their Time in reading godly Books, and fuch other Exercises and Amusements, they think it is all that is required of them; it is with them the Sum and Perfection of Religion.

God forbid that I should blame any body for doing thefe Things! On the contrary, I would encourage every one in the Practice of them: for, as I faid before, they are neceffary Duties; fo neceffary, that it is impoffible to be religious, to any great Purpose, without a confcientious Respect unto them. But this is the Thing I blame, The Thinking that we have no other Work to do in the World but this. The being fo taken up with thefe Things, as to neglect all the other weighty Business of our Callings, and the Duties which our Families, our Neighbours, our Country do call for at our Hands. As God hath not confined Religion to Cloifters and Defarts, fo neither hath he shut it up in Churches or Clofets: But he hath so contrived it, that it may flourish in our Cities, and in our Fields, in our Shops, and in our Markets, even in all the Places where our Employment lies. God never intended that Religion fhould be an Enemy to Business and an active Life; but rather an Inftrument to promote the one, and encourage the other. We then ferve God beft, when we make our religious Offices and Contempla

plations a Means to advance the diligent Purfuit of our Callings, and the doing Good in the World. We are then moft devout, when we moft benefit others. And it is the most acceptable Sacrifice to God, to be ufeful in our Generations.

This, I am fure, was the Thing that our Saviour propofed to himself: For tho', as I faid, he had his Time of Retirement, wherein he gave himself up to Meditation and Prayer, yet the Design hereof was, that he might the next Moment more illuftriously appear in the World as a Pattern of good Works. His Devotions did not spend themselves in unprofitable Ardors, and for his own Content and Satisfaction only, but they influenced his Actions, and made him more bufy, more vigorous in the Discharge of that Employment that God had committed to him: Nay, whenever the Duties of his Calling and the Duties of Devotion, properly fo called, came into Competition, we find that he made the latter give way to the former. As we have a famous Inftance in his preferring Acts of Charity before the exact Obfervation of the Sabbath; and he backed his Practices herein with a memorable Axiom, which he had made a standing Rule in all fuch Cafes, that God will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice. Not that to offer Sacrifice was not a Duty, or that God would refuse them when they

were

were devoutly offered; but that of the two he rather delights in Works of Mercy; and that if both cannot come together, the former muft give Place; we then beft expreffing our Love to God, whom we have not feen, when we exprefs our Love to Men, whom we have feen, as St. John tells

us.

And this leads me to the Third Thing, wherein we are to propofe our Saviour to our Imitation, (and it fhall be the laft I fhall confider at this Time) namely, his boundless Love and Charity.

Of all his other Virtues and excellent Qualities, this was moft confpicuous in him, and this was that which he most recommended to our Practice. His whole Life was but one continued illuftrious Expreffion of Kindness and Charity. Never was any Perfon in the World known to be fo fweet, fo obliging, fo compaffionate, fo kind, as was our Lord Jefus. How eager, how infatiable a Thirst had he to do all the Good he could to Mankind! How did he feek Opportunity to oblige and to benefit every body! He went up and down to see who stood in need of his Prefence and Affiftance, either for Soul or Body; and whofo did, never failed of it. So intent was he upon doing Offices of Charity to others, that he often neglected himself,

and

and would rather deny himself the due Satisfactions of Nature, than that they should not be benefited. How many fick Perfons did he reftore to their Health, Blind to their Sight, and Lame to their Joints, and Dumb to their Speech, and poffeffed and diftracted Perfons to their right Minds? Nor was he lefs kind to the Souls than the Bodies of Men. How zealous, how conftant, how laborious, how indefatigable was he in preaching the glad Tidings of God's Grace and Favour to all poor Souls! How did he take every Opportunity of making Men better by his Difcourfes! No Converfation that he was engaged in, though the Subject of it was never fo ordinary and indifferent, but he would improve it to the Purposes of doing Good to Mens Souls, taking every Occafion that offered itself in Discourse, to raise up the Minds of the Hearers from carnal and fenfible Things, to fpiritual and heavenly.

Oh, with what Plainness and Condefcention would he inftruct the Ignorant! With what Power would he convince Gainfayers! With what Freedom, and with what Authority would he reprove Vice and Sin where-ever he found it!

Oh, how gently would he deal with weak Perfons, never breaking a bruifed

Reed,

Reed, nor quenching the Flax that had the leaft Smoak in it!

Oh, how affectionately would he embrace all thofe that came unto him, and how tenderly would he even weep over thofe that obftinately refused their own Mercy! Witness, the kind Tears that ran down his Cheeks when he beheld his incorrigible City. O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, (faith he) thou that killedft the Prophets, and floned them that were fent unto thee! How often would I have gathered thee as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings, but ye would not! but now your Houfe is left unto you defolate: and then the gentle Jefus wept. What should I fay more of the large, intense, universal Charity and good Will with which our Saviour endeavoured to oblige the World. The Time would fail to reckon up the Inftances of it. The Sum of all is, as he lived a Miracle of Love, fo he died one. That fame Jefus, who had every Moment of his Life been doing Good to fome one or other; and that fame Jefus, that had never received any other Requital from the World for all this Goodness, but Affronts and Injuries, Contempt and Reproaches; yet this fame Jefus, fo far was his Love from being abated by all this unworthy Ufage, that, as if what he had hitherto done for Mankind had fig