the right behaviour due to our neighbour. The fundamental law of the first relationship is life's sorrow in the midst of life's earnestness, which is opposed to the pleasures of the life which is shallow and unreal. The fundamental law of the second is all-conquering love, in the twofold position of the suffering disciple, and of the disciple who occupies a place above his neighbour; showing itself in the one case as the patient love which blesses-in the other, as the indulgent compassion which blesses, --both in contrast to the false forms of love which the egotism of the world produces.

The right relation to God is expressed by the Lord in three beatitudes, which converge together in a fourth. The foundation of the relationship is the true, living consciousness, over against the eternal fulness of God-poverty. The unfolding of it is true vital feeling, over against the open hand of God— hungering. Finally, the manifestation of it is the true utterance of life, over against the blessed future which God has promised -weeping. When, however, these three fundamental features of the true life appear in their true forms, they resolve themselves into the one historical characteristic of man-that he suffers for the Son of man's sake,—that he is hated, is excommunicated (for the world also has its excommunication), is reproached, and finally placed wholly under the ban and cast out as an evil-doer ; and all this in His name, in the confession of Him. To this suffering for God and for Christ's sake corresponds the promise. These sufferers shall obtain the kingdom of God-they shall be filled-they shall laugh for blessedness; and the reality of this future-their riches, their peace, their cheerful elasticity of spirit, or their joy-is shown by their being able even now, in the midst of their sufferings for Christ's sake, to rejoice and leap for joy, through the blessed consciousness that they are the companions of prophets, of the bright heroes and glorious benefac

tors of the human race.

To the beatitudes are placed in strongly marked contrast the denunciations of woe against an inverted or false relationship to God. The fundamental form of this condition is the false (because externalized) consciousness—the being rich. It unfolds itself in false feeling or sensation—the being full. It reveals itself in a false manifestation of life-laughing, or permanent exultation. The unity of these three forms of splendid

misery appears when a man has made himself understood by the shallowest of shallownesses-the spirit of the world, and becomes its darling; when he is praised by every mouth. The first woe pronounced against these benighted men is: they have no future-they have laid the foundation for an infinite impoverishment; the second: they shall begin in the unutterable pain of an unsatisfied mind, wounded and lacerated, to experience the frustration and vanity of their life;-the third: they shall mourn and lament (this also outwardly above measure, as men in despair). But with one word all is said they shall share the lot of the false prophets (the long-forgotten teachers of error), who, amidst the ephemeral feelings of their time, were once also applauded, because they lived not, in the sorrow of life's earnestness, for Him who is the heart of humanity—the Son of man, but in the intoxication of earthly vanity, for the transient spirit of the age-one of the many-coloured vagaries of a diseased world.

On the one class there comes a fourfold blessedness, because they have lived for the new world of blessedness amidst the sincaused sorrows of the old; on the other, a fourfold woe, because they have served the vanity of the old world, in opposition to the dawning of the new.

With right conduct towards God, there is closely connected right conduct towards our neighbour. Those who confess the Son of man, confess Him in deeds-by love.

This love approves itself, in the first place, as the love which suffers and yet blesses. Its most universal form is love towards enemies. The look of love penetrates the darkness with which enemies have beclouded their own hearts, and thus their relation to others; and sees them in the inalienable character of their personality, in which God created them and loves them. And as love is put on trial by these enemies, it becomes lively, zealous, and active. When enemies display their enmity in hatred, love reveals itself in doing good. The manifestation of hatred, however, is twofold: it curses publicly and loudly, or it slanders secretly, in order to destroy. To the noisy explosions of hatred, love opposes the blessings of transparent, gentle, and kindly speech. The concealed mines of cabal and slander, it countermines victoriously by silent intercession. And this position, as a sufferer and yet a benefactor, it maintains not only in

spirit and in word, but also in deed. It disarms the smiter by a willingness to suffer, which puts him to shame; the robber, by the cheerful alacrity with which it submits to be robbed; the obtrusive beggar, by a generous gift; and him that takes undue advantage, by a high-hearted forgetfulness of the balance in favour. Such is the fundamental law of the love which suffers, and yet blesses. For not by a half-love can hatred be overcome, but by a whole. So long as the better part of a man becomes worse through the activity of the worse part within him; so long as the man of violence can arouse within him the disposition to violence and plunder-the robber, the lust convulsively to seize and possess the goods of his neighbour-the beggar, the feeling of necessity and want-the unjust man, the torment of an exacting spirit ;-so long does the world ever go backwards in evil. Then first is the new world reached, when he who loves meets him who is destitute of love with entire resignation. The lust of violence is annihilated only by a perfect willingness to suffer; the spirit of covetousness is quenched by the rich booty placed within its reach; the beggar, by the liberal portion assigned him, becomes another man; and the cheat, by the terrifying experience that good men have no memory for his wretched profits. Such is the law of the spirit of love, infinitely rich and free, which can be overcome neither by violence, nor robbery, nor the spirit of mendicancy, nor the arts of unjust dealing; but, on the contrary, annihilates all these forms of spiritual destitution among mankind. So would this love in reality display itself in unveiled manifestation, if it durst. It may not, however, thus reveal its whole heart to the hapless people whom it encounters. It must take them into pupilage, and, stooping to their level, conceal its own proper character in sternness. In order, however, that this discipline be purely exercised, love withdraws it from the hand of the individual, and imparts to it the form of justice in the state, whilst it commences its own peculiar manifestations of itself in the Church. And it strives ever forward, by a gradual disclosure of its true character, to the realisation of a time when the last smiter shall himself be smitten down by a thousand cheeks being offered to his clenched fist; the last robber shall be smothered under the abundance which shall be freely offered him; the last beggar shall be reformed by the stateliness of the gifts he shall receive—

the fraudulent man, by the feeling that men are ashamed to mention his frauds and artifices even by name.

Such are the riches and the power of enduring beneficent love. Her golden rule is this: As ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them.'

Very different, however, are the delusive forms of false love, a love which, at bottom, is only egotism in its calculating, friendly element. This egotism, in its relation to man, is most intimately connected with a wrong relationship towards God. He who is under its influence, loves only those who love him in turn; and it is not otherwise with his acts of beneficence and with his readiness to lend. Such conduct can never be burdensome to a man-it is enforced by his own advantage. It is found even in notorious sinners; and is consequently a judgment, with which those who desire to appear as believers, or to shine as heroes of the faith, judge themselves, when in such wise they limit the manifestations of their love. The love which allows itself to be thus confined, is not love. The exercise of such benevolence costs a man no self-denial; he has, moreover, no thank for it.

On the other hand, those who truly love are known by their love approving itself as love to enemies by their doing good and giving in advance, or lending (not money only), hoping for nothing again.

And just because in unbounded fulness, even to the deepest depth, they love and hold precious the personal, the stamp of a nature allied to the divine, they have not only thank now, but a great reward awaits them, they shall be the children of the Highest, who is kind to the unthankful and to the evil.

They shall thus ever more and more attain to a position of superiority above the evil and the unthankful. But, even when they shall possess a large and wealthy place, their love shall remain the same. They shall be merciful, as their Father in heaven is merciful. This mercy will show itself by not judging and condemning to judgment, but by forgiving and giving. And thus they escape the judgment which overtakes those who judge, and obtain absolution from the condemnation which overtakes those who condemn (in the first instance, in their own consciousness; for the merciless spirit which a man exercises against others, turns against himself, as a spirit of retribution). They

are permitted to go scatheless in the judgment; and, moreover, a full measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, is poured into their bosom.

For this is the law of right in the kingdom of love: With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Even already the Lord found it needful to envelope the concluding thoughts of His address in a parabolic form.

His first parable was as follows: 'Can the blind man serve as a guide to the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master. Every one who is perfected (as disciple) shall be as his master.' This word showed to the people, in a figure, what would become of them if they entrusted themselves to the guidance of the Pharisees to the end.

'Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye,' continued the Lord, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or why canst thou say to thy brother, Stop, brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself seest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou shalt see clearly (possess the power of sight) to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.' In this manner did the Lord rebuke the fanatical spirit of judgment with which the Pharisees exalted themselves above the publicans and sinners, whilst they themselves were a prey to the worst forms of corruption.

In a second parable, He then pointed to the source of this perverseness: For there is no good tree which bringeth forth corrupt fruit, and no corrupt tree which bringeth forth good. fruit. Every tree is known by its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble-bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil. For of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.'—The third parable presents us with the unity of the first and second. It

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1 Nor figs of thistles,' is the second clause in Matthew: less appropriate for the conception, but more theological (calling to mind the curse on the ground in Genesis).