that was faithful love, that dared to rebuke, rather than let the
object of it do wrong, and sin against God. And again, when He goes
to the hypocrites and Pharisees, He says, "Ye say ye are the children
of Abraham"--(it was as difficult for Jesus Christ to confute the
professors of His day, as it is for His ambassadors to confute the
professors of this day, who are living inconsistently with their
professions)--He said, "Ye say that ye are the children of Abraham;
if ye were the children of Abraham, ye would listen to me; or, if ye
were the children of God, ye would believe in me, for I came out from
God. No! ye are the children of your father, the devil, and his works
ye do." And yet His Divine heart was full, to breaking, of love, and
broke itself on the cross for them, and prayed, "Father, forgive
them; for they know not what they do." Oh, that your Charity and mine
might not lack this lineament of the Divine likeness! Would to God
there were more of this faithful, loving Charity, that dares to
reprove sin, and to rebuke its brother, instead of the false Charity
that fawns on a man to his face, and goes behind him and stabs him in
the back.

Do you suppose that the great mass of the professors of this
generation think one another to be right? Take almost any given
church. Do you suppose that the great mass of the members of that
church suppose in their hearts that their fellow members, brothers
and sisters in church communion, are living consistently--I don't
mean in _things_ only, but in heart--that they are living really
godly lives? Alas! witness what they say behind each other's backs.
They believe no such thing; they know perfectly well it is not so,
and they take care to tell other people so; and yet there is not one
in a thousand of them ever went privately to his brother, and took
lovingly hold of his hand, and reproved him for his sinful and