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confidered, That the external acts of mercy here mentioned, are fuppofed to include that principle of divine love, or charity, from whence they flow, and from which alone they derive all their worth and excellence. "Tis the inward habit, or grace of charity, which recommends the outward act; fo that the leaft and loweft inftances of goodness, fpringing from this fource, are in the fight of God of great price: even a cup of cold water given to a thirsty difciple, in the name of Christ, shall not lofe its reward, Matth. x. 42. Whereas the most extraordinary and shining acts of charity, when feparated from a principle of divine love, are of no value; for, if we bestow all our goods to feed the poor, and have not charity, it profiteth us nothing, I Cor. xiii. 3. And therefore the

First, And most obvious account of the diftinguishing mention here made of acts of mercy, may be taken from the furpaffing dignity and worth of that divine grace which produceth them; which St. Paul tells us, is preferable even to faith and hope for the greatest of these three is charity, 1 Cor. xiii. 13.

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I fhould not wander from my point, if I took occafion here largely to explain the grounds and reafons of this preference; fince whatever excellence there is in the cause or principle, muft derive a proportionable excellence alfo on the effect; and therefore a full difplay of thofe grounds and reasons would tend to fatisfy our prefent enquiry. But having other matter to offer, which is of nearer and plainer use, I fhall mention them only without infifting upon them.

Charity then (or a love of God, which works

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by a love of our neighbour) is greater than faith or hope, because it fuppofes thefe graces to be previously exercised, and is indeed the refult and reward of them. Faith ftedfaftly believes, hope eagerly expects; but love, which is the end and confummation of both, enjoys.

It not only unites us to God, but it makes us like him too, and transforms us into a divine image! God is Love: 1 John iv. 8. whereas faith and hope have no place in the fupreme Mind; and confequently, we ourselves bear no refemblance to God, when we abound in them.

Charity is more extenfive, as to its object and ufe, than either of the two other graces, which center ultimately in ourselves; for we believe, and we hope, for our own fakes: But love (which is a more difinterested principle) carries us out ourfelves, into defires and endeavours of promoting the interefts of other beings.

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Charity excels alfo in point of duration, for it never faileth; 1 Cor xiii. 2. it doth not end with this world, but goes along with us into the next, where it will be advanced and perfected: but faith and hope fhall then totally fail; the one being changed into fight, the other into enjoyment.

And indeed, well hath God fuited thefe graces to the several states to which they belong. Faith and hope, which are useful in this life only, may in this life be exercifed to perfection. We inay have fo vigorous and piercing a faith, as can be out-done by no evidence, but that of fight; we may have fo erect and lively an hope, as can only be exceeded by fruition, in which it is loft.

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But love is as endlefs in its degrees, as it is in its duration; and is fitted therefore to an immortal ftate, where it may be exerted and improved to all eternity,

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2. And this remarkable property of love will fuggeft to us one reafon, why acts of charity fhall be enquired after fo particularly, at the day of general account; becaufe good men are then to be configned over to another ftate, a state of everlafting love and charity: and therefore the chief enquiry muft then be, How they have abounded in thofe graces which qualify them best for an admiffion into that ftate, and for a due relish of the divine pleasures of it; how they have practi fed charity here, the exercife of which must be their duty, and their happiness for ever. Heaven and hell are the proper regions of love and hatred, mercy and uncharitablenefs: Bleffed angels and pure fouls evercised in the ministry of love, are to poffefs the one; devils and damned fpirits, who are all rage, envy, and malice, are to inhabit the other. When we ftand therefore on the brinks and confines of thofe ftates, at the day of, doom, we shall be examined, how fit we feverally are for fuch places and fuch company: according as that appears, our feveral manfions fhall be fuitably affigned to us; and men and angels, good, and bad, even we ourselves fhall, upon the iffue of this fingle article, acknowledge the justice of the fentence. Indeed

3dly, This fingle article is fufficient to abfolve or condemn us: for it is the short test and sure proof of univerfal goodness. The whole duty: of a Chriftian is nothing but love, varied thro'

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the feveral kinds, acts, and degrees of it. And works of mercy are the moft natural and genuine off-fpring of love; fo that from these a good man is denominated. The Scripture therefore frequently fums up our duty in charity; and, for that reafon ftyles it the fulfilling of the law, and the bond of perfectness. Indeed where charity is (that is, where the bleffed fruits of charity, fpringing from a true principle of divine love, are) there no other Chriftian grace or perfection can be totally wanting; and where charity is not, there may be the imperfect refemblances of other Chriftian graces and virtues, but not those graces and virtues themselves for fuch they cannot be, unless fed, and invigorated, and animated, by a principle of univerfal charity. So that our Saviour, by profeffing to examine us on this head, brings matters to a fhort iffue, a fingle point, by which our caufe may be decided as effectually, as by larger enquiries. It will furnish us with a

4th Reafon of his conduct in this cause, if we confider, how great a ftress he laid upon this duty, while he was upon earth; how earnestly he recommended it; in how exalted a degree of perfection he prescribed the practice of it to us; fo that he cannot but enquire, with a particular concern how we have complyed with it.

It is his peculiar, his diftinguishing precept, the fpecial mark and badge of our discipleship:

A new commandment (faid he) I give unto you, that ye love one another; by this fhall all men know that ye are my difciples, if ye have love one to another, John xiii. 24, 35. And upon the article therefore of our obedience to this new command

commandment, he himself will declare, whether we do, or do not belong to him. It was one of the laft injunctions he gave, and often repeated to his difciples, in that divine exhortation he made to them just before he entered on the bloody scene of his paffion; 'twas the great direction he left with them, when he himself was leaving the world. The firft and chief enquiry, therefore, when he returns to judgment, will be, What weight his dying words have had with us?

5. The nature of the fentence he is to pronounce, the rule of judgment by which he will at the laft day proceed, requires that a particular regard be then had to our obfervation of this precept. We fhall be judged by the grace and mercy of the gofpel, and not by the rigours of unrelenting juftice. God will indeed judge the world in righteousness, but 'tis by an Evangelical, not a Legal righteoufnefs; and by the intervention of the Min Chrift Jefus, who is the Saviour, as well as the Judge, of the world; and as fuch, hath procured that pardoning grace for us, which mitigates and tempers the feverity of the rule, and entitles us to the favour and mercy of our Judge. But what title can he have to mercy himself, who hath not exercised it towards others? Matth. v. 7. "Bleffed are the merciful, for they shall obtain "mercy," in that day when "Mercy rejoiceth "againft judgment:" But, on the other hand, "They shall have judgment without mercy, who "have fhewed no mercy," James ii. 13. The power of covering fin, is in fcripture afcribed to no other grace, or virtue whatsoever, but charity: when therefore the multitude of our fins is to be

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