the Mind which stands rightly difpos'd to all Acts of Charity; in this Sense all People may be equally charitable. But if we take Charity for Alms-giving, or a liberal Affiftance of the Poor, in this Senfe it is false, that all People may be equally charitable.

Now as it is the Habit of the Mind, that conftitutes the Excellency of Charity, fo this is the Charity to which Christians are called, and in which they may all be equally perfect.

AGAIN, are not all People oblig'd to be equally honeft, juft, and true and faithful? In thefe Virtues all are to be eminent and exact in the fame Degree, there are no Abatements to be made for any Rank or Order of People.

Now as to the external Exercise of thefe Duties, there may be great Difference. One Man may have great Bufinefs in the World, and be honest and faithful in it all; another may have fmall Dealings and be honeft in them; but provided that there be in both of them the fame Juftice and Integrity of Mind, they are equally honeft, tho' their Inftances of Honefty, as to external Acts of it, are as different, as great Things are different from fmall.

BUT as it is the Habit of the Mind, which is the Juftice which Religion reB 3 quires,

quires, fo in this Refpect all People may be equally juft.

Now this may ferve to fhew us in what Refpect all People may be equally virtuous, and in what Refpect they cannot.

As to the external Inftances or Acts of Virtue, in these they muft differ according to the Difference of their Circumftances, and Condition in the World; but as Virtues are confidered as Habits of the Mind, and Principles of the Heart, in this Refpect they may all be equally virtuous, and are all call'd to the fame Perfection.

A MAN cannot exercise the Spirit of Martyrdom, till he is brought to the Stake; he cannot forgive his Enemies till they have done him Wrong, till he suffers from them. He cannot bear Poverty and Distress till they are brought upon him. All these Acts of Virtue depend upon outward Causes, but yet he may have a Piety and heroick Spirit equal to those who have died for their Religion. He may have that Charity of Mind which prays for its Enemies, he may have that Meekness and Refignation to the Will of God, as difpofes People to bear Poverty and Distress with Patience and humble Submiffion to the Divine Providence.

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So that they are only the external Inftances and Acts of Virtue, which depend upon outward Causes and Circumstances of Life; a Man cannot give till he has fomething to give; but the inward Piety of the Heart and Mind which conftitutes the State of Chriftian Perfection, depends upon no outward Circumstances. A Man need not want Charity because he has no Riches, nor be destitute of a forgiving Spirit, because he has no Perfecutors to forgive.

ALTHO' therefore we neither are, nor can be all in the fame Circumftances of Life, yet we are to be all in the fame Spirit of Religion; tho' we cannot be all equal in Alms-giving, yet we are to be all alike in Charity; tho' we are not all in the fame State of Perfecution, yet we must be all in the fame Spirit that forgives and prays for its Perfecutors; tho' we are not all in Poverty and Diftrefs, yet we must all be full of that Piety of Heart which produces Meekness, Patience, and Thankfulness, in Distress and Poverty.

FROM these Confiderations it is easy to apprehend, how Perfons may differ in Inftances of Goodness, and yet be equally good; for as the Perfection of Piety is the Perfection of the Heart, fo the Heart may have the fame Perfection in all States and B 4 Condi

Conditions of Life. And this is that Perfection which is common to all States, and to which all Orders of Chriftians are equally called.

AGAIN, There may be another Difference of Virtue founded in the different Abilities of Perfons; one may have a more enlightened Mind than another, and fo may fee farther into his Duty, and be able to practice it with greater Exactnefs, but then as his Goodnefs feems to confift in this, that he is true and faithful to what he knows to be his Duty, fo if another is as true and faithful to that Measure of Light and Knowledge which God has given hin, he feems to be as good a Man, as he that is true and faithful to a greater Light.

WE can hardly reconcile it with the Divine Goodness to give one Man two Talents, and another five, unless we fuppose that he is as high in his Mafter's Plea fure who makes the right ufe of two, as he that makes the right ufe of five Talents.

So that it fill holds good, that it is the Perfection of the Heart, that makes the Perfection of every State of Life.

IT may perhaps be farther objected, that the different Degrees of Glory in another Life, fuppofes that good Men and fuch as

are

are accepted of God, do yet differ in their Degrees of Goodness in this Life,

I GRANT that it does.

BUT then this is no Proof that all Men are not called to the fame Goodness, and the fame Perfection.

PERHAPS it cannot be faid of the best of Men that ever lived, that they performed their Duty in fuch Perfection in all Inftances, as they might have done.

Now as it fuits with the Divine Mercy to admit Men to Happiness, who have not been in every Refpect fo perfect as they might have been, notwithstanding that he gave them fuch a Rule of Perfection; fo it equally fuits with the Divine Mercy to admit Men to different Degrees of Happinefs, on Account of their different Conduct, though he gave them all one common Rule of Perfection.

DID not God pardon Frailties and Infirmities, the beft of Men could not be rewarded. But confider now, does God's pardoning of Frailties and Infirmities in the best of Men, prove that the best of Men were not called to any other Perfection, than that to which they arrived? Does this prove that God did not call them to be ftrictly good, becaufe he receives them to Mercy with fome Defects in Goodness? No, most furely.

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