this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?—Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh ?-9 and 10. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity-And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day.

ZECHARIAH, VII., 9 and 10. Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:-And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

MATTHEW, V., 44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.

JOHN, XIII., 34 and 35. A new commandment I give unto you; That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.-By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

ROMANS, XII, 14 to 18. Bless them which persecute you; bless, and curse not.-Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.-Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.-Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. -If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.-21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.-XIII., 8 to 10. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.-For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not kill; Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not bear false witness; Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

1 CORINTHIANS, XIII., 1 to 13. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become

as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.-And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.-And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.-Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.-Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;— Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;- Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. -Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.-For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.—But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, 1 thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.-For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.-And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

COLOSSIANS, III., 12 to 14.-Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering;-Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.-And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfect

ness.

1 TIMOTHY, VI., 17 to 19. Charge them that are rich in this world. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;-Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

JAMES, II., 5. Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 14 to 18. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?-If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,-And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the

body, what doth it profit ?-Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

1 THESSALONIANS, V., 14. Now, we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men.

1 PETER, III., 8 and 9. Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrary wise blessing:-IV., 8. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves, for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

CONFUCIUS.-Eschew vanity and pride.-Although thou hadst all the prudence and ability of the ancients, if thou hast not humility, thou hast nothing, thou art even the man of the world that deserves to be contemned *.

ISOCRATES.-You will discharge yourself best your duty to your friends, if you do not wait till they apply to you; but freely, and of your own accord, relieve and assist them when occasion requires.-Think it as dishonourable to be outdone by your friends in good offices, as to be overcome and worsted by the malice and evil practices of your enemies.-Never upbraid any one with his misfortunes, for fortune is common to all, and nobody can see into futurity.-Do all the good you can to virtuous and good men; for a good office done to a man of worth and merit is a noble treasure.

SENECA. It passes in the world for greatness of mind, to be perpetually giving and loading people with bounties; but it is one thing to know how to give, and another thing not to know how to keep. Give me a heart that is easy and open, but I will have no holes in it; let it be bountiful with judgment, but I will have nothing run out of it I know not how.-The manner of saying, or of doing any thing, goes a great way in the value of the thing itself. It was well said of him that called a good office that was done harshly, and with an ill will, a stony piece of bread; it is necessary for him that is hungry to receive it, but it almost chokes a man in the going down.-Whatsoever we bestow, let it be done with a frank and cheerful countenance: a man must not give with his hand, and deny with his looks. He that

Luke, XIV., 8. St. John, XIII,, 14.

gives quickly, gives willingly.-That which is given with pride and ostentation, is rather an ambition than a bounty.-As the benefactor is not to upbraid a benefit, so neither to delay it; the one is tiresome, and the other odious. We must not hold men in hand, as physicians and surgeons do their patients, and keep them longer in fear and pain than needs, only to magnify the cure. A generous man gives easily; and receives as he gives, but never exacts. He rejoices in the return, and judges favourably of it, whatever it be, and contents himself with a bare thank for a requital. He is the great man that masters his passions where he is strong himself; and pardons, when he might destroy. -We are better to follow than to drive; as a generous horse rides best with an easy bit. People obey willingly, where they are commanded kindly.-The greatest benefits of all, are those of good education, which we receive from our parents, either in the state of ignorance or perverseness, as their care and tenderness in our infancy; the discipline in our childhood, to keep us to our duties by fear; and if fair means will not do, their proceeding afterwards to severity and punishment, without which we should never have come to good.-There needs no great subtlety to prove, that both benefits and injuries receive their value from the intention, when even brutes themselves are able to decide this question. Tread upon a dog by chance, or put him to pain upon the dressing of a wound; the one he passes by as an accident, and the other, in his fashion, he acknowledges as a kindness; but offer to strike at him, though you do him no hurt at all, he flies in the face of you, even for the mischief that you barely meant him,-To shut up all in one word, as benevolence is the most sociable of all virtues, so it is of the largest extent; for there is not any man so great, or so little, but he is yet capable of giving and of receiving benefits.

MAHOMET (the Koran.)-Serve God, and associate no creature with him; and shew kindness unto parents, and relations, and orphans, and the poor, and your neighbour who is of kin to you, and also your neighbour who is a stranger, and to your familiar companion, and the traveller, and your captives whom your right hands shall possess, for God loveth not the proud or vain-glorious, who are covetous, and recommend covetousness unto men, and conceal that which God of his bounty hath given them; (we have prepared a shameful punishment for the unbelievers,) and who bestow their wealth in charity to be observed of men, and believe not in God, nor in the last day. When ye are saluted with a

salutation, salute the person with a better salutation, or at least return the same; for God taketh an account of all things.-If two parties of the believers contend with one another, do ye endeavour to compose the matter between them.-Verily the true believers are brethren wherefore reconcile your brethren; and fear God, that ye may obtain mercy.-A fair speech and to forgive is better than alms followed by mischief.-O true believers! let not men laugh other men to scorn, who peradventure may be better thau themselves: neither let women laugh other women to scorn, who may possibly be better than themselves.-Neither defame one another, nor call one another by opprobrious appellations. An ill name it is to be charged with wickedness, after having embraced the faith; and whoso repenteth not, they will be the unjust doers. O true believers! carefully avoid entertaining a suspicion of another for some suspicions are a crime. Enquire not too curiously into other men's failings; neither let the one of you speak ill of another in his absence.

LESSON 6.-GRATITUDE.

A NATURAL Consequence of Benevolence is Gratitude. It is the rebound of a good action to its donor. All animals shew gratitude to their benefactors, to those who feed them. The fierce mastiff, and fearless bull-dog, crouch in submissiveness, under the ill usage of an urchin that gives them food, and lick the hand that smites them. Even lions and tigers abate their ferocious nature toward their keepers and evince strong feelings of attachment to them.

Among men, a want of Gratitude is considered so odious that no one will allow himself to be guilty of that vice, although he may have little scruple in admitting his occasional liability to most others. An ungrateful man never denies the duty of thankfulness, but he refuses to acknowledge the obligation. It is evident however that if a man be wanting in thankfulness, and good