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The principles of natural and revealed religion occasionally opened
The principles of natural and revealed religion occasionally opened Author:William Warburton Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SERMON IV. The Love of God and Man. Proverbs xvii. 5. Whofo mocketh the Poor reproacheth bis Maker. F all the truths, for the direction s E R M of ou... more »r conduct, with which this royal treafury of ancient wifdom abounds, there is none fuller either of profitable ufe or profound fcience than this contained in my text ; which fo feverely cenfures all expreffions of contempt towards thofe whom Providence has thrown below us on the diftrefsful ftage of human life. And, as we muft firft clear our cor- rupt nature from this ranjcnefs, before s E R M. we can attempt to cultivate that immor- iv. tal amarant of paradice, chriftian love and benevolence ; it may not be improper to fhew the reafon and explain the ufe of the Wise Man's divine aphorifm, Wbofo mock- etb the Poor reproacheth bis Maker. As much as to fay, '' He who maketh the Poor the object of his contempt and ridicule, on account of thofe difaftrous cir- cumftances which attend the want of the goods of fortune, tacitly condemns and reproaches the wife and gracious order of Providence." But it may not be amifs, previoufly to confider, In what ftate it is, that man becomes the object of this criminal mockery to his fellow-creature. It is plain, it cannot be in that where he lives uncivilized. For there, the diftinctions between Rich and Poor, whereon the infolence of wealth for- meth thofe odious comparifons, which conclude in the contempt of penury, have hardly any place ; that fordid condition, which, now contrafted to pomp and grandeur Js become the fubject of opulent fcorn, being tthere fo general as to admit no room for an unfavourable diftinction : But, an universal parity,parity, like darknefs, blots out all dif- s E R M, ference between honourable and mean. iv. Nay, mould the civilized beholder be ...« less