duties of humanity the poorest amongst us may emulate the richest; for all of us have hearts to pity, tongues to console, eyes to weep for the distresses of our brethren, if we have not abilities to relieve them. Let us then, as the servants of one God, subjects of one King, professors of one Faith, exemplify by our actions the happy effects of such an intimate union: let us be kindly affectionate one unto another; rejoice with those that rejoice; weep with those that weep; love as brethren, extending the still encreasing circle of our Christian good-will from individuals to our country, from our country to the whole race of mankind. SERMON VI. 1 Peter iii. 8. BE PITIFUL, BE COURTEOUS. THE HE two virtues, which the Apostle here exhorts us to cultivate, have this essential difference, that the former is a natural principle, the latter an acquired habit. They may act, therefore, independently of one another, and in fact they frequently do so; yet it seldom, if ever, happens that they have even their own inherent efficacy, when they are thus disunited. On this account the inspired writer recommends them both together to our cultivation, intimating at the same time, in the order of his phrase, which is the superior of the two, and which, therefore, ought first and principally to be practised. Following the same order, I shall first endeavour to discover why the principle of pity or compassion was made a part of our moral constitution: and this appears to have arisen from the ever-powerful exertion of that principle by our benevolent Creator. He gave it, in his mercy, to man, to remedy the slow, and oftentimes the |