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CHARITY TOWARDS EVIL MEN.

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cellent gift, but it may be overstrained. There is in truth a good deal of cant about charity and good will to all men. But it is a palpable absurdity, if one thinks of it for a moment, to say that a Christian ought to regard all men with the same feelings of charity. How can he regard with the same feeling the humble Christian, the saint of GOD and the man who is stained with every crime? Who could love Judas Iscariot as much as S. John? He may pray for a wicked man, but he cannot love him as he loves the other. If a man really has a firm faith in Revealed Truth he cannot help feeling very differently towards his brother in the faith and an unbeliever. The notion of a man behaving with the same cordial feeling towards them both proves only that he has no real perception of the awful difference which exists between them. To talk of having the same love and charity for the opponents of the faith as for our brethren in CHRIST is perfect folly.

Some people think that they solve the difficulty by saying that they hate the sin but love the sinner. That is difficult. How can we hate lies, but love liars? hate tyranny, but love tyrants? hate cheating, but love cheats ? No, that will not do. We may indeed love liars and cheats and all bad people in the sense of praying for them and trying to convert them from their sin.

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CHARITY TOWARDS UNBELIEVERS.

But a Christian cannot love such persons in the sense of wishing to associate with them and disregarding crimes. It is nonsense to suppose it. Our charity towards them is of a different sort. So our charity towards an unbeliever is to use our utmost endeavours to bring him to CHRIST. Our charity towards the sectarian is to use our utmost endeavours to bring him to the Church;-not to lull them into false security, by giving them to suppose that we consider the unbelief of the one or the heresy or schism of the other to be of no importance. What more uncharitable act could we possibly be guilty of than by a false complacency, and sinking of differences, as it is called, to lead one with whom we might have influenced for good, to suppose that unbelief or error in religion was unimportant, and so endanger a soul which, if we had used our gifts and knowledge according to the Apostolic maxim, we might have been instrumental in bringing to the Truth.

I read the other day, in some magazine, I think it was, a defence of Pontius Pilate. The writer contended that if the same state of things as occurred at Jerusalem on the first Good Friday were to take place in one of our dependencies, say in India, it would be the duty of the English governor to act as Pontius Pilate did, on pain of being cashiered by the government at home.

TRUE AND FALSE CHARITY.

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Another writer thought that Judas Iscariot was far from being so bad a man as he is generally represented, that he never meant to cause our LORD's death, but intended only to force Him to declare Himself and assume the reins of power. Set against this the unsophisticated answer of the little schoolboy, who when asked what sort of man Pontius Pilate was, answered indignantly, "A great big blackguard," meaning of course, that he was a cruel, unjust man, worthy of all abhorrence. I cannot but think that the little boy's expression, though rather rough and uncompromising, was more to be commended than the sentimental nonsense of the others.

Let us earnestly follow after that charity, the highest manifestation of which consists in saving the souls of our brethren. Let us remember that "though we speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not charity, we are as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal." Though we flatter and compliment our fellow-sinners with vain speeches, and make them believe us the most liberal and charitable people in the world, yet if this false charity of ours induce them to think lightly of unbelief and heresy, we may have caused them irreparable loss,-our voice is that of the deceitful siren, who has lured them to destruction.

True charity is that faithful and humble spirit

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CHARITY LEADS TO TRUTH.

which, while it deeply grieves for the iniquity that abounds, rejoiceth in nothing so much as in leading sinners to truth and salvation,-which is zealous always to use the gifts with which it is endowed to promote the cause of CHRIST and of His Church, and yet does it withal in so patient, peaceful, unpretending a manner, that it wins over to the side of truth souls which a harsher treatment might have repelled or chilled. No injuries, no slights, no insults, or revilings or calumnies, are able to divert charity from that holy work which she has chosen. "She beareth all things, hopeth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things," knowing that she is working in the cause of CHRIST, and for the salvation of the souls of men.

Let us covet earnestly this best of gifts.

CHAPTER XI.

WHAT IS BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST?-HOW CHRISTIAN PEOPLE SHOULD REGARD IT, OR APPROACHING TO IT.

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BLASPHEMY is a harsh-sounding shocking term, seldom applied to any one except it be to some drunken wretch, whom we hear cursing and swearing in the street. Yet is it not possible that under the calm exterior there may be blasphemy in the heart, unknown perhaps to him who harbours it? What is blasphemy? It is a Scriptural term; let us see how it is there applied: "All manner of sin and blasphemy," says our LORD, "shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the HOLY GHOST shall not be forgiven unto men ... neither in this world nor in the world to come." Our LORD had been casting out a devil which was dumb, and while some were struck with wonder and gratitude at the power and goodness of JESUS, others began to cavil, and to say, "He casteth out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils."

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