are thankful to him for them. (a) Sing unto the Lord with Thanksgiving, fays the Pfalmift, fing upon the Harp unto our God, who covereth the Heaven with Clouds, who prepareth Rain for the Earth, who maketh Grass to grow upon the Mountains. He giveth to the Beast his Food, and to the young Ravens which cry. And fo we are taught by our Saviour in fome following parts of this fame Sermon, that (b) our heavenly Father feeds the Fowls of the Air, which neither fow, nor reap, nor gather into Barns; and that God clothes the Grafs of the Field, which to Day is, and to Morrow is caft into the Oven. It would be endless to quote all the Paffages to this purpose, in which the Holy Ghost doth elegantly fet forth this Care of the Divine Providence. You may, at your leisure, read the 140th, and the 136th Pfalms, which are employed throughout on this Subject; and the 38th, and 39th Chapters of Job; the serious Meditation of which, is apt to give us very noble Thoughts of God, and to ftir up our Devotion and Obedience to him.

(2.) The fecond thing couched in this Propofition, is, that good Men are God's Friends, and bad Men his Enemies. For if it were not fo, the Argument could be of no force towards proving the Duty of the Love of Enemies, which it is here brought for. The fame Definition our Saviour gives of his Friends, Matt. xii. ult. Whofoever fhall do the Will of my Father which is in Heaven, the fame is my Brother, and Sifter, and Mother. And John xv. 14. Ye are my Friends if ye do whatsoever I command you.

(a) Pfal. cxlvii. 7. (b) Matt, vi. 26, &c.

This is a plain and eafy Notion of the Friends of God, and may ferve both to correct divers false Marks and Signs of God's Friendship, and likewife to encourage us in the ways of Holiness and Virtue, fince the greater Progrefs we make therein, we are fure to be admitted to higher Degrees of Friendship with God. Many are apt to go by other Marks; fome conclude their Friendship with God, from a ftrong Imagination of their Election and Predestination from all Eternity; but without this Mark of Goodness, or Refpect to God's Holy Laws, it is impoffible that other can be known. Some, with the Jews, conclude their Friendship with God, becaufe of their being Members of the true Church. We have Abraham to our Father, faid the Jews; we are fafe in the Church of Rome, think fome; and we are fafe in the Church of England, think others: But it is not the Authority of any Church, nor the Orthodoxy of any Opinions, that will entitle us to God's Friendship, except thefe Orthodox Opinions work in us a real Change of Heart and Life, and make us good Men and Women.

This Doctrine should encourage us mightily in the Study of true Piety and Virtue, fince that Study leads us into all the Felicities of God's Friendship, which are unspeakable, even in this Life, much more in the Life to come. Every Degree of Goodness admits us to more Grace and Favour; and every Degree of Grace both facilitates our Duty, and makes it more pleasant and relishing.

Before I leave this Notion of good Men, their being the Friends of God, there is one farther ImVOL. II. provement

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[SERM. provement I would make of it, namely, as a Direction to us in the choice of our Friendships; in which we want Advice, as much as in any other thing whatsoever. Men commonly choofe their Friendships from a Similitude of their own Mind and Manners, fuch as they are in their vicious State, not fuch as they ought to be. And this is the true Caufe that inftead of reaping any Benefit from that Sort of Friendships, they are only more encouraged and confined in their evil Practices, and do many more ill Things by the Example, and at the Inftigation of their Friends, than they would otherwise from their own corrupt Inclinations. Whereas would we choose the best of Men and Women for our Friends, as we fee God does, we should find an infinite Comfort and Benefit in that Relation, and fhould have a great Spur and Encouragement to Virtue. And indeed if the Matter be more throughly examined, it will be found that there can be no firm Friendfhip but among Good and Virtuous People. For if our Friend is addicted to any one Vice, there is presently a way to come at him to make him act contrary to the Rules of Friendship; if he is Covetous or Ambitious; then for his Intereft he will not stick to defert his Friend; if he is addicted to Drink or Cenfure, he will then neither fpare Friend nor Foe; if he is wedded to his Luft of any kind, he will facrifice all other Interests for compaffing it; if he is given to Flattery, or is carrying on any selfish Design of his own, be it ever fo bad, he expects his Friend should be only a fubfervient Tool in promoting it, inftead of using an honeft Freedom in diffuading him from

it. So that I do not wonder that even Tully a Heathen, from the mere Force of Reafon, in a Treatife of Friendship lays it down as a Principle, Hoc primum fentio, nifi in bonis Amicitiam effe non poffe. In the first place, fays he, I am of Opinion there can be no Friendship but among good People. but I have infifted too long on this, especially falling into the Text by the bye, and therefore I fhall leave it, and proceed to the third Thing contained in this Propofition. Namely,

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(3) That there are many common Mercies, which God in this Life beftows upon all, Good and Bad, Friends and Foes. Two of these are inftanced in, in the Text; he makes his Sun to rife on the Evil and on the Good, and fendeth Rain the Just and on the Unjuft. There is an infinite Number of others which might have been mentioned, fuch as the fweet Influences of the Moon and Stars; the Temperature of the Air; the Fertility of the Earth for natural Productions; the Commodioufnefs of the Sea and Rivers for Navigation; the Multitude of Creatures of all forts for Use and Ornament; nay, which is of much greater Value, the Means of Grace; and the Calls of Providence; and the Admonitions of Confcience; and the Bleffings of Education and Government; and many more than I can enumerate; all which with a bountiful Hand, God beftows promifcuously upon all, Good and Bad.

Now from this Example of God, particularly here recommended to our Imitation, there are feveral Inftructions may be gathered with relation to our Duty. I fhall infift on thefe Three, which I judge to be of the greatest Importance.

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1. The first is that recommended in the Text, for the fake of which indeed this Argument from God's Example was made ufe of; namely, that we should fo far love our Enemies, as to be wanting to them in none of the common Duties, which we owe to the Generality of Mankind. And this goes a great way; for here's the whole Duty of Man due to our Enemies. We are exempted it seems, from no Part of it, by their being our Enemies; whatever we owed them before, either as Men, or Christians, or Neighbours, or as wife Men, learned Men, good Men, as Parents, Brethren, Magistrates or Subjects, or whatever other Relation they may have to us, we owe it them ftill. There is none of those Obligations cancelled by any private Enmity they may have to us. And therefore whatever we owed them in Juftice before, we are to pay them ftill; for we are to render to all their Dues; whatever we owed them in Charity, we owe them fill; if thine Enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him Drink: And whatever we owed them in Civility and Courtesy, we owe them ftill; if ye falute your Brethren only, what Reward have ye? So if falute your Friends only, what Reward have ye?

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But further, as the preffing Circumstances of a particular Object oblige us to turn our Thoughts to the Confideration and Relief of that Object; fo the Confideration of our Enemy, as an Enemy, ought to ftir us up to feveral Duties towards him, confidered under that Capacity; fuch as to pity him, to pardon him, to pray for him, to give him good Words, to pursue him with good Deeds, to endeavour a Reconciliation, to remove his Prejudices, to give him all reasonable Satisfaction, to

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