sider the relation in which we stand to him as the author of our being, and our dependence upon his guidance to lead us safely amidst all the temptations and trials incident to our present course of probation, the reflection and acknowledgement of the poet will be ours:

"Thou art the source and centre of all minds,
Their only point of rest, eternal Word!
From thee departing, they are lost, and rove
At random, without honour, hope, or peace."

SERMON IX.

DELIVERED AT FRIENDS' MEETING, DARBY, NINTH MONTH 22D, 1850.

It appears from the testimony left upon record, that the great example and teacher we profess to follow, in the course of his ministry, called the attention of the people to the observance of a higher and purer morality than was recognized by the religion of that day. He proclaimed the truth of God, in opposition to the prejudices and traditions in which they were educated, and called them away from the inferior morality of the law to the benign and heavenly influences of the gospel. This, I think, is evident, if we believe his precepts. "Ye have been told," he says, " by them of old time, thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy." This was the rule by

which the conduct of man towards his fellow-man was regulated. A morality that encouraged hatred, or any other disposition so entirely foreign to the loveliness of God, could not be passed unnoticed by the blessed Jesus; and hence, at the commencement of his mission of love and mercy, he called their attention to it, and added, "I say unto you, love your enemies; do good to them that hate you; bless them that curse you, and pray for them that persecute you and despitefully use you." He also gave them many other precepts in relation to human duty and conduct which might be referred to in illustration of the fact, that he preached a higher and purer doctrine than was practised by the Jews. These principles of action, laid down by Jesus, form the basis of true morality, and obedience to them the starting point in religion.

The object of Christianity is unquestionably to eradicate all evil from the society of men; to bring down heaven upon earth; to lay the axe at the root of the tree of error, that it may destroy its fruits; to change the condition of man from the image of the earthly to the heavenly nature, and elevate him in the scale of spiritual progression in the knowledge of the attributes of God.

In advancing this great doctrine of loving our enemies and doing good to them that hate us, Jesus gave a very clear and powerful argument in its favour; he had a reason for the hope that was in him, and it is worthy of our notice, that all doctrine pertaining to the welfare of the soul must be addressed to our rational perception, and contain in itself some recom

mendation of its usefulness to man. When, therefore, he urged them to love their enemies, and return good instead of evil for evil, he gave them this reason: "That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

And here again we see how the teaching of Jesus pointed them to another sublime and wonderful truth, what their theology did not seem to have embraced, the great doctrine of the universal benevolence of God; harmonizing with his works, in the outward creation, where he hath opened his hand and supplieth the wants of every living creature, "and maketh his sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and causeth his rain to descend on the just and on the unjust."

It is the crowning glory of the Christian religion, that it brings into view the infinite benevolence of the Deity; disarms him of those frailties and passions that belong only to man, and presents him to us, not in the light of a God of hatred and wrath and war, but a being of infinite perfection, purity and love. It was, therefore, a beautiful illustration of his attributes, which Jesus gave when he was enforcing the practice of those doctrines which would bring man into communion with his Maker.

Now, I cannot believe that Christianity requires less of us in the present day than it did when the blessed Jesus uttered these precepts. It is not a changeable and fluctuating religion-the kingdom of heaven is inaccessible now, as ever it has been, except by the door of obedience to Christ. "If any man will be my disciple, he must deny self, and take up his daily cross and follow me."

How appropriate was this language of Jesus to the Jews. They were so full of their traditions, so devoted to their religious notions and opinions, and so attached to their outward rituals, their sacrifices and offerings, that he said to them, ye must "leave all and follow me;" that their religion might not stand in their ceremonial worship, but in obedience to these great principles of truth, which would lead into works of righteousness.

This language is also applicable to us. Our profession of religion will be in vain if we do not become acquainted with these first principles of the gospel of Christ, and regulate our lives and conduct by them; and, we all do know what is required of us -we all may become followers of Christ, and the children of our Father in heaven.

Let us, then, take such a view of the religion of Jesus Christ, as will prompt us to the fulfilment of duty, and urge us onward in the pursuit of those riches "which moth and rust shall not corrupt, nor thieves break through and steal." Keep continually in view, that the great aim of the gospel, is to pronounce upon us the blessings of heaven-"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth; blessed

are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy; blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God; blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted; blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God."

As we are engaged in carrying out, in the daily practice of life, this high profession of Christianity, we shall find the truth of these sayings of Jesus confirmed by our own experience; by being faithful in the little, we shall be made rulers of more; we shall find that the "path of the just shineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day," so that the nearer we approach the solemn termination of the present life, the clearer will be our views of the immortality of the soul, and the high enjoyment that is connected with the society of angelic spirits in the world to come. And while we are passing along through this present state of probation, let not our minds be so absorbed and occupied with the things that pertain only to this life, as to leave unexamined those great truths that bear such an important relation to our present and future well-being. There are riches that "moth and rust doth not corrupt, nor thieves break through and steal." These should be made the chief object of our pursuits. It is not enough that our admiration is excited in the contemplation of the goodness of God, as manifested in his outward creation. If he maketh his sun to shine on the good and evil, and causeth his rain to descend on the just and unjust, it is to teach us that benevolence is displayed in his works, and if we would be like him it must also be manifest in ours. The outward creation with