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Chriftian and the Moral Virtue: the fame Object appears not in the fame Light to both. Nature melts at the Sight of Mifery, and by a secret Sympathy feels what it sees; and relieves itself by administering Comfort and Support to the Afflicted: but Grace looks on the Sufferings of Christ in all his Members; and gives that Affistance to the Miferable for his Sake, which Nature gives only for its own. For this Reafon we find Christ charging himself with all the Kindneffes and Acts of Mercy fhewn to his Brethren and Difciples. I was an hungered, fays he, and ye gave ME Meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave ME Drink; I was a Stranger, and ye took ME in, naked, and ye clothed ME; I was fick, and ye vifited ME; I was in Prifon, and ye came unto ME. This Regard to Chrift, is the very Life and Soul of Christian Charity; and that only which can entitle our good Works to Reward at the last Day: for our good Works themselves have neither Merit nor Righteousness, but as they begin and end in Christ: the love of Chrift is the Fountain of Chriftian Charity; and Chrift in his Members is the Object of it.

This being the Nature of Chriftian Cha

rity, it is plain that one Kind will differ from another in Perfection, as it more nearly approaches the Perfon of Chrift, who is the Object, and as it more ftrongly partakes of the Principle, which is the Love of Christ. And by this Rule of Proportion, our Saviour has placed the feveral Degrees of Charity mentioned in the Text; as will appear by confidering the Characters and Relations of the Perfons, who are the immediate Objects.

The Perfons mentioned are four Sorts: Apostles; Prophets; the Righteous; and, the little Ones. They are ranked according to the Dignity of their Characters, which arifes from the Relation they bear to Christ, who is Head over all. And under one or other of these Denominations, may every Christian be found: fo that we have here, in Truth, a perfect Scheme of Christian Charity, and a Rule to direct us in the Choice of proper Objects.

The Apostles, upon the Death of our Saviour, fucceeded to the Government and Direction of the Church: they were commiffioned to feed and to rule the Flock in his Stead, and in his Name. Under them were placed Teachers and Paftors of differ

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ent Orders, who are comprehended under the general Name of Prophets.

Thefe Offices have been perpetuated in the Church by a conftant Succeffion of Men duly called to them; and the present Governors and Paftors of it ftand in the fame Degree of Nearness and Relation to Christ, that the Apostles and Prophets did, who went before them in the fame Work of the Ministry; and we must fo account of them, as of the Minifters of Chrift, and Stewards of the Mysteries of God, 1 Cor. iv. 1.

The two next Characters belong to the Flock of Chrift; who are not distinguished from each other by any Difference in Character or Office, but only by their different Attainments in Faith; the Righteous are the Strong in Faith: the little Ones are the weak. The Righteous are those, who, as the Apostle to the Ephefians expreffes it, are come unto a perfect Man, unto the Meafure of the Stature of the fulness of Chrift. The little Ones are thofe he calls Children; unfettled in the Faith, and liable to be toffed to and fro, and carried about with every Wind of Doctrine, Eph. iv. 13, 14. The learned Grotius reckons here but three Degrees, (for he leaves out the Apo

ftles,

ftles, who yet are plainly mentioned in the 40th Verfe) and of them he fays, that they are tres Difcipulorum Chrifti Gradus. The Righteous he makes to be a middle Kind of Chriftian, between the little Ones and the Perfect: and by Prophets he understands only perfect Chriftians, without Regard to any peculiar Office or Character in the Church belonging to them. But this is neither agreeable to the Language of Scripture, nor to our Saviour's Defign in this Place; the Sinaio, the Righteous, are always spoken of as perfect Christians: those who are to fhine forth in the Kingdom like the Sun, are furely no mean or middle Kind of Chriftians; but they are called the Righteous. So in the 25th of St. Matthew, those who at the last Day fhall be entitled to eternal Life, are the Righteous. In the 12th of the Hebrews, the Apostle tells them they are come-to the General Affembly and Church of the First Born, which are written in Heaven; and to God the Judge of all, and to the Spirits of juft Men made perfect, nai @veúμaci δικαίων τετελειωμένων : Are the δίκαιοι, Righteous, here spoken of as middle Chriftians, D 4 where

where their distinguishing Character is, that they are made perfect?

Nor is the Word Prophet ever used, where Christians in general are spoken of; but it always denotes a peculiar Character and Office: he gave, fays St. Paul to the Ephefians, Some Apostles, and fome Prophets, and fome Evangelifts, and fome Paftors and Teachers. Where the Offices are thus distinctly enumerated, Prophet denotes a diftinct Order in the Ministry; but when it is used generally, it denotes the Paftors and Teachers of the Church, without Regard to their diftinct Orders and in the Text, Prophets follow after Apostles, in the same Manner that little Ones follow after the Righteous: for as little Ones include all Degrees of Christians under the Righteous, so Prophets include all Degrees of Paftors under Apoftles.

Besides, our Saviour's Defign in this Place was evidently to lay a Foundation for the Support of the Chriftian Ministry; he forbids them to provide for themselves, for this Reafon, because they were Workmen worthy of their Hire, and ought to be provided for by others: and to encourage Men cheerfully to discharge this Duty to

them,

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