serpent that beguiles us to transgress the laws of God, to disregard the rights of man, and to burst asunder the common ties of humanity, which were designed in the wisdom and beneficence of the adorable Creator to bind us all together—­the world, every member of the human family of all nations, kindred, and tongues, high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, into one common brotherhood.  Will men ever reflect, that we are all brothers, descendants of the same earthly parent, children of the same heavenly father, having common interests, alike the subjects of joy and sorrow; that the author of our existence is no respecter of persons; and, finally, that we must all stand before a just and righteous Judge, and give an account of the deeds done in the body, “whether they be good or evil.”  These are solemn thoughts, and we look in vain for a correction of the evils under which the world groans, unless the minds of men can be disentangled from worldly pursuits, and can be impressed with their responsibility to the Author of their existence, and the obligation to each other.  Here all our hopes must center, and to this end must all our efforts tend, if our object is the regeneration of the human race.  Men must understand their true interests, their relations and obligations to each other, and their accountability to God, before they will “cease to do evil and learn to do well.”  If either the writer or the reader, expects to do anything in behalf of suffering humanity, he must never lose sight of the corruption of our natures, and the great fountain of error and misconception, self-love, as the source of all that mars the peace and happiness of the human family.  And what is of paramount importance, we must bear in mind, that without Divine aid, we write in vain, we read in vain, that God alone can accomplish the great work, and that we are but instruments in his hands.  We must then, with unwearied patience and diligence, do our duty, and leave the event to him who has all power in heaven and earth.

CHAPTER XIII.

The memorable words of our Saviour, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself,” comprise the whole duty of man.  God requires nothing more of any man.  He that loves God will yield a ready and cheerful obedience to all his commands; and he that loves his neighbor, cannot, under any circumstances, or in any condition of life, do his neighbor injustice or wrong.  I have shown in the preceding Chapter, that all oppression, all injustice, that all the evils and calamities which befal the human family, originate in, or are perpetuated by our self-love.  Selfishness, self-interest, or otherwise self-aggrandizement, is the mainspring of all our actions if we are devoid of love to God and man.  This innate principle of our hearts, the love of money, the love of ease, wealth, power and fame, must be overcome before we can love God