public. Befides, it is certain, that men who profess to have no religion, are full as zealous to bring over profelytes as any Papift or Fanatic can be. And therefore, if those who are in station high enough to be of influence or example to others; if those (I fay) openly profefs a contempt or disbelief of religion, they will be fure to make all their dependents of their own principles; and what fecurity can the public expect from fuch perfons, whenever their interefts or their lufts come into competition with their duty? It is very poffible for a man who hath the appearance of religion, and is a great pretender to confcience, to be wicked and a hypocrite; but it is impoffible for a man who openly declares againf religion, to give any reasonable fecurity that he will not be falfe, and cruel, and corrupt, whenever a temptation offers, which he values more than he does the power wherewith he was trufted. And if fuch a man doth not betray his caufe and his master, it is only because the temptation was not properly offered, or the profit was too fmall, or the danger too great. And hence it is, that we find fo little truth or juftice among us, because there are fo very few, who, either in the fervice of the públic, or in common dealings with each other, do ever look farther than their own advantage, and how to guard themselves against the laws of the country; which a man may do by favour, by fecrecy, or by cunning, though he breaks almost every law of God.

Therefore to conclude: It plainly appears, that unless men are guided by the advice and judgment of confcience founded on religion, they can give no fecurity that they will be either good fubjects, faithful fervants of the public, or honeft in their mutual dealings; fince there is no other tie, through which the pride, or luft, or avarice, or ambition of mankind will not certainly break one time or other.

*

Confider what has been faid, &c.

骚

*In this moral effay, for I can fcarce call it a fermon, the author inferts fome very ftriking obfervations upon fuch false notions of honour as are too prevalent in the world. [Here the particular paffage is quoted, beginning thus, "The other falie principle which "fome men fet up in the place of confcience," &c. p. 277. 1. 32. and

ending thus, in order to revenge it by the death of an adverfary," p. 278. l. 14. But you must be weary of quotations: and in excufe of thofe already made, I can only offer, that in comments upon original authors, quotations are often the beft, and perhaps the only explanations that can fully answer the end propofed. I mean, that the original spirit is fo volatile, as not to admit of the leaft transtufion. In ordinary compofitions, the effence may be extracted, and. the fubtileft parts diftilled: but Swift's fermons appeared a chymical preparation of fo extraordinary and penetrating a nature, that I was refolved to fend you as much of the ethereal fpirit as might be fately conveyed by the post. Orrery.

SERMON IV.

On BROTHERLY LOVE*.

I

HE B. xiii. 1.

Let brotherly love continue.

'N the early times of the gofpel, the Chriftians werė“ very much diftinguished from all other bodies of men, by the great and conftant love they bore to each other which although it was done in obedience to the fre quent injunctions of our Saviour and his apoftles, yet, I confefs, there feemeth to have been likewise a natural reafon, that very much promoted it. For the Christians then were few and fcattered, living under perfecution by the Heathens round about them, in whose hands was all the civil and military power; and there is nothing fo apt to unite the minds and hearts of men, or to beget love and tenderness, as a general diftrefs. The firft diffenfions between Chriflians took their beginning from the errors and hereftes that arofe among them; many of those herefies, fometimes extinguifhed, and fometimes reviving, or fucceeded by others, remain to this day; and having been made inftruments to the pride, avarice, or ambition of ill-defigning men, by

*This fermon is not in the Dublin edition,

extinguifning brotherly love, have been the cause of infinite calamities, as well as corruptions of faith and manners, in the Christian world.

The laft legacy of Chrift was peace and mutual love; but then he foretold, that he came to fend a fword upon the earth. The primitive Chriftians accepted the legacy, and their fucceffors down to the prefent age have been largely fulfilling his prophecy. But whatever the practice of mankind hath been, or ftill continues, there is no duty more incumbent upon those who profess the gofpel, than that of brotherly love; which whoever could reftore in any degree among men, would be an inftrument of more good to human fociety, than ever was, or will be done by all the statefmen and politicians in the world.

It is upon this fubject of brotherly love that I intend to difcourfe at prefent; and the method I obferve fhall be as follows.

1. I will inquire into the caufes of this great want of brotherly love among us.

2. I will lay open the fad effects and confequences which our animofities and mutual hatred have produced.

3. I will ufe fome motives and exhortations that may perfuade you to embrace brotherly love, and continue in it.

I. I fhall inquire into the caufes of this great want of brotherly love among us.

This nation of ours hath for an hundred years paft been infefted by two enemies, the Papifts and Fanatics; who each in their turns filled it with blood and flaughter, and for a time deftroyed both the church and governiment. The memory of thefe events hath put all true Proteftants equally upon their guard against both thefe adverfaries; who, by confequence, do equally hate us. The Fanatics revile us, as too nearly approaching to Popery; and the Papifts condemn us, as bordering too much on Fanaticifm. The Papifts, God be praifed, are, by the wisdom of our laws, put out of all vifible poffibility of hurting us; befides, their religion is

fo generally abhorred, that they have no advocates or abettors among Proteftants to affift them. But the Fanatics are to be confidered in another light: they have had, of late years, the power, the luck, or the cunning to divide us among ourselves; they have endeavoured to reprefent all those who have been fo bold as to oppofe their errors and defigns, under the character of perfons difaffected to the government; and they have fo far fucceeded, that now-a-days, if a clergyman happens to preach with any zeal and vehemence againft the fin or danger of fchifm, there will not want too many in his congregation ready enough to cenfure him, as hot and high-fly-ing, an inflamer of mens minds, an enemy to moderation, and difloyal to his prince. This hath produced a formed and fettled divifion between thofe who profess the fame doctrine and difcipline, while they who call themselves moderate, are forced to widen their bottom, by facrificing their principles and their brethren to the incroachments and infolence of diffenters; who are therefore anfwerable, as a principal cause of all that hatred and animofity now reigning among us.

no concern.

3

Another caufe of the great want of brotherly love, is the weakness and folly of too many among you of the lower fort, who are made the tools and instruments of your betters to work their defigns, wherein you have Your numbers make you of use, and cunning men take the advantage by putting words into your mouths which you do not understand; then they fix good or ill characters to thofe words, as it beft ferves their purpofes: and thus you are taught to love or hate, you know not what or why; you often fufpect your friends and nearest neighbours, even your teacher himfelf, without any reafon, if your leaders once taught you to call him by a name which they tell you fignifieth fome very bad thing.

beft

A third caufe of our great want of brotherly love feemeth to be, that this duty is not fo often infifted on from the pulpit, as it ought to be in fuch times as these : on the contrary, it is to be doubted, whether doctrines are not fometimes delivered by an ungoverned zeal, a defire to be diftinguished, or a view of intereft, which produce quite different effects; when, upon occafions fet

apart

apart to return thanks to God for fome public bleffing, the time is employed in ftirring up one part of the congregation against the other, by reprefentations of things and perfons, which God in his mercy forgive thofe who are guilty of.

The last cause I shall mention of the want of brotherly love, is that unhappy difpofition towards politics among the trading people, which hath been industrioufly instilled into them. In former times, the middle and lower fort of mankind feldom gained or loft by the factions of the kingdom; and therefore were little concerned in them, further than as matter of talk and amufement: but now the meanest dealer will expect to turn the penny by the merits of his party. He can reprefent his neighbour as a man of dangereus principles; can bring a railing accufation against him, perhaps a criminal one; and fo rob him of his livelihood, and find his own account by that much more than if he had difparaged his neighbour's goods, or defamed him as a cheat. For fo it happens, that inftead of inquiring into the skill or honesty of thofe kind of people, the manner is now to inquire into their party, and to reject or encourage them accordingly; which proceeding hath made our people in general fuch able politicians, that all the artifice, flattery, diffimulation, diligence, and dexterity in undermining each other, which the fatirical wit of men hath charged upon courts; together with all the rage and violence, cruelty and injuftice, which have been ever imputed to public affemblies; are with us (fo polite are we grown) to be feen among our meaneft traders and artificers in the greateft perfection. All which, as it may be matter of fome humiliation to the wife and mighty of this world, so the effects thereof may perhaps in time prove very different from what, I hope in charity, were ever foreseen or intended.

II. I will therefore, now, in the fecond place, lay open fome of the fad effects and confequences which our animofities and mutual hatred have produced.

And the first ill confequence is, that our want of brotherly love hath almost driven out all fenfe of religion from among us; which cannot well be otherwife: for