never faileth." He has told us, in the passage before us, that not speaking with tongues of men and of angels, not the most divine eloquence, not the most heavenly philosophy, not the gift of prophecy, making us to foresee and foretel futurity, not wisdom sufficient to unravel mysteries, the very highest efforts of knowledge, all that the world most covets, and on which it sets the highest value, not even the great principle of our religion-faith, so that no difficulties should be too hard for us, are for one moment comparable with the inestimable grace of charity. With these, and all that we can desire, or imagination. conceive, we are still, without charity, as sounding brass or the tinkling cymbal; we are nothing; they shall profit us nothing. How expressive are these terms of nothingness! How ought they to impress upon us the value, in the sight of God, of charity, that heavenly feeling which can alone unite us as one fold, under one Shepherd. Peace," has our blessed Saviour said, "I leave with you. My peace I

give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I you." This peace is the most distinguishing fruit of Christian charity; it is that which passeth the understanding of mere worldly wisdom, which the world can neither give or take. It is the blessed fruits of a religious mind, equally attainable by all, and enduing its possessor, whatever may be his situation, with a foretaste of that happiness which shall be his enjoyment in a world to come.

SERMON VIII.

1 CORINTHIANS, XIII. 13.

"Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

HAVING explained to you in my last discourse the mistaken views of charity embraced by the world, and the consequences which such a misunderstanding of its nature would have on the humbler and more numerous classes of the Christian community, I shall endeavour to set before you in my present discourse the particulars of that description the apostle gives us of this virtue. I must, however, more fully and satisfactorily to effect this, once more briefly recal your attention to what was then said. The world attaches to mere almsgiving, or the distribution of superfluous wealth, the sacred name of

charity. Now were this the charity of the Gospel, it is evident that it could not embrace all mankind; that the poor and humble would be unable to take their

part in it, and that the Christian grace, which my text describes as greater than either faith or hope, would be confined to the rich, the wealthy, and the powerful. Now, the same apostle, in a preceding passage, has told us that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called; and the apostle St. James tells us, that it is the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the promises, whom God has chosen. It was the poor to whom was first preached, it was the humble and the meek to whom was first offered, the kingdom of heaven; while, in a passage which we cannot too often for our comfort consider, we are assured that with God there is no respect of persons. It is evident, from these passages and the general tenour of Scripture, that it addresses itself to high and low, to rich and poor, and that its virtues and

graces are as freely given as they may be practically exercised by all mankind. Charity then, that charity the apostle so highly commends, is not a mere outward act, that a few only, and these the possessors of temporal blessings can exercise; but a spiritual grace, hallowing alike our thoughts, our feelings, and our actions, and fulfilling, where it generally prevails, all the blessed purposes of the Gospel; establishing that peace on earth which nothing but Christian charity can enable us to taste, or to appreciate the nature of. The influence, and the effect of this virtue, is beautifully set before us in the words of the apostle, who thus enables us to guard ourselves against any misunderstanding, and to judge whether so inestimable a virtue holds the influence it deserves over our own breasts. "Charity," says the apostle, "suffereth long and is kind." It displays itself in our commerce and feelings towards the world, by imitating, in our conduct towards one another, the merciful long-suffering and kindness