Let us exanaine throrouglily the effects of our sorrow, and see whether they accord with those which were produced in the Church at Corinth ? Can we appeal to God, that we have " approved ourselves to he clear in this matter," so that there is no room to doubt whether our repentance be genuine or not ? If God were now to call us to his judgment-seat, could we appeal to him, as the searcher of our hearts, that it has been, and yet is, our daily endeavour to exercise such repentance as this ?
Let it be remembered, that all other repentance must, and will, be repented of: all other repentance will leave us short of salvation : all other repentance will deceive us to our ruin. Our blessed Lord has told us, that, " except we repent, we must all perish:" and we have now seen the nature of re- pentance, not in a mere superficial manner, but as it may be distinguished from every thing that is apt to be mistaken for it. Behold then, life and death are before us ; let us beg of God to undeceive us all, and to give unto us that -repentance which shall never be repented of.]
MMXXXn.
2 Cor. viii. 1 — 5. Moreover, brethren, we do you to loit of the grace of God bestoioed on the Churches of Macedonia ; hoiv that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and be- yond their power they were zvilling of themselves ; praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the felloioship of the ministering to the saitits. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their oivn selves to the Lord, and unto us by the tvill of God.
THE texture of the human mind is extremely delicate : and every one, who would produce any beneficial effect upon others, must approach them with tenderness and care. We may, by an unseason- able urgency, cause a person to revolt from a measure, to which by a more gentle address he might have easily been persuaded. The mind of man naturally affects liberty ; and will be more powerfully moved, when its decisions appear to be the consequence of volition, than when they are called forth by the com- pulsory influence of persuasion. This the Apostle