Page:Sermons preached in the African Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Thomas', Philadelphia.djvu/240

236 every species of distress we shall be disposed to give relief. Even towards our enemies, we shall not be satisfied with verbal expressions of kindness, but will be ready at the first opportunity to give our kindness a tangible form.

The rule by which the Christian is governed in his actions deserves our notice. "He serves his generation by the will of God." It is possible for a person to render very important services to the age in which he lives, without having any reference whatever to the will or commands of his Maker. He may give liberally to the poor and needy, he may exert his talents in diffusing correct notions on the subject of human rights; he may take a conspicuous part in all the great moral enterprises, which, like "the leaves of the tree of life, are for the healing of the nations," and at the same time be actuated by no higher motive than