SERMON VI.

ON THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR.

MATT., CHAP. XIX. VERSE 19.

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

As I had by no means exhausted the subject of my address to you on the morning of last Sunday, I resume it now in order that I may place it in all its important bearings before you. The words of the Saviour in the passage to which I have called your attention are too explicit for evasion, too distinct to hang a doubt upon, too plain to be misunderstood. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." This is the bond of social intercourse, the test of that interchange of kindly feeling which we are commanded by Almighty God to entertain towards each other.

Now, as it is evident that the love of ourselves is the first law of nature, so is it equally evident that the love of our kind is the first law of

hath seen, now can ne not seen?"

It is abundantly evident to our o how deeply we are the objects of the and the command of God incarnate at no loss to discover how deeply also creatures should be the objects of it because they are united to us by t human relationship, but because the beings whom God has created and b tion adopted as his children, thereby them, under the degradation of a venant, with "the means of grace and of glory."

We shall readily perceive that th to love our neighbour as ourselves a cludes the exercise of this feeling as since there is no sensuality attached of self, the actuating motive of w advancement of our own interests, w ritual or temporal.

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those who are united to us by the more t ties of consanguinity, we may nevertheles tertain for them the most benignant sentin and whatever their moral degradation, e towards them those feelings which we s exercise towards ourselves, were we in a si position. The fact is, that the exclusive lo kindred is more an arbitrary law of nature of religion; for all have an equal right to love, and they only are justly entitled to a l measure of it, whether our kindred by blo not, who have rendered themselves most f objects for the love of God. The princip our duty in this respect is laid down by a spired teacher ; "be not overcome of evil overcome evil with good." No provocation t fore can warrant the withholding our love a kindred being, however he may neglec duty towards us.

It is a hazardous thing to assume th person is not entitled to our sympathies, be

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felicities of his everlasting kingdom in forming our judgments of others, it that we should put the question ho own bosoms, whether under similar we should not have been similarly g let our self-love decide between ou the delinquent whom we may feel condemn. If under such circum should still love ourselves, it is equa to love him, for as the Apostle declar law is fulfilled in one word, even in shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." We are all creatures of circums or less, and we may rest assured that of human guilt is measured by th stances. He who had only one tal expected to return ten, though he was expected to return more than o all have sinned, even the most righ come short of the glory of God," 1 can be only relative. We are g relation to the circumstances unde live. If a good man were found su