and gladness to your heart? And does not this same spirit lead you often to think evil, or to speak with contempt, or unkindness, or severity of such to those about you? And let those who are above others in prosperity, inquire, whether they do not allow and exercise a spirit of opposition to the comparative happiness of those below them? Is there not a disposition in you to pride yourself on being above them, and a desire that they should not rise higher, lest they come to be equal or superior to you: and from this are you not willing to see them down, and even to help them down to the utmost, lest at some time they may get above you? And does not all this show, that you are very much under the influence of an envious spirit? But it may be that in all this you may justify yourself, not giving it the name of envy, but some other name, and having various excuses for your envious spirit by which you account yourself justified in its exercise. Some are ready to say of others that they are not worthy of the honor and prosperity they have; that they have not half the fitness or worthiness of the honor and advancement they have, as many others of their neighbors who are below them.

And where, I ask, is the man in the world who envies another for his honor or prosperity, but is ready to think or say, that that other is not worthy of his prosperity and honors? Did Joseph's brethren esteem him worthy of the peculiar love of his father? Did Haman think Mordecai worthy of the honor the king conferred on him? Or did the Jews think the Gentiles worthy of the privileges extended to them under the gospel, when they were so filled with envy on this account, as is related in the Acts of the Apostles, xiii. 45, and xvii. 5? It is generally the case, that when others are promoted to honor, or in any respect come to remarkable prosperity, some are always ready to improve the occasion to tell of their faults, and set forth their unworthiness, and rake up all possible evil about them. Whereas it is not so much that they have faults, for these would often be unnoticed if they were in obscurity, as it is that they are prospered, and those who talk about their faults are envious of their prosperity, and therefore speak against them. And I would desire such persons as think that they are to be justified in their opposition to others because they are not worthy of their prosperity, diligently to in

quire which it is that pains and troubles them most, their neighbor's faults, or his prosperity. If it be their faults, then you would be grieved on account of them whether the persons were prospered or not; and if truly grieved with their faults, then you would be very slow to speak of them except to themselves, and then in the true spirit of Christian compassion and friendship. But you may say, they make a bad use of their prosperity and honor; that they are lifted up by it, and cannot bear, or do not know how to manage it; that they are insufferable, and scornful, and there is no doing anything with them in their prosperity; and it is best they should be brought down; that this will tend to humble them, and that the best thing for their own good, is, to bring them down to the place where they belong, and which is fittest for them. But here let me urge you strictly to inquire whether you do in truth lament the injury their prosperity does them, and whether you mourn it for their sakes, and because you love them? Do your lamentations spring from pity, or from envy? If you dislike their prosperity because it is not best for them, but does them hurt, then you will grieve for their calamity, and not at

their prosperity. You will sincerely love them; and out of this love, will be heartily sorry for their calamity, and feel a true compassion of heart for them that the disadvantages of their prosperous state are so much greater than its advantages. But is this in truth your real feeling? Do not deceive yourself. Is it their calamity that you are grieved at, or is it merely that they are prospered? Is it that you are grieved for them, that their prosperity injures them, or for yourself, that their pros perity is not yours? And here also let every one inquire, whether they do not sometimes envy others for their spiritual prosperity? You remember what was the spirit of Cain toward Abel, of the seed of the serpent toward the seed of the woman, of Ishmael toward Isaac, of the Jews toward Christ, of the elder brother toward the prodigal. Beware that you cherish not their spirit; but rather rejoice in the good estate of others, as much as if it were your own.

2. The subject also exhorts us to disallow and put away everything approaching to an envious spirit.-So contrary is the spirit of envy to a Christian spirit, so evil in itself, and so injurious to others, that it should be disal

lowed and put away by all, and especially by those who profess to be Christians. Great numbers cherish the hope that this is their character, and that they have been endued with a new spirit, even the spirit of Christ. Let it then be evident to all that such is your spirit by the exercise of that charity that envieth not. In the language of the Apostle (James iii. 13, 14, 15, 16), “Who is a wise man, and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show, out of a good conversation, his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish; for where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work?" The spirit of envy is the very contrary of the spirit of heaven, where all rejoice in the happiness of others; and it is the very spirit of hell itself, which is a most hateful spirit, and one that feeds itself on the ruin of the prosperity and happiness of others, on which account some have compared envious persons to caterpillars, which delight most in devouring the most flourishing trees and plants. And as an en