duty; nor, contrarywise, are parents to give up the care of their children, though they should turn out untowardly. Obedience to parents extends to all things that are con sistent with the laws of our country, and of God, both which authorities are superior to that of parents.

The duty of parents to their children is briefly to take care that proper provision be made for their bodily interest, by food, clothing, and education; and more especially for that of their minds, by forming them, from the earliest years, to virtue and religion.

The duty of spiritual pastors to their people, is to do whatever is in their power for the good of the souls com. mitted to their charge, by preaching, catechising, counselling, or writing. However improper it may be thought for a layman to enlarge upon this relative duty, it cannot be improper to refer to one, from whom directions on this head will come with unexceptionable authority; I mean the apostle Paul in his Epistles to Timothy. The duty of people to their pastors, is to show them a great deal more reverence and gratitude than is commonly done in England.

The duty of instructors of youth is briefly to fill the place of parents in forming those consigned to their care by the parents, to usefulness in life, and happiness hereafter. The duty of young persons to their governors and teachers is obedience, and diligence in endeavouring to improve themselves while under their care; and gratitude and love to those, by whose faithful diligence they had the opportunity of becoming wise and good men. the duty of gratitude to parents and teachers on this account will be binding upon those who have been the objects of their care, not only for life, but to eternity.

And

The duty of masters to servants, is to pay them accord. ing to engagement; to treat them as fellow-creatures, though in an inferior station; and to take care, that they have opportunities of knowing their duty and means of happiness. That of servants to masters is faithfulness, diligence, and obedience in all lawful cases.

The duty of husbands to wives, is the tenderest love, and warmest desire of their happiness in life, and to eternity. That of wives to husbands, besides reciprocal love, takes in obedience in all lawful things. This arises from

the consideration of the priority of creation, and superior dignity of the male sex, to which Nature has given the greater strength of mind and body, and therefore fitted them for authority. But as, on one hand, it is not the part

of a good wife to contest the authority of her husband; so neither is it of a good husband to stand up for the privilege of his sex, while he shows little of the tenderness which is due to the weaker. This is, in short, a string never to be touched; for it always introduces discord, and interrupts the matrimonial harmony.

Love is the fulfilling of the whole duty mutually owing by collateral relations, as brothers, sisters, and the like. And such persons may easily know whether they do their duty to one another, by considering how people behave to those they really love. ́

In friendship, of which I have treated in the first book, the duties are mutual love, fidelity, secrecy, and a desire of promoting one another's happiness both spiritual and temporal. Virtue is the only foundation of friendship. The commerce of the wicked is rather to be called a combination or conspiracy against mankind, than friendship.

The duty of the rich to the poor, is feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and in general sup plying the wants of the necessitous. Those to whom the Divine Providence has been distinguishingly bountiful, are to consider themselves as stewards of the good gifts of heaven, which they are not to lavish away upon their own extravagant lusts, but to distribute to their distressed brethren. Nor ought they to think of this as an act of generosity, or almost of supererogation, as many seem, by their ostentatious way of giving charity, to do. It is not what they may do, or let alone. It is not to be carried to what length they please, and no farther. They are expected to give all they can give, and then to think they have done only what they ought. Since to do less, if we will take our Saviour's own word for it, is a neglect which will exclude from future bliss. There is indeed great prudence to be used, that a judicious choice of objects may be made, and that the charity given may not prove a prejudice, instead of an advantage. If what is given serves to support in idleness and debauchery, it had much better be withheld, Care is also to be taken, that ong

charity be not given for fashion, ostentation, or any other view, but obedience to God, and benevolence to our fel. low-creatures. In as far as any other consideration has influence, in so far the real excellence of such good works. is lessened in the sight of Him, who searches the heart.

The duty of the poor, is gratitude to their benefactors; and industry, in endeavouring as much as they can to lighten the burden of their own support to those who con. tribute to it,

Propriety and rectitude require, that the learned and wise use their endeavours to instruct and advise the igno. · rant and unthinking. And in general, that every person employ his peculiar talent or advantage for the most ex-tensive usefulness. It is with this view that such remark. able differences are made in the gifts of mind and fortune, which different persons share. These are parts of their respective trials; and they will be judged according to the use they have made of them.

Our duty to benefactors is evidently love and gratitude, Even to enemies we owe, according to the Christian law, of which afterwards, forgiveness and intercession with Heaven for them; which also we are obliged to for all our fellow-creatures.

The rectitude or propriety of these several obligations being self-evident, it would be only wasting time to take the pains to establish it by arguments.

The infinitely wise Governor of the universe has placed us in this state, and engaged us in such a variety of connexions with, and relations to one another, on purpose to habituate us to a sense of duty, and love of obedience and regularity. The more duties we have to do in our present state of discipline, the more occasion we have for watchfulness and diligence, and a due exertion of every noble power of the mind. And the more practice we have of exerting our powers, the stronger they must grow; and the more we practice obedience, the more tractable and obedient we must naturally become; and to be obe dient to the Supreme Governor of the world, is the very perfection of every created nature. Again, the various connexions among mankind, and the different duties resulting from them, naturally tend to work in us a settled and extensive benevolence for our fellow beings, and to

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habituate us to think and act with tenderness, forbearance, and affection toward them. And it is evident that this sublime and godlike disposition cannot be too much cultiva, ted. We can never be in a state, in which it will not be for our advantage, and for the advantage of all the other beings with whom we may be connected, that we be dis. posed to extensive and unbounded benevolence for one another. It is obvious, that a happy society, in which hatred and ill-will should universally prevail, is an incon, ceivable and contradictory idea. Whatever may be the nature of the states we may be hereafter designed for, it is evident we shall be the fitter for them, for having cultiva, ted in our minds an extensive universal love of all other beings. But if we suppose, what seems agreeable to Scripture views, as well as to reason, that those who shall be found worthy of a future life, are to be raised to stations, not of indolence and inactivity, but of extensive usefulness in the creation, such as we suppose to be filled at present by angels, I mean of guardians and governors over beings of lower ranks, during their state of trial and discipline; if this be a reasonable supposition, it is plain, that the sublime virtue of benevolence cannot be carried too far. And this sets forth the Divine Wisdom in placing us in a state in which we have such opportunities of being habituated to a disposition so useful and necessary for all orders of rational beings throughout all periods of their existence.

It will be the reader's wisdom here carefully to examine his conduct, that he may know whether he acts the part of a valuable and useful member of society. If he has wrought into his soul a kind, a generous, and extensive benevolence toward all his fellow-creatures, whether in high or low stations, whether rich or poor, whether foreigners or countrymen, whether of his own religion or any other, learned or unlearned, virtuous or vicious, friends or enemies; if he finds it recommendation enough to his regard or affection that it is a fellow-creature who wants his assistance, a being produced by the same Almighty hand which created himself; if he earnestly wishes, and is at all times ready to promote the good of his fellowcreatures by all means in his power, by his riches, his advice, his interest, his labour, at any time, seasonable or

unseasonable, in a way agreeable to his own particular temper and inclination, or in a manner that may be less suit: able to it; if he finds himself ready with the open arms of forgiveness to receive his enemy, the moment he appears disposed to repentance and reconciliation; if he finds that it would be a pleasure to him to do good to those who have injured him, though his goodness should never be known; if he finds that he is in no part of his private devotions more zealous than when he prays from his heart to Him who searches all hearts, that his enemy may be pardoned, reformed, and made as happy hereafter as himself; if he finds that one disappointment or abuse of his goodness, or ten such discouragements, do not cool his ardour for the good of mankind; that he does not immediately fall out of conceit with a public-spirited design, because of its diffi culties or uncertainty of success, but that he can stand the raillery of those narrow souls, who cannot rise to his pitch of disinterested benevolence; and that, though he goes on resolutely, and without wearying in well-doing, he does not do it from pride or self-sufficiency, but from real well? meant goodness of heart and design; if he does not search' for excuses, but considers himself as obliged to be always endeavouring to gain some kind and beneficial end, without regard to its being more or less directly in his way, or more or less promising of success, if it is the best he can do at the time, and if no one else will do it better, or engage in it all; and that after all he considers himself as an unprofitable servant, as having done still only his indispensable duty; if the reader finds this to be the turn of his mind, he may conclude that he is not far from that perfection of benevolence, which the Divine rectitude and law require, and which is necessary to fit every human mind for being a member of an universal society hereafter. If, on the other hand, he finds, that he is wholly wrapt up in himself; that he thinks with no relish of the happiness of any one else; that his utmost benevolence extends no wider than the circle of his own family, friends, or party; that all he wants is to enrich himself and his relations; that he cannot look with any personal tenderness or con siderations upon a Frenchman or Spaniard, a Jew or a Papist, or even a churchman or dissenter, if he differs from them in profession; if, reader, thou findest this to