Vol. II.our Lord, who when he could do no more for Jerufalem, wept over it; we fhould rejoyce at the Conversion of a Sinner, and we fhould delight in the Converfation of those that are good, and in beholding the Fruits of their Faith, and Charity, and Hope, and triumph in their Steadiness and Conftancy as St. Paul does. 1 Theff. For now we live, if you stand faft in the Lord, iii. 8, 9. For what Thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the Joy wherewith we joy for your Sakes before our God? And thus again, 1 Theff. For what is our Hope, or foy, or Crown of ii. 19, 20. rejoycing? Are not even ye in the Prefence of our Lord Jefus Chrift at his coming? For ye are our Glory and Joy.

.

Thus I have given you a few neceffary Reflections upon every part of my Text. I have faid but little indeed upon fo copious a Subject, but what I have faid is fufficient to answer the Defign of the Text, in some measure at least, and I hope that of this Meeting. This Difcourfe requires no Application, I am apt to think every Auditor has made his Application all along as I went. I confess I can't but fee that upon the whole you will be ready to think I have carried the Matter too far, and rais'd our Duty too high; but I follow Scripture, the Rule there is per

fect,

fect, and the Examples fet us very beau- Serm. tiful, and that which we have to do, is XV. to do what we can, and to come up to both as near as we can. God will pardon our Infirmities, fupply our Defects, accept and reward our fincere Endeavours, but will feverely punish Unfaithfulness and Negligence. I have done when I have addrefs'd my self in a word or two to the Laity here present.

You fee our Office, what the Dignity, what the Usefulness of it is, and from hence you may easily infer what you owe us. No one can envy the little we poffefs, who confiders how great our Work is, and how great our Account; no one he can be an Enemy to our Order, but who is an Enemy to Religion and Virtue; no one can refift or oppose us whilst we pursue the Ends of our Ministry, but he must act contrary to his own true and Eternal Intereft. In a word, all that have a Zeal for the Honour of God, or Concern for the Salvation of Man, will think themselves oblig'd to fupport and encourage us in the Discharge of our Duty, fince the Defign of it is to promote both. Every Part therefore of our Duty does fuppofe a correfpondent one in you. If we be to watch over you, you are to communicate to us the great Concern of

your

Vol. II.

14.

Jude iii.

your Souls. If we be to preach, i. e. to expound and inculcate the Scriptures to you, you are to receive our Doctrine as the Word of God. You are not to fuffer Eph. iv. your felves to be carry'd about with every Wind, with every Novelty, but to adhere firmly to, and contend earnestly for the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints. If we be to guide and oversee you, you certainly are to follow our Direction and Advice. If we be to speak, and exhort, and rebuke, with all Authority, you are to liften with Humility and Modefty. In fhort, as we are to pray for you, fo are you for us, and by all means to cherish and maintain in your felves that Love and Esteem for us, without which our Pains are not likely to prove ferviceable to you. If you and we behave our felves thus as we fhould, carefully discharging thofe Duties we owe one another, we fhall be able to meet one another with Joy in another World, and render a good Account of our felves to the great Lord and Shepherd of us all the Lord Christ Jesus.

Tit. ii. 35.

The End of the Fifteenth Sermon.

SER

303

SERMON XVI.

JUSTICE and CHARITY.

Preach'd before the

Society of Coopers.

Roм. xiii. 8.

Owe no Man any thing, but to love one

another.

7

HE Business of the Day IVol. II.

understand is Love, and

T

there is not another De

fign in the World that bet

ter becomes a Chriftian

than the promoting this;

and the Way you have chosen to do it is confirm'd and warranted, not only by

the

Vol. II. the Discourses of the Wife amongst the Heathen, by the Practice and Example of good Men in all Ages, but alfo by the Inftitution of Feftival Solemnities in the Old Teftament and the New. I will not therefore be wanting to contribute what I can to this excellent End, nor will I willingly deviate from the main Design of the Day.

No

The Subject therefore that I fhall efpecially infift upon fhall be mutual Love and Charity, but in my Text God has joyn'd Justice and Charity together, and I will not put 'em dfunder; first, because they mutually fupport one another, and cannot fubfift without one another. Man can pretend to love his Brother, who is fo far from being kind, that he is not just to him, who inftead of obliging him by Benefits and good Offices, oppreffes him by Wrongs and Injuries. Injuftice, if it fpread and prevail, will foon diffolve all Society, all Dearness and mutual Confidence amongft Men; it would turn our Mirth and Joy into Mourning, and our Feafts, and the Beauty and Elegance of Life, into Want and Poverty, Sollicitude and Subtilty, Hatred and Contention. Secondly, Never did any Times more earneftly call for the inculcating of thefe Two great Duties in my Text, fu