to do. In a word, thou must love thy neighbours as thy felf, which will engage thee to part with all for their fakes, if ever the circumftance of things fhould require it, or make it neceffary. And if thou wilt do this when the circumstances of things fhall require it, and which it is as much thy duty to do, as those other acts of obedience are that thou haft hitherto paid a ftrict regard to, then thou shalt have treasure in heaven, or, in other words eternal life. Or, if thou wouldst become my difciple in that particular and special manner as these men are whom thou now seeft with me, by devoting thy perfon and property wholly to the service of mankind, in the exercise of that ministry I shall appoint thee to, and by thy yielding up life itself, for their fakes, when called to it, which is the highest act of benevolence thou canft perform, if it fprings from a benevolent mind, and the highest degree of perfection thou canst attain to; then, thou muft quit all worldly affairs, thou must expect, and therefore prepare thy felf, to suffer reproach, and all manner of evil in the doing that work to which thou wilt be appointed; and thou must become my immediate and constant attendant. This, I think, is a just and true paraphrafe of our Lord's words, or at most it is all that can fairly be collected or concluded from it.

As felling all and giving it to the poor, is one of the highest acts by which a true benevolent mind can fhew itfelf; and as our Lord

chofe

chose to express the positive parts of that duty we owe to our neighbours in a few words; fo he thought it proper to express the whole by one of the higheft acts of duty of the kind. For, whoever from a true charitable or benevolent difpofition of mind will part with all he poffeffes for the good of his fellow-creatures, when the cafe requires that he should, fuch a man will most certainly do all the leffer acts of duty of the fame kind. And therefore, as our Lord chose to express all the positive duties we owe to our neighbours by one act only; fo it was very fuitable and proper that he fhould do it by one of the highest of the kind, as in the inftance above. In like manner, when St Paul confiders thofe actions that have the appearance of being benevolent, as diftinct from that benevolent difpofition of mind they ought to fpring from, but do not, he makes ufe of the fame inftance, 1 Cor. xiii. 3. And though I beftow all my goods to feed the poor, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. This, to appearance, is one of the highest acts of benevolence; and yet when it is the offfpring of any other principle than a true benevolent mind, St Paul affures us, it stands for nought in God's account. And, as this is true in the inftance of giving all to the poor; fo it is equally the fame of all leffer acts of like kind.

Our Lord expreffed the fame thing, with the like brevity, tho' in different words, upon another occafion, as in Matt. xvi. 24. Then

faid

faid Jefus unto his difciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. By denying himfelf, I think, our Lord muft mean, the rooting out of a man's heart that principle of covetousness or vicious felf-love, which is the great corruption of human nature, and the governing principle in wicked men; and the poffeffing himself with the contrary difpofition, viz. a truly generous or benevolent mind; it being this that renders us like our beneficent Creator, and therefore, truly acceptable to him. The young man referred to, his heart was fo fet upon his riches, that it was to him the greatest of evils to part with them, even when the cafe required that he should. And, this gave occafion for our Saviour to inform him, that if he would be perfect, he must not rest satisfied in having performed the negative parts of his duty only; but muft perform the pofitive parts alfo. And, this likewife gave occafion for our Lord's remark, viz. how hardly fhall they that have riches`enter into the kingdom of God! Great riches are apt to engrofs the hearts and affections of those who poffefs them, and this huts up their bowels of tenderness and compaffion to the reft of their fellow-creatures. And tho' a man's benevolent actions ought to be proportioned to his wealth and riches, and to the ftreightned circumftances of his neighbours; yet great poffeffions and great benevolence feldom meet in the fame perfon; and this jufti

fies

fies our Saviour's remark as aforefaid. Men, like the young man referred to, are too apt to reft fatisfied with not having done evil, whereas, our Lord affures us, that as great a regard must be had for doing good, as for not doing evil, and that a defect in the former, as well as in the latter, will render us justly blameable and condemnable. Matt. xxv. 41. and so on. Then fhall be fay also unto them on his left-hand, depart from me ye curfed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a franger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye cloathed me not; fick, and in prison, and ye vifited me not. Verily, I jay unto you, in as much as ye did it not to one of the least of thefe, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal. A benevolent difpofition is the moft noble and God-like part of our nature, and, is therefore called the perfection of it. Luke vi. 36. Be ye therefore merciful, (or kind and benevolent) as your Father is merciful; which according to St Matthew, chap. v. ver. 48. is the fame as to fay, be ye perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. And, St Paul faith, Romans xiii. 10. that love is the fulfilling of the law. So that to be perfect, according to the sense and meaning of our Lord, is to put on fuch a benevolent difpofition, as will difpofe and engage us to purfue the good and happiness of

our

our neighbours as well as our own, and fo far as we have power and opportunity for doing it; and if the circumftances of things require it, to part with our all, in this world, for their fakes. If thou wilt be perfect, go and fell that thou haft, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow

me.

་

The ufe that I would make of this difcourfe, is, to observe to my readers, that in my book intitled The True Gospel of Jefus Chrift afferted, I fummed up that good news which Chrift was in a particular and fpecial manner fent of God to acquaint the world with, under three heads or propofitions, the first of which was this, viz. That Chrift requires, and recommends a conformity of mind and life to that rule of action that is founded in the reafon of things; and makes or declares that compliance to be the fole ground of divine acceptance, and the only way to life eternal. And, to prove or make good this propofition, I quoted the young man's queftion, that he put to our Lord, viz. Good Mafter, what good thing fhall I do that I may 3 have eternal life? And likewife our Lord's plain and full anfwer to this important queftion, viz. If thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments; and also the man's fecond queftion, with our Lord's anfwer to it. But then, though I did not relate the young man's third question, viz. What lack I yet; nor our Lord's anfwer, viz. If thou wilt be perfect, &c. because the third anfwer, like the fecond, was, as I apprehend,

T