earthly tenement, and he earnestly implores that ere the pulse of life hath ceased to beat the dying sufferer may have obtained an interest in a Saviour's righteousness, and be regenerated by the power of the Spirit of God. In this high and holy vocation, the loftiest monarch and the meanest peasant may labour with equal zeal, and anticipate the period when they shall be permitted to enter into those happy regions, when the wise shall shine as the sun, and they who turn many to righteousness as the stars, for ever and ever. 2dly. Christian beneficence is constant and unwearied. Many are the discouragements which the good man is called to encounter in his labours of love. In domestic life he may often be doomed to endure the violence of ungoverned passions, or those harassing feelings which arise from associating with persons of an envious, peevish, or jealous disposition. The strictness of his religious principles may render him the object of ridicule, or even of dislike to those for whom he feels the most ardent attachment, and may convert that home which ought ever to be the abode of peace and love, into a scene of strife and discord. While he labours to promote the best interests of his country, the envenomed breath of calumny may blast his reputation, and may accuse him of being actuated by motives of the meanest and basest kind. In his visits to the hovels of poverty and wretchedness, he beholds much from which a delicate mind recoils, and which is but too apt to cool the ardour even of christian charity. He detects the artful tale of imposture, he views the union of guilt and misery, he witnesses disease presented to his view in its most loathsome form, and frequently experiences the deepest ingratitude from those to whom he has manifested every proof of kindness and love. In his exertions to promote the religious and moral improvement of mankind, he is often unsuccessful. There is an ignorance which seems almost invincible; there is a hardness of heart which remains alike unmoved by the terrors of Sinai, or the mild accents of the Gospel of peace; there is a sorrow which abandons itself to the bitterest lamentations, and which even the promises of grace, or the hopes of immortality appear utterly unable to soothe. Where beneficence is the mere result of natural good temper, or the dictate of pity, unsupported by higher and nobler principles, it quickly becomes weary in well-doing, and relinquishes the pursuit of those objects which it once ardently desired to attain. Very different is the conduct of the true Christian. He recollects that it was for rebels against the divine authority, that the son of God became incarnate, that Christ, when reviled, reviled not again, that he went about doing good to them who despised his authority and blasphemed his holy name, and that he has taught us, that it is not the measure of success we enjoy, but the zeal with which we devote ourselves to the performance of our duty, which will receive approbation and be rewarded by him at the great day of final retribution. The believer is mild and gentle to all. By prudence and consistency, he disarms prejudice, and conciliates the esteem of those with whom he is associated in life; while his heart glows with benevolent emotion to every human being who is in distress, he exercises that christian wisdom in his charities, which is dictated by a sound judgment, and enforced by the principles of our holy faith. The duplicity, the ingratitude, or the vices of some upon whom he has bestowed relief, do not prevent him from persevering in deeds of mercy, for he remembers that it is God who has commanded him to do good and to communicate, and that the faith which the Gospel inspires, is a faith which worketh by love. He shrinks not from the performance of those acts of benevolence which may require many a painful sacrifice, or from which his feelings powerfully revolt; for Jesus has taught him, that if any man will come after him, he must deny himself, and must be ready to cut off a right hand, or to pluck out a right eye. He is not discouraged by the failure of these plans of usefulness which he has formed, for he knows that all events are under the divine control, and that, when we have performed our part with fidelity, we must leave the result to Him who ruleth in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. Such was the spirit that animated the Apostles of our Lord; they joyfully submitted to ignominious contempt and persecu tion, and even to bonds, imprisonment, and death, to extend the triumph of the Redeemer's kingdom, and to make known the glad tidings of peace and salvation from pole to pole. A similar spirit has been exhibited by many of the followers of Christ, in every age and country. Shall I remind you of the philanthropic exertions of a Howard, who visited almost every prison in Europe, in | Legislator, for he himself has said, "A new order to soothe the sorrows and promote commandment give I unto you, that you the temporal and spiritual interests of the love one another," and with the sacrifices wretched inhabitants, and who at last fell of unfeigned charity God is well pleased. a sacrifice to a benevolence which was un- Many are the proofs which our heavenly wearied in its labours, and which remained Father affords of his regard to the benefialike unappalled by the dread of danger or cent man, both in this world and that which of death? Or shall I dwell on that truly is to come. Sometimes he is blessed with apostolic zeal which leads the christian affluence and prosperity, and he experiences missionary to relinquish all that is dear to the truth of the declaration of Scripture, him in life, and to visit many a distant that he that giveth to the poor, lendeth to shore, and many an inhospitable clime, in the Lord. He enjoys the approbation of order to rescue the children of ignorance his own mind; and the remembrance of the and guilt from degradation and misery, and distresses he has relieved, or the happiness to elevate them to the privileges and hopes he has communicated, affords him purer of the sons of God? These are bright ex- satisfaction, than all the riches, the honours, amples of a cheerful compliance with the and the pleasures of time. He possesses precept in the text. Let each of us learn the esteem of the wise and good, and he is to be followers of them, even as they also generally beheld with respect, even by the were of Christ. profligate and abandoned. The fervent And for our encouragement, let us consider supplications of the poor and afflicted, are in the fourth and last place, the value of daily offered up to heaven in his behalf. christian beneficence. We are not, indeed, He is frequently permitted to experience a for a moment to suppose, that liberality to large share of that divine peace which passthe poor can atone for our transgression, or eth all understanding. The Lord is with merit the favour of the Almighty. The idea him in trouble, he strengthens him in the is directly opposed to the first principles of hour of affliction, and makes all his bed in Christianity. Obedience is a debt which his sickness. While he walks through we owe to our great Creator, and when we the dark vale of the shadow of death, he have done all that is commanded us, we fears no evil, for he knows that it is the are enjoined to acknowledge ourselves entrance into that world, where the sound to have been unprofitable servants. The of discord is heard no more, and where performance of present duty can never can- peace and love for ever reign. But the cel the guilt of past transgressions. Every gracious Author of our being does not condeed of compassion we perform, is stained fine the reward of Christian beneficence to with imperfection and error, and, even he the present state of existence: "I heard whose whole life has been spent in acts of a voice," said St. John, "saying unto me, beneficence, must acknowledge that all that Write, Blessed are the dead which die in is good in the temper of his mind or the ac- the Lord from henceforth yea, saith the tions of his life, is derived from the influ- Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, ence of the Holy Spirit, and that he is and their works do follow them." Every entirely indebted for salvation, from first to benevolent wish which the saint has uttered, last, to the free grace of God through our every prayer of affection he has offered at Lord Jesus Christ. Still, however, the a throne of grace and every deed of mercy Supreme Being views with peculiar appro- he has performed are recorded in the book bation, the labours of love in which his of the divine remembrance. His good works people engage. They are the marks of the may have been unknown to his fellowendearing relation in which they stand to creatures, but his Father who seeth in secret himself; for God is love, and every one that will reward him openly. The heavens loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. shall pass away, the elements shall melt They are the fruits of a living faith in the with fervent heat, the earth also, and the perfect righteousness of our blessed Savi- works that are therein shall be burnt up; our; for if we believe that he loved us even but they whose hearts expand with love to unto the death, we are powerfully constrained God and man, shall enjoy a bliss, pure as to live as brethren, and to do good unto all, the fountain of life, and lasting as immorbut especially to those who are of the tality itself. They shall be admitted into household of faith. They are the test of the presence of the God of love. They : tive feelings of our nature which bind us to our country, our relatives, and our friends, he at the same time commands his followers to cultivate the most sincere and ardent brotherly love to every member cf the household of faith. True believers are united to each other by the most sacred and indissoluble bonds; they have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one hope of their calling; they are justified by the same grace, sanctified by the same Spirit, and heirs of the same immortal life. In the days of the Apostles, and in the early ages of the primitive Church, those who were converted to Christianity had the strongest claims on the sympathy and tenderness of their brethren in Christ. They were often obliged to relinquish their pursuits and occupations; they were forsaken by their friends, persecuted by an evil world, doomed to endure all the hardships of poverty, and exposed to every species of suffering. In these circumstances the disciples of a crucified Redeemer were called to sacrifice every personal gratification in order to advance the common cause, and to promote the good of their fellowlabourers in the vineyard of their divine Master. Our condition is, indeed, considerably different, but it still becomes us to remember, that while every child of misfortune has a claim on our sympathy, from the religion we profess, and the relation in which we stand to the Lord Jesus, we are peculiarly called to minister to the wants and necessities of the pious, humble, and devoted Christian. But the benevolence of the Gospel is not confined within the limits of any country or clime; it reaches to every human being whom the hand of the Omnipotent has formed. Wherever ignorance can be removed, guilt reclaimed, sorrow soothed, the influence of religion diffused, or joy communicated, there the believer is bound to stretch out the hand of mercy, or to utter the prayer of love; even to our most inveterate enemies the law of christian charity extends. A good man cannot entertain the same degree of regard for the worthless and unprincipled, as for the pious and benevolent; he cannot feel the same affection for the individual who has defamed his character, or ruined his prospects in life, as for him who has been the companion of his youth, and the friend of his riper years, but it is his duty, he feels, freely to forgive the most aggravated offences, and to be ready to do every kind office in his power towards those who have wronged him without a I now proceed, in the third place, to point out the qualities of christian beneficence, and here I must confine your attention to two observations. Christian beneficence is active in its nature, and constant and unwearied in its operations. First, then, christian beneficence is active in its nature. Every professing Christian will readily admit the obligations under which we lie to the exercise of mutual love, but innumerable are the apologies which are urged by no inconsiderable part of mankind, in order to exempt themselves from the labours of that charity which the Gospel enjoins. They allege that small is the mite they are able to bestow upon their poorer brethren, that they feel for them the sincerest pity, but can do little or nothing to promote their welfare. They have a rank to maintain in society, a numerous family to support, and many are the demands which are made on their generosity. Over the tale of fictitious wo, they can shed the tear of sensibility, but they refuse to visit the orphan and the widow in their affliction, and they turn with disgust from the view of poverty, disease, and wretchedness. If mere expressions of good-will to their fellow-creatures were all that was requisite to render them benevolent, they might assert their claim to that truly valuable quality, but if time is to be sacrificed, if favourite amusements are to be relinquished, if economy is to be practised, and if feelings are to be brought under restraint and control, in vain do we look for their co-operation or assistance, to do good to the bodies or the souls of those with whom they are called to associate. Well might St. James observe, "if a brother or sister be poor or naked and destitute of daily food, and you say unto him be warmed and clad, while you give him not those things that are necessary for the body, what doth it profit?" Very different are the feelings and conduct of the true Christian. knows that certain talents have been given him for the glory of God, and the good of mankind, and that at last he must render an account of his stewardship. He aims He by his enlivening or instructive conversation to cheer the mind of him who is confined to the chamber of solitude. To the man who is stretched on a bed of sickness, he may perform many acts of kindness. The thoughtless sinner he may arouse to serious consideration, and persuade to flee from the wrath to come. To the mourner he may impart lessons of heavenly wisdom, and the cheering consolations of the Gospel of peace; and the dying he may teach to cleave to that Saviour, who alone can support the mind amid the last agonies of suffering humanity, and present his people holy and unblameable in the presence of their heavenly Father. It is indeed a melancholy fact, that we behold multitudes in every rank of life, who, while they are sincerely desirous to promote the temporal interests of their poorer brethren, never employ a single effort to advance their inprovement in the graces and virtues of the Christian character. We mark with emotions of unfeigned approbation, the tear of pity which they shed over the calamities of others, or the cheerfulness and pleasure with which they contribute their alms for the relief of the wretched, but no sooner are means propos not at the discharge of duties that are be- | yond his reach, or which providence hath allotted to other men, but he labours to be diligent and faithful in that which is appointed to him, whether it be much or little; he marks the particular sphere in which he is called to move, and carefully reflects on the way in which, by his natural abilities, his influence, his wealth, his instructions, or his prayers, he may be most useful in his day and generation; he constantly bears in mind the apostolic admonition, as he has opportunity to do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Is he possessed of riches? he views himself as an almoner of the divine bounty-he is eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, a father to the poor, and the cause which he knows not he searches out. He bestows his alms with wisdom and discrimination, never affording encouragement to idleness and profligacy, or by injudicious charity, increasing the evil which he intends to relieve, but carefully inquiring into the distresses of the poor and afflicted, and forming schemes to promote their industry and virtue, while he adds to their comfort and happiness. This diffuses joy around him; he experiences the truth of our Saviour's declaration, that "ited for the instruction of the ignorant, the is more blessed to give than to receive." conversion of the sinner, or the diffusion of Is the believer placed in humbler life? he Christianity throughout the world, than we remembers that he is not exempted from the perceive them listened to with the most chilldeed of kindness or the labour of love; heing indifference, or treated as the chimera applies with more diligence to the duties of of a wild and enthusiastic imagination. The his station; he denies himself to some com- believer has not so learned in the school of fort, or retrenches some luxury, that he Christ; he feels the littleness of time, and may be able to afford instruction to the the infinite importance of eternity. All the ignorant, or to give to him that needeth. He sorrows of humanity shrink into insignifiremembers that it is not the extent of the cance, when compared with the awful gift, but the spirit in which it is bestowed, thought of the ruin of an immortal soul. to which the Almighty looks. He enters Could he dispel every fear, assuage every into the abode of distress, and views many pain, and bestow every comfort which the a heart-rending scene of wo; he makes world can afford upon the sick and dying known the wants and sorrows of the wretch-man, it would appear as nothing, and less ed, and earnestly solicits the aid of those who are possessed of greater affluence than himself, and while the alms which he is able to bestow is small, he may frequently become the instrument of the most extensive usefulness to the destitute and miserable. Even the humblest follower of Jesus may do much for the benefit of others. His active exertions may enable him to support an aged parent, and his kind affections may alleviate the infirmities incident to the decline of life. From his frugal meal he may spare something to a neighbour still more destitute than himself. He may contribute than nothing, and vanity, to the delight with which his heart expands, in being the humble instrument, in the hand of Providence, of rescuing him from the dominion of sin and Satan, and rendering him meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. He knows that soon the body of this victim of disease, shall descend into the grave, moulder in the dust, and become the food of worms, but that his spirit shall live for ever in a state of everlasting joy or endless wo. He dwells with feelings of the profoundest awe on that mysterious change which awaits it when it shall for ever have quitted its earthly tenement, and he earnestly implores that ere the pulse of life hath ceased to beat the dying sufferer may have obtained an interest in a Saviour's righteousness, and be regenerated by the power of the Spirit of God. In this high and holy vocation, the loftiest monarch and the meanest peasant may labour with equal zeal, and anticipate the period when they shall be permitted to enter into those happy regions, when the wise shall shine as the sun, and they who turn many to righteousness as the stars, for ever and ever. 2dly. Christian beneficence is constant and unwearied. Many are the discouragements which the good man is called to encounter in his labours of love. In domestic life he may often be doomed to endure the violence of ungoverned passions, or those harassing feelings which arise from associating with persons of an envious, peevish, or jealous disposition. The strictness of his religious principles may render him the object of ridicule, or even of dislike to those for whom he feels the most ardent attachment, and may convert that home which ought ever to be the abode of peace and love, into a scene of strife and discord. While he labours to promote the best interests of his country, the envenomed breath of calumny may blast his reputation, and may accuse him of being actuated by motives of the meanest and basest kind. In his visits to the hovels of poverty and wretchedness, he beholds much from which a delicate mind recoils, and which is but too apt to cool the ardour even of christian charity. He detects the artful tale of imposture, he views the union of guilt and misery, he witnesses disease presented to his view in its most loathsome form, and frequently experiences the deepest ingratitude from those to whom he has manifested every proof of kindness and love. In his exertions to promote the religious and moral improvement of mankind, he is often unsuccessful. There is an ignorance which seems almost invincible; there is a hardness of heart which remains alike unmoved by the terrors of Sinai, or the mild accents of the Gospel of peace; there is a sorrow which abandons itself to the bitterest lamentations, and which even the promises of grace, or the hopes of immortality appear utterly unable to soothe. Where beneficence is the mere result of natural good temper, or the dictate of pity, unsupported by higher and nobler principles, it quickly becomes weary in well-doing, and relinquishes the pursuit of those objects which it once ardently desired to attain. Very different is the conduct of the true Christian. He recollects that it was for rebels against the divine authority, that the son of God became incarnate, that Christ, when reviled, reviled not again, that he went about doing good to them who despised his authority and blasphemed his holy name, and that he has taught us, that it is not the measure of success we enjoy, but the zeal with which we devote ourselves to the performance of our duty, which will receive approbation and be rewarded by him at the great day of final retribution. The believer is mild and gentle to all. By prudence and consistency, he disarms prejudice, and conciliates the esteem of those with whom he is associated in life; while his heart glows with benevolent emotion to every human being who is in distress, he exercises that christian wisdom in his charities, which is dictated by a sound judgment, and enforced by the principles of our holy faith. The duplicity, the ingratitude, or the vices of some upon whom he has bestowed relief, do not prevent him from persevering in deeds of mercy, for he remembers that it is God who has commanded him to do good and to communicate, and that the faith which the Gospel inspires, is a faith which worketh by love. He shrinks not from the performance of those acts of benevolence which may require many a painful sacrifice, or from which his feelings powerfully revolt; for Jesus has taught him, that if any man will come after him, he must deny himself, and must be ready to cut off a right hand, or to pluck out a right eye. He is not discouraged by the failure of these plans of usefulness which he has formed, for he knows that all events are under the divine control, and that, when we have performed our part with fidelity, we must leave the result to Him who ruleth in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. Such was the spirit that animated the Apostles of our Lord; they joyfully submitted to ignominious contempt and persecution, and even to bonds, imprisonment, and death, to extend the triumph of the Redeemer's kingdom, and to make known the glad tidings of peace and salvation from pole to pole. A similar spirit has been exhibited by many of the followers of Christ, in every age and country. Shall I remind you of the philanthropic exertions of a Howard, who |