ing up "treasure where neither moth nor rust can corrupt, and where thieves cannot break through and steal." Send it before!

2. A carefulness for the poor-a double diligence; first to find them out and invite them, then to receive and refresh them. This is so far from "turning away the face from the poor man," that it is rather travelling in quest of him: this is "considering the poor and needy"-laying out our thoughts upon them-sending out messengers as did old Tobit: "And when I saw abundance of meat," says he, "I said to my son, Go and bring what poor man soever thou shalt find out, of our brethren, who is mindful of the Lord." (Tobit, ii., 2.)

3. To feast them means to relieve them plentifully-" to satisfy the soul of the hungry"-not a miser's feast.

4. Again, if this cannot be done without some noise, endure it. Piety is at the present day driven into a corner, and charity has become a pusillanimous, a blushing thing."Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." All good works that are seen of men are not, therefore, displeasing to God, but such whose motive only was this. Finally, relieve them from this motive: they are the brethren of Christ. Show a cheerful countenance towards them, for "God loveth a cheerful giver."

III. The objects of our charity.

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This leads to a caution: the fit objects of charity are the poor indeed. We should not countenance idleness; relief to such should be in the way of good counsel. If this is lost, compulsion. "If any man will not work, neither let him eat."

I commend those who have erected workhouses to furnish them with employ; but, above all, the hospitals, dispensaries, orphan-houses, &c.

Such poor as these our Saviour recommends; such as these are the wealth of a Christian corporation. When a cruel and covetous tyrant demanded of St. Lawrence the gold and silver arising from the great oblations of the altar where he ministered, he mustered up a vast number of poor saints, some without eyes, some whose arms were withered, others decrepit with age, or who had lost the use of their feet, and ranging all these miserable persons so that the Governor might have a full view of them: "Behold!" said he, "these are the church's hidden treasures!"

IV. The inducement: "Thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."

So much greater the reward, the longer it is in coming. "They cannot recompense thee," but He that assuredly can infallibly will. This is placing charity on good security.Savings' bank. - So the longer it is in, the better. Not that the charitable man goes without a blessing in this life. Job-" When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me." The poor have a special prerogative from God to bless; and rich as Job was, he was highly pleased to receive their benedictions.

Value them: their curse, too, is formidable-"Turn not away thine eye from the poor man when he crieth." Strange that an imprecation should be called a prayer! Such a prayer as is turned into sin upon him that puts it up, yet received by God as a petition or charge against him that provokes or extorts it.

But see the blessings of him that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble-even in this world!

But the strongest motive is in the text the resurrection. Not merit Heaven-even martyrdom cannot be weighty enough to deserve an eternal weight of glory-as Paul reckoned.

Yet as "our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at those which are unseen;" so, the doing good here, from Christian motives, will certainly obtain, though not merit, an abundant recompense.

It is a stoical, or rather a chymical, an empirical divinity that, by making virtue its own reward, prepares a great dissolvent to annihilate virtue itself. "Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you," &c, (and, since every poor man is not comforted, &c., 'tis an argument for a day of recompense). "Verily, there is a reward for the righteous!" And this argument of the resurrection, were charity never so cold, is enough to raise it from the dead. If I heartily believe it, then let me act accordingly. "Make to yourselves friends of the Mammon of Unrighteousness," &c. - This is the argument our Saviour

Matthew, xxii., 39. -Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

WHEN religion degenerates then arise disputes on non-essential matters. So the Jews, instead of setting themselves to do the commandments, inquire which is the greatest. Some thought the law of sacrifices, some circumcision, others the Sabbath-and others the law of meats and washing. When this famous question is proposed to Jesus, he answers, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Although there are certain duties which belong to ourselves, they are such as arise out of these. On this occasion I shall,

I. Explain the second command.

II. Enforce it.

I. Explain, &c.

1. Who is my neighbour ?

This, too, was once proposed to Jesus. It is well for the world that he decided it.

(1.) Some regulate their charities by local habitation: for a stranger, or one afar off, they have no compassion. Ye

nutshells of charity, go to the good Samaritan, and learn that want of assistance is neighbourhood enough for him. who loves another as himself.

(2.) Some have a law of relationship. "What! assist the heathen while I have poor relations?" Yes; perhaps the Samaritan had such also, for few persons have not; yet he gave; and Jesus says, "Go thou and do likewise."

(3.) Others confine charity to their own nation. Not so the good Samaritan! he saw in his fellow-man, whoever he might be, his brother and neighbour.

(4.) Others to the same religious profession. Go to the catholic Samaritan! whatever his creed, his heart was better than it.

(5.) Many think themselves justified in excluding enemies. The Jews understood the word neighbour to signify "thy friend." "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." See the Samaritan: his enemy (the Jews and Samaritans regarded each other as enemies) was perishing and here is the trial, yea, the triumph of his benevolence. "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he

thirst, give him drink." -The priest and the Levite!!

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(6.) The last rule of exclusion is that which relates to character. "Ah! poor man, striped, wounded, and just ready to expire! but, before I relieve you, I must know who and what you are; whether industrious, sober, frugal, deserving." Alas! while you inquire, the sufferer is beyond your reach! * * * True, in some cases, to prevent fraud, investigation is proper; but, in those of real and urgent calamity, the love of our neighbour requires no other recommendation than want and affliction. Even if notoriously vile, there is no plea for neglect: benevolence, under these circumstances, may often gain their souls!

Is the inquiry still urged, "Who is my neighbour ?" Every human being, without exception. "As ye have opportunity, do good unto all men." See how this interpretation is illustrated in Scripture: "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 ye 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." God our Saviour tasted death for every man -he preached to his murderers.

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If redeeming love made the exclusions we make, where should we be? In hell; or, if in the world, without God and without hope. "Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect." I am not, however, recommending promiscuous and undistinguishing love, though we should have hearts and purses always ready for special and extraordinary cases. The general rule is, that our kindred take precedence of strangers, and that the household of faith be placed before the children of the wicked one. Christianity makes distinctions, but no exclusions. With these distinctions, every man is your neighbour, and you are bound to fulfil towards him the duties of love.

2. What is my duty to my neighbour? It includes, (1) The dispositions we are to cultivate and the conduct we are to observe towards him in all the intercourse and transactions of ordinary life. The thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians admirably states these: "Charity suffereth long"-not for a time, but a long time-to the end; " is kind;" "vaunteth not itself;" does not act rashly; is not violent, headstrong, precipitate; " is not puffed up;" humbles us in the dust, and prefers others; "doth not behave itself unseemly;" is not rude or willingly offensive; "seeketh not her own" only, but the good of all; "is not easily provoked;" but easily is not in the original-love is not provocable; "thinketh no evil;" neither thinks nor infers where none appears; "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;" has no pleasure in the misfortunes or crimes of an adversary; "beareth all things;" covers, as far as truth and a good conscience will allow, all failings and faults; "believeth all things," or, where it cannot believe, hopes for extenuation; and, where there is no excuse, hopes God will give repentance; finally, "endures all things."

It includes (2), as already remarked, the benevolence we are to exercise towards our neighbour in distress; because