CHAPTER VI.

ON THE BLESSINGS

OF THE CHRISTIAN

TEMPER IN SOCIETY.

THE two great banes of human virtue and peace, are the corruption of the heart, and the unrestrained indulgence of the tongue: "the heart conceiveth falsehood, and the tongue uttereth it." The first is deceitful, and desperately wicked;" its movements are constantly inclined to evil, and requiring a strict watch and discipline: "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.*""The tongue," saith

* Prov. iv. 23.

the Apostle, is a fire; a world of iniquity, that defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and is set on fire of hell:"-" The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly member, full of deadly poison.*"

David frequently laments these evil propensities in himself." Set a watch,. O LORD, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips; O, let not mine heart. be inclined to any evil thing. ""Make me a clean heart, O GOD, and renew a right spirit within me."

That divine code of Christian laws, given by our SAVIOUR, in his Sermon on the Mount, should be the constant study sincere believer and we shall

of every there see, even the crime of adultery

* James iii. 6. & 8. + Psalm cxli. 3,.4.

Psalm li. 10,

traced to the heart.*-And in all His precepts, HE inculcates restraints on the first advances of sin.

Envy, hatred, and revenge, have their first beginning in the evil thoughts of the heart our SAVIOUR therefore provides against the greater evil, by forbidding the less: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill: But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say, "Thou fool," shall be in danger of hell fire."

Here, the evil motion of the heart, and the bitter language of the tongue, are both absolutely forbidden..

Against resentment, hatred, malevo

* Mat. v. 28.

Matt. v. 21, 22.

lence, harsh judgment, and censure, the most aweful punishments are denounced for we are told, that as we judge others, we shall be judged ourselves; and with what measure we mete, it shall be measured to us again: that if we forgive not men their trespasses, neither will our Heavenly FATHER forgive ours.*",

In that divine prayer, left us as a model for our devotions, we ask forgiveness of our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.

I should suppose there are few people that call themselves Christians, who do not repeat this prayer on their knees, at least once a day;-but I fear, they do not reflect, that if they repeat it with an

* Matt. vii. 1, 2. & vi. 15.

unforgiving temper, and a heart rankling with malice and ill-will;-if there is a single trespass against themselves, for which they feel even resentment; they invoke the judgment of HEAVEN on their heads, with their own lips; for they pray that THE ALMIGHTY will remember and punish their sins, as they at that moment remember and resent the sins of another against them.

It therefore behoves every one that would escape the wrath to come, to clear his heart of every sensation of unforgiveness against another, before he presumes to approach THE ALMIGHTY with any petition for himself; and this is our SAVIOUR's express command:-"If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest, that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be