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formed, which of them, upon the whole,
contributes moft to human happiness; and,
confequently, whether there be any juft
ground for boasting, that chriftian morals are
much more excellent and perfect, than any
other system of morals that hath been exhibi-
ted to men.
As thefe precepts are confi-

dered to be purely christian; fo, by their being fuch, Chriftians are laid under a particular and special obligation to pay ftrict obedience to them, in honour of their Lord; as, by fuch obedience,they are to be distinguished and known from the Servants of all other mafters. Not to commit theft or murder has no peculiarity, gives no diftinguishing character, as it is paying obedience to laws, that have, in common, been given by many law-givers; whereas, for a man of fortune to fit down to meat with a collection of poor, lame, blind people, exclufive of all of his own rank, is fomething extraordinary, it gives a diftinguishing character, and plainly bespeaks a Christian; that is, a difciple or follower of Jefus Chrift; as it is paying obedience to a law which is peculiarly lis, it not having been given by any other lawgivers. Such acts of obedience render a man as remarkable as a city that is fet on an hill,

which

which cannot be hid, but must be seen and obferved by all that pafs by, even at a diftance. And tho' a proper obedience paid to other laws, grounded on other principles, may conftitute a good man; yet it is a ftrict adherence to thofe laws that are peculiarly Chriftian, which conftitute a good or a true Christian, when a good Chriftian is contradiftinguished from a good man. This being the cafe, it may very naturally and justly be expected, that those people, who have voluntarily chofen Jefus Chrift to be their mafter and lawgiver, fhould be particularly carcful to pay obedience to fuch precepts as are peculiar to their fect, and which their founder's honour is more immediately interested in; but alas! this expectation, how juftly foever raised, is totally disappointed. The Christians of this age are so far from paying a ftrict regard to those precepts peculiarly chriftian, that it is plain, from their whole conduct, they pay no regard to them at all; but as totally neglect them, as if those rules of life had never been given them; and this total neglect runs through their whole lives, without any appearance of remorse of conscience either living, or dying. And this is the cafe, not only of the thoughtless multi

tude,

tude, who follow the common cry, and of course join with the religious party that prevails; but alfo of the learned, the fober and fagacious, and even of those who pretend to have obtained patents from heaven, for being masters and ushers in Chrift's school: for tho', in the exercife of their miniftry, they read those rules of life, in our folemn assemblies, as given by Jefus Chrift; yet the event fhews, they are no more influenced by them, than the reading the ftories of Balaam and his Afs, of Bell and the Dragon, or of Tobit and his Dog. And this very naturally leads to the question, viz. how can thefe things be? Is it to be conceived, that a Right Reverend, or even a moft Reverend Father in God, and in Chrift Jefus, our Lord, having provided a moft coftly entertainment, fhould fit down to meat with his most wealthy relations, friends, and neighbours, exclufive of the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, when conscious to himself that he is thereby violating and contemning the law of his mafter, whom he profeffes greatly to honour, and to be under the highest obligations to, and is fenfible that he is as anfwerable for his disobedience in this, as in any other parts of his conduct? I fay again, how can

thefe

these things be? and yet, perhaps, this is the cafe every day. Were it to be fuppofed that these men are concealed Infidels, who believe nothing of the matter, or that they really think the rules of life, which Chrift hath given his difciples, to walk by, are greatly improper, and thereby fatisfy themfelves in the total neglect of them; this would be deemed greatly cenforious, and therefore, the fuppofition is not to be made; but then, furely, it lies upon our first-rate Divines to shew their dexterity, in unfolding this riddle. However, St. James hath informed us, that such fruitless faith is dead and useless; and, confequently, not better than infidelity, but, perhaps, much worse; as he that knoweth (and acknowledgetb) his master's will, and doth it not, shall be beaten with more stripes. Let not then our modern believers infult, and triumph, over Deifts and Infidels, because thofe very Deifts and Infidels, with the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, will rife up in judgment against them and condemn them. And were our Commentators, after the example of the Scribes and Pharifees, to attempt to make void thefe laws of Chrift, by their traditions, fuch attempts would prove abortive, to

thofe

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thofe attentive minds, who would carefully and candidly examine the matter, and who are not prepared and disposed, by preconceived opinions, to be misled. Christ faith, When thou makeft a dinner, or a fupper, call not, or thou shalt not call, thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinfmen, nor thy rich neighbours; but when thou makeft a feast, call, or thou shalt call, the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. Thefe words are not a loftiness of language, in which much more is expreffed than was intended to be understood; they are not hyperboles, or figures of fpeech, but plain rules of life, that do not admit of a double meaning, or any palliating fenfe being put upon them, which if they are obeyed at all, it must be in their plain, literal, and most obvious fenfe. Again, Chrift faith, fwear not at all. This likewise is a plain, and most express prohibition, without any reftriction or limitation, in and by which all kinds of swearing are forbid. Befides, the fwearing this precept was directly and immediately levelled against, was such as the law of Mofes had allowed and appointed, which was not idle and prophane, but religious swearing. Again, Christ faith, but I fay unto you, that

ye re

fift

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