SERMON XXII.

The cordial Interest in the Events that befall our Fellow-creatures.

OD, who art in every fenfe the father of all

GOD,

thy offspring both in heaven and on earth, we thy human progeny are likewife authorised to call thee by that tender appellation, for thou acknowledgest and loveft us as thy children, and providest for us all with paternal tenderness and care. We all together form but one large family, wifely and affectionately maintained and governed by thee and brought up and prepared in various ways to a progreffively higher perfection and happiness. Thou afligneft to every one of us the poft which he is to fill in thy domain, and the road whereby he is to arrive at his appointment. But it is also thy will that we should work together at the attainment of thy defigns, and fhare in common the fatisfactions as well as the hardships which we meet with on our

way.

way. To this end haft thou fo intimately connected us with each other and implicated our fortunes fo infeparably together, that no one can be either happy or miferable for himself alone. It is thus that thou wouldft infpire us with truly fraternal fentiments towards each other and fill us with tender emotions of humanity, of compaffion, of officioufnefs and beneficence. Oh do thou thyself expand more and more our hearts to these generous fentiments and emotions. Let them entirely pervade us, let them become perfectly natural to us and fo predominant in our breasts, that they may always maintain the fuperiority over every fuggestion of pride, of envy, of jealousy, of all selfish views. Grant that we may take a cordial intereft in whatever relates to our brethren, that we may have a lively feeling of their profperity and their adverfity, and promote the former by every means, but endeavour to avert and alleviate the latter as much as in us lies. Fashion us in this manner, merciful, heavenly father, according to thy mind, and caufe us to acquire from day to day a greater conformity and likeness of Jefus Chrift, our faviour, whom thou haft propofed as a pattern to us. Blefs to this end the confiderations on which we purpose now to enter. Give efficacy to their admonitions concerning our ftrict relation and connection with one another, that they may warm our hearts with truly charitable fentiments and affections. We offer up thefe our requests unto thee in the name of thy fon, our mediator

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mediator and redeemer, who in pity to our infirmities and wants, taught us to address thee thus: Our father, &c.

ROM. xii. 15.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that

weep.

HRISTIANITY has fometimes been represented

CHR

as a doctrine that renders us infenfible to all that paffes without us, contracts our sphere of action, weakens the bands of fociety, and fo fixes our thoughts and affections on the future and unfeen, that we are therefore forced as it were to forget the present and temporal or at leaft to view it without participation or concern. Thence arose the numerous orders of monks and hermits, who under the pretence of withdrawing from all intercourfe and communication with the finful world, at the fame time withdrew all affection and fervice from their brethren, and thus became useless or even pernicious citizens and fanatical chriftians. Thence arofe and thence still arises that gloomy, anxious, fuperftitious piety and devotion, which fcorns and condemns whatever has no immediate relation to religion and to futurity, which is fo auftere and unjust in its judgments, as to pronounce the most indifferent actions to be crimes, the most innocent amusements

to

to be finful extravagancies, and all the finer fenfibilities of the human heart to be weaknesses. But the christian doctrine, as it is contained in the writings of the evangelists and apostles, is by no means deferving of this reproach. Thefe eccentricities of the human intellect, thefe mifanthropical fentiments and actions, ought not certainly to be laid to its account. The whole fcope and tendency of it is rather directly the reverfe. Its profeffed defign is gradually to break down the wall of partition which the divers opinions and ceremonies of religion had erected between nations and people, to teach them more justly to estimate the worth of these objects, and to unite them in one body, in one fociety, which should worship God in fpirit and in truth, that is with reason and fincerity. It has no intention to contract our hearts and to weaken our fenfibility. No, its defign is to enlarge the former and render the latter more acute and efficacious. It would intereft us in all furrounding objects, make us fenfible to them all, and connect us together by ties fo numerous and ftrong, that nothing could happen to any of us, but all the reft must participate therein; and thus christianity would form us into one fole family of brothers and fisters who might prove truly agreeable to their heavenly father by the brotherly love and concord that fhould prevail among them. Can fhe not produce these bleffed effects in all; she always however attains this end in a larger or fmaller proportion of perfons, whom we there

fore may confider as the falt and the light of the earth, and who are as it were the moderators, whereby the rest are kept together, and the order and harmony of the whole preserved. How energetic are the exhortations, which the apostle addreffes to us in this particular!" Bear ye, fays he, one another's burdens." "Look not every man on his own things, but alfo on the things of others." "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." "Endeavouring to keep the unity of the fpirit in the bond of peace;" and in our text: Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." What other meaning can these precepts have, than, be not indifferent towards the good and the ill that betides others; treat it not as a matter with which you have nothing to do, but as fomewhat that concerns you much, and take by all means a cordial intereft in it. Let us therefore take occafion from thefe words to confider the focial, cordial interest in the good and ill that befalls others. To this end we will first point out what we are to do, and how we are to be difpofed, for taking a cordial intereft in the profperous or adverfe contingences of our fellowcreatures; and then, how we should exprefs and manifeft this participation by our words and works.

Would we rejoice with the joyful and weep with the forrowful, or, would we take a cordial interest in the good and ill that happens to other perfons,

we