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If Jefus recommended placability and kindness to enemies, we cannot be furprised that he should recommend to his disciples a peculiarly strong affection for each other, as standing in an equal relation to himself, having common principles, views, and expectations. In his most affectionate difcourse to them, a little before his death, he faid, (John xiii. 34) "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved that you, love one another;" adding, " By this fhall all men know that ye are my difciples, if have love one for another." He repeated the fame afterwards, (John xv. 12) "This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. Ye are my friends, if ye do what foever I command you;" and what command could be obeyed with more fatisfaction than this, enjoining mutual love?

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Farther to enforce this duty of mutual love, Jefus reprefented any act of kindness done to a difciple of his as done to himself,

"He that

me."

and to God alfo. (Matt. x. 40) receiveth you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that fent me. And, in his account of the proceedings of the day of judgment, he confidered every act of kindness, or of injury, to a difciple, as done to himself in perfon. After enumerating various kind offices, which he said the righteous had rendered to him, and their profeffing their ignorance of them, he fays, (Matt. xxv. 40) "Verily I fay unto you, in as much as ye did it to the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me."

Such, and fo excellent, are the morals of the Gospel, and furely we must say that they are worthy of a teacher fent from God. Nothing fo pure, fo fublime, or fo eminently conducive to human happiness, was ever taught before, at leaft with fo much clearnefs and force. For all the general maxims, which in reality comprehend all the particulars of the teaching of Jefus, he himself obferved were contained in the law and the prophets, who were before him. It is fuch inftruction as it became the great Parent of mankind to vouchfafe to his rational offfpring,

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fpring, who were capable of understanding and applying it; being calculated to advance men to the highest degree of moral excellence, and confequently of happiness alfo; bringing them to a nearer resemblance to the all-perfect and ever-bleffed God. It is therefore fuch moral inftruction as wę fhould expect to come from the wife and kind Parent of mankind, whofe views with respect to his intelligent offspring extended beyond the present tranfitory life, and looked to the most distant futurity. The confideration of it, therefore, furnishes no inconfiderable argument, of an internal nature, for the truth of the revelation which contains it.

Far from finding any fuch attention to useful morals in the authors of the heathen religions, whoever they were, their customs and rites exhibit the most shocking scenes of indecency, immorality, and cruelty. It was no business of the heathen priests to teach morality. There was no provifion in any part of the system for instruction of that kind, and when their gods were fuppofed to be angry, they were to be appeafed, if not

by

by human facrifices, yet by fuch ceremonies as to all men of fenfe muft appear perfectly unmeaning, if not exceedingly abfurd and ridiculous.

Mahometanifm, though built on the foundation of the Jewish and Christian religions, has nothing of its own to boast of in this or any other refpect. Some moral precepts are found in the Koran, but they are for the most part of a very general nature, and not particularly dwelt upon; the great object of Mahomet appearing to have been little more than to enforce the belief of his own divine miffion, for which purpose he promised the rewards of paradife to all who received it, especially if they died fighting in the defence or propagation of it; and threatened the pains of hell to all unbelievers. The former, according to the Koran, consist chiefly of fenfual pleasures, of the groffeft kind, and the latter of literally burning in fire, with other the most difgufting circumftances that he could imagine, and that to continue for ever. He faw and reprefented in a very strong light, the abfurdity and impiety of polytheifin, both heathen and Chrif

tian; and his religion has the merit of expofing and overthrowing it in many coun→ tries. And confidering the extremely corrupted state of Chriftianity at the time of its promulgation, it may appear to have had its ufe. But with respect to moral inftruction, his fyftem has little merit indeed, and is not to be compared with that of our Scriptures of the Old or the New Teftament.

Since, then, the great object of the religion which we profefs is good morals; fince it is peculiar to it to have this great object; fince it holds out the strongest motives to virtue, and the discourses of its founder contain fuch excellent inftructive leffons on the fubject; let it appear by our lives and converfations that we are fenfible of this great and fingular advantage, and that we are careful to avail ourselves of it. Let us be attentive to cultivate the beft difpofitions of mind, and exhibit the moft exemplary conduct; fhewing the most intire devotedness to the will of God, in doing or in fuffering, the most unfeigned good will to men, and the greatest command over our appetites and paffions.

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