When the country is prosperous and happy, let him eat the fruits of honest labour with a grateful and cheerful heart. When God is pleased to send distress, let him support his share of it with patience, and do every thing in his power to lessen the distresses of others; and if it be the will of God that this great and severe trial should continue, still let us all say with the Prophet, and let us say it from our hearts, "Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the GoD of my salvation." To Him be glory now and for ever. Amen.

* Hab. iii. 17, 18.

SERMON XIII.

ACTS X. 38.

Who went about doing good.

THE enemies, as well as the disciples, of

our blessed Saviour have in every age borne witness to the benevolence of his character, and have owned that charity is the glory of that religion which he taught. That he went about doing good; that the wonders of his power were displayed in showing mercy and pity; that he lived to instruct, to assist, and to relieve, those whom he died to save; these are truths which are confessed by all who believe the scriptures. He was sent to heal the broken in heart; none ever applied to him for relief in vain. He shed tears at the tomb of Lazarus. He had compassion on the unhappy widow who had lost her only son.

He felt for all who were in affliction. Even those who had least reason to expect it, shared his pity. He wept over that ungrateful city in which his sacred blood was to be shed; the last miracle before his death was performed to heal one of the soldiers who were sent to take him ; and he prayed for his murderers, while he hung bleeding on the cross. His parables, as well as his miracles, every where abound in proofs of this exalted virtue. His Sermon on the Mount contains the noblest lessons of humanity. virtue was displayed in every part of his life, and he recommended it in his last charge to his disciples, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. "* The effect of these instructions was for some time so remarkable amongst the disciples of our LORD, that it led the heathens to say, "See how these Christians love one another."

This

Alas! my brethren, were those heathens to take a view of many countries where this divine religion has been for ages established, would they now have reason to say, See how these Christians love one another? Yet if such be the true spirit of the gospel, can those pretend to be the dis

John xiii. 34.

ciples of CHRIST, who seek only their own advantage or pleasure, who injure and oppress their neighbours? Certainly not. The Christian must constantly endeavour to do good. Following the example of his Great Master, he will comfort the afflicted, support the weak, and heal the broken in heart. He will, as far as lies in his power, deal out bread to the hungry, clot he the naked, and visit the sick. It is not enough that we do no harm, that none can accuse us of dishonesty or cruelty. We must do good. The world is full of sorrows, and it is the duty of the Christian to relieve them. It may be said, and with truth, that charity is the glory of this nation; and perhaps there never was a country in which so much attention was paid to lessen the sufferings of the poor. The constant relief afforded to them by parish rates, the establishment of such numbers of schools and hospitals, and the large sums given in private charity, are as honourable to the rich, as they are useful to the poor. These things should be thankfully acknowledged by those who receive such comfort; and GoD grant they may bring down a blessing on the heads of those who give; that all may be united by the sacred bond of kindness and gratitude and

all in their different stations, may be thankful for the blessings they enjoy from regular and just government, proper subordination, and Christian charity. But while we give due praise to those amongst the higher classes who practise this heavenly virtue, the poor may possibly think that nothing which can be said on this subject relates to them. They have perhaps nothing to give; their hardest labour only procures necessaries for their families. They cannot enjoy the pleasure of doing good, they cannot share in the blessings promised to those who thus follow the example of their LORD. This, my beloved brethren, is a very common, but it is a very great mistake; and it shall be my business in this discourse to point out the duty of the poor in this respect, and to show them how they may contribute to the happiness of their fellow-creatures, and draw down on their own heads the blessing of God.

In order to prove this, let me beg you to take a view of the principal distresses to which we are subject in our passage through this world, and to consider how few of them can be relieved by money only. When we are tortured by pain, will money remove it? When we have lost a darling child, will riches bring him back again?