all
the _others_ are subservient. It is the _shrine_ at which they all
bow, the _centre_ to which they all gravitate. If her children do
wrong, she freely forgives.

Has God given the mother all these noble affections, and does he feel
less to his helpless, sinful and erring children? Let God answer--"Can
a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion
on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will not I forget
thee."

[Concluded in our next.]

SERMON XVIII

"And be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians iv. 32.

In our last, we showed that that compassion, tenderness, and love of
our Father in heaven, are the origin of all the sublime affections in
the human bosom, and from this acknowledged fact, have shown that he
is infinitely more regardful of the welfare of his offspring than the
tender mother, with whom he compares himself; is of the welfare of her
sucking child. We now resume the subject.

In our text, we are called upon to forgive one another, as God has
forgiven us. In examining this point, we are to be guided by what he
has revealed. The question here arises, how many does God command us
to forgive? He commands us to forgive _all_, even our enemies. This
then must be forgiving them as he does. He therefore forgives all. He
commands us to bless them that curse us, and to pray for them that
despitefully use us, and persecute us, that we may be the children of
our Father in heaven. Does God command us to do more than he is
willing to do himself? No, he lives up to his own command. If God
requires us to forgive, even as he does, and then commands us to love
and forgive _all_, then he loves, and forgives _all_, otherwise he
would violate his own command; and then there would be no resemblance
between his forgiveness and ours. Even as God, for Christ's sake hath
forgiven you, so ought ye also to forgive one another.

Would you forgive all, and bring them home to glory? Yes. Will God?
No, says the objector, he will not forgive his enemies, but his
friends only. Then you must not forgive all. Do you ask why not?
Because you are to forgive, _even_ as God. He is the standard you are
to imitate. If you forgive more than God, you are better than he. He
cannot command you to do different from himself. If God requires you
to love and forgive _all_, while he himself will forgive only a part,
then God a