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man affection, and the Divine act of the redemption of men. These actions of human affection, he does not speak of, as certainties, but for the fake of his argument fuppofes them: For though they were true, ftill the act of human redemption exceeds them all vastly in degree of love. They died, if their hiftories be true, for those with whom they held a long intercourfe of good offices, and from whom they received remarkable favours; the Redeemer of man dies for those who were in a state of enmity with God, who all along tranfgreffed his laws, and therein was as highly injurious to him as they could poffibly be. But St. Paul only fupposes these cafes of heroical affection, but does not acknowledge them; and this has given offence to one of the oppofers of Christianity, who expreffeth himself thus. Peradventure, fays the Apostle, for "a good man, one would even dare to die. This "the Apostle judiciously supposes to belong to hu"man nature: Though he is fo far from founding "any precept upon it, that he ufhers his private "opinion, with a very dubious peradventure.

But the oppofer of our religion, whofe writings are well known in the world, is not fatisfied with any thing lefs, than a cenfure of the whole Divine law, both Chriftian and Jewish, because he can not find particular precepts in favour of private and public friendships, fuch as the fables of antiquity give us with extraordinary encomiums. His fentiments it may be proper to give in his own words.

"Private friendship and zeal for the public and "our country, are virtues purely voluntary in a "Chriftian. They are no effential parts of his "charity. He is not tyed to the affairs of this "life: Nor is he obliged to enter into fuch en"gagements with this lower world, as are no help "to him, in acquiring a better. His converfation " is in Heaven. Nor has he occafion for fuch fupernumerary cares or embarrafments here on

earth,

"earth, as may obftruct his way thither, or retard him in the careful task in working out his own “Salvation. If nevertheless any portion of a re

ward be referved hereafter for the generous part "of a patriot, or that of a thorough friend, this is "ftill behind the curtain, and happily concealed from us; that we may be the better deferving of it when it comes. It appears indeed under the "Jewish difpenfation, that each of these virtues "had their illuftrious examples, and were in fome "manner recommended to us, as honourable and "worthy, of our imitation. Even Saul himself, as ill a Prince as he was reprefented, appears, both living and dying; to have been refpected, and praised, for the love he bore his native coun"try, and the love which was fo remarkable between his fon, and his fucceffor, gives a noble "view of a difinterested friendship, at leaft on one "fide. But the heroic virtue of these perfons had "only the common praife attributed to it, and "could not claim a future recompence, under "a religion, which taught us no future ftate, "nor exhibited any rewards or punishments, be"fides fuch as were temporal, and had refpect to the written law.

"And thus the Jews as well as Heathens, were left to their philofophy to be inftructed in the ❝ fublime part of virtue, and induced by reafon, to "that which was never injoined them by command. "No præmium or penalty being inforced in these cafes, the difinterested part fubfifted, the virtue was a free choice, and the magnanimity of the act was left intire. He who would be generous, had the means. He who would frankly ferve "his friend or country, at the expence of his life, "might do it on fair terms. Dulce et decorum eft

was his whole reafon. It was inviting and be"coming. It was good and honeft. And that

"this

"this is still a good reason, and according to common fenfe, I will endeavour to fatisfy you."

This and more has been delivered by an author of too much wit and nobility to be defpifed: And although the defign of ftating the Analogy between the friendship of an uninftrusted Gentile, and an enlightened Chriftian, is not merely to refute this writer, in regard to the fentiments above mention ed; yet it is hoped, when the Analogy fhall be fully confidered, that a fair answer may thereby be given, to every part of his fentiments, which is not confiftent with the true fpirit of Chriftianity. St. Paul argued upon the fuppofition of those private friendships, although there is a probability that he did not believe them to be facts, who as a fcholar, was very capable of judging of the truth of hiftorical facts, without particular infpiration. It has been fhewn already how fairly one may reason from feigned ftories, to the reality of opinions, in a former analogical difcourfe; and fo in this cafe, the opinion of the antients concerning private friendships, may be fairly deduced from the ftories told by them to that purpose, although those stories should be falfe; they might be falfe in fact, and yet be proper inftances of the opinion the inventor meant to propagate. They fhall however be confidered here in both refpects, and first in the most advantageous manner to thofe, who endeavour to raise pagan friendship above Chris tian charity, that is, the facts fhall be first confidered as true; and our reafoning fhall regard them as fuch.

St. Paul, who has been already quoted, is the Christian writer, who gives the largest defcription of Charity; his language is,

Charity fuffereth long and is kind; Charity envieth not; Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up: Doth not behave itself unseemly, feeketh not ber own, is not eafily provoked, thinketh no evil. Re

joiceth

joiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth: Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 1 Cor. 13.

Although a full explication of these words muft come up to the purpose, and include that difpofition of friendship, both private, and public, which shall at least equal the boafted virtue of the antients in this refpect. Yet because it would detain us too long from the application which we ought speedily to come to, left it fhould be thought, that it was difficult to reply to the objectors, our remarks fhall principally reft upon one paffage in St. John.. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. This paffage is remarkable in two respects, both in precept and example. The precept is, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren, The example is, Chrift laid down his life for us. And this is not a new precept, given by the most aged Apostle, at the decline of his life: It was the preaching of them all. For this is the meffage that ye heard from the beginning, that we fhould love one another; and this commandment was alfo given to us by our Saviour. For we should love one another, as he gave us commandment. To lay down our lives for the Brethren, is the fense of his commandment, and his own voluntary death is the example.

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This christian friendship is urged with moft prodigious ftrong language, by the fame Apostle in the fame place. He who has it not, is called a murderer, whosoever bateth his brother, is a murderer : And be that loveth not his brother, is not of God, is not a Chriftian. A ftate of fin being called DEATH, and a state of righteousness, LIFE. We are faid to have passed from Death unto Life, becaufe we love the brethren, that is, a charitable difposition in a sense of dying for the brethren, is a 21. Ep. 3. c.

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fured

fure mark of being true difciples of Chrift: For by loving the brethren, the Apostle can not be fupposed to mean lefs, than dying for them, as well as doing all other acts of compaffion, fince in the neighbourhood of it, and with a clofer connection, he fays, we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren.

The Apostle having thus urged the greatest act of charity, that of the obligation to die for friends, has very good right, immediately after to urge, the obligation or leffer degrees of Charity. But the defign at this time being only to confider the highest and moft valuable acts of it, our inquiry fhall proceed no further, being contented with a full proof from this one paffage, that the chriftian law does contain a precept for the highest act of friendship; and moreover an extraordinary example of it. And if St. Paul did not give a precept to this purpose, when he argues, upon the fuppofition of the Gentile practice, of giving up their lives in acts of friendship, it was, because his purpose at that time did not require it. He was not exhorting Chriftians to the practice of the highest degree of Charity, but inftructing them, how to rate the Charity of God to man, in the death of the redeemer, and the wonderful advantages redounding to the human species, from that death, particularly to the Gentiles, who having been enemies to God, were made friends, by believing in Chrift; and being made friends had reason to joy in God through Jefus Christ, by whom they had received the atonement.

"The Gentiles could not formerly glory in God "as their God, that was the privilege of the Jews, "who alone of all the nations owned him, for their

King, and God; and were his people in covenant "with him. All the rest of the kingdoms of the “earth had taken other lords, and given them"felves up to false Gods, to ferve and to worship "them,and fo were in a state of war with the true

God, the God of Ifrael. But being reconciled

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