The duty of the poor, is gratitude to their benefactors; and induftry, in endeavouring as much as they can to lighten the burden of their own fupport to those who contribute to it.

Propriety and rectitude require, that the learned and wife ufe their endeavours to inftruct and advise the ignorant and unthinking. And in general, that every perfon employ his peculiar talent or advantage for the moft extenfive ufefulness. It is with this view that fuch remarkable differences are made in the gifts of mind and fortune, which different perfons fhare. Thefe are parts of their refpective trials; and they will be judged according to the ufe they have made of them.

Our duty to benefactors is evidently love and gratitude. Even to enemies we owe, according to the Chriftian law, of which afterwards, forgivenefs and interceffion with Heaven for them; which alfo we are obliged to for all our fellow-creatures.

The rectitude or propriety of thefe feveral obligations being felf-evident, it would be only wafting time to take the pains to establish it by arguments.

The infinitely wife Governor of the univerfe has placed us in this ftate, and engaged us in fuch a variety of connections with, and relations to one another, on purpose to habituate us to a fenfe of duty, and love of obedience and regularity. The more duties we have to do in our prefent ftate of difcipline, the more occafion we have for watchfulnefs and diligence, and a due exertion of every noble power of the mind. And the more practice we have of exerting our powers, the ftronger they must grow; and the more we practife obedience, the more tractable and obedient we must naturally become; and to be obedient to the Supreme Governor of the world, is the very perfection of every created nature. Again, the various connections among mankind, and the different duties refulting from them, naturally tend to work in us a fettled and extenfive benevolence for our fellow-beings, and to habituate us to think and act with tenderness, forbearance, and affection toward them. And it is evident, that this fublime and godlike difpofition cannot be too much cultivated.

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We can never be in a state, in which it will not be for our advantage, and for the advantage of all the other beings with whom we may be connected, that we be difpofed to extenfive and unbounded benevolence for one another. It is obvious, that a happy fociety, in which hatred and ill-will fhould univerfally prevail, is an inconceivable and contradictory idea. Whatever may be the nature of the ftates we may be hereafter defigned for, it is evident we fhall be the fitter for them, for having cultivated in our minds an extenfive universal Jove of all other beings. But if we fuppofe, what seems agreeable to Scripture views, as well as to reason, that those who fhall be found worthy of a future life, are to be raised to stations, not of indolence and inactivity, but of extenfive ufefulness in the creation, fuch as we fuppofe to be filled at prefent by angels, I mean, of guardians and governors over beings of lower ranks, during their itate of trial and difcipline; if this be a reafonable fuppofition, it is plain, that the fublime virtue of benevolence cannot be carried too far. And this fets forth the Divine Wifdom in placing us in a state in which we have fuch opportunities of being habituated to a difpofition fo useful and neceffary for all orders of rational beings throughout all periods of their exiftence.

It will be the reader's wifdom here carefully to examine his conduct, that he may know whether he acts the part of a valuable and ufeful member of fociety. If he has wrought into his foul a kind, a generous, and extenfive benevolence toward all his fellow-creatures, whether in high or low ftations, whether rich or poor, whether foreigners or countrymen, whether of his own religion or any other, learned or unlearned, virtuous or vicious, friends or enemies; if he finds it recommendation enough to his regard or affection, that it is a fellow-creature who wants his affiftance, a being produced by the fame Almighty hand which created himself; if he earneftly wifhes, and is at all times ready to promote the good of his fellow-creatures by all means in his power, by his riches, his advice, his intereft, his labour, at any time, feafonable or unfeafonable, in a way agreeable

agreeable to his own particular temper and inclination, or in a manner that may be lefs fuitable to it; if he finds himself ready with the open arms of forgiveness to receive his enemy, the moment he appears difpofed to repentence and reconciliation; if he finds that it would be a pleasure to him to do good to thofe who have injured him, though his goodnefs fhould never be known; if he finds that he is in no part of his private devotions more zealous than when he prays from his heart to Him who fearches all hearts, that his enemy may be pardoned, reformed, and made as happy hereafter as himfelf; if he finds that one difappointment or abufe of his goodness, or ten fuch difcouragements, do not cool his ardour for the good of mankind; that he does not immediately fall out of conceit with a public-fpirited defign, because of its difficulties or uncertainty of fuccefs, but that he can ftand the raillery of thofe narrow fouls, who cannot rife to his pitch of difinterefted benevolence; and that, tho' he goes on refolutely, and without wearying in well-doing, he does not do it from pride or self-sufficiency, but from real well-meant goodness of heart and defign; if he does not fearch for excufes, but confiders himself as obliged to be always endeavouring to gain fome kind and beneficial end, without regard to its being more or lefs directly in his way, or more or lefs promifing of fuccefs, if it is the best he can do at the time, and if no one elfe will do it better, or engage in it at all; and that after all he confiders himself as an unprofitable fervant, as having done ftill only his indifpenfable duty; if the reader finds this to be the turn of his mind, he may conclude, that he is not far from that perfection of benevolence, which the Divine rectitude and law require, and which is neceffary to fit every human mind for being a member of an univerfal fociety hereafter. If, on the other hand, he finds, that he is wholly wrapt up in himfelf; that he thinks with no relifh of the happinefs of any one elfe; that his utmoft benevolence extends no wider than the circle of his own family, friends, or party; that all he wants is to enrich himself and his relations; that he cannot look with any perfonal tendernefs or confideration upon a Frenchman

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Frenchman or Spaniard, a few or a Papift, or even a Churchman or Diffenter, if he differs from them in profeflion if, reader, thou findeft this to be the turn of thy mind; if, in a word, thou doft not find it to be thy meat and thy drink to do thy fellow-creature good, if thou doft not love thy neighbour with the fame affection as thy felf, be affured thou art not at prefent of the difpofition of mind, which the Univerfal Governor would have all his rational creatures brought to; and mayeft judge what chance thou haft for His favour, whofe favour is life and happiness; whofe love to all his creatures tends to draw and unite them to himself, and would have them all love one another, that by univerfal love they may be united into one fociety, under one infinite Lord and univerfal Father.

SECT. VIII.

Of our Obligations with respect to our Creator.

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E come now to the third and nobleft part of the duty of rational beings, which is also their highest honour, I mean, That which they owe to the Creator, Preferver, and Governor of themfelves, and the Universe. The first part, or foundation of which is, The belief of his exiftence.

The abstract proof of the exiftence of God requires nothing to be granted, but only, That fomething now exifts; which conceffion forces the mind to confefs the neceffity of fome First Caufe, exifting naturally, neceffarily, and independently upon any other; Himself the caufe of all things; Himself the fountain of being, and plenitude of perfection.

This proof leaves no room for cavilling; but effectually cuts off the fubtle difputer from every poffible evafion or fubterfuge. It is not however fo eafy for thofe who have not been accustomed to abstract reafoning, to fee the conclufive force of it. For the bulk of mankind, the fitteft arguments for the being of God are taken from the ftupendous works of Nature. And what object is there in the whole compafs of nature, animate or inanimate, great or fmall, rare or common, which

does

does not point to the almighty Author of all things? Not only those which ftrike us with aftonishment, and fill our minds with their greatnefs; not only the view of a rolling ocean, a blazing fun, or the concave of heaven sparkling with its innumerable starry fires; but even the fight of a flower, a pile of grafs, or a reptile of the duft, every particle of matter around us; the body, into which his breath has infufed our life; the foul, by which we think and know; whatever we fix our eye or thought upon, holds forth the ever-prefent Deity. In what ftate or place must we be, to be infenfible of Him, by whom our very being is preserved? Whither must we withdraw ourfelves, to be out of the reach of his Divine communications, who minutely fills every point of boundless space? Is it poffible to obliterate from our minds the thought of him in whom we live, and move, and have our being?

The firft and fundamental duty of all rational beings to God, is, as I have faid, To believe his existence. Now, though there is nothing praife-worthy in believing the most important truth upon infufficient grounds; and though, on the contrary, credulity is a weaknefs unworthy of a being endowed with a capacity of examining and finding out truth; yet there may be a great wickedness in unbelief: For a perfon may, from obftinacy and perverseness, reject important truth, or through levity, folly, or an attachment to vice, may avoid the proper and natural means of conviction. So that the effect, which the rational and clear perfuafion of important truth might have had upon his difpofition and practice, may be loft. And it is greatly to be fufpected, that multitudes are guilty of this laft crime, with refpect to the awful doctrine of the existence of God. If they be asked, whether they believe that there is a God, they will take it amifs to be fufpected of the leaft inclination to Atheism. But it is evident, from their lives and converfations, that if they believe the existence of God at all, it is in fuch a manner as is next to no belief. They think not of the matter. There may, or may not, be a God for any thing they know

of care.

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But