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lowers from a different fource, from their respect to his perfon and authority. Now, for the purpose of impreffion fingly and exclufively (I repeat again, that we are not here to confider the convincing of the understanding) I know nothing which would have fo great force as ftrong ponderous màxims, frequently urged, and frequently brought back to the thoughts of the hearers. I know nothing that could in this view be faid better, than "Do unto others as ye would that others fhould do unto you: the firft and great commandment is, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God; and the second is like unto it, Thou fhalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf." It must also be remembered, that our Lord's miniftry, upon the supposition either of one year or of three, compared with his work, was of fhort duration; that, within this time, he had many places to vifit, various audiences to address; that his perfon was generally befieged by crowds. of followers; that he was, fometimes, driven away from the place where he was teaching by perfecution, and, at other times, thought

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fit to withdraw himfelf from the commo, tions of the populace. Under thefe circumftances nothing appears to have been fo practicable, or likely to be fo efficacious, as leaving, wherever he came, concife leffons of duty. These circumftances at leaft fhew the neceffity he was under of comprising what he delivered within a small compafs. In particular, his fermon upon the mount ought always to be confidered with a view to thefe obfervations. The queftion is not, whether a fuller, a more accurate, a more fyftematic, or a more argumentative difcourfe upon morals might not have been pronounced; but whether more could have been faid in the fame room, better adapted to the exigencies of the hearers, or better calculated for the purpose of impression? Seen in this light, it hath always appeared to me to be admirable. Dr. Lardner thought that this difcourfe was made up of what Chrift had faid at different times, and upon different occafions, feveral of which occafions are noticed in St. Luke's narrative. can perceive no reason for this opinion. I believe

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believe that our Lotd delivered this difcourfe at one time and place, in, the manner related by St. Matthew, and that he repeated the fame rules and maxims at different times, as opportunity or occafion fuggefted; that they were often in his mouth, were repeated to different audiences, and in various converfations,

It is incidental to this mode of moral inftruction, which proceeds not by proof but upon authority, not by difquifition but by precept, that the rules will be conceived in abfolute terms, leaving the application, and the diftinctions that attend it, to the reafon of the hearer. It is likewife to be expected, that they will be delivered in terms, by fo much the more forcible and energetic, as they have to encounter natural or general propenfities. It is further alfo to be remarked, that many of thofe ftrong inftances, which appear in our Lord's fermon, fuch as "If any man will fmite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other alfo; If any man will fue thee at the law, and take away

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thy coat, let him have thy cloak also: Whofoever fhall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain: though they appear in the form of specific precepts, are intended as defcriptive of difpofition and character. A fpecific compliance with the precepts would be of little value, but the difpofition which they inculcate is of the highest. He who should content himself with waiting for the occafion, and with literally cbferving the rule when the occafion offered, would do nothing, or worse than nothing; but he who confiders the character and difpofition which is hereby inculcated, and places that difpofition before him as the model to which he should bring his own, takes, perhaps, the beft poffible method of improving the benevolence, and of calming and rectifying the vices of his temper.

If it be faid that this difpofition is unat tainable, I answer, fo is all perfection; ought therefore a moralift to recommend imperfections? One excellency, however, of our Saviour's rules is, that they are

either never mistaken, or never fo miftaken as to do harm. I could feign a hundred cafes, in which the literal application of the rule," of doing to others as we would that others fhould do unto us," might mislead us: but I never yet met with the man who was actually misled by it. Notwithstanding that our Lord bid his followers "not to refift evil," and "to forgive the enemy who should trespass against them, not till feven times but till feventy times feven," the Chriftian world has hitherto fuffered little by too much placability or forbearance. I would repeat once more, what has already been twice remarked, that these rules were designed to regulate perfonal conduct from perfonal motives, and for this purpose alone.

I think that these observations will affift us greatly in placing our Saviour's conduct, as a moral teacher, in a proper point of view; especially when it is confidered, that to deliver moral difquifitions was no part of his defign, to teach morality at all was only a fub

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