SERMON IX.

Of Brotherly Kindness and Charity.

2 Pet. i. 7.

And to Godliness, Brotherly Kindness; and to Brotherly Kindness, Charity.

C

HARITY is often reprefented in SERM. the New Teftament as the fum and IX. the highest perfection of religion. St. Paul teaches us that love is the fulfilling of the law. It comprehends all the particular precepts which relate to our neighbour, fuch as thou shalt not kill. adultery. Thou shalt not bear falfe witness. And it is the best and of the fincerity and the prevalence of all good difpofitions. This is the meaning of our Saviour's command to his difciples †, Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in beaven is perfect. In the foregoing verfes

Thou shalt not commit not fteal. Thou shalt Thou shalt not covet. most perfect evidence

he

Rom. xiii. 8, 10

+ Mat. v. 48.

SER M. he exhorts them thus, love your enemie, blefs

IX. them that curfe you, do good to them that bate you, and pray for them which defpitefully use you and perfecute you. And adds this argument, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for he maketh bis fun to rife on the evil and the good, and fendeth rain on the just and the unjust. Immediately, it follows, be ye therefore perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. That is, imitate that glorious perfection of the Deity, his abundant goodnefs and longfuffering towards his creatures, even those of them that are wicked, and whom he can not approve. And in the parallel place of St. Luke's gofpel*, after the very fame dif course, the conclufion is thus expreffed, Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is alfo merciful. So that, evidently, the chriftian perfection which our Lord recommends to his followers, in imitation of God, is the perfection of charity and mercy. And thus in the text, when the apoftle had enumerated the other virtues which fhould be added to our faith, and adorn our chriftian profeffion, he mentions as the finishing part of a religious character, that we fhould add to godliness,

Luke vi. 36.

and

and to all the rest, brotherly kindness and SERM.

charity.

These two, brotherly kindness and charity, are reprefented in the fame manner, and with the fame diftinction as different virtues; the latter to be added to the former; tho' the principle is the fame, an univerfal benevolence to mankind, differing only in its exercife, according to the diverfity of the condition and circumftances of the object, The general law which our Saviour calls the second commandment, like unto the firft, which enjoins the love of God, is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. And it appears plainly from our Lord's dif courfes, particularly his parable in the 10th of St. Luke's gospel, from the 30th verse, that by our neighbour, we are to understand any of mankind to whom we have an opportunity of doing good offices, without distinction of nation or religious profeffion; and elsewhere, as has been already obferved, by an injunction more peculiar to himfelf, and to his own religious inftitution, he extends the precepts of charity, even to our enemies and perfecutors. At the fame time, as he has laid a foundation of great intimacy among his own difVOL. II. ciples,

IX.

SERM. ciples, having united them all to himself
IX. their head as members of the fame

body, by the fame fpirit, in one baptifm or
religious profeffion, and one hope of their
calling; and in the relation of children to
one God and Father of all, who is above
all, and through all, and in them all,
he therefore injoins them to keep the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace. There are
peculiar offices of love due from them to each
other, founded on that intimate union. The
tendereft compaffion to the infirmities of the
weak, bearing one another's burdens, in-
ftructing, exhorting, ftrengthning, comfort
ing, and edifying each other. And as our
bleffed Master enforces and recommends
these mutual kind offices of chriftians, the
members of his body by peculiar motives,
thofe efpecially taken from his own example,
and the love he has fhewn to us in dying
the just for the unjust, that he might bring us
to God, fo he lays very great stress on our
fincere and faithful performance of them.
This is the diftinguishing badge of his true
followers; hereby, fays he, fhall all men
know that
ye are my difciples, if ye love one
another.

But

But, ftill, charity is not appropriated to SERM thofe of the fame religion, or thofe who are IX. of the houshold of faith; at least, if there be a particular brotherly kindness due to them, and they who have purified themselves by obeying the truth thro' the spirit, will and ought to love one another with pure bearts fervently, yet a more extenfive charity and good will must be added to that virtue, a difpofition to do good to every one of mankind, as we have opportunity.

Concerning this affection with the evidences and expreffions of it, it is not neceffary to fay much; but, I fhall confider more largely the obligations we are under to cultivate it, and especially the neceffity of adding it to godliness. The principle itself is eafily understood, and made obvious by that rule that is given us to judge by in the abridgment of the moral law, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy felf. We know every one of us, however ignorant, what it is to love. ourfelves; there is no one of mankind, in whom this principle is not ftrong: We may be mistaken in the methods of pursuing our own happiness, no doubt many are mistaken, but we all fincerely with and earnestly defire Q 2

it.