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"dren of your Father who is in heaven: "for he maketh his fun to rife on the evil "and on the good, and fendeth rain on the "juft and on the unjuft. For if ye love "them that love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the fame?

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"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Fa"ther who is in heaven is perfect." The apostle Paul also enjoins us, Rom. xii. 17. &c. "to recompenfe to no man evil for evil, and not to be overcome of evil, but "to overcome evil with good."

The forgiveness of injuries, about which the heathen moralifts had, as we have feen, great doubts, and which fome of them abfolutely denied to be a duty; but which is certainly a moft amiable and valuable one, is ftrongly recommended by our Lord and his apostles. Luke xvii. 3. &c. "If thy "brother trefpafs against thee, rebuke him; "and if he repent, forgive him. And if "he trefpafs against thee feven times in a

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day, and seven times in a day turn again "to thee, faying, I repent; thou fhalt for"give him." He alfo particularly inforces

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this advice by the confideration of the divine mercy and clemency. Mat. vi. 14. "If ye forgive men their trefpaffes, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: "But if ye forgive not men their trefpaffes, "neither will your Father forgive your trefpaffes." Luke vi. 36. "Be ye there"fore merciful, as your Father also is mer"ciful" To the fame purpose the apostle Paul. Eph. iv. "Let all bitterness, "and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and

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evil-fpeaking be put away from you, "with all malice: And be ye kind one "to another, tender - hearted, forgiving "one another, even as God in Chrift "hath forgiven you." See alfo Col. iii.

12, 13.

As a moft important branch of chriftian duty, and a proof of the most fincere brotherly love, we are frequently exhorted, in the fcriptures, to confult one another's improvement in virtue and goodness: Rom.

xiv. 19.

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"Let us therefore follow after the

things which make for peace, and things "wherewith one may edify another:" Heb.

X. 24.

"Let us confider one another to pro"voke unto love, and to good works."

It being our Lord's chief object to infpire juft difpofitions of mind, and right principles of action, which fhail fuperfede all nice diftinctions about particular rules of conduct, by leading us to feel properly upon every occafion, he gives us this one rule, which, in fact, comprehends all the duties. of focial life: Matt. vii. 12. "Whatfoever ye would that men fhould do to you, do ye even fo to them: for this is the law "and the prophets." An important example to this rule he also gives us with refpect to candour in judging of one another. Matt. vii. 1. "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye

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judge, ye fhall be judged: and with what "measure ye mete, it fhall be measured to you again."

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It is not neceffary to recite the precepts of fcripture which relate to the univerfally acknowledged duties of juice or equity, which are very full and explicit; but I shall obferve,

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obferve, that the obligation of compaffion and charity, which is variable in itself, and which might be difputed and evaded by fubtle cavillers, is frequently infifted upon both in the Old and New Teftament. Some of the paffages in which this duty is inculcated, are peculiarly affecting. Deut. xv. 7. "If there be among you a poor man of one "of thy brethren, within any of thy gates, "in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor fhut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou fhalt open thine hand "wide unto him, and fhalt furely lend him fufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth." Lev. xix. 9. " And when

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ye reap the harveft of your land, thou "fhalt not wholly reap the corners of thy "field, neither fhalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harveft. And thou shalt not

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glean thy vineyard, neither fhalt thou

gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou "fhalt leave them for the poor and stranger: "I am the Lord your God." Ifa. lviii. 6. &c. "Is not this the faft that I have chofen “ -----to undo the heavy burdens, and to

"let

"let the oppreffed go free, and that ye break

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every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread "to the hungry, and that thou bring the

poor that are caft out to thy house: when "thou feeft the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyfelf from "thine own flesh? Then fhall thy light "break forth as the morning, &c." Pf. xli. I: "Bleffed is he that confidereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time "of trouble."

Our Saviour is far from being forgetful of a duty, which has fo near a relation to that affectionate fympathy and brotherly love, which enters fo much into the fpirit of his gofpel. Upon occafion of the rich making feafts for the entertainment of others, as rich as themfelves, he fays, Luke xiv. 13. "When thou makeft a feaft, call "the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; "And thou shalt be bleffed; for they can"not recompenfe thee: for thou shalt be recompenfed at the refurrection of the juft." The apoftle James, whofe whole epiftle is a recommendation of good works, does

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