Year: 1859

to be very sharp sighted When man
sets himself up to be of better quality than
we, and calls himself BY a name significant
of heavenly virtue, we Judge him, natural
ly, by bis own standard, and watch him
closely.


If he remaing as hard, and selfish, as
exacting, and as eager of money as before,
we do not put much faith in his profession,
and are very apt to class him with hypo
critics. His praying, and fine talk about
faith, and heavenly love, and being washed
from all sin, excite in us contempt rather
than respect. We ask for good works.
and are never satisfied with anything else,
By their fruits We shall know them"


On the next Sunday ] saw Mr.. Gray in
church. My eyes where on him when he
entered. | noticed that all the lines of his
face were drawn, and that the whole aspect
and bearing of the man were solemn and
devotional. He moved to his place with
a slow step his eyes cast to the floor. On
taking his seat, he leaned his head on the
pew III front OF him, and continued for near
Iy a minute in prayer. During the SER
vices heard his voice in the singing; and
through the sermon, he maintained the
most fixed attention. 1t was communion
Sabbath; and he remained, after the con-
gregation was dismissed, TO join in the
holiest act of worship.


"Can this man be indeed self deceived"
| asked myself, as [ walked homeward.
Can he really believe that Heaven is to
be gained by pious acts alone. That every
Sabbath evening he can pitch his tent a
days march nearer Heaven, though all the
week he had failed in the commonest of
fences of neighborly love z"


1t SO happened, that l had many oppor-
tunities for observing Mr.. Gray, who, after
joining the church became an active wor-
ker in some of the public and prominent
charities Of the day. He contributed lib
orally in many cases, and gave good deal
Of time to the prosecution of benevolent
enterprises, IN which, men Of some position
were concerned. But, when | saw him
dispute with poor gardener who had laid
the sods in his yard, about fifty cents, take
sixpence off a weary straw berry woman, or
chatter with his bootblack over an extra
shilling, | could not think that it was gen
uine love for his fellow men that prompt
ed his ostentatious charities.


In no instance did I find any better es-
timation of him in business circles; for his
religion did not chasten the ardor of his
selfish love Of advantage in trade, nor make
him more generous nor more inclined to
help and befriend the weak and the needy.
Twice | saw his action in the case of un-
happy debtors, who had not been success
ful in business. In each case, his claim
was among the smallest, but he said more
unkind things, and was the hardest to sat
isfy, of any man among the creditors. lie
assumed dishonest intention at the outset,
and made that plea for the most rigid
eXaction: Governing his own hard selfish
ness with offensive cant about mercantile
honor, Christian integrity, and religious
observance of>business contracts. lie was
the only man among all the creditors who
made his church-membership prominent
thine-few of them were even church -goers
and the only man who did not readily
make concessions to the poor down trod-
den debtors.


els he Christian?" | asked, as |

walked home in some depression of spirits
from the last of those meetings. And |
could but answer 'No," for to be Chris
tian is to be Christ-like.


GAS ye would that men should do unto
you, even so do We to them" This is the
divine standard. aye must be born again."
leaves to no latitude of Interpretation.
There must be a death of the old, natural.
selfish love, and new birth of spiritual
affection. As man feels SO will he act
If the affections that rule his heart be
divine affections, he will be a loyer of 9TH
ers, and seeker of their good. He will
not be a hard, harsh, exacting man in ma
tural things, but kind, forbearing, thought
full of others, and yielding. In all his deal
ings with men, his actions will be govern
ed by the heavenly laws of justice and
Judgment. He will regard the good of his
neighbor equally with his own.