selfish indifference in the first place, and selfish resentment afterwards, being both equally common in our bad nature. So in our warfare against evil that one weapon which Christ forbids, is the one which men most readily seize; while all those others lie neglected, which he not only allows, but commands us to use. Persuasion, reasoning, unwearied activity, and a manifest neglect of our own interests, nay, even of our own lives, in promoting the cause of good, all these are things that will do far more than violence; and on the use of all these we may justly expect a blessing from our Master. By these means two of the greatest evils which the world has ever seen were overcome-the combats of the gladiators under the Roman empire, and the slave trade in our own times. I need not say by what patience, and activity, and devotion of time, money, and faculties to the work, the friends of the abolition gradually succeeded in opening the eyes of their countrymen to the dreadful wickedness of a system which had so long been practised without scruple. But it should ever be remembered, for the encouragement of those who labour to put down evil by the Christian arms of truth and meekness, that that same act of carrying away slaves from Africa to our colonies, which

in the memory of men still living was practised. and talked of with as much indifference as any other branch of trade, is at this moment considered by the law of England a capital felony; and any man who engages in it is liable, if detected, to be punished with an infamous death. The story of the gladiators is perhaps less commonly known; but though it happened long ago, it is well worth mentioning, as an instance of a Christian resisting unto blood, striving against sin. In the times of the Romans, one of the favourite amusements of the people was to witness the battles of gladiators, that is, men who had been either taken prisoners in war, or who had been stolen from their country by slave dealers, and who were obliged to fight with one another at Rome as a public entertainment. Several hundreds of persons were thus slaughtered every year in mere wantonness, and this practice had gone on for many centuries without any opposition. When the Romans became Christians, or rather began to be called so, the people still frequented these shows with great delight, although some good men had begun to endeavour to procure their suppression. At last a Christian named Telemachus determined to try whether he could not accomplish this object by the sacrifice of his

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own life. He went from Asia to Rome, he was present at one of these combats, and he went down upon the stage to try to part two of the men who were then engaged. The spectators were made furious by this interruption of their sport, and killed Telemachus on the spot, by overwhelming him with stones. But the horror of this additional crime strengthened the efforts of those who were labouring to put a stop to these combats; and a law was passed and enforced, by which they were abolished for ever.

There is one thing more which I may mention, in which we should do well oftener to remember the example of Christ, who came not to judge the world, but to save the world. In bestowing kindnesses upon our neighbours, and particularly in what we may endeavour to do for the relief of the poor, it very often happens that we meet with an ungrateful return, or if not so personally, yet those whom we have assisted make an unworthy use of our bounty, or their characters may be such that we feel apt to be disgusted with them, and think that they do not deserve that we should do any thing for them. Now I certainly do not mean to say, that bad people should receive as much assistance and encouragement as good

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ones or that, in cases of very scandalous wickedness, we are not bound to mark the offenders, so as to show them and others how

greatly Christians abhor sin. But so long as we associate without scruple with a great many persons whose lives are far from what they ought to be, we ought not to withhold our kindness from the poor, because they also are not what they ought to be. A great deal of imprudence, a great deal of murmuring, much wastefulness and neglect of the aid we offer, and much that is generally faulty in their whole lives; these we shall often find, and we must earnestly labour not to be offended at them. It will be often a hard effort; for faults of a different sort from our own, and in a rank of society with which we are not quite familiar, are apt to strike us strongly; and the anger and disgust which they occasion, seem to us to be nothing but a proper dislike of evil, and a sense of justice. But it may, perhaps, somewhat soften us towards them, if we remember that they are not altogether so different from our own as we might at first sight fancy. Do we shew no imprudence in the great concern of our lives, not exerting our common sense to avoid temptations, or to gain the means of overcoming them? Do we never murmur, if not

at our general condition, yet at some of God's particular dispensations towards us; at the disappointment of some favourite scheme, at the want of success in life, at the neglect or insufficient attention which we fancy that we meet with? Wastefulness and neglect of the aid given us! These surely are faults which if we censure in others, it is indeed trying to pull the mote out of our brother's eye, regarding not the beam that is in our own. Time, money, strength, abilities, influence, faculties, and gifts of every kind, how constantly and how greatly do we waste them; how constantly too do we neglect the aid which is given us, and instead of improving and cherishing the serious thoughts and good resolutions which the Holy Spirit puts into our hearts, we let them be driven away by other cares and other pleasures, till they at last will return to us no more. And for general badness of conduct, if God were to bless us only according to our worthiness, what would be the portion of the best of us! If he were to withdraw his gifts as soon as we ceased to deserve. them, how soon should we fade away in his displeasure! Herein God commendeth his love to us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the blood of his Son. But