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the greater fin, because this virtue is the firmeft bond of human fociety, upon the obfervation whereof, the peace and happiness of mankind does fo much de pend.

2. Mercy, which does not only fignify the inward affection of pity and compaffion towards thofe that are in mifery and neceffity, but the effects of it, in the actual relief of thofe whofe condition calls for our charitable help and affiftance; by feeding the hungry, and cloathing the naked, and vifiting the fick, and vindicating the oppreffed, and comforting the afflicted, and miniftring ease and relief to them if it be in our power. And this is a very lovely virtue, and argues more goodness in men than mere juftice doth. For juftice is a strict debt; but mercy is favour and kindness. And this perhaps may be the reafon of the different expreffions in the text, that when God barely commands us to do justly, he requires we fhould love mercy, that is, take a particu lar pleasure and delight in the exercise of this virtue, which is fo proper and agreeable to mankind, that we commonly call it humanity, giving it its name from our very nature. In fhort, it is fo excellent a virtue, that I fhould be very forry that any religion fhould be able to pretend to the practice of it more than our

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3. Piety to walk humbly with thy God. To walk humbly in the fear of the Lord; fo the Chaldee! paraphrafe renders thefe words. And this phrafe may comprehend all thofe acts of religion which refer immediately to God; a firm belief of his being and perfections; an awful fenfe of him, as the dread Sovereign and righteous Judge of the world; a due regard to his fervice, and a reverent behaviour of ourfelves towards him in all acts of worship and religi on, in opposition to atheism and a profane neglect and contempt of God and religion; a new and monftrous kind of impiety! which of late years hath broke in upon us, and got head among us, not only contrary to the example of former ages, but in defpite of the very genius and temper of the nation, which is naturally deyout and zealous in religion.

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Or elfe this phrafe of walking humbly with God, may refer more particularly to the pofture and condition of the people of Ifrael at that time, who were fallen under the heavy difpleafure of God for their fins. And then the duty required is, that being fenfible how highly God hath been offended by us, by the general corruption and vitioufnefs of the age, which like a leprofy hath fpread itself almoft over the whole body of the nation, and by that open lewd nefs and thofe infolent impieties which are daily committed amongst us; I fay, that being deeply fenfible of this, we do with all humility acknowledge our fins to God, and repent of them, and implore his mercy and forgivenefs, and refolve by his grace to turn every one from the evil of our ways, and from the wickedness that is in our hands; which God grant we may every one do this day, according to the pious defign and intention of it. And if we be fincere in this refolution, who can tell but God will turn and repent, and turn away his anger from us, that we perish not? Nay, we have great reafon to believe, that he will be pacified towards us. So he hath declared, Ifa. i. 16. Wash ye, make ye clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; seafe to do evil, learn to do well; feek judgment, relieve the oppreffed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now and let us reafon together, faith the Lord; though your fins be as fearlet, they shall be as white as fnow; though they be red, like crimson, they shall be as wool. But if we continue unreformed God will fay to us, as he does there to the people of Ifrael, To what purpose is the multitude of your facrifices unto me? Your calling of affemblies I cannot away with, it is iniquity, even the folemn meeting; and when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you, and when ye make many prayers, I will not hear. To which, let me add that excellent faying of the fon of Syrach to this purpofe, Ecclus. xxxiv. 25, 26. He that washeth himself after the touching of a dead body, if he touch it again, what availeth his washing? So is it with a man that fast

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eth for his fins, and goeth again and doth the fame things. Who will hear his prayer, or what doth his bumbling profit him?

II. Let us confider by what ways and means God hath made known thefe duties to us, and the goodnefs and obligation of them, He hath fhewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee? I fhall mention five ways whereby God hath difcovered this to us:

1. By a kind of natural instinct.

2. By natural reafon.

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3. By the general vote and confent of mankind. 4. By external revelation.

5. By the inward dictates and motions of God's Spirit upon the minds of men.

Firft, By a kind of natural inftinet, by which I mean a fecret impreffion upon the minds of men, whereby they are naturally carried to approve fome things as good and fit, and to diflike other things, as having a native evil and deformity in them. And this I call a natural instinct, becaufe it does not feem to proceed fo much from the exercise of our reason, as from a natural propenfion and inclination, like thofe instincts, which are in brute creatures, of natural affection and care toward their young ones. And that these inclinations are precedent to all reafon and difcourfe about them, evidently appears by this, that they do put forth themfelves every whit as vigorouf ly in young perfons, as in thofe of riper, reafon; in the rude and ignorant fort of people, as in those who are more polished and refined. For we fee plainly that the young and ignorant have as ftrong imprefli ons of piety and devotion, as true a fenfe of grati tude, and juftice and pity, as the wiser and more knowing part of mankind. A plain indication, that the reafon of mankind is prevented by a kind of natu ral instinct and anticipation, concerning the good or evil, the comeliness or deformity of thefe things. And though this do not equally extend to all the inftances of our duty, yet as to the great lines and ef fential parts of it, mankind hardly need to confult a ny other oracle, than the mere propenfions and in

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clinations of their nature; as whether we ought to reverence the divine nature, to be grateful to thofe who have conferred benefits upon us, to fpeak the truth, to be faithful to our promife, to restore that which is committed to us in truft, to pity and relieve those that are in mifery, and in all things to do to others as we would have them to do to us. And this will further appear, if we confider these two things:

1. That men are naturally innocent or guilty to themselves, according to what they do in these things. So the Apoftle tells us, Rom. ii. 14, 15. When the Gentiles which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law, are a law unto themselves, and do fhew the effect of the law written in their hearts, their confciences alfo bearing witness, and their thoughts by turns (that is, according as they do well or ill) accufing or excufing them. There is a fecret comfort in innocence, and a strange pleasure and fatisfaction in being acquitted by our own minds for what we do. But, on the contrary, when we contradict those natural dictates, what uneafinefs do we find in our own breasts ? Nay, even before the fact is committed, our confcience is ftrangely difquieted at the thoughts of it. When a man does but defign to do a bad thing, he is as guilty to himself, as if he had committed it.. Of this we have a confiderable inftance, in the first violence that was offered to nature, Gen. iv. 6. The Lord faid unto Cain, why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? The very thought of that wickedness which he did but then defign, did diforder his mind, and make a change in his very countenance. Guilt is the natural concomitant of heinous crimes, which fo foon as ever a man commits, his fpirit receives a fecret wound, which causeth a great deal of fmart and anguish. For guilt is reftlefs, and puts the mind of man into an unnatural working and fermentation, never to be fettled again but by repentance. The wicked are like the troubled fea when it cannot reft; which plainly fhews that the mind of man hath a kind of natural fenfe of good and evil; because whenever we offend against nature, our confciences VOL. V.

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are touched to the quick, and we receive a fting into our foul, which fhoots and pains us, whenever we reflect on what we have done. I appeal to that witnefs which every man carries in his breast, whether this be not true.

2. Men are naturally full of hopes and fears, according as they follow or go against thefe natural dictates. A good confcience is apt to fill men with confidence and good hopes. It does not only give eafe, but fecurity to the mind of man, against the dread of invifible powers, and the fearful apprehenfions of a future judgment. Whereas guilt fills men with difmal apprehenfions of danger, and continual mifgivings concerning their own fafety. Thus it was with Cain after he had flain his brother; It fhall come to pass that every one that findeth me shall flay me. Nay, when a man hath done a fecret fault, which none can accufe him of, yet then is he haunted with the terrors of his own mind, and cannot be fecure in his own apprehenfions; which plainly fhews that men are confcious to themselves, when they do well, and when they do amifs; and that the fame natural instinct which prompts men to their duty, fills them with good hopes when they have done it, and with fecret fears and apprehenfions of danger when they have done contrary to it.

Secondly, God fhews men what is good, by natural reason; and that two ways; by the convenience of things to our nature; and by their tendency to our happiness and intereft.

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Firft, Reafon fhews us the convenience of things to our nature; and whatever is agreeable to the primitive defign and intention of nature, that we call good; whatever is contrary thereto, we call evil. For example, to honour and love God. It is natural to honour great power and perfection, and to love goodness wherever it is. So likewife gratitude is natural, to acknowledge benefits received, and to be ready to requite them; and the contrary is monftrous, and univerfally abhorred: and there is no greater fign that any thing is contrary to nature, than if it be detefted by the whole kind. It is agreeable alfo

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