in faith of him and his sufferings. This, it is presumed, Abel did, and for that reason obtained witness that he was righteous, God thus testifying of his gifts. Abel then, as well as Abraham, believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. He was justified by faith, and not by the deeds of the law. To these, as performed by the Jew, God has not respect, any more than he had to the offering of Cain; and for the same reason. By FAITH Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain: by FAITH the Christian offers a more acceptable sacrifice than the Jew. The same infidelity kept Cain and the Jews out of the kingdom of heaven; the same faith admits Abel and the

Christians into that kingdom, through him who alone opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Thus, in the persons of these two brothers, whose history is recorded as an example, for our admonition, are characterized the two opposite spirits that have ever since divided the world between them, and will continue so to do, till the consummation of all things; that is to say, the humble, obedient, and suffering spirit of faith and the haughty, rebellious, and persecuting spirit of infidelity. He who would be numbered with the children of God, must copy the example of Abel; he who chuses to have his portion with the seed of the evil One, may go in the way of Cain,

Cain slew Abel. A striking specimen of the morality of an infidel! Faith worketh by love; where there is no faith, we must expect no love. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own deeds were evil, and his brother's righteous *. Infidelity, then, worketh by envy, concerning which the wise Man might well ask-Who is able to stand before it? † Through envy of ↑

the devil came death into the world Through envy, Cain murdered Abel; and through envy, the Jews murdered the Lord of glory, because their deeds were evil, and his righte ous; because they were rejected, and he was accepted. As Cain did to

Abel, so did they to the holy Jesus, to his apostles, and to the members of his Church; and so will the world continue to do to his faithful servants, while the spirit of their Lord and Master emboldens them, by their. words and their works, to testify, as he did, concerning it, that the deeds thereof are evil. For this reason it is, that St. John, after mentioning the murder of Abel by Cain, and what occasioned it, immediately adds, Marvel not, my brethren, if the WORLD hate YOU*. And let every Christian take care that he fall not after the similitude of their transgression. It is a determined case,

1 John iii. 13.

that he who hateth his brother, is a murderer*: it is an unquestionable truth, that he who envieth his brother, will soon hate him: and it is no less certain, that the spirit which dwelleth in us lusteth to envy. How earnestly and fervently, then, ought we to pray, as our excellent Church enjoins us to do, that from envy, hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness, our good Lord would vouchsafe to deliver us!

The blood of Abel cried from the ground for vengeance against Cain. No cry pierceth the heavens like that of blood, a brother's blood more

1 John iii. 15.

+Jam. iv. 5.