espect him as to be unmindful of
his blessings; to be unwilling for the sake of them sincerely to
forgive our neighbor a single slighting word, not to mention
rendering him service. We conduct ourselves as if God might be
expected to connive at our ingratitude and permit us to continue in
it, at the same time conferring upon us as godly and obedient
children, success and happiness. More than this, we think we have the
privilege and power to live and do as we please. Indeed, the more
learning and power we have and the more exalted our rank, the greater
knaves we are; perpetrating every wicked deed, stirring up strife,
discord, war and murder for the sake of executing our own arbitrary
designs, where the question is the surrender of a penny in
recognition of the hundreds of thousands of dollars daily received
from God notwithstanding our ingratitude.

12. Two mighty lords clash with each other like powerful battering
rams, and for what? Perhaps for undisputed possession of a city or
two, a matter they must be ashamed of did they but call to mind what
they have received from God. They would be constrained to exclaim:
"What are we doing that we injure one another--we who are all
baptized in one name, the name of Christ, and pledged to one Lord?"
But no, it will not do for them to consider this matter; not even to
think of it. They must turn their eyes away from it, and put it far
from their hearts. Wholly forgetting God's benefits, they must wage
war against each other, involving nations, and subjecting people to
the Turk. And all for sake of the insignificant farthing each refused
to yield to the other.

13. The world permits the very devil to saddle and ride it as he
pleases. It seems to be characteristic of every phase of life that
one will not yield to another--will not submit to any demand.
Everyone is disposed to force his arrogant authority. The presumption
is that supreme honor and final success depend upon an unyielding,
unforgiving disposition, and that to seek to retain our possessions
by peaceable means will prove our ruin. Even the two remaining cows
in the stall must be brought into requisition, and war waged to the
last stick, until when the mutineer comes and we have neither cow nor
stall, nor house nor stick, we are obliged to cease.

RETRIBUTION FOLLOWS INGRATITUDE.

Oh, had we but grace enough to reflect on how it would be with us did
God require us, as he has a perfect right to do, to pay our whol