faid, For we are his Offspring. Forafmuch therefore as we are the Offspring of God, we ought not to think, that the Godhead is like unto Gold, or Silver, or Stone graven by Art, or Man's Device.

THE Almighty has no favourite Opinions, Sects and Nations. A&s x. v. 34, 35, And Peter opened his Mouth, and faid, of a Truth, I perceive that God is no Respecter of Perfons; but in every Nation he that feareth him, and worketh Righteousness, is accepted of him. Rom. ii. v. 11. There is no Refpect of Persons with God. Colof. iii. v. 11. There is neither Greek, nor Jew, Circumcifion, nor Uncircumcifion, Barbarian, Scythian, Bond, nor Free, but Chrift is all, and in all. Gal. iii. v. 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither Bond nor Free, there is neither Male nor Female; for ye are all one in Chrift Jefus.

How therefore fhall we worship him? how know his Will? St. John tells us, chap. vii. v. 17. If any Man will do God's Will, he will know of the Doctrine, whether it be of God or not: That is as much as to say, "Make "ufe of the Judgment which God has given you; and fee whether the Doctrine taught you, be worthy of an omnipotent Author; fee whether it teach Peace and Love to your

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« Neighbour, Compaffion to all in Distress, "Forbearance of Injuries, Humanity and In"dulgence to all who differ from you, Duty "to Parents, Submiffion and Obedience to the "Laws of your Country, and Charitableness "and Benevolence to all Mankind, and even "to the Brute Creation; then you may be fure "fuch Doctrine comes from God: But if it "breathe forth Revenge, and implacable Ha"tred; if it raise Mobs, Civil Wars, and Per"fecutions, for trifling Opinions; if it have "for its End Ambition and worldly Pride, " and overturn every thing facred and civil, "which stands in its Way; if it encourage "the worst Men, and oppress the best; if it "difcourage Industry, and depopulate Na❝tions; then there are plain Traces of Sa"tan's, or the Popish Priest's Foot in it, " and fuch a Religion can never come from "God."

WHEN you have made this your best Use of the Faculties which God has given you, your Endeavours will certainly be accepted by him; and you will meet all the Reward which attends the judging right, fince you have done all in your Power to do fo; for God puts upon no Man the Egyptian Task of making Bricks without Straw; nor requires any thing which

you

you cannot perform. Rom. chap. ii. v. 10, 12. Glory, Honour, and Peace, to every Man who worketh Good, to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile: for as many as have finned without Law, fhall be punished without Law; and thofe that have finned in the Law, fball perish by the Law. And v. 14, 15. For when the Gentiles, which have not the Law, do by Nature the Things of the Law, they are a Law unto themselves: Which fhew the Work of the Law written in their Hearts; their Confcience also bearing them Witness; and their Thoughts, the mean while accufing, or elfe exclufing, one another.

So that the Gentiles themselves are to be judged by their Sincerity, and not condemned for involuntary Errors. Rom. xiv. v. 10, 11, 12, 13. Why doft thou judge thy Brother? As I live, faith the Lord, every Knee shall bow to me, and every Tongue ball confefs to God; fo then every one of us shall give an Account to God. Let us not, therefore, judge one another any more. And, v. 22. we are told who will be judged to Happiness; Happy is he who condemneth not himself in that Thing which be alloweth. First Epistle General of St. John, ch. iii. v. 21. Beloved, if our Hearts con

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demn us not, then have we Confidence towards God.

CORNELIUS, though a Heathen, is commended in Acts the xth, ver. 2. as a devout Man, and one that feared God with all his Houfe, which gave much Alms to the ·People, and prayed to God always: And Lydia, a Seller of Purple, though neither a few nor a Chriftian, is faid to be a Worshipper of God, and one whofe Heart God had opened, before he heard the Preaching of Paul, Ats xvi. v. 14.

THIS comprehenfive Charity, this Spirit of public Beneficence, runs everywhere through the new Teftament; nor can I find any Precept there given, but what is manifeftby advantageous to Mankind, conducing to their present Happiness, and deducible from eternal Reason, and the Result of it. Matth. xxii. v. 35, to 39. A Lawyer asked of our Saviour, Which is the great Commandment of the Law? And Fefus faid unto him, Thou halt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind. This is the first and great Commandment: And the fecond is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thyself. Upon these two Commandments bang all the Law and the Prophets.

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ANOTHER Lawyer asks him, (Luke x. 25. to 28.) What shall I do to obtain eternal Life? And be faid unto him, What is written in the Law? How readeft thou? And he said, Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Soul, and all thy Strength, and all thy Mind, and thy Neighbour as thyself. And be faid unto him, Thou haft answered right; do this, and thou shalt live. And chap. xviii. v. 18, and 20, &c. A certain Ruler asked him, faying, Good Mafter, what shall I do to inherit eternal Life? And Jefus faid, Thou knoweft the Commandments : Do not commit Adultery, do not kill, do not fteal, do not bear false Witness; honour thy Father and thy Mother. He indeed adds afterwards another Condition, which was to fell all be bad, and give it to the Poor; which the Ruler could not bring himself to comply with: though I dare fay he would have promised to have believed Creeds by the Dozen, if those would have done him any Service. But I cannot find, that in all Scripture, our Saviour does impofe upon us the Belief of one modern Creed, or of any other but that He was the Meffiah.

CHAP. XIX. v. 8, 9. Zaccheus, a Publican, faith unto the Lord, Half of my Goods I give unto the Poor; and if I have taken any thing

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