unjuft, fhould not have his recompence of reward either in this world or in the next.—Well then might the Prophet, when inftru&ting the people how to perform an acceptable service to Heaven, tell them, that the Lord their God required of them, in the first place, to do justly, to have a strict regard to the thing that is lawful and right in their dealings with each other; which is at the bottom not only of moral and civil, but even of religious duty It being from a principle of justice that we offer our devotions and praises to God, the great author and preserver of our beings; who is well pleased with fuch facrifices, when they are offered up with pure hands and a clean heart; otherwife he will by no means accept them in the way of compofition for unrighteousness.

But though Juftice taken in it's full extent is indeed a primary and cardinal 13 virtue;

virtue; yet forafmuch as human laws cannot be fo contrived, but that a strict adherence to the letter of them, fhall in many inftances be injurious and oppreffive; and so it is, that ill-disposed perfons may under the colour of legal right take frequent occafion to gratify their avarice and their fpleen; therefore it is added in the next place that the Lord our God requires of us to love Mercy.

2. And this too is the dictate of nature and reafon, as well as of divine authority; how much foever worldly and malicious men may harden their hearts against it's influence. A Heathen Moralift could fay, that it was but a flight perfection for a man to be as good as the law required: And truly a man may be as good as that amounts to, yet at the fame time be both wicked and cruel. The Servant in the parable, who, after that his Lord had through mere compaffion

compaffion forgiven him a vaft debt which he was unable to pay, went and laid violent hands on his fellow-fervant, who owed him a trifle in comparison, and without listening to his entreaties, caft him into prifon till he fhould pay it; this unmerciful Servant might possibly have law on his fide: But furely his Mafter had much more equity on his, when he afterwards delivered him to the tormentors, till he fhould pay all that was due unto him. Without making fuitable allowance for the errors and infirmities of thofe who partake of the fame common nature with ourselves ; and for the many accidents and misfortunes to which all are liable among the changes and chances of this precarious state; what can we reafonably expect in our own turn when fear and diftrefs come upon us, but to receive from others according to the "measure wherewith we meted unto them."

14

But if men in general

general were fo to retaliate upon each other, how terrible a race would that of mankind be! More brutal than even the beafts of the foreft, which are rarely known to devour thofe of their own fpecies. It was indeed appointed in the judicial law of the Jews, that he who wronged or maimed another, should himself fuffer the evil that he had done

to that other; " An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." (Though this appointment was ufually underftood by the Jewish Interpreters themfelves with a referve; i. e. fuppofing no proper fatisfaction, no compenfation otherwise made.) However, that the Letter of this precept comes far fhort of Chriftian perfection is certain, from that commandment of our Bleffed Lord, "Refift not evil:" Which was given to his followers in direct oppofition to the law of retaliation in use among the Jews. It is expreffly required of us that we should

rather

rather put up with little injuries, and fuffer small loffes, than by hafty resentments, and vexatious profecutions, hazard the breach of that charity, which is the badge of our profeffion, the very bond of peace and of all virtues.-Compaffion and benevolence are neceffary ingredients to the Chriftian temper. It was the character of the Bleffed Jefus that He went about doing good, doing good to those who little deferved it at his hands: And certainly that man is but a very imperfect Disciple of fo merciful and gracious a Mafter, who has not virtue and humanity enough to be touched with compassion in cafes of inability and offence. But the ftrongest motive to lenity and mercy toward others arifes from confidering the relation we bear to God, the fupreme Judge of the whole Earth, and what every one expects from bis judgments. No reafonable man makes application to the throne of Divine Grace,

without