and most affectingly, illuftrateth in the SERM. parable, Matt. xviii. 23. of a king, who, II. upon the humble and earnest intreaty of a fervant, who owed him ten thousand talents, moved with compaffion, forgave him the debt; but afterwards, (upon the cruelty of that perfon to one of his fellowfervants, who owed him but an hundred pence, whom he, unmoved by any intreaties, caft into prifon for it,) recalled his discharge of the debt, and infifted upon his paying the last farthing. So, faith our Lord, fhall my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye, from the heart, forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. And, that the mind may be always liberally difpofed and entertain kind fentiments of others, he condemneth, and warneth his difciples against, all rash judging and unjust cenfure; plainly intimating, that men of a cenforious spirit, if they would look inward with impartiality, would find matter enough of selfaccufation; poffibly much more offenfive than what they find in others. * Judge not, that ye be not judged; for with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again: and why beholdeft thou the mote,

Matt. vii. 1-6

that

SERM. that is in thy brother's eye, and confidereft II. not the beam, which is in thine own eye?

or how wilt thou fay to thy brother, let me pull out the mote out of thine eye, and behold a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, firft caft out the beam out of thine own eyes and then halt thou fee clearly to caft out the mote out of thy brother's eyes

It is to be farther obferved, that as we dwe love and good-will to all, fo there are certain relations in life, by which men are joined together in: ftricter bonds ; and affections, fuitable to them, are planted in the heart, which are warmer incentives to action fuch are the relations of hufband and wife, parent and child, brother and fifter, that of intimate friends, and the like. It is apparent, that there is great wifdom and goodnefs in endowing nature with thefe affections; for they contribute exceedingly to the enjoyment of focial andi and domeftic life; indeed, may be faid to be the great fource of that enjoyment ́3 and are neceffary to put men upon those labours, and reconcile them to thofe dif ficulties, which are always like to attend the prefent ftate of mankind and the exi gencies of it. And as the objects of these affections

op

affections lie in a narrower circle, and in SERM. which, therefore, we have the better II. portunity of ferving the end of them, fo they have a strength and delicacy, which would in many refpects be inconvenient, were the objects of them as extended, as that of general good-will. Our bleffed Lord, and his apostles, who taught what they received from him, have greatly encouraged men in the exercise of these affections, and have been very particular in their directions, with refpect to various relations in domestic life. They fhew the duties of hufbands and wives, of parents and children, of mafters and fervants; and have fuggefted fentiments, greatly tending to refine the focial affections, and to make them pure and holy. Nor indeed can any thing be more unnatural, than induftriously to check the exercife of those affections, or to indulge any felfish luft, whereby the generous tendency of them shall be counteracted. He must be a wretched creature in life; who is without natural affection, and is, by the Apostle Paul, reckoned amongst the very worst of men. But yet our bleffed Saviour sheweth us, that as we are to deny ourselves, for

confcience

SERM.confcience fake, to all selfish gratifications, II which are inconfiftent with integrity of character; for we are to lay reftraints upon the natural focial affections, and to act, as if not at all under any influence from them, when the caufe of God demandeth it and that all affections of this kind are to be fubordinated to the great principles of piety, and to that goodness of heart, which always aimeth at the greatest good we are capable of doing. This is, no doubt, our Lord's meaning, when he teacheth us, that if any man cometh to him, and bateth man* not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and fifters, and his own life alfo, he cannot be his difciple. Men of generous minds and tender affections will acknowledge, that no inftance of felf-denial, in matters, which are intirely perfonal, is fo hard and difficult as those, in which the focial affections are to be thwarted and contradicted. Yet fuch felf-denial, however painful and fevere, our Lord requireth ; and it is perfectly agreeable to reason and nature, that he fhould do fo. Where the cause of God, where the public good demandeth it, all thofe affections, Luke xiv. 26.

which are intended to be fubordinate to SERM.' higher principles, muft give place; and II. we are even to lay afide regard to the deareft relatives, fo far, I mean, that it shall not be permitted to prevail to the neglecting of our duty, or violating the rights of confcience. We are then to act, as if father and mother, brothers, fifters, children, and intimate friends, were comparatively nothing in our esteem.

But as our Bleffed Lord inftructeth his difciples to exercife good-will to all, and to love even their enemies, and approveth and encourageth the more private focial affections, of which near relations and intimate friends are the objects; fo in the New Teftament there is much notice taken of a new relation, of which he was the author, namely, the relation, in which his disciples stand to one another, as the members of his family, as the fubjects of his kingdom, as joined together in one fpirit, in the fame business, and in ferving the fame purposes of life which new relalation furnished an additional argument for the exercife of charity; and there is not any thing more earnestly recommended by our Saviour, than that they should love

one