1 have a quarrel against 'any, even as Chrift forgave you, fo alfo do ye. And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness *. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferving one another." Be of the fame mind one towards another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low eftatet. To the fame purpose fpeaketh St. Peter,-Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compaffion one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous; not rendering evil for evil to any, or railing for railing; but contrariwise, blessing ; knowing that ye fhall inherit a bleffing. And above all, have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover a multitude of fins. Use hofpitality one to another without grudging §. 5. As thel Spirit of God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, fo that fame Spirit will teach every one to know their place and station. It is generally believed, that, in heaven itself, there are different ranks and ftations, both among the angels, and the fpirits of juft men made perfect; and, indeed, that is natural to fuppofe; for we cannot think that the thief, fnatched to heaven from the crofs, will ank with an Apoftle Paul; or the child, which juft entered into life, will equal Mofes or Elias! No; for as one ftar differeth from another in glory, fo it will be in the refurrection of the dead. If fo, we may fuppofe there will be a fubordination of stations in the bleffed Millennium. There will be mafters, and there will be fervants there will be parents, and there will be children, and every one will know their place and station, * Col. iii. 12. T-3 † Rom. xii. 10-17 and and will be easy and happy in it. The child will delight in, and honour the parent; and the fervant will love and revere his master, and attend to all his concerns with the greatest fidelity. In short, honour will be given to whom honour is due; that is, wherever God has placed any excellencies they will be known and acknowledged, feeing all will be harmony, peace, and concord. 6. ENVY, fufpicion, and evil furmifing, which now difgrace mankind, and are the bane of true friendship, * will hide their fhameful heads, and find no place in this kingdom of grace. The envy of Ephraim shall depart, and the adverfaries of Judah fhall be cut off: Ephraim fhall not envy Judah, and Judah fhall not vex Ephraim*. And what is faid of Ephraim and Judah, will be acccomplished in all mankind. How dire have been, and fill are, the effects of jealoufy and fufpicion !-How has the peace of families, yea, of kingdoms, been utterly deftroyed by thofe hellish pefts. But love, pure, difinterefted love, that fair image of the Deity, will now prevail-and love thinketh no evil, is not fufpicious and distrustful-is not ingenious at imagining evil concerning others. O, no; that bafenefs of foul will be banished and confounded, with its horrid author, in its own place; while the children of men will love one another with a pure heart, and that fervently; yea, love will be without diffimulation. There will be no forced fmiles, no gloffes, no little quibbles. to fave appearances-all will be ftirling fincerity, eafy, and ferene. As new-born babes defiring the fincere f * Ifa. xi. 13. fincere milk of the word, fo will they grow in grace. There will be no walking in craftinefs, no dealing deceitfully with the word, or ways, of God. Indeed, there will be no temptation to low-minded cunning, or to that bafe jealoufy--which has murdered thoufands and flain the peace of millions; for all will be easy and happy, and fo fitted for their place and station, that they will defire no other. O, bleffed day! O God, let it approach! Let the accufer of the brethren be cast down, and let the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God, and of his Christ, for ever. 7. As the religion of this bleffed feafon will be love out of a pure heart, fo love rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth-in like manner there will be a rejoicing in each other's welfare. In the general, this is Too many feel an in far from being the cafe at prefent. ward uneafinefs at another's profperity; nay, to hear perfons of the fame profeffion well fpoken of, gives an uneafy fenfation; and, to fee them thrive, is a kind of poifon to every joy, aud fomething like what Haman felt each time he faw Mordecai fitting at the King's gate". 'Tis truly lamentable, that we fee fo much of this deformity among the jewels of the Lord; O that it might Speedily come to an end, fo that it might be melted down in the flame of love! So that we might feel real comfort in each other's felicity, which must take place whenever we love our neighbour as ourselves. To illuftrate this a little-fuppofe the cafe of an affectionate and faithful wife: what effect has the honour or happiness of her hus 1 *Efther v. 13. band * band upon her? Doth it not increase her joy? Doth it not fill her with transport?-Or take the cafe of an affectionate parent; doth not fuch a one fhare in the felicity of a darling child?-Now there is a love of friendfhip, which even furpaffes the most delicate sensations of mere natural affection ; and, if fo exquifite in friendship, how much more that love which many waters cannot quench, which floods cannot drown, and which all the wealth of the world cannot purchase or procure! +-This is the Religion of Heaven, which will now defcend upon earth, that peace and happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety may be established in all the earth. It will be the delight of each to contribute to the happiness of their fellow-creatures; they will not be fatisfied with fome faint attempts to fave appearances, fome feeble efforts to keep a good name in countenance; no, that is too: feeble a ray, tco faint a motive; in that bleffed day of grace there will be a cordial good-will, each one feeking to please another for his edification. O how far are we, in the general, from this bleffed ftate of things at prefent! And how many of our vile cuftoms must be dropt before this mind of Chrift can, in the nature of things, take place amongst us? Gaming muft drop, and all our fashionable amusements, whatever weak excuses may be found out to fatisfy the minds of fuch as are carried away therewith. 8. As the fun in the firmament is feen and admired by all the inhabitants of the world, and all are bleffed with the falutary influences thereof,-fo will the glorious Sun of of righteousness, rifing with his healing wings, be feen, felt, and admired by all; for all fhall know him, and, therefore, fhall love him. The reason why he is fo little loved, is because he is fo little known. And truly it is painful to confider, how little he is even fpoken of among fuch as profefs his name! In many fermons, and in many converfations, it may be truly faid, They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid bim. Surely this ill agrees with our profeffion, as believers, as those bought with his blood, quickened by his life, directed by his wifdom, and fuftained by his power. It is well known that a chriftless fort of preaching is now become very modifh; a text, it may be, is taken from St. Paul, or St. John, but the fermon feems to have come from Tully or Senneca-a pretty jingle of words about morality, till morality is well nigh driven out of the land. Have we not need to take heed of this fair-fkinned Serpent, before he stings us to death? If we attend unto the oracles of God, we fhall find a precious Chrift in different estimation, both by preachers and hearers; we shall find all the strength and charms of language exhausted in fetting forth the bleeding Reconciler, the great Ranfomer of a fallen race! they will proclaim him the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace *. Here we shall find one finging, My heart is inditing a good matter: I will speak of the things whi.h I have made touching the king: my tongue shall be as the pen of a ready writer, Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips therefore God hath bleffed thee for ever.-Thy throne O God, * Ifa, ix. 6. |
