conscience of observing it. But how very few! How thinly scattered upon the face of the earth! And where is there any body of men that universally walk thereby? Can we find them in Europe? or, to go no farther, in Great Britain or Ireland? I fear not: I fear we may search these kingdoms throughout, and yet search in vain. Alas for the Christian world! Alas for Protestants, for Reformed Christians! Oh, "who will rise up with me against the wicked?" "Who will take God's part" against the evil-speakers? Art thou the man? By the grace of God, wilt thou be one who art not carried away by the torrent? Art thou fully determined, God being thy helper, from this very hour to set a watch, a continual watch, before thy mouth, and keep the door of thy lips?" From this hour wilt thou walk by this rule, "Speaking evil of no man?" If thou seest thy brother do evil, wilt thou tell him of his fault between thee and him alone?" afterwards, "take one or two" witnesses, and then only "tell it to the church?" If this be the full purpose of thy heart, then learn one lesson well: "Hear evil of no man." If there were no hearers, there would be no speakers, of evil. And is not (according to the vulgar proverb) the receiver as bad as the thief? If, then, any begin to speak evil in thy hearing, check him immediately. Refuse to hear the voice of the charmer, charm he never so sweetly; let him use ever so soft a manner, so mild an accent, ever so many professions of good-will for him whom he is stabbing in the dark, whom he smiteth under the fifth rib! Resolutely refuse to hear, though the whisperer complain of being "burdened till he speak." Burdened! thou fool! dost thou travail with thy cursed secret, as a woman travaileth with child? Go, then, and be delivered of thy burden in the way the Lord hath ordained! First, "go and tell thy brother of his fault between thee and him alone" next "take with thee one or two" common friends, and tell him in their presence: if neither of these steps take effect, then "tell it to the church." But, at the peril of thy soul, tell it to no one else, either before or after, unless in that one exempt case, when it is absolutely needful to preserve the innocent? Why shouldest thou burden another as well as thyself, by making him partaker of thy sin? 5. Oh that all you who bear the reproach of Christ, who are in derision called Methodists, would set an example to the Christian world, so called, at least in this one instance! Put ye away evil-speaking, tale-bearing, whispering let none of them proceed out of your mouth! See that you "speak evil of no man ;" of the absent, nothing but good. If ye must be distinguished, whether ye will or no, let this be the distinguishing mark of a Methodist: "He censures no man behind his back by this fruit ye may know him." What a blessed effect of this self-denial should we quickly feel in our hearts! How would our 66 peace flow as a river," when we thus "followed peace with all men!" How would the love of God abound in our own souls, while we thus confirmed our love to our brethren! And what an effect would it have on all that were united together in the name of the Lord Jesus! How would brotherly love continually increase, when this grand hinderance of it was removed! All the members of Christ's mystical body would then naturally care for each other. "If one member suffered, all would suffer with it;" "if one was honoured, all would rejoice with it;" and every one would love his brother "with a pure heart fervently." Nor is this all but what an effect might this have, even on the wild unthinking world! How soon would they descry in us, what they could not find among all the thousands of their brethren, and cry, (as Julian the apostate to his heathen courtiers,) "See how these Christians love one another!" By this chiefly would God convince the world, and prepare them also for his kingdom; as we may easily learn from those remarkable words in our Lord's last solemn prayer: "I pray for them who shall believe in me, that they may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that the world believe that thou hast sent me." The Lord hasten may the time! The Lord enable us thus to love one another, not only "in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth," even as Christ hath loved us! HYMNS. I. WHAT! never speak one evil word, Thy sinless mind in me reveal; Saviour, I long to testify The fulness of thy saving grace; Which bought for me the sacred peace! Forgive, and make my nature whole; To perfect health restore my soul, II. JESUS, the gift divine I know, Thee let me drink, and thirst no more Father, on me the grace bestow, SERMON L. THE USE OF MONEY. "I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations."-Luke xvi. 9. 1. OUR Lord, having finished the beautiful parable of the Prodigal Son, which he had particularly addressed to those who murmured at his receiving publicans and sinners, adds another relation of a different kind, addressed rather to the children of God. "He said unto his disciples," not so much to the scribes and Pharisees, to whom he had been speaking before,— "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and he was accused to him of wasting his goods. And calling him, he said, Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou canst be no longer steward." (Verses 1, 2.) After reciting the method which the bad steward used to provide against the day of necessity, our Saviour adds, "His lord commended the unjust steward;" namely, in this respect, that he used timely precaution and subjoins this weighty reflection, "The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light;" (verse 8:) those who seek no other portion than this world "are wiser" (not absolutely; for they are, one and all, the veriest fools, the most egregious madmen under heaven; but, "in their generation," in their own way; they are more consistent with themselves; they are truer to their acknowledged principles; they more steadily pursue their end)" than the children of light;"—than they who see "the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Then follow the ; |