THE OCCASION. THERE are in our country, at the present moment, a great many devotedly religious persons, who are very exclusive in their religious views; and their numbers are daily increasing. There are also a great many others who have no toleration for these exclusives. Thus, exclusiveness on the one hand, is met by intolerance on the other. Coldness, or else mutual recrimination follows. And very many who are noted by the world for their religiousness, exhibit to the world, instead of the fruits of the Spirit, only unsocial feelings, or angry passions. Instead of "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance," they exhibit moroseness, contention, haste, anger, in a word, all the opposites of the Christian graces. Our blessed Saviour said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one toward another."+. He gave to the world mutual love among his followers, as the criterion of true discipleship. But his words are disregarded. The many in the church, just like the many in the world, love each other only when they happen to be of the same society or party. Whereever there are differences, then, in the church, just as in the world, there are contentions. Are we to wonder, then, if the world, not caring to inquire into the merits of religious questions, but always quick to observe faults * Gal. v. 22. John xiii. 35. among those who profess to be religious, should form hard judgments of religion itself, which appears to them to be the cause of such perversion of the social affections, and of such disturbance of society? Are we to wonder if the world should wish to attenuate, or even at once to extinguish, religion? No. The world has good ground to stand upon when it condemns those whose conduct and profession accord so ill. The children of this world are in their generation wiser They feel they are safe in resisting the religion which bears such bitter fruits. They know that it cannot be the true religion which actuates the contentious man; and hence their power. And hence the severity of those stripes by which the self-dividing and self-consuming church is now chastised by the world, which has always been united against it, but never was so strong before. than the children of light. "All the law," says St Paul," is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."* Such is the code of Christian morality. And this is all. How heavenly in itself! How congenial to the warm and grateful heart to keep it! But how went it with the keeping of this law, even in the Apostles' days? "If ye bite and devour one another (the Apostle adds), take heed lest ye be consumed of one another." And how goes it with the keeping of this law in the present day? Have not we as much need to take heed as the first Christians had? Have we not more? We have not, like them, supernatural endowments amongst us to keep us together, and to enable us to make head against the world, and to convince it. In our case every thing depends on our Christianity. Inspired guidance has ceased. Miracles have been withdrawn ; and if charity fail, what will become of us? Plainly, in that case, we cease to be of the Church of Christ; for, in the Church of Christ, Gal. v. 14. + Gal. v. 15. charity never faileth.* "Whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; and when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." But charity never faileth. Now, looking around us, is not one unwarrantably exclusive, and another unwarrantably intolerant of the exclusiveness of the first (let me not say of his own exclusion)? Well, then,-why this on either hand? Is it that we ought to "contend,”—that we ought "to strive for the faith of the Gospel." Good. Only let it be against the "adversaries" of the Gospel, and in the way which the apostle commands, when, in this one instance, he speaks favourably of striving, that is, let all of us, "standing fast in one spirit, with one mind, strive together."+ Or is it in general terms that we must maintain truth, oppose error, and preserve communion and religious intercourse pure, because this alone is true Christian wisdom, this alone the wisdom that is from above? Good again. "The wisdom that is from above is first peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, and full of and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." It is first pure. But, trusting that this refers to doctrines, how, let me ask, is this purity to be sought and exemplified? The apostle informs us in the next clause. "The fruit of righteousness," says he, "is sown in peace.” And would but all those who love righteousness and truth, instead of indulging in the irascible movements of Self, mistaking them for holy zeal, only mark this characteristic of heavenly wisdom, and in the terms of it, begin to sow in peace henceforth-Oh, then, what a beautiful spring-time in the church! what a blessed revival of pure, then mercy James iii. 17. |