you, Christians, something more is expected from your principles and your professions. Shew us wherein the distinguishing peculiarities of your religion consists. You are to rise higher than the smoothness of mere civilization. You are to exhibit a magnanimity worthy of the name you bear. If ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so?' You profess more, therefore you should act better than others.

"4. This spirit is a pledge and presage of blessedness, both here and hereafter. 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and curse you;' for the curse causeless shall not come; yea, it shall be turned into a blessing. God will make your cause his own, and will abundantly repay you for your lenity and forbearance.

"5. This leads me to observe, that the peace and serenity of our own minds will be best consulted, by forbearing to avenge our wrongs, and by acting upon the requirements of the text. The man whose mind meditates revenge, and cherishes the dark designs of retaliation, must be every thing but happy. That revenge is sweet,' is an accursed maxim of the infernal school; it can only be so, to him, who has been tutored in the malignant rudiments of diabolical policy, and has sat in blind docility to learn of him who is a murderer from the beginning.' You cannot bestow a more charitable service upon your fellow-creatures, than to extirpate from their breasts this root of bitterness; to step in between their vengeful purpose, and its baneful execution; to withhold their steps from violence, and their hands from vindictive retribution. How much greater would be the happiness of families, of neighbourhoods, and of nations too, were the

principles of our text allowed to predominate. What domestic alienations, what parochial discords, what national animosities, would be extinguished by the prevalence and triumph of these Christian sentiments! We are all hastening, my brethren, silently, but certainly, to the extreme goal of our mortal race; and in that solemn hour when we must pass from time into eternity, all men are agreed that rancorous enmities must be laid aside. Who would think of putting to sea in a storm? And who would venture into the presence of a righteous Judge, his heart boiling with rage, and reeking with the thoughts of vengeance. Even savages, who have lived in mutual enmity, interchange some tokens of amity when either of them is about to expire. But we shall find ourselves greatly mistaken, if we suppose that the habits of revenge, rivetted upon the soul by the cherished practices of a whole life, can be suddenly renounced in the valley of the shadow of death. It is not then, that the Ethiopian can change his skin, and the leopard his spots;-It is not then that the sinner can doff his evil customs, just as the serpent slips its scaly folds. Nohe who chooses to live in the atmosphere of vengeance, and dies in it, will pass into his own place, the place of vengeance; where a cup mingled with his loved, but deadly draught, will be wrung out to him, even to the very dregs. Contrast with this scene, the happiness of the man who shoots the gulf of eternity, loving and beloved, forgiving and forgiven, remitting all debts and injuries, in the hope of a final acquittal and full remission at the tribunal of his Saviour and his Judge."

The object of the Fourth and concluding division is to meet some objections which have been raised against this Christian doctrine.

"Fourthly. I promised to meet a few of the objections which are raised against this Christian doctrine.

"1. It may seem to some persons,

that the line of conduct here recommended, would argue imbecility, cowardice, and meanness. This insusceptibility to the resentment of wrongs, say they, is dastardly, base, and ignoble. I contend that it is the very reverse. To conquer the spirit of revenge in your own bosoms, is a far more arduous enterprise, a far more glorious achievement than you can gain from the most studied and successful acts of retaliation.Prov. xvi. 32. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. This is the criterion by which you are to ascertain the quality and measure of true glory. It is the glory of a man,' not to revenge, but to pass by a transgression. Here is a field for the display of genuine heroism, and sound magnanimity. Shew me the man who has been taught to subdue his passions, to forgive his enemies, and to return good for evil, and I will prove to you, that he stands out to the view of all competent judges in heaven and earth, covered with a robe of richer splendour than ever adorned the heroes of Agincourt, or Blenheim, or Waterloo. Compared with his laurels, the garlands that a Cesar wears are weeds.' The preacher may be tauntingly bid to go and broach these notions, on the markets, and the exchanges, in cabinets and courts; to deal out his impracticable and Utopean system in the places of public concourse, and amid the various bustle of resort. He can only say, he hopes, that were his voice capable of being extended to such places, he should have grace given him to be true to the principles he has this day avowed, and to maintain them, in the teeth of a jeering world, even unto blood.

"2. It may be objected, that if these principles should be acted upon in general society, men of an injurious character would become more insolent, violent, and cruel than ever; and receiving no check, would go on

There is some

from bad to worse. plausibility in this objection, and we would meet it by saying, that in all moral questions we have simply to ask, what is duty, without anticipating consequences, which, perchance, may never follow, and thus reducing the subject to a mere question of expediency. It should not be our first enquiry, whether it is safe for us to act rightly, but rather our fixed determination to do what God has commanded and Christ has sanctioned both by precept and example, in the face of all consequences. For there is a watchful Providence ever at hand to cover with the invulnerable shield of its protection, those who confide in God while they resolutely pursue the line of duty. But supposing that we are enabled to do good to them that hate us,' if they have a spark of ingenuousness remaining in their composition, will they not rather be softened, shamed, and subdued by the gentleness and generosity of the Christian temper, than encouraged to new outrages, and additional acts of aggression?-And if, on the other hand, it should happen that they have not a single trace of ingenuous feeling in their nature, is it not probable that a different line of conduct, on our part, would goad them into a more exasperated madness, or harden them into a more unrelenting sternness, or, at least, produce so dangerous a reaction of the bad passions, as might prove more detrimental to our tranquillity and comfort than the ebullitions of their original indignation?

"3. It may be objected, that all relative duties are mutual and reciprocai; so that if there be a violation of the obligation on the one part, there follows a release from the obligation on the other part. This, indeed, is an hypothesis which has been gravely maintained, but which, were it admitted to be true, would overturn the basis upon which this discourse is reared, and sap the

foundation of all moral obligation whatsoever. It is making morality nothing more than a covenant, or compact, between two human be ings, and if one of them should fail in fulfilling his part of the indenture, the covenant is broken, and its obligation is annulled. Whereas, Christian morality has its foundation in the will of the supreme lawgiver, and that will must be my standard, whether other men, in their conduct towards me, may respect it and appeal to it or not. Christ has said, Love your enemies-there's no reciprocity there; do good to them that hate you—no return of mutual duty there, and as little of either in what follows; bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use you.' The fact is, that Christianity teaches us, and also enables us to discharge with conscientious fidelity, our duty to others, though they may fail in their duty to us. Their violations of duty towards ourselves, will not materially injure us, unless we should be drawn or driven by this means, into a breach of our own duty. And this would be a species of retaliation upon others, which must eventually rebound upon ourselves. No man can essentially hurt us, unless he can set God and our own consciences against us; and this is only to be done by involving us in the commission of sin. Though a father should refuse to fulfil the duties of a parent, the son is not therefore relieved from the burden of filial piety and duty. Though a child be stubborn and rebellious, the parent is not to relax in the duties of patience, compassion, reproof, and corrective discipline. And this may be affirmed of all other duties founded in the will of God. Away then with that code of modern ethics, which would devise a method for repealing the divine laws, equally novel and expeditious, namely, by the violation of them; but violation is no repeal. If another fail in duty to me, it is my calamity and my cross; but if I fail in my duty to him, it is my folly and

my sin. What a different spirit did St. Paul discover, when he declared to the Corinthians and I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.' And to Timothy, Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.'

4. It may be objected, that, after all that has been said, the plan of feeling and action here submitted, cannot be avowed, and followed out in its practical results, without exposing a man to derision and contempt. If, my brethren, ridicule were the test of truth, either as to Christian faith or Christian morals, this might be deemed a fatal objection; but as it happens, there is no test more unsound, more uncertain, and more despicable. It is the argument of fools, and is seldom employed till the quiver has been exhausted of every other dart. In this sense, I am sure we may say, ' of laughter it is mad, and of mirth, what doth it.' There is nothing so true, so sacred, so venerable, so sublime, but it may become the butt of mockery to the impious and profane. But, I trust, you have not so learned Christ as to be laughed out of your principles, your convictions, your duties, and your happiness. Should the universe combine to hiss down the distinctive peculiarities of the Christian scheme, whether in the doctrines it reveals, or the practice it enjoins, I trust you would remain moveless as the rock amidst the dashing of the waves and the roar of the tempest; or like Milton's Abdiel, 'firm though single.' The Holy Spirit stands engaged to patronize the principles of the Gospel, and to ensure their ultimate triumph over the prejudices, the scandals, and the insults of all its foes. In the mean time, if ye are reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the Spirit of God and of glory resteth upon you. On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer

as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as a busy-body in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf.' While, therefore, we are looking daily and hourly to the fulness in Christ Jesus our Lord, for the succours of his all-sufficient grace, by which alone we can be qualified for the performance of this difficult duty; let us make it our stedfast resolve, that we will never designedly grieve a friend, never willingly create an enemy, and never deliberately revenge an injury.”

Extract from the Life of Cecil
Lord Burleigh.
To the Editor.

SIR,—I am sure you will not be unwilling to call the attention of your readers to the sentiments of so great and wise a statesman as Cecil, Lord Burleigh, the upright and religious minister of Queen Elizabeth, on the subject of Peace. I therefore beg leave to offer for this purpose a few extracts from the life of that celebrated man, in "Macdearmid's Lives of British Statesmen."

"Instructed both by history and observation, that war was the great means of wasting the resources of nations, he obstinately resisted the efforts of those rash and ambitious spirits, who perpetually endeavoured to plunge the nation into hostilities, with a view of advancing their own reputation and fortunes. He had ever on his lips the salutary maxims, 'that war is soon kindled, but peace very hardly procured; that war is the curse, and peace the blessing of God upon a nation; and that a realm gains more by one year's peace, than by ten years war.' By these pacific counsels, the Queen, from the soundness of her understanding, and her aversion to expence, was usually swayed. On a few occasions, a longing for military glory, or an attach

ment to some favourites who were men of more ambition than discretion,

and of more show than wisdom, caused her to disregard the dissuasions of Cecil; but a more serious reflection seldom failed to dispel her illusion.

"The moderation and wisdom of Cecil, in adhering resolutely to a pacific system, deserve the more applause, as the condition of Europe, at that period, was particularly calculated to tempt an English minister into extensive wars. While Scotland and France were torn by intestine convulsions, and the rebels often able to overpower the sovereign; the Low Countries, which had revolted against Philip, seemed determined to endure the last extremities, rather than again submit to his dominion. England alone enjoyed internal tranquillity; and, by uniting with the insurgents of either country, might have acquired both a large addition of territory, and such other concessions as may be wrested from a weaker power. But Cecil well knew that conquests were not the true road to national aggrandisement; and that his country would suffer more in her resources and real strength from an extensive and protracted war, than she could gain from its most successful results.

"At one period, while Elizabeth was engaged in the war with Spain, Cecil, who was anxious to bring about a termination of hostilities, found in the Earl of Essex a powerful enemy to his pacific schemes. This youth, who had acquired some glory in the Spanish war, and eagerly panted for more, stood forward as the vehement opposer of Cecil's propositions for peace; and his influence over the Queen's affections, joined to the other considerations which we have mentioned, was sufficient to counteract the intentions of the minister.

"Cecil was no less interested for the glory of his country than Essex. Yet while he felt how much security depends on political reputation, he also perceived the folly of attempting to render a nation glorious by wasting