ducing the nobleft Effects: To behave our felves worthy our Character, as becomes Reafonable Creatures, and enlightned Chriftians: Characters utterly defaced, in thofe that make any fort of Wickedness their Business; Greatly Difparaged, by Them, who ftoop fo low, as to lay themselves out upon mean and little Defigns: Never anfwered, except by fuch Callings, and fuch Industry about them, as may tend to our own Benefit and Salvation: Nor then neither, except our Management, and the Matters in which it is employed, do in fuch manner confult our Own, as, at the fame time, and together with it, to advance the Publick, Good.

Thus much is apparently included in this Allufion of a Body: Whofe every Limb and Veffel, though ready to discharge the Office peculiar to it, yet not one of them does it with any feparate view of Delight or Intereft of its own. The Eye does not fee, nor the Ear hear, nor the Stomach receive and digest Food, nor the Hands act, nor the Feet travel, for themfelves: But Each confents to minifter to the Other's occafions, and all confpire together, to preferve and promote the Welfare and Comfort of the Whole. And this, I think, fufficiently intimates, not only what unwearied diligence is required in filling our own Poft, and performing our own Part; But, that no Man is at liberty to chufe Such a Poft or Part, for the employment of his Life, from whence it is likely any Evil may, from whence it is not probable indeed that a great deal of Good will, come. private Profit of our own is fingly a lawful Inducement for fuch a Choice. To juftifie us in this matter, it is neceffary, that the Methods we live by be blamelefs, and fair, and honeft. Such as we need never be afhamed to own, and diftinguish our felves by; Such as, in the natural Courfe and tendency of things, may contribute to the increase of our own Virtue, the Glory

No

Glory of God, and the Advantage of our Brethren. For he that in these things ferveth Chrift, He only is acceptable to God, and approved of Men.

Ver. 9, 10.

3. The Third Particular taken notice of, as recommended here, and grounded upon the Similitude of a Body, is Mutual Love and Respect. Let Love be without diffimulation. Be kindly affectioned one toward another in brotherly love. And again; In honour preferring one another; Be of the fame mind one towards another; Mind not high things, but condescend to eftate.

Ver. 16.

men of low

In the former of Thefe, our Love, the Apostle requires Two Qualifications, The Sincerity, and the Fervency of it. of it. Both plainly refulting from the Confideration of our Neighbours making up one Whole, and being integral parts with our felves. Every Man naturally bears fuch a regard to every part of his own Body, as admits no Hypocrifie, or falfe appearance of the Affection he really hath not. And this diftinguishes true Christian Charity, from all those formal Pretences, and affected Civilities, from all those interested and defigning, thofe counterfeit and treacherous Profeffions of Kindness, which the Friendships of this World fo generally confift of; when in truth there is little or nothing but Self, at the bottom all the while. It is not therefore in this cafe enough, that we ferve and do acts of Friendship to Others, unless we do them for Their fakes, that receive them. Nay, it is not enough, that we love them with a common and general fort of affection, though this be undiffembled; unless this be done with that warmth and fervour, which Nature inspires for those Relations, that are very near and dear to us. For fuch is every Christian, a Child of the fame Father, a Member of the fame Body.

I Cor. xii. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25.

The Latter, that of Refpect, is oppofite to the contemptuous Coldnefs, and difdainful Treatment, which the Opinion of our own Advantages, and the Defects of our Brethren, are fo frequently the cause of, towards the Perfons, who, upon these accounts, feem fo far our Inferiors, as not to be worthy our regard. And this the Apostle, much to the fame effect indeed as here, but in Terms more expressive of the Comparison I am now upon, hath urged in his Epistle to the Corinthians. The Eye cannot fay to the Hand, I have no need of Thee; nor again the Head to the Feet, I have no need of You. Nay, much more thofe Members of the Body which feem to be feeble, are neceffary. And thofe Members of the Body, which we think to be less honourable, upon thefe we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need; but God hath tempered the Body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That there fhould be no Shcifm in the Body, but that the Members fhould have the fame care one for another.

This Care of God and Nature, to fet every Part above our Scorn, is here propounded, as a Pattern to model our Behaviour upon, and a reafon fufficient, why no Man fhould be defpifed. The fhort of it is, That, what thofe we think moft defpicable, want in One way, is made up to them in Another; and, where the Gracefulness falls fhort, there the Convenience and Usefulness excels. Thus the most neceffary Operations of Life are performed, partly by Veffels hid from common view; partly by fuch, as when feen, make no beautiful figure; partly by fome, which general Custom, and natural Modefty, labour to conceal. Juft thus the meaneft of Mankind are of most general, moft indifpenfable Ufe. The Leifure of the Learned, the Luxury of the Rich, the glittering

Pomps

Pomps of the Great, What would become of them all, if the Illiterate, the Poor, the loweft in degree and common account, fhould stop their Hands? If the Plough, and the Mill, and the Wheel, and the Manufacture stood ftill; If the laborious Pains of them, who seem cut out for nothing above that constant Drudgery, fhould ceafe, nay fhould but intermit for a very fmall Seafon? Is not that Pride then most unreasonable, that vilifies and tramples upon those Faces, to the Sweat of which its Support, its very Subfiftence, is owing? that minifter to our Plenty, and put the very Bread into our Mouths? 'Tis most extravagant upon a Civil Confideration; 'Tis much more fo, upon a Religious and Spiritual one. For, in this regard too, we have reafon to think it a mercy, that the Poor we have always with us. That Their Wants make room for Our Charity, and provide us bags that wax not old, a treasure Luke xii. 33. in Heaven that faileth not, a safe Repofi

Phil. ii. 8.

tory, where no Thief approacheth, neither Moth corrupteth. That their mean Birth and Figure in the World give occafion to that Humility, which hath the promife of a higher Elevation, and conforms us to the Image of our Head, who, for Our much more despicable fakes, humbled and even emptied himself. But, which is more, This feemingly Vile Wretch is one Body with thy felf, as nearly related to Christ, as closely compacted into Him; and, if in that lowest capacity he executes his Office, he may one day be the Object of thy Envy, whom now, negle&ting Thine, thou thinkeft fo far beneath thy Value, as not to hold him worth thy Pity.

This is directly the Cafe, as reprefented by St. Paul. Let us next fee the Behaviour of the Body Natural, and from thence we may learn, what at least fhould be the Refentments, and Behaviour, of the Body Mystical. Now he obferves, that here we are follicitous

D 4.

to

to provide what additional Ornaments we can, and to make amends for the Defects of Nature, by the Supplies of Art. A Care, that Nature feems to have inspired, as a Token of Gratitude, for the Service those Parts do us; A neceffary decency, in covering and defending what ought not to be expofed, and yet can leaft be difpenfed with. And all agree in efteeming the neglect of this Decency and Care, a Symptom of a profligate and abandon'd Mind. Ought We not then, in the Body of Chrift, that Head which affigns our refpective Stations and Fortunes; ought we not, to treat thofe, whom a few Circumftantials have placed a little, but a little, below us, with all poffible Humanity and Refpect? Can it become us to infult their Infirmities of Mind or Body, to make their Meannefs of Birth, or Parts, or Profeffion, matter of Jeft and barbarous Triumph? No, we should learn, from that Care, that Coft, that Pain we are fo often content with, to hide any bodily Deformity, how much we fhould make it our business to cherish, to affift their Weakness, to fhield many of their Follies and Faults from Shame and Reproach. We should esteem the Affiftances given to them a Debt; and our felves obliged, by all manner of courteous Deportment and kind Condefcenfions, to repair and fupply those Comforts and Honours They want; and which, did not They want, We could not enjoy. Thus we fhould balance one Convenience with another; and labour fo far to bring all to a level, that not any Chriftian may have reason to think himself neglected or defpifed; but all be treated, as becomes Men, who are all needful and helpful, all too needing help; all ferviceable, though not in the fame kind, and ali fenfible that they are, and ought to be, fo. This, rightly weighed, would produce that Honour, that civil Preference, that one Mind, that fame Care, presfed by the Apoftle. For, where our Occafions and

our