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of reconciliation with God afforded to sinful men. This is that good and saving truth which God teaches us here by the mouth of his prophet. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. This is that reasonable service which God has a right to require of all his rational, intelligent, and dependent creatures. This is the sum and substance of the Law of Moses and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For thus God was pleased to address the Israelites in old time. And now, Israel, what does the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day, for thy good?*

Many of the prophets speak exactly the same truth as Micah, and especially the Prophet Hosea, who saith, speaking in the name of the Lord, For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings. This agrees also with what our Lord himself taught his disciples, when he said, Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me, i. e., by faith, seeking for salvation. He taught also the same doctrine as the prophet on another occa

sion.

When one acknowledged that there is one God,

*Deut. x. 12, 13.

+ Hos. vi. 6.

John vi. 45.

and that to love the Lord with all the heart, and his neighbour as himself, is more than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices, he declared that he was not far from the kingdom of God. We see then the same system of religion revealed to both Jews and Christians, the same in the spirit if not in the letter; and we see also that it is a wise and salutary system, adapted to promote the glory of God, and the eternal welfare and happiness of mankind. What remains for us to do but to follow the directions of the prophet, To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. The way of salvation is so plainly revealed to us, that we are without excuse if we perish for lack of knowledge. Every humble and honest inquirer after truth may learn to know it by the light of Divine revelation, if he will but seek and inquire concerning it. There is now no difficulty in distinguishing truth from error, except what arises from our loving darkness rather than light. Let us then attend to the reading and preaching of the word of God; let us lay aside our indifference, and repent of our neglect and abuse of the means of grace; let us learn to understand what the Lord requires of us; let us forsake every refuge of lies, and endeavour to do justly and to act rightly. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour ; and, Whatsoever we would that men should do to us, let us do even so to them. In the next place, Be ye merciful, as your heavenly Father also is merciful. Let all bit+ Luke vi. 36.

* Ephes. iv. 26.

terness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another. For if ye forgive not men their trespasses against you, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses. And let us remember, that he who sheweth no mercy, shall have judgment without mercy.t

*

If we are truly merciful, we shall love mercy; we shall take pleasure in the exercise of charity, and delight in doing good. We shall remember the infinite and unmerited mercy of God as manifested to sinners through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we shall seek that grace which is offered us in the Gospel, to enable us to repent of our sins, to believe and obey the truth, that we may obtain the salvation which is provided for and promised to the penitent, the believing, and the obedient.

In the last place, let us learn to walk humbly with our God, by confessing our original and actual sins, and by turning to him with true repentance. Let us acknowledge, with the Patriarch Jacob, O Lord, I am not worthy of the least of these thy mercies. And let us learn to confess with the same humility as the Prophet Jeremiah: It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not; they are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.§ Finally, let

* Ephes. iv. 31.
Gen. xxxii. 10.

† James ii. 13.
§ Lam. iii. 22, 23.

us follow the admonition of the Prophet Hosea, from a serious consideration of this subject: Therefore turn thee to thy God; keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.*

*Hos. xii. 6.

NOTE.-Page 41. A right to relief, &c.-On introducing the New Poor Law into the House of Commons (April 17th, 1834), Lord Althorp is reported to have said, that "in making the statement he had done (relating to the abuses under the old law), he begged not to be understood as expressing his disapprobation of a well-regulated system of Poor Laws. So far from that being the case, he was of opinion that a well-regulated system of Poor Laws would be productive of great benefit to the country. He was aware that he was now expressing an opinion contrary to the more strict principles of Political Economy. Indeed, those principles went further, for they even prohibited the exercise of private charity itself. But as long as we were accessible, not only to the feelings of religion, but to the dictates of humanity, we must be convinced that the support of those who were really helpless, and really unable to provide for themselves, was not only justifiable, but a sacred duty on our parts."

NOTE.-Ibid. But no law, &c.—“In all countries laws were instituted in support of religion and morality, of civil and social rights. The laws of a Christian people should therefore never be at variance with the laws of the Gospel."-Sermon of the Bishop of St. David's, before the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, in the Abbey Church, Westminster, January 30th, 1807.

SERMON V.

THE

DIVINE RULE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

MATTHEW vii. 12.

THEREFORE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER YE WOULD THAT MEN SHOULD DO TO YOU, DO YE EVEN SO TO THEM; FOR THIS IS THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS.

THE excellence of the moral precepts of the Christian religion forms one of the brightest evidences of its truth. Universal charity was FIRST taught by our Saviour, as a duty incumbent upon all his followers. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye love one another; by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.* This benevolent disposition is made the great characteristic of a Christian, and the test by which the sincerity of his faith and religious profession is to be tried. It is that charity which is so forcibly described by the Apostle Paul. And now abideth faith, hope, charity-these three; but the greatest of these is charity. We will confine our attention simply to the commandment of our Lord in the text; a com

* John xiii. 34.

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