if ye love one another. His Apoftles proceeded as he had begun, and their writings are a perpetual commentary upon their Mafter's favourite text. From all who took upon them the Chriftian name, they required a liberality, which should fuffer no brother to be in want. St. Paul-by an apt fimilitude, well known to Pagan writers, who made use of the fame *-compares the focial to the natural body; and requires the close connection, and conspiring confent, and fellow-feeling, and mutual fupport in the one, which is obfervable in the other. He exhorts them to fubmit themselves to one another, and in honour to prefer one another. This is affability of the heart, as well as of the demeanour this is Chriftian civility; as many degrees above modifh civility, as to ferve another effectually is better than to be his moft obedient fervant! Again; they are exhorted to lay open their doubts, their weakneffes, their defects, their wants, and their forrows to each other; to ftir up one another to good works; to forbear, to forgive, to support, to advise, to inftruct, to edify, and to com * Cor. 1. xii. 26.-Whether one member fuffer, &c. Plato: Ola ήμων δακλυλος τε πληγή, πασα η κοινωνία η κατα το σώμα προς την ψυχήν τελαμενη εις μιαν συναξιν την τε αρχοντος εν αυλη, ησθείς τε και παρά qua Šumλynor pegas wamcarlos oàn. De Rep. v. p. 462. Ed. Steph. Seneca: Quid fi nocere velint manus pedibus, manibus aculi? Ut ómnia inter fe membra confentiunt, quia fingula fer-vari totius interest ; ita, &c. De Irâ, 11. 31. Others have collected other paffages. fort fort one another; to rejoice and to mourn with one another, and to pray for one another: All which supposes a mysterious and a spiritual union, not to be understood by profane and uninitiated minds, which, without deftroying fubordination, produced a Chriftian equality: for, if the wife could teach. the unlearned, and the rich relieve the poor, the unlearned and the poor could pray for his benefactor, and thereby make him no mean recompenfe. Nothing was more likely to disturb this facred union of good minds, than the extraordinary gifts then variously conferred upon Chriftians, which might excite a little vanity in fcme, and a little jealousy in others: Therefore St. Paul took care to inform them that brotherly love was the faireft and the best of all endowments; that it was above all the miraculous powers that ever appeared, if they were all united in one perfon; and that it would fhine in heaven, when their tranfitory luftre fhould be extinct: a declaration, which no frantic vifionary, or interested impoftor, who himself pretended to those gifts, would ever have made. When a man afcends in imagination to those times, and fancies himself a member of that innocent infant republic, and then awakes from the pleafing dream, and cafts his eyes upon the world about him, he cannot help thinking what an alteration corroding ages have made in this refpect; for Christianity is fecularifed to fuch a degree, that little of this honeft, plain, inartificial kindness fubfifts. However, Religion still restrains much evil, and produces much good, and ferves to many excellent purposes; though fome are so injudicious, that they cannot perceive it, or so perverse, that they will not own it. Nor, indeed, muft we imagine that, even in the Golden age of the Gospel, thefe fair ideas were univerfally or perfectly exemplified, or forget the many complaints of the Apostles themselves, concerning falfe or weak brethren, and disorderly walkers. To fay the truth, there is a little illufion in the reprefentation which we form to ourselves of those days: diftance smoothes fome imperfections, and time foftens fome fhades. Amongst the focial and friendly duties which seem to be generally recommended, and which every one was called upon to perform, is the duty of exhortation. Exhort one another:-To what? To good works, without queftion; to every thing that a Christian ought to do. Much of the fame nature is the precept, Admonish one another, and, Warn one another. The text is concerning Exhortation; the dif course has been hitherto concerning mutual affection; but the connexion between thefe two things, and the dependance of the former upon the latter, is greater than fome may perhaps imagine. Exhortation ought to proceed from brotherly love, elfe it will be faulty in its motives, and unfuccef ful ful in its attempts; and because it often is fo, this has given rife to two fplenetic obfervations, made by those who view human nature in the worst light : First, that every man is liberal of advice; fecondly, that no man is the better for it. If a perfon ex-. hort.another, purely because he is a friend, and defire his welfare, the very manner will fhew the man; for love has an air, which is not easily counterfeited: He will temper his advice with difcretion and humility; he will add whatsoever is neceffary to recommend it: and if a perfon be perfuaded that he who gives him his advice would alfo give him any thing else that he could reasonably defire, he is not a little disposed to attend to it, and to allow it a favourable hearing. Exhortation comes moft properly from fuperiors and from equals. It is part of the duty of rulers to fubjects, parents to children, masters to fervants, the elder to the younger, and friends to friends, fince friendship always finds or makes a certain parity. It cannot be convenient or decent that every man, upon every occafion, fhould exhort every man; but every perfon has his inferiors, or his equals, and towards them he is to exercise this office upon all inviting opportunities. Befides; there is a fort of indirect exhortation-if I may fo call it—to virtue and to goodness, which every Christian ought to exercife, even towards his fuperiors; and that is, to fpeak well of all those who deserve well of him, and of the Christian world, and who fill up their stations with dignity and integrity; to esteem them highly for their work's fake; to praise good things and good perfons: To which I shall not add, that he has the fame call, and the fame right, to blame thofe who are deficient, and who want either the capacity or the will of acting fuitably to their office and rank; becaufe cenfure is often as nearly related to cenforioufnefs in reality, as it is in found, and is not a weapon fit for every hand to wield. But here, likewife, there is an indirect cenfure, as well as an indirect exhortation; and furely, every one may affume the honeft freedom to pass by in neglect and filence thofe who deferve reproach and disgrace. It would conduce to many good purpofes, if this negative reproof were fo duly difpenfed, that all the profligate, the infolent, the unworthy, and the felefs;*- all the refufe and rubbifh of fociety, of what rank and condition foever, might defcend to the grave uncommended, and there lie and moulder in oblivion. Pity that this ever should prove the fate of thofe, to whom other returns are due. Reputation indeed accompanies defert, as its fhadow; but fometimes the day is overcaft, and the fhadow difappears. The office of exhortation is, in a more particular manner, incumbent upon us, who are the minifters of the Gospel; and we are exprefsly required to exhort, warn, admonish, incite, and reprove, with Αχρείοι, homines nihili. Luke, xvII. 10. humble r |