is made up of all Mankind; to think himself born and fent into the World on Purpose to promote the Good and Welfare of all his Fellow-Creatures; and, confequently, obliged, as the neceffary and only effectual Means to that End, to embrace them all with univerfal Love, Charity, and Benevolence.

And, as it is founded in the Law of Nature, so is it confonant to the Inclinations of Mens Minds, to be kindly affectioned to, and beneficial one towards another; infomuch that, if Covetoufness, and Revenge, and other foolish and abfurd Paffions were not suffered to over-rule this natural Difpofition, they would universally enjoy the happy Fruits and Effects of it. For, even in this present corrupt State of the World, as far as Mens Vices will permit them, they still defire to keep up a general Commerce and Communication with each other they love to increase their Dependencies, by multiplying Affinities; to inlarge their Friendships, by mutual good Offices; and to eftablish Societies, by a Communication of Arts, and Labour, and Industry: And, fince the only poffible Means of preferving fuch Societies in any tolerable and durable Manner, is the Practice of mutual Love and univerfal Benevolence, this plainly fhews us what the Direction and Tendency of uncorrupted Nature is.

;

And, as to love and do good to one another is confonant to the original Inclinations of Mens Minds, fo is it agreeable to that Nature of God which we are required to imitate, and thofe Laws of God which we are bound to obey. God is Love, as the Apostle ftiles him, an infinite and inexhauftible Fountain of never-failing Goodness; who, being eternally happy in the Enjoyment of his own unfpeakable Perfections, could have no other Motive to create Things at firft, but only that he might communicate his Goodness and Happiness to his Creatures;

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Creatures; as he continues to preserve them for no other Reason but that he may ftill continue to do good to them: For he maketh his Sun to rife on the Evil and on the Good, and fendeth Rain on the Just and on the Unjust, giving us from Heaven fruitful Seafons, and filling our Hearts with Food and Gladnefs. Now, for the fame Reason that God does himself continually delight in doing Good, and seems to take an especial Pleasure in defcribing himfelf by that particular Attribute of Love and Goodnefs; for the fame Reafon it muft neceffarily be his Will, that all rational Creatures fhould imitate him in that excellent Perfection. To this Purpose we may obferve, that he hath given us noble Powers and Faculties; hath endued us with Reason and Understanding, to difcern between Good and Evil; and implanted in our Minds fuch Affections and Difpofitions as naturally incline us to mutual Benevolence and Affiftance. He hath fo framed and conftituted our Nature, and fo ordered the Circumstances of our prefent State, as to make Society and Friendship neceffary to the Support and Comfort of Life, that Men might be continually exercifed in the Practice of these Divine Virtues. He has interwoven the Interefts of Men, and made the Happiness of every particular Person so dependent upon the Welfare of the Publick, that each one, from the Sense of his own Wants and Exigencies, might fee the Reasonableness and Neceffity of making it his principal Business to do good to others. In fine, he has given us no other Way of expreffing, fo acceptably, our Love and Gratitude to himfelf, whom we have not feen, as by loving and doing good to our Brethren, whom we have feen; for no Man bath feen God at any Time, but, if we love one another, hereby we know that God, though invifible, really dwelleth in us; that his Love is perfelted in us, and that we dwell in him, and be in us,

because

because we are Imitators of his Nature, and Partakers of his Spirit:

Nor are we only obliged to love and to do good to one another by the Ties of common Humanity, as we are Men, and Partakers of the fame Nature but, as Chriftians, we are to look upon ourfelves as Brethren, in a more peculiar Manner, being all the Children of God in Chrift, Members all of the fame Body, Partakers all of the fame Spirit, and Heirs all of the fame bleffed Hope of Immortality. For thus the Apostle argues, there is one Body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one Hope of your Calling; one Lord, one Faith, one Baptifm, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Wherefore I beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith ye are called, with all Lowlinefs and Meeknefs, with Long-fuffering; forbearing one another in Love, and endeavouring to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace.

Neither have we only the Example of God's Love and Goodnefs in general propofed to our Imitation, but, as Christians, we have it in a more particular and extraordinary Manner fet before us, in that fingular Instance of the Redemption of Mankind by the Death of his Son; of which great and undeserved Mercy we, being all Partakers, and having all our Hopes of Happiness founded upon it, are confequently under the strongest Obligation to be, in our Proportion, kind, and merciful, and charitable to our Brethren, as God has been infinitely good and merciful to us; for fo we find the fame Apostle arguing again: Put on therefore, as the Elect of God, boly, and beloved, Bowels of Mercy, Kindness, Humbleness of Mind, Meekness, Long-fuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another; if any Man has a Quarrel against any, even as Chrift forgave you, fo alfo do ye: And, above all Things, put on Charity, which is the Bond of Perfect

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nefs,

nefs, and let the Peace of God rule in your Hearts, to the which alfo ye are called in one Body.

Once more: Nor is this Duty obligatory, as it proceeds from the Word of God only, but as it proceeds with a fingular Inforcement, being the peculiar Law and Command of our Lord and Saviour, on which he infifts particularly, and feems to recommend it above all others, as the most indifpenfable Qualification of a fincere Chriftian. A new Commandment, fays he, I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye alfo love one another; and he makes it, as it were, the diftinguishing Mark and Badge of his Profeffion; for by this fhall all Men know that ye are my Difciples, if ye bave Love towards, one another. He himself, whilft he was here upon Earth, went continually about doing good; and, in fo doing, hath set us an Example, wherein he requires that we should follow his Steps: And accordingly we find the Apostles every-where declaring, that univerfal Love and Charity is the End of the Commandment, the principal Aim and Design of our whole Chriftian Law; and that, being deftitute of this, all our other Pretences to Religion, all our Zeal for the Service and Honour of God, all our Gifts and Accomplishments, of what Kind foever they be, whether natural or fupernatural, will avail us nothing: For, though I fpeak with the Tongues of Men and Angels, fays St Paul, and have not Charity, I am become as founding Brafs, or a tinkling Cymbal, i. e. all my Pretences to Religion are falfe and empty; and though I have the Gift of Prophecy, and understand all Myfteries, and all Knowledge; and though I have all Faith, fo that I could remove Mountains, and have not Charity, I am nothing; and though I bestow all my Goods to feed the Poor, and though I give my Body to be burned, and have not Charity, it availeth me nothing,

And

And well may the Scriptures lay fo great a Stress upon the Practice of univerfal Love and Charity; fince it is a Temper and Difpofition of Mind, of all others, the most perfective of our rational Nature. It is That, which makes the Soul like unto God, and is at once the Condition and Ground, both of our prefent Happiness, and that which is to come For we must be like unto God, if we will fee him as he is, and must first attain that Frame of Mind, wherein the Happiness of Heaven effentially confifts, if ever we hope to become Partakers of it. In a Word, Charity is the Disposition of Heaven, the ultimate End and Defign of that Religion, which was revealed on Purpose to conduct us thither; and to which moft of the other Virtues, Gifts, and Excellencies are but fubfervient Means, and fuch as must be done away, when that which is perfect is come: For, whether there be Prophefies, they fhall fail; whether there be Tongues, they fhall ceafe; whether there be Knowledge, it fhall vanish away. Faith, which is our firm Belief, and Hope, which is our prefent Expectation of Things future, shall both be made void by Fruition; but Charity and Goodnefs never fail; for they are the Difpofitions of Mind, which are begun in the Virtues of this Life, and compleated in the Glories of the next. We proceed,

II. To confider in what Measure, and from what Inducements, we are farther engaged to perform this Duty. Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thyfelf, this is the Rule; and it is the peculiar Excellency of this Rule, that by it we may eafily dif cern all the Specialities of our Duty, without having Recourse to any external Inftruction. For fince every one, by his own Experience, knows what it is to love himself; fince every one is confcious in what Manner he uses to treat himself, it is but confulting