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SERMON XXIII.

ST. LUKE ix. 56.

The Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

SUCH was the answer of our Lord to his disciples, when under the sanction of his authority, they would have invoked the Divine vengeance upon the inhospitable Samaritans, and would have "commanded fire to come down from heaven and consume them." It was not only to repress the risings of a selfish and vindictive spirit, but to display the real character, and to announce the special purpose of his Gospel, that the reply was made. The wanton sacrifice of life which the disciples had proposed, was in direct contradiction to the whole tenor of that dispensation, which the Redeemer came from heaven to promulgate. It was the object of that dispensation, not only to disarm the grave of its final victory, but to give a value to human life, which it never before possessed; to supply both to in

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dividuals and communities new and effectual motives for its preservation; and, by the renovation of our moral habits, to prolong its duration to the utmost limit, of which it is naturally capable. "The Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."

It is no argument against this position, that the human race are as liable as ever to the violence of disease and the frequency of accidents. The Almighty, indeed, is still pleased to call a certain portion of mankind out of the world before their natural time, for reasons which in the present contracted state of our faculties, we are unable fully to comprehend. It does not, indeed, unfrequently happen, that even now' we are enabled to recognize the goodness of our heavenly Father in these his afflicting visitations; in most cases, however, we must be content for the present, "to see through a glass, darkly," in humble confidence that the time shall come, when in the fullness of an enlarged and purified vision, we shall be permitted to "see face to face."

With a full allowance, however, for these mysterious workings of the Divine wisdom, we shall find that in the ordinary course of things, the Gospel is calculated to minister to the preservation of life in a very high degree, and to a very considerable extent. Of the diseases which shorten our earthly span, by far the

greater number may ultimately be traced to our carelessness, our indolence, or our crime. Even of accidents themselves, the most disastrous are frequently the consequence of obstinate imprudence, or thoughtless presumption. Whatever system, therefore, has a sufficient influence over the heart of man, to rouse his activity and to control his passion, to make him vigilant and temperate, cheerful and innocent, must have no inconsiderable effect in diminishing the number of his dangers, and in multiplying the means of his security. Could men be persuaded both in their individual and collective capacities, to regulate their habits and form their dispositions after the model of the Gospel, much of that suffering which shortens their days would be spared, and many who are now cut off by the hand of untimely death, would go down to the grave at a full age-" like a shock of corn cometh at his season."

But independent of its influence upon our ordinary morals, every grace and virtue which Christianity so peculiarly inculcates and imparts, has a natural tendency to lengthen the duration of life whether it be that Vigilance, which teaches us to suspect the first approach both of natural and of moral evil-that Faith in the mercies of a Redeemer, which cheers and supports us in the hour of difficulty and danger-or

that Peace which passing all understanding, abates the irritation of suffering, and often, in the very crisis of disease, turns the balance of life in our favour.

Nor does Christianity supply us with the means only, but with the motives also of guarding and prolonging our existence. It teaches us that between our present and our future life, there is a strong and immediate connection, as between a state of trial and a state of recompence. Every moment therefore is precious, which may be employed in increasing the sum of our good works, and in so discharging the various trusts committed to our care, as to present the fullest possible account of their administration at the tribunal of Christ. No time can be thought too long to prepare and perfect our souls for Heaven, to form those habits and cherish those affections, which shall follow us to our eternal abode. Still more, to every one who is conscious of unrepented guilt, will the longest respite be anxiously desired, that no opportunity may be lost of retracing his former steps, of renewing his heart, and amending his life; that his peace may be made, and his pardon sealed, "before he go hence, and is no more seen." So far, therefore, from considering, under any circumstances, life as a burthen, the Christian will ever be anxious to undergo the full extent of that

moral discipline, which the fatherly hand of his. Maker may be pleased to inflict, and in the language of his suffering Patriarch, "to wait all the days of his appointed time, until his change come." Christianity is not the religion of reckless enthusiasm, but of a calm and calculating confidence. All the prospects of future glory which it displays, in no respect diminish the value of our earthly being; on the contrary, they attach to it, for the reasons above mentioned, a still higher importance, and increase the natural desire of its continuance.

Under the influence of the Gospel this additional value which our own existence receives, is extended to the existence also of all around us. Ours is in no respect a solitary or a retiring faith; it unites man to man in the closest bands of attachment and regard; it reveals to them the mutual relation which they bear to each other as children of the same parent, and partakers in the same inheritance; and above all, it teaches them, how nearly the hopes of their own salvation are interwoven with the exertions which they make for the salvation of others. It is upon the rock of a common redemption that Christian benevolence takes its stand; it is upon this basis that its whole system of reciprocal charity is founded. This is the one great principle, which gives a value and a worth to the

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