of ultimately benefiting his soul, we can bear up under his ill treatment with much long-suffering and forbearance. This at least is the proper effect of love; as we see in St. Paul, who says, " I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." It is not a slight provocation or two that love will overlook, but a long-continuance of provocations : it will forgive, not once, or seven times, but seventy times seven. It will continue to bless even the man that loads us with curses, and to accu- mulate benefits on him who seeks only to do us evil. It so endures evil, as " not to be overcome by it ;" and makes such returns for it, as to " overcome it with good." Its great aim is, so to " heap coals of fire on the head of an adversary, as to melt him into love." In this consists the triumphs of the God of love ; and in this will every one who is born of God endea- vour to resemble his heavenly Father.]
Hence we may see,
1. How different is true religion from what men generally apprehend !
[Far be it from us to undervalue gifts of any kind, espe- cially of those which have a favourable aspect on religion : and still less would we speak lightly of those alternations of hope and fear, of joy and sorrow, which many experience in their religious course. But still we must say, that vital religion is different from them all, as a building is from the scaffold that is used for its erection. Religion is a conformity to the Divine image : religion is the law of God written in the heart : religion is love ; love in all its bearings, and in all its exercises. Happy would it be if this matter were better understood by those who profess religion : but, with too many, religion has its seat in the ear and in the tongue, rather than in the heart; and operates rather in a way of conceit and talkativeness, and un- charitable censures of those who differ from us, than in meek- ness and modesty, benevolence and beneficence, forbearance and forgiveness. But let no man deceive himself: just so much as we have of real, active, and habitual charity, so much we have of true religion, and no more.]
2. How little is there of true religion in the world !
[Look into the world, and see what are the dispositions and habits of all around us : what do we see, but pride and envy, wrath and malice, self-seeking and self-indulgence ? The whole world is full of uncharitableness : nothing is to be seen or heard but mutual censures and bitter animosities. The real actings of love are as little prevalent, I had almost said, as in hell itself The laws of the land, and the habits of society,
336 1 CORINTHIANS, XIII. 9—12. [l987.
keep many from those violent breaches of charity which would disturb the public peace : but their secret heart-burnings, to- wards those who have injured or insulted them, shew sufficiently how little there is of true charity in their hearts.
Would to God that this were not the case also in the Church of God ! But it is a lamentable truth, that in Christian societies there is much of this unkind feeling in one towards another ; brethren alienated from each other by some trifling differences, and even harder to be reconciled to each other than the un- godly world. " O tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ascalon, lest the uncircumcised triumph." But let professors look well to this matter : for they shall be judged, not by their profession, but by their practice : and, however eminent they may be in the estimation of men, they will receive their doom from God, according to the actings of this principle in their hearts and lives.]