their own passions upon God. "Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am
tempted of God; for God cannot tempt to evil; neither tempteth He any
man." He protested against that unreal religion of excitement which
diluted the earnestness of real religion in the enjoyment of
listening. "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only; deceiving
your own souls." He protested against that trust in the correctness of
theological doctrine which neglected the cultivation of character.
"What doth it profit, if a man _say_ that he hath faith, and have not
works? Can faith save him?"

Read St. James's epistle through, this is the mind breathing through
it all:--all this _talk_ about religion, and spirituality--words,
words, words--nay, let us have _realities_.

It is well known that Luther complained of this epistle, that it did
not contain the Gospel; for men who are hampered by a system will
say--even of an inspired Apostle--that he does not teach the Gospel if
their own favourite doctrine be not the central subject of his
discourse; but St. James's reply seems spontaneously to suggest itself
to us. The Gospel! how can we speak of the Gospel, when the first
principles of _morality_ are forgotten? when Christians are excusing
themselves, and slandering one another? How can the superstructure of
Love and Faith be built, when the very foundations of human
character--Justice, Mercy, Truth--have not been laid?

1st. The license of the tongue.
2nd. The guilt of that license.

The first license given to the tongue is slander. I am not of course,
speaking now of that species of slander against which the law of libel