SERMON III. The Love of God and Man. 1 Ep. JOHN, iv. 20. If a Man fay, I love God and hateth his Brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his Brother whom he bath feen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? T SERM. HE fuperior excellence of the Gospel-morality above all other III. fummaries of human conduct, whether preached up as RELIGION by Priests; inforced for LAW by the founders of Society; or recommended under the name of PHILOSOPHY by the Masters of wisdom; is now fo generally feen and acknowledged, that even the enemies of ReF 4 velation III. SER M. velation have been forced to confefs, It is as well in perfection as in purity; as well in public use, as in private, truly worthy the original it affumes. An advantage which the Ministers of our holy Religion have, with great judgment, taken all occafions to inforce, and with equal folidity to explain. But there is another circumstance in this divine Oeconomy which carries the honour of it still higher, as directly tending to prove, That the Gofpel-morality which is fo worthy of God, had, in truth, God for its immediate Author. And this perhaps may not have been infifted on with the frequency and attention which fo important a matter feems to require. The circumftance I mean is that profound and enlarged knowledge of human nature, which the Apoftles difcover in their manner of recommending moral duties. In this dispensation, thefe weak and foolish inftruments, in the hand of Providence, have foiled and disgraced the boafted wisdom of Greece and Rome: and in that very way wherein their wifdom moft excelled; in short and detached precepts, compofed for the the conduct of human life by men ftudi- SERM. ous to reduce their long laborious fearches 1. after happiness into weighty and compendious aphorifms. But before I proceed to explain the words of my text, which afford fo illuftrious an example of this truth, I fhall confider, in general, the occafion of them. The life, the spirit of Christian Religion is universal benevolence. Agreeably to this, we may observe, That the firft founders of the Churches, let the occafion be what it would, whatever Discipline they established, whatever Doctrine they inforced, whatever vice or Herefy they ftigmatized, or whatever grace or virtue they recommended, CHARITY was the thing ftill present with them, and always in their care. Charity, the bond of perfectness, the end of the commandment; that etherial principle, which like the elastic fluid of the Philofophers, animates, connects, and enobles the whole Syftem of intelligent na ture. a Protag, Ρήματα βραχέα αξιομνημόνευτα. Plat. in The SERM. The beloved Disciple of our Lord par III. ticularly, who may be well supposed to W know his Master's will, feems to have writ ten the Epistle, from whence I take my text, with no other design than to recommend this first of Virtues, CHARITY: at a season too, when, as Herefies were fpringing up apace, fome modern Theologifts would be apt to think he might have employed his time and talents to more advantage. And indeed one might afk, and scarce abfurdly, why so very much upon Charity, in an age when the followers of the Lamb had fo few inducements to pollute it? For the Faith being yet chafte from the prostitutions of the Schools, and the Hierarchy uncorrupted by the gifts of Conftantine, the Church laboured neither under Bigotry nor Ambition, the two fatal incentives of uncharitable Zeal. But the reply is easy. It was the providence of that prophetic spirit which set before them the image of those miferable times, When iniquity should abound, and the love of many should wax cold : and they were willing to bear witnefs, and to record their teftimony against the fu ture III. ture violaters of the bond of perfectness. For SER M. I can by no means enter into the refinements of him who discovered that Jesus m and his followers might preach up love and charity the better to enable a set of Church politicians fome ages after, to tyrannize over those whom the engaging founds of benevolence and brotherly love had intrapped into obedience ‘. Terrors alone, tho' accompanied with miracles and prodigies of whatever kind, are not capa"ble of raifing that fincere faith and abfolute reliance "which is required in favour of the divinely autho"rised Inftructor and spiritual Chief. The affection "and love which procures a true adherence to the "new religious foundation, muft depend either on a "real or counterfeit goodness in the religious founder, "Whatever ambitious spirit may inspire him; what"ever favage zeal or perfecuting principle may lye "in reserve, ready to disclose itself when authority and power is once obtained; the firft fcene of dotrine, however, fails not to prefent us with the "agreeable views of Joy, love, meekness, gentleness, " and moderation. Charity and Brotherly love are "very engaging founds; but who would dream that out of abundant Charity and brotherly love fhould ❝come steel, fire, gibbets, rods, etc. Character istics, vol. iii. p. 114, 115. Ed. 4th. But the general premises are as falfe as the particular inference is Befides, |