of that doctrine. Meantime their disturbed companion looks in upon her treasure, and sees its value rapidly decreasing. If she is an experienced Christian, and knows that the consolation or the stimulus she had gathered was what she wanted, she drops a tear for their ill-judged intrusion, and returns to her sadness or her coldness. If she is ignorant and had desired to learn, or indifferent and did not care to know, then she freely lets go her gathered word-it was all a mistake, or at least it may have been-the cold discussion has robbed the feeling of its warmth and the impression of its reality —and the hearer returns to despondency or indifference. There was a seed had fallen on the ground; had it laid there awhile, it might have taken root and flourishedbut the talkers have picked it up to examine it-they have devoured it, and it is gone.

LECTURES

ON OUR

SAVIOUR'S SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

LECTURE THE TWELFTH.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That you may be the children of your father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the good and on the evil, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if we love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the Publicuns the same? And if you salute your brethren

only, what do you more than others? Do not even the Publicans so ?-MATT. v. 43-47.

THERE is a language in society that needs not words to give it expression, nor open assent to give it cur rency-the language of our actions, habits, and opinions. All men speak it and all men understand it, and tacitly conform themselves to its terms. We do not now profess, in sober seriousness, to hate our enemies; and when in the warmth of discourse, we say we hate a person, we have often no other meaning than a slight aversion, a passing disapprobation, that would not, if it might, touch a hair of their heads to injure them. Whatever evil there may be in using terms too strong for our meaning, it is not related to our present subject. It is not the language of our lips that needs to be reformed, as here by the Saviour deprecated. For we have all with the name of Christian taken to ourselves something of the Christian creed; we have all adopted the precepts of the Gospel as theoretically good, though practically we leave them quite out of question: and while we in effect go on hating, tormenting, and to our utmost molesting those who displease us, we all most graciously condescend to admit that God is right when he commands us to forgive them. It is therefore no longer said, "Thou shalt hate thine enemies"-but is it therefore no longer done? Has the evil ceased? Are God and man agreed, and the disciples of Christ no longer in need of any better rule than the world subscribes to? Perhaps we shall find upon enquiry, that the world has no such law-and the nominal Christian has no such principle-and the real Christian trims but too seldom the lamp that his Lord has lighted in his dwelling.

It may seem, at first sight, that these words are no more than a repetition of the former precept, and of the many precepts we have had to forgive our debtors and

bear with those that wrong us. But examining, we find it is not so. It is more, much more than all of these, and requires a harder effort at our hands. The gentle spirit, softened by the benevolences of life; the cultivated spirit, refined out of its native coarseness of feeling; the suffering spirit, subdued into pity by affliction, find it no such hard lesson to forego their resentment, so far as it might rest with them to inflict the punishment; and feel it more congenial even, with their ennobled nature, to leave the culprit to some other chastisement. There is so much that is beautiful, kind, and compassionate, in the tone that high cultivation has given to society-there is so much rude generosity remaining, even in the coarse bosom of the hind or the savage, that when the first impulse of resentment has subsided, very many, from mere natural feeling, would rather throw aside the weapon of revenge, and extend the hand of reconciliation to the offender. Can the law of God demand more? Have we not already exceeded the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, abrogated the heathen principle of retaliation, committed our open enemies to the established law, and our secret enemies to the justice of Heaven and their own re morse? We do not go about now with the stiletto in our bosoms, and the concentrated poison in some secret corner of our garments-Are we not become in this at least the disciples of Christ and the children of our Father which is in heaven? Read and see.

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies." Forgiveness is not love-forbearance is not love-a cold, repulsive aversion is not love. The utmost stretch of generous pardon, and patient endurance, and abdication of our rights for the sake of peace, such as in the preceding verses is described, would not in themselves amount to love-though we cannot well expect to find them where it is not. Love, such as here by the Preacher designated, is blessing, good, prayer-not for those who

have misused us some time, our enemies reconciled and pardoned—but for those who hate us now, and curse us now, and still go on to misuse and persecute us.

The hardness of this precept is so obvious when thus set forth, so absolutely contrary and impossible to our natural propensities, that it is perhaps unnecessary to say any thing to prove that we fulfil it not, or to describe in what manner we come short of doing so. There is a certain language that we hold about forgiving injuries, without forgetting them-a sort of reckoning of the debt, when we do not mean to exact it-a mounting of party colours, when no battle is intended-a something that says to all who observe us, "These are my enemies and I am theirs-there is hatred between us, though we keep the peace." So much as this may be exteriorly perceived, where there is no outward wrong on either side; and when the polish of society induces us to accord, and to receive, its prescribed civilities from these objects of our aversion. But what are exterior signs, compared with the secret emotions of the heart? Those deep intriguing, outlawed things, that in the proud security of the bosom's closeness, carry on their projects in defiance of the eye of man, and too much forgetfulness of the eye of Heaven? Is it love there? Is it love that is pleased when the enemy receives a wound-smiles delightedly at the whisper that attaints his character-believes with unwillingness any circumstance that may promise his advantage-and though standing neuter in the battle, triumphs in any issue that defeats his purposes? Was it love that was so morose, sullen, contradictious, when we came accidentally into the society of yonder persons, and were constrained for a season to abide their presence? If not, I fear we have not yet reached even the passive virtue of forgiveness. But this is no mere passive virtue that our text is treating of. Our Saviour has put an extreme case, and he has brought the duty to its extremity-he has wrought his portrait highly,

ness.

that there may be no possibility of mistaking the likeHe commanded that we be actively employed in doing good to those who are actively employed in doing ill to us. While our enemies are making busy with their curses-perhaps openly and to our faces saying unkind and bitter things, wounding us by their laugh, or depressing us by their frown; or perhaps secretly carrying about their curses to undermine our happiness and alienate our friends-our employment is to bemost strange one, as nature feels!-to be asking or bestowing blessings on their heads, openly or secretly endeavouring their good. And when, no more content with words of mischief and wishes for our harm, our enemies are enabled to proceed to actual hurt, misuse us openly, and persecute us successfully, then we are driven to our last resort-perhaps we have no means, or no lawful means of defiance, and the aggressors are so potent or so subtle, that no one will come in to help us, or stand against them on our behalf. Then we know what alone remains for us to do, We must go to the tribunal of our Father for the aid that earth denies-we must carry our ruined cause to the last resort of justice: unhelped of any man, unable to help ourselves, grossly injured without redress; deeply suffering without a remedy, we must betake ourselves to Heaven as the only refuge that remains. But what are we to do when we come there? Ask for retribution on our enemies? That is not said. Ask for fire to consume them, a sword to smite them, a rod to chastise them? These are not said. It is said, "Pray for them." It might seem our very proper errand there to pray against them: so committing our cause to him who judges rightly, and wishing no more punishment than their due. But nothing of all this is said, and we are bidden to pray for them; to plead, as it were, their cause rather than our own, and implore a pardon for the guilt of which we came to accuse them. And we would dwell a little on this part of the command; because if we can sincerely fulfil it, the