ployed, the sum of whose terms of | jun. Treasurer; Rev. Pitt Clark, labour is about sixty years! Rev. Otis Thompson, Rev. Richard Trustees. This Society, besides supplying many destitute families and individuals, within its limits, with the precious volume of Divine Truth, has been able to contribute, occasionally, to that stream of Christian benevolence, which flows through the broad and deep channel of the American Bible Society. ORDINATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS. 1824. August 17th. Ordained as an Evangelist, at New-Haven, Conn. Rev. BENJAMIN CHASE. Sermon by Rev. Dr. Spring, of New-York, from Acts xxvii. 16-18. Ordained, as an Evangelist, at Chester, Vt. Rev. UzzIAH C. BURNAP. Sermon by Rev. Dr. Bates, from I. Tim. iii. 1. Ordained, at Newburyport, Mas. Rev. WILLIAM FORD, as Colleague with Rev. John Giles, over the 2d Presbyte- | rian Church. Sermon by Rev. William Jencks, of Boston. 1824. September 1st. Installed Pastor of the 2d Congregational Church in Medford, Mas. Rev. AAHON WARNER.Sermon by Rev. Dr. Porter, of Andover, from I. Cor. i. 23, 24. 1824. September 29. Installed Pastor of the Congregational Church in the West Precinct of Attleborough, Mass. Rev. THOMAS WILLIAMS. Sermon by Rev. Dr. Emmons, of Franklin. SELECTED POETRY. THE HIDING PLACE. Awake, sweet harp of Judah, wake! When God's right arm is bar'd for war, 'Tis he, the Lamb, to him we fly, Thus, while we dwell in this low scene, To him, though guilty, still we run, While yet we sojourn here below, Yet courage!- Days and years will glide, Then pure, immortal, sinless, freed, Shall meet the Father, face to face, Erratum.-In our last, from page 176 to the end, there is a mistake in the num We much bers over the pages. It was not discovered, until too late to rectify it regret the circumstance; and request our readers to correct the error with the pen, as preferable to having it run through the remainder of the volume. -Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment: And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. [Concluded from page 197.] IMPROVEMENT. I. If true love to one's neighbour, is disinterested and impartial; we may hence see the errour of those, who teach, that love to our neighbour grows out of love to ourselves. This is taught by most of those, who discard the doctrine of disinterested benevolence. In order to avoid the infer ence, which that doctrine involves, that we ought to be willing to relinquish our private interest, when the publick interest requires it, they vindicate the vulgar maxim, that charity begins at home. They say, that men ought, in the first place, to love themselves; and that it is contrary both to nature and reason, for them, on any consideration whatever, to relinquish their own happiness. But lest they should be thought to maintain the monstrous position, that a regard to the general good is to be excluded from the motives of action,' they say, that "extended benevolence is the last and most perfect 6 fruit of the private affections." Their theory, in brief, seems to be this; that, in the exercise of true love, one begins with supreme love to himself: he then proceeds to love his nearest relatives and friends, whose happiness is most intimately connected with his own, and most essential to it: and from these, he goes on to love his fellow-creatures, more remote, until, at length, his love becomes univer sal. The order of nature is, evermore, from particulars to general As, in the operations of intellect, we proceed from the conformation of general abstractions; templation of individuals to the so in the developement of the passions, in like manner, we advance from private to publick affections, from the love of parents, brothers, ed regards, which embrace the and sisters, to those more expandimmense society of human kind."* Some have run to this extreme, in order to avoid the philanthropy * Sermon on Infidelity, by Rev. Robert Hall. of the infidels, which scarcely | requirement of the Divine law. If wears the semblance, while it men ought to love their fellowclaims the character of disinterest- creatures as themselves; then they ed benevolence. Others have been ought to treat them as they would led into this specious theory, in be treated by them, in an exchange consequence of not making a pro- of circumstances. Such a line of per distinction between the natu- conduct towards one's fellow-men, ral affections and love. The natu- is the natural expression and diral affections, unquestionably, em-rect consequence of loving them as brace their objects, in the order himself. It is impossible for any mentioned above: but the natural one to obey the second commandaffections, though they may be ment in the law, without conformmotives to love, are not love itself: ing to the great rule of conduct they are involuntary, and without laid down by our Saviour. any moral quality: they belong to the intellectual, or animal part of man, and not to the heart; whereas love, in all its branches, is ever free and voluntary. But more, it is apprehended, have embraced this theory, because it makes true love to our neighbour altogether selfish, and directly opposite to that, which the Divine law re'quires. A supreme regard to private interest, which is the root of this unscriptural scheme, can never grow into general benevolence, how widely soever it may extend its branches. If it embraces relatives, friends, country, and even the whole family of mankind, it maintains the same character, loves them for its own sake, and is but selfishness still. Whereas, that love to our neighbour, which the Divine law requires, is disinterested and impartial. He, who truly loves his neighbour as himself, values his happiness, not because it may be conducive to his own, but because it is valuable in itself, in proportion to his capacity for enjoyment and rank in the system of being. 2. What has been said, respecting the nature of true love to one's neighbour, may serve to show the ground of the golden rule of our Saviour, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." This rule of conduct has its foundation in the 3. From what has been said, we may learn, why we ought to do more for some of our fellow-creatures, than for others. That we ought, seems plainly implied in the words of the apostle, "As we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith— If any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." But, why ought one to do more for those of his own house, than for other neighbours; or for the household of faith, than for them who are without? Not merely because they are connected with himself; for their interest is not the more valuable on that account; and much less, because their happiness may involve his own; for this would be the same, as to love them for his own sake. The question, then returns, Why ought one to do more for those of his own house, and for the household of faith, than for others? The answer may be, that one ought to do more for the members of his own family, than for his other neighbours, because Divine Providence has placed them under his peculiar care, and given him opportunity and ability to do more for them than for others, and excited him to do it, by implanting in his breast a natural affection for them. Again, it is incumbent on a Christian to do good, in a special manner, to the household of faith, because they sustain to him the relation of brethren, in whom he should feel a peculiar complacency; and because they are the excellent of the earth, and so more worthy of regard than other men. It is not necessary to exercise one selfish affection, or ever to act with the least partiality, in bestowing all that care and attention upon relatives and friends, and rendering all that beneficence to the household of faith, to which nature prompts, and the apostle exhorts. 4. It will follow from what has been said, that there was nothing improper or extravagant in the prayer of Moses and the wish of Paul. When Moses went up to make an atonement for the sin of Israel, in worshipping the golden calf, he prayed to God for them, saying," If thou wilt, forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book, which thou hast written." When Paul beheld the nation of Jews, generally rejecting Christ and exposing themselves to the wrath of God, he was filled with great heaviness and sorrow of heart, and said, "I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." These holy men, the one in his prayer, and the other in his wish, express a willingness to make a sacrifice of their own interest, to prevent the eternal ruin of thousands of their countrymen. And however strange and unwarrantable such a willingness may appear to such as are lovers of their own selves only; our subject shows us, that it was perfectly reasonable and right. It was the duty of Moses and Paul, as it is of all men, to love their neighbours as themselves. Neither the meekest man, nor the chief apostle, had a right to value his own interest more than that of any other child of Abraham of equal capacity for happiness. Surely, then, they were both bound to value the interest of hundreds and thousands of their countrymen, more, vastly more, than their own. Moses in his prayer, and Paul in his wish, only expressed, what, no doubt, they felt, that very love to their neighbours, which the Divine law requires, and without which, their feelings and affections towards their countrymen, would have been totally selfish and sinful. 5. This subject shows us the meaning and reasonableness of Christ's new commandment, compared with the declaration of his apostle John. Our Lord said to his disciples, a little before he left them, A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another; EVEN AS I HAVE LOVED You, that ye love one another:" and John writes to his brethren, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." This commandment, as given by Christ and recognized by John, enjoins upon Christians a kind of love or benevolence to their brethren, which involves a willingness to make a great sacrifice, when necessary to promote their greater good. Christ actually laid down his life for his people: and there have been, and may be cases again, in which Christians, by sacrificing their own lives, might preserve the more useful and valuable lives of their brethren. This new commandment of Christ means no more, and requires no higher exercise of love, than the second commandment in the law, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." This love being of a disinterested and impartial nature, ever involves a willingness to un dergo a personal evil, to prevent, a greater publick evil, and to relinquish a personal good, to procure a greater publick good; or, in other words, that love, or benevolence, which the law of God requires, ever. prefers a less evil to a greater, and a greater good to a less, without any private, personal considerations. The essence of true friendship, is that disinterested, impartial love, which fulfils the law, and which prompts men to 'do good to such as hate them; and to lend, hoping for nothing again.' And hence, 7. We may learn, why the apostle calls love, "the bond of perfectness," i. e. a perfect bond of union. Men may be united by selfish affections, so long as their interests are apparently the same, and each one thinks he can bene 6. Our subject teaches us the nature of true friendship. This is a word frequently used among men, expressive of a virtue often profess-fit himself by promoting the wel ed, but too seldom exercised. After describing the vices and crimes of the heathen, the apostle mentions those, who "not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." Sinners have a complacency, or pleasure in the character and conduct of sinners; but this is something very different from true friendship. There is, also, a sort of apparent benevolence among even the vilest of men, which bears the name, but lacks the natue of true friendship. To this our Lord alludes in the following words, "If ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them who do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again." This benevolence, which sinners feel and express towards each other, is merely mercenary; it is loving others only for one's own sake, and doing good to them solely with a view to obtain as much, or more in return. This is nothing but selfishess at bottom, and the very reverse of true friendship, which ever sets a just value upon the interest of its object, and does good to others, not from the hope of reward, but from a real regard to their welfare. fare of the rest. But the moment their interests appear to be separate, and to stand in opposition to each other, their union is at an end. And hence it is no uncommon occurrence, for those, who were apparently, warm friends, to become, on a sudden, bitter enemies. Whereas those, whose hearts are "knit together" by that love, which the law of God enjoins, can never have separate or conflicting interests. Each one truly values and seeks the happiness of every other, and is willing to relinquish his personal interest, whenever the greater good of the rest demands the sacrifice. union, cemented by such love, must be indissoluble. A 8. Our subject exhibits the ground of the obligation, which lies upon Christians, to propagate the gospel. It is their duty to love their fellow-men of every nation, as themselves; and, of course, to do to them, as they would have them do, in a reverse of circumstances. The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty, in which the inhabitants are perishing for lack of knowledge. It is in the power of Christians to send them the gospel, the divinely appointed means of their instruction and salvation. pleases God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe." Hence the imperious eb 66 It |