SÈRM. xtrv.1 CHRISTIAN MORALITT, VIZ. JIÍSTICE, &C. 401 am bound to love or serve every brother, or every sister, with equal degree of affection and kindness, whatsoever their character be, whether virtuous or vicious : Nor to bestow equal benefits upon them, where there is not equal necessity ; this can never be of a divine appointment. And though there is some duty, some kindness, some assistance always due to those that areour near relatives, yet this very rule of justice obliges us to give more re- spect or love to those that are in themselves more ho- nourable and worthy; and those who merit more at our hands, may reasonably expect it. This will farther ap- pear from the next particular. III. Another instance of justice is, love to those that love us, and gratitude to those that have done us good. Those that have been serviceable to us in the concerns of our souls, or our bodies, demand kindness from us,' and returns of service, according to their benefits, and our capacity. Let us first take notice of the gratitude that is due for spiritual benefits. The christian Galatians, who were converted from idolatry and heathenism, and reconciled to God by the preaching of St. Paul; had such a power- ful and penetrating sense of their obligations to him, that if it were possible, saith the apostle, I bear you record, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and given them to me. Gal. iv. 15. And when the same apostle writes to Philemon, who was converted to the faith by his ministry, he gently insinuates the obligations he was under; though I do not think proper to tell thee; saith he, how thou owest unto me even thine ownself: ver. 19. St Paul speaks upon this principle in many places of his epistles. 1 Cor. ix. 11. Ifwe have sown unto you spiri-' tual things, is it agreat thing we shall reapyour car-' nal things? And when he gives an account of the con- tribution which the christians of Macedonia. and Achaia made for the poor saints at Jerusalem, he expresses him- self thus : It hath pleased them verily to makè this con-. tribution, and their debtors they are. For if`the gentiles have been madepartakers ofTheir spiritual. things; their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things : be cause it was from the Jews that the gospel first came forth, and was preached among the gentiles; Rom. xv . There is some sort of gratitude dueAlso-to `those. who VOL.r. 2n
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