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when there is the fame Sympathy in the politick, that there is in the natural Body; when, if one · Member fuffer, all the Members fuffer with it, or, if one Member rejoice, all the Members rejoice with it.

Upon the Account, then, that this Paffion is of fuch happy Advantage to the present Condition of Man, God has been pleafed to plant in our Nature fo strong a Propenfity to it, that, when we read or hear of the Calamities of other Men, our Bowels yearn by a natural Sympathy, though they be never fo far diftant from us, and are no otherwife related to us than as they partake of the fame common Nature. Nay, though we know the Calamities, which we read and hear, to be nothing but romantick Fictions, yet ftill the very Imagination of them melts us into Tears, in Defpite of our Will and Reason; an evident Inftance of the general Sympathy, which influences all Men; fince we can neither hear, nor fee, nor imagine other Miseries, without being touched with a fenfible Pain and Affliction for them.

Nor has God given this Propensity to the Soul only, but, together with that, has difpofed the very Make and Figuration of the Body fo that the whole Man might stand inclined to Acts of Mercy and Commiferation. How the animal Spirits operate is hard to determine; but this we know, that, whenever we happen to caft our Eyes upon a Man that is wounded, we find a fudden Tide of them thronging towards thofe Parts of our own Body, which anfwer to the Parts of the wounded Man, and fo raising a Sentiment of Pity or Compaffion in us, which we can no more help being affected with, than we can hinder our animal Spirits from flowing to, and affecting that Part of our Body, which corresponds to the Object before us.

Since the God of Nature, therefore, has laid the Ground of this Affection in the Compofition both

of

of Soul and Body; fince he has implanted in us fuch a mutual Sympathy, as makes another's Mifery our Pain, which, without doing Violence to ourselves, we cannot be eafed of, without wifhing, at least, to be able to remove it; this I take to be an eternal and immutable Reason why we ought to be merciful to one another, efpecially confidering, that this is farther incumbent upon us, both in Imitation of the Nature, and in Conformity to the Will of our great Creator.

The Doctors of the Talmud, fpeaking of the Employment of God before the Creation of the World, lay it down for a Truth, that he was contriving how to be merciful to Mankind: And contriving indeed he was, how to fhew Mercy to Man, but not by the Way of Study and Employment of Mind, as these idle Dreamers grofsly imagine. His Mercy is effential to his Nature, and therefore it is faid to be from everlasting, to endure for ever, and himfelf is ftiled the God of all Grace, and the Father of Mercies, whofe Compaffions and the Sounding of whofe Bowels fail not, and who keepeth Mercy for Thoufands, forgiving Iniquity, Tranfgreffion, and Sin. And, indeed, if we confider a little the Method of God's Dealing with Mankind, in creating them at first, in fustaining them with his Power, in protecting them with his Providence, in fanctifying them with his Grace, and, above all, in redeeming them from eternal Ruin by the coftly Price of his own Son's Blood, we cannot but obferve a continued Series of Divine Mercy and Compaffion running through every Age of the World, and through every Moment of each Man's Life.

Now, for the fame Reason that God does himfelf continually delight in Acts of Mercy, and takes a peculiar Pleafure in defcribing himself by that particular Attribute; for the fame Reafon, it must neceffarily be his Will, that we fhould imitate him N

in

in what he himself finds fo great Complacency. Be ye therefore merciful, fays our Bleffed Saviour, as your Father, which is in Heaven, is merciful; Put on, as the Elect of God, Bowels of Mercy, Kindness, Meekness, Long-fuffering; and be of the fame Mind one towards another, weeping with thofe that weep, and bearing one another's Burthens, in order to fulfil the Law of Chrift.

And well might the Law of Chrift prescribe us this Duty, when he himself, while on Earth, in Commiferation to Mankind, went about healing every Sickness and every Difeafe; and feeing the Multitudes fainting, and scattered abroad like Skeep want ing a Shepherd, ἐσπλαχνίσθη περὶ αὐτῶν, was moved with Compaffion on them; fo we render it indeed, but the Expreffion is too high and pregnant for any verbal Tranflation: When he himself, even now that he is in Heaven, retains ftill the fame Tenderness of Spirit, though, in other Refpects, impaffible, and for this Reafon is called a merciful High-Prieft, that cannot but be touched with a Feeling of our Infirmities.

Well might the Law of Chrift prefcribe us this Duty, which, of all others, is most apposite to our prefent State and Circumftances: For, fince every Man is liable to become miferable, nothing is more juft and equitable than that we fhould deal with others as we would be dealt by. Put the Cafe then, (as you very well may) that you were now as miferable as that wretched Creature is that craves your Succour and Relief, would you not defire Relief with the fame Importunity that he does? Since the Sense of Mifery and the Defire of Mercy are infeparable, doubtlefs you would: And is there not all the Reason in the World, then, that you fhould grant him what you would ask for yourself, if you were in his Circumstances, and he in your's? What therefore the Apoftle fays, in relation to

Offences,

Offences, may, with a small Variation, be applied to other Infelicities of Life; Brethren, if a Man be overtaken with Misfortunes, ye which are prof perous, relieve fuch an one, in the Spirit of Compaffion, confidering thyself, left thou also be afflicted.

And well might our Holy Religion recommend this Affection to us, fince, of all others, it is one of the most noble and excellent Difpofitions of the Mind: So noble, that the moft generous and brave Spirits of Antiquity, those whom Paganism has deified and Christianity fainted, whom Hiftory mentions with Honour, and Malice itself is afhamed to calumniate, have all along been famed and remarkable for it: And fo excellent, that no other Paffion but Love or Charity, from whence it refults, is to be compared with it. Other Paffions are in their own Natures indifferent, neither good nor evil in themselves, but equally determinable to either, and, for the most Part, are actually determined to the wrong Side. They are generally irregular, either in the Degree or in the Object; are either mifgoverned or misplaced; and, when moft orderly managed, the higheft Character they can pretend to is only to be Inftruments and Servants to Virtue But now this Affection of Pity and Compaffion rifes higher than Indifferency: It is of itself a virtuous Difpofition, needs only actual Exertion to make it a direct Virtue, and then its own Excellency will place it among the higheft Orders. For this Reason, I fuppofe it is, that God himself declares, I will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice, i. e. Mercy rather than Sacrifice; for, when Matters fall out fo that we cannot conveniently attend both, he had rather that we should teftify our Love to him by Acts of Kindness, done for his Sake to our Brethren, whofe Neceffities call for immediate Help, than that we fhould neglect these, and emN 2 ploy

ploy ourselves in the most folemn Acts of Worship, which intirely terminate in him, who neither needs them, nor can receive any Advantage by them: And for this Reason, not improbably, it is, that, of all the Affections implanted in Man's Mind, our Bleffed Saviour thought proper to select and adopt this only in the facred Number of his few Beatitudes; Bleffed are the Merciful; for they fhall obtain Mercy. Which leads us,

II. To the Motives and Inducements of our practifing this Duty. And to this Purpose let it be confidered, that, though Mercy, as well as other Virtues, may be fometimes abused and ill-treated, yet, generally speaking, nothing more naturally recommends us to the Compaffion of others than being of a merciful and benign Temper ourselves. And for this Reafon it is that the wife Man advifes, Give to feven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what Evil fhall be upon the Earth: As if he had faid, "Be careful, whilft thou art in Profperity, to lay "an Obligation on as many as thou canft, by "Works of Mercy and Bounty; for thou know"eft not how the World may change: Riches may "make themselves Wings and fly away; and it is not "in the Power of all thy Art and Skill to ftop "them in their Flight, or bring them down to "thy Lure, when they are once upon the Wing. "A raging Fire, a violent Storm, unfeasonable "Weather, undutiful Children, the Falfeness of "Friends, or the Malice of Enemies, may con"fume an Estate in a fhort Time, which thou hast "a long While been gathering: And therefore, "if, whilst thou hast it, thou art kind and merci"ful, thy Kindness to others (fhouldeft thou chance "to be deprived of it) will be remembered to thy "Advantage, and engage them to give into thy Cup, as our Saviour expreffes it, good Meafure, prefed down, faken together, and running over."

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