First, That common Humanity obliges us to do all the Good we poffibly can to our Brethren by Nature, (d) to those who are made after the fame Image of God with our felves; who have the fame original Perfections, and Imperfections too; and whofe Wants we cannot but know, and even feel in fome Measure, by a Consciousness of the fame in our felves, and a Senfe of Uneafiness under them, till we have happily found a Relief and Supply for them. The universal Likeness of all Men to one another in the Effentials of a common Nature, speaks loudly for a fympathizing Regard to the moft diftant Partakers of it, when it is in our Power to fhew it. This makes every Man a Citizen of the World, and not of one particular Place only; and it founds a near and clofe Relation between those Inhabitants of the Earth,

who

(d) Quæ eft igitur melior in hominum genere natura, quam eorum qui fe natos ad homines juvandos, tutandos, confervandos, arbitrantur? Tullii Tufcul. Quæft. Lib. 1. Cap. 14.

II.

who are the most remote from one another. Col. iii. In this refpect also there is neither Jew nor Gentile, Barbarian, Scythian, Bond nor Free, but every Man is a Brother, and fhould be a Friend to every Man, as they are all derived from the fame common Parent, and partake of the fame common Nature. Upon this Account therefore it is highly juft and reasonable that we fhould wifh well to all Mankind, and do them all the Good we poffibly can. That we should conclude, whatever we find a real Bleffing to our felves, will be fo to them too when they have it; and that we cannot, without being void of natural Affection, withhold it from them when it is in our Power to confer it. Nay, it is even in some Measure ftarving our own Bowels when we do fo, and punishing our felves in others, and difowning with intolerable Pride and ill Nature the common Relation of Humanity be tween our felves and the reft of Mankind.

Secondly,

Secondly, The Obligation to act as the general Propofition requires, with refpect to the Communicating to others a Share in those Blessings we enjoy our felves, arifes from hence alfo, that they are, for the most part at leaft, given to us by the Author of all Bleffings, with this View, that we fhould be as willing to confer them upon others, as we are to enjoy them our felves; and (as our bleffed Saviour expreffed it to his Apoftles, with refpect to the Gofpel in particular) to give as freely as we Matt. have received: And this Confideration makes it matter of Duty and Obedience to God, as well as common Humanity, to let others partake of the Bleffings we enjoy our felves. (e) As it is the Nature of most of the Bleffings God bes ftows upon us, that they are communicable to others; fo has he all along declared it to be his Will and Pleasure,. that we fhould communicate thofe that.

are

(e) Partes boni viri exfequere, alium re, alium fide, a'ium gratiâ, alium confilio, alium præceptis falubribus adjuva, Seneca de Beneficiis, Lib. 1. Cap. 2.

are fo; that we fhould not think it enough to enjoy them our felves, tho' with never fo much innocent Freedom, Gratitude, and Thankfulness; but should delight in Spreading the Divine Bounty as far as ever we can, Refreshing the Souls and Bodies of other Men out of the fame Fountain that we water out own, and filling their Hearts too with Joy and Gladneß when our own Corn, or Wine, or Oil increafes upon us. Nay, this is one effential part of that Gratitude we owe to God for any of his Blessings, which does not confift either in a bare not abufing them, or in the Praises of the Lips only, or in an inward Senfe of our own particular Happiness in the Enjoyment of them; but in a Readiness to distribute, in a Gladness to communicate, in a Zeal to make the beneficial Light of them fo strongly to shine upon and warm others, that they alfo feeling the comfortable Virtue and enlivening Heat of them, may be moved, as well as our felves, to glorifie our Father which is in Heaven. This Return then of Thanks

and

and Praise God expects at our Hands when he bestows any of thofe Bleffings upon us which are in themselves communicable to others. And therefore in Obedience to him, as well as out of Compaffion to our Brethren by Nature, we should never grudge them a Share in the Bleffings we enjoy our felves, and the Want of which Bleffings must needs be an Affliction and a Lofs to them, But,

Thirdly, There is a kind of Obliga tion upon us all to act thus, from the Pleasure of the Action its felf, as well as from the Ties of common Humanity, and our Duty to God. If in other Cafes we are often tempted to enter upon Action by the Pleafure that naturally attends it, or at leaft that the Mind proposes to its self, or expects from it; (and it is not always wrong to be moved by this Principle) there is fomething fo highly delightful in communicating Good to others, that few, who are qualified for it, would want this Addition to all their other Enjoyments,