12.

Joh. xv. have love one to another. And again; This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

xiii. 8.

10.

The Apostles, accordingly, give us to understand, that This was the * Sum total of what they had in Charge to teach Mankind. St. Paul writing to the RoRom. mans, fays, Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he, that loveth another, bath fulfilled the law. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. He affures the GalaGal. v. 6. tians, that In CHRIST JESUS, neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but faith which worketh by love. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in This, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy felf.

14.

1 Tim. i.

5.

When he is directing Timothy to charge the Clergy who were left under his Infpection, that they should teach no other than the true doctrine, he fays; Now the end of the commandment is charity, out of

*N. B. This univerfal Love can never be rightly prac tis'd, as the Inftitution of JESUS CHRIST, but a man, at the fame time, must believe all the Articles of the Chriftian Faith.

a pure heart, and of a good confcience, and of faith unfeigned. St. James fays; Pure Jam. i. religion and undefiled before God and the 27. Father, is this; To visit the fatherless and widows, in their affliction, and to keep one's Self unspotted from the world. St. Peter expreffes himself thus; Seeing ye have 1 Pet. i. pu- 22. 25. rified your fouls in obeying the truth, through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren; fee that ye love one another, with a pure heart fervently. For, this is the word which, by the gospel, is preached unto you. And St. John affirms the fame; This is, 1 Joh. iii. the message that ye heard from the beginning, That we should love one another.

SECT. XVIII.

Who are the best Chriftians.

It is to be hop'd the foregoing Enquiry will not be thought useless; fince it furnishes us with a Rule, by which we may judge infallibly what fort of Chriftians are the beft, and come up, the nearest, to the original Pattern. And we see plainly, They are Thofe among whom Charity prevails moft, and the leaft Stress is laid upon mere Ceremonies.

II.

It would be endless, as it is unneceffary, to enter upon an Enquiry how far every particular Church can juftly lay claim to these two diftinguishing Characters; but, without disparaging or cenfuring any other, Those of the Church of England cannot but have the Satisfaction of knowing, that they stand in a very fair Light, as to both these Particulars: fince their Charity prevails with them so far, as to allow Liberty of Confcience to those who, out of Scruple, cannot fafely conform with them; and that they lay no Stress upon any Ceremonies contrary to God's Word written; nor admit of any but what Apoftolic Ufage and Decency recommend: Hoping, at the fame time, that it is no Breach of Charity, *to rebuke those openly, who willingly and purposely violate such ceremonies of their Church, as are not repugnant to the word of God, and are ordain'd and approv'd by common authority.

+ Article XX. of the Church of England.

Article XXXIV.

SECT.

SECT. XIX.

Of Sacred GIFT S.

But to return from whence we digrefs'd; next to the Sacrifices of the If raelites, we may confider their facred Donations, or holy Prefents, made upon a religious Account: which were of three Sorts. Either firft, fuch as the Law prefcrib'd; or fecondly, fuch as had been vow'd by a Vow; or thirdly, fuch as were offer'd up freely and voluntarily, without the Perfon's being under any particular Obligation.

Where the feveral Kinds of Sacrifices are enumerated, which they were to offer up, on each Day during one of their great Festivals, in the Conclufion, it is faid; These things ye shall do unto the Numb. LORD, in your fet feafts, befides your vows, xxix. 39. and your free-will offerings. Of the first Sort, were Firft-fruits and Tythes, and a certain Sum, which every one was bound to pay into the Treasury of the Tabernacle or Temple. Unto the Deut. x Place which the LORD your God Shall 5, 6. choose

P 2

Exod.

choofe out of all your Tribes, thither thou fhalt come, and thither ye shall bring your burnt-offerings, and your facrifices, and your tythes, and heave-offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your free-will offerings, and the firflings of your herds and of your flocks.

SECT. XX.

FIRST-FRUITS.

For the First-fruits, the Precept is this: Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy xxii. 30. ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firftborn of thy fons fhalt thou give unto me. Like

wife fhalt thou do with thine oxen, and ib. xxiii. with thy sheep. Again, The first of the fruits of thy land, thou shalt bring into the boufe of the LORD thy God.

19.

xviii. 12

Thefe Firft-fruits were to be the PorNumb. tion of the Priests and Levites. All the beft of the oyl, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat; the firft-fruits of them, which they fhall offer unto the LORD; them have I given thee. Nevertheless, the firft-born of a man, and the firflings of unclean beafts fhalt thou redeem.

SECT.