against Mankind, must be moft tenderly and compaffionately affected towards them, and "ready to help and relieve them in all their Di ftreffes, Wants, and Neceffities; and in fo do❝ing, ye shall find Mercy both at the Hands of "God and Man." From the Words thus explained, there are these two Things will come properly under our Confideration. I. The Virtue of Mercifulness here recommended; Blessed are the Merciful. II. The Promise annexed; For they shall obtain Mercy. As to the First, the Virtue of Mercifulness, it is a Duty of very large Dimensions, as taking in all the Compaffion and Kindness we can fhew to our Neighbour in Diftrefs; and those Distresses being infinitely various and numerous, make this Duty to be of a vaft Compafs and Extent. It differs from the foregoing Virtue of Justice, in that it is converfant about fuch Duties as our Neighbour has no ftrict Right to, such as he may indeed pray for and defire, but can't exact or require, by any Laws of God or Man, as peculiarly his Due. I fay as peculiarly his Due, for they are no otherwife due to him, than to all other Men in Mifery and Diftrefs; it is true, we are anfwerable to God for this Duty of Mercifulness, but, for the Duties of ftrict Justice, we are not only answerable to God, but likewise to Man. In describing this Duty of Mercifulness, I shall firft confider the Objects of it; then the Acts, and, VOL. I. laftly, laftly, the Manner in which they are to be performed. I. As to the Objects of Mercy, in general they are our Neighbours, confidered in their miserable Circumftances. In which Refpect we may confider them chiefly in these fix or feven Capacities. 1. Our Neighbour erring. 2. Our Neighbour offending. 5. Our Neighbour in Pain, or Sickness. 6. Our Neighbour under Crazedness, Madness, or Melancholy. 7. Our Neighbour unfortunate by the Loss of good Friends, or Untowardliness of bad Relations. In all which Refpects he is an Object of Mercy; and not only an Object of Mercy when actually involved in any of these unhappy Circumstances, that by that means we may help to extricate him out of them; but likewife when he is in Danger of falling into them; that fo his Danger and Mifery may be prevented. (1.) Our Neighbour erring is a great Object of our Mercy and Compaffion, efpecially if the Errors are fuch as are apt to be attended with dangerous Confequences, either as to his Soul, or Body, or Reputation, or Eftate: And therefore if we can, either by timely Precaution, and Providence, guard our Neighbour against such Company, and Books, as would infect him with vicious Principles, tending to the Corruption of his Mind and Manners, or against fuch Courfes as may prove deftructive of his Health or Eftate, or pernicious to his Reputation: All these are great Exercifes of 195 of Mercy and Compaffion toward him. Or if after he is unhappily involved we can contribute towards the extricating him out of them, the Mercy is still so much the greater, as he was in the greater Danger of being enfnared and damnified thereby. Jam. v. 19, 20. Brethren, if any of you do err from the Truth, and one convert him; let him know that he which converteth the Sinner from the Error of his Way, fhall fave a Soul from Death, and fhall bide a Multitude of Sins. (2.) Our Neighbour offending is a great Object of our Mercy and Compaffion; it is true, in fome Senfe he is rather the Object of our Refentment and Indignation, as bringing a Scandal on his Profeffion, and Difgrace to his Kindred, Teachers, and Affociates in Life or Religion; yet if we view him in another Afpect, I mean as he is enslaved to vicious Habits, and as those Habits commonly grow up into a fecond Nature, and are extreme difficult to shake off, and consequently as the offending Perfon is in the greatest Danger of final Perdition, if in fo dangerous Circumstances he should be abandoned of his fpiritual Phyficians; we shall foon be convinced that a Man ftarving for want of Bread, or languishing under a mortal Distemper, is not a greater Object of Compaffion. For tho' these Calamities are more visible to the Senfes, and confequently more apt to move to Commiferation, yet the Danger of temporal Death, which is the Effect of the one, is not near fo formidable as that of eternal Mifery, which is the Confequence of the other. This I fpeak with relation to Offences against God; but there is another Senfe in which our offending Neighbour is an Object of Mercy, and O 2 that that is as he has injured ourselves, and is the per Object of our Pardon. pro (3.) Another great Object of Mercy is our Neighbour under Perfecution. The Spirit of Perfecution is of all Things the most oppofite to this merciful Temper here recommended, and the moft oppofite indeed to the Spirit of Chriftianity in general. And if our Saviour told his Difciples (a), when they were for praying for Fire from Heaven to confume the Samaritans, that they knew not what manner of Spirit they were of; how much more may we fay fo of them who of their own Accord kindle the Fires of Perfecution upon Earth, without waiting the Decifion of Heaven? And therefore our Neighbour under Perfecution is a great Object of Mercy, that we may contrive to extricate him out of it, or if he is but in Danger of it, that we may contrive to obviate and pre vent it. (4.) Our Neighbour in Want is a great Object of Mercy, efpecially if he wants not only the Comforts and defirable Conveniencies, but even the Neceffaries of Life; and the more there is of bis Misfortune, and the lefs of his Fault in thefe Things, he is ftill the greater Object of Mercy and Compaffion. Many fuch Objects the World abounds in, God fo contriving it to exercise the Patience of fome, and the Charity of others. (5.) Our Neighbour in Pain or Sickness is a great Object of Mercy, and calls for our Compaffion in vifiting him, and comforting him under, or helping him out of his Affliction. (6.) Our Neighbour alfo crazed in his Underftanding, mad, or melancholy, or that has his Thoughts (4) Luke ix. 55. Thoughts all carried towards one Whim or Fancy, being utterly ignorant or infenfible of other Things, is a great Object of Mercy and Compaffion. It is really a lamentable Sight to fee the miferable Effects of a difordered Brain, or Vapours, or Melancholy; what Difcontent, Foolishness, or Uneafiness, they cause to the Person himself; and what Trouble and Danger to all about him. (7.) There are feveral other Calamities incident to human Nature, not reducible under any of these Heads; fuch as Lofs of Friends, Alienation of Affection in Husband or Wife, Misfortunes of Children or near Relations, Banifpment, Captivity, Servitude; the being unhappily yoked with Perfons of atheistical Principles, loofe Lives, imperious, jealous, paffionate, or difcontented Tempers, and many other Miseries of Life; for it would be endlefs, and impoffible, indeed, to enumerate all. But these are enough; for from a Mixture and Compofition of those bitter Ingredients, there is an infinite Number of particular Cafes do arife, which render Men Objects of Mercy and Compaffion. II. But next to the Objects, let us now confider the Acts of Mercy, that fo we may the better understand wherein this Virtue of Mercifulness doth confift. Of these fomething may be proper to be confidered in general, and fomething relating to the particular Objects of Mercy, about which they are converfant. As to the Acts of Mercy in general, they are chiefly these. I. A Confideration of the miferable Circumftances of others. For there is a fort of Men in the World who mind no Body but themselves, nor are in the least affected with the miferable 03 Circum |