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commandment is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart; and the second is like unto it, viz., Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." There can be no pure religion without it; no grace of the spirit, no approbation of God. But we must be very careful, that we obey the second commandment as well as the first. Young Christians are sometimes quite ready to say they love God, as though they might say this, with great propriety, if they thought of nothing else they might say as a proof of their advancement in the Christian life. Sometimes, at religious meetings, when the clergyman urges the young, with great earnestness, to rise and speak of their experience in religious things, they will say, “I have not much to offer, but I think I can say, I love God;" as if this might be said with less reflection than anything else. Now, in truth, there is nothing that requires greater heartsearching than the inquiry, Do we love God? And before we answer that question affirmatively, let us be sure we love our fellow-men; for God will sooner excuse us for neglecting to love Him, than for neglecting to love one another. Hear the opinion of the eminent Apostle John,

in this matter: "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?" 1 John iv. 20. This commandment have we from Him, that he who loveth God, love his brother also." There is great force and beauty in the parable, so beautifully paraphrased by Leigh Hunt:

“Abon Ben Adem, (may his tribe increase.)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw within the moonlight of his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adem bold;
And to the presence in the room he said,
'What writest thou?' The vision raised its head,
And with a look made all of sweet accord,

Replied, the names of those who love the Lord." "

That was what he wrote, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one," said Abon.

Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel; Abon spoke more low,
But cheerfully, and said, "I pray thee then,

Write mine as one that loves his fellow men."

If he could not have his name go down in that golden book as that of a man who loved God, he

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sought the next rank, viz: to have it go down "as one that loves his fellow men."

"The angel wrote-and vanished! The next night,
He came again, with a great wakening light;

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! BEN ADEM'S NAME LED ALL THE REST."

Fourth. We come now to the fourth particular in which charity is greater than faith, or hope, and this is the last that we shall name-It is of endless duration. Faith and hope belong to earth, but will not exist in heaven. Charity shall live in heaven, and shall never die. That high Christian virtue abides now on the earth with faith and hope; but faith and hope will not abide in heaven with charity. In the presence of the Infinite One, faith shall be lost in sight, hope shall be swallowed up in fruition; but charity shall shine with more than terrestrial glory.

"The morning star is lost in light;
Faith vanishes at perfect sight;
The rainbow passes with the storm,
And hope with sorrow's fading form:
But charity, serene, sublime,
Beyond the reach of death and time,
Like the blue sky's all-bounding space,
Holds heaven and earth in its embrace."

God will be in heaven, and he is love. Jesus will be there, and his spirit is the spirit of love. The atmosphere of heaven is love. The angels dwell in love; and the spirits of all who shall be . raised to the immortal state, will be filled with love.

"No strife nor envy there,
The sons of peace molest;
But harmony and love sincere
Fill every happy breast."

May we so continually contemplate this blissful scene, that it shall beget within us a heavenly mind.

"Oh! may this prospect fire

Our hearts with ardent love!
And lively faith and pure desire
Bear ev'ry thought above."

Let us, while in this mortal state, cherish faith in God, in all his promises. Let us not be turned away from his word. Let us keep our faith pure, and do all that lies in our power to keep the faith of our fellow men pure. Then they will have a cheering, purifying hope, which otherwise they cannot possess. "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of

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perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." Col. iii. 14-17.