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"Hearers to a warm pitch of Enthusiasm,with"out any foundation of Reason to support "it.'Tis not to make his Perfon and his "Offices incomprehenfible.-'Tis not to "exalt bis Glory, as a kind condescending "Saviour, to the difhonour of the fupreme "and unlimited Goodness of the Creator and "Father of the Univerfe; who is reprefented as ftern and inexorable, expreffing no indulgence to his guilty Creatures, but demanding full and rigorous Satisfaction for "their Offences.'Tis not to encourage " undue and prefumptuous reliances on his Merits and Interceffions, to the contempt of "Virtue and good Works. No: But to represent him as a Lawgiver, as well as a Saviour, as a Preacher of Righteousness, as "one who has given us a most noble and complete Sftem of Morals, enforc'd by "the moft fubftantial and worthy Motives; "and to fhew, that the whole Scheme of our Redemption, is a Doctrine according to God"liness."

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THIS is evident beyond all reasonable Difpute, from the Text, and the Verfe immediately preceding; but more particularly from the Method of Christ himself and his Apoftles. So that all those who decry moral Virtue, to recommend Faith, &c. do in effect, though it may be not defignedly, fubvert the fundamental Principles, both of natural and revealed Religion. The Author goes farther, and fays, that not only the inculcating, but reafoning about Points of Morality is the very best way to propagate the Knowledge and Practice of Chriflianity, as it appears from the Conduct of St. Paul, who is defcribed in the Text, as reasoning

réafaning with Felix, of Righteousness, Temperance and Judgment to come. And, indeed, "whatever will not ftand the Teft of free Ar

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gument and Inquiry, can't be the Religion "of reasonable Beings, nor proceed from a "wife and beneficent Governour; but is fit "only for a TYRANT to enjoin, and for "SLAVES to fubmit to."

The fourth and laft Inference from the Text, is, that a Senfe of Guilt makes thofe things the Objects of Averfion and Horror, which naturally yield the higheft Delight and Satisfaction. There is nothing more excellent and amiable, than the Practice of all the Duties of Justice and Temperance; and yet Felix was fhock'd at thofe ftrict Obligations. The future Judgment of Mankind is, in itself, far from being an Object of Terror; but when St. Paul began to discourse about it, Felix immediately trembled for the fatal Confequences of his vile Conduct. To a guilty Sinner, this is fo tremendous a Scene, that the mere Profpect of it fills him with. Agony and Confufion,

THE fecond Sermon is intitled, The Characters of the righteous and good Man compared, or Benevolence the nobleft Improvement of social Vir

tue.

The Text is, Rom. v. 7. For fcarcely for a righteous Man will one die; yet peradventure, for a good Man fome would even dare to die. Mr. Fofter, confidering thefe Words as an independent Propofition, grounds his Discourse entirely on St. Paul's Obfervation, that Men have a much greater Efteem of kind and generous than of merely juft Actions; and undertakes to fhew, that this is not owing to Education, Fancy, and Enthufiafm, but founded

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on right Reason, and a true Judgment of the intrinfick Nature and Differences of Things.

He first gives a short sketch of the Characters of the righteous and good Man, taking these Words in a limited Senfe, and understanding by the Righteous the Man who confines all his Duty to the Rules of ftrict Justice; and by the good Man, he who is kind, generous and charitable. As they are diftinguished in the Text, there must be fome difference between them, and that difference can be no other than what is here obferved; befides, this is the Sense those Expreffions have frequently in the Scriptures.

THIS being premis'd, the Author delineates in few Words the respective Characters of the righteous and good Man; and then fhews the vaft fuperior Excellency of the latter. This appears at first fight, from the Confideration of the two Characters truly drawn, and placed in the fame View. The Mind of Man is fo framed, as immediately to prefer generous Beneficence to ftrict and rigid Juftice. But there are, befides, three or four particular things in which the Superiority of the good Man will be readily acknowledged.

And, firft, his Character is much more amiable in itfelf. Justice, indeed, is rational and becoming, but no Man will fay that it has any thing great and generous in it, because 'tis the leaft Degree of Virtue that can be fuppofed in focial Life. 'Tis approv'd of, but not admir'd. 'Tis what all have an undoubted right to claim, and therefore there is properly no Merit in it. But difinterested, generous, diffusive Benevolence is the highest Perfection and Glory of human Nature. It argues true greatnefs of Mind, and is a Virtue that Men of mean and narrow Spirits cannot practise. 'Tis not only a right,

but

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but a beautiful Character, that charms the Beholders, and attracts univerfal Efteem and Love. 2dly, The good Man's Character is more useful than that of the merely righteous or juft Man. By Justice, Men's Properties are indeed in a good measure fecured, and Injury and Violence, and confequently much Confufion and Mischief in the World, is prevented; but the greatest part of the true Enjoyments of Life, of the Conveniences and Comforts of it, arife from Benevolence. Without Juftice, Societies could not fubfift; but without Benevolence, if they might poffibly fubfift, (which can hardly be imagined) they would infallibly be miferable. 3dly, The Influence of the good Man's Character is abundantly more extenfive than that of the juft Man's. Active Justice is generally confin'd to a narrow Circle. All thofe, with whom we have no Dealings or Commerce, cannot receive any benefit from it. But Perfons of whom we know nothing, with whom we never had any Communication, and who are at the greatest distance from us, may feel the kind Effects of our Generofity and Compaffion. Lastly, what evidently fhews the fuperiour Excellence of Goodness to ftrict Justice, is that when a Man is just, but not benevolent, he can't be suppos'd to act from a right Principle. Not in obedience to the Authority of God, which would not fuffer him to neglect one of the most important Laws he has given to Mankind. Nor from a regard to the Fitness of the thing itself, because that likewife would influence him in a stronger manner to the exercife of Benevolence, which is a much more exalted Virtue. On the contrary, the good Man, in the utmost extent of that Character, is univerfally Good, and can't

but

but have the noblest Views, and an uncommon Generofity and Greatness of Soul. He imitates. the Father of the Universe, and acts from the fame fublime Motives, and in pursuance of the fame most excellent and worthy End.

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MR. Fofter concludes his Difcourse by two general Inferences, from what has been faid. The first is, the great Wifdom and Goodnefs of God in the Frame of human Nature, which is fo formed, as ftrongly to approve of kind beneficent Actions, even when it has no particular Intereft in them, and to prefer them to all the Duties of ftri&t Juftice. He has not only endued us with Reafon, whereby we are capable of contriving and confulting for the good of others, but planted in us ftrong Inftincts and natural Propenfions to Kindness and Compaffion, on which the Welfare of Society, and the general Happiness of our Fellow-creatures, in a great measure, depend. The fecond Inference is, the Excellency of the Chriftian Religion, which has carried this noble Principle of Benevolence to its highest pitch, and improv'd it to the utmoft Perfection it is capable of. The whole ftrain of Christianity is Love, Harmony and Peace, Condefcenfion and mutual Forbearance, tender Mercy and Compaffion. But yet upon this very account, it has been cenfur'd, and charged, with having given general and loose notions of Charity, and paffed by two of the moft fublime and noble inftances of Benevolence, viz. private Friendship, and the Love of our Country Therefore the Author, in a fecond Difcourfe (which is the third of the Volume) on the fame Text, endeavours to answer that Objection.

*See Characteriflicks, vol. I. p.99,

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