as enemies, but call them back as fuffering and erring members, that ye fave your whole body *."

"Be ye mild at their anger (faith Ignatius, the companion of Polycarp), humble at their boastings, to their blafphemies return your prayers, to their error your firmnefs in the faith; when they are cruel, be ye gentle : not endeavouring to imitate their ways, let us be their brethren in all kindness and moderation; but let us be followers of the Lord, for who was ever more unjustly used, more deftitute, more defpifed?"

IV. A fourth quality, by which the morality of the gospel is distinguished, is the exclusion of regard to fame and reputation.

"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward of your father which is in heaven t."

*Pol. Ep. ad Phil. c. 11. + Mat. vi. 1.

"When

"When thou prayeft, enter into thy closet, and when thou haft fhut the door, pray to thy Father which is in fecret; and thy Father, which feeth in fecret, fhall reward thee openly*."

And the rule, by parity of reason, is extended to all other virtues.

I do not think, that either in these, or in any other paffage of the New Teftament, the pursuit of fame is stated as a vice; it is only faid that an action, to be virtuous, muft be independent of it. I would also observe, that it is not publicity, but oftentation, which is prohibited; not the mode, but the motive, of the action, which is regulated. A good man will prefer that mode, as well as those objects of his beneficence, by which he can produce the greatest effect; and the view of this purpose may dictate fometimes publication, and fometimes concealment. Either the one or the other may be the mode of

VOL. II.

* Mat. vi. 6.

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the

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the action, according as the end to be pro moted by it appears to require. But from the motive, the reputation of the deed, and the fruits and advantage of that reputation to ourselves, must be fhut out, or, in whatever proportion they are not fo, the action in that proportion fails of being virtuous.

This exclufion of regard to human opinion, is a difference, not fo much in the duties, to which the teachers of virtue would perfuade mankind, as in the manner and topics of perfuafion. And in this view the difference is great. When we set about to give advice, our lectures are full of the advantages of character, of the regard that is due to appearances and to opinion; of what the world, efpecially of what the good or great, will think and fay; of the value of public esteem, and of the qualities by which men acquire it. Widely different from this was our Saviour's inftruction; and the difference was founded upon the best reafons. For, however the care of réputation, the authority of public opinion, or even of the 'opinion

opinion of good men, the fatisfaction of being well received and well thought of, the benefit of being known and diftinguished, are topics to which we are fain to have recourse in our exhortations, the true virtue is that which difcards thefe confiderations abfolutely, and which retires from them all to the single internal purpose of pleasing God. This at least was the virtue which our Saviour taught. And in teaching of this, he not only confined the views of his followers to the proper measure and principle of human duty, but acted in confiftency with his office as a monitor from heaven.

Next to what our Saviour taught, may be confidered the manner of his teaching; which was extremely peculiar, yet, I think, precisely adapted to the peculiarity of his character and fituation. His leffons did not confift of difquifitions; of any thing like moral effays, or like fèrmons, or like fet treatises upon the feveral points which he mentioned. When he delivered a precept,

it was feldom that he added any proof or argument; ftill feldomer, that he accompanied it with, what all precepts require, limitations and diftinctions. His inftructions were conceived in short emphatic fententious rules, in occafional reflections, or in round maxims. I do not think that this was a natural, or would have been a proper method for a philofopher or a moralist; or that it is a method which can be fuccefffully imitated by us. But I contend that it was fuitable to the character which Chrift affumed, and to the fituation in which, as a teacher, he was placed. He produced himfelf as a meffenger from God. He put the truth of what he taught upon authority*. In the choice, therefore, of his mode of teaching, the purpose by him to be confulted was impression; because conviction, which forms the principal end of our dif courses, was to arife in the minds of his fol

*Ifay unto you, Swear not at all; I say unto you, Refift not evil; I fay unto you, Love your enemies †. Mat. v. 34, 39, 44.

lowers