as you had not compassion on your fellow-creatures, and regarded not their comfort and happiness, how can you expect that God should have pity on you?

We may observe, in the last place, that our Lord himself makes the application and improvement of this parable, (v. 35.) "So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. The exercise of mutual forgiveness then, is the great lesson here taught us; and this duty we find required of us under a penalty the most awful that can be imagined, namely, exclusion from the mercy of God at the great day of account. And it is important to observe that our forgiveness must be from the heart; that is, it must be cordial and sincere, and clogged with no reserve whatever. Some will say they can forgive, but cannot forget: though it is not easy to banish from the memory circumstances which have at any time made a deep impression upon the mind, it would not, I should think, be difficult to abstain from making any such observation; for the very making of it rather indicates, that resentment has not given place to that feeling with which a Christian ought to regard even his bitterest enemy. Some there are who will even frankly avow their hatred; and yet, somehow or other, contrive to satisfy themselves that they are tolerable Christians, than which there cannot be a more shocking or more dangerous delusion. For, were nothing more to be found in the New Testament upon this subject than the parable which I

N

have now endeavoured to explain, it alone might suffice to convince us that a merciful and forgiving disposition, followed up by suitable endeavours to put an end to quarrels and animosities, are indispensably requisite to qualify us for being true disciples of Christ, and fit objects of the Divine mercy. Let us all then seriously consider the weight of our obligations, as we profess ourselves to be the disciples and followers of a meek and compassionate Redeemer, and also the awful nature of the alternative laid before us to enforce our obedience in this particular. "If we forgive not men their trespasses, neither will our heavenly Father forgive us our trespasses."

At the same time it is to be remembered that there are right, and also mistaken, notions as to how this and every other Christian virtue ought to be practised. The rule in this case is, to notice an injury only so far as may be necessary for our own safety, for the peace of society, and for the good of the offender himself. Where none of these ends are attainable, to do harm to one who has injured us, or to withhold good from him when it is in our power to do it, is revenge, and our religion expressly forbids it. We are all too apt to imagine that we are only acting agreeably to this just limitation of the precept, when, in fact, our purpose is the gratification of a captious and vindictive spirit. Let us all be careful to guard against this delusion; and, if we must err, let our error be on the side of lenity and forbearance. And let it be our earnest prayer to

Almighty God that, on all occasions of injury and provocation, he would enable us to manifest a placable and forgiving spirit, and to show that mercy to those who offend us, of which we ourselves shall stand so much in need of when we come to our final account. Amen.

180

SERMON XIV.

ON COVETOUSNESS.

Let

HEB. XIII. 5.

your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have; for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

A TEACHER of religion imposes on himself, I am afraid, an almost hopeless task, when he undertakes to persuade mankind to avoid, or to forsake, the sin against which we are cautioned in the text; for it prevails so universally, and, whilst it keeps clear of means of acquiring, which are glaringly dishonest, meets with so little disapprobation from the world, and so little, usually, from the minds of the persons infected by it, that one would imagine, they did not consider it as a sin at all. The attempt, however, must be made; and, though it may not be attended with great and visible success, it may yet prove not altogether useless. If but a single professing

Christian is thereby induced to reflect seriously on the subject, and to set about a suitable reformation of his heart and character, the requisite labour will be far from being considered as thrown away.

From the words now read, I shall take occasion, 1. To shew what we are to understand by the covetousness forbidden in Scripture ;

2. To point out the most common sources, from which it takes its rise; and,

3. To offer some motives and arguments to dissuade from it.

1. I am to shew what we are to understand, by the covetousness forbidden in Scripture.

Covetousness, strictly speaking, means an inordinate desire to possess that which belongs to another, and, consequently, implies discontentment with our own circumstances, and an envious disposition towards our neighbour. This is the sense which it bears in the text, where covetousness and contentment are opposed to each other. "Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have." But we may, properly enough, give it a more enlarged interpretation, and understand by it, generally such an excessive love of wealth, as, in a great measure, or wholly, engrosses the affections, to the exclusion of those objects from which alone we can derive true happiness and dignity, namely, God and virtue,-the favour of our Creator, and the performance of what he enjoins, in order to obtain it. Accordingly, we find, that, in Scripture, covetousness is branded with the name of idolatry, which consists in preferring any thing whatever to God, as the object of our esteem and devotion. "Where the treasure is, there will the heart be also." It is the great evil of covetousness, that