chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons: for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

IV.

But salutary and beneficial as sufferings are, and are intended to be in our present state, and frequent as the calls for compassion are ; this world, in which we live, is not, nor was intended to be, a house of mourning.

The voice of joy and satisfaction, on the contrary, is nature's voice, and greatly prevails.

And even this temper of pity and compassion, the seeds of which are sown in all, manifestly points out the benevolence of our kind creator, in the midst of those very pains and evils, with which he has seen it right to try and afflict us.

He would not have any of his creatures pine away in secret grief, and suffer unpitied and unrelieved. And therefore he has planted this advocate for the afflicted in each other's breast, which makes us unhappy in the sight of another's unhappiness, and constrains us, for our own quiet and ease, to labour to mitigate their sorrows. And he who giveth all things to all, hath to some imparted a larger share of

this world's good, to bestow on their needy brethren, that none may go without a child's portion, and be left destitute.

What all of us are to guard against, is a hard unfeeling heart, or indolence of temper equally pernicious, which stops our ears against the cries of the wretched, and makes us unmindful of the wants and miseries of others.

V.

Lastly. We read continually in the history of our Lord's life, that he was eminent for that humanity and tenderness of mind here recommended to us. But then, although our Lord's feeling mind was full of compassion for the miseries of this mortal state and men's bodily sufferings, and therefore gladly exerted his miraculous power to restore such poor objects as were brought before him, this was but an inferior consideration with him in re spect of healing the disorders and maladies of their minds, their pride, and malice and vicious disposition, which still more deeply excited his compassion, as threatening their more durable misery and ruin.

His principal and ultimate view therefore, in all the miracles which he wrought, especially

in this most striking one of raising the dead, was to benefit men's minds, and lead them to see the hand of God in his mission, and appointment as a divine preacher, and thereby to bring them from the paths of vice to virtue and goodness, and to an entire resignation to God, and obedience to his laws.

This was always uppermost in his thoughts; and lay near his heart.

It is a very affecting picture which St. Matthew gives of him in this respect, (ix. 35-6.) "And Jesus went about all their cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd."

every disease

A compassionate concern for the souls of men, joined to a constant unwearied active endeavour to save them from vice and ignorance and ruin, was indeed the most striking and prevailing feature in our Lord's character, and which he discovered upon all occasions. He was grieved that any of his fellow-creatures, the reasonable creatures of God, should be destitute of the means of true religion and

of

of improvement in virtue; the only foundation of real and lasting happiness.

And we ought all to strive to copy after this most amiable part of his character; for it belongs to all of us, and is attainable by all, in some degree. If we are concerned, as we cannot well avoid being concerned, for the want and pain which men suffer in their bodies we ought much more to grieve for their loss of virtue and goodness, and the sure and lasting misery which that will entail upon them, and to make every effort for their recovery, before it be too late.

But this compassionate temper and labour for the spiritual and moral proficiency of others is seldom found; because the greater part have no concern for their own everlasting And they who love not truth and virtue themselves, can have no desire to bring others to that which is holy and good.

state.

But better things I trust will be found in us, who have so great advantages above many others.

Unto God be glory in all things, and for

ever!

PRAYER.

O God, who art over all, blessed and mag

nified for ever!

Who

Who hast made and conductest all things by the rules of thy most perfect wisdom and goodness. Although thy ways are oftentimes not to be comprehended by us, or by any of thy creatures, the most exalted!

We desire humbly to adore and acknowlege thy fatherly providence and care over us: that although thou seest it fitting to place thy reasonable creatures, in the beginning of their existence, in a world where pain and sufferings abound, for the exercise and improvement of their virtues, and thereby to advance them to higher degrees of happiness and of thy favour:

It hath pleased thee nevertheless to mitigate the unavoidable sorrows of this mortal state by planting kind affections in our breasts one towards another, which carry us out mutually to succour and assist each other.

Teach us, O heavenly Father, to follow this thy heavenly leading which thou givest us in our very frame and constitution; to feel another's woes, and to take pleasure in searching them out and relieving them, to be ready to spread the comfortable light of thy truth to those that are in error and darkness, and