SEAM. II./ INWARD WITNESS TO CiiRISTIAAÑIT. `ZI and leaves not himself without witness of his divinity, by filling the hearts of men with food And gladness ; sed Mat. v. 45. Actsxiv. 17. He shews his love to ene- mies and rebels, in forgiving millions of offences, and . pardoning crimes of the largest size and deepest_aggra- vations, and he loves his saints with peculiar tender- ness. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who also is the true God and eternal life, came down from heaven to exemplify his divine love. It was his lóve to mankind that per- suaded him to put on flesh and blood, and prevailed with him to suffer pains, agonies, and death, that his enemies might obtain salvation and life. O glorious ex= ample of love ! Now this is in some measure wrought into the make of every true christian, and imitated iri the practice of every true believer: He is obliged, bÿ one of the chief rules of his religion, to love his neigh- bour as himself; that is, to do that to others, which he thinksjust and reasonable that they should do to him Mat. xxii. 39. Luke vi. 31. He is bound to forgive freely those that offend him, as he hopes for forgiveness of his offences against God, Mat. vi. 14, 15. He re- joices in the welfare of his fellow- creatures, without re- pining: He loves his enemies, does good to them that hate him, blesses those that curse him, and prays for hi4 persecutors and spiteful foes; Luke vi. 27. He pities all that are miserable, but takes a peculiar delight in his fellow christians; (the christians must be known by this, that they love one another). He does good toall, but especially to the houshold offaith ; Gal. vi. 10. Other religions know nothing of so generous and dif- fusive a love ; the men óf heathenism were hateful, and hating one another, and spent their life in malice and envy ; Tit. iii. 3. They did not so much as aspire to so divine a virtue as the love of enemies ; this is the noble singularity of our gospel. The heathen professions en- couraged revenge, and made it one ingredient of a hero : But envy and malice, wrath and revenge, must be ba- nished from the heart and practice of a christian, to whom the kindness and love of God our Saviour has ap- peared ; these vices must stand aloof from the saint, and thus bear a testimony to the truth and divinity of the doctrine of Christ.
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