glorious Gospel that the Almighty declared himfelf reconcileable to the Gentile World, and that Life and Immortality were brought to Light. Nor is the Chriftian Inftitution lefs admirable for its refined and holy Precepts, in which the Duty of Man in all his relative Offices is compleatly and accuHe is there rately fet before him. taught a rational Worship of God without Superstition or Infincerity; an affe&tionate Love to his Brother without Weaknefs, Self-intereft, or Flattery; a regular and virtuous Government of himfelf, free from all Affectation, Pride, or Cenforioufnefs. In this Evangelical Syftem of Ethics, the Seeds and first Principles of Vice are extinguished; and every Tincture or Refemblance of an evil Action is guarded against and difallowed; the noble Virtue of Fortitude, and the amiable Grace of Charity, fhine here with a double Luftre, feem raised to an Height above Nature, and ftretched to a Degree beyond humane; and yet that the Science taught is not merely fpeculative, nor a bare Theory of Morals, but fuch a Rule of Life as is redu A 4' reducible to Practice, and may be copied after, is evidently proved, and was intended to be fhewn by that compleat and lively Pattern, which the Author of this Gospel cloathed himself in our own Nature to fet before us. By following after other Models, how celebrated foever, tho' of Heroes, Philofophers, or Saints, we are fure of being defective, because the best of them have been fo; and we expofe our felves to the Hazard of being led into Tranfgreffions by the Fame and Reputation of their Characters; for the greatest Genius's, the moft eminent in fome particular Accomplishments, have been commonly obferved to be not without their Imperfections, and fometimes their Vices, to counterballance them: Whereas, in the Pattern of the bleffed Jefus, we have an infallible Guide, and an unerring Rule to walk by; his Ways and Precepts were entirely correfpondent, and his Life and Manners a compleat Tranfcript of his Doctrine. Had the Religion of the Gofpel indeed, even under the Advantage of fuch holy Laws, and fo fafe an Example, been taught : taught as fome of the Heathen Sages recommended Virtue, i. e. for Virtue's Sake, and as its own Reward, the Motive might have been too weak to carry Men on, and the World's Temptations to Difobedience too powerful to be withstood; but that the Leffons here taught us are of another Nature, and of the utmoft Confequence, may be gathered from thofe weighty Sanctions which go along with them, fuch as an Affurance of the Soul's Immortality, of a Day of Trial and future Judgment, for every Work done in the Flesh, of the Joys of Heaven for a Reward, and the eternal Pains of Hell for a Chaftifement. This is the Sum and Subftance of that holy Religion, which the kind Providence of God has inftructed us in, whofe Difcoveries have raifed our Hope, and whofe Light is given us to walk by; in whofe facred Writings we believe we have eternal Life, and by whofe Faith and Obfervance we promife our felves a future Inheritance of Blifs and Immortality. In Acknowledgment of thefe Mercies of the Almighty, and under a grateful Senfe of his ineftimable Benefits con conferred, we are labouring to make him fome Returns, and are aiming at a faint Refemblance of his Goodnefs, by extending the Happinefs we enjoy to our Fellow-creatures, and carrying the glad Tidings of Salvation to those who fit in Darkness, and where the Doctrine of a reconciled God, a compleat Satisfaction for Sin, and of a glorious Redeemer, has either not been taught, or is loft and forgotten. In diftributing the things of this World, Men are often check'd by the Confideration that what they give to others is taken from themfelves, and that by every Act of their Beneficence they become poorer; but fuch is the diffufive Nature of fpiritual Treasures, that they are not impaired, nor in the least diminished by being communicated. A property in this Wealth would take from the Worth of it, and what is a seeming Contradiction, a part is preferable to the whole; the more Sharers and joint Heirs there are in this Inheritance, the richer and more valuable is every one's Poffeffion. The The Jews indeed had other Sentiments of the Divine Favour, and were for confining it to themfelves; they gloried in their Covenant, for its being peculiar to their Nation, and were fo narrow fpirited in limiting every Bleffing to their own Tribes, that it may look like an Inconfiftency in them to have travelled Sea and Land to make Profelytes, while they imagined that none of their Converts, whether of the Gate or of the Covenant, could attain to an equal Acceptance with God, and to the fame Rank of Favour which they ftcod in. But we who are Difciples of a more gracious Law, and a better Covenant, and who perceive, with St. Peter, that A&ts 10. of a Truth God is no Refpecter of Perfons; but in every Nation he that fear th him and worketh Righteousness is accepted with him, have greater Encouragement to extend our Religion, not only to the loft Sheep of the House of Ifracl, Mat. 10. but to the opening alfo a Door of Faith Aas 14. unto the Gentiles; to increafe, as much as we are able, the Number of the faithful, that the Heathen may become our Lord's Inheritance, and the uttermoft Parts 34. 6. |