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suppliants of their kindness. posed to the bigotted maxims, and narrow doings of many among ourselves, who never cast a generous look beyond the little circle in which they move, who provide plentifully for those who immediately depend upon their aid, who will care for a near relative, or for a near neighbour, but are deaf to the cry that reaches them from a more remote claimant, however destitute and afflicted; and who meet every application for the exercise of an enlarged charity, by the maxim, that "Charity begins at home," and show by their practice, that, in their opinion, charity also ends there.

All this is quite away from the teaching of Christianity, and quite at variance with it. Nor, indeed, does it appear, that any thing but Christianity can soften the heart that is so hardened, or break down the barriers which thus confine and repress its best sympathies. But when we examine this dispensation in all its aspects on the duties and happiness of men, we observe it inculcating in every possible way the benevolence which travels round the globe in search of its objects, and overleaps all the obstacles and discouragements which it meets with in its heaven-directed journeyings. Besides giving us a clearer enunciation than we had before, of the truth that God is the Maker and Preserver of us all, it brings to light the still more affecting discovery, that he is the Redeemer of us all, and that the love which he has manifested, and the salvation which he has provided, have respect to men of every kindred, and of every tribe, of every rank, and of every condition, throughout the wide world. And then He points

to this exhibition of the divine character, as furnishing a model for the direction of ours, so that we may be merciful, as our Father in heaven is merciful." Again, when we look to the conduct of his incarnate Son, whom he sent to die for us, to speak instruction, and to exemplify what he taught, we find that we should neither be submissive to that great Prophet, nor resemble that pattern of all excellence, unless we extended our compassions and our beneficence to every child of mortality whom Providence has placed within our reach, or committed to our protection. Nor is it unworthy of notice that the duty of doing good, in this comprehensive sense, is not merely set before us by the Gospel, in the great principles from which it must emanate, and in the example by which it is recommended, but it is moreover presented in the form of a commandment, authoritatively announced, frequently repeated, earnestly urged, and powerfully sanctioned, so that there is no escaping from the obligation, but by being insensible to the most endearing and instructive manifestations of the divine love, or by being disobedient to the plainest and most solemn enactments of the divine law.

But while Christianity thus breathes in its very spirit, and enjoins in its plainest precepts, and enforces by its most attractive examples, the exercise of good-will and of good offices to all men, it has no affinity to the theory which breaks down all the distinctions arising from relationship, vicinage, religious faith, country, acquaintanceship, and other circumstances of that kind, and teaches us to take within one undiscriminating embrace the whole hu

man race, and even to abandon the certainty of being useful to the individuals with whom we come in contact, for the purpose of communicating some speculative advantage to our species at large. It is just as remote from such Utopian and impracticable notions, as it is hostile to the other extreme, of limiting all our kindness to those who are beside us, or closely allied to us. It bids us look-not with an equal, but-with a benevolent eye, on all our fellow-creatures. In this, as in every other respect, it adapts itself to our original nature, and to the ties by which we are necessarily united with one another; and, without violating or encroaching on any of the obligations which these impose, it requires us to feel and to act as citizens of the world. According to its primary lessons, we are to love and "provide for our own," our families, our kindred, our neighbours, our friends, our countrymen ; and doing good to these, agreeably to the special and proportional claims that they have upon us, in preference to such as, in the providential arrange-, ments of our lot, are more remotely connected with us, we are then to "do good to all," with such impartiality, as that there shall be to us "neither Jew nor Greek, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free," and that no distance of place, or difference of colour,-no inferiority of station, or poverty of estate, no distinction of party, or opposition of interests,-no contrariety of belief, or degradation of character, or rancour of hostility, shall alienate one human being from our kind regards, or prevent us from imparting to him whatever comfort and whatever assistance the necessities of his case may demand.

Dr. COTTON MATHER, the author of the following work, was distinguished for his diligence in "doing good." His views on the subject were sound; his practice corresponded with his opinions and professions; and he has recorded them for the direction and encouragement of others. In his small volume, we recognize the production of a man of learning, of talent, and of true philanthropy; and we discover in it a concise statement of most of those ideas which now prevail on the interesting topic to which it refers, and the germ, as it were, of many of those institutions by which our country is at once blessed and adorned. We do not mean to affirm, that he is right in every sentiment he expresses, or in every advice that he gives. He sometimes errs; but his errors are those of a generous heart, and they are always so much associated with what is substantially excellent and wise, that we speedily forget them, and only remember those sound general principles, and those admirable practical details, which so thoroughly pervade bis pages. When he proposes to reward children for committing passages of Scripture to memory, "with silver, or gold, or some good thing," and when he gravely affirms, that every man should give at least a tenth of his income to charitable uses, we are disposed to wonder or to smile at what, after all, is nothing but a mistaken zeal for godliness and good works. But when we find him making this the grand inquiry, "How may I become a blessing to the world?" and, "What may I do that righteousness may dwell on the earth?"-when we find him uttering such a sentence as this, "The slavish

boisterous manner of education too commonly used, I consider as no small article in the wrath and curse of God upon a miserable world;"-and when we find him not only inculcating the great duty of benevolence, but showing how every man, in every situation, may perform it, and applying his general maxims to a multitude of individual cases which are commonly overlooked in our plans and efforts for doing good,-we are strongly impressed with the conviction, that he was a person of singular endowments, that he had a thorough insight into the nature of man, and the interests of society, and that he combined deep piety to God with the most fervent and enlightened charity to his fellow-creatures. His" ESSAYS TO DO GOOD," are worthy of the perusal of every one who would be instructed, and quickened, and animated in the work of beneficence. They have been of great service ever since they were given to the public. The celebrated Franklin avows his obligations to them in strong terms: "If I have been a useful citizen, as you seem to think," says he, in a letter to the Author's son, "the public owes the advantage to that book." Many hints have been borrowed from this book, and embodied in individual efforts, and public institutions, without any acknowledgment. This omission Dr. Mather (had he lived to witness it,) would, we are sure, from the tone and complexion of his character, have overlooked, in the midst of his disinterested satisfaction, that some portion of the object he aimed at had been accomplished. And we have equal confidence, that he would have heartily seconded our desire for more hints still being taken

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