and firucture of his body, and all the qualities and paffions of his mind; he was purpofely made too ignorant to know, and too indigent to fupply his own neceflities; and is driven in fpite of himself to ask the aid and affiftance of his fellow creatures.

There is scarce a pleasure, or fatisfaction in life, which the higheft and moft exalted amongst us does not often ftand in need of; nor any ftate fo low or contemptible, but has its comforts to enjoy, and fome benefits or advantages to beftow on others.

Men, indeed, at firft lived in a wild and confufed ftate of barbarous freedom and independency, without laws to reftrain, or rulers to govern them; but experience foon taught them that order and harmony were neceffary to guard, and fubordination to preferve their lives and liberties. Mutual complaints therefore were foon made, and mutual fubjection complied with, till by degrees they had learned to fhelter themfelves from tyranny and oppreffion, under falutary laws and wholefome reftrictions, and to ftrengthen that by union which nature had left weak and defenceless. As ftates rofe, and kingdoms were established, the clouds of ignorance began to diffipate, arts and fciences grew up and flourished, and have from time to time been ftrengthened and improved.

In the fubfequent difcourfe therefore, calculated to raife in you a defire of unity, of charity, and brotherly love, that ye may be kindly affectioned one to another, I propofe to lay

before

before you the advantages of union, as it may affect us in the various circumftances and connections of human life, whether we confider ourselves,

Firft, As Members of Society.

Secondly, As Friends and Relations.

Or, thirdly and laftly, As Chriftians.

And first, therefore, I fhall confider it in regard to that influence which it should maintain over us, as members of that community to which we belong.

If we look back on the history of past times, and take a review of the rife, growth, and declenfion of thofe great ftates and empires which once fhone fo illuftrioufly, and are now buried in ruins, it will be worth our obferva tion to remark, that as they rofe by piety and virtue to power and fplendour, they funk again into oblivion by vice and folly. While Greece and Rome continued; while every private man's ambition was centered in the public welfare, their lands were bleft with plenty, and their battles crowned with conqueft. While they were unanimous, they were fuccefsful, and while they were virtuous they were free. But no fooner had profperity debauched, and luxury and intemperance enervated them, than they were quickly corrupted by floth and avarice, and foon after enflaved and fubdued by civil broils and diffentions.

How often, and how grievously our own nation hath fuffered from domeftic feuds; in what fcenes of defolation and bloodfhed she hath been many times involved by religious

Ee

and

and civil commotions, and how miraculously the gracious hand of Providence hath delivered us from the enemy and avenger; I need not, I believe, call to your remembrance.

To thofe difcords and divifions, which but a few years fince disturbed the fince difturbed the peace and tranquillity of this nation, we were in a great measure indebted for the poor and contemptible figure we fome time made, and for that almost univerfal depravity and corruption which had well nigh overwhelmed us; whilft, on the other hand, to our prefent harmony, agreement and unanimity, we may reasonably attribute no inconfiderable fhare of our late fucceffes and of our prefent happiness; therefore it may be of fervice to us to recollect, that whenever diftrefs and calamity attacked us, it was not fo much our ftrength and numbers, as our Unity which faved us.

As fubjects, therefore, it is apparent our public peace and happiness muft depend on public unity; and as it happens in ftates and kingdoms, fo will it ever do in private focieties in thofe which have been eftablished in almost every country, for the carrying on, and improvement of trade and commerce, and the mutual intereft of the members of them; or fuch as are meant only to relax the mind in the cheerful amufements of friendship and converfation; and in regard to both, it is an indifputable and an invariable truth, that the profit and the pleasure will always rife, or decay, in proportion to that union and harmony from whence they originally fprung, and on which alone they totally depend.

Men,

Men, confidered as focial creatures, derive their happiness from each other; and yet fuch is our pride, that it is with the utmoft difficulty we are perfuaded to rely on others for that which we would fain draw from ourselves only we would all gladly be what in this world we were never defigned to be, all-fufficient, independent beings; and though it is a felf-evident truth, and which one would think were obvious to every capacity, that all private fafety, and the property of every individual, is founded on the welfare of the public; yet fo blind is felf-love, that with the bulk of mankind we fee recourse must be had to law and authority; they look on every endeavour to ferve them, as fo many acts of violence and oppreffion, and will not be easy, safe, or happy, unless compelled to it.

So neceffary is mutual good-humour and complacency in converfation, and the common affairs of life, that men, confcious how feldom real good-nature is to be met with, have fubftituted good-breeding in its room, which does indeed in fome meafure anfwer the end propofed, by checking that petulancy, which would otherwife disturb the peace of fociety; but after all, it is but a falfe jewel, which yields a faint momentary luftre: the true one will coft us but a very little more, which is of infinitely greater value, and fo much longer duration. How much better then is the fubftance than the fhadow! If it is amiable but to appear pleafed and happy in each other, how much better is it to be really fo! E e 2

But

But it is not being in the fame place, faying or doing the fame things which will make us of the fame mind one towards another; this is by no means the union recommended by the holy pfalmift, the bond which he would unite us in, the bond of charity. The harmony which he would teach us, is the harmony of the mind. The union which he so warmly enforces, is the union of the heart; where that is wanting, the profeffions of the tongue are but as founding brafs, and as the tinkling cymbals.

But if a fincere and undiffembled union of fentiments, if mutual complacency and good humour are fo abfolutely neceffary in our public commerce with mankind, how much more fo muft they be, in our private and more interefting concerns, which will appear ftill more evident, when we come to confider ourfelves. Secondly, As relations and friends, where union becomes abfolutely neceffary to our joy and happiness, and where the want of it is attended with fuch fatal confequences.

God hath implanted in every breaft the principles of love and benevolence, but left that principle fhould, like a drop of rain falling into the ocean, lofe itself in a multiplicity of objects; he hath graciously thought fit to direct it, as it were, into proper channels; to confine it by infeparable connections, by the tics of kindred and the bond of natural affection. From this fountain flow all thofe domefic fweets which alleviate the cares and enhance the bloffings of life. Those focial du