of mankind will not certainly break one time or other. Confider what has been faid, &c. In this moral effay, for I can fearce call it a fermon, the author inferts fome very ftriking obfervations upon fuch false notions of honour as are too prevalent in the world. [Here the particular paffage is quoted, beginning thus, "The other falfe principle which fome men fet up in the place of confcience," &c. p. 9. l. 1. and ending thus, in order to revenge it by the death of an adverfary," ibid. 1.27. But you must be weary of quotations: and in excufe for thofe already made, I can only offer, that in comments upon original authors, quotations are often the beft, and perhaps the only explanations that can fully answer the end propofed. I mean, that the original spirit is fo volatile, as not to admit of the leaft transfufion. In ordinary compofitions, the effence may be extracted, and the fubtileft parts diftilled: but Swift's fermons appeared a chymical preparation of fo extraordinary and penetrating a nature, that I was refolved to fend you as much of the ethereal fpirit as might be fafely conveyed by the poft. Orrery. SERMON IV. On BROTHERLY LOVE*: HE B. xiii. 1. Let brotherly love continue. IN the early times of the gofpel, the Christians were very much diftinguifhed from all other bodies of men, by the great and conftant love they bore to each other; which although it was done in obedience to the frequent injunctions of our Saviour and his apoftles, yet, I confefs, there feemeth to have been likewife a natural reason, that very much promoted it. For the Chriftians then were few and scattered, living under perfecution by the * This fermon is not in the Dublin edition. Hear Heathens round about them, in whofe hands was all the civil and military power; and there is nothing fo apt to unite the minds and hearts of men, or to beget love and tenderness, as a general diftrefs. The first diffenfions between Chriftians toek their beginning from the errors and herefies that arofe among them; many of thofe herefies, fometimes extinguished, and fometimes reviving, or fucceeded by others, remain to this day; and having been made inftruments to the pride, avarice, or ambition of ill-defigning men, by extinguifhing brotherly love, have been the caufe of infinite calamities, as well as corruptions of faith and manners, in the Chriftian world. The laft legacy of Chrift was peace and mutual love; but then he foretold, that he came to fend a fword upon the earth. The primitive Chriftians accepted the legacy, and their fucceffors down to the prefent age have been largely fulfilling his prophecy. But whatever the practice of mankind hath been, or still continues, there is no duty more incumbent upon thefe who profefs the gofpel, than that of brotherly love; which whoever could reftore in any degree among men, would be an inftrument of more good to human fociety, than ever was, or will be done by all the statesmen and politicians in the world. It is upon this fubject of brotherly love that I intend to difcourfe at prefent; and the method I obferve fhall be as follows. 1. I will inquire into the caufes of this great want of brotherly love among us. 2. I will lay open the fad effects and confequences which our animofities and mutual hatred have produced. 3. I will ufe fome motives and exhortations that may perfuade you to embrace brotherly love, and continue in it. I. I fhall inquire into the caufes of this great want of brotherly love among us. This nation of ours hath for an hundred years paft been infested by two enemies, the Papifts and Fanatics; who each in their turns filled it with blood and flaughter, and for a time destroyed both the church and government. The memory of these events hath put all true Proteftants equally upon their guard against both these adversaries; who, by confequence, do equally hate us. The Fanatics revile us, as too nearly approaching to Popery ; and the Papifts condemn us, as bordering too much on Fanaticifm. The Papifts, God be praifed, are, by the wisdom of our laws, put out of all visible poffibility of hurting us; befides, their religion is fo generally abhorred, that they have no advocates or abettors among Proteftants to affift them. But the Fanatics are to be confidered in another light : they have had, of late years, the power, the luck, or the cunning, to divide us among ourselves; they have endeavoured to reprefent all thofe who have been fo bold as to oppofe their errors and defigns, under the character of perfons difaffected to the government; and they have fo far fucceeded, that now-a-days, if a clergyman happens to preach with any zeal and vehemence against the fin or danger of fchifm, there will not want too many in his congregation ready enough to cenfure him, as hot and high-flying, an inflamer of mens minds, an enemy to moderation, and difloyal to his prince. This hath produced a formed and fettled divifion between those who profefs the fame doctrine and difcipline, while they who call themfelves moderate, are forced to widen their bottom, by facrificing their principles and their brethren to the incroachments and infolence of diffenters; who are therefore anfwerable, as a principal caufe of all that has tred and animofity now reigning among us. VOL. II. D Another Another cause of the great want of brotherly love, is the weaknefs and folly of too many among you of the lower fort, who are made the tools and inftruments of your betters to work their defigns, wherein you have no concern. Your numbers make you of ufe, and cunning men take the advantage by putting words into your mouths which you do not understand; then they fix good or ill characters to thofe words, as it beft ferves their purposes; and thus you are taught to love or hate, you know not what or why; you often fufpect your best friends and nearest neighbours, even your teacher himself, without any reafon, if your leaders once taught you to call him by a name which they tell you fignifieth fome very bad thing. A third caufe of our great want of brotherly love feemeth to be, that this duty is not fo often infifted on from the pulpit, as it ought to be in fuch times as thefe on the contrary, it is to be doubted, whether doctrines are not fometimes delivered by an ungoverned zeal, a defire to be diftinguish'd, or a view of intereft, which produce quite different effects; when, upon occafions fet apart to return thanks to God for fome public bleffing, the time is employed in ftirring up one part of the congregation against the other, by reprefentations of things and perfons, which God in his mercy forgive thofe who are guilty of. The laft caufe I fhall mention of the want of brotherly love, is that unhappy difpofition towards politics among the trading people, which hath been induftriously inftilled into them. In former times, the middle and lower fort of mankind feldom gained or loft by the factions of the kingdom; and therefore were little concerned in them, further than as matter of talk and amufement: but now the meanest dealer will expect to turn the penny by the merits of his party. He can reprefent his neigh bour bour as a man of dangerous principles; can bring a railling accufation against him, perhaps a criminal one; and fo rob him of his livelihood, and find his own account by that much more than if he had difparaged his nighbour's goods, or defamed him as a cheat. For fo it For fo it happens, that instead of inquiring into the skill or honesty of thofe kind of people, the manner is now to inquire into their party, and to reject or encourage them according y; which proceeding hath made our people in general fuch able politicians, that all the artifice, flattery, diffimulation, diligence and dexterity in undermining each her, which the fatirical wit of men hath charged upon courts; together with all the rage and violence, cruelty and injuftice, which have been ever imputed to public affemblies; are with us (fo polite are we grown) to be seen among our meaneft traders and artificers in the greatest perfection. All which, as it may be matter of fome humiliation to the wife and mighty of this world, fo the effects thereof may perhaps in time prove very different from what, I hope in charity, were ever forefeen or intended. II. I will therefore, now, in the fecond place, lay open fome of the fad effects and confequences which our animofities and mutual hatred have pro duced: And the first ill confequence is, that our want of brotherly love hath almoft driven out all fenfe of religion from among us; which cannot well be otherwife for fince our Saviour laid fo much weight upon his difciples loving one another, that he gave it among his laft inftructions; and fince the primitive Chriftians are allowed to have chiefly propagated the faith, by their ftrict obfervance of that inftruction; it muft follow, that, in proportion as brotherly love declineth, Chriftianity will do fo too. The little religion there is in the world, hath been |