and without love be nothing,-be without that which alone prepares me for heaven.

And though, to make merit with God, I should bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I should give my body to be burnt to obtain his favour, without love it would profit me nothing.'

What is the nature of this charity, this love, so indispensible to make our services to God acceptable?

'Love suffereth the failings, and wickedness, and unkindness of others, and yet retaineth kindness and good-will towards them. Love envieth not the superior advantages of others, or their endowments, or riches, or happiness; real love rejoiceth in all these. Love boasteth not of its own superiority, and is not dated by it, never behaves haughtily, ut is gentle, not preferring its own gratfication, not easily displeased,—unvilling to think evil of the objects be

loved, but rejoicing in their advancement in all true goodness.

• Real love beareth all things; believeth all favourable things; hopeth every good thing, and in hope endureth every painful thing.'

This love, so beautifully described by St Paul, is a definition of that love so frequently, and solemnly, and particularly inculcated by Christ, as that new commandment' which he gave to his disciples; and we ought to examine our knowledge of, and obedience to, Christ, by this test. Many take refuge in the recollection, that they have never injured any one,-in their benevolence,-in their alms-giving. But do they, and have they, loved every neighbour, rich and poor, with this love described by inspiration? Is it the spontaneous, ready, firs feeling of their hearts, towards every human creature? And not only so, bu are they long-suffering with every on hoping, enduring? Let us not deceiv

ourselves, by attempting to explain away this description of perfect charity, so as to make it agree with the partial, imperfect good-will towards those who never injured us, which we call benevolence.

Chris

tian love is of the very nature of that love of which Christ himself gave us an example; it is a principle in us, not by nature, but implanted by his Spirit, to make us meet for His presence, who is love; and is declared to be one of the fruits of the Spirit.' Yet this very grace is claimed by the world, as one of those virtues which it triumphs in possessing, and in which it far exceeds strict Christians. We only ask those who make this claim, to examine the nature of true charity, and true benevolence, by the description of them given by St Paul; and leave their consciences to decide, whether it bears any resemblance to that compact for overlooking each other's vices, which they call charity. For ourselves, let us look at this perfect law of

love, and while we perceive how far short we still are of fulfilling it, cling closer to Him without whom we can do nothing; and earnestly implore his Spirit to impart to us, from that fulness which is treasured up in him, more of this indispensible grace, which is the reigning principle in heaven, and without a portion of which, we deceive ourselves if we suppose we are his disciples.

Let us pray.

HOWARD's Prayer.

"O thou high and lofty One, that inhabitest eternity, whose name is holy!thou Almighty so little feared!-thou Omniscient so unknown!-thou Omnipresent so forgotten!-we desire to feel thy presence, to bow our souls in the dust before thy holiness, and thy longsuffering patience,―to confess, that wert thou to enter into judgment with us,

it not.

wert thou to show us our sins in the light of thy holiness, we could not stand before thee, nor answer for one of a thousand. Yet thou art our Father, O God! the source and end of our being,—separated from thee, our existence is continued death. But, O God! we choose to separate ourselves from thee,-we cling to death. Thou art light, but we hate thy light, and choose darkness. Thou art love, but in our darkness we believe O God! what return can we make to thee for thy glorious,-thy subduing method of proving to us that thou art love? What return can we make to thee, who art the image of the Father? -Thou brightness of his glory!-thou mighty God!-thou Beloved!-who left the Father's bosom to become an infant of days, a servant of rulers,-a man of sorrows, to be rejected and despised,to bear our griefs,-to suffer the chastisement of our peace, to have all our iniquities laid on thy innocence,―to heal