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SERMON Hence by Nature our fad Alienation from VII. the Life of God: Inftead of Heavenly Wif

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dom, a ferpentine Craft; inftead of Divine Love, grofs and corrupt Affections; and, in the room of that perfect Harmony in all its Powers and Faculties which tuned the Soul to Peace, all the Discord and Rage of conflicting Paffions.-Behold, O Man! in this thy aggravated Misery of a distempered Soul and Body, the Greatness of thy Fall, and fad Apoftacy! But behold also the Greatness of Redeeming Love, the infinite Compaffions of thy fo much neglected SaEzek. xvi.viour! who, when thou waft caft out in the open Field to the loathing of thy Perfon, paffed by thee, and when He faw thee polluted in thine own Blood, faid unto thee I paffed by thee, and looked upon thee; and I Spread my Skirt over thee, and covered thy Nakedness; yea, I fware unto thee, and entered into a Covenant with thee, faith the Lord God, and thou becameft mine. This Difplay of our Lord and Saviour's Commiferation and Love to the fallen human Race is beautifully figured in the Mercy which the good Samaritan fhewed to the poor wounded Traveller that fell among

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VII.

viii. 17.

Thieves. The Prieft and the Levite SERMON paffed by, but afforded him no Relief; for ( neither the Law, nor the Levitical Miniftrations, could avail to Man's Salvation; fuch Help could only come from the Great Phyfician of Souls, and Friend of Sinners, who Himfelf took our Infirmities, and bare Matth. our Sickneffes: And the Lord that heal-Exod. xv. eth is his Name. But tho' this be the Infide 26. and Spirit of the Parable, yet the Moral is drawn from the Outfide and Letter of it: Did the Samaritan fhew Mercy to the wounded and diftreffed Jew, miniftring to him the Means of his Cure, and defraying the neceffary Charges of it? Go, and do thou likewife; be merciful after thy Power to All, and fhew thy Love to God by this Proof of thy Love to thy Neighbour: For whofo John iii. hath this World's Good, and feeth his Brother 17· have Need, and Shutteth up the Bowels of his Compaffion from him, how dwelleth the Love of God in him.

(a) For the fpiritual Interpretation of this Parable, in its Reference to our Redemption by Jefus Chrift, fee St. Auft. Quæft.Evang. lib. ii. as alfo, Contra Pelag. Hypognoft. lib. iii.

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Chrifti mos eft in vulgaribus parabolis etiam fublimiora aliqua myfteria nobis commendare: ita certe hac in parabola admodum eleganter nobis fumma noftri Chriftianifmi ob oculos pingi-. Vid. Chemnit. Harm. Evang. in loco.

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See alfo the Spiritual Homilies of Macarius the Egyptian. Hom. xxx.

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The

SERMON The Application comes home to us, as Fellow-Christians, with additional Force; and the Occafion of our prefent Meeting

VII.

gives a particular Emphafis to it: And therefore let us turn our Thoughts to the Ecclef.vii. House of Mourning, for we are told that the Heart of the Wife is there; and thence learn a Leffon of Humility, a Leffon of Gratitude, and an Exercise of Charity.

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Were I to confider only my own Un ́fitness to be your Solicitor this Day, I should have much Reason to be diffident of Suecefs; but when I confider whofe Cause I plead; when I confider before whom I plead; and, above all, when I confider in whofe Name I plead, I will not, I cannot think, that I fhall plead in vain. Nor need I here to fetch any Weapons from the Armoury of Eloquence, nor feek to engage the Paffions on my Side with artificial Strains of Rhetorick, seeing the INFIRMARY itself affords the most perfuafive Motives to urge a compaffionate Relief; and it would be fufficient for this Purpose, would Time permit, to fet open to your View that Theatre of Woes, where pining Atrophy *, Convulfions, agonizing Throws, corroding

*See Milton's Paradife Loft, Book xi. Line 480.

Ulcers,

Ulcers, the Torture of broken and disloca- SERMON VII. ted Bones, and various other Maladies and Difafters incident to the human Frame, form one complicated Scene both of vifible and audible Distress. Look down, you Wealthy and Honourable Ones, from your Height of Opulency and Splendour, and in thefe Sons and Daughters of Affliction acknowledge your Brethren, and own yourfelves to be but Men; for, did not He that Job xxxi. made make them, and did not one fafbyou ion both in the Womb?- Whilft in the Phrafe

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of Job, you wash your Steps with Butter, xxix. 6. and the Rock pours out to you Rivers of Oil, let the Streams of your Bounty refresh the Hearts of the Sorrowful, and your Abundance be the Supplement to their Wants. -Thus inay you excel in Goodness as in Greatness, and be counted worthy of double Honour.

I next addrefs myself to you who are in a middle Station, placed fafely between the two Extremes of Affluence and Indigence, and fo poffeffed of what Agur prayed for: Prov.xxx. And, as you know no Want yourselves, extend freely your Affiftance to those that do. The Law commanded to help the Beast of our Enemy fallen under his Bur

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Exod. then: xxiii. 5.

VII.

SERMON then: Bring not then a Reproach upon that Holy Name by which you are called, by refuling to help a Neighbour, a FellowChriftian, being burthened with his Infirmities. A Retrenchment of the Vanities, Superfluities, or in the fashionable Expences of Life, will amply fupply the Means of Beneficence to your diftreffed Brethren; and by such a Chriftian Piece of Oeconomy, you will join the Practice of two Duties together, whilft to that of Charity you add SelfDenial for Charity's Sake.

Exod.

Xxxiv. 20.

Laftly, as to you whofe Portion in the good Things of this Life is fmall, tho' yourfelves no lefs dear to God on that Account, I muft call upon you alfo for a Token of your

Love. It was ordained under the Law, in Lev. v. 7. the Matter of Offerings, that the Perfon, and xii. 8. who was not able to bring a Lamb, should bring two Turtle-Doves, or two young Pigeons; for no one was to appear before the Lord empty. Let not the Love of Chrift, that perfect Law of Liberty, lefs constrain you: Let not the Free-will Offering of your Chriftian Charity come fhort of the Command of a Jewish Oblation: If thou haft but little, yet be merciful after thy Power, Tob.iv.8, and do thy Diligence gladly to give of that

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