neither soldiers, nor merchants, nor planters of the precious cane: neither have we any interest in the regions of slavery; and if we had, we trust that we should not abuse it like those inhuman taskmasters-an unearthy race, but not the more heavenly. We consider ourselves to be better born and bred: for "whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." (John I. iii. 10.) "They are of their father, the devil, and the lusts of their father they will do. He was a murderer from the beginning—and they do the deeds of their father. WE be not born of fornication; we have one father, even God." (John viii. 41, &c.) Give us therefore examples of men in our circumstances, and how brethren love in our circumstances and situation; and do not preach to us of soldiers and others a thousand leagues off, whom we have nothing to do with.

It may be thought, I do not "honour all men," if I speak my sentiments on this head; but, as I do not mean to flatter all men; nor any, if I know it, I must say, that there is no knowing what any others might do in the same circumstances with those whom I have imagined for an example. Let us now consider therefore,

4. How brethren are apt to love one another in this part of the world, and in the general circumstances of the state we live in. For in this part of the world, and according to the circumstances of the majority, men are not only brethren by a common descent from one man, like the wretched African and his inhuman tormentors; but they profess themselves brethren also by a second birth or descent from God, after the first had been cancelled or superseded through the intervention of "that wicked one." This, I say, they profess and will stand to with an oath: being so far swORN BRETHREN, as well as brethren born, if they be what they give themselves out for. I do not know whether you may understand my allusion: but what I would say is, that as the people in Christian countries are begotten unto God a second time (or so supposed) through

Christ or his ministers, which are the same (Matt. x. 20) with the Holy Ghost as at first, and the ceremony of baptism which is covenanting with an oath, they may therefore be reputed not only sworn children to God, but sworn brethren also, as I said, to each other. Now let us consider therefore how these sworn brethren are apt to love each other see if there be not soldiers, merchants, and planters among them too, and of as dire a description every one as the examples before mentioned.

1, As for the Military class; it is not they only who wear a particular uniform, that are soldiers; we have them of all colours or professions, who make a trade of hunting down their honest brethren; as the more violent tribes of Africa do by the more peaceful, or as other beasts of prey do by the more peaceful flocks and herds. We have

also

2, Men-merchants in abundance, ever ready to take the living booty off their hands at a price that is continually decreasing; and

3, Insatiable Planters enough to wear, and consume the living booty.

These three classes make up together morally the great bulk of which this sinful world is composed, and so many indissoluble links in its evil compact; but generally perhaps without knowing it: and you may see how they perform their parts respectively; the first captures or seduces; the second panders; the third tramples in destruction. And this is how they love their brethren respectively: just as they are beloved themselves by that wicked being who is the patron of such classes of evil doers. He cannot rest till he bring all the world into the same wretched predicament with himself; and these, his partisans without knowing it, cannot rest till they have done every thing in their power, to further his design. But, to rob men of their imputed righteousness, to strip them of their recent dignity and high flown enjoyment; while their soul was joyful in the Lord, and rejoiced in his salvation; (Psalm

xxxv. 9;)-to tear from them the garment of salvation with which they were lately clad, and the robe of righteousness with which they were so agreeably covered, and roll them again in the mire of sin, from which they were only cleansed by the blood of Christ applied in the forementioned ordinance of baptism,-to observe the pain and compunction with which such a fatal relapse is begun, the dark delusion interrupted only by occasional flashes of conscience in which it is protracted, the agonizing yet ineffectual remorse which closes the scene at last upon earth,— and to foresee the horror that must ensue upon it when the same shall be exalted hereafter, and exhibited again; for come it must, futurity is as sure as the present, and a thousand years are but as one day to a departed spirit, and a body in the grave,-then to remember how suddenly all this shall come on,-to conceive that a wretch of your making shall then be reared from the dust only to hear that awful sentence, "Depart from me ye that work iniquity." (Matt. vii. 23.) Oh, could you but look to the uttermost consequences at once, when you begin to sport with your brother's peace and innocence, your heart must be harder than the nether mill stone, if it shrink not with horror at the dismal prospect!-But there are wretches, we know, who can behold the present sufferings of their brethren with indifference, if not with delight; and there may-indeed there MUST be those who can rejoice at the prospect of their future sufferings, if it be only that themselves may not suffer alone. Such is the joy of accursed spirits, the malicious satisfaction of the damned, and the treat also of many an incarnate fiend!

If this be the way that men do love their brethren, nature teaches, that it is not the way that they ought to love them, and Scripture also more decidedly; either authority discovering in this instance a palpable opposition to exist between duty and practice, between the way of the world and the will of God however revealed: which is,-TO CONSIDER EVERY MAN GENERALLY AS OUR NEIGHBOUR, AND

OUR NEIGHBOUR AS OURSELVES, both in person and circumstances; his good qualities being equally dear to us with our own, his superfluous qualities experiencing the same indulgence, his evil-the same watchful solicitude. In joy or trouble, in sickness or health, to sympathize with him, and learn to make his case our own. Never to rejoice at his miscarriage, nor triumph at his expense, whatever there may be between us. To be cautious of injuring our neighbour in the most distant respect, and more so in the nearest; being loath to wound him even in his outward circumstances and reputation, more loath to wound him mortally in his person, and still more loath to wound him eternally in his principles. But not to wound or injure our neighbour, is nothing; we ought to serve and befriend him in every respect, as we would, that he should do for us under the same circumstances, or as we would do for ourselves.

This is how neighbours and brethren ought to love one another generally, who would love as they ought. But the question is, Who has any mind to love in this manner? The greater part of mankind perhaps would rather continue in hatred as long as they live. For "he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth because that darkness hath blinded his eyes :" (John I. ii. 11 :) and how will you demonstrate the part he ought to take in this or any other matter to one who cannot see the force of your reasoning for "the darkness that hath blinded his eyes?" A man must have light and love too before he can learn to value either. "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath." (Matt. xiii. 12.) A man's knowledge shall slip away from him all the days of his life: all his understanding and attainments shall go for nothing: the man shall be a mere cipher; let him be an apostle, prophet, teacher, worker of miracles, a miraculous preacher, or any thing else, and he

VOL. II.

I

shall become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal,-if his other gifts be not tempered with that more excellent, NEVER FAILING gift of charity. For "charity never faileth but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away." (Cor. I. xiii. 8.)

"Knowledge puffeth up: but charity edifieth." (Cor. I. viii. 1.) We must walk in love, to know what a thing it is: we must love first, and reason upon it afterward. As the affections are naturally senior to the understanding, this may be done better by children than by men: wherefore our Saviour tells his audience plainly on one occasion, "Except ye be converted, and become as little. children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as a little child, the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matt. xviii. 3, 4.) A man must disengage himself from all the pride and malice, and all the bigotry and prejudice, with other unnatural habits that he has taken up in the course of his education and experience in the world, and put on the meekness and simplicity of childhood again, before he can be any subject for the empire of love and of light. Here children have doubly the advantage of you; having more to keep, and less to get rid of; they are fresh in love, and not so full of themselves: their little minds are tinged with no prepossession against the truth, nor any thing else their malice is no greater than their attainments. But could that be repressed by any art, and vanity likewise, while these continued to expand,-the grown people would then have the advantage for receiving what I wish to inculcate; being CHILDREN IN MALICE; BUT IN UNDERSTANDING, MEN. (Cor. I. xiv. 20.) Give me such men as these for my hearers, and I will teach them all I can wish: I will teach them "how good and joyful a thing it is, for brethren to dwell together in unity;" (Ps. cxxxiii. 1 ;) and convince them partly from their own experience, that there is nothing more to be desired on earth than a loving