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these that we are kind to the unfortunate and the afflicted, the unfortunate and the afflicted may be bettered indeed by our interposition in their behalf, and may celebrate us in strains of thanksgiving which possess the sincerity of which the benefit is destitute; but all this will be of no avail in the eye, and at the bar of the Almighty, by whom our actions and our motives are viewed in inseparable connection; who will decide our fate, as he will judge of our character, not by the complexion of the former, but by the spirit of the latter; and who will accept of none of our services, whether rendered to himself or to our fellow-men, which do not bear a submissive reference to his will, and issue from " a clean heart" and heaven-taught principles.

The apostle Paul sets before us the true account of the matter, when he speaks of "charity out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned." We cannot do good as it ought to be done our benevolence will neither be accepted of God, nor form any qualification for heaven, unless it be the operation and acting of a renewed mind, such as is here described. It must be the offspring of a heart, purified from worldly and sinful passions— of a conscience that can humbly appeal to him who "tries the reins" for the sincerity of what is said, and the uprightness of what is done for the welfare of others and of a faith which relies with unaffected simplicity and earnestness on the redeeming mercy of Jesus Christ, which submits implicitly to his precepts, which follows the pattern of his life, and which realizes the judgment he has foretold, and the immortality he has promised. When he went about

doing good, nothing that was sinister attached to any part of his beneficent career. There was no mixture of selfishness or of vain-glory in the least or in the greatest of his works of mercy. All his conduct, whether its aspect was towards the temporal or towards the spiritual benefit of those upon whom he lavished his kindness, was animated by ardent piety to God, and deep-felt compassion for men. every effort that we make to be useful to our brethren, we must "go and do likewise;" and strive, both as to the labours and the motives of our benevolence, to "have the same mind in us which was in Christ, and to walk even as he also walked."

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It is in this way only that we can do justice to the benevolent, whatever their outward circumstances may be. When the mere act of giving money, or of making personal efforts, or of contributing in any similar mode to the benefit of others, is taken as the test of real charity, then real charity is no longer an attribute of character but of condition;-he who can do little or nothing, because providence has placed him in a state of poverty, is incapable of cultivating love: and he only can possess that grace, who has the treasures of opulence at his disposal. Nothing, however, can be farther from the truth, more opposite to right reason, or more contradictory to all that Scripture tells us on this subject. Real charity resides in the temper and habit of the soul; and, though its exhibition must depend on external means, its existence may be as certain, and its energy as great, and its reward as precious, when it is accompanied with indigence, as when it has all the machinery of power and wealth to work with. The

widow's mite, and the disciple's cup of cold water, given "as to the Lord, and not unto men," are as "precious in the sight of God," and as sure of recompense, as are the costliest gifts and most noble bequeathments of the rich. And when the latter flow from vanity, or from a compromise with conscience, or from any thing but the "liberal heart," then there is no comparison at all between the two cases, for the one has but the appearance and the form, while the other has all the spirit and the power of charity.

Nor should it escape our notice, that as a devout attention to the nature of those principles and motives by which we are governed in the exercise of our benevolence, is absolutely necessary in order to constitute it a part of our Christian character, and to render it the subject of a safe responsibility, so our doing good from right principles and motives, is the only adequate security that we have for doing good with vigour, activity, and perseverance. Let the

ostentatious alms-giver be removed from the gaze of the multitude-let him be so situated, that few or none can observe whether he is liberal or niggardlylet such secrecy be imposed on his movements, as that his "left hand shall scarcely know what his right hand doeth;"—and immediately the fountain of his charities is dried up, or it sends forth such a scanty stream, as to be at once imperceptible and useless. Let the man who is bountiful, with the view of acquiring worldly patronage, and gathering filthy lucre, find that his bounties will no longer advance his secular interest; and if he does not become oppressive and cruel, where he formerly showed kindness, we shall see him degenerating into cold indifference, or

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giving with a reluctant and parsimonious hand. And let him who is active, and ardent, and generous in conveying instruction to ignorant children, and putting Bibles into the hands of ignorant adults, because such exercises of spiritual compassion have come into vogue among the great and the noble of the land, discover that these exemplars of his benevolence begin to relax in their exertions, or to withdraw their support;—and he soon ceases to engage in what he once seemed to delight in, and leaves, without a sigh, the young and the old equally to perish for lack of knowledge. The considerations which influence these persons, and all others who are like-minded, are so variable in their nature—so dependent on external circumstances-so much connected with transient emotions, that no confidence can be placed either in the abundance or in the perpetuity of those charitable doings which owe their birth to them. But the considerations which lead the true Christian to do good may be trusted in, as at once powerful and permanent. A sense of duty, derived from the paramount and immutable authority of God-gratitude to the Saviour for mercies that are inestimable and everlasting-enlightened views of mankind afforded by the volume of divine revelation, and compassionate feelings for their present and future happiness, awakened by the Spirit of love-a solemn anticipation of the reckoning which Christ will enter into at the last day, for the treatment which is here given to his poor members and the hope of dwelling for ever in that blessed region for whose happiness charity is the chief preparation, as it will be one fertile source of it,

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these are the principles which actuate a genuine believer in his benevolent practice; and whosoever is impelled and regulated by such principles, must do good zealously, diligently, and continually. He will do good whether the admiring world look at him He will do good in spite of opposition, and obloquy, and ingratitude. He will do good as often as occasion presents itself, and as long as the talent is intrusted with him. And, therefore, those are the best friends of philanthropy, who, instead of being contented with works of charity, to whatever motives they may be traced, are anxious to have the motives pure, and holy, and godlike; as those are the best philanthropists themselves, who most nearly resemble the Saviour, not only in his works of charity, but also in the spirit and the temper with which he performed them.

3. It seems to be the opinion of some, that, while it is incumbent on us to do good, it is in many cases not merely allowable, but positively a duty to accomplish our object even at the expense of moral virtue. Accordingly, they will not scruple much to commit a fraud, or to utter a falsehood, if that be necessary, for the more easy, or the more speedy attainment of their benevolent end. And, in particular instances, they have been known to violate the principles, not only of justice, but of humanity itself, in order to confer some signal favour on the persons whom they were desirous to assist or to protect.

This great practical error may be traced to that radical defect which was considered in the last particular we discussed. If a person's heart is not renewed, and under the habitual government of worthy

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