ture, which our Lord has given of the day of judgment, in which the final deftinies of men are stated to depend on the practice or omiffion of mercy or charity to others. All those, who have neglected their brethren in distress, he will regard in the fame light, as if they had neglected him; and as they fhewed no mercy to their fellow-Christians, in like manner he will fhew no mercy to them. But those on the other hand, who have relieved the feveral wants, and alleviated the feveral miferies of their brethren, who have administered food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, who have clothed the naked, and visited the fick, and comforted the imprisoned, he will receive with the highest marks of approbation and regard, will accept what they have done to the leaft of his brethren as done immediately to him, will call them the Bleffed of his Father, and will invite them to inherit the Kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world *. * Mat. xxv. 31-46. Y 4 SERMON XIV. MATTHEW v. 8. Blessed are the Pure in heart : for they shall fee God. IN the feries of Beatitudes pronounced by our Lord, with the Merciful are affociated the Pure in heart, as forming an effential character in his Followers, and being entitled to a correfpondent reward. The Difpofition here commended engages no cultivation, the Bleffing here affigned induces no attraction, among the children of this world. Perverted by their carnal paffions they have no estimation of internal purity, they have no desire of feeing God. Such in general has been the cafe ever fince the firft difobedience of Man. While Man remained in innocence, he was bleffed in the prefence, he had complacence in the fight of God. But when by tranfgrefsion he had loft the purity of his nature, he was no longer worthy of that blessed privilege, he was no longer competent to enjoy it. And seeing he was now become alienated from from the love of God and the defire of his countenance, God withdrew his face from him, and left him to the vain pursuit of his own imaginations. The confequence was evident in the Heathen world. Having loft all perception of the divine prefence, they alfo loft the apprehenfion of his providence and government; they fell into most extravagant idolatries; they changed the truth of God into a lie; and they worshipped the creature rather than the Creator. This This perversion of their understandings had its neceffary effect in the corruption of their hearts and the depravity of their lives. Because they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, he gave them up to a reprobate mind; and they furrendered themselves without reftraint or remorfe to the vileft affections and the groffeft impurities. When God revealed himself to the Children of Ifrael, he restored in fome degree that knowledge of himself which had been loft in the world. But in order that they might continue under the vital fenfe of his more immediate presence and protection, he required a conformity of character in purity and holiness. Being fet apart from the na a Rom. i. 25, &c. tions of the earth for the fervice of a pure and holy God, they were pronounced a holy Nation, a peculiar People; they were taught to separate themselves from every thing unclean. For this intent was published the Moral Law, which not only prescribed the general rule of duty both to God and Man, but also regulated their perfonal deportment, being defigned to control and moderate their carnal paffions, and to reftrain them from grofs and impure gratifications. It guarded, though not indeed with rigid penalties, against the flagrant and irreparable injury of feduction; it pronounced a fentence of excifion for the violation of the marriage vow; it fmoked with vengeance against all inordinate affections. Still however fome allowances were made, and fome indulgences were granted, to the people of Ifrael, because of the hardness of their hearts. Though the Law of Mofes could not countenance, it seems to have connived at concubinage and polygamy; and it admitted of divorce on very flight and even imaginary grounds. Together with the Moral a Ritual Law was alfo appointed, which appears among other reasons to have been ordained in compliance with the rude conceptions of a carnal people, who are more advantageously controlled by external form than |