182 
«© Tf from the national temper and political 
situation of the Jews and Romans, to whom 
our Lord more immediately addressed him- 
self, any precept about the love of our coun- 
try would, probably, have been misconceived 
by the rash, and abused by the crafty; if the 
duty itself, in all its essential points, is evi- 
dently implied in the injunctions of the gos- 
pel, about universal benevolence; if the aflec- 
tion itself is sanctioned by the example of 
our Saviour, surely we are furnished with a 
sufficient answer to the severe reproaches of 
infidels, and the wild misrepresentations of 
believers. The gospel, in reality, separates 
the artificial from the genuine virtue. It 
emits all mention of false patriotism, and. by’ 
such omission, as well as by the general spi- 
rit of its laws, may be said to discountenance 
it. It includes whatsoever is sound and. 
praiseworthy in true patriotism, under the 
more comprehensive and more noble duty of 
charity ; and in the life of its blessed author; 
it exhibits some particular and practical illus- 
trations of that patriotism, which every head 
may understand, and every heart must feel.” 
One passage in the course of this rea- 
soning, is worthy of particular atten- 
tion: 
‘¢ There is another point of view in which 
I wish you to consider the subject; for the 
frequency with which some commands occur 
in the scriptures, for the earnestness with 
which they are enforced, and for the phrase- 
ology in which they are expressed, satisfac- 
tory reasons may be assigned from the known 
and peculiar circumstances of the world, 
when our Lord appeared in it. Upon con- 
templating those circumstances, you will, 
perhaps, find ample reason for admiring both 
the wisdom and the humanity of oug blessed 
Saviour, when he abstained from any expli- 
cit and positive directions for the love of our 
scountry. 
«* The passion, I am aware, is noble in it- 
self ; it takes a strong hold upon seme of our ° 
best affections ; it delights the imagination ; 
it warms the heart; it gathers strength from 
the instantaneous and instinctive sympathy. 
of every spectator. But, upon all these ac- 
counts, it is liable to be abused very grossly 
and very perniciously, by hurrying us into 
eager co-operation with the ambitious, and 
into implicit confidence in the artful.—. 
Hence has often arisen the misapplication of 
aterm, which, in its original sense, was pre- 
cise ; and hence too has preceeded the per- 
version ofa principle, which, in its native 
character, is most meritorious. . 
«Now, when our Lord was upon earth, the 
Roman empire was stretching itself far and 
wide, and the Roman armies were leagued 
ina fell conspiracy against the tranquillity 
and the liberties of the world. The Jews 
also, among whom he lived, were bigotted 
to their own religious tenets, to their own 
ceremonial obseryances, to their traditions, 
THEOLOGY AND ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS. 
tions of a Messiah, who was to erect for 
them a temporal kingdom. Under the influ-’ 
ence of that bigotry, misguided by error, and’ 
infuriate from zeal, they would gladly * have 
bound all other nations in chains,’ and,.in 
thus exalting their own country, to the dis- 
advantage, and even with the subjugation of 
the whole human species, they would have é 
looked upon themselves as instruments, ma- 
turally, or it may be, even preternaturally, 
appointed to accomplish the will, and to pro- 
mote the glory7of God among his favoured 
people. :Amidst such propensities, then, of - 
the Jews, such practices of the Romans, and 
such wicked passions as were common to 
both, a precept immediately and earnestly 
directing men to love their country, would _ 
have been soon misunderstood, and soon, 
misapplied. Through the glosses of inter- 
preters, and the blindness of hearers, patriot~ 
ism would have quickly mounted up to the: — 
highest class in the catalogue of virtues. In~ 
speculation, it would have been so perverted, _ 
as to debase the authority, and to counteract, 
the influence of every obligation to universal ~ 
benevolence. In practice, it would have pro- _ 
duced such ambition in governors, such im- 
petuosity in leaders, and such phrenzyamong _ 
their followers, as would have plunged them 
into undertakings wholly inconsistent with 
common prudence, common equity, and 
common humanity.” 
to their temple, to their false and proud no= : 
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Having shewn what may be really — 
collected from the scriptures of the New 
Testament, upon this much agitated sub- ~ 
ject, Dr. Parr proceeds to point out how — 
the friend of religion will prove himself ~ 
a patriot. He next explains the motives — 
by which he was induced, during the late _ 
war, to abstain “ from political discuss. - 
sion, and even political allusions, when — 
he addressed his parishioners from the ~ 
sanctuary ;’’ and justifies his present de- — 
viation from what had formerly been © 
his practice. He then calls the atten-— 
tion of his audience to the peculiar and — 
alarming situation of public affairs; and — 
endeavours, in a very eloquent and im- 
pressive manner, to excite their confi- 
dence, §‘ to animate their zeal, and to- 
direct their conduct, upon an occasion 
most important to them, in all their va- > 
rious relations, as masters of families, as — 
servants, as parents, as children, as Eng~ © 
lishmen, as christians.” | 
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From many other equally impassioned — 
and forcible passages, we select the fol-— 
lowing, as a specimen of-the preacher’s 
eloquent efforts to rouse the valiant spi- 
rit of his countrymen: 
«« You, my hearers, are not without your 
portion in the blessings which I have just) 
