By such a love to our enemies, as his example has traced out to us, we should be best able to fatisfy our selves, and to convince the world, that we are the children of him, whose infinite goodness we endeavour to express in our behaviour, though in degrees far short of it, and with much of childish imperfection: And as this attribute is that, which of all others renders the divine Being it felf most amiable, a resemblance of it in us would be most to our praise and honour. : (2.) A second argument is from the reward which Chriftians expect. It is but reasonable, that since Chrift afssures us of eternal happiness upon our obedience, that we should be willing to obey his commands, how disagreeable soever they may be to our corrupt natures: For furely we who live under more glorious promifes and hopes, should be ready to do more than those, who have no such expectation. If our love to those about us be only a return for favours received, or to oblige them to farther kindnesses, 'tis mean and mercenary, we have had our reward here, and what can we expect hereafter? In truth, a due observance of the other laws of Chriftianity, such as humility, and a low esteem of the treasures of this world, would make the love of our enemies, which seems so difficult a duty, more easy: For pride and covetoufness are the great obstructions to the practice of this love, by raising in us false notions of honour and self-interest, and so making us to look upon the duty as too severe, when all the difficulty proceeds from those passions, which ought to be fubdued and kept under. (3.) ANOTHER argument is from the practice of the Publicans, who, in the esteem of the Jews, T2 were were the worst of men, yet even these knew how to be kind and courteous to their friends, their neighbours, or their kindred; and if our love extends no farther, it is a sign that it proceeds not from a principle of religion, but from the mere force of natural civility, or from the mechanism of educa tion. For certainly, nature, good breeding, or interest, may have power enough over those, who make no pretenfions to religion, to oblige them to return a courtesy or a complement, whoever it is that gives it, whether a friend or an enemy; to falute those that falute them, nay, and often, (as occafion makes it necessary) to treat with abundance of good words and outward candour, those whom they really hate, and who they know hate them. But nothing less than a sense of duty and obligations from religion, can ever carry a man so far as to love an enemy in good earnest, and not only to speak him fair, but to demonstrate his fincerity, by a constant readiness to do him service, an uniform generofity of carriage and behaviour towards him. By this therefore we must diftinguish our selves as Chriftians, under the power of spiritual principles and heavenly grace; which will enable to perform what nature, worldly policy, or custom can never reach to. Our Saviour concludes all with this exhortation; Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect: And a very proper conclufion it is, both with respect to this particular fublime duty, of loving our enemies, and to the reft of the improvements of the Decalogue, which went before. It's true, no man can be perfect, as God is perfect. I mean as to the degree, because God is infinitely fo, and therefore it may look as if Christ commanded an impoffible thing; but that perfection which the Gospel requires is a most earnest and diligent diligent endeavour after goodness, especially charity: and this is certainly in our power. We must strive to resemble the infinite goodness, as far as we are able, and that because of the relation Chriftians bear to their heavenly Father, by regeneration and adoption; * They are the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus; and therefore must put on his nature by a transformation of their own, into as near à fimilitude to his in every perfection as is poffible, especially in that of love: For fo fays St. John, + Let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God. * Gal. iii. 26. † 1 John iv. 7. T3 CHAP. 262 CHAP. XVI. Of ALMS-GIVING. MATTH. vi. 1, 2, 3, 4. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven, Therefore, when thou dost thine alms, do not Sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the Synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I Say unto you, they have their reward. But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth: That thine alms may be in fecret; and thy Father which feeth in Secret, himself shall reward thee openly, UR Lord having in the foregoing paragraphs corrected certain errors in the Jewish explications of the Decalogue, and fome other popular mistakes among them, the clearing of which was requisite to the instructing his Disciples rightly in his own religion, he proceeds now to give some cautions for the better performance of the three great duties, duties, as they are efteem'd in most religions (and particularly were so in that of the Jews) alms-giving, prayer, and fafting. This paragraph is about almf-giving; and the caution is, that we should not do it out of oftentation, which, in other words, would be to this effect. " WHATEVER others do, I would have you, my "Disciples, when ye bestow a gift on any poor man, to be very careful, that ye do it not out of a vain defire of being applauded for your chari"ty: For if this be your defign, ye have received " your reward already in that applause, and muft " expect none hereafter in the kingdom of heaven: "Therefore chuse not public places, as the hypo" crites do, for diftributions of your charity, as if "ye were rather marketing for fame and reputa"tion, than discharging a good confcience towards " God, and kindness to the poor; or as if your " virtue would be wholly loft, if the parade and " pomp of it did not draw an admiring croud a"bout you. On the contrary, be ye so afraid of " deceiving your selves by a vanity of this nature, as to chuse the most retired places, where ye may " bestow your alms with the greatest secrecy, ex"cept, when ye may reasonably hope to do good " by your good example, and that be the true rea"fon of your appearing. And God, who knows "the fecret thoughts of your hearts, and the prin"ciple and design of your actions, will certainly " at the great day of account, reward you openly "before angels and men, so that ye shall by no ८८ means lose the credit of your good works, by " denying your selves the seeking of that praise " from men, but shall receive the honour of it, " with more lasting and substantial glory, from the " unerring mouth of God. Now almf-giving, tho' not exprefly commanded in this paragraph, is yet by our Saviour's caution |