felfish and worldly fpirit, and the whole malignant tribe of paflions which spring from it, but tends to cherish and invigorate all the benign and friendly difpofitions, is evident, beyond all doubt, from the moft cursory view of the New Teftament. To mention all the particulars on this fubject, would be to tranfcribe a great part of the morality of the gofpel. Let it fuffice to select a few paffages. "By this," fays our Saviour, "all men fhall "know that ye are my difciples, if ye love

one another." And, in another paffage, he infifts upon a forgiving temper, as indifpenfably neceffary in order to our acceptance with God: Matth. vi. 14. "For if ye for"give men their trefpaffes, your heavenly Father will alfo forgive you: but if ye

forgive not men their trefpaffes, neither "will your heavenly Father forgive you." How perfectly he exemplified this fublime precept in the courfe of his own life, and at the conclufion of it, is well known to every one who has read the gofpel-history. The apoftles of our Lord inculcate the fame kind of precepts with the greatest warmth and earneftnefs: Eph. iv. 31. 32. " Let all bitterness, "wrath, anger, clamour, and evil-fpeaking,

be put away from among you, with all "malice; and be ye kind one to another,

tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Chrift's fake, hath forgiven you." Further, The points of light in which Chritianity places our fellow-men, are such as are

fuited

fuited to affect us in the moft powerful and tender manner. We are all, whether high or low, rich or poor, learned or unlearned, equally the children of the fame great family, and equally under the protection, and at the difpofal, of the Almighty and All-wife Providence of the fame great Parent of all. We are all fellow-travellers through this ftate of pilgrimage, in which we are all expofed to the like wants, dangers, and diftreffes. We have all the like imperfections and infirmities, equally liable to fail in our duty to one another, and therefore equally ftanding in need of forgivenefs at one another's hands. -We are all equally labouring in the fame state of darkness and corruption, of guilt and mortality: And we are all equally dependent for our hopes of deliverance from these great evils, on the fame great friend and faviour of the human race, Jefus the Son of God.

Thefe views of our brethren of mankind are certainly fitted to bring down the most lofty looks, and to convince the proudest of the fons of men, that, notwithstanding all the diftinctions and pre-eminences on which they value themselves, they are, in reality, on a level, in the most important refpects, with the pooreft and loweft of the human race. - And all those who lay open their hearts to the full influence of fuch views, will feel fuch humane and tender fentiments arife within them, as the ancient Eaftern author expreffes in the following pathetic words: "If I did despise D d 2

"the

"the cause of my man-fervant, or maid-fer<< vant, when they contended with me; what "then fhall I do when God rifeth up? and "when he vifiteth, what shall I answer? Did "not he that made me in the womb make him and did not one fashion us in the "'womb?" Job, xxxi. 13. 14. 15.

It is our great happiness in the Chriftian world, that the facred writings abound with fuch fublime precepts, and fuch tender fentiments, as have been mentioned. But let us take care, left, through our familiarity with them, we lose the juft fenfe of their excellence and importance. Let us always remember, that, whatever our notions about these precepts and fentiments of the gospel may be, they are furely divine inftructions, and worthy to ferve for leffons to the whole race of mankind they are leffons that bear the most ftriking characters of that tenderness of heart, that elevation of mind, that total fuperiority to all felfish and worldly paffions, which dif. tinguished the divine Author of our religion; and they are the most convincing proofs, that humanity and love, in the highest perfection, is the genius of Chriftianity.

As was propofed, in the fecond place, let us allow our thoughts to dwell a little on the excellencies of the spirit of love. First, then, love is the most amiable and the most beautiful of all objects of contemplation. Goodnefs, genuine goodnefs, where-ever it appears, charms the heart of man. The native indi

cations

cations of it in the features, the looks, the tone of the voice, or geftures of the body, ftrike every beholder with pleasure. The beauty, especially, of kind and humane, of charitable and generous deeds, has ever been felt and acknowledged by all mankind. In a word, all the various emanations of a kind and benign heart, in looks, in voice, in words, in attitudes, or actions, are pleafing to the view of every obferver. And hence it is, that the spirit of love, operating and displaying itfelf in the characters and manners of mankind, gives them their chief beauty and excellence. Where this is wanting, that artificial politenefs which is in fo high eftimation among the higher ranks of mankind, gives an apparent, rather than a real, grace and a-miableness to their manners. That politenefs: which flows from real affection and humility will ever be found to be the moft genuine. It may, indeed, want fome of the exterior graces which arife from elegant attitudes and motions of the body, or from certain proprieties of voice and language: but as the effential part of politenefs confifts in attending to thofe things which may please or be agreeable as far as is confiftent with truth and integrity, in avoiding either in words or in actions what may hurt or offend, and in laying afide frivolous officioufnefs and ftudied formality, unfeigned good-will and affection will engage to a more uniform and efDd 3 feQual

fectual practice of these things than any artifi cial rules and habits can poffibly do.

It must indeed be owned, that, confider ing how ill affected men are frequently to one another, they would be infupportable to each other without a portion of that diffimulation which is a confiderable ingredient in the fafhionable politenefs of the world. If men were to fhew, without difguife, that envy or contempt, that averfion or malice, which, alas! they too frequently have in their hearts, they could not poffibly bear with one another. It ferves, indeed, to maintain the peace and decency of fociety, that they mutually act a part, though far from the moft fincere one. But, furely, if men would, in good earnest, apply themfelves to the exercife of that mutual love which Chriftianity enjoins, there would be little occafion for that habitual infincerity in artificial profeffions of good-will and humility, which make up fo great a part of what is called good manners or good breeding. If love without diffimulation really warmed our hearts, it would beautify our manners more effectually than all artificial rules without it can poffibly do.

Further, in the fecond place, the excellency of the principle of love will appear, if we confider, that it is not only a moft amiable, but alfo a moft powerful one. And indeed its power is fo great, that it is difficult to enu. merate or describe all its mighty effects. It is an established maxim, That love begets love;

and