that it has no force. Some of them we shall spe-cify, that it may be seen not merely how little they bear against our general statement, but how easily, how fairly, and how strongly they can be made to support and illustrate it.

It may be alleged, that when we promote the temporal prosperity of others, or their success in the business of life, we do them good, while in all this, there neither is nor can be any view to the heavenly state. That there frequently is no view in all this to their existence in heaven, is too true, and too obvious; but it is no less undeniable, that such a view both can and ought to be made paramount. For surely we act in the spirit of true wisdom, as well as of true kindness, when we study to promote their temporal prosperity and success, in the way of helping and encouraging their honest industry; and by God's appointment, integrity and diligence in their worldly calling, whatever it may be, form a part of that work of preparation for eternity, which is given them to do. And while the acquisitions of wealth, influence, and honour, which they are enabled to make by our assistance, are excellent occasions of cherishing in their minds the sentiments of gratitude and devotion to Him, to whose blessing they are indebted for all that they possess, these, at the same time, provide them amply with the means of accomplishing their stewardship, of furthering their own advancement in the paths of knowledge and virtue, of being serviceable to their fellow-men in every department of usefulness, of giving its most vigorous exercise to that charity which "never faileth," which is "the bond of perfectness, and the fulfilling of the law."

Does the objection refer to those acts of kindness which we perform to the poor and afflicted? Alas! it is to be lamented, that these acts are too frequently separated from all consideration of their spiritual effects. But they need not, and they should not be thus secularised. They are calculated to be beneficial to the souls of those whom we succour, as well as to their bodies and their outward condition. We thereby prevent them from perishing, and thus lengthen out their period for repentance and preparation; or we put their minds into a better and more comfortable frame than they would otherwise be, during the short remainder of their residence here, for minding "the things that belong to their peace." We also furnish them with motives of no ordinary strength for embracing the Gospel, when we, plainly and avowedly under its benign influence, sympathise with their distresses, supply their wants, alleviate their pains, and do what we can for their deliverance and consolation. Nothing is better fitted than such deeds of mercy, flowing from the constraining power of the religion we profess, to recommend it to the admiration, and the acceptance, and the love of those who are in this manner so much indebted to it, through our instrumentality. And if they And if they are already believers, all our labours of Christian compassion towards them, tend to confirm and uphold their belief, to animate their trust in the providence and grace of their heavenly Father, to soothe their troubled hearts for a more peaceful and edifying contemplation of those truths by which they are to be sanctified and saved, and to enliven in them that faith,

and to cherish in them that patience, through which they are to be made meet "for inheriting the promises."

Again, If we promote their intellectual improvement, this, in all its variety, may, and should be so managed, as to render them wiser, and holier, and better prepared for inhabiting the celestial abodes. Every accession that is made to their knowledge of the phenomena of nature, of the conduct of Providence, of themselves, and of their fellow-creatures throughout the universe, will afford them more correct, as well as more enlarged views of the character of God, and present to them more abundant reasons for the diligent cultivation of piety and virtue. The higher and the more skilful the direction is that we give to their mental powers, the more capable do we make them of studying with success whatever can ennoble or purify their rational nature, of engaging with vigour and perseverance in the service of Him from whom they look for their final reward, of discovering and of following what will contribute most essentially to their true interest and happiness, and of becoming fit associates for those pure and exalted intelligences that dwell in the world of glory. In short, by extending their information on all the subjects which are accessible to human curiosity, by teaching them to distinguish, with greater facility and acuteness, between truth and error, by subjecting them to that discipline which renders their imagination, their memory, their judgment, their reason, their taste, their every faculty, more competent to its peculiar operations, we at once multiply the materials which give scope and

exercise to their moral dispositions, and increase their ability to employ these materials in such a manner as to quicken their progress in the path of excellence, and of course to produce in them a greater adaptation to the exercises, and a wider capacity for the enjoyments of heaven, as a place in which, all sin and all imperfection being excluded, knowledge and understanding shall be identified, as it were, with purity and with pleasure. Nor are these consequences to be expected merely from a great and regular system of intellectual tuition. They will be proportionally experienced, in whatever degree the method from which they result is adopted and pursued. Every new fact in creation, or in the events of history, with which we make others acquainted; every assistance we impart, in correcting the errors of their judgment, or in improving their powers and their modes of reasoning; every new lesson, and every additional help that we give them, in their range over the field of science; every thing of this kind, however small and insignificant it may be, is so far an enlargement of their resources for growing in conformity to the divine will, and in qualification for future felicity.

Such

acquisitions are not necessarily productive of these advantages, they may prove useless, or they may be abused to unworthy purposes; but it is their proper tendency, and, when suitably directed, it is their certain tendency, to ameliorate the character, and to augment the blessedness, of those whom they distinguish.

Even in the case of amusements, which, at first sight, appear to have no connection with what we

hold to be man's only good, the proposition we have laid down may be easily established. Man is so constituted, and so situated, that he needs relaxation both of mind and body, to keep his frame in health and vigour, and thus enable him to perform his various moral functions with more energy, with more alacrity, and with more success. If such relaxation is not needful for him, then it is clearly unlawful, because it wastes the time and the efforts that should have been beneficially expended. But, on the supposition that his nature requires it, then, its being taken suitably, both as to kind, and season, and degree, becomes a part of his duty, and is instrumental in advancing his spiritual and eternal well-being. And therefore when we provide him with it, its character and measure being appropriate,—so far from merely gratifying his love of pleasure, or his passion for trifling and vanity, we contribute to his substantial interests; and, instead of neglecting him as a religious being, and as a candidate for immortality, we further his prosperity in both respects, and fill up what would otherwise have been a defect in that comprehensive system by which he is to be made at once holier here, and happier hereafter.

The doctrine for which we have been contending is illustrated and proved by the example of Christ. "Doing good" to men, was his grand characteristic. And in this respect, we are commanded to take him for our model-not only with regard to the obligation itself, but also with regard to the manner in which we are to fulfil the obligation. "Walk in love," says an Apostle, "as Christ also hath loved