Reason for this shall be because it is a Duty God requires of us Deut. 4.10 wherein he not only enjoyns it but promises to be himself an Instrument an Agent in the furtherance of it I will cause them to hear my words saith he that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth and that they may teach their Children This is what the Apostle so often inculcates in all his Epistles as in that to the Col. 3.16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you plenteously in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another and in the 1 Thess 5.11 Exhort one another and edify one another even as you do So Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another daily while it is called to day and again Rom. 14.19 Let us follow those things which concern peace and wherewith one may edify another St. Peter 1 Ep. 2.5 compares the Faithful to a Spiritual House whereof we are the Living Stones which if not cemented together by Christian Charity will soon turn into a ruinous heap Every Man must bring something to the building up or repairing this House and altho' the Pastors of the Church are the Principal Builders under our great Master Christ yet must we all in general and every one in particular contribute our utmost endeavours not only by private Reproof and Admonition by Exhortation and Counsel but especially by our own good Examples to reform what is amiss and not suffer Sin to reign in our Brethren So that every Man in some sence is what Cain denied to be to Abel his Brother's keeper Gen. 4.9 And as God has placed within every one of us a Conscience as well to chide us when we have done evil as to check our Jehu-like march when we would run into Sin so has he given to each of us a Friend or a Brother without that should as the Angel did by Lot Gen. 19.16 call upon us and lead us nay enforce us out of Sodom out of the danger into which Sin would hurry us And he that doth truly and faithfully discharge this duty to his Brother doth the highest and most transcendent act of Charity in the World for he saves a Soul that was likely to perish and instrumentally redeems his Brother from the jaws of Hell and the power of Satan and not only so but receives likewise infinite advantage to himself by the performance of this Duty For besides his reward with God and the comfort in his own Bosom he engages his Friend to a return of Gratitude and Justice and so begets the truest Friendship and the most indissoluble tye of Amity that can be between Man and Man So that he that performs this Duty as he ought treasures up to himself three of the most inestimable Jewels in the World First A good Conscience within 2 dly A true Friend without 3 dly The favour of that God who hath enjoyned it who for our Reward shall make us to shine as the Stars for Wisdom in this lower Firmament Dan. 12.3 and for transcendency of Glory in that which is above reason II Secondly Let us practice this doing of good to our Brethren because we cannot express our Love unto God or our Thankfulness for those Blessings we receive from him better than by improving them to the enlargement of his Glory in the Conversion of others Simon thou Son of Jonah lovest thou me then feed my sheep saith our Saviour Joh. 21.15.16,17 Which words he repeats no less than three times Thrice he urges him to the same Confession saith St. Chrysostom and thrice he conjures him by that Confession to the same Duty to shew that as there is nothing wherein Christ is more joyed than in the welfare of his Church so there is no better way for us to demonstrate our Affections unto him than by all holy means to endeavour the Salvation of each other By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one for another Joh. 13.35 reason III And thus in the Third place as it is the best demonstration we can make of our Love to God so is it likewise of our Love to our Neighbour The greatest Love that we read of among Men is that of a Father to his Son and therefore is the Love of God himself often shadowed out by that Love As a Father pitieth his own Children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him Psalm 103.13 Now how doth a Father express his Love to his Son Surely not so much by Feeding and Cloathing him This is the least part of the Duty incumbent on Parents and more properly belongs to the Mother than the Father 'T is the Mother's Duty to cherish and bring him up but the Eather's to educate and instruct him faith the great Philosopher in his Oeconomicks The Love of the Father is most seen in the well modelling of his Son's Manners which is a thing of wonderful importance and for the most part of Immortal consequence for what we sow in the Spring we reap in the Harvest The Spring of a Man's Life is his Childhood and what impressions are then made be they good or bad those we generally carry with us to our Graves and what we carry thither remains on the Tally of Eternity The first Token of the Father's Love to his Son is seen in the care he takes of his Education that the first impressions that are made on him be the fear of God and the love of Goodness and afterwards as his Faculties grow more strong and vigorous he goes on to season them with the Principles of Religion the Precepts of Morality and the Dictates of Wisdom and Prudence And to this end he sometimes Counsels and Advises him what is to be embraced and what avoided what is necessary for his well-being and what superfluous what is just and honest and what is not Sometimes he comforts and encourages him against the Difficulties that may dishearten him and when he finds him neglective of his Duty he changes his Countenance toward him and first admonishes then rebukes then threatens him and if none of these will prevail he adds Verbis Verbera to words of reproof stripes of Correction and all these are but the Expressions of his Fatherly Affection an Affection as infinitely surmounting that of giving Food and Raiment as the incorruptible Soul doth the perishing Body Thus the highest Expressions of our Love and the purest works of Christian Charity are those which have for their Object the Spiritual welfare of our Brother's Soul To Instruct the Ignorant to bind up the broken-hearted to reduce those that are out of the way to support those that are weak â—o restore with meekness those that are fallen to admonish reprove convince and as much as lies in us to restrain those that are wilful and obstinate this is the proper Language and the most perfect Demonstration of Divine Love Non amatur Servus aut Filius cùm non