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the crucified Redeemer be forgotten, or overlooked by us, in the secret movements of our souls; although man cannot know it, the Saviour knows it, and he cannot possibly accept with approbation our contributions and our doings; for in such case it is not him we serve, but our own vanity, or our own good name. It is the praise of man we are aiming at, and not the praise of God.

These hints will, I hope, induce us all to cherish a spirit of watchfulness, and to be instant in prayer, that our motives may be pure and sincere, that our eye may be single, that it may never be turned away from the cross and crown of our divine Lord; that we may be workers together with him, and labour or suffer with him; that we may now fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, be ever cleaving to Jesus, for our life is hid with Christ in God; and that we may be permitted at last to reign with him for ever and ever, joining in the celestial song of Moses and the Lamb, and reciting, throughout eternity, the praises of him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; to whom be glory and dominion, Amen and Amen!

Topics of an Exhortation founded on the preceding

Discourse.

The cause of Christian missions is the cause of Christ.
He has commanded them to be undertaken.

The heathen nations are given to him as his inheritance. When he sees their conversion, he sees of the travail of his soul, and is satisfied.

He has commanded ordinary means to be used :— Go and teach all nations.

The idea of waiting for miraculous interference has been acted on, but does not seem warranted. Chinese, supposed to be the most difficult language under heaven, has given way to the use of means.

Christian missions are Christ's cause, and love to him should constrain every Christian to aid in sending forth missionaries, and supporting them, till churches be formed amongst the heathen.

SCHOOLS.

Neglect of children raises up careless men and women, who neglect the next generation, and onwards the world grows worse.

Tuition of children raises up a generation of men and women who teach the next generation of children, and the world is improved.

To assist the poor in educating their children is doing them the greatest service.

And to bring little children to the Saviour must be pleasing to him.

Jesus, the Son of God, who once

For us his life resign'd,

Now lives in heaven, our great High Priest,

And never-dying Friend.

Through life, through death, let us to him

With constancy adhere;

Faith shall supply new strength, and hope
Shall banish every fear.

To human weakness not severe

Is our High Priest above;
His heart o'erflows with tenderness,
His bowels melt with love.
With sympathetic feelings touch'd,
He knows our feeble frame;
He knows what sore temptations are,
For he hath felt the same.

But tho' he felt temptation's pow'r

Unconquer'd he remain'd;
Nor 'midst the frailty of our frame,

By sin was ever stain'd,

As, in the days of feeble flesh,

He pour'd forth cries and tears;
So, though exalted, still he feels
What every Christian bears.

Then let us, with a filial heart,
Come boldly to the throne
Of grace supreme, to tell our griefs,

And all our wants make known :
That mercy we may there obtain

For sins and errors past,
And grace to help in time of need,
While days of trial last.

DISCOURSE XVII.

DELIVERED AT HOXTON ACADEMY CHAPEL, FEBRUARY 6, 1825.

REGARD TO THE AFFAIRS OF OTHERS.

PHILIPPIANS, II. 4.

"Look not every one on his own things, but every one also on the things of others."

THIS sentence of St. Paul's letter to the Christians at Philippi, I consider as a precept addressed to those only, whose hearts are imbued with a principle of love to God and man; for if addressed to an unregenerated heart, or a mind destitute of a principle of piety and benevolence, it would produce nothing but mischief. A selfish creature's looking on the things or affairs of others, and intermeddling with them, can effect no good to that other person: but, contrariwise, may do him much harm. The looker-on, if he sees wants, does not relieve them, if he sees imperfections, he exposes them, instead of endeavouring to hide and remove them; if he sees inconsistencies and follies, he ridicules them and pours forth his contempt; if he sees weaknesses, he endeavours to avail himself of them, to benefit and aggrandize himself: therefore it is only he who loves God with all his heart, and his neighbour as himself, that can look on the things of others, and attend to them, in a manner that is beneficial to those other persons. But all sincere Christians profess to love God and their neigh

bour; therefore I shall feel justified, in addressing Christians on this occasion, to exhort them, individually and collectively, not only to look to their own affairs, but also to the affairs of others. And in the way in which I have guarded the application of this principle, I shall not feel myself justly chargeable with an endeavour to inculcate a spirit of improper interference; the spirit of a meddlesome person; a troubleseme busy-body: nor yet shall I feel justly charged with calling upon persons to neglect their own affairs, and officiously interfere with the affairs of others; or, as the Chinese express it, neglect their own field, and affect to cultivate their neighbour's;-leave their own door choked up with snow, and run to sweep the snow off their neighbour's house-top. There are such persons in the world, but Scripture and reason condemn them; and although selfishness, and a hard-hearted indifference to the cause of God and man, may caricature, and with such allegations calumniate an enlarged benevolence; we maintain that it is not difficult to distinguish a pernicious busybody, from an ever active and benevolent good man. Religion must not be neglected and set aside, because there are hypocrites; nor must a Christian draw back and retire within himself, because there are ambitious, bustling, noisy, and would-be philanthropists.

Our text says, "Look not every man on his own things," and a caviller may say, it teaches a man to overlook his own affairs and neglect them, in order that he may attend to the affairs of others, which is a proceeding altogether unreasonable. But those acquainted with the idiom of the original language, know that the meaning of the passage is not thus; but that it directs every man to look at, or regard, in all he says and does, not his own welfare only or solely, but also to have a regard (at the same time that he studies his own welfare) to the temporal and spiritual welfare of others. It is well known that the New Testament teaches Christians to be sober, to be vigilant, to be watchful, to be industrious in all that concerns their own hearts, their personal and domestic interests, and to seek the good of the land they live in; and therefore every

candid reader will interpret the expression in our text, in the way which has now been done, and consider it as directed against the demon or idol of self, which regards not the discomfort, the ignorance, the want, the misery of others; but which is wholly absorbed about its own things. Self-gratification, which is totally regardless of the misery occasioned to others, is the cruel idol worshipped by the man of pleasure; self-interest is the idol of the covetous, a false god, much worshipped in Christendom, as well as in pagan lands; self-aggrandizement is the idol of the ambitious; and self-ease, self-comfort, and self-edification constitute a sort of household god, secretly worshipped by many a pious Christian.

Butcharity seeketh not her own" exclusively; a spirit of heaven-derived benevolence loves her neighbour as herself, regards not only her own gratification, interest, aggradizement, ease, comfort, edification, and happiness; but also desires and labours to promote all these in reference to other persons, families, districts, and nations. The idol of self is thrown down, and God and his creatures are restored to that place in our affections and regards, which is their just right.

Although each person cannot make his or her individual exertions universally beneficial to others, still a spirit of universal benevolence can be cherished, and be productive of the greatest benefit, by disposing the heart to do good to others, whenever or wherever, on every possible occasion, an opportunity is presented. Those who cherish this spirit never say, when it is in the power of their hand to do good, "This is not my concern; that man is not a Jew, but a Samaritan; or he is a Jew, and not a Samaritan, and I will pass by on the other side, and leave him in his distress, and will turn my attention home, for charity begins at home." No; the principle we advocate would prevent this selfish pretext; and I do maintain, (although the sentiment be in opposition perhaps to the opinions of some good men,) that the idea of universal benevolence is not a useless visionary notion; but it is a rational, scriptural, christian idea; and my reason is this:-Christians are in

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