Effect, fubfifting without that Cause, which alone is fufficient to produce it. 5. The Fifth and Laft thing, to be taken notice of here, is, The Manner of St. Paul's expreffing our Obligation to this Duty. Which he hath done in thofe very fignificant Terms, Owe no Man any thing, but to love one another. He had commanded us to ren Ver. 7. der to all their dues; and, with regard to all the Engagements, which Men's Circumftances in the World make them any way Debtors to, he fays here again, Owe no Man any thing. But then he proceeds to diftinguish between the Law of Juftice, and that of Charity. He reprefents the Former, as a Debt which may be fo discharged, that we fhall owe no more. The Tributes, the Cuftoms, the Fear, the Honour, enjoined in the foregoing Verfes, may be paid clear off. But this Latter of Love it feems cannot be fo fatisfied, that there shall rest nothing due, at the Foot of the Account. This is a very material Circumftance, and the Reasons of it may in fome measure appear to us, from the following Confiderations. 1. First, The Law of Juftice and that of Charity differ in the End, which each of them is defigned to ferve. The things, which Justice hath in view, are, Peace and Quiet, Order, and Decency, and good Government: To the promoting and fecuring of thefe, the Wisdom of God and good Men have fuited thofe Duties and Observances, which conftitute the Body of natural and pofitive Laws, relating to this Matter. But the End of Charity is the General Benefit of all Mankind; and This Law takes in every Action, that can any way conduce to the Happiness of every individual Perfon. Suppofing then our Diligence never fo great, in promoting this Defign hitherto; yet as oft as any new Opportunities are offered, of contributing to any Man's Good hereafter, so often there arifes a fresh Obligation to do our utmoft towards it, 2. Secondly, 2. Secondly, The Measures of Juftice are to be taken from the particular Acts enjoined, and the feveral Rela tions wherein Men ftand to one another: And when thofe Acts are done as the Law directs, the Perfon is liable to no farther Demands. Thefe Acts again vary, as Men differ in their respective Stations. Some are pecu liar to Parents, and Governors, and Superiors; Others to Children, and Subjects, and Inferiors: So that every Man's Task is set out, and the Duties of One Capacity are plainly distinguished from thofe of Another. But Charity does not confine itself to any Condition; it takes in a larger Compafs, and confiders Men, not under fuch or fuch Circumstances, but in general as Men. This Duty is common to All, and cannot be limited like the former; because it can never fo happen, but that, in fome kind or other, every Man living is capable of being beneficial to fome, nay to every, other Man. For They, whofe Hands are shorteft, may yet have Hearts as large as the greatest Monarch upon Earth, and the most mean and indigent Condition cannot deprive us of the Power, by Prayers and hearty good Wishes at least, to extend our Charity all the World over. 3. Thirdly, The Scriptures, those of the New Teftament especially, have urged this Duty of Love upon us, from fuch Topicks, as plainly fhew, that it is a Debt never to be completely fatisfied. Such in particular are the Examples of God the Father, whofe Mercies are over all his Works; fuch the amazing Kindness of God the Son, who, by doing and fuffering fo great things for us, hath put it paft our Ability to discharge that Obligation perfectly, of loving one another as He John xv. 12. bath loved us. Nevertheless, so it hath pleafed God to difpofe our Affairs, that, though the utmost we can do, fall infinitely fhort of a juft Requital; yet every Day furnishes fit Occafions of making fome fort of Return, for this unparallel'd Bounty and Love. The World will alway abound with evil and unjust Men, and confequently we can never want Opportunities of forgiving them that injure, and loving them that hate us; that is, of writing after the Copy of his marvellous Compaffion, who makes his Sun Matth. v. 45 Rom. v. 8. Matth.xxv.40. to rife on the evil and on the good, and fendeth Rain on the just and on the unjust; But efpecially of approving our felves his Children and Difciples, who in this commended bis Love towards us, that while we were yet Sinners, Chrift died for us. There will ever be diftreffed and neceffitous Objects to bestow our Charity upon. And these our Bleffed Redeemer hath appointed his Deputies and Receivers. In as much as ye did it to the leaft of these my Brethren, ye did it unto me. We ought therefore to look upon it as a fignal Bleffing, that the Poor we have always with us, and whenfoever we will we may do them good: That we can feed and cloath hungry and naked Chrift in his fuffering Members; that the Wisdom and Goodness of Providence make the Wants of fome, minifter Occafion to the Virtue of Others; that God accepts our Kindness to our Brethren, as Payments to himself: Nay, not as Payments only, but as transferring the Obligation: And rendering Him our Debtor, for a fmall part of that, which we owe, and cannot pay at all to Him immediately, and in his own proper Perfon. Mark xiv. 7. 4. To all this we may add, Fourthly, That the Payment of this is not like the discharge of common Debts, a Burden and a Leffening to our felves; but fo fuited to our Nature, fo full of fubftantial and solid Satisfaction, fo many ways recommended and made agreeable to us, that the more Good we do, the more we feel our felves ftill difpofed to do. No part of what the greedieft Man retains, yields half the Enjoyment, the fweet Complacency, the true Gain, which the Liberal Man finds, in what he expends for the Benefit of others. The Ability, and the Difpofition to do good, are each of them a par particular Bleffing, Grace and Talent, which God entrufts us with ; and Thefe, like all other Graces, oblige us to Thankfulness for them. But our Lord never esteems us truly thankful, except when we use and improve his Gifts, to the Purposes they properly ferve. So that every Opportunity for Acts of Kindness fhould quicken us in the Exercife of them; and lays a fresh Engagement upon us, to be more Zealous, more Munificent, in proportion as we find our Power encrease, and our Hearts enlarged, by thofe Bleffings, and that Charity, which are poured upon us from above. 5. Fifthly, The Difference between this and other Debts is remarkable, upon account of the different Difpofitions of the Perfons obliged by it. Not fatisfying the Debts, we contract in common Trading, proceeds from Injustice, and a fordid or negligent Temper, and is therefore scandalous and dishonourable. But it is a Mark, by which great and truly generous Minds are diftinguished, never to think they have done Good enough, but greedily to embrace every freth Occafion, and think themselves bound ftill to be more and more beneficial. And the fuppofing we have fully fatisfyed our Obligation of this Kind, argues the fame Narrowness of Spirit, which tempts us not to fatisfy all others. Upon all these Accounts the Apostle feems to have had great Reason, for diftinguishing this Debt of Love from all other Debts; as That which alone is univerfal and perpetual: So far from being over-paid, that though we are always paying, yet there will be always fomewhat refting due. And here I should think my felfat liberty to difmifs the First of thofe Duties recommended in this Epiftle; were it not expedient to remove one Scruple, which fome very well difpofed Readers may be apt to fall into, from the latter part of my Difcourfe upon it. For, if the Obligation to Charity be fo unlimited, fo much fuperior to any other, and fuch as we can never exceed in: If the Perfon, whofe Debtors we are, and whofe whose Example is our Rule and Guide in this Matter, have been pleased to interpret and accept the good Offices done to his needy Members upon Earth, as done to Himself: Will it not then become us, like honest Debtors, to strip our felves of all, that fo we may go as far as ever we can, towards the discharge of this Engagement? Ought not even a convenient Subfiftence, and the Provifion for our Families, and those other Confiderations, which are usually thought reasonable to prescribe Measures to our Liberality, to be all fet afide, that we may expend our whole Subftance upon fo good an Account, as that of making Payment to Chrift in his afflicted Representatives? This is an Objection, which may deserve to be more diftinctly confidered; but I shall only mention Two or Three things at prefent, fufficient (I hope) to fet my Reader at eafe, from any unneceffary Perplexities with regard to it. Matth. xv. 5, 6, 7, &c. Now, First, It must be remembred, that Charity always prefuppofes Juftice; and confequently, no pretence of Liberality, or Mercy, can make it lawful to defraud those, in whom the Laws of Nature, or Civil Society, have vested a Right, to what would be thus diftributed. God, under the Old Law, would not accept that which was ftollen in Sacrifice; and our Lord, in the Gofpel, upbraids the Pharifees with Hypocrify and Barbarity, for neglecting to fuftain their Parents; and thinking to juftifie fuch undutiful Treatment, by devoting that Wealth to God, which fhould have relieved their Diftreffes. Now the fame Rule holds in proportion to other Relations: And where these have an antecedent Claim, to expofe Them to Want, by fupplying the Wants of Others, is not Bounty, but Robbery and unnatural Injuftice. We muft obferve the Method, in which the Apostle proceeds here; first to render to all their Dues, and then to difpofe of the Remainder, as Religion and Prudence fhall direct. Luxury and Vanity fhould |