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souls; against those families and creditors, who suffer by their extravagance and folly; against his country and his fellow Christians, who have a right to his good example; against the poor, who have a right to expect from him a part, at least, of those superfluities, which he spends on himself in selfish folly and wickedness. Is such a man as this kind-hearted? Is he even honest? Disguise it as we may, there is nothing in this world so unfeeling, so insensible, to a pure and generous love, as the man who lives only for his appetites.

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Are these examples sufficient? cessary for me to go further; and prove to you, that the tale-bearer, the whisperer, and idle gossiper, are among the enemies of their neighbours that the discontented and envious person cannot be said to love those in whose prosperity he does not rejoice; and that all, who dishonour the character of their Christian profession, are sinners, thereby, against the best and greatest of benefactors, who laid down His life for those who thus ill-treat Him:- Him I mean, who is not only God, but Man;-the Lord Jesus Christ? O Lord, faithful and true, Thou whose life, whether in earth or Heaven, has been throughout one course of love, unchanged, unequalled, how little love hast Thou received, in return, from those whom Thou didst not disdain to call Thy friends and brethren !

But if, in all these ways which I have mentioned, we transgress the law of God commanding us to love one another, where, it will be said, can love be found on earth? Or how shall we make that principle spring up in a soil so corrupted? For this the rules which I shall give you, are only three; but they are sufficient for the purpose; and they are such, as if duly, and universally followed on earth, would make earth itself a paradise.

In the first place, be considerate. Do nothing without thinking with yourself, whether by thus acting you are likely to injure any body; or to give to any one just cause of complaint, or a likely occasion of sinning. This will alone keep you back from many hurtful indulgences; and, by making you thoughtful of your neighbours, make you the more inclined to love them. Secondly, be not wearied in well doing; and do not distrust your own power of doing good. Some men have more opportunities of showing kindness; some fewer; -but all have some. A cup of cold water, when we have nothing else to give, will not be given in vain and not only do we, by this means, lay up for ourselves, in a greater or less degree, a store of blessedness hereafter; but we increase, at the present moment, our charitable and friendly feelings by our charitable and friendly behaviour.

Lastly, however, and above all, I am ready

to allow, that, in our present fallen state and corrupted nature, no true, no lively, no active and self denying love can take rest, except it be derived to us from above, GOD is love: GOD is the fountain and spring, from whence all those streams descend, which refresh with comfort and loving kindness our passage through this earthly wilderness. GOD is Himself that living flame, from which is kindled whatever glow of friendship, of pity, or of charity we find in our own breasts, or perceive by its fruits to be in the breasts of our brethren.

To GOD, therefore, let us make our prayer, that, with all other gifts and graces of His Holy Spirit, He would bestow on us this, the greatest and most blessed of them all, the gift of kindness and brotherly love; which can reprove the faults of our neighbours, without insulting them; can rejoice in their prosperity, without envying them; can restrain ourselves, in the fear of hurting them; and deny ourselves even just and lawful comforts, in the hope of being better able to help them; which sanctifies our daily prayers, our daily conversation, our daily and honest industry, and leads us, out of thankfulness to that Son of God,-to endeavour, all we can, in every action of our lives, to do good to those, whom that Blessed Son has called His brethren. To Him, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour, praise, and glory!

SERMON LVIII.

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

JEREMIAH, Xxiii. 6.

And this is His name, whereby he shall be called, The Lord OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

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THESE words, and the whole of the passage, from which they are taken, are, by both Christians and Jews, and by Christians of every sect and party, acknowledged to relate to that great Deliverer, whom, under the name of Christ, or Messiah, the anointed, that is, of God, the Christians, on their side, believe to have already come; and the Jews, on the contrary, continue still to look for. By an attentive examination, therefore, of the meaning, which they convey, we may be enabled to form a tolerable judgement of the character and actions of that Person, whom, it is allowed on all hands, the Holy Ghost here promises and describes ; and we may determine for ourselves to what religious system they are suited best, whether to that of the Jew, the Unitarian, or the usual confession of Christian. And that you may be

enabled more impartially to determine this question, I will first set before you the doctrines of these three several parties, as we find them laid down by themselves, and in their own published writings.

The Christ, or Messiah, whom the Jew continues to expect, is a person of the following. description. They believe, that, in the latter days of the world, a man of admirable wisdom shall be born; descended from the Royal family of David; who shall go round to all the nations of the world, where the Israelites are now in banishment; and shall, like Moses, persuade, or compel, the Rulers of the Gentiles to let his people go, that they may return to their ancient land. They there, as they suppose, having rebuilt their Temple, and established anew their ancient form of worship, are to be exposed to many dangers from the envy of different nations, who are to make war on them and invade their country; but they are at last to be delivered from all their troubles, by their own courage and discipline, under the generalship of the same anointed Prince, who had, at first, brought them back from the north country and all countries whither they had been driven. At length, all the world are to become Jews like themselves ; and to send every year gifts and sacrifices to the Temple of Jerusalem.

The faith of the Unitarians is, that the Mes

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