tend to open a breach, or to keep it open; and, where it is once opened, we must not stand upon niceties, but give up anything in our power to get it healed. What care I for their displeasure?" If they be angry, they must be pleased again. Shall I submit to such an one? Such speeches are marks, however common, of a very ungentle and ungodly spirit.

But, Thirdly.-We may not be of a cruel, but must be of a compassionate, disposition. Not cruel either to our neighbours' souls or bodies. Not to their souls. There is nothing in which man can so nearly resemble the devil as by rejoicing at the fall and sin of another. Yet doubtless there were such at Corinth, whose cruelty herein set the Apostle upon putting them in mind of their great uncharitableness in so doing. Charity, saith he, rejoiceth not in iniquity;† and therefore of what temper are some of you, who, envious of the religious attainments of others, are waiting for their halting, and ready to rejoice at it; yea, and that so much the more as they have been eminent in their profession? Then again, as we may not rejoice in others' sins, so may we not lead any into sin; as those do who take pleasure in making others drunk, or in putting them upon any kind of wickedness. Nor may we make a mock at sin in others, turning it into a laughing matter; for this tends to harden them, and shows much cruelty toward their souls in our hearts. Nor, finally, may we encourage any sin by our example and conduct, as not concerned what influence our behaviour may have upon them, so we seem to keep ourselves unhurt. These, and the like, are great marks of a cruel merciless disposition towards the souls of others, and high provocations against God; whose will is that we should be of the very contrary temper, tenderly affectioned to each other's souls. He condemns a careless indif* Rom. xii. 18. + 1 Cor. xiii. 6.

ference about the salvation and spiritual estate of our neighbours, as though we should say, What care I what becomes of my neighbours, so I myself get safe to heaven? Truly this is not the way thither. God will have us to compassionate poor sinners, to mourn and weep for them, and be ready to do everything we can for their good. This was Christ's spirit; he mourned in the very bottom of his heart for sinners, he wept over lost Jerusalem, and was ready to suffer anything for our souls' sake. And, as far as we have come short of his temper, we have transgressed this commandment. And then, as to men's temporal concerns, all merciless rejoicing over, yea, and indifference to their afflictions, whether in body or estate, is here condemned. Self-love and worldly interest are ready to beget this spirit of cruelty in us. You see how they did it in wicked Herod respecting the poor infants; and in the priest and Levite in the case of the wounded traveller; † and we may see the like effects of them upon the hearts of the covetous every day. 0 what an unfeeling, cruel, tyrannical, oppressive temper, doth there arise out of the love of money, and the lust of power! how has this temper raged through the world, destroyed the inhabitants thereof, and shut out pity and compassion towards any objects of misery! in greater or less degree it is probable it has infected us all for have we always, and as we ought, pitied the poor; mourned with the afflicted; felt for the oppressed orphan and widow, and delivered them as we might out of the hand of the oppressor? As members of the same body, have we been afflicted with the sons and daughters of Sorrow, and ready to comfort them with our words, liberalities, and prayers? Yet this is compassion; and, by failing in any part of the whole extent thereof, we have trespassed against this holy law of God.

And so much for the disposition of heart required by this commandment; of which I have spoken thus largely because the life and spirit of this law lies herein; and because, if we are tolerably free from outward gross acts of envy, revenge, and cruelty, we are apt to imagine this commandment has no charge of guilt against us. A short word will be sufficient upon each of the other two heads; and therefore I have only to observe on the

Mat. ii. 1-16.

Luke x. 30, 31.

Second head, that we must indulge and gratify neither envy, revenge, nor cruelty, in our tongues; but, from a real affection one towards another, our words must be charitable and kind. Yet when envy, resentment, or unmercifulness, is in the heart, how impossible is it to confine the tongue! Consider, now, how have you spoken of those your heart disliked, because they were more eminent than yourself in wealth, skill, or piety; in short, of those who stood in your way? What! was there never any bitterness upon your tongue, nothing of the poison of asps under your lips, no words tending needlessly to lessen them, no artful insinuation of their defect? Yet all these were envious speeches. Or again, did your tongue never transgress the bounds of meekness in speaking of those who had injured you in deed, or you thought had done so? What! at no time did you use any contemptuous words to them, or reproachful words of them, by complaining to any one you met how ill they had used you, and how abominable they were? Has your tongue, I say, never been set on fire by the hell of resentment and revenge, and been employed in doing mischief to an enemy? Or, finally, have your words been ever free of cruelty and full of mercy? You know how Shimei cursed David in distress: * and did you never speak a disdainful word to your brother in the day of his trouble? The Pharisees looking on Jesus hanging on the cross wagged their heads, and said, Ah! thou:' and did you never shake your head at a brother fallen from prosperity, or cry Ah! thou; pride will have a fall;' or by any cruel word add reproach to affliction? O how gracious were all the words that proceeded out of the mouth of Jesus! Show me one envious, revengeful, Upon his tongue was the law

cruel word, in all that he spoke! of kindness, because on his heart was the law of love. We have all need to be ashamed, remembering how little we have taken heed to our ways, not to commit murder against our brother with our tongue.

The Third thing was our conduct. Thou shalt not do any damage to thy brother in soul or body, but shalt do him all the good thou canst in both. You say, I never murdered any one, I never took away the life of my neighbour; but have you been no striker? God allows not that; he says, Vengeance is mine.' * 2 Sam. xvi. 5. 7, 8. + Mark xv. 29.

6

But did you never do damage to other people's souls? Have you never put them upon sin? or, if not, have you never led them into or encouraged them in sin? Here we are all guilty; we have all led others into sin, whether we designed it or no, and that by our example; yea, and I am sure we have encouraged them in sin by not setting our whole influence against it. And this who will say he has done? who will say he has done what he might for the help of poor sinners, and for the establishment of such as are seeking God? What minister, what magistrate, what parent, what master, what man of wealth, what man of knowledge, will say this? Sirs, the charge of murdering souls lies against us all. The Lord give us grace to repent it heartily! The Lord deliver us from this blood-guiltiness! The Lord enable us to do good, to the souls one of another, according to our power, the rest of our days!

6

I have only to observe, further, that the law, Thou shalt do no murder,' is expressed in such general terms, as plainly to prohibit our doing any hurt to ourselves in body or soul, and to enjoin the taking all due care of the one and the other. Our souls and bodies are God's; therefore we must neglect neither, nor can we do damage to either of them without incurring the curse of God. And, if so, what shall become of those worst of murderers, those who murder themselves, those who murder their souls and bodies too, those who are doing this continually for years together? And yet this is most evidently the case of all drunkards especially, of all gluttons, and also of fornicators and whoremongers for the most part.-But if you would hear more on this head, I must refer you to the catechising in the evening, when what you have now heard will be illustrated and improved.

SERMON XLII.

GALATIANS iii. 24.

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

WHILE our conduct has been brought under examination by the law of God; and while, in passing from one commandment to another, we are found guilty of every one of them; whence is it that we are so little moved at the sight of what we have done, so little concerned about the curse threatened against us for our transgressions, and that the publican's cry, so exactly fitted to our case, rises so coldly on our hearts? Jesus sits at the right hand of God; from that exalted place he looks down upon us; seated in glory he lifts up his voice, "Come, sinners, come to me and be saved; guilty, condemned, perishing sinners, come to me. My blood shall cleanse you from all your sins, your sins shall not be your destruction; come to me and live.” Thus Jesus invites. But how is it that we are so slow of coming? Is there no certainty in God's law, no reality that we have broken it, or nothing terrible in the curse it threatens us with? Alas! all these are certain, real, and terrible: but our hearts, our stubborn hearts! there lies the mischief. Neither the terrors of Sinai nor the more moving language of Calvary, neither judgment nor mercy, neither death nor life, neither hell nor heaven will move them, or move them but a little. We have been already condemned in our own consciences by six of God's commandments: but are we fled for refuge to Jesus from the storm of God's wrath? Yea, are we all come nearer to him in the increasing sight of our vileness? Then my labour has not been in vain. But, if not; if our iniquity has not found us out, and we are still insensible to our misery, and unsolicitous about God's mercy; how is our

* Luke xviii. 13.