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this exclusive love to God is never known to a selfish mind.

The next commandment is to love our neighbour as ourselves. How plain and clear is this! -and who can but love it, that delights in righteousness! It is a hard saying to those that disbelieve. But self must be crucified and slain. All which becomes an idol is to be given up to the moles and the bats; and all who prefer themselves to others, must subject their wills to the will of the Lord. But look over the professing Christian world. Where is the possessor of righteousnes? And how prevailing is selfishness! Under the influence of selfishness we cannot comply with the commands of God. By rejecting it we are brought into a condition not to prefer ourselves; and this is the true charity that the apostle speaks of. The charity of the gospel teaches us not to build up ourselves on the ruins of others, or to prefer our own good to theirs. This is the peculiar property of that charity which "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things”—of that charity which never faileth, and which brings the soul into communion with God Almighty. It introduces it into the band of pure love, from which nothing can separate it, "neither life, nor death, nor angels,

nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor heights, nor depths, nor any other creature." Neither shall we be separated from Christ if we comply with his commands. His will was in conformity with the will of his Heavenly Father, and bound up in the same bundle of life and light. He was made Son of Man that he might be made Son of God. The children of men wanted a perfect example. They were brought into discouragement, and he came forth and showed them that they might attain this life by living according to the manifestation of God's will, subjecting themselves to his commands, depending upon his power, and in this way living a life of righteousness. It is by his blessed example that we must be judged, for he showed us the way of righteousness by his doctrine and testimony, and sealed it with his blood. Unless we follow this example, our case may be fatal. How many Babel-builders are there now in Christendom, erecting towers, the tops of which they intend shall reach to Heaven! But those who build by the letter are dead, for the letter always killeth, to the true life and righteousness of the gospel. In this tower they collect the best materials of earthly wisdom, like the sons of Noah who had brick for stone and slime

for mortar. So the Christian professors at the present day have the scriptures of truth, which are an effect, a record of that divine wisdom which is above all the knowledge and sciences of the earth; and with them they are building towers, the tops of which they intend shall reach to heaven. If we build a tower so as to serve a valuable purpose, we should go to God as our foundation. But what are we building with? Is it with the divine wisdom, or our own creaturely imaginations? How much better would it be to turn inward, and gather materials there for erecting that spiritual building which would be an everlasting covering to us in the storm! We live indeed in the enjoyment of all outward blessings, but what are our returns of gratitude? How can we manifest the gratitude we owe to the Lord, but by surrendering ourselves wholly to him! Take home with you therefore these reflections, and consider whether your love is fixed upon your Heavenly Father. We all have one supreme love, and that decides the will. If our greatest concern is to procure to ourselves a name, and praise, and popularity among men, we acknowledge that we do not love God, and that all our religion is to make gain of the profession of godliness.

A religion without godliness or righteousness is worse than none. Those who thus profess it are hypocrites, and those are better who profess nothing. They are in a more dangerous condition, even than those who are indifferent about it, and make no profession at all. Let such as have only the form of godliness, by a close investigation, search out their own hearts. Nothing is to be lost, and every thing to be gained by such an examination. Can we hope to deceive the Almighty? Can we, by forms and ceremonials, and by the vain fashions of a deceitful world, expect to elude his justice? Would to God that this might not be the case of one individual present! But it is fatally true that there are many, up and down, making great professions of religion, who have little of the fear or love of God. The doctrine which pu

rifies the heart and directs the life unto salvation, produces a fear in the mind of wounding that which we love. We are always anxious so to mark our course as to retain the affections of a beloved object. God invites us to give up self-to come out from the world, and to place our vain desires on the altar of self-denial. The only way to become the sons of God, is to be led by the spirit of God. As we make him our God, we become his sons and daughters.

There is no other way of obtaining relationship to him. We must surrender our earthly delights, and if we do not, it is equivalent to attempting to take away his prerogative. We should not exercise a will independently of our Heavenly Father. A disposition to do so, is the spring of evil to our souls, and by it we are led to prefer our own will to the will of God. But the sacrifice must be first made, before we can attain unto righteousness. It is a hard saying that "except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." What does it mean? It intends that unless ye take up the same spirit, and yield with the same submission to your Heavenly Father, thereby partaking of the holy nature which enabled him to perfect the great work which he was sent to accomplish, ye have no life in you. The simile of an animal was made use of, as one animal finds sustenance by the flesh of another, partaking of the same nature, and obtaining nourishment therefrom. Let me therefore, tell you for your encouragement that if you counteract not the strivings of his spirit, and are willing to bow to his sceptre, you may become the children of God -the sons and daughters of the Most High. Blessed condition! I speak from experience what I have seen, and what my hands have